"Boss, it's been pretty much a success. ”

When Zhou Fangyuan took the time to ask Scarlett to come to him again for two days, someone from the investment company suddenly called.

"Hmm...... Hmm, what do you say? It's been successful?"

Zhou Fangyuan's voice was full of surprise, he didn't expect it to go so smoothly.

"It's not completely decided yet, but it's basically succeeded," the other party's relieved voice came from the phone, "Sony is ready to withdraw from this competition, other competitors are vulnerable, and our biggest enemy at the moment is ourselves, the boss...... Our capital chain is a little tight, your recent actions are really too big, our funds are not enough......"

"Is there such a big gap in the capital chain?"

"It's not that there is a gap, it's just that the pressure is still quite great when so many funds are withdrawn at once......"

"It doesn't matter, just act according to the plan, it doesn't matter if there is pressure on the funds, as long as there is no problem with the capital chain, if there is anything bad, just tell me in time. ”

"Yes, I see. ”

The phone hung up.

"Honey, what's the matter?"

Scarlett walked from behind.

During this time, Scarlett lived the life of a wealthy wife. Zhou Fangyuan is rich, far richer than ordinary stars, even if he is the most profitable star, his assets cannot be compared with Zhou Fangyuan. Scarlett, a newcomer who has just debuted for a few years, is good if she can afford a mid-to-high-end apartment by herself, and a real penthouse mansion, or a mansion in the villa area, she can't afford it at all. Of course, it doesn't mean that you don't have enough money in hand, but you definitely have enough money. But in the United States, raising a house is not so simple. All kinds of taxes are pressed down one by one, and ordinary people can't afford it.

And the more high-end the property, the higher the various taxes.

So although Scarlett is now a star, she is limited by the short time she has been famous, so she hasn't saved much money, at least Zhou Fangyuan's mansion here is what she can't afford at present.

Not to mention the entry and exit of luxury cars, housekeepers and waiters in mansions, etc...... Scarlett was a little bit of a happy.

Of course, Zhou Fangyuan's own wealth and potential can also have an obvious impact on people. Rich, young, unmarried, handsome or not, let's not talk about whether they are handsome or not, just the previous conditions are not something that ordinary people can resist. She, Scarlett, is not the kind of fairy who doesn't eat fireworks in the world, otherwise why would she become a star? Isn't it to make money and then live a better life? Now that this kind of life is at her fingertips, and the family is so infatuated with her various indescribables, of course she will have some thoughts that she is unwilling to leave, which is normal.

However, she is also a smart person and knows that such an infatuation does not last, so even in these days of the mansion, even if Zhou Fangyuan has said more than once that he wants her to become an important supporting role in his movie, and she will be treated as the protagonist in the future, she still went out to take two or three print advertising jobs, and her independence ability is not bad.

Today she happened to rest, and she came over again to be with Zhou Fangyuan without shame.

Now I heard Zhou Fangyuan calling, although I didn't deliberately eavesdrop, but I heard it after all, so I subconsciously asked.

"Well, it's nothing, I just want to buy a company, and finally beat back the other competitors, but the company's capital chain is currently a little unstable, isn't this calling me and asking me if I want to continue investing?"

"What did you say, dear?"

Scarlett leaned on Zhou Fangyuan's body.

"Needless to say, of course, continue to invest. ”

Zhou Fangyuan said with a smile.

"What kind of company are you going to invest in? You're so rich, you still have a financial problem?"

"It's nothing, it's just that the company we invest in is relatively large, so it's more laborious, well, you're familiar with it, it's a Hollywood company. ”

Zhou Fangyuan said with a smile.

"Hollywood companies? What is Hollywood's ...... Wait, you're not going to want to acquire...... Buy MGM!"

Scarlett's eyes widened.

MGM is currently being acquired, which is not a big news in the circle, and many people know it. Scarlett also listened to others, but she couldn't think of it at all. Now that Zhou Fangyuan looked at it with a smiling expression, she immediately reacted, and then her face was full of disbelief.

