My Age of Investment

On the big screen, the title sequence showed towering snow-capped mountains surrounded by stars, which was the logo of Paramount, the publisher.

This veteran film company was established in May 1912, just four months after the fall of the Qing Dynasty. It is the oldest film company still alive in Hollywood, one month older than Universal Pictures.

Many well-known American movies, such as "Titanic", "Mission: Impossible", "The Truman Show", "Transformers", "Interstellar", "Forrest Gump", "Saving Private Ryan", etc. etc., all produced and distributed by Paramount.

"Iron Man" was produced by Marvel Studios, but due to the lack of large-scale distribution capabilities, and in order to gain strong support from distributors, Marvel CEO Kevin Cage signed a six-film distribution agreement with Paramount.

In other words, except for "Iron Man", the next five new movies must be distributed by Paramount in accordance with the agreement.

The exception is "The Incredible Hulk", which will be released next. Due to copyright reasons, the distribution contract has been given to Universal Pictures.

Paramount's current parent company is Viacom, and Xia Jingxing has already called Redstone.

The old man still welcomes Vision Capital's entry into Marvel, provided that Vision Capital must faithfully fulfill its contract and continue to hand over distribution rights to Paramount.

The distribution rights of "Iron Man 1" in Japan have been handed over to Sony.

In short, except for Disney, Fox, and Warner, which have nothing to gain, the other three have formed certain interest bundles and exchanges with Marvel.

Since the transaction has not yet been approved, Xia Jingxing has no plans to do anything in Hollywood for the time being.

On the screen, Tony Stark has made his debut.

The heir to Stark Industries, the number one arms supplier to the US military, he has been a genius since he was a child. He made circuit boards at the age of 4 and engines at the age of 6. He graduated from MIT at the age of 17...

These characters are very much in line with the formulas of cool novels and cool movies, and they make the audience enjoy watching them.

In the desert of Afghanistan, the huge shock wave and rolling sand generated by the test missile explosion blew off the hats of the US military who were observing the effects of the weapons. However, Stark, wearing a straight suit, remained motionless, with his back to the mountains. With the explosive fireworks behind him, he raised his arms as if enjoying the explosion effect. This scene has become a classic scene.

Xia Jingxing smiled. Others were in a state of disarray, but Stark was motionless. This pretense was very effective. Although it did not comply with the principles of mechanics, no one was here to find fault.

Originally the background of the story was the Vietnam War, but in order to make the audience more immersed in the story, it was changed to the Afghan War that broke out in recent years.

Stark, who went to Afghanistan to sell arms, demonstrated the effectiveness of the weapon and was ambushed on the way back. Then Stark, who was seriously injured and on the verge of death, was captured by terrorists in a cave in the base and installed a "controllable fusion reactor" on his chest. , after rescuing him, he was forced to help terrorists make advanced weapons, so he took the opportunity to secretly make a pair of steel armors.

As soon as the steel armor came out, it immediately killed everyone. Even the noise in the theater fell silent, and everyone was immersed in the first small climax of the whole film.

Ivanka looked at it and shook her head, "Darren, what's so good about this? It's too fake. Only children like to watch this kind of movie."

"It makes sense. Adults watch movies for other purposes."

After saying that, Xia Jingxing hugged Ivanka on his lap, and the two started playing games, with popcorn scattered on the floor...

The two secretly played the game in the back row, and the movie came to an end. Iron Man defeated the villain hidden around the company, and once again made a big show at the press conference: I am Iron Man!

This scene surprised the audience present. Wasn't it necessary to hide the identity? What kind of superhero is this?

Xia Jingxing smiled lightly, this should be regarded as an innovation. In the past, Batman and Spider-Man had to live hidden under masks, which was not cool enough!

Iron Man is a truly enjoyable film, from beginning to end. In this era, it also has a bit of a counter-conventional feel, which makes the audience feel refreshed.

Just when the audience thought the movie was over, an Easter egg suddenly appeared, and the "one-eyed braised egg" director of SHIELD mysteriously came to Stark's house.

"Do you think you're the only superhero in the world?"

"There are many people like you, but you don't know it yet."

"I want to talk to you about starting the Avengers!"

…

The appearance of Director SHIELD and his few simple words aroused the audience's endless imagination.

