New Age Artists

Chapter 628: Not Over Yet

Commissioner Smith’s moral boundaries are incredibly flexible.

embarrassment?

does not exist.

Making money is not shabby.

He worked diligently for the empire, completing all the work and fighting all the battles that needed to be fought.

Isn't it right to enjoy yourself?

The team Warner brought included not only lobbyists, but also consultants and legal professionals.

Shen Santong listened to these people's reports and nodded.

It's hard to get around the United States without someone to lead the way.

There are countless small checkpoints, mountains, and doors in the legal regulations and social operations of the United States, which can only be opened with keys in the hands of lawyers, consultants, and lobbyists.

Without the key, ordinary people can’t even find a door, just like they can’t find a temple with a pig’s head.

With the key, you don’t need to open the door yourself. The gods in the temple will take the initiative to provide quality service.

It really costs money. This whole thing will cost at least hundreds of millions of dollars.

But from another perspective, the way society in the United States operates completely isolates the rich from ordinary people.

There are landmines hidden everywhere in social rules, but Shen Santong’s biggest feeling is convenience.

It is really convenient for him, a rich man who has Warner with him.

Rules and laws are like toilet paper.

Public opinion and public opinion are like tools.

Take it whenever you want and play it however you want.

Commissioner Smith used Wanda’s acquisition of AMC Cinemas as an example to explain to Shen Santong how to proceed.

The media and public relations worked together to shape the "savior" narrative logic in order to reduce resistance from U.S. regulators and public opinion.

Wanda exaggerated that AMC was in trouble due to high debt and industry competition, and then emphasized in a public statement that this move was to "save Citigroup's jobs and cinema industry" and promised to retain AMC's management and employees.

The "blood transfusion" acquisition was packaged as a "rescue" for AMC rather than a simple capital expansion.

It emphasized that Wanda would not interfere with AMC and would not introduce Chinese films, and this was also the actual implementation.

Not only will there be no layoffs, but AMC will also retain positions at its headquarters and cinemas. The company will also upgrade the industry, invest in digital transformation of cinemas, upgrade IMAX equipment, and enhance the movie-watching experience for American audiences.

Give the union another favor, reach an agreement, and avoid strikes or protests.

It is also necessary to emphasize the concepts of "Wanda has no political background" and "pure commercial investment", downplay the political sensitivity of Chinese capital, cut national security risks, ensure that technology or infrastructure is not involved, and leave all screening and review tasks to the original personnel.

This is Warner’s proposal, and the cooperation between Santong Entertainment and Warner is also based on this layout.

Create a "savior" image and emphasize "pure commercial" investment.

Everything is planned meticulously.

It not only feeds the official departments, but also calms down public opinion disputes.

It looks complicated, but as long as the money is paid, the disease will be cured and everything will go smoothly.

Barry Meyer is waiting for Shen Santong's decision, and DC Movies is in urgent need of a shot in the arm.

The final chapter of Nolan's Batman trilogy saw a 60.2% drop in box office in the first week, with a cumulative North American box office of 2.89 million US dollars, which was a far cry from "The Avengers", which saw a 50.3% drop in the second week and a cumulative box office of 3.73 million US dollars.

Compared to Nolan's own trilogy, the decline is also significantly higher than the 43.4% of the first and 52.5% of the second, while "The Dark Knight" took in $3.13 million during the same period.

Because the box office performance of "The Dark Knight Rises" was lower than expected, the stock price of Warner's parent company Time Warner also fluctuated violently.

Barry Meyer didn't want his career to end in failure. Deep down, he didn't think he was old and wanted to work for a few more years.

"Wonder Woman" seems important, but she is far less important than "Superman" and "Batman".

You can bear failure.

In terms of investment, Warner can use film funds to use other people's money to make its own movies.

If Shen San Tong succeeds, he will rewrite the DC superhero narrative just like Jackie Chan rewrote action movies and James Wan rewrote horror movies.

Warner doesn't have to worry about losing control. Shen Santong is no match for a Dongda scholar. He has no roots in the United States and can't cause any trouble.

This time, Warner's service can be described as nanny-like and fool-proof, allowing Shen Santong to enjoy the capital power that Dongda did not have.

Barry Meyer was confident that Shen Santong could not refuse.

To be honest, Shen Santong was indeed enlightened.

The United States may not be a beacon, but it is not a beacon for ordinary people. It is a beacon for rich people.

This is completely a matter of officials. Whatever they say is what it is.

Shen Santong somewhat understood why Lao Wang in his previous life was so busy with acquisitions. The term "asset transfer" was probably coined by someone with ulterior motives. Wanda had definitely tasted the sweetness of the "administrator mode" and felt that capital was indistinguishable.

On the surface, Wanda's acquisition of AMC Theaters achieved a win-win situation.

Wanda successfully completed its international expansion and accumulated experience in international acquisitions. After some capital injection and operation, it made AMC Theaters profitable again.

It will be much easier to acquire other Western assets through the AMC shell.

AMC Theaters also benefited from its gradual turnaround from being heavily in debt to being profitable.