Of course she couldn't believe it, MGM, that's one of the eight Hollywood majors, in this circle, this is a real behemoth, standing on the same level as Disney. Zhou Fangyuan's stake in Disney is not a secret in the circle, but in this issue, the direct acquisition of MGM and the stake in Disney are completely two different concepts, okay? One is to be a shareholder and the other is to be a boss, and the two are completely incompatible.

MGM Pictures has always been one of the largest film companies in Hollywood.

A film production company shot one of the best films in the history of cinema, Gone with the Wind, created the enduring screen classic 007, created the immortal cartoon character cat and mouse, initiated the founding of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and launched the Academy Award, the Oscars...... You know, any of the above achievements can make this company immortal, not to mention several myths in one. The company's lion logo was once regarded as a symbol of the United States, and its star-studded superstars once created the myth of a movie released every week, and the company was named MGM.

In 1923, there was a crisis in the film industry in the United States, and the Mitro film production company at that time suffered serious losses. Instead of backing down, the owner, Markoslov, bought the Redwin film production company, which was also on the verge of bankruptcy. So far, MGM has "rice" and "high". However, this bet alone is not enough, and Love lacks a competent operator. Later, he chose Louis Meyer, the owner of a small Hollywood film studio, among many people to choose from, and after several days of long talks, Meyer agreed to join.

On April 24, 1924, MGM, the greatest wonder in the history of world cinema, was proclaimed, and a series of myths began to be created.

When the company was founded, Meyer became the general manager and began to use his extraordinary talents, making MGM a giant in the film industry and himself the emperor of Hollywood.

In 1925, Meyer made a big splash with the unprecedented historical blockbuster Ben Hur, which cost the company a lot of money, but at the same time set an unprecedented box office record and earned MGM a huge reputation.

In 1929, in order to follow the historical trend of sound films, MGM spent $350,000 to shoot the musical and dance film "Melody of Broadway" for an astronomical amount at that time. The film became a sensation after its release, and it naturally won the 2nd Academy Award for Best Picture.

Until the end of the 40s of the last century, under the careful management of Meyer, MGM has been the largest and most influential film company in Hollywood that integrates production, distribution and screening, and its heroic logo has even become a symbol of the United States.

MGM's star-studded stars include Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Spencer Crowser, Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and others. The first 20 Oscars produced a total of 40 actors and actresses, 11 of which were won in MGM's films, and there were eight major Hollywood studios at the time. Among the 11 actresses are Clark Gable, Spencer Tresser, Robert Donat and Nauma Sheila, Glia Garson, Vivien Leigh, Ingrid Bergman and other superstars.

During this period, MGM produced a succession of films, such as the 2nd Academy Award for Best Picture "Broadway Melody", the 5th Academy Award for Best Picture "Grand Hotel", the 8th Academy Award for Best Film "Rebel Ship Blood", the 9th Academy Award for Best Picture "Chigfei", "The Wizard of Oz", "Broken Blue Bridge", "Philadelphia Story", the 12th Academy Award for Best Picture "Gone with the Wind", "Doctor Avatar", and the 15th Academy Award for Best Picture "The Brave House" and "Under the Gaslight" and so on, which can be called classics in the history of film.

However, after World War II, MGM was hit one after another, three of which were fatal.

First, in May 1948, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled under antitrust laws that large corporations were illegal monopolies. The ruling required the production company to control only the film and to abandon the distribution and cinema operations. This is a fatal blow to a large company like MGM, which combines production, distribution and screening, because its main source of revenue has been cut off.

The second blow came from the television industry. After World War II, television began to enter homes in large numbers, and by the fifties, the moviegoer was half as small as in the forties, and by 1957, MGM's 30-year lucrative situation was broken.

