Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"The video tape manufacturer is an industry invested by Colombia, and we have a good relationship with them. It is not a big problem to rush to produce the three movies we purchased.

But if we rush to go public before the strike ends, we will need to spend a lot more costs. It would have cost extra money to make way for other video tapes on the production line. Workers also have to pay three times their wages for overtime work... This is completely unnecessary. "

The person who protested to Ronald was Dolly Bernstine, the manager of the Daydream Video Business Department. This was with Michelle Cannold at Weston Pictures. She speaks directly and cares about details. Unlike Cannold, who is a bit artistic, Bernstine has a completely Jewish family education and lets profits speak for itself in everything.

"I appreciate your dedication to your career." Ronald was very happy when he saw Dolly getting excited, which meant that this fat female manager was committed to her duties. He went to the coffee machine himself and gave Dolly a cappuccino.

"It's not that I don't know the problems caused by rushing to work, but now let's not get entangled in the gains and losses of this laugh, but look at this issue from the perspective of company strategy. You will not always be the manager of the video tape business.

You see, if the strike ends, then new movies and TV series will be released soon, and our window is not long..."

Ronald first affirmed Dolly's professionalism and hinted that the company could promote her to other higher business positions in the future. With the comfort of making coffee himself, Dolly Bernstine drank the coffee cup with both hands. After a few sips, my mood gradually calmed down.

"I understand that our pipe dream business is growing rapidly, and the video tape business needs to cooperate. But I have to say again, if this continues, we will always encounter problems, and Colombia will not always have a good relationship with us. It is time to have our own It’s a video tape manufacturing plant.”

"Very good, the box office share of 'Dirty Dancing' is about to arrive. This is a lot of money. Can you represent the company and go to New Jersey and Arizona to investigate which places are suitable for building or acquiring video tape factories?" .Then write a report to me, and after we discuss it, you will be responsible for the project."

"That's good, I'm going to make an inspection plan." Seeing that the factory she had suggested several times finally made some moves, Dolly Bernstine immediately stood up and left.

"Dolly, good job!" Ronald quickly stood up and praised his colleague. For subordinates with such strong abilities, you need to calm down their emotions, listen to their ideas, and then give them appropriate projects to take charge of.

"Ronald? Hi Dolly", just as Michelle Cannold came in to see Ronald. He and Dolly nodded. Cannold was originally in the video production business, but he still liked to deal with artists, and by the way, he helped Ronald manage some distribution channels.

This time he came also for the premiere of "Die Hard" co-produced with Silver Productions in July.

Several celebrities contacted by Ronald said they would attend if their schedules did not conflict. Even Schwarzenegger, who had just returned from filming "Red Square" in Moscow and Riga, Latvia, said he would definitely come back to support the show.

The presence of so many male action movie stars has invisibly elevated the level of Bruce Willis' first action movie. As long as the newspaper news of the day is published, all viewers will see Schwarzenegger, Stallone, these veteran action stars, all going to see an action movie by Bruce Willis, the former TV comedy star.

People's thinking is actually easily influenced by the media. Since they appear together, Bruce Willis and them will be classified into the same category.

】

"Very good, Michelle, I don't know what to do without you." Ronald looked at the premiere plan. It was very professional from beginning to end. He was able to recruit a group of managers with strong professional abilities. Daydreaming means good luck. Give them more bonuses and more respect, and they will continue to create more wealth for themselves.

"Dolly did a good job. I think she can take over more work in the distribution department in the future. I still prefer to follow the production process from the beginning and watch the movie being made from scratch."

Cannold hinted that Ronald could find the grown-up Dolly to take on more work, "And your assistant Laike, she is very capable and can take over some of Dolly's original work. I didn't expect her talent behind the scenes. As good as she is on camera.”

"You don't need to worry about her. She is here to lose weight. Once she meets the standards of Hollywood, her dream will still be at the front desk." Ronald waved his hand. He also wanted to keep this fat girl, but people Everyone has his own ambition.

"In addition, our Dirty Dancing box office share is coming soon, right? Can we buy a cinema in New York and Los Angeles like I told you last time? Many of our movies need theaters for premieres, and we always have to borrow and coordinate them. Schedules are always not easy. We are still a small company.

If we have our own sites in these two cities, many theater chain buyers will have more confidence in our distribution capabilities. "

Cannold brought up another incident. That's why Daydream needs its own cinema. Ronald has decided to make more low-cost romance films and kung fu films in the future. With his own cinema, he can easily meet the conditions for domestic release. In this way, it is easier to get better terms when facing video tape dealers.

After all, being released in American movie theaters is not an achievement that any movie can achieve. With a release history, video sales channels will be more willing to release such films regardless of whether they do well at the box office.

"You make a plan and find some acquisition targets that are signed. As long as the price is right... By the way, how much does it cost to buy a movie theater in New York now?"

"I made a rough estimate. There are five suitable single-screen cinemas here, with prices ranging from two million to five million. Multiplex cinemas will be more expensive, and new cinemas in shopping malls each cost between one and one. Fifteen million to twenty million.”

