Rebirth of America, this is my era

Chapter 277 Let’s wait and see!
Six hundred million in three days, what kind of level is this?
If this matter is shown off on the Internet in the future, it will definitely be ridiculed, because those top e-commerce anchors can sell 9.5 billion in one day on the first day of the Double Eleven pre-sale.

Even if the exchange rate is multiplied, sales of $600 million would not make the list.

It can only be regarded as a small shrimp in Internet sales.

Only if inflation is taken into account can it enter the top ten.

After all, this is three days' sales, so the total amount has to be divided by three.

However, in this day and age...

An income of 600 million in three days is already terrifying!

You know, last year, the total box office revenue of the entire North American film market was only 1.7 billion!

Even so, the profits still have to be divided among a bunch of people including theaters, distributors, and producers!

And what about Ethan Jones? In just three days, he made 35 percent of the annual revenue of the entire Hollywood industry!
Although there are various factors involved, for example, the national electronic game competition that just ended, the months-long competition kept the Johnson home console product in the public eye, and the investment of up to 30 million is a huge advertisement that ordinary companies cannot afford; for example, the game presentation of "Starry Sky" is unique and will continue to attract players to buy.

But these propaganda things...

Which one doesn’t have it?
In fact, the publicity and promotion costs of Hollywood movies have always been no less than their production costs!
With uncertain production time and high publicity budget, how can Destiny Games package and sell its products and make a quarter of sales in three days? And they can only make small profits but quick turnover and earn back the money dollar by dollar by selling cheap movie tickets?

This is so unfair!
"MFxxk? Is this true?"

Roy Disney raised his head in disbelief. "Ethan Jones made 600 million in three days?"

"Isn't this too outrageous?"

“How much did we at Disney make last year?”

"Sixteen hundred and ninety million!"

"This, this, this...what is this..."

Roy Disney simply threw the document in his hand away.

Although he and Ethan Jones are allies at this moment, and although he has already judged that video games have a very broad future, the problem is...

He had never imagined that the expansion of video games could be so perverted!

Yes!
Previously, Fortune magazine reported that Ethan Jones made 100 million yuan a year, but where did Ethan Jones's 100 million yuan profit come from? Everyone knows this!
When the selling price of an arcade machine is two thousand dollars and the manufacturing cost is less than one thousand dollars, the exaggerated profit margin is the basis for Ethan Jones to make crazy money!
If we really talk about revenue, all the companies in Hollywood can crush it!

Moreover, Ethan Jones publicly announced the shipment volume of his own arcade machines at the National Electronic Game Competition a week ago. When the fact that the maximum number was 130,000 units came out...

The coverage rate of 1:1600 allows them to easily calculate the number of permanent video game players in the country. At most, it would be 8 to 9 million, and at most 10 million.

Because if there are more, the current arcade machines will not be able to meet the needs of those people.

When the number of permanent players reaches 10 million, according to the data released this year, the median household income in America last year was $15,000, and the income distribution ratio shows that 22% of households have an annual income of more than $25,000, and the total income of this group accounts for 48% of the total social income.

There are probably only about one million players who can easily shell out two hundred dollars to play games.

In view of this fact, even with advertisements everywhere, sales should be around 200,000 to 300,000 units a day.

But now?

The actual sales volume was five times higher than expected!
Although Roy Disney was also a religious believer, he believed that even if God came, he would not be able to sell three million home consoles in three days!

Even if God came, he would have to take the initiative to toast Ethan Jones!
"But this is true..." Stanley Gold, Roy Disney's lawyer and financial advisor, picked up the document helplessly, looked at the numbers on it, and said, "Now there is a shortage of goods all over the United States. All sellers are calling and urging Destiny Game to restock it quickly."

"Based on the current demand, Johnson's home console sales this year will be at least five million, and the expected number should be between eight million and ten million."

"This can bring them at least 1 billion yuan in revenue."

“Because when players get the console and play Starfield, they will find that this game far exceeds their expectations. Although Ethan Jones has shown the content of Starfield through a full-screen live broadcast, only after you actually play it can you know how fun this game is.”

This fact made Roy Disney close his eyes and frown.