The third blow was Meyer's departure. Meyer was MGM's greatest hero, and his film proposition was to entertain the public, while the company's board of directors became increasingly suspicious of him. By the early fifties, he was at odds with his assistant Dorshchari, and eventually the board of directors left Chari and left Meyer. In 1951, Meyer, once the most powerful man in Hollywood, was forced to leave MGM.

Due to the oppression of television, MGM began to work on the wide screen and big productions. In 1959, a new version of Ben-Hur, which they had been carefully preparing for several years, debuted. The film cost $15 million, the highest cost for a film at the time. The film also won 11 Oscars, a record that has not been broken to this day. After the film was released, the audience was pulled back to the cinema from the front of the TV, and MGM also ushered in a brief period of revival. However, big productions can only be done occasionally, in the following 10 years. Although MGM has "North by Northwest", "The Prostitute of the Green House", "Lolita", "Doctor Zhiwag" and other masterpieces, it still loses money year after year.

Due to consecutive losses, in 1970, MGM was bought by the gambling tycoon Kirk Kerrien. Kercorion was the king of Las Vegas gambling and was passionate about the casino and hotel industry, so MGM became more and more distant from the film industry. Since then, Kercorion has resold MGM twice and bought it back twice, leaving MGM with great suffering.

In 1981, MGM took a small turn for the better, when it acquired United Artists Pictures, another major production company in the slump, which had made excellent films such as "Lilies of the Field," "West Side Story," "Peach Apartment," "One Flew Over the Asylum," "The Graduate," and "Rocky," and owned the 007 brand. However, the combined market share of the two companies accounted for only a measly 6% of the film market that year. With no cable channels, television networks or broadband pipes, and no media conglomerates to back them up, independent studios like MGM are naturally at the mercy of others.

In 2001, MGM relied on the performance of "Hannibal" and "Legally Blonde" to earn more than 400 million yuan at the box office, and the other films released by the company were not profitable. In 2002, the company's huge war blockbuster "The Wind Whisperer" failed miserably at the box office, and the company's top management was forced to resign, and MGM entered the auction ranks again.

Until this year, according to the development of the original time and space, that is, on April 8, the year of Jin, Sony would buy MGM for nearly $5 billion, and since then, the last independent production company among the eight major Hollywood companies has disappeared. However, in this life, he jumped out and competed with Sony. The venue of competition is not only at the negotiation table, but also under the table, and the two sides are also competing and suppressing each other.

Zhou Fangyuan basically did not participate in this matter, he is not an expert in this regard, he knows this very well, so he doesn't talk nonsense at all, and directly delegates power, so that his subordinates can do it boldly with confidence.

Sony's advantage lies in its deep traditional strength and many years of cultivation. And, not to mention the wealth, there is a distant group behind it. So it's not worth it at all.

The competition between the two sides is unknown to outsiders, but it can be seen that Sony does not have the determination to win MGM, they already have Columbia Pictures at this time, and it stands to reason that it is enough for them to use. Sony's purpose is also very easy to guess, but it is to have a good public opinion channel in the United States again, and then continue to promote the idea of Fusang and continue to promote their Fuso culture.

Of course, it is best to have more channels, MGM's advantage is that it has a deep heritage, and its film library is almost equal to a complete film development history, with huge value, very big fame, and a strong brand effect, so Sony wants to eat MGM together. But now that Zhou Fangyuan has come to compete with them, Zhou Fangyuan's purpose is also very simple, first of all, he must not make Xiao Fusang better, and secondly, he also needs MGM, he also wants to "invade" Hollywood, the previous Disney, he was just a shareholder, this is not enough, he needs more powerful power.

So, MGM is also his goal. The original time and space spent nearly $5 billion to win MGM, but this time, because of the sniping, the funds that Sony can come up with are only more than 4 billion. It has concentrated 5 billion funds, and it has to eat MGM no matter what, and the Yuanfang Group is still raising funds, once the front-line ammunition is insufficient, the follow-up fire support will come immediately, so this acquisition, Zhou Fangyuan basically didn't interfere much, he knew that he would definitely win.