Chapter 1830 1832 [Long-term plan]

  The major film companies are naturally very interested in the new project proposed by Xiang Nan, and they have come to them one after another, hoping to cooperate with each other.

   Xiang Nan naturally did not refuse this.

  Although cooperating with giants will lose a lot of income, cooperating with them can also save a lot of trouble. Otherwise, it would be so easy for Xiang Nan to gain a foothold in Hollywood with no backer or protection as a Chinese.

  But Xiang Nan also knows that this kind of cooperation is not a long-term solution.

  Now all the giants are surrounding him, supporting him, and generally accepting his conditions, making him seem to have great power, like the number one person in Hollywood.

  But in fact, his power is empty, it was given to him by others. If others can give it to him, they can naturally take it back. Xiang Nan believes that once his movie fails at the box office, those giants will immediately abandon him and will not even look at him again.

  Therefore, there has been a saying since ancient times, it is better to ask yourself than to ask others. Always relying on others, sooner or later he will be used up, and then kicked away. On the contrary, only if you become a giant yourself, can you always be the king.

  If you want to become a Hollywood giant, it is certainly not easy to say, but it is not difficult to say it is difficult.

  Easily, the 1980s were tough times for Hollywood studios. Due to the economic downturn, people have cut back on entertainment spending.

  Combined with the popularization of TV sets and VCRs, people don’t need to go to theaters to watch movies, they can watch good movies at home. Therefore, Hollywood’s box office and the number of moviegoers have shrunk year by year over the years.

  Hollywood movies are becoming less and less popular. In East Asia, there is even a phenomenon of being squeezed out of the market by Xiangjiang films. This was almost unimaginable in the golden age of Hollywood.

   Because of this, Hollywood film companies have gone bankrupt, closed, and transferred countless times in recent years. Even four of the six big names in Hollywood have changed their owners.

  So as long as you have the money, it is not difficult to buy a film company, or even a giant.

   What is rare is that both Hollywood and the United States are very exclusive.

  It only allows itself to be the only one. Anyone who wants to challenge its authority will be severely suppressed by it.

  Sony's acquisition of Columbia Pictures that year caused an uproar in the United States. As an Japanese company, it is treasonous for many Americans to actually acquire a Hollywood giant. It wasn't until it paid billions of dollars in losses that the American people finally let it go.

   But because Sony absorbed a lot of firepower, when Panasonic bought Universal Pictures, there was much less resistance. It's just that Panasonic couldn't turn Universal around, and finally had to sell it to Canada's Seagram Group.

  So if Xiang Nan wants to buy a giant, he cannot be the first to eat crabs. Otherwise, he will become the target of public criticism, and even be expelled from the United States in serious cases, and his reputation will be ruined.

   Therefore, he still needs time, and needs Sony to help him travel and stand up to the thunder.

   Plus, he needs time to make money.

  ** Years, when Sony acquired Colombia, it paid 3.4 billion U.S. dollars in cash alone, and needed to bear 1.6 billion U.S. dollars in debt.

  Compared with Columbia, Universal Pictures is not cheap, so in the next five years, Xiang Nan needs to earn 5 billion US dollars to be enough.

   Fortunately, he always knew how to invest. And in the past few years, he has earned more than 100 million US dollars from making movies, so it doesn't seem too difficult to earn 5 billion.

  …

  "Lethal Weapon" then began preparations.

  Director, actors, sets, costumes, art, props... There are so many things to be busy, and Xiang Nan is a little busy.

   At the same time, news came from the mainland that the film "Old Well" was finally finished.

  When Xiang Nan heard this, he immediately sent back a message to suspend the release of the movie.

  He plans to send the film to the Berlin Film Festival next spring. Even if she didn't get an award, it would be a good thing for Cong Shan to get a nomination.

  Because he is an investor and has a certain right to speak, Yuexi Film Factory agreed to this request.

  After finishing filming "Old Well", Cong Shan was also invited by Xiang Nan to apply for a visa and come to the United States. It is not easy for ordinary people to go abroad, but Cong Shan has Xiang Nan's help, going abroad is as convenient as going home.

   "Wow, this is Hollywood, much more prosperous than Xiangjiang!" Cong Shan looked at the tall buildings on the street and said in surprise.

  Xiang Nan nodded with a smile, "After all, Hollywood has a history of 100 years. How long has it been since Xiangjiang's economy took off? Naturally, this side is more prosperous."

  Xiangjiang’s economy took off after the 1950s, when a large number of mainland immigrants brought capital and technology to flow there, which led to its rapid economic growth. Before that, it was basically a fishing village.

   "Then where do we live, do we still live in a hotel?" Cong Shan asked curiously.

   "We won't stay in a hotel, let's live in a mansion in Beverly Hills." Xiang Nan laughed.

  After being harassed by those crazy entertainers before, he felt that the hotel security measures were not strict enough, so he rented a mansion in Beverly Hills.

  The monthly rent is 15,000 US dollars, which is 180,000 a year. At the time, a mansion sold for less than a million dollars. Xiang Nan's rent for five years is enough to buy a luxury house.

  The reason why he only rents and does not buy is because he knows that in 1987, American real estate will collapse due to the savings and loan bank crisis. At that time, the current high housing prices will plummet, and houses at the price of cabbage will be everywhere.

  …

  After arriving at Xiang Nan's residence, Cong Shan was also shocked by the beautiful big house.

  There are three floors, there are only six bedrooms, cloakroom, gym, entertainment room, wine cellar, swimming pool, court, garden...everything you expect, and even a small bar.

   Cong Shan just came from the mainland. In the 1980s, mainland real estate was still dominated by welfare housing. It is common for a family of seven or eight people to live in two small bungalows.

  Cong Shan’s house is not rich. There are only two houses, so the living space is tight. Especially after my sister got married, my brother-in-law didn't get a room at work, so he still had to live in their house, which made Cong Shan nowhere to live when he went home.

   "Ning Wei, are you the only one living in such a big house?" Cong Shan asked with mixed feelings.

   "Of course not, don't you still have you." Xiang Nan laughed.

   "Then how do you clean such a big house? It takes half a day just to sweep the floor?" Cong Shan asked doubtfully again.

   There are only six bedrooms in such a big house, how can one person clean it.

   "You don't have to worry about this, there are specialized housekeeping companies to provide services." Xiang Nan laughed.

  The service industry in the United States is quite developed, especially for the rich. Not to mention asking someone to clean up, even if it's a whim, invite a hundred or eighty beautiful women to come to the house to have a party, as long as they can afford it, they can do it.

   "Ning Wei, you are all capitalists now." Cong Shan said in surprise.

  Xiang Nan nodded with a smile.

  (end of this chapter)