Just as Ford felt the crisis and began to slim down and sell engine technology, more other companies in the United States began to feel the chill.

Throughout August, the stocks of major companies, whether on the NASDAQ or the NYSE, experienced a round of sharp declines.

Sadly, there seems to be no end to this decline.

Against this backdrop, even film studios like Columbia Pictures have begun to be cautious about making large investments.

No Hollywood blockbuster can match the thrilling level of the film giants' quest for funding.

The release of a blockbuster film is often accompanied by intrigue between film companies and foreign investors, marathon negotiations with private equity funds, and the "sharing of spoils" between producers, directors and creators.

And Columbia Pictures, as a Hollywood film giant controlled by the island nation Sony, is even more intrigued in this regard.

In 1989, Sony's $3.4 billion acquisition of Colombia caused a sensation in the United States.

On the cover of Newsweek, the Statue of Liberty in the United States, a registered trademark of Columbia Pictures, was replaced by an island geisha wearing a kimono with a lewd smile on her face.

There is no doubt that Americans are angry at the takeover of Columbia, which embodies the spirit of American film and television culture, and they see such investments by islanders as aggression, and in the not-too-distant future, Hollywood will be filled with katanas, kimonos and half-hanged tea ceremonies.

Although the owner has changed, it is still the Americans who are working below, and all kinds of controversies and struggles are inevitable.

In fact, the acquisition was a nightmare for Sony as well.

Colombia was bought with $1.4 billion in debt, the company's elite talent had long since left, and creative productivity was so poor that by 1994 the debt was $2.7 billion.

Fortunately, Colombia, which has changed owners, is still playing the American spirit card in a high-profile manner, and Sony, which was dragged into a financial crisis, gritted its teeth and survived the most difficult moment.

In 1995, after a major internal adjustment, Columbia Pictures was able to turn the tide with the release of blockbuster films "Air Force One" and "Spider-Man".

The 2004 reproduction of "Spider-Man 2" was impressive at the global box office of $675 million.

However, although Columbia Pictures has come back to life, the situation of the owner Sony is not as good as it is year after year.

In the two fiscal years of 2001 and 2002, Sony was already on the verge of losing money.

Although the company's operating income reached 73 trillion yen and 75 trillion yen, respectively, the consolidated net income of the entire group was 160 million yen and 150 million yen, respectively.

What is this concept?

It is equivalent to the entire Sony group, which only earns more than 10 million yuan a year.

This data is estimated to be made.

Jiang Hui remembers very much that when he was in middle school, there was an Alkman from Sony, who was absolutely tall.

Sony's solid-state transistor radios, solid-state transistor televisions, color televisions, videotape technology, video cameras, music CDs and other fields have occupied a leading position, and have brought consumers many fond memories and excellent product experiences.

In the Celestial Empire, there are probably not many urban families who have not used Sony-related electronic products.

In fact, as a person who has come over, Jiang Hui knows that this round of decline of island country enterprises is just the beginning, and it will only get worse and worse in the future.

For example, Sanyo Corp., a subsidiary of Panasonic and a well-known white goods company, sold its white goods business, such as washing machines and refrigerators, to Haier Group in 2011.

In 2011, Lenovo and the island nation NEC established the NEC Lenovo Island Group, with Lenovo holding a 51% stake in the new company, while NEC will hold 49% and operate the PC business.

In 2009, Suning, a retail company in the Celestial Empire, acquired LOAX, a well-known home appliance and consumer electronics retailer in the island nation.

……

Of course, this is not to say that all island companies are failing.

In terms of semiconductor machinery and precision manufacturing, we still have to admit that the gap between the Celestial Empire and the island country is relatively large.

In the case of a sharp decline in the overall business of Sony Group, Columbia Pictures, as a subsidiary, will inevitably be affected.

……

"President, director Roland Emmerich wants to meet you tomorrow to discuss the investment of the film," said the secretary to the president of Columbia Pictures, who was reporting to his boss Fingland.

Roland Emmerich is known as the "master of disaster movies", and almost all of his disaster films were masterpieces that could be called blockbusters at the time, in Roland Emmerich's films, you can see objects crashing into the camera, as well as close-ups of the eyes of the big monsters such as "Godzilla" when they are dying, and the camera is often zoomed in, and the audience sees the guy's huge pupils begin to dilate.

And his most well-known films are "The Day After Tomorrow" and the future "2012".

"Isn't it time to talk to him about "2012" again? Didn't I tell him that the company's funds are relatively tight, and this film will be postponed to next year?"

If history hadn't changed, due to Columbia Pictures' financial constraints in 2007, the film "2012" was postponed until 2008 and released in 2009.

With an investment plan of $200 million, "2012" is the most expensive film directed by Roland Emmerich.

If Sony Group doesn't lag behind, with Columbia Pictures' performance in the past two years, it can barely come up with 200 million US dollars.

However, last year, Sony Group did not make a good profit and withdrew a sum of money from Columbia Pictures back to the island country, so Columbia Pictures' funds became tight.

In addition, now that the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States is intensifying, various funds have suffered blows and losses, and they do not want to easily invest heavily in shooting large-cost Hollywood blockbusters.

"I've explained it to him, but he said there is a new situation to communicate with you".

"Did he say anything specifically?"

"No, but he mentioned that he had found an interested investor."

"Now someone is willing to invest in 2012? Let's arrange a meeting, and I'll see which company Roland has found."

……

"Roland, hasn't the company already arranged for you to shoot "10,000 Years Before History", which has a relatively small investment, why do you still want to shoot "2012"?", as soon as they met, Fingland said to Roland with a little resentment.

"I'm not particularly optimistic about "10,000 Years Before History", although its investment is less than one-third of "2012", but in fact, sometimes, spending more money is actually saving money."

Big stars listen to the scenery in ordinary people, but they are good children in front of the director, and the director has to put down his body and be a person who can stretch and bend before investing.

That is, a well-known director like Roland, who has made successful blockbusters, is still a little confident when he meets the investor or the owner of the film company.

"You know the company's situation, and you really can't risk $200 million at once."

"I've found investors who are willing to invest half, or even more, in 2012."

"Which fund? Wall Street is in a mess of its own right now."

"It's not a fund company, it's Brilliant Film and Television."

(End of chapter)