This situation made Stanley Gold sigh secretly.

He felt that his friend was regretting at this moment.

Regret getting in touch with Ethan Jones and regret dragging him into the battle for the Disney Group.

That's right!

When competing with Walt Disney for the Disney Group, they did need a strong ally, because only in this way could they kick Ron Miller out of the company, but at the same time they also knew that this ally could not be too strong, because if he was too strong, they would not be able to control him.

After all, what they want is group control.

If the ally is too strong and interested in Hollywood, then...

It is very likely to invite a wolf into the house.

Before selling the Johnson home console, Ethan Jones wasn't that strong.

But now...

Ugh!
more importantly……

He is now also a senior player in Hollywood!

Thinking of this, Stanley Gold coughed and said, "Roy, although judging from the current sales of Johnson's home console, the operating income of Destiny this year will be very considerable, their profit this year will definitely not be as much as before, because the console product is not profitable."

"According to the information we have received so far, the cost of a Johnson home console should be around $170. After deducting sales expenses, transportation costs, and financial expenses, the net profit of a console should be around $10. So, even if Destiny sells 3 million units, their profit can only be maintained at 30 million. Even if they sell 10 million units, it will only be 100 million."

"Compared to the previous situation where 100,000 arcade machines could generate a profit of 100 million..."

“The profit margin for home consoles is too low.”

"so……"

“The pressure we face is actually not that great.”

These words brought Roy Disney back to his senses.

When he opened his eyes again, he turned his gaze towards his friend, a half-smile on his face.

"Stanley, do you think Ethan Jones might be a problem?"

"..." Stanley Gold's face tightened and he asked back, "Isn't it?"

"Hahahaha..." This answer made Roy Disney laugh out loud.

"Yes and no." He shook his finger.

"Yes, that's because I coveted his Snake before."

"He knows about this, too."

"We have a little conflict."

"No, that's because he has too many opponents now."

"After he broke the rules of the Film Association, his Destiny Pictures has become the most unique company in Hollywood. Now he can only develop on his own and cannot acquire other giants."

"Because once the acquisition is completed, the balance will be broken. Now, he has four votes in the Motion Picture Association. Fox, Universal, our Disney, and their Destiny Pictures will all vote with him, which will allow him to suppress Warner and MGM. But once he acquires us, Paramount and Columbia will definitely not sit idly by. They will definitely join the Warner camp to protect themselves. In this way..."

"He only had three votes, while Warner had four."

"so--"

"Why do I feel that Ethan Jones is a problem now?"

Roy Disney raised an eyebrow at his friend.

This idea was indeed beyond Stanley Gold's cognition.

At the same time, his friend's smile also made him wonder, "So what were you thinking about just now?"

"You didn't look well just now."

"What am I thinking about? Oh, that's a good question." Roy Disney said, "I was thinking, why couldn't I be tougher at the time? Even if Ron Miller and his team rejected my proposal to acquire Atari, I could have used my own money to buy them."

"It's just over 10 million. I can afford it."

"Even if I hadn't bought Atari, I would have had early access to Ethan Jones."

“Ask him to play the game.”

"Instead of meeting him at the Star Wars celebration party."

“My hesitation made me miss out on video games.”

Stanley Gold was stunned.

Roy Disney's idea surprised him a little.

While he was lost in thought, Roy Disney clapped his hands again and said, "But even if I missed out on the video games, Ron Miller and the others didn't get them either, did they?"

"Besides, Ethan Jones is still on our side, so..."

"At this moment, the ones who should be nervous are them."

Roy Disney smiled and patted his legs, saying, "Go and help me prepare some gifts. I'm going to Palo Alto to visit Ethan Jones and congratulate him on his success."

"At the same time, call Ron Miller and tell him..."

"This year, I'm going to kick him out."

Roy Disney winked at his friend.

His playful eyes were filled with pride!

Yes!

Although Roy Disney was unwilling to miss out on video games, what could he do?
As long as he can take back the Disney Group, he has the confidence to make it bigger and stronger!

and……

He hasn't completely missed video games now, has he?
As long as he can get Disney back, he can cooperate with Destiny Game.

By then… Disney+ Destiny lineup?
Ha-who else? ! ! !

At the same time that Roy Disney rushed to Palo Alto, Ron Miller, who received the threat, also went to Warner. Since everyone had already torn their faces apart, there was no need to hide it anymore.

He took the elevator and arrived at the door of Steve Ross's office. As the secretary opened the door, a burst of passionate music came into his ears.

Looking in the direction of the voice, I saw Steve Ross, who was sitting on the sofa, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, holding a handle and rubbing it frantically, his eyes fixed on the TV in front of him.

This situation made Ron Miller frown.

When he found out that the console Steve Ross was playing was Johnson of the Destiny game, and the game on the TV was the popular "Starfield", his brows suddenly twisted.

Although he was unhappy, he did not say anything. He just stood aside and watched quietly.

It wasn't until the character controlled by Steve Ross was hit by a monster and let out a scream that the old man sitting there made new movements. He dropped the handle regretfully and turned his head away.

"Oh Ron...why are you standing here?"

"Sit down, sit down, sit down quickly..."

Ron Miller, who was left out for a while, sat down unhappily.

At the same time, he choked: "Steve, are you admitting defeat?"

"Huh? Why do you say that?" Steve Ross, who was pouring water for Ron Miller, asked with a smile without turning his head, "Because I'm playing Ethan Jones' game?"

"Oh - speaking of games, Ethan Jones is really good. Even though we are enemies, I have to admit that his games are really amazing."

"What do you think of his brain? Why did he come up with a game like Starfield? Do you know? When I got Starfield and finished the first level, the realistic character design really shocked me. After that, the monsters in each level and the bosses guarding the level were all designed very well."

"For this reason, I also went to watch Alien. The monsters in the game are really very similar to those in the movie. If we say that the previous Star Wars only had the name that matched the movie, and everything else was basically original, then now, many of the settings in Starfield can be found in the movie."

"He really brought the movies and the games together."

“No wonder his machines are selling like hot cakes.”

"Any normal person would like this kind of effect."

“Also, his other game, Minesweeper, is also very good.”

"I even feel like I could play for a year if I could."

At this point, Steve Ross, who had finished pouring the water, came to Ron Miller.

He handed over the cup.

Ron Miller didn't answer, but looked at Steve Ross with a scrutinizing look.

This situation made the old man smile and put the cup of water on the coffee table in front of Ron Miller.

He leaned back on the sofa, an unabashed look of relief appearing on his face.

"Ron, understanding your opponent is the key to success."

The serious words that finally appeared made Ron Miller take a deep breath and said, "Steve, of course I know this fact, but do we still need to study Ethan Jones now?"

As if realizing that his words were a bit too absolute, Ron Miller changed his words the next second.

"Of course, we have to keep an eye on him, but not in the game."

"He's already unbeatable in this aspect of the game!"

"No matter how much we analyze, we can't catch up with him!"

"And since you can't catch up! Then don't chase!"

"Because we don't have much time left!"

Ron Miller's tone was stiff.

Even my breathing became a little rapid.

Steve Ross saw this performance. The old man pursed his lips and said with a smile: "Have you received Roy Disney's ultimatum?"

Ron Miller did not answer.

Steve Ross saw this as a tacit admission, "Okay, I know you're under a lot of pressure, and your pressure is actually our pressure."

"We are all allies. If Disney is really taken away by Roy Disney, it will be a huge loss for us, so we will not watch you being attacked."

Although Steve Ross's words were frighteningly blunt, at this moment, they made Ron Miller feel at ease. "Is there a solution?"

"I need to know your situation first."

Without hesitation, Ron Miller directly explained his experience.

When Steve Ross learned that Roy Disney felt he had a sure win and had threatened to take action this year, he tapped the armrest of the sofa with his index finger and asked, "Ron, how do you think Roy Disney will seize the management rights of the company?"

Ron Miller asked bluntly, "Steve, do you think Roy Disney has any other good ideas besides attracting shareholders and buying up shares?"

Steve Ross nodded and said, "You're right. With Ethan Jones around, it's easy for Roy Disney to win over neutral shareholders, especially when Johnson's home console sold three million in three days... But buying up all the shares is impossible. First, he is the largest individual shareholder of the Disney Group. If he buys up all the shares, he must disclose the information. Second, he doesn't have that much money."

"So, Steve, what do you mean?" Ron Miller's eyes flickered.

"Do you think Ethan Jones will buy shares in Disney?" Steve Ross asked with a smile.

The question made Ron Miller narrow his eyes.

Steve Ross, who was leaning there with his arms around his legs, looked at him.

As the two of them fell silent, the huge office suddenly fell into silence.

After a moment, Ron Miller, who understood the meaning of Steve Ross's words, asked in a deep voice: "Steve, you don't mean to say that Roy Disney invited Ethan Jones to be his white knight, do you?"

Steve Ross did not answer this question.

He directly gave his solution, "I can help you find a white knight."

He smiled and said, "At this time, finding a white knight to save the situation is the most important thing you should do. Just like Roy Disney..."

When this proposal came up, the corners of Ron Miller's mouth twitched!
Because he understood that Steve Ross had already bared his fangs towards him!
Although in normal business activities, when a company's management finds that it may lose control, the most common practice is to find a friendly company to protect itself.

but……

Is the White Knight really a knight?

There is no word charity in the business world!
In general business activities, after the white knights pay money to help the company in need maintain control, they will find ways to extract profits from the company in need.

The best outcome would naturally be to sell shares to the management's shareholders at a premium, allowing the person seeking help to raise money and gain real control.

But this situation is all too rare in business.

More often than not, they try to increase the company's value by improving operations and directly make profits by selling assets. In other words, they directly split and reorganize the target company, take away the valuable assets they like in the target company, and then sell the new company to the original management.

If you put the White Knight and the Black Knight together, there is actually no difference between them!
If I had to tell the difference...

That means the Black Knight came uninvited!

And the white knight was invited by the management themselves!

The former cannot communicate!
The latter is negotiable!
That's it!

But this is not the purpose of Ron Miller's trip!

Because what he has always pursued is to have Disney all to himself!

In this case, what he needs to do is to kill Roy Disney!

So, seeking a white knight?

That's impossible!

There was no way he would do such a thing as inviting a wolf to repel a tiger!

"Steve, I can't accept this plan."

Ron Miller's face darkened.

"Oh—then there's nothing I can do—"

Steve Ross shrugged and spread his hands.

Not only that, he also had a kind smile on his face.

"Ron, if that's the case, then you might want to seek help from others."

The casual look made Ron Miller's face tighten!
The shameless response left Ron Miller in the cold!
At this moment, he had already understood that that son of a bitch Steve Ross was going to give up on him!

Because Disney is no longer of any value to them!

In other words, Ron Miller's greatest value at the moment is to use his flesh and blood to hold back Ethan Jones and buy time for Warner and the others!
but……

"Steve Ross!"

Ron Miller looked fierce.

He stared at the old man and said word by word: "You! Are! Dreaming!"

"You think we are no longer useful, don't you?"

"So you decided to give up on us??"

"it is good--"

"We'll see!!"

"You beast!!!"

Note: ① In 1, 4.04 US dollar was equivalent to 77 US dollars today. This ratio comes from data provided by the NFL. They calculate this number every year. The advertising fee in that year was equivalent to how much money it is now. This is to tell sponsors that their offer is not expensive. This number is definitely not accurate, but many sponsors agree. ② Selling 78 million units in three days is not an exaggeration. A good game can stimulate crazy sales of consoles. In reality, Atari's consoles only sold more than 79 units in 80, 81 units in 82, and more than units in . But in , the porting of "Space Invaders" made them sell more than million units, million units in , and in , the porting of "Pac-Man" made their total sales reach million units, with more than million units sold in a single year. In that era, excellent games could make console sales rise in a straight line. ③ In reality, Roy Disney let his family foundation do government business after taking back Disney. He started to earn government public utility funds by contracting Orlando public utilities. It may not seem like a big business, but a business like Roy Disney's that monopolizes the emergency calls is very powerful. More importantly, in this kind of business, there is no need to worry about not being able to collect the money.

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(End of this chapter)