Cannold came prepared and took out a plan and handed it to Ronald.

"Well, why are they all movie theaters in Manhattan? Are they so cheap?" Ronald flipped through the plan for a long time. A puzzling fact was discovered.

The single-screen theaters listed by Michel Cannodero were all in Manhattan. Most are located on 42nd Street, not far from Broadway, the theater center. The intersection of the two streets is near Times Square in midtown Manhattan.

Ordinarily, a single-screen cinema in this location would not be worth one or two million dollars.

Seeing the confused look from Ronald, Michelle Cannold was already prepared. He took out another folder and handed it to Ronald.

Ronald opened it and saw that it was full of actual photos taken near Forty-second Street. The decoration of these movie theaters is very old-fashioned and fancy. The lights of various colors at the entrance turn on and off according to certain rules, and an ancient aesthetic of the 1960s and 1970s comes across.

"Isn't this the Grindhouse Cinema?" Ronald understood. These cinemas were built in the 1930s when movies were most profitable. After the impact of television, these single-screen theaters, which were very close together and had 500 to 1,000 seats in each room, quickly lost their audience market.

But the operators didn't want to close down. Starting in the 1960s, they found a unique screening model, which was to screen many X-rated movies, even some low-level movies that did not participate in the MPAA rating, or imported movies.

The business model of this kind of cinema relies on volume. Therefore, the interior decoration has not been renovated since the 1950s. It also retains the movie-watching habits of the golden age. As long as you buy a ticket, you can go in and watch as many movies as you want until you don't want to.

This ticket-buying model was born out of ancient theaters. Surrounding regular Broadway plays, there are many such mill-style theaters, which show plays all day long, attracting middle- and lower-income audiences with low-cost, fast-paced, and continuous performances.

This model was born out of a series of performance venues in Paris that attracted middle and lower-class people. It was named after the cancan, a thigh-exposing dance. The most famous one at the time happened to be called Moulin Rouge (me).

Such a run-of-the-mill cinema, with many low-rated movies released, has quickly become a gathering place for all kinds of gray businesses. You can't make much money, and you have to deal with all kinds of messy things. The original operators of the cinema were all old people. Their children didn't want to continue this kind of business, so the selling price was not high.

"If we buy this kind of theater, will we also take over those messy things?" Ronald asked.

"No, I have carefully selected them. These are all theaters near the Broadway end, which are much better than the ones at the Times Square end. Therefore, the prices are also more expensive, generally exceeding one million US dollars.

In terms of operations, we can retain the original management team. Although they are not professional enough, they still need this job. We are adding some popcorn and coke vending machines, so capital preservation will not be a problem.

Our low-cost movies can be released in these theaters without much problem. "

"We need to find an independent third-party company to evaluate. We can't get involved with those gray businesses. It doesn't matter whether we make money or not. We just need a few cinemas of our own to facilitate the release." Ronald warned a few words, making it seem like he I also know how to operate a movie theater.

"Don't worry, I've done detailed research. Several of them were once operated by Cannon Cinemas. Their 'Runaway Train' even premiered in New York at one of them."

"Oh? That's no problem.", Ronald heard that Minahan had also hosted the film directed by Russian director Konchalovsky, Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, and Rebecca · De Mornay is the venue for the premiere of the movie with several Oscar-nominated movie stars starring, so you can rest assured. No matter how hard you look for a movie that has won the Oscar for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, the movie theater that holds the premiere will definitely not lose face.

"Then let's do it. I'll ask Eddie to prepare a check for you. Our box office share has arrived. For acquisitions under five million, you two can decide." Ronald is now rich and wealthy, with a box office share of close to 30 million. Find somewhere to spend it as soon as possible.

Otherwise, after the general election is settled, if the Donkey Party wins, there seems to be no hope of extending the tax cut law, and then it will be just fun to spend money suddenly.

By the way, it is rare in America for candidates from the same party to take over after two terms of leadership. Ronald had to make some preparations.

…

"Ronald, there is a call from Mr. Thomas W. Stephenson Jr. from New Jersey who wants to talk to you. Can you call him back? He is the son of Thomas W. Stephenson Sr., Hollywood Cinemas The little boss."

A few days later, agent Richard called and found Ronald, who was on vacation in Palm Springs again.

"Stephenson, Hollywood, ah... I remember it. I attended the Western Film Expo with him, please pick it up for me." Ronald remembered this young man, who was in Las Vegas for the first time. I met the rich second generation when I attended the Western Film Expo called the Film Festival, which is actually an annual trade fair in Hollywood.

This guy is quite interesting. He likes artistic movies, but as a buyer, he prefers low-cost movies that make money. His father also deliberately cultivated him and let him start as the most important film buyer in the theater. Many people knew him at the film festival.

"Hey, Thomas, why did you think of calling me? We had a great chat last time in Las Vegas."

"Hello, Ronald. It's great to hear your voice again. Your recent movie has been playing in our cinema for a long time and I loved it. Thomas Stephenson Jr. still remembers himself when he hears Ronald, I was also very happy. Then he said that he had something to discuss and could he come over for an interview.

