Capítulo 468: Chapter 468: The Current State of Marvel
[Chapter 530: The Current State of Marvel]
After Arthur arrived in Miami, he obviously had to make a trip to Tampa. Although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not make the playoffs, he still wanted to see the under-construction Fidelity Investments Stadium.
Not only that, but the Miami Ritz-Carlton was scheduled to open early next year, along with three others: the Ritz-Carlton in Times Square, the Ritz-Carlton near the Galaxy Arena in downtown Los Angeles, and the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago. Next year would mark the opening of four of them!
In development, there were also Ritz-Carlton hotels underway in San Francisco, Tampa, Vancouver, and Toronto, among others.
In Culver City, Los Angeles, in the bedroom, Yu Feihong was sprawled on Arthur. "After being here for a few years, leaving now feels a bit hard to do!"
Arthur chuckled, running his fingers through her hair. "You can come over anytime. If you want a green card or to immigrate, that's totally possible."
Yu Feihong shook her head and gave him a kiss on the chest. "It's not great. I still need to go back home to develop my career. And you'll visit there often?"
"Of course, I have plenty of business in East Asia!" Arthur replied with a smile.
"Well, Hong Kong isn't devoid of women, right? Rosamund Kwan helped me buy a house there."
"I'll spend some time in Hong Kong when I have the chance," Arthur said, embracing the woman in his arms. "In the next two to three years, there will be economic changes in Asia. I'll be spending a lot of time over there, don't worry."
Before long, it would be 1996. Not only Indonesia but the Asian financial crisis was an opportunity Arthur did not want to miss...
...
In Hollywood, at the Roosevelt Hotel, Arthur met Stan Lee, Marvel's creative officer. After Galaxy acquired the rights to Spider-Man and the X-Men series, they had not developed them at all.
Marvel went public in 1991. After years of mergers and rapid growth, they faced a nightmare!
"Arthur, does Galaxy still need licensing for Marvel's characters?" This year, Marvel reported a $50 million loss, with stock prices plummeting by 60%, and massive debts maturing soon.
Stan Lee was at a loss.
Arthur smiled. "In these years, Marvel has acquired sticker companies, card companies, and toy companies mostly through equity-backed loans. Their publishing business ranks second to last, only slightly ahead of licensing. Combined, they account for about 25% of Marvel's revenue. Right now, Marvel is more like a card company or a toy company!"
With Marvel's stock plummeting, bankruptcy was looming. Were they trying to sell their rights to get back in the game?
Stan looked at Arthur, uncertain, "Galaxy wouldn't shoot a movie just to preserve the Spider-Man rights, right?"
Stan was genuinely worried. The rights to the Fantastic Four had been sold to Constantine Films in the '80s by producer Bernd Eichinger.
After waiting nearly a decade, when the rights expired two years ago, Bernd Eichinger spent $1 million making a B-movie version of the Fantastic Four.
Marvel was shocked, fearing that this poorly made film would affect their merchandise sales and brand image.
They spent even more money to acquire all copies of that Fantastic Four film and destroyed them!
Arthur's lips twitched. "I represent Galaxy MGM now. What does Spider-Man mean to Americans? Do you think I want to ruin my reputation?"
Stan felt reassured. "So why haven't you developed a Spider-Man movie yet?"
Nowadays, Arthur Smith's name was a guarantee for any film; he was just too famous!
"Special effects! My ideal Peter Parker swings through New York City, soaring and darting between skyscrapers. Today's effects just don't seem mature enough."
Arthur took a sip of coffee. "But there's no need to worry too much. MGM is working on two major movies -- Twister and Independence Day -- both packed with special effects. Once we have that experience, Galaxy will surely create an amazing live-action Spider-Man movie, instead of these low-quality products that have turned into TV movies based on Marvel!"
Stan managed a bitter smile. "Low-quality products?"
It was true. In recent years, the adaptations of Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, and Doctor Strange certainly didn't qualify as movies. They weren't even fit for theaters and were nothing but low-quality products in Arthur Smith's eyes!
After Stan left, Arthur respected him, but Marvel had always been a crucial part of Arthur's Galaxy empire. When Marvel filed for bankruptcy, that would be the moment for Galaxy to acquire them.
...
Before long, Arthur drove to pick up Sophie Marceau, who had just finished attending a nearby cocktail party.
On Sunset Boulevard, Arthur reached over and rested his hand on Sophie Marceau's thigh, grinning. "Getting used to it?"
Braveheart had gotten good reviews, and the film crew worked hard on their publicity efforts, with everyone from the director to the actors promoting it vigorously.
"The endless balls, parties, press conferences, and critic meetings..." Sophie Marceau shook her head. "Every day was about holding red wine, smiling for photos and interviews!"
"The Oscars are like that, after all. It's the highest honor in the film world and the ultimate goal for many filmmakers," Arthur said as he drove to Will Rogers State Beach. "From now until next year's Oscars, it's award season -- various guild awards, critics' prizes, the Golden Globes, and so on, a lot happening!"
Sophie leaned into Arthur's embrace, gazing out at the moonlit beach. "One of the bosses at Aiken Films, Bruce Davis, wants to invite me to star in Anna Karenina, based on Tolstoy's novel. And I'll need to film in Russia, probably staying in St. Petersburg for half a year. That guy doesn't even try to hide his desire!"
"Bruce Davis, Mel Gibson's partner, right?" Arthur kissed Sophie lightly. "Don't worry about him. After Braveheart, he won't be collaborating with them again!"
Aiken Films was the production company co-founded by Mel Gibson and Bruce Davis.
"He's not making any advances on you, is he?" Arthur asked, holding Sophie a bit more tightly, concerned.
Sophie laughed. "No, Braveheart is a Paramount and 20th Century Fox project. I've hardly met Bruce Davis more than a few times. Recently, during the Braveheart publicity events, he specifically approached me about the Anna Karenina project!"
"That's good. You're mine," Arthur said, kissing Sophie, his hand moving to feel her curves.
"Mm..." Sophie responded passionately.
*****
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