บท 541: Chapter 541
Los Angeles, Beverly Hills Four Seasons Hotel
Charles ran into Rupert Murdoch at a gala.
"James Cameron's sci-fi effects film, which he has been preparing for ten years, sure is something else. The level of publicity is truly astounding," Charles said while sitting on a sofa with Rupert Murdoch, looking at James Cameron talking to some people not far away, with a hint of envy.
"Haha, Avatar is a work that James has been preparing for years. Of course, 20th Century Fox will give full support," Rupert Murdoch laughed calmly.
"Yeah, a blockbuster with a production and distribution budget of $400 million. It looks like James Cameron will further solidify his place as the King of the World," Charles said, knowing most of the funding for Avatar came from Dune Entertainment and the Ingenious Media, with 20th Century Fox hesitant to invest too much.
It was like when 20th Century Fox brought in Paramount to handle the overspending while developing Titanic.
Rupert Murdoch glanced at Charles, "Capet's North American box office is approaching $2 billion this year, a new milestone."
Who could have thought that Paranormal Activity would gross over $100 million in North America? Judging by the trend of Twilight Saga: New Moon's box office, Capet didn't even need to wait for The Incredible Hulk to release to achieve the $2 billion milestone in North America.
"Capet's not even ten years old and has reached this level. Besides divine assistance, what other reason could there be?" Rupert Murdoch was genuinely amazed.
"This year is different. Capet's excellent films come one after another," Charles wasn't being modest. Luck played a part in this too.
Rupert Murdoch switched the topic, asking, "I heard you had some misunderstandings with Washington D.C. recently? You know, News Corporation has some influence in the U.S. with Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Post. Maybe we can coordinate in Florida!"
Charles looked into Rupert Murdoch's eyes and smiled, "Only in Florida?"
"Haha, if you are willing, a lot of people in California would appreciate your support. Stagnation is not a good thing," Rupert Murdoch laughed.
Charles shook his head and said, "California is different. The gap is too big!"
Supporting the Republican Party without any substantial leverage was wishful thinking. He was already part of the presidential faction and had ties with a Californian senator. Without enough leverage, it wouldn't work.
After speaking, Charles reminded, "Fox News' opponent isn't NBC. You should focus on CNN. You should target Ted Turner. Time Warner has plenty of promotional channels!"
Ted Turner, Vice Chairman of Time Warner, founder of CNN, and TNT's parent company TBS (Turner Broadcasting System);
In 1996, Time Warner acquired TBS, bringing CNN under its wing. Ted Turner became Time Warner's largest private shareholder.
At the turn of the millennium, Ted Turner was instrumental in the merger between Time Warner and AOL, although it later turned out to be a failed merger.
But Ted Turner was absolutely a powerful board member among Time Warner shareholders, a true media mogul behind the scenes.
Rupert Murdoch laughed, "I'm just making a suggestion. After all, we are businessmen. But Charles, Capet merging with Universal indeed shocked many. Once Universal joins, Capet's market share will skyrocket, won't it?"
Capet's merger with Universal was still in the integration stage. However, the suspension of numerous projects, personnel appointments, and employee layoffs were buzzing everywhere.
If there were no other media companies involved, not even a dog would believe it, especially Hollywood's two major news stations, Fox News and CNN!
"Capet's goal is to maintain its share," Charles said, taking a sip of his drink before continuing.
"Comcast's foray into Hollywood, with MGM as a perfect acquisition target, could make Comcast a new Academy member if they successfully acquire MGM!"
Would ambitious Comcast allow once-glorious MGM to wander aimlessly?
"With MGM having a backer, wouldn't our competitive pressure increase?" Charles didn't want other companies to always consider Capet their primary competitor.
Rupert Murdoch stood up, patted Charles on the shoulder, "But right now, Capet is already something everyone fears!"
After speaking, Rupert Murdoch leisurely walked away.
Charles stood up from the sofa, realizing Capet Universal was indeed putting a lot of pressure on everyone.
Recently, Charles had not only met Ted Turner but also had a good chat with John Malone, Chairman of Liberty Media.
Ted Turner was the father of American news, with significant influence in the news world.
And John Malone was even more formidable, known as the father of American cable TV. Liberty Media was Time Warner's largest shareholder and News Corporation's second-largest shareholder, having co-founded numerous cable TV stations.
These TV media moguls usually stay low-profile, but their influence exceeded that of movie studio moguls.
Capet was previously dominant in the film industry, which was fine. But after merging with NBC, the competition for media discourse began.
"Charles," Anne Hathaway suddenly walked briskly to Charles' side.
"Hmm, you're here too?" Charles hadn't noticed Anne Hathaway earlier.
"I was attending the promotional event for Valentine's Day with Julia Roberts and just arrived at the gala," Anne Hathaway explained. "Charles, I received an invitation for Spider-Man 4 from Sony. They seem to want me to play a role in Spider-Man 4!"
"Spider-Man 4, inviting you?" Charles looked at Anne Hathaway. Sony hadn't even sorted out the script yet.
Moreover, as Charles remembered, Anne Hathaway later participated in Warner Bros' The Dark Knight Rises as Catwoman.
Seeing Charles' puzzled look, Anne Hathaway shrugged, "Sony currently just has the intention. We're still in talks."
*****
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