Many people didn't leave their seats, wanting to wait and see if there were any surprises.

At the same time, these people are still discussing.

"What does this mean? Other superheroes have to appear in the same frame?"

"Farke, this is absolutely the best idea ever!"

"I want to see Iron Man tease Black Widow!"

"Get lost, Black Widow belongs to Rogers."

"Captain America and the Hulk are true love."

…

There was a lot of noise in the front row, and several Marvel fans almost got into a fight.

After cleaning up, Ivanka seemed to understand something. She asked Xia Jingxing beside her, "Is this what you like? Superheroes appear in the same frame and build a new world together?"

"Well, this is a good plan, isn't it?"

Ivanka shook her head, "I'm not interested in these superhero movies anyway, but I'm still looking forward to something super-friendship happening between Captain America and the Hulk."

Xia Jingxing nodded, "Then I have to have a good talk with Kevin Feige. This is the voice of the fans and we cannot let everyone down."

…………

…………

The box office performance of "Iron Man 1" was astonishing. It topped the North American region within three days of its release, earning a box office of US$107 million.

Outside of North America, it also earned a total of US$97 million in its first week of release.

Adding the two figures together, the global box office in its first week of release has exceeded US$200 million.

This movie not only made a lot of money at the box office, but also received amazing reviews. Yahoo rated the movie online, with critics giving it a B+ and audiences giving it an A-.

In view of this, many media and box office evaluation agencies have given a global box office estimate of no less than US$500 million.

The production cost of "Iron Man 1" was only US$140 million. The box office split alone was enough to recover the entire cost, and the DVD and TV could make another profit.

No matter how you look at it, Marvel's first self-produced movie was a huge success.

Of course, it still can't compare with "Spider-Man 3" released last year. The other party's first-week performance was almost twice that of "Iron Man 1".

Considering that Iron Man is a second-tier hero, and the Spider-Man IP has been operated by Sony for so many years, it is extremely rare for "Iron Man 1" to achieve the current results.

Paramount, the distributor, was quite satisfied with the release results of "Iron Man 1". Taking advantage of the movie's hot release, it joined Marvel Studios in announcing the sequel schedule to the outside world, stating that it would be released during the May Day holiday in 2010. "Iron Man 2".

In this context, Pamut's mind became active again as Ivanka had guessed.

In the conference room of Building 85 on Wall Street, Parmut sighed and said: "Darren, CFIUS has never cleared the transaction, and delaying it like this is not the answer!"

Kevin Feige on the side was immersed in looking at his shoes. He felt so ashamed to follow his best boss!

Xia Jingxing knew what Pamut was planning and replied with a smile: "Mr. Pamut, according to the agreement, you have no right to unilaterally tear up the signed acquisition contract unless you are willing to pay liquidated damages equal to the acquisition price. "Iron Man 1" is not worth $3.4 billion when it starts to take off."

"Darren, you misunderstood, how could I tear up the contract!"

Parmut shook his head repeatedly, "What I mean is, if CFIUS keeps dragging on and doesn't give a clear answer, the development of Marvel movies will continue as planned.

"The Incredible Hulk" will be released next month, if it achieves the same or even better box office results than "Iron Man 1".

I estimate that the audit resistance from CFIUS will become even greater!

why?

Marvel Studios' movies are popular all over the world and will become an American business card!

Maybe this transaction will be submitted to Commander Xiaobu for approval. This acquisition will take longer and there is a high possibility of failure! "

Abel, who had just returned to New York, smiled and said: "Mr. Parmut, we still have this patience, and Commander-in-Chief Xiaobu has always been known for his open-mindedness and is a rare wise king in the history of the United States! I believe he will not let this happen. We are disappointed.”

Pamut cursed inwardly, what a wise king, but he was so stupid that he fought a lot of unnecessary wars and got nothing. During his term, a subprime mortgage crisis broke out, and the people were in dire straits. If it were placed in other countries, he would have left the country long ago. The horse was sent to the gallows.

However, he is an Israeli immigrant after all, and in the public eye, he still cannot leave a bad reputation for "making irresponsible comments on government affairs."

Suppressing the anger in his heart, Pamut said slowly: "I have thought of a good solution, which can solve the current predicament of both of us very well."

