Hollywood Hunter

During this long air journey, Simon's Boeing 767 is equivalent to his air office.

When the private plane departed from Melbourne and was about to arrive in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, Simon was still in a video conference with Danny Morris, the head of New World Pictures on the Los Angeles side. Zhiduoxing 3".

With the big sale of the film, some Hollywood media also pointed out Simon's serious "mistakes" in the negotiation of the salary of "Anti-wittle Star 3".

According to the sharing contract signed with the three main creators, based on the initial base salary, based on the film's final local box office of US$200 million, Daenerys Entertainment will subsequently pay the three main creators up to US$50 million in omni-channel share dividends, which has exceeded The production cost of the film is $40 million.In comparison, Mike Myers' initial offer was only a $15 million Hollywood top salary and a 10% box office net profit share. The other two main creators only required about half of the fixed salary of Myers.Based on the current box office results, including dividends, the total expenditure will not exceed $35 million.

Now, including the base salary, Daenerys Entertainment has paid nearly $70 million to the three creators.

Doubled.Mike Myers is expected to receive a total salary of 33 million US dollars.

Obviously wrong.

Simon will certainly not be affected by this argument.

The 30% of the omni-channel net profit of the three main creators has become 50 million US dollars, which actually means that Daenerys Entertainment can get more than 160 million US dollars of net profit from this project.

Still the big head.This is a profit distribution model that Simon is very acceptable to, and it is much stronger than Warner of the "Fatal Weapon" series working for Mel Gibson and others.

What's more, compared with the nearly $500 million in total revenue brought to Daenerys Entertainment by the "Trial of Fighting Wisdom Stars" trilogy, this $70 million in main expenditure is nothing. A big red envelope for the total series.Simon is far less compliant with other studios than other studios, or very demanding. No matter how big a star is, he can no longer fancy the big name in front of Daenerys Entertainment.

However, harshness is not stingy, and Simon has never been a boss who wants to run without grazing horses.

When the plan was finalized, Simon had corresponding considerations.

First of all, 30% is the highest share that Simon has always accepted, whether it is box office share, omni-channel share or other messy share models.

Secondly, adopting a sharing model can also stimulate the initiative of the main creator.

This is the most important point.

In the previous "Transformers" series, why Michael Bay was completely out of the game, it was not the commercial director Jiang Lang who did it, it was more Paramount’s Bai Yishun, and the explosion of Beth did not need to take any risks for this series. Can get a huge salary.

Anyway, you can make a lot of money if you play, and you are really tired of doing five consecutive parts, then just do it casually.

The result was Paramount’s ambitious desire to open up the Transformers universe, because the explosion of shelling up "Transformers 5", the whole plan just started and basically ended in no time. The second year of "Bumblebee" in "Transformers 5" "It's not tepid in the haze."

It was surprising that Mike Myers was able to use "Counter-intellectual Multi-Star" to make the trend of "Ace Big Spy" in Simon's memory better than one.

However, for the fourth plan proposed by Danny Morris, Simon also refused without hesitation.

It is also the cause of risk and cost.

The third local box office is expected to be 200 million, with a net profit of US$1.66 billion, which is actually a whopping 30 million lower than the second, but the second local box office is only 140 million US dollars.

The key is the rising cost and the main dividend.

If we continue to open the fourth part, Simon will make a budget of US$10 million according to the rules of the first three parts.

As for going beyond the third, Simon has no hope.

Various types of films have their own ceilings, and phenomenal levels like "Hangover" will only produce one in decades.

If it weren’t for Daenerys’ entertainment, Kim Carey would happen to take the first $20 million fixed pay in the history of Hollywood this year, and a more exaggerated 20/20 model will follow soon, 20 million. US dollar pay plus 20% of the global box office dividend.

Now, Simon has successfully locked the top salary of Hollywood actors to 15 million US dollars.

Although there is no upper limit of 15% for dividends, Simon’s requirement is that the actor must share risks with Daenerys Entertainment, and must not get a top salary and a high share.

There was no room for discussion in Simon's tone, and Danny Morris could only stop.

Immediately speaking, Mike Myers already had a new script idea. This is a spoof of the 007 series. Simon knew it was "Ace Spy" at the ear.

However, because the two sides are not too happy in the cooperation of the "Anti-witting Multi-Star" series, Myers has shown a cold touch with New World Pictures, and Myers plans to personally be the producer of this project, plus Starring and screenwriter, this time directly quoted a base salary of 15 million US dollars plus 15% of the global box office dividend.

The 15% this time is no longer the omni-channel net profit share.

If you follow the box office results of "Anti-intellectual Multi-Star 3", of course, the omni-channel net profit share will be more. However, the box office dividends mean that Mike Myers will be guaranteed by drought and floods, because this is a situation that ignores the cost of the studio Cut the cake directly from the global box office.Although it is not the public's literal understanding to cut the cake from the global box office, but the studio gets 15% of the box office's share, but it still means that it does not need to bear all the risks and can get the share in a relatively short time It is far from being as protracted as the omnichannel division.

Based on the box office results of the "Anti-intellectual Multi-Star" trilogy, Mike Myers did have the confidence to call out such an offer.

Simon will not accept it.

The main base salary of 15 million US dollars means that the production cost of "Ace Spy" can reach 40 million US dollars only in the first production. Even if this series is still as good as Simon's memory, the box office is better than the one. The profit margin of the studio It will be very small.

So just skip it.

There is no shortage of such a project in New World Pictures.

After Kim Carey obtained Simon's understanding, the two parties were also preparing for "Detective Aircraft Head 2", which was only the third in a five-part film about Kim Carey and Daenerys Entertainment.In addition, after the release of "Red Fan District" in February, Simon threw out the idea to let the New World Film team to complete the Jack of his own into the "Rush Hour" series.And, it has successfully launched a very large series of soul-stirring movie universe.

It's just that these main titles are enough for the development of New World Pictures until after 2000.

And whether it is cost or risk, it is much stronger than the series of "Ace Spy" that Mike Myers needs to start with a salary and a share.

Ending the video conference with Danny Morris, Boeing 767 is also close to its destination.

Girl A knocked on the door and entered the study, reminding Simon to land in another ten minutes, and also brought another document.

The small team led by Chen Qing has just reached an acquisition agreement with Scopper.

The day Simon left New York, Chen Qing, who worked overtime all night, gave Simon a complete acquisition plan.Since Simon believes that betting on the VCD industry can only make a "quick money", Chen Qing also changed the idea of ​​initially acquiring wholly-owned video decoding chip manufacturer Scobo, intending to only achieve a holding and maintain the company's listing status , So that you can easily cash out after a few years.

Moreover, even if Sperber is not absolutely controlled, as long as the company's operating power is fully controlled, the Westeros system can maximize its own interests by controlling China's VCD industry.

Partial acquisitions can also minimize costs.

In fact, no one is a fool. As the only supplier of VCD video decoding chips at this stage, Scotiaber can best understand that in the first quarter of the past, the Chinese VCD market has shipped less than 20,000 units in 1994. Soared to a market growth rate of more than 100,000 units in a single season.

Therefore, the company's original price-earnings ratio is very high, and with the new technology wave, the stock price has continued to rise.

Such a company is simply impossible for Wall Street to be acquired.

Of course it is not literally impossible.

Rather, if this is to be done, the cost will be much higher than expected.

At the beginning of April, the market value of Scooper reached 120 million US dollