Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

December 22th,

Parasite finished its theatrical run, grossing 1.8 million RMB in mainland China. Zhuang Huai'an once again proved his directing ability to the world.

Although the film was directed by Zhuang Huai'an, it was ultimately imported by Hollywood. Even if Han Sanping wanted to help him apply for the key, it would not meet the requirements, and he could only watch helplessly as the 2 million mark stood in his way.

Zhuang Huai'an didn't care about this. The movie had already made its money back. Not to mention the global box office revenue share, the 2% stake in MGM alone had increased his value by more than 3000 million US dollars.

Although he couldn't sell his shares for the time being, his ability to drive up the stock price only made the elites in Hollywood and Wall Street even more envious of Zhuang Huai'an.

According to Yang Chen, Vivendi, the parent company of Universal Pictures, has been unable to contain itself and has stated in the media on more than one occasion that it is willing to exchange 6% of Universal Pictures' original shares for 2% of MGM's shares held by Zhuang Huai'an.

Universal Pictures has only fared slightly better than MGM in the last two years, and now it's getting anxious seeing its less successful competitors about to surpass it.

Therefore, for a listed film company, a top director and a blockbuster movie are not simply about making money from box office revenue.

As everyone knows, Hollywood, often called "Little Wall Street," makes movies, but it's all about financial maneuvering.

Kirk sees Universal Pictures' behavior as blatantly cuckoldry, and he can't tolerate it.

then,

Kirk, who had never been to China before, asked Yang Chen, who was returning home to report on his work, to take him along, thus beginning his first trip to China.

"An, my friend, it's so good to see you again."

At Company 91, Old Kirk stepped forward, wanting to give Zhuang Huai'an a hug.

"Mr. Kirk, welcome to China." Zhuang Huai'an pushed him aside without making a sound, simply shook his hand, and led him to sit down at the tea table.

"Oh, so this is the Chinese Kung Fu tea ceremony?" Old Kirk uttered a few awkward Chinese words, his expression exaggerated and deliberately affected.

"Yes, I prefer green tea to coffee, especially the kind from my hometown."

Zhuang Huai'an's tea-making movements were quite pleasing to the eye. He demonstrated all sorts of movements, such as Guan Gong patrolling the city and the phoenix nodding three times, to Kirk, who also showed his surprise in a very supportive manner.

"Gougu Nao, a famous tea from Jiangxi Province, please taste it."

Zhuang Huai'an spoke the sentence in Chinese, but Kirk understood it from his actions: he picked up the Kung Fu Cup and took small sips.

"Good. Unlike the richness of English black tea, this green tea has a..." Old Kirk thought for a moment, "...a delicate fragrance, is that right?"

"Yes," Zhuang Huai'an said with a smile, "Congratulations, Mr. Kirk, you have already tasted one of the three flavors."

Now that he was on his own turf, Zhuang Huai'an didn't care whether Kirk understood him or not. He just kept spouting a bunch of Chinese phrases, leaving Kirk completely bewildered.

"Okay, okay, An, let's talk about something serious." Kirk was getting dizzy from listening to all this and quickly interrupted.

Seeing Kirk show weakness, Zhuang Huai'an smiled faintly, "Of course, I knew Mr. Kirk wouldn't have come all this way just for a cup of green tea. Please go ahead."

call…

Kirk secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was never afraid of negotiations, but the Chinese was really hard to understand, which made him a little distracted.

After calming himself down, Kirk took out his cigar box from his pocket, took out a Churchill cigar, and slowly toasted it. His movements were fluid and graceful, revealing the aura of a financial tycoon.

"With Mister Young in Hollywood, I'm sure you won't miss the news from there, so I'll just say it directly."

Kirk exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, commanding the room like a godfather. "Your 2% stake in MGM is a token of my sincerity and your ticket to Hollywood. There's no need to mention that again."

My offer to you now is to sell you another 5% of the shares at a minimum price of ten dollars per share. Combined, that would give you a seat on the board of directors. What do you say?

Zhuang Huai'an laughed when he heard these conditions.

After his several moves, MGM's stock price soared from $13 per share to $19 per share. In other words, his three films increased MGM's stock price by 30%, a total of $20 billion!

That old bastard Kirk, he's treating me like a beggar!

You tried to brush me off when I wasn't making the movie, and you're still trying to brush me off now that I've finished.

Then all my efforts were for nothing?

When strength is achieved, change is inevitable, and today is the day!

"Mr. Kirk, if you came to China specifically to humiliate me, then you've succeeded."

