Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 492 The Second Karlock?

"The Asian financial crisis has also had a significant impact on the tourism industry in Las Vegas!"

Aaron visited Sheldon Adelson's villa in Las Vegas.

Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Is it because there's a significant decrease in tourists from Asia?"

"Yes, there are far fewer!"

The Asian financial crisis severely damaged the economies of many Asian countries and regions, leading to currency devaluation, business failures, rising unemployment, and a significant reduction in people's disposable income.

Las Vegas has long been a popular tourist destination for Asian tourists, especially those from Japan, South Korea, and Singapore.

Since the crisis began, the number of Asian tourists visiting Las Vegas has dropped significantly!

"Currently, there are slightly more tourists in Taipei."

Sheldon Adelson shrugged, but wasn't too worried, after all, the Venetian Resort Hotel wouldn't open until 1999!
"Don't worry, I recently went to Asia, and the same thing happened in Macau's gambling industry."

"However, I believe it won't be long once the economy recovers."

Besides, even if we lose Asian tourists, there are still tourists from North America and Europe, right?

Las Vegas, after all, is the world's largest gambling city, and its gambling and tourism industries are enormous.
It will take several more years for Macau's gaming industry to surpass Las Vegas's, until after Macau's return to China and the breaking of the Ho family's gaming monopoly.

"Yes, I have a lot of confidence in the newly built Venetian Resort Hotel!"

Sheldon Adelson put a lot of effort into the design of the Venetian Resort Hotel.

Aaron thought for a moment and then said, "The Bellagio Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, not far from the Venetian, will open this year, right?"

As you can tell from the name, the Bellagio Hotel was built in imitation of the Bellagio resort town on the shores of Lake Como in Italy;

Aaron's villa in Italy, where he vacationed with Cristiana Yeri and Monica Bellucci, was located on the shore of Lake Bellagio Como!

Sheldon Adelson nodded. "The Bellagio Hotel, built under the supervision of Stephen Wynn, is indeed a formidable competitor."

"However, there's no need to worry. Once the Venetian Resort Hotel is completed, it will definitely become the jewel of Las Vegas."

Aaron stood up. "Of course I believe you!"

"Oh, Aaron, aren't you planning to spend New Year's Eve in Las Vegas?"

Sheldon Adelson also stood up.

Aaron shook his head. "No."

After leaving Sheldon Adelson's villa, Aaron returned to his hotel.

Sophie Marceau, who was sitting on the sofa, casually asked Aaron when he returned, "How did it go? Did you finish talking?"

"It's nothing serious. What about you? Didn't you go out for a walk?"

Aaron sat down next to the woman and kissed her on the cheek.

Sophie Marceau shook her head. "There are too many people outside. There's bound to be someone you know!"

Aaron smiled without saying a word. He was a big star, after all, and was always the center of attention... 1997 passed quickly, and 1998 arrived.

Titanic has become a global phenomenon, topping the North American box office for five consecutive weeks and accumulating $2.3 million in revenue!
The film's male and female leads, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, also rose to fame very quickly.

The Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood hosted a celebration party for Titanic.
Many Hollywood celebrities were invited to the banquet!

James Cameron, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kate Winslet were, of course, indispensable highlights.

"It's truly astonishing; given the current performance of 'Titanic,' this is a phenomenal film."

"Its momentum is even stronger than that of Jurassic Park back in the day!"

Jeffrey Katzenberg raised his champagne glass and clinked it against Aaron's, looking on with envy.

Aaron glanced at director James Cameron in the distance, "No wonder he made 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day'."

"The phenomenal success of 'Titanic' will definitely set a record in film history!"

Jeffrey Katzenberg nodded, agreeing with Aaron's point of view.

"DreamWorks released three movies last year, they really came on strong!"

Aaron looked at Jeffrey Katzenberg and said with a smile.

DreamWorks released the thriller crime film "Peacemaker" in the middle of last year;
At the end of the year, the drama film "Broken Lock" and the comedy film "The Mouse Catcher" were released!
Mimi Rider, the director of "Peacemaker", also directed the disaster film "Deep Impact", a collaboration between DreamWorks and Paramount, last year.
However, of DreamWorks' three films last year, only "Mouse Catcher" performed well, while "Peacemaker," with a budget of $50 million, barely grossed over $100 million worldwide and received only mediocre reviews.
Steven Spielberg's own directorial work, the slave thriller "Broken Chains," performed even worse, suffering both commercial and critical failure.

Jeffrey Katzenberg shook his head. "How can DreamWorks' achievements compare to Dawn's?"

No wonder Dawning was only willing to sign an international distribution agreement with DreamWorks Animation; it's obvious that Aaron didn't think highly of DreamWorks' live-action films.
Even though the person in charge of DreamWorks' live-action films is the renowned Steven Spielberg.

It's not surprising that Aaron is involved. Steven Spielberg has produced many films every year, and because of his fame, the investment in films related to him is not low, and good scheduling is also required.
As for Dawn, it doesn't need Steven Spielberg's films at all, because their returns are nowhere near as good as its own.

Aaron smiled knowingly and said, "For high-concept works, the most important thing is the return on investment."

"DreamWorks is newly established and has plenty of money, so it can disregard costs. But you should also consider the consequences for other film companies."

"Sony Pictures goes without saying; Sony headquarters previously helped them cover losses of two to three billion dollars. Now even Sony is paying attention to costs."

"With Carlock bankrupt, Universal is now on the verge of collapse. Have you thought about the future of DreamWorks?"

Aaron is reminding DreamWorks not to focus solely on raising film costs, given the considerable competition they face now.

With the seven major Hollywood film studios, including Universal under Aaron's own leadership, DreamWorks could never have achieved the same success as in the previous life.

Despite the great success of DreamWorks in its early days, it still had to sell itself after less than 10 years due to debts exceeding 100%.

Based on its current development, DreamWorks simply cannot survive for 10 years. You have to understand, investors aren't fools!

Listening to Aaron's words, Jeffrey Katzenberg understood and nodded. "I will have a good talk with Steven and David."

As someone who had managed the production giant Disney, Jeffrey Katzenberg certainly understood Aaron's meaning: no one wanted DreamWorks to become the next Carlock!

(End of this chapter)