Conquer America, Start with a Boxing Champion

Chapter 399 The Situation at Lions Gate (9/10)

The Getty Art Center's travertine-walled lobby is filled with a variety of precious works of art.

Because the Getty Art Center is one of the richest and most high-end art institutions in the world, most of the artworks that can be exhibited here are from famous artists from all over the world.

There are no rubbish works here, the prerequisite is to have a pair of eyes that know how to appreciate them.

Link is a boxer and his artistic taste is close to that of ordinary people. These abstract expressionist-style artworks have almost no beauty in his eyes.

Some of these paintings and art works randomly sprinkle some paint on the paper and draw a few straight lines, and some use sand, stones, nails and broken glass mixed with paint to rub the painting on the fiberboard, which looks messy.

But any painting like this can fetch tens of millions or hundreds of millions of dollars at auction.

Among them, Jackson Pollock's "Number Five, 1948" was auctioned for US$144 million in 2006, making it the most expensive painting in the world.

“After seeing these works of art, what do you think?”

Ivaca asked, holding his arm.

"I feel like I'm pretty poor."

Link shrugged his shoulders. After his net worth reached one billion, he thought he was very rich. After visiting these art exhibitions, he found that with his current net worth, he could only afford dozens of works of art here.

"It's a good idea. Many people become arrogant and self-righteous after getting rich suddenly. If they see these works of art, they will find that their wealth is nothing in front of the works of art."

Ivaca said, pointing to a Pollock painting.

Link looked at her delicately made-up face and said with a smile: "You brought me here to see the exhibition to make me, a nouveau riche, sober up and stop being arrogant and self-righteous?"

"Of course not, I want you to know the relationship between money and art. Money is fluid, like water and air. No one can own it forever, but art is eternal. You are a musician, and your album is art. The work, no matter how many decades or hundreds of years it is, is still your work.

Now that you have money, I hope you can spend more time on music creation instead of constantly making money, which will be a waste of your talent. "

Ivaca said with a serious expression.

Link nodded, understanding what she meant.

It's just that artistic creation is not an easy task. He was also creating after becoming a singer. It was a real creation, not plagiarism.

It's just that it's too difficult to create. Last year, he composed seven songs for his fourth album, and only one was selected for the fourth album.

The other songs by Graeme and others are not mature enough, or the style is inappropriate, and they can be sung by other singers.

"So you don't approve of me quitting the music scene?"

"Of course, think about it, as a billionaire, how many people will remember you hundreds of years later. As an artist, like Beethoven, Van Gogh, and Michelangelo, their names can be praised for thousands of years. This is no better than becoming Are billionaires cooler?"

Iwaka said looking at the painting.

"Yes, you are right, I will try my best."

Link held her waist and walked forward to the nearby Photography Art Hall, where he met Nicole Kidman and her husband Keith Urban, who were also watching the exhibition.

Keith Urban is a famous country music singer. He has won four Grammy Awards for Best Male Country Vocalist. Link went to Nashville to watch Taylor perform in 2009 and met Keith Urban. Even though they are familiar, there is also Nicole Kidman, who is also an acquaintance.

After the meeting, Link greeted the two. Keith Urban was more enthusiastic towards him and responded politely, asking him when his new album would be released.

Nicole Kidman was a little surprised when she saw him. Her expression was complicated and unspeakable, and she was not as enthusiastic as the last time she saw him at Weinstein's party.

Link didn't mind, chatted with the two, and continued to look at the exhibition with Ivaca.

In addition to Nicole Kidman, he also met Sandra Bullock and his wife, Natalie Portman and his wife and other celebrities. People who have a good relationship with Harvey will keep a certain distance when they meet him. Others There has been no change in the number of people, perhaps because they haven’t received the message.

"It can be seen that the entire mainstream Hollywood actor circle is rejecting you. What do you think?"

Ivaca smiled.

"It turns out they were on the wrong team."

Link said nonchalantly.

"Are you sure you want to acquire Lionsgate? This may not be an easy task."

"I am mentally prepared for this."

Link said with a shrug.

The acquisition of Lionsgate was not an impulse move, but part of his plan to enter Hollywood.

Lionsgate was founded in 1997 as a new film company formed by the merger of Canadian film company Cinepix Entertainment and American television production company Trimark Pictures.

Originally headquartered in Canada, it moved to the Santa Monica district of Hollywood in 2000.

This company mainly distributes and produces low-budget films, most of which are horror films, such as "Saw", "House of Skin", "The Bones", etc.

He has also shot many high-quality literary and artistic films, such as "Requiem for a Dream", "Death Row Dance", "Hard Candy", "Girl with a Pearl Earring", "Rabbit Hole", etc.

"Fahrenheit 9/11", co-produced and released with Miramax Pictures in 2004, is considered a turnaround for Lionsgate Pictures, earning hundreds of millions of dollars.

Before 2000, the total box office of movies released by Lionsgate accounted for less than 0.4% of the total box office of the North American movie market.

By 2004, the share broke through 4%, and last year it broke through 5%.

Compared with the more than 10% share of the six major film studios, Lionsgate's 5% is not much, but in the field of independent films, only a few companies such as New Line, Focus, Miramax, and Summit Entertainment can compare.

Because of the good box office performance of last year's movies, Lionsgate's stock price rose to around US$8 in June last year, and its total market value once exceeded US$700 million.

Due to the poor box office performance of two movies at the beginning of the year, the current stock price is around US$7.4, with a total market value of about US$630 million, which is the highest market value among independent film production companies.

After entering the film industry, in addition to founding Palm Beach Pictures, Link also wanted to acquire a film company with a mature distribution department.

Lionsgate, Summit Entertainment, and Miramax Films, which is about to be sold by Disney, are all under consideration.

After owning a distribution company, the movies produced by Palm Beach Pictures can be distributed independently without sharing the box office with the distribution company.

For example, "The Scandal Project" was distributed by Warner Pictures last year. After the movie was released, Warner Pictures automatically obtained 18% of the North American box office share and 25% of the overseas box office share, as well as the copyright of "The Scandal Project", earning more than Palm Beach Pictures.

This problem can be avoided if it is distributed independently.

When acquiring a distribution company, he also considered other film companies. Summit Entertainment, which has been popular in the past two years with the "Twilight" series, was once considered the first choice.

But in terms of development potential, Lionsgate is stronger.

After Lionsgate successfully distributed movies such as "The Hunger Games" and acquired Summit Entertainment in 2012, its annual total box office market share in North American box office reached more than 10%, often surpassing Fox Film and Paramount Pictures, and rushed into the top five in the film industry.

The current market value of Lionsgate is less than 700 million US dollars, and it will reach more than 6 billion US dollars in three or four years, almost a tenfold increase.

At this stage, acquiring Lionsgate or obtaining part of its shares is also a very cost-effective investment.