Chapter 180 . Back to Being a Pimp
A new day dawned, and as the Nasdaq stock market opened, Sony's stock price indeed rebounded quickly.
However, there was no hope of returning to its original state, as half of the copyright had been taken away by Michael, and although Sony still held rights, it was no longer the same as before.
Moreover, besides half of the copyright, Michael himself was also a cash cow.
His own music copyrights had always been in his hands; previously, they were simply managed by Sony. Now that he had left, he naturally took them with him.
Therefore, although Sony's stock price rebounded, its market value still evaporated by more than two billion US dollars, which was a heavy loss.
Tommy Mottola was made the scapegoat, directly kicked out of Sony. In his current disgraced state, no company would take him in for a short time.
Tommy Mottola's only way out was to start his own company, but he didn't have Michael's confidence and resources. With a ruined reputation, even with money, it would still be very difficult to do anything.
That bastard Martin Bashir had no idea where he was hiding and still dared not show his face publicly.
Michael had already filed a criminal lawsuit against him, and the BBC, for its public image and social opinion, would certainly not protect him.
As a journalist, his career was completely ruined, and his future would inevitably end up in prison.
Larry Feldman and Mathis's fates were slightly better. In exchange for splashing mud on Sony, Michael would not sue them.
However, both their careers were still ruined. Revoking their licenses was a certainty, and it was a blessing they wouldn't go to jail.
They would most likely find a place where no one knew them to live, or immigrate abroad, in any case, they needed to find a place with few Michael fans.
Janet Avizo had announced the withdrawal of her lawsuit and issued a public apology, admitting her mistakes and hoping for forgiveness.
She was just a foolish woman, and Michael couldn't be bothered to stoop to her level, as that would damage his own image.
In any case, the true colors of the Avizo family had been exposed, and they could not escape the fate of being harassed and targeted.
Her son would inevitably suffer school bullying, and those relatives who committed perjury would have bleak futures.
There was also that trashy Eminem. Michael had issued a statement demanding his public apology and the removal of his album.
Eminem's record label, Aftermath, had already apologized, and founder Andre Young stated that he would communicate with distributors as soon as possible to remove all CDs or other merchandise containing "Just Lose It."
Undoubtedly, this decision would cost the record company hundreds of millions of dollars, but not doing so would face the wrath of fans.
Look at Sony, can a small label like yours compare to Sony? Be careful not to get overwhelmed!
As for Eminem himself, he remained stubborn and did not issue any response, merely leaving with a dark face when interviewed by reporters.
After all, this guy was notoriously stubborn. When Bush criticized him, he retorted against Bush.
On Facebook, his fan count had already exceeded 4 million.
Especially after Facebook launched promotions in major middle and high schools.
Due to his cursing and confrontational style being very popular among teenagers, Eminem's fan growth was very fast.
He himself was a very active person, completely treating Facebook as a platform for expressing opinions and promotion.
In the ranking event held by Facebook this time, his fan count had already entered the top ten, currently ranking ninth.
As a result, due to his improper attitude, he lost over a hundred thousand fans overnight.
Also, a large number of users flocked to his homepage to leave abusive comments, which couldn't be deleted fast enough. Finally, Eminem's team simply gave up and closed the comments.
And seeing that he didn't respond and was slacking off, still thinking of avoiding it and getting away with it.
Eric simply gave an order to directly ban Eminem's account.
You don't want to talk, do you? Then never talk again. I'll ban every account you open from now on. As long as you're on my turf, you won't be able to say a word.
Give him a few more days. If he still plays deaf and dumb, then Michael will sue him.
Los Angeles, MGM Building, Eric's office.
"Billy, the main reason I called you back this time is to assign a new task."
"I plan to produce a music variety show, and now I need you to go all over the country to find and recruit contestants with good singing skills."
Hearing this, Billy was a little puzzled: "We go to recruit? Shouldn't we issue an announcement and wait for contestants to sign up for screening?"
"The method you mentioned is suitable for general variety shows, but not for mine. Don't worry about the specifics, just go and do it. I'll give you two months."