"What method?" Xia Jingxing had some guesses in his mind, but he was not sure yet.

"Change acquisition to equity investment and let Vision Capital invest in Marvel without involving a change of control. This way you will not miss the accelerating Marvel train and effectively avoid acquisition resistance from CFIUS.

With your financial support, Marvel will accelerate the layout of our Marvel universe plan. From now on, 2-3 Marvel superhero movies will be released every year, earning more than 1 billion and 20 billion US dollars at the box office, becoming the seventh largest movie in Hollywood. company! "

Pamut looked at Xia Jingxing, who was sitting across from him, and asked in confusion: "Darren, what do you think of this plan? This is the best way I can think of, and it's good for both of us!"

There was a hint of anger in Abel's eyes, and he knew that this Jew had no good intentions.

as expected!

He can guarantee that if the acquisition is changed to a shareholding, the old man will definitely make a request for revaluation, and at the same time, he will not transfer too much equity proportion.

Xia Jingxing was a little speechless, but he guessed it right. The old man saw new benefits and was unwilling to sell Marvel.

Westerners never believe in the spirit of contract. They only talk about the spirit of contract when it is beneficial to themselves. Otherwise, it is an unfair agreement.

It can be seen from the old man's repeated requests to Sony to increase the licensing fee that this is a master who can do anything.

Seeing Xia Jingxing's silence, Pamut thought that the other party was struggling with the valuation issue, so he struck a chord while the iron was hot: "Darren, don't worry, we are all our own!

As for Marvel's valuation, it has not increased at all... It is somewhat unjustifiable, and it is difficult for me to convince the board of directors.

So, you can increase it a little if appropriate, how about $600 million? This is definitely not high, just the box office of "Iron Man 1", but what this movie brings to Marvel is by no means as simple as box office value.

You invest US$1 billion, and our original shareholders will dilute 20% of our shares to you. Let’s work together sincerely to build Marvel into a movie overlord with a market value of US$100 billion! "

Xia Jingxing shook his head and laughed. Things were really changing, and now it was the old man's turn to fool him again.

A market value of hundreds of billions of dollars is difficult to achieve even if the Marvel Universe project succeeds.

Suddenly, Abel's cell phone rang, and he ran out to answer a call.

A few seconds later, Abel excitedly opened the door and ran into the conference room, yelling: "The American business card has changed hands!"

Pamut's face darkened. He was the one calling out the American business card. Has it changed hands? Transaction cleared? impossible?

Before Pamut could react, his secretary handed over the phone.

Pamut took the phone and listened for a few seconds, his expression became quite exciting.

The other party had already hung up the phone, and Pamut still didn't come back to his senses for a long time.

He saw Xia Jingxing walking over with a big smile, lowering his hand towards him and saying, "Mr. Pamut, happy cooperation!"

It's a pleasure to cooperate with God. Now Parmut has the idea of ​​​​killing the CFIUS politicians. Does he have a position?

"Mr. Pamut, why are you so dazed? Are you stupidly happy? I'm just like you!"

Xia Jingxing grabbed Pamut's hand almost domineeringly and shook it hard, "We are all our own people, let's be happy together!"

Then Xia Jingxing shook his head and said to Abel: "Bring me a bottle of champagne. I want to celebrate this hard-won cooperation with Mr. Parmut!"

Abel immediately ran to get the champagne with a smile on his face.

Parmute had come to his senses at this time, and his heart was extremely painful, but he still forced a smile and said: "Darren, congratulations to you! Marvel is like my child, I hope you take good care of it!"

"Of course, I will definitely treat Marvel well!"

Xia Jingxing turned his attention to Kevin Feige behind Pamut, who nodded towards him with a smile on his face.

As the CEO of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige has been dealing with Vision Capital, Xia Jingxing, and Abel for so long, and he still recognizes the new boss’s business philosophy, and he sincerely welcomes such a boss to take over the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Wei, help him realize his dream.

After a while, Abel trotted over and brought the champagne, opened the wine, and poured a glass for everyone present.

Seeing everyone's happy expressions and Kevin Feige who couldn't wait to wag his tail to the new boss, Parmut raised his head and took a sip of champagne, almost spitting it out. It was so bitter...