"Hello, Thomas, are you still a buyer?" Ronald soon met Stephenson who came from Los Angeles.

"Hi, Ronald, yes, I am still a buyer now, but instead of buying movies, I buy movie theaters." The two chatted for a while, and he immediately explained the purpose of his visit straight to the point.

It turns out that New Jersey's Hollywood Cinemas, owned by Thomas Stephen Jr.'s family, has been developing very well in recent years. In addition to New Jersey, there are many franchised theaters. They have expanded their territory in New York and New England in the east. The number of franchised theaters has reached nearly 100, making it a top-ranked theater chain on the East Coast.

This time he also took a fancy to several mill theaters on Forty-second Street, because after the repeal of the Paramount Act, the competition for theater mergers and acquisitions became fiercer, and the Stephenson family decided not to continue to attract independent theaters to join them. , but his family purchased several cinemas, exceeding one hundred.

Like Ronald's daydream, Thomas Jr., who was in charge of the acquisition, also took a fancy to several movie theaters on Forty-second Street that once belonged to the Cannon Cinemas chain. It turned out that after his offer was rejected by the cinema owner, he discovered that Daydream was also bidding, so he called Ronald's agent to negotiate.

"Can you give me these cinemas? I have to achieve good results in the company before I can hope to take over greater authority." Thomas Jr. has high hopes from his father and is training him to be his future successor, but other people in the company The shareholders are not very convinced and need him to make achievements to convince everyone. That’s why the important acquisition work of breaking through 100 theaters was handed over to his son.

"Sorry, Thomas, my company needs these cinemas. As you know, my company now has many low-cost movies. If they can be released in cinemas, it will bring me a lot of benefits. I don't need to explain this to you. Right?" Ronald rejected the other party's proposal. We are not so familiar with each other, right?

"I understand, I understand, do you think this will work? If you can withdraw from the bidding, then I can sign a cooperation agreement with your daydream. In the future, I will guarantee a certain number of low-cost movies produced by your company. You will never suffer a loss.

In fact, operating a movie theater is a specialized business. Let a professional like me do it. In this way, you can focus on production and more movie theaters can show it. It is also a win-win situation for us. "

Thomas Stephenson Jr. talked about the difficulty of running a movie theater, and pointed out that the Mill Theater environment is complex and requires a professional team to operate it.

Ronald still shook his head. Regarding this kind of agreement, there was no guarantee that he could control several movie theaters. When you buy a movie theater, you are seeking insurance. You can watch your own movies in movie theaters if you want. Besides, there is still so much money that has not been spent, so I always have to buy a few.

"Okay, if we can't make a deal, we're still friends, right? I will continue to support your movies in the future." Little Thomas didn't let go when he saw Ronald, knowing that the other party must control several movie theaters in his hands before he would be willing to accept it.

"How about this, let's work together in another way?" Ronald suddenly had an inspiration.

"I'm willing to listen to any reasonable proposal." Thomas sat down again.

"I will buy these theaters and then join your Hollywood theater chain. You will follow your franchise conditions and send people to me to run them. In this way, you can save money to buy other theaters and join the movie franchise. The quantity can be even greater than the original. It is more beneficial to your goals and a more appropriate win-win approach."

Ronald's proposal was to control the cinemas himself and then join the other party's cinema alliance. In this way, Thomas' goal of showing his ability in front of shareholders can be exceeded. Anyway, movie theaters are not filled with theatrical movies at all times. Your own low-cost movies can always find slots for release.

"I will run it all? I want to send my people to be managers, my people..." Thomas felt that this proposal was a good one and hinted that he would stand on his side in future theater conferences. He will also send his own direct descendants to run Ronald's movie theater.

"make a deal!"

Ronald stretched out his hand and shook it vigorously, "Come on, let's relax for a while. The massage here is good and very relaxing."

…

"The total cost of purchasing three movie theaters was less than five million. The budget for acquiring the video tape production line and moving it to Staten Island was less than $800,000. What are you going to do with the remaining money?" Private accountant Lawrence Wang Ye Fly to Palm Springs.

Ronald also scratched his head. This kind of symbolic purchase of a few cinemas and a small production line can meet most needs. Cannon's large-scale purchase of theaters overseas has proven to be very risky. It has no need to market its daydreams and its production volume is not large, so there is no need to be so aggressive.

Ask Ronald what he does with his income. Spending money is far slower than making money.

"Should we still invest in the securities market? Coca-Cola and Microsoft are 50/50? Now Microsoft's stock price has fallen sharply. Their new version of the operating system Windows 2.0 has received poor reviews and has many bugs."

Ronald took the stock trend chart and looked at it. There was indeed something wrong. After Apple Computer eliminated its founder from the company, the subsequent launch of new Macintosh models received a good response. Microsoft had no choice but to launch its own graphical operating system.

However, their operating systems always have some compatibility issues and often crash.

"It's better to buy Coca-Cola. I'd better buy this stock, it's insurance." Ronald's "Dirty Dancing" filming funds were mostly earned from Coca-Cola stocks, so he has feelings.