"Contestants can come from all walks of life. Even those who have some fame in the industry or have already debuted but have remained lukewarm can participate."
"Go to various bars and nightclubs. These places are full of potential singers. My only criterion is that their singing skills must be excellent."
"If they have songwriting ability, even better. Tell them that as long as they participate, they have a chance to sign a contract, get resources, and become true pop stars."
"Uh, sign with MGM? But we don't seem to have a music department." Billy looked confused.
"Michael and I are about to establish a record company. You'll understand once it's established. Go do it, and tell Chen Xing to call Judy and Bordeaux over too."
"Okay, Boss!"
Soon, Judy came to the office first.
"Boss, what do you need me for?"
Eric looked at her: "Judy, you've been at MGM for about a year, and your work performance is outstanding. Your eye for scripts is sharp enough."
"So I've decided to appoint you to a new position, as Associate Head of the Production Department. Of course, you'll continue to hold your position in the script department as well."
"Taking on an extra responsibility might be a bit tiring, so think about it."
Unexpectedly, Judy nodded without hesitation: "No problem, I have plenty of energy, and I also feel that I need to learn and gain experience in more positions."
"You mean you want more?"
Judy shrugged: "Why not? You only know if it's challenging after trying it. I believe I can adapt to more comprehensive work."
"More comprehensive, an interesting choice of words. Do you also want to take charge of a company like Warren?"
Judy hesitated for a moment: "That might be a bit too early. Give me some more time, or like Bema Hardy, assign an experienced executive to me as well."
Eric chuckled: "You're always like this. Among us, you've always been the most confident."
"Alright then, let's set a one-year deadline. If your work performance is still outstanding after one year, a branch company will be waiting for you to preside over it."
"Really?" Judy's face instantly lit up with joy.
"Haha. You can question other things, but you cannot question the Boss's decisions."
After Judy left happily and full of drive, another close friend, Bordeaux, walked in.
He had been in the marketing department for the past year, but his only notable achievement was facilitating the collaboration with Hasbro. Eric considered that he might not be suitable for this position.
Bordeaux seemed to realize what was about to happen and took the initiative to say: "I'm sorry, Eric, I haven't done well enough during this time, and I've disappointed you."
Eric stood up, walked over to him, and patted his shoulder, comforting him: "It's nothing. People always have to slowly find their most suitable position."
"It was my decision to put you in the marketing department back then, so now I plan to move you to a different position."
"I have no objections. I'll go wherever you say."
"I remember you self-studied accounting and other knowledge when you were in college, right?"
"Yes, I was very interested in that area for a while, but I didn't get a certification."
"That's not important. I plan to put you in finance. I don't need to say what this department means. Do a good job."
"Don't worry, I will."
In the blink of an eye, it was August 7th. "get out" received rave reviews, and the publicity strategy in the Black community was also very effective.
Although Black people generally have lower education levels, the movie very simply expressed the theme of racial discrimination, which most people could understand.
Even gang members, those who hadn't even finished elementary school, would be excited to see a Black protagonist who ultimately triumphed and killed the white family of the female lead.
The first batch of moviegoers spontaneously became advocates, promoting it to their friends and family.
This naturally attracted a second and third batch. MGM's investigator data showed that subsequent attendance rates were steadily climbing.
Some cinemas catering specifically to Black audiences even reached a terrifying 90% attendance rate, with many Black viewers who had already seen it once bringing friends to watch it again.
Coupled with "pirates of the caribbean" being in its fourth week, its momentum had greatly decreased.
Tobey Maguire's new film, "seabiscuit," although it had a budget of 90 million US dollars, the plot was simply not good.
It was already 2003; who would want to watch a horse racing story from the 1930s? Moreover, sports themes are inherently niche, and horse racing is a niche among niches.
So, while some media outlets praised it, audiences were not buying it, and most gave it negative reviews.
It only managed to gross over 40 million at the box office in its opening week, thanks to Tobey Maguire's popularity, and then it started to weaken.
Facts proved that without spider-man, Tobey Maguire was not as effective.
