"Saving Private Ryan" is the first heavyweight film released by Firefly Pictures this summer, so after finishing the final cut yesterday, even though today is Saturday, Firefly's management still couldn't wait to hold an internal test.
After watching the finished film, many executives who participated in the trial screening had doubts similar to those of Katzenberg. The quality of this film is absolutely beyond reproach, from the plot to the soundtrack are top-notch, but the scenes are too real and tragic , the film's nearly three-hour duration and the possible R-rating the film may encounter are all the focus of doubts.
However, the excellent performance of Firefly in the past few years has prevented the company from falling into crisis due to the failure of one or two big-produced movies. In addition, the movie was approved by the big boss Eric himself. Even if the movie fails, the management They will not take too much responsibility, so everyone present did not have too much psychological pressure, but dutifully put forward their own suggestions for the details of the film's announcement.
Eric originally planned for "Saving Private Ryan" to be officially released on June 6, 1994, the 50th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Unfortunately, June 6th happened to be Monday, the first day of the working day. The weekly box office statistics cycle in North America is from Friday to the next Thursday. Some movies may choose to be released on Wednesday or Thursday, but for the sake of box office data, unless it is a very special date, few film companies choose to release it on Monday. This is the point where people just spent the weekend with the least desire to watch movies.
Therefore, the unanimous discussion result of everyone is that the 50th anniversary of the D-Day landing is not so strong to stimulate the box office of the movie, and it cannot be regarded as a very special date. Therefore, Eric’s suggestion was unanimously opposed, and finally decided to advance the release date of the film. until June 3rd.
It was already four o'clock in the afternoon when the detailed announcement plan for "Saving Private Ryan" was completed. After all, it was the weekend, and everyone dispersed quickly after finishing work.
Leaving the conference room, Catherine finally let go of her uneasy mood. She still remembers being harshly pointed out by the executives of the small production company at the first preview after finishing her first feature film "Relentless". A chain of circumstances in which an opinion is amended.
Although the production cost of "Saving Private Ryan" is dozens of times that of "Ruthless". However, this situation did not happen today, and the people who participated in the preview meeting spent most of their time discussing the details of the film's announcement. This made her look at the lazy young man walking beside her, and she knew that if the little man hadn't been patient and even intervened with his own eyes during the editing period, the effect of "Saving Private Ryan" would never have been possible. As good as it is today. Think about it. Catherine's resentment against Eric for forcibly cutting some of her favorite shots disappeared without a trace.
Catherine was staring at the young side face in a daze, Eric turned his head suddenly, with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth: "Look at your hesitation, do you want to invite me to dinner tonight? Ha ha. Then I agree."
Catherine didn't feel any annoyance at Eric's rascally tone, but subconsciously rolled her eyes at him: "Didn't you say you're going to attend ICM's Oscar warm-up party tonight?"
"You have to attend the party, and you have to eat dinner," Eric said with a constant smile. "Everyone knows that it is difficult to fill your stomach at that kind of party."
Catherine was hesitating what to do when there was a rush of footsteps behind them, and Katzenberg's voice came immediately: "Eric, wait a minute."
The two stood still, and after Katzenberg approached, Eric found that there was an unconcealable excitement on his face.
"Eric. I just answered a call. It's..." Katzenberg suddenly stopped talking and glanced at Catherine. Although he knew that Eric and Catherine had an unusual relationship, otherwise he would never Will spend 70 million US dollars to shoot a war film like "Saving Private Ryan" with a very high investment risk, but Katzenberg doesn't know how far the two have reached.
Eric was about to let Katzenberg continue, but Catherine took the initiative to leave and said, "Then you guys talk, I'll go back first." After the woman finished speaking, she walked towards the parking lot.
Katzenberg noticed Eric's depressed expression, and opened his mouth with a smile. But then he remembered something, and swallowed back the words that came to his lips.
If Catherine had been a girl around Eric's age, Katzenberg might have teased him, and he believed Eric wouldn't be angry either. but. Thinking of Catherine's age, Katzenberg couldn't help shaking his head. However, under normal circumstances, Western women are always difficult to maintain, but Catherine looks like she is about 30 years old, and she has an aura that even he can't help but be moved by, so it's no wonder that my little boss is so caring .
