Chapter 721: Chapter 721: Selling Cinema Chains
In the luxury suite of the WaterWorld Hotel at Universal Studios Hollywood, Charles Capet and "Bond Girl" Gal Gadot were enjoying a hot bath after the celebration of Skyfall.
"How do you feel? You're pretty much the most famous actress in Israel now," Charles smiled as he reached out and patted the actress's chest.
Gal Gadot smiled too, "Now I am the pride of Israel," and then she leaned in to kiss Charles.
The next day, Mel Gibson's film Get the Gringo had its premiere at the Pacific Dome Theater on Sunset Boulevard.
Robert Downey Jr., Jodie Foster, and other big-name stars showed up to support Mel Gibson's new movie in the U.S.!
Meanwhile, there were small-scale protests and demonstrations from the Jewish community in Los Angeles against Mel Gibson's films.
However, the mainstream media didn't mention anything about Mel Gibson's past, nor did any prominent Jewish figures publicly criticize him!
On North Hollywood Boulevard, near the Hilton Garden Inn, Charles leaned back in his chair, eyes slightly closed, enjoying Gal Gadot's service.
His hand rested on her black hair, and he put down his cellphone beside his ear, then reached inside the neckline of her dress...
After an unknown period, Gal Gadot sat up, panting heavily, her face flushed and chest heaving!
Pulling out a tissue to wipe her mouth, Gal Gadot asked, "Charles, why did Mel Gibson make a comeback?"
Charles smiled, "Isn't it because of those recent Wall Street protests? Now Americans don't really like those financiers on Wall Street. You know, most of the finance industry is Jewish. Mel Gibson's comeback is to bridge the gap with the Jewish community!"
Gadot, being just an actress, didn't understand much. Whatever Charles said was the truth to her.
"Is that so," Gadot didn't quite understand, then leaned her disheveled head on Charles' chest and began to help clean him up.
"I'm going back to Israel. I've been traveling to many places with the crew for promotions, so I need some rest!"
Charles nodded, "The success of Skyfall has boosted your fame significantly. So now, you shouldn't worry about getting more projects!"
After a while, Gal Gadot, having straightened her clothes, got out of the car and went into the hotel, while Charles drove away.
...
In early February, Disney announced that CEO Robert Iger would replace John Cooper Jr. to also serve as the chairman of the group.
Now, Robert Iger, like the early Disney king Michael Eisner, became the absolute ruler of Disney!
MGM, under Comcast, quickly acquired The Weinstein Company, perhaps emboldened by the success of Skyfall.
Initially, everyone thought MGM wouldn't make much noise after the Comcast acquisition. But now, the media declared the era of the seven major Hollywood film studios!
At the same time, Universal and Paramount, the two oldest film companies in Hollywood, held their 100-year celebration events.
Compared to Paramount, relying on DreamWorks Animation and the release of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Universal's dominance was evident to all!
...
In the office of Capet Universal in Burbank.
"Did you come here for something specific?" Charles asked.
Evelyn took the coffee brought by Charles' assistant and said, "You know that Wanda Entertainment from China wants to buy the AMC Cinema Group, right?"
Charles nodded, "I know. They reached out to you too?".
"Yes, this is part of our EDR business," Evelyn smiled.
"People with more money than sense," Charles laughed, "Ask Wanda if they are interested in buying our two cinema chains as well. Your ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theaters?"
"Yes, my two chains have about 50 theaters," Charles shrugged, "I intended to sell these two chains a while ago, keeping only a few theaters for Universal to manage. Empire Theaters, AMC Cinemas, and Carmike all showed interest in our theaters, but the three major North American chains are broke!"
Charles spread his hands.
"Wanda is indeed interested in international cinema chains, and your two companies are premium assets. I think Wanda will be interested," Evelyn speculated.
In the North American cinema market, Empire Theaters were the largest!
Wanda's targeted AMC Cinema Group was second, with about 350 theaters and 5000 screens.
"Okay, let's arrange a meeting for both sides to discuss," Charles knew Wanda was quite willing to spend.
"What's the current status of the deal?" asked Charles.
"The AMC Cinema board wants to sell 68% of their shares to Wanda for $3 billion, giving Wanda absolute control over AMC Cinemas," Evelyn explained, wrinkling her nose.
"Hmm," Charles took a sharp breath, "Is AMC Cinema overestimating itself? Does it even worth $4.5 billion? Its market value isn't even $2.5 billion. In that case, my Pacific Theatres and ArcLight Cinemas should be worth over a billion dollars!"
Evelyn rolled her eyes, "Even if Wanda is rich, they won't blindly pay whatever AMC Cinema asks. They are still negotiating. However, from what I hear, Wanda seems quite eager to buy AMC Cinemas!"
Charles laughed, "Mom, please help us contact Wanda as soon as possible. For $800 million, I'll sell them my two cinema chains, including the Pacific Dome Theater on Sunset Boulevard and the ArcLight Cinemas in Westwood. The Pacific Dome Theater is among the top ten box offices in North America, and ArcLight Cinemas in Westwood is in the top thirty!"
"Are you sure you want to sell your theaters, considering Capet has made substantial investments in cinemas in China?" Evelyn was puzzled.
Charles shook his head, "I'll get rid of them. The North American cinema market is a pit. If it weren't for establishing Capet's North American distribution network, I wouldn't have considered operating theaters. As for Chinese cinemas? That's a real estate business!"
Evelyn nodded.
*****
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