Among the three films with the heaviest screening proportions in cinemas now, "pirates of the caribbean" took in 31 million US dollars at the box office this week, meeting the expectations for such a blockbuster.
"seabiscuit" was directly cut in half, earning less than 21 million US dollars, and a loss was already inevitable.
"get out," on the other hand, had everything going for it—the right time, place, and people—and raked in 51 million US dollars at the box office in its opening week, astonishing everyone.
Even Eric was surprised when he received the report card. This was the third-highest opening week box office for a film since he took over MGM.
The first was "die another day," and the second was "red dragon." But those were different; they were series films with established fan bases.
What kind of setup did "get out" have? The total production and distribution cost was only 15 million US dollars.
The film's success brought great rewards to James Wan, Chloë Sevigny, and Anthony Mackie.
With two successful films in half a year, James Wan had become Hollywood's most anticipated new star director, with endless praise.
His prestige directly surpassed Wayne Wang, showing a strong momentum to contend for the title of Hollywood's top Chinese director.
Chloë Sevigny also greatly expanded her audience appeal. Many people only then learned that she had even received an Oscar nomination.
Anthony Mackie, as a newcomer who had just transitioned from theater to Hollywood, was overjoyed that his first film was a huge hit.
His agent had called Xia Li Cooper several times, wanting to invite his father to a resort for some enjoyment.
The three were also invited to appear on shows like Saturday Night Live and the ellen show for promotion, enjoying immense popularity for a time.
Eric was also mentioned several times in this, as the screenwriting credit went to him and Leigh Whannell, with him even listed before Leigh Whannell.
However, although he was cued several times, as a screenwriter, there was no need to show his face, and the audience wasn't interested.
So, few people really knew him, and they couldn't even connect him with his past rumored romances. Eric was happy with that.
In the evening, Eric drove to the airport.
After waiting for a while, Sergei Hassenfield walked out of the waiting hall and got into the car.
He had clearly dressed up meticulously today, not only getting a haircut but also wearing a faint men's cologne, and even a light layer of makeup on his face.
This made the middle-aged man, nearing forty, look considerably younger.
"Eric, why did you come yourself? Sending someone to pick me up would have been fine."
"Haha. We're such good friends, of course I'd come myself. It seems you've made thorough preparations. Let's go straight to the party."
Sergei nodded, shaking the delicate small bag in his hand: "The gift is here. Let's go."
The car headed towards Beverly Hills.
"Sergei, I worked hard to get you this opportunity. You must cherish it."
Sergei looked at Eric gratefully: "Everything you've done is in my heart. I will definitely repay you."
"Tsk tsk. I feel a bit excited. It's been a long time since my heart beat this fast."
When the two arrived at Theron's villa, there were already quite a few people there, and the party had already begun.
But it didn't matter; big shots, after all, were meant to make a grand entrance.
Aside from Theron's family, most of the people there were actors and celebrities. Many of the people seen at Nicole's place last time reappeared here.
Upon noticing Eric's arrival, someone immediately informed Theron. Soon, she walked through the crowd, her smile making her look incredibly beautiful.
Before Theron could speak, Eric took her hand and gently kissed it.
Then he glanced at Stuart Townsend, who was watching this scene from a distance, and sure enough, the young man's expression twitched unnaturally.
"Hmph! This is exactly for you to see, kid!"
Then, with a slight pull of his hand, the two had already embraced.
However, it only lasted a few seconds, appearing somewhat intimate, yet without any major flaws, belonging to normal friendly etiquette.
"Happy birthday, Theron!"
"Happy birthday to you, beautiful lady!"
After offering their wishes, Eric and Sergei handed their gifts to Theron. She looked at Sergei and said, "Eric, this is the person you told me about—"
"That's right. Has Kate Winslet arrived?"
Theron looked to the side: "Isn't she right there? Mr. Sergei, do you need me to introduce you, or will you go introduce yourself?"
"Theron, you've done so much good, please help him out a bit more."
"Alright, then follow me."
Sergei covertly gave a thumbs up: "Good brother!"
Eric, meanwhile, looked at Stuart Townsend and walked towards him.