Watch Catherine drive away. Eric asked, "Jeffrey, what happened?"
"Oh, that's it," Katzenberg also withdrew his mind, and returned to the excited look just now: "I just received a call, Warren Buffett, Tom Murphy, and others from Berkshire A partner, Charlie Munger, arrived in Los Angeles in the afternoon, and the three of them are now settled in Buffett's vacation home in Los Angeles."
Buffett and Tom Murphy came to Los Angeles. Eric was surprised for a while, and then he roughly guessed Buffett's purpose, and subconsciously wanted to contact Jeffrey and others to hold a meeting. As soon as he took out the phone, Eric's mobile phone rang by itself.
"It must be about this matter," Jeffrey waved at Eric and said, "You answer the phone, I will contact Jeffrey and the others."
Eric pressed the connect button, and Kapoor's mysterious voice came from the other end of the phone: "Eric, a friend just called and asked me for some invitations for tonight's warm-up party , Guess who is coming over?"
Eric smiled and announced three names: "Warren Buffett, Tom Murphy, Charlie Munger."
"Uh..." Kapoor was obviously stunned for a moment, and then laughed: "I should have thought of it a long time ago, someone will definitely notify you of such an important matter, so you just watch and prepare, I have to contact the security guard Company, strengthen the security work for tonight's party. By the way, I originally invited some reporters tonight, should I cancel this session?"
Eric said: "No, since the three of them have come to Los Angeles, the initiative this time falls completely on Firefly's side. And it's basically impossible to keep this kind of thing secret."
The media all over the world have been focusing on Firefly's acquisition of ABC TV. The three of them, Warren Buffett, did not hide their whereabouts in Los Angeles, if the reporter can't find out the mystery. That would seem a little too incompetent. What's more, since Buffett and others came to the door in person, Eric not only didn't want to keep it a secret, but even hoped that this matter would be as lively as possible.
…
The sky had just ended, and a large number of reporters had already gathered outside the Sunset Tower Hotel in Hollywood. There are even two live broadcast vehicles of the TV station.
The guests who came to the ICM Oscar warm-up party quickly realized the unusualness of it. There are hundreds of relatively large-scale parties before and after the Oscars every year, but absolutely no one can attract such a large-scale party. media focus.
With a few phone calls, most people can find out what's going on.
Although these reporters came for meetings with big figures such as Eric Williams and Warren Buffett. However, during the waiting period, the reporters did not spare the film in the face of the stars who showed their faces one by one. Whenever a Hollywood star appeared outside the hotel, it would bring a rush of spotlights. Therefore, most of the celebrities who came to the party seemed to be in good spirits, especially those second- and third-tier stars who lacked exposure. They slowed down one by one, trying to get these reporters to take more photos.
The time soon came to seven o'clock in the evening. It was completely dark in Los Angeles in March.
The banquet hall contracted by ICM was already packed with Hollywood superstars and celebrities, and everyone formed a small circle in twos and threes to discuss what was about to happen tonight.
"I thought the negotiation really broke down. I dumped all the ABC stocks in my hand a few days ago. I may have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars." The chubby white man with a glass of champagne in his hand said to his side Several companions said so, with a relaxed tone, as if they didn't care about the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The girl who was leaning on his side in a cozy way, heard the fat man's words, couldn't help but roll her eyes, and rubbed against him again.
Another middle-aged man in a white suit glanced at the petite girl leaning on his companion without any trace, and said with some pride: "I bought 3,000 shares at a low price yesterday. If Eric William We can negotiate with Warren Buffett. Maybe we can get a share of Firefly Pictures in the future.”
Another tall middle-aged man quickly said: "It's not so easy to get Firefly shares. I heard that the main difference between Firefly and ABC is the share replacement. Eric Williams is only willing to Selling a small part of the shares of Firefly. There are not many ABC shares in the current market. If the acquisition is completed. In order to achieve privatization, most of the outstanding shares may be required to be converted into cash or bonds, otherwise it is impossible to achieve from the transaction. The minimum number of shareholders to be delisted."
The petite girl leaning beside the fat man said curiously, "What if these stockholders don't want to?"
