Chapter 1891 1893 [Acquisition of Universal]
Entering April, "Police Academy 7" was officially launched.
The box office of this movie has dropped to $10 million, because the cost is as high as $15 million, so this movie is no longer profitable.
Xiang Nan also announced that he will officially stop this series of movies and will no longer shoot sequels. The move nearly brought star Steve Gartenberg to tears.
This **** series of movies has trapped him for nearly seven years, draining all his youth. Now I can finally get out of the sea of suffering.
But the box office of "Police Story 7" is only tens of millions of dollars, which is no longer a big hit. As the leading actor, his popularity has almost faded early.
Therefore, no one is sure whether it will become popular again in the future. So for him, the suspension of the filming of "Police Academy" may not be a good thing.
After all, the "Police Academy" series continues, and he continues to be the leading actor. But once the filming of this series stops, he may not be able to be the leading actor even if he wants to.
…
Xiang Nan didn't care whether he would be in trouble. In May, he submitted a request to MCA Universal Pictures through a third party to acquire it.
Universal Pictures is one of the oldest film companies in the United States. It was founded in 1912 and has been developing well in the following decades.
Especially in the 1970s, through high-quality films such as "American Graffiti", "Jaws", and "The Deer Hunter", they made a fortune and became the company with the best development momentum in Hollywood.
However, in recent years, the development of Universal Pictures has obviously lagged behind other film companies.
On the one hand, because of its proper management, many films it has invested in successively, such as "Dune", "Moonlight Secret Killing Order", "Tianmo Huihun" and so on, all suffered disastrous box office failures;
On the one hand, it is because its parent company, MCA, has focused its energy on broadcasting and television, mobilizing a large amount of funds and talents, which naturally makes Universal's development weak.
Therefore, in recent years, Universal Pictures has fallen behind among the six Hollywood giants.
So Xiang Nan handed him an olive branch, hoping to get him into his bag.
…
Because the acquisition was initiated through a third party, Xiang Nan's identity is easy to keep secret, and it is less likely to attract opposition.
However, the fact that there is capital to acquire Universal Pictures quickly spread throughout Hollywood, and people naturally talked about it.
Columbia was just acquired by Sony last year, and now a mysterious capital has emerged to acquire Universal. Many people have turned their suspicious eyes to Dongying, wondering whether it is another cultural invasion by Japanese people.
And Panasonic is a little embarrassed at this time, so it really wants to buy Universal Pictures.
On the one hand, it is to expand its business scope; on the other hand, it is to have more say in product standards.
After the VCR came out in the late 1970s, there were two standards to choose from. One is Sony's BETAMAX, and the other is Panasonic and JVC's VHS.
Through this competition, both Sony and Panasonic realized the value of content providers. If the standard launched by itself can get the support of more content providers, it will naturally win the market.
That's why Sony started buying Columbia Pictures. Although Matsushita realized it later, it is also catching up at this time, and is preparing to initiate an acquisition of Universal Pictures.
However, they are also afraid of being boycotted by the American people, so they also make contact quietly. Unexpectedly, the news actually leaked, and now the American public opinion is surging, making it a bit of a dilemma.
…
Xiang Nan didn't stare at this matter after initiating the acquisition.
For him, the success or failure of the acquisition of Universal Pictures has nothing to do with it.
On the one hand, in the past few years, his power has been expanding, and his influence and voice are also growing. Almost half of the superstars in Hollywood are promoted by him. Regardless of whether he controls a giant or not, he is still the producer with the most say in Hollywood;
On the one hand, in the past few years, his net worth has been getting higher and higher. Compared with it, the income of the movie is small. Therefore, he is not too eager to take charge of a giant.
Just like when you are thirsty, a drop of water is good. When you are not thirsty, a bucket of water is too heavy to carry.
Xiang Nan is now mainly busy preparing for the filming of the new film "Speed 2", which tells the story of a large cruise ship being hijacked by criminals, causing a disaster that endangers thousands of people.
The hero and heroine who were on vacation on the cruise ship had no choice but to go to battle again to try to resolve the disaster...
"Speed 2" was originally a sequel that was withdrawn in 1997. It's just that Keanu Reeves refused the invitation because he wanted to tour with the band, and Sandra Bullock finally took the lead.
As a result, this movie not only failed miserably at the box office, but also had a terrible reputation. Even Sandra Bullock complained that this movie was the worst movie she had ever acted in.
But in fact, the story of the whole movie is still okay. It's just that there is a problem with the director's shooting technique, which leads to the slow pace of the whole movie, too much moisture, and no excitement of the previous film at all, so the audience is naturally dissatisfied.
Xiang Nan rewrote the script this time, writing the story in a tense and exciting way, full of suspense, and greatly increasing the visibility. Afterwards, he officially started filming.
The filming location is located in the Caribbean Sea, which is a famous holiday destination, and it is still very beautiful and charming.
…
In June, when Xiang Nan set off to the Caribbean to film "Speed 2", "Aeroplane" starring Courtney Cox and Jim Carrey was officially released.
This hilarious and hilarious comedy, once released, immediately caused the audience to roar with laughter. Jim Carrey's firepower is fully fired in this film, and he shows his funny skills, making this film that was not too humorous and funny become full of humor.
It can be said that 80% of the jokes in the play are made by his acting skills. But it is impossible to be so successful with another leading actor.
Therefore, it can be said that the success of "Aeroplane" is all due to Jim Carrey. Courtney Cox is just a vase that most beautiful stars can play.
So when "Plane Detective" won a box office of 70 million US dollars in North America, Jim Carrey also became the hottest comedy star in Hollywood.
Although Courtney Cox played just a vase, she didn't carry much box office. But she is also the heroine of this movie after all, so both the exposure and popularity have been greatly improved, letting the audience know that there is such a beautiful woman in the entertainment industry.
Coupled with the "Speed" series starring her and Xiang Nan, she has become a newcomer in Hollywood that has attracted much attention.
(end of this chapter)