Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 639 The Madness of Nasdaq

"The Talented Mr. Ripley, a remake of the drama series released last year, was nominated for the Golden Bear in the main competition section of the Berlin International Film Festival;"

"I think this movie is very good, but it didn't win any awards at the Golden Globes just now."

In the restaurant, Christina Yeri and Aaron sat facing each other and talked about the work.

Aaron smiled. "Anthony Minghella has done a good job. It's just a crime drama after all."

"We're already very satisfied with the $80 million box office in North America. Once it's released overseas, the global box office will definitely break $100 million!"

The investment in "The Talented Mr. Ripley" was only $4000 million, and the director, Anthony Minghella, was also quite good.

With "The English Patient" before and "The Talented Mr. Ripley" now, this is quite remarkable for a new director!
Just as the two were about to leave after finishing their meal, they ran into Warren Buffett, who was also dining there.

Aaron knew that Berkshire Hathaway had sold off all of its Disney stock and made a large investment in Dawn shares in recent years.

Berkshire Hathaway now owns quite a few Dawn shares.

"Oh, Aaron, I heard you've stopped investing in internet companies?"

Aaron Anderson first used the shares of AOL held by Dawn to acquire CBS, and recently sold the shares held by Tianhai Fund to invest in ExxonMobil;
Not only that, he also sold all of Yahoo's stock to hoard a large amount of cash.

Aaron smiled. "I agree with Mr. Buffett's thinking, and the tech bubble is terrifying. Berkshire Hathaway also has a lot of cash on hand."

"I'll keep some cash on hand, waiting to invest it in the future!"

Aaron's current cash reserves, including those in Asia and other regions, amount to approximately $150 billion. While this is certainly less than Berkshire Hathaway's total, it is an astronomical figure.
If you don't get out before the tech bubble bursts, who knows how much you'll lose?
"Oh, it seems you have a high opinion of Berkshire Hathaway, Aaron?"

Warren Buffett became interested.

Aaron shrugged. "Of course, I'll definitely be buying more Berkshire Hathaway stock next."

After all, Berkshire Hathaway's current market capitalization is only over $700 billion, and its share price is only over $50000.
Berkshire Hathaway has a total outstanding share capital of over 143 million shares. When Berkshire Hathaway's share price falls below $50000, that's when Aaron will enter the market and increase his holdings!

Aaron plans to increase his holdings while Berkshire Hathaway's stock price is currently declining. Berkshire Hathaway's stock price is expected to rise to over $70 per share in the future. Moreover, Berkshire Hathaway's stock price has been rising steadily. Why not invest in a safe, convenient, and capital-enhancing investment?
Warren Buffett chuckled, "But now, many people are laughing at me. The Nasdaq continues to rise, poised to break 5000 points."

"As you saw, the 34th Super Bowl held a few days ago attracted 17 internet companies to compete for advertising space, and a 30-second ad during halftime sold for a whopping $200 million!"

Back then, taking advantage of Michael Jackson's first performance at the Super Bowl halftime show, Aaron arranged for Dawn Pictures to advertise the action film "Speed" during the Super Bowl halftime show, which was an unprecedented success.
After that, Super Bowl ads became a key battleground for film studios, and the cost of Super Bowl ads increased year after year.

But starting in 98, after the rise of internet companies, they also set their sights on the Super Bowl, spending even more lavishly than Hollywood.
Nowadays, internet companies already occupy half of the Super Bowl ads, with Hollywood and other industries sharing the other half!
Aaron waved his hand. "Truth is always in the hands of a minority..."

At night, Christina Yerry, her face flushed, nestled in Aaron's arms with a smile on her lips, because Aaron was about to give birth!
"By the way, it seems like there are quite a few American films participating in this year's Berlin International Film Festival?"

Christina Yeri asked, somewhat puzzled.

Paul W.S. Anderson's "Magnolia," Milos Forman's "Man on the Moon," Norman Jewison's "The Hurricane," Anthony Minghella's "The Talented Mr. Ripley," and the US-German co-production "The Million Dollar Hotel," among others, total about 10 films were nominated.
Moreover, it boasts a large number of top Hollywood stars, including Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey, Denzel Washington, Mel Gibson, and others!
“Heh,” Aaron simply chuckled, stroking Christiana Yerry’s smooth, sexy body. “Hollywood’s got its eye on Germany’s tax rebate policy.”

"This is a good time to build good relationships with German investors. Otherwise, why would Hollywood have so many films going to Berlin to participate in the festival?"

Let alone the Berlin International Film Festival, even the Venice International Film Festival is no match. Hollywood only pays some attention to the Cannes International Film Festival.

Simply put, while the Cannes Film Festival is very artistic, it is also the world's largest film trading market, and its commercial value is unmatched by Venice and Berlin. What Hollywood values ​​is its promotional power!

“No wonder,” Christina Yerry nodded in agreement. “I was wondering why Universal was looking for partners in Germany for their new films this year, like *The Bourne Identity* and *Charlie's Angels*.”

"Are you trying to get film tax rebates from the German Film Fund through German investors?"

Aaron glanced at the person in his arms. "It's not just Universal that's doing this; other companies are doing it too, especially independent producers and directors. They go to Berlin more often than Paris!"

As everyone knows, France is the center of European cinema, and the French government has always provided strong support for film.
French art films are generally subsidized by the National Film Fund and television stations; otherwise, they simply cannot be made.

However, Hollywood has a way to avoid the loophole in German film tax rebates: by selling the film directly to a German investment company and then taking back the copyright through a lease agreement.

In this way, the film is considered to be invested in by German companies, who can receive tax breaks, while Hollywood receives funding from the German Film Fund through tax refunds, which amounts to about 10% of the budget!
However, this method is not sustainable, and the German government will definitely plug this loophole. But right now, Hollywood is definitely flocking to Germany.
We should seize as much German funding as possible before the loopholes are plugged; otherwise, once the loopholes are closed, we will have to try to obtain it through normal channels.

(End of this chapter)