Zhuang Huai'an sneered, "The conditions you're offering require me to pay, while the conditions Global is offering me are within my reach. You're a financial tycoon, tell me, in this situation, which side would I choose?"

Upon hearing this, Kirk's eyes flickered, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Then tell me your conditions. How can MGM keep you?"

I understand.

Zhuang Huai'an looked at Kirk meaningfully, thinking that the old man couldn't possibly be that stupid. Knowing that Global was recruiting him, why would he specially come to the mainland to offer such a stupid condition?

There's only one truth: this old guy himself wasn't sure what conditions to offer, so he started by provoking him and testing his inner expectations. This way, he could keep Zhuang Huai'an, this golden toad, at the lowest possible cost!

Tsk, no wonder it's capital; their hearts are truly black.

Since that's the case, don't blame me for asking for an exorbitant price!

"Mr. Kirk, our collaboration has actually been quite pleasant, hasn't it?"

Zhuang Huai'an first laid out the initial offer, then continued, "For the sake of our friendship, I'll only quote you one price. As a sign of respect, you can also make a counter-offer. If it works out, great; if not, we can part ways amicably, how about that?"

Kirk nodded after a moment of silence. He was already somewhat regretful that he had been too arrogant before, so much so that when he exchanged shares with Zhuang Huai'an, he did not set any harsh conditions. The only requirement was that he had to stay at MGM for 5 years.

But this guy is not only a great director, his script is also amazing!

Therefore, this condition is essentially meaningless.

"Actually, I'm in a dilemma too. I want MGM's shares, but I don't want to put up the money. The betting agreement is meaningless. I definitely can't beat you, the King of Gambling in America."

Zhuang Huai'an lit a cigarette, squinted at Kirk, and said, "But cooperation should be about mutual benefit, not mutual destruction."

Regarding Mr. Kirk's terms, I'll compromise for now: you can sell me 10% of the total market-issued shares at $10 per share, but this amount will be covered by my subsequent box office revenue share.

Furthermore, I'm going to become the CEO of MGM Studios!

Please note that Zhuang Huai'an is referring to market-issued shares, not original shares; there is a significant difference between the two.

Simply put, based on MGM's current market price of $19.6 per share, Zhuang Huai'an only needs to pay the price of 5% of the shares to acquire 10% of the stock!

Kirk remained silent for a long time.

For him, the most difficult of Zhuang Huai'an's two conditions was not money. As long as he could keep Zhuang Huai'an at MGM, money was just a number.

The real focus is on the position of CEO of MGM Studios.

Once this seat is given, it means that Zhuang Huai'an has the right to sit at the table and order food.

Given the current political climate in Hollywood, even if he were the gambling king of America, he would have to consider this matter carefully.

"An, I'd like to request two more opportunities to negotiate the price."

As a business tycoon, Kirk knew that so-called business negotiations were essentially no different from buying vegetables at the market, only with larger sums of money involved.

Zhuang Huai'an chuckled to himself. For Kirk to say something like that meant he was already halfway to success.

"Of course, since we're friends."

"First of all, it's impossible for you to be the CEO of MGM Studios."

Kirk said in a deep voice, "Although MGM is no longer as glorious as the Big Eight, it is still a long-established Hollywood giant. If a Chinese person is appointed as CEO, other companies will definitely attack it. At that time, not only will the hard-won stock price fall, but even the company's basic business will be difficult to protect."

Zhuang Huai'an nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but simply indicating for him to continue.

"To make amends, I'm willing to take another step back. I'll sell you 13% of the outstanding shares for $9.5 each, also deducted from box office revenue sharing. In addition, you'll join the board of directors, and I'll give you an executive director position. Is that acceptable?"

Is it alright? It's fantastic!

Without spending a single penny, you can acquire 15% of the circulating shares, which are readily tradable. If things turn sour, you can sell your shares before Kirk does and make a fortune.

Moreover, Zhuang Huai'an never intended to become the CEO of MGM. This was merely an impossible condition set for Kirk to facilitate negotiation.

With the controversy surrounding Wu Baige's "Windtalkers" still ongoing, now is the perfect time to buy up MGM at rock-bottom prices!

The stock price was too high if it was bought too early, and Sony entered the market later.

As someone from the future, how could he not know the situation in Hollywood? How much did Sony, a small company, pay to break into Hollywood?

Not to mention he's of Chinese descent.

Is Hollywood's influence important to Zhuang Huai'an?

It's important, and it's not important.

In his mind, Hollywood has always been just a platform for making money. In the early stages, having a say is very important. Once he has made enough money in the later stages, he will run away on his own without Hollywood having to ostracize him.

The center of the future world will not be in Washington, but in…

Beijing!