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43.48% Arthur Smith's Hollywood Odyssey / Chapter 237: Chapter 237: Steve Ross

Kapitel 237: Chapter 237: Steve Ross

In Los Angeles, after Min left California, Arthur began his busy work, and the new film Se7en completed its pre-production phase.

In the reception room of Galaxy Films, Arthur had a delightful conversation with the young director David Fincher, who had just turned 30 this year.

Arthur couldn't help but praise, "This script, you seem to have adapted it very well!"

After reading the script modifications made by David Fincher, Arthur was indeed very pleased with his understanding of Se7en - religious elements and suspenseful plots were his forte.

"Thank you," David Fincher smiled. "I have already met Brad Pitt, and he is very satisfied with the script. Moreover, for the role of the veteran detective, I favor Morgan Freeman, and he is willing to take on the challenge!"

"Morgan Freeman? isn't he currently filming The Shawshank Redemption in Ohio?" Arthur was clear about this.

"Yes, but The Shawshank Redemption is about to wrap up. The antagonist in Se7en is still not decided, and the shooting is scheduled to start in November. Morgan Freeman's schedule is fine. Currently, I need to quickly determine the actor for the antagonist role!"

After hearing David Fincher's words, Arthur nodded and said, "The budget for Se7en is $28 million, and its release is scheduled for the second half of next year. Try to avoid any delays!"

"Understood," David Fincher did not have any objections to this request. At least Galaxy didn't interfere with his movie like 20th Century Fox did; they were willing to let him take the lead on this film.

The experience of shooting Alien 3 was something David Fincher never wanted to relive.

In the evening, Arthur left Galaxy and went to the seaside villa in Malibu. Jennifer Connelly had just returned to Los Angeles after promoting Scent of a Woman in New York.

In the bathroom, Arthur and Jennifer Connelly soaked together in the bathtub. Apart from Monica Bellucci, Jennifer Connelly had the most voluptuous figure.

To Arthur, although Jennifer Connelly wasn't as endowed as Monica Bellucci's 36D, her 34D was already very impressive!

"Arthur, Scent of a Woman has received very positive reviews and high praise," Connelly turned around, lying in Arthur's arms with a smile on her face. "When is it going to expand?"

"No rush, Scent of a Woman is still in limited release, but next week it will expand," Arthur wasn't worried at all, since Scent of a Woman was an art film.

With a $14 million investment, it began limited screenings and participated in film festivals last month, with a smaller scale than Schindler's List.

This is how low-budget art films are distributed; otherwise, marketing costs would be too high.

After two weeks in theaters, it was only shown in around 200 cinemas. But with the word-of-mouth growing and the presence of a big star like Al Pacino, expanding the release of Scent of a Woman would be much easier than Schindler's List.

"The number of cinemas showing Scent of a Woman next week will exceed 1,000," Arthur said, gently touching Jennifer Connelly's face, and smiled, "You were just a guest star, why are you so happy?"

Jennifer Connelly, hugging Arthur and rubbing her excitement, said, "Although my screen time was short, my presence was striking, just like Brad Pitt in Thelma & Louise. The tango scene in the movie received a lot of praise!

However, Al Pacino's performance is the highlight of Scent of a Woman. Critics are raving about his portrayal of the blind retired lieutenant colonel. And the young actor Chris O'Donnell also did a great job and was well-received."

After the bath, back in the bedroom, Arthur poured a glass of red wine for Connelly. "When Mrs. Doubtfire is released next year, your influence will grow even more. Be careful when selecting scripts. Avoid those that overdo the sexy angle. Some commercial films may seem silly, but they can boost your popularity!"

Jennifer Connelly had previously accepted several independent drama films, almost creating a stereotype.

"Got it. The scripts I've been receiving are increasing, and Scent of a Woman has indeed changed my image," Jennifer Connelly then drank her glass of wine and hugged Arthur. "This year, Galaxy's performance has been great. Don't you want to celebrate?"

Arthur smiled, removed her nightgown, and kissed her directly...

...

The next day, a Hollywood newspaper published an obituary about the Time Warner Group;

Steve Ross, the CEO of Time Warner, passed away last night at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

This Hollywood mogul, who built the Warner Communications Empire, finally left after successfully merging Warner Communications and Time Inc.

Subsequently, many prominent figures in Hollywood, like David Geffen, Michael Ovitz, and Mo Ostin, chairman of Warner Records Group, expressed their condolences on Steve Ross's passing.

Of course, as a famous film company in Hollywood, Galaxy's president Amy Pascal also released a statement acknowledging Steve Ross's contributions to the film and music entertainment industries.

"Time Warner is about to enter the era of Gerald Levin," Arthur said, sitting on the villa's sofa, watching the news of Steve Ross's death on TV.

Within a year, Time Warner Group's two co-CEOs had left - Nicholas departed and Steve Ross passed away, leaving Gerald Levin to smoothly take over Time Warner Group.

Arthur then received a call from his assistant, Anna, notifying him that Time Warner had invited him to attend Steve Ross's funeral.

"Invite me? Isn't Amy representing Galaxy enough?" Arthur was puzzled. He wasn't even of the same generation as Steve Ross, let alone had any encounters with him.

"Sir, this is a special notice from Mr. Gerald Levin's assistant at Time Warner!"

"Got it, I will attend," Arthur seemed to understand that Gerald Levin probably wanted to have a conversation with him.

