Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 529 Not Worried About the Alliance

"How's the progress on the hotel facilities that are part of the Universal Studios Japan resort in Osaka?"

Tom Williams nodded. "We have partnerships with Sheraton and InterContinental Hotels Group. In addition to these two hotels, Universal Hotels & Resorts also has two resort hotels under construction."

"Recently, the British Bath Group acquired InterContinental Hotels Group and its 187 individual hotels from Japan's Saison Group for $29 billion;"

"Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has acquired Sheraton!"

Bath Group, originally a British beverage company, entered the hotel industry by acquiring Holiday Inn Group in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
InterContinental Hotels Group was originally established by Pan Am in the United States in the 1940s. The Japanese Saison Group owned InterContinental Hotels Group for only 10 years, but encountered the Asian financial crisis and sold it to the British Bath Group this year.

"The international hotel industry has entered a new wave of mergers and acquisitions!"

Aaron didn't really care. His Universal Studios theme park and resort group established the Universal Studios hotel brand simply to complement the development of Universal Studios parks, and its functions were similar to those of the Disney hotel brand.

"Universal Studios Japan in Osaka is opening next summer, and I won't allow any accidents to happen. I'm reminding Taro Ando that if anything affects the opening of Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, I'll be very angry!"

Taro Ando, ​​Vice President of Sumitomo Bank and President of Sumitomo Realty & Development, is the contractor for Universal Studios Japan in Osaka.

Shuguang Group and Sumitomo Group are the two major shareholders of Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. Aaron is very bold and is not afraid of the fact that Universal Studios Japan is not doing well overseas, so he can try licensing and franchising.

The Sumitomo Group originated in the Kansai region, which is their stronghold. If they can't even handle this small issue, they are simply useless.

Moreover, the Yamaguchi-gumi, one of Japan's three major organized crime groups, originated in the Kansai region, and the Sumitomo Group also has people capable of cleaning up trash.

"Don't worry, Universal Studios Japan in Osaka will open next year, and there will be no delay!"

Aaron nodded. The opening of Universal Studios Japan in Osaka next year was originally good news, and they were planning to find ways to attract more tourists from the Kanto region.

Oriental Paradise Company is planning to build another DisneySea theme park and a Disney movie theme park. Isn't that enough?
"I have other matters to attend to in Tokyo, so I need to return to Tokyo to oversee things!"

Aaron was somewhat annoyed. More than a week had passed, and that old man, Mori Minoru, still hadn't made a decision.

That evening, Aaron met with Yoichi Morishita, president of Panasonic, because Dawn was about to split its stock. Dawn's stock price had exceeded $90 and it was preparing to split one stock into two.

Panasonic owns a 10% stake in Shuguang, but due to the impact of the Asian financial crisis, Panasonic's business has shrunk and it needs cash.

"Which investment group are you planning to sell your shares to?"

Aaron asked.

“Fidelity Group, Mr. Johnson is very interested in Dawn's shares, and this time we will sell more than 5% of Dawn's shares to them!”

Yoichi Morishita smiled and said, "The price offered by Fidelity Group is very reasonable."

Aaron nodded, unconcerned. He was already a major shareholder of Dawn, and even if he sold most of his shares in the future, he would still hold over 80% of the voting rights, meaning he would still have the final say!

In mid-September, Aaron finally received a reply from Mori Tower in Tokyo, agreeing to sell the Shanghai World Financial Center for $2.16 million.

"We will allocate $8 million from South Korea to expedite the resumption of construction on the Shanghai World Financial Center."

"In addition, I will establish Haihua Real Estate and contact Chinese banks. I want to build a large shopping mall, Haihua Plaza, in Pudong New Area!"

Aaron instructed Edgar Irwin, "In the next two or three years, I want to take back most of our investments in South Korea, except for our Samsung shares."

Edgar Irving nodded. "Understood!"

$8 million, which adds up to 11200 trillion won. The initial investment of 3 trillion won at the beginning of the year is now worth at least 3.6 trillion won.

If Aaron had waited another year or two, he would have been able to recoup even more of his investment, because South Korea's economy is recovering very quickly now.

Clearly, Aaron wasn't very interested!

Subsequently, Aaron returned to Hong Kong, and Pixar's second 3D animated film, "A Bug's Life," was released.

The $4500 million opening weekend gave Pixar a much-needed boost. Compared to the first film, Toy Story, the production cost of A Bug's Life was significantly higher, reaching $1.2 million!
The substantial investment has also garnered praise from various media outlets.
The San Francisco Chronicle: "This film is a great movie, with excellent control of the plot and outstanding character development. As a computer animation, Pixar Animation Studios has taken the genre to an amazing level."

Entertainment Weekly: "A Bug's Life is an amazing animated film that can captivate viewers. The film's unique perspective from the insects' point of view makes every frame and every scene full of surprises!"

The Chicago Sun-Times: "The film is full of adventure, spectacle, and a touch of romance, and its unpredictable ending breaks the mold of the genre."

The Hollywood Reporter: "A Bug's Life is a fast-paced animated film that appeals to audiences of all ages. The whole film is full of imagination, with meticulous visual effects and even the supporting characters' scenes are captivating."

In "A Bug's Life," Pixar used new CG technology, and its self-developed Marionette 3D animation system and digital graphics technology shone brightly in the film!

Pixar's "A Bug's Life" is clearly more popular than Disney's "Mulan" which was released earlier.

Moreover, in terms of reputation, "A Bug's Life" has received more positive reviews than "Mulan".

Toy Story and A Bug's Life demonstrated the power of 3D computer animation to Hollywood, which was a significant blow to traditional hand-drawn animation.

However, compared to traditional hand-drawn animation, 3D computer animation requires a larger investment. Disney's "Mulan" cost $9000 million, while "A Bug's Life" cost $1.2 million!
The high investment and long-term technical accumulation required for 3D computer animation are not something that ordinary animation studios can handle.

Currently, both Disney and DreamWorks primarily use 2D hand-drawn animation, making Pixar's uniqueness undeniable.

Fortunately, Aaron is not worried that Disney Animation and DreamWorks Animation will join forces. Even if Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Eisner value 3D animation, they will need time to accumulate experience!
(End of this chapter)