The problem is that when the "administrator privileges" are turned off, all the words said and promises made before have become boomerangs.

As a result, Wanda's plans to achieve cross-border exchange of film and television content between China and the United States, acquire Paramount, and create an "Oriental Hollywood" all became bubbles.

Shen Santong has no luck, nor does he have ambition.

It is indeed nice to have the door wide open, but what if it is closed and the dog is beaten?
Shen Santong immediately said: "Barry, I am Chinese capital, this aspect cannot be downplayed, and I cannot downplay it."

Barry Meyer felt that Shen Santong was really difficult to deal with, and said, "Shen, we at Warner are very sincere, and I hope you can also show sincerity and make the necessary commitments to remove the obstacles to our cooperation."

Shen Santong said: "I have a feeling that there will only be one chance for us to cooperate with Warner. Whether this time is successful or not, it will be hard to have another one. If it fails, it goes without saying. If it succeeds, your media will also hype it up. When the time comes, you can find a few people to hold up signs. Even if I am not politicized, I will be politicized."

"And I'm not buying your company. This time we're just co-producing it, and I'll take my pay."

Barry Meyer comforted him: "Shen, business is just business, don't complicate it. Even if I retire, your friendship with Warner will not change."

Shen Santong almost couldn't hold it in and said, "In-depth cooperation should also be based on mutual trust. Wonder Woman is the first step in cultivating our friendship and building mutual trust, rather than rushing forward."

Shen Santong looked for his assistant and took out the first issue of Wonder Woman comics: "Barry, it took me a lot of effort to collect it. I am sincere too."

Barry Meyer glanced at Commissioner Smith, who immediately said, "Mr. Shen, we don't need you to come forward. Just keep silent."

Shen Santong ignored Commissioner Smith, picked up a coconut, drank some coconut juice, and looked at the sampan that was reefing its sails.

A thing that takes advantage of national rules to gain benefits, and just needs to do a good job of service and listen, is it worthy of participating in it?

Commissioner Smith's face flushed.

If it were in the past, he would definitely let the dogs loose to severely blackmail Shen Santong!
Barry Meyer made the call: "Diana needs a new narrative, but the Amazon spirit must be preserved."

Shen Santong said, "We have a common interest in this play. I will invest half of it myself. You are just the CEO of Warner and you are paying the company's money. But I am investing my own money and I value it more than you do."

Barry Meyer said: "I can't give you the rights to the film adaptation of Wonder Woman. I only have the rights to the sequel you create, and it's only 50%, split in half."

Shen Santong thought for a moment and said, "There must be a precondition. If you want to shoot a sequel in the future, you must reach an agreement with Santong Entertainment. In addition, the settlement will be based on the global box office, not the profit. I don't want to repeat the story of Harry Potter with Wonder Woman."

Barry Meyer's mouth twitched: "The Harry Potter books are actually average. The global sales are all due to our marketing, and the losses are also due to marketing expenses."

Shen Santong said cautiously, "This is the bottom line. You have a bad history. According to the box office share, our interests are the same. The higher the box office, the more I get, and Warner benefits more. How much can a movie earn? You can earn more in the stock market, and you can tell a convincing story."

"it is good."

The two reached a preliminary consensus, and subsequent negotiations became easier.

The release of cooperation details and information will be carried out step by step.

Of course, there are also some details to be agreed upon, such as the heroine's armor, weapons, plot, etc., which must be consistent with the original work.

Barry was very afraid that Shen Santong would spend tens of millions of dollars to disgust people.

Use yourself to save others.

The United States itself often disgusts people and distorts the history of Southeast University through movies. Shen Santong may not be without the possibility of revenge.

The general direction was agreed upon, the interests of both parties were tied together, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

Barry Meyer suggested: "Shen, how about setting up an academy? Warner can help. Your homeland misunderstands you. Our doors are open to you."

"I'm retired now." Shen Santong refused without even thinking about it.

He is invincible now because he does nothing.

Jumping around will only cause your golden body to lose its gold dust.

Barry Meyer was helpless. He once heard a friend say that ED (impotence) was the best gift God had given to men, as it allowed them to understand themselves at a deeper level. Shen Santong was like someone with ED and was in a state where he had difficulty focusing.

Shen Santong intervened strongly and took charge of the "Wonder Woman" project as a director, producer, and investor, isolating Warner's interference and allowing the story to proceed completely according to his ideas.

The time period must be 16 years ago. Shen Santong has a hunch that if it is later, there will be a lot of variables.

Before 16, there was a high probability that it would affect the Citigroup election, and Shen Santong was targeting the populist wave.

For the "Wonder Woman" project, the cooperation mode between Santong Entertainment and Warner is co-production, which is a co-production model in China, and some aspects need to be communicated with the Film Bureau in advance.

The news spread in a certain circle, like a bomb.

Some people were smiling happily, while others looked as if their parents had died.

The "anti-Shen" movement has been launched for half a year, and the atmosphere at the general public level has gradually cooled down. However, things beneath the surface are not only not over, but are getting more and more intense.

Some people can decide to start, but can't decide to end.

(End of this chapter)