Capítulo 528: Chapter 528
In the evening, at Brooklyn Heights near the Brooklyn Bridge, Charles arrived at Anne Hathaway's high-rise villa.
"This movie didn't cause much of a stir at the Venice Film Festival last year. It was officially released in North America at the end of July this year and received a lot of praise from media and critics," Charles and Anne Hathaway were lying on the couch watching the DVD of The Hurt Locker.
Anne Hathaway nodded, "It won numerous awards from various city critics. It's likely that it will sweep the Hollywood guild awards too. Many media outlets say this The Hurt Locker is a strong contender for this year's Oscars Best Picture!"
Charles shook his head. "No wonder this movie did so poorly at the North American box office. It's not engaging at all," he said, sitting up to pour himself a glass of wine.
"It's a politically charged film, and it's very controversial. Many soldiers who have seen it say it's pure imagination, with many scenes far from reality and some severely violating basic common sense!" Anne Hathaway lay on the couch, her head resting on Charles' leg. "However, the academy judges love these kinds of movies!"
"Kathryn Bigelow, looks like there'll be a female director winning Best Picture at the Oscars," Charles said while running his hand through Anne's hair.
"Do you think The Hurt Locker will win Best Picture at the Oscars?" Anne Hathaway chuckled, showing some skepticism.
"By the way, why did you want me to help promote Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets? Is it because I'm a Brooklyn-born star?"
Charles nodded. "The team moved from New Jersey to New York. Brooklyn is the main base. Collaborating with a star increases the team's exposure. You're Anne Hathaway; you have tons of fans!"
As he spoke, Charles' finger glided slowly down the lady's cheek, stopping gently at her lips.
"The script for Silver Linings Playbook, adapted from The New York Times bestselling author Matthew Quick's novel, is completed," Charles said, leaning in to kiss the lady's ear. "This movie should start filming next year. Then, I'll use this movie to get you an Oscar for Best Actress!"
Anne Hathaway sat up, her loosely fitting white shirt barely covering her seductive figure. She wrapped her arms around Charles' neck and laughed, "Finally, you're plotting to get me the Best Actress Oscar! I've been waiting for years!"
Charles put down his wine glass and smiled, "These things take time. You've already been nominated for the Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Actress. You're in the race now."
"With an Oscar-caliber movie plus our company's PR work, it's in the bag!"
"Right," Charles said as he kissed her on the lips, his hand sliding under her shirt to feel the softness.
"Hmm," Anne Hathaway was already aroused, taking off her obstructive shirt quickly and then undressing Charles.
Soon enough, Charles had Anne Hathaway savoring protein on the couch...
...
While staying in New York, Charles wasn't very involved in the construction of Barclays Center. After arranging for Anne Hathaway to be the ambassador, he turned his attention to the Universal Studios project.
The chairman of Universal Studios Resort and Consumer Group, Tom Williams, had worked at Universal for nearly thirty years.
"Blackstone's asking price for their shares in Universal Studios Orlando is a bit high. They want a billion dollars in cash for the 50% stake," Tom Williams reported to Charles in his Manhattan office at Capet Tower. "Based on our assessment, the 50% stake in Universal Studios Orlando is worth at most $900 million!"
"After acquiring Hilton Hotels, Blackstone encountered the financial crisis. They're short on cash and have already sold many assets," Charles wasn't overly concerned. "Keep negotiating. If it's below $900 million, we can pay in full upfront. If it's over $900 million, we'll pay in installments and let them decide."
With the boost from the Marvel series and Transformers, financing for Universal Studios was simple.
Tom Williams smiled and then asked, "Do we plan to take back Universal Studios Japan in Osaka for self-management? That place is losing money."
Charles nodded. "With Universal Studios Osaka's stock so cheap now, buy it back ASAP from the investment firms and real estate companies. The main reason for Universal Studios Osaka's losses is a lack of understanding of cultural differences. You're managing it with an American mindset in Japan!"
He shook his head, "Let's replace the head of Universal Studios Osaka with a Japanese person. Locals understand their culture best. Sending an American who doesn't even speak Japanese to manage Universal Studios Osaka, I don't know where you got that confidence from. Although the ownership rights belong to others, our licensing fees are based on revenue. Never mind, focus on reclaiming stakes in Universal Studios Orlando and Osaka for now."
Currently, Universal Studios Osaka is more critical than Universal Studios Orlando, as Universal Studios Orlando is overshadowed by Disney World Orlando.
However, there's plenty of developable land near Universal Studios Orlando, and Charles plans to acquire it for large-scale development, to compete with Disney World.
At the moment, Disney World Orlando is far larger, with its 122 square kilometers compared to Universal Studios Orlando's much smaller area.
Even though Tokyo Disney Resort's 2 square kilometers is almost four times the size of Universal Studios Osaka's area, the difference isn't as staggering.
Presently, the main shareholder of Universal Studios Osaka is Goldman Sachs, holding 50% of the shares, while Universal itself holds less than 8%.
Originally, the Osaka city government owned 9% of Universal Studios Osaka shares, while Goldman Sachs held 41%. But this year, they sold their 9% stake to Goldman Sachs for 16 billion yen.
Now it seems, the gap between Universal Studios and Disney is quite substantial.
Tom Williams nodded, agreeing that Capet's focus on developing Universal Studios was positive.
"The group will soon issue a bond in the name of Universal Studios Resort and Consumer Group, likely between $2 billion to $3 billion, to acquire shares of the two Universal Studios and build new Marvel and Transformers attractions," Charles said, leaning back in his chair.
"Disney owns many world-renowned animated characters. To compete with them, Universal needs more IPs!"
*****
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