It appeared that more and more big companies were eyeing Galaxy Films now. Turner Broadcasting, Paramount Communications, News Corp, Disney, Bertelsmann, and PolyGram were all interested, and now Time Warner likely had the same idea.

Gerald Levin, like Steve Ross, was also an acquisition enthusiast. Despite Toshiba and Itochu being the major shareholders of Time Warner now, Gerald Levin had become the CEO and president of Time Warner, meaning he held significant power!

However, since Galaxy wasn't publicly traded, Arthur wasn't too concerned.

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.


Kapitel 238: Chapter 238: Gerald Levin

In the afternoon, at the Los Angeles Country Club, after attending Steve Ross's funeral, Arthur and Time Warner's new CEO, Gerald Levin, came here to play golf.

"Arthur, think about it. Joining Time Warner doesn't mean being swallowed by Warner Bros., but maintaining complete independence. Time Warner will hold Galaxy, and you will still decide everything about Galaxy Films. The relationship with Warner Bros. will be equal, with independent movie production and distribution rights!"

Gerald Levin was straightforward; he indeed had his eyes on Galaxy. Movies like The Bodyguard, A Few Good Men, and Schindler's List were outstanding and kept coming out one after another.

How could Time Warner not be tempted? Globally, The Bodyguard even surpassed Batman Returns and Lethal Weapon 3 in box office performance.

"Whack," Arthur swung hard, and the golf ball flew out directly.

"Good shot, strong strike!" Gerald Levin said as he walked over with a smile.

Arthur looked at Gerald Levin, "Right now, Galaxy has a film department, invested in a TV station, and the TV department is preparing its first series. Last year, I bought a 3D animation company. We also have our own chain of theaters. Hollywood's Galaxy Cinema is doing well. Do you think I'd sell Galaxy now?"

Gerald Levin knew Arthur wouldn't sell Galaxy easily unless it faced a debt crisis or he got an offer he couldn't refuse.

"Arthur, consider it. With Time Warner's resource support, Galaxy's future will be limitless," he reminded again.

...

"How did the talk go?" In the car, on the way back to the company, Amy Pascal asked Arthur.

Arthur smiled, "Gerald Levin started his career at HBO. Otherwise, he wouldn't have pushed so hard for the merger of Steve Ross and Time Inc. He is quite visionary and has great faith in the future of cable TV!"

Amy Pascal continued, "BET went public this year, with a market value now reaching $300 million, becoming the first black-controlled company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Robert Johnson has now become America's first black billionaire!"

Arthur rubbed his temples, "BET choosing to go public this year is great, gaining a lot of attention due to the Los Angeles riots."

Amy Pascal reminded, "John Malone reduced his shares in BET. What about us?"

"Reduced?" Arthur shook his head, "John Malone is busy selling TCI at a high price to Bell Atlantic and is under investigation by the antitrust committee.

BET shares shouldn't be reduced; they need to be increased. There's still significant room for appreciation in the current stock price. Send someone to contact John Malone and Robert Johnson. Galaxy's goal is to increase its BET stake to 25%!"

Before going public, Galaxy held 20% of BET's shares, which got diluted a bit after the IPO. BET is currently Galaxy's only channel with some say in cable movies, which is still useful.

Thanks to Galaxy Films' great performance, Galaxy's earnings are solid. The Bodyguard grossed over $400 million worldwide, providing Galaxy with over $100 million from cinema revenue, not to mention $60 million from selling overseas videotape and cable TV rights, and over $25 million from North American home video sales.

A Few Good Men grossed over $130 million domestically and another $100 million overseas, providing Galaxy with nearly $100 million in cinema revenue, $24 million from overseas videotapes, and TV rights, and over $15 million from the North American home video market.

Having just repaid a $100 million loan, Galaxy now holds considerable cash flow, with Schindler's List currently in theaters, and the highly anticipated sequel Scream 2 coming next, it's no wonder Time Warner was willing to offer $1 billion for 60% of Galaxy's shares. Galaxy's movies were just too successful.

Videotapes and laser discs can't compare to future DVDs in terms of price; the market for both sales and rentals is far behind DVDs.

Moreover, the cost of videotapes is much higher than DVDs. Currently, the value of new releases is the greatest, and Galaxy, a new company, has already surpassed the valuation of the veteran MGM.

"Fine, I'll arrange it," Amy Pascal didn't object, seeing Arthur's confidence in the future of cable TV.

"Also, urge the planning of the Glendale headquarters site. Galaxy urgently needs its own production base now that more movies are being produced. A production base with professional studios, recording rooms, prop warehouses, and special effects studios, among others, is very necessary."

Amy Pascal smiled, "Don't worry, we're already designing it, just waiting for the Glendale site to be settled and relocated. There's a small park inside, and the Glendale district council needs to discuss it!"

Arthur held his head, "What Los Angeles needs now is an economic recovery. Pressure them. If they waste my time again, I'll build Galaxy's new production base in Burbank. Burbank is no worse than Glendale; these guys must have shit in the brain!"

...

In the evening, Arthur drove to the USC School of Cinematic Arts to pick up Yu Feihong for dinner.

"Oh, you're at the library? I'll come to find you directly. Tomorrow is the weekend, and you're still studying!"

Before Arthur arrived at the library, Yu Feihong was already coming out with several books!

Arthur then got in the Acura NSX, and they left the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

"Let's go home."

"We're not eating out now? Going straight home?"

"Yes, I want to cook myself," Yu Feihong explained.

"Oh, even better."

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.


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