The tall middle-aged man smiled and said: "If you insist on not selling, then the stocks in your hands may be put into a packaged holding company by Firefly, but this is not cost-effective, because it is difficult to determine the company's market value after privatization. The value of the stock tends to shrink significantly, and those shares don’t give you any say, so anyone who is smart will choose to cash out.”
The guests were chatting in low voices, and there was a small commotion in the banquet hall. As tonight's party organizer, Kapoor Sheed hurriedly walked out through the crowd, and people realized that, The most important guest tonight is about to arrive.
Although many outsiders came to the banquet hall tonight, most of them are still Hollywood stars, agents and other film and television practitioners. Although they have heard about Buffett's deeds, they still care more about Eric. A young Hollywood tycoon with the aura of the richest man on his head, many people cheered up, and some actresses went to the corner to check their makeup, hoping to leave a mark in front of Eric Williams Not bad impression.
At the same time, because so many reporters were not expected to gather outside the party, the driver drove the car directly to the entrance of the hotel, so the two cars Eric, Katzenberg and others were riding in were surrounded by reporters .
It wasn't until Kapoor showed up with a large group of security guards and tried to push the crowd away that Eric was able to get out of the car.
Outside the human wall formed by the security guards, seeing Eric, Katzenberg and several Firefly executives get out of the car, the reporter group suddenly went crazy, taking pictures and shouting at Eric's questioner.
All the way to the door of the hotel, just when the reporters thought the big shots would disappear without a word. Eric stopped on the steps, pressed his hands to signal everyone to be quiet, and then said: "About tonight's matter, I will hold a press conference after the party is over. But it is not convenient to reveal anything now, everyone Be patient."
"Is it really going to be a showdown tonight?" As soon as Eric finished speaking, a reporter asked hurriedly, without even having time to add any titles. The reporters, who were about to speak, fell silent again when they heard this to-the-point question.
Eric had a slight smile on his lips. He nodded indistinctly, but did not answer directly, and said, "I don't think Mr. Buffett came here just because he admires a certain Hollywood star."
After saying this, Eric turned around and walked towards the hotel lobby without giving the reporters any chance to ask questions.
Eric walked into the elevator with Katzenberg and others talking and laughing with Kapoor. He just appeared at the banquet scene. The crowd in the hall seemed to feel the iron nails attracted by the magnetic force, and they gathered towards the door one after another. Such greetings floated around Eric, Katzenberg and others.
Although most of the women's brokerage contracts are in ICM, except for Penelope tonight. Eric didn't see any other women in the crowd, and even the little girls who liked to party didn't come to join in the fun. And Penelope just greeted Eric with her eyes, and continued to stay with the other two girls in "Charlie's Angels". Although the thoughtful Spanish girl didn't know the specific situation, she It is also obvious that Eric has very important things to do tonight.
The current ICM can be described as a strong force. James Cameron, Quentin Tarantino, Tom Hanks, Al Pacino, Julia Roberts and many other first-line directors and actors are gathered in ICM at this time Its overall strength is not much worse than that of CAA, which has been in the limelight a few years ago. Since the founder Marvin Joseph gradually withdrew, Kapoor has successfully become the head of ICM by virtue of the company's equity and his personal relationship with Eric.
It took Eric more than ten minutes to greet his acquaintances one by one, and then came to a reception room with Kapoor and others.
Today Buffett is not too late. Eric had just chatted with everyone, and Kapoor was notified that the three of Buffett had arrived.
Kapoor led the security guards to rescue the three old men who were also trapped in the car, and Eric and Katzenberg, who were standing in the hotel lobby, greeted them.
After Buffett shook hands with others one by one. Then he said to Eric: "Eric, we meet again."
"Yeah, I've been looking forward to meeting again," Eric said with a smile.
Buffett shook hands with Eric before introducing him: "These two are Tom Murphy and Charlie Munger."
"Hello." Eric walked forward with a constant smile and complimented him again. Then the group did not go to the banquet hall, but went directly to a small meeting room prepared by the hotel.
After the waiter delivered the coffee and exited the conference room, Kapoor also nodded to Eric, turned and opened the door to leave.
Only the top executives of Firefly and ABC were left in the conference room. Katzenberg, Jeffrey, Michael Lynn, and Frank Wells sat on both sides of Eric, and the Buffett trio was on the opposite side.
After chatting about some topics casually, after a while, Buffett finally said: "Eric, I think this matter continues to be delayed, which will not do any good to everyone, so I think it is better for us to be open and honest, what do you think?"
Eric smiled and nodded and did not refute, but he believes that everyone here is very clear that Firefly has completely gained the upper hand at this time, and even a large part of ABC's internal shareholders publicly sided with Firefly a few days ago If it wasn't for avoiding ABC's internal turmoil, Eric could even cooperate internally and externally with the part of ABC's shareholders who are inclined to fireflies, and quickly take control of ABC.
"Mr. Buffett, I don't want to waste too much time on this kind of thing. Everyone knows that ABC is not the only choice for Firefly."
Before Buffett could speak, Tom Murphy, who was sitting next to him, couldn't help but said, "Everyone knows why you chose ABC. Among the three major TV stations, only ABC is in the best operating condition. Our TV network is Now it is the most complete TV station in the United States, with the most affiliated TV stations in the United States. If you choose any of the other two, it will take at least three years to catch up with ABC. Of course, I even think that because of complicated internal problems, you may not even catch up. If you don’t have a chance, you can’t hold on.”
Although the Fox TV network has been on the rise for several years, Tom Murphy is still used to being called the "Big Three TV Networks".
Eric shook his head and smiled: "Mr. Murphy, what you said is just your personal assumption. I think a few years ago, many people assumed that Firefly Pictures had no possibility of joining the Big Seven, but now this matter It’s already happened. And, judging by the ratings on Fox Network’s Friends, The X-Files, and Who Will Be a Millionaire, I don’t think your hypothesis is valid anymore.”
Because of the defection of ABC's internal shareholders and the stalemate in the negotiations with Firefly Pictures, Tom Murphy has been in a very bad mood for the past week. Hearing Eric's words, Tom Murphy's face suddenly became a little embarrassed, and he was waiting to refute , Charlie Munger, who was sitting on the other side, asked with great interest: "So, Mr. Williams, why do you still insist on buying ABC instead of choosing the other two TV networks? I want to choose NBC and CBS Can any of these save you a ton of money?"
Eric smiled and said, "As Mr. Murphy said, ABC is one of the three... oh, it should be the one with the best conditions among the four major television networks."
Charlie Munger continued to ask: "This doesn't seem to be a reason, does it?"
"That's the reason, of course, mainly because I don't want to buy NBC or CBS and put too much energy into tinkering with the two networks. I have more things to do."
"Oh," Charlie Munger became even more curious: "After completing the acquisition of the TV network, Firefly will become the largest comprehensive media group in the United States and even the world. According to the federal anti-monopoly law, it is almost impossible for Firefly to continue to expand at that time. Go down, what else are you going to do?"
Eric said: "I don't think this should be the topic we are going to discuss today?"
Charlie Munger also suddenly realized that he was going to mislead the topic. He noticed the eyes of his old friend beside him, and coughed dryly, but he still had something to say: "I'm really curious about the minds of young people today. Yes, if possible, how about setting aside a time for everyone to chat casually?"
Eric nodded and smiled: "Of course, Mr. Munger, if you have time, you can call me anytime."
Buffett didn't want to refute his old friend's face. After the two finished talking, he took out a notepad from his pocket, handed it to Eric and said, "Eric, this is the last concession I can make, you can Take a look first."
Eric took the small notepad, gestured to the left and right, and spread it out on the table. Katzenberg and Michael Lynn leaned over to look at the paper, Jeffrey and Frank Wells I don't have the nerve to come over.
The quotation given by Buffett is not much different from the conditions received last time, except that he has made concessions on the shares already held by Firefly Films. Firefly can add the shares it holds to the 30% share exchange Among the proportions.
After the last quotation, in order to suppress the stock price of ABC, Firefly sold 3 million shares, and the shareholding ratio was also reduced to 5.5%. In simple conversion, Buffett has reduced the share exchange ratio to 28.4%. According to the post-merger Based on the market value of 30 billion US dollars, each percentage point is equivalent to a price difference of 300 million US dollars. The amount involved in the future will be even greater. Of course, Eric cannot easily back down.
After quickly writing down a series of negotiated numbers, Eric handed the notepad to Buffett and said, "Mr. Buffett, this is our plan." (To be continued.)