Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 638 American Newspaper Groups

Aaron spent three days with Wang Zhuxian in Miami before heading to New York, while she went straight back to China to celebrate the Spring Festival!

At the same time, the Chicago Tribune Group acquired the Los Angeles Times-Mirror Group for a total price of $83 billion, including all liabilities;
In one fell swoop, it acquired a series of newspapers and magazines, including the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun, and the San Diego Union-Tribune, setting a record for the largest newspaper acquisition in the history of the world's newspaper industry. As a result, the Tribune Company doubled in size and became the second largest newspaper group in the United States, after Gannett Publishing Group!

The current ranking of newspaper groups is Gannett, Tribune, Knight Reed, Dow Jones, The New York Times, The Washington Post, etc.

Later, there were Hearst Corporation, News Corporation, and others that also owned newspapers with good circulation, but overall, newspapers were not their main business.

In his office at the Dawn Tower in Manhattan, Aaron couldn't help but sigh, "The Chandler family is really lucky; they made their move at a high price while Forum Corporation was flush with cash!"

Last year, Forum Inc. cashed out its shares in AOL, holding a large amount of cash, similar to Dawn's strategy in acquiring CBS.
Moreover, with the development of the internet, the decline of print media is inevitable, just like the impact of online music on physical records.

A short while later, Christina Yerry arrived at Aaron's office. "Men in Black 2 held a press conference to mark the start of filming. Does this mean filming has officially begun?"

“Hmm, that’s for sure. We’ve been preparing for this for a long time. Will Smith and Barry Sonnenfeld are both available,” Aaron shrugged.

"That's true, Rush Hour 2 was a huge hit last year!"

Rush Hour 2 grossed $2.2 million in North America and $1.2 million overseas, for a total of $3.4 million worldwide.

"Ha, Will Smith also released a Warner Bros. blockbuster last year called Wild West, which was a complete flop."

Wild West, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and starring Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, and Salma Hayek, is an American science fiction comedy film that cost $1.7 million to make, making it Warner Bros.' most expensive film to date.
However, its box office performance was only $1.1 million in North America and $2.2 million worldwide, and its reputation was even more disappointing.

The Hollywood Reporter: "Wild West is an empty Hollywood movie."

Empire magazine: "What's baffling about Wild Wild Bunch is how, with such a top-notch cast, it could have gone astray. The story is stale, relying solely on wishful thinking to create entertainment gimmicks, the female lead is just a pretty face with no substance, and the villains and supporting characters do nothing but inexplicably act silly."

"What's embarrassing is that Will Smith's performance is also bland. The director emphasized that the film has all the elements of adventure, excitement, and humor, but this hodgepodge mixed together gives people a feeling of being neither fish nor fowl!"

The Chicago Sun-Times: "Will Smith, without Tommy Lee Jones in 'Wild Wild West,' struggles to recapture the brilliance he displayed in 'Men in Black.'"

"Without Jack Cheng's action-comedy elements, it would be difficult to present the charm of 'Rush Hour'."

Christina Yerry sat in Aaron's lap and kissed the man. "Heh, aren't you worried at all that director Barry Sonnenfeld will mess up the Men in Black 2 project?"

It's worth noting that Barry Sonnenfeld's "The Addams Family" was a huge hit, but his sequel, "The Values ​​of the Addams Family," was a complete flop.
Not to mention that last year's "Wild West" was disappointing enough!
Aaron's lips twitched. Indeed, Barry Sonnenfeld was really not suitable to direct a sequel. If he had a choice, he really wouldn't want Barry Sonnenfeld to continue directing.
But there aren't many directors in Hollywood who are suitable for a style of film like "Men in Black." Tim Burton could be considered, but his style isn't very commercially viable.

Barry Sonnenfeld has done a good job; if it were anyone else, Universal would be under even more pressure. "It shouldn't be a big problem. A few years ago, *Men in Black* was a global phenomenon, grossing $5.8 million worldwide."

"With sufficient brand recognition and influence, as long as the sequel 'Men in Black 2' is filmed reasonably well, it shouldn't have too many commercial problems!"

The budget for Men in Black 2 has increased to $1.3 million, and Aaron thinks that no matter what, the box office will exceed $4 million.

Christina Yerry nodded. "You're right, but Will Smith's career has really taken off these past few years."

"Aside from the Rush Hour series and the Men in Black series, as well as other excellent works, he has the highest commercial value among current Black actors!"

As for another excellent Black actor, Denzel Washington, his acting skills are also superb, but his commercial value certainly cannot compare with Will Smith's.

"He's a top Hollywood actor," Aaron sighed, wondering if Rush Hour 3 would even be able to be made.

After all, Will Smith and Jack Sing's salaries will be astronomical, and there's also the possibility of a sequel to "Bad Boys"!
"By the way, has our Shuguang Theater brought in the musical 'Mamma Mia!'?"

Aaron inquired, because Christine Yerry owned a theater and troupe in Paris, and thus also helped manage the commercial performances of the Théâtre du Dawn and the Théâtre Globe.

"Oh, Mamma Mia!' will first be shown in San Francisco in North America, then on Broadway in New York, and finally in Los Angeles;"

"However, since Shuguang's 'Shakespeare in Love' is currently showing, I had already arranged for the theater troupe to perform Shakespeare's plays;"

"Actually, if you have ideas, you can also collaborate with producers to develop original scripts!"

Christine Hierri was originally a stage actress in France and has always had a passion for theater.

"We'll see. Anyway, Dawn has a huge copyright library, and if any producers are willing to adapt a stage play, Dawn will support them."

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, both our films, *Shakespeare in Love* and *The Talented Mr. Ripley*, will be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture."

"Unfortunately, DreamWorks' 'American Beauty' has such great reviews that it's easy for it to get votes from the judges!"

Although the Oscar nominations have not yet been announced and are expected to be released in the middle to late part of this month, Aaron's guess should be correct.

Christina Yeri patted herself and stood up from the man. "Alright, it's getting late, let's go get something to eat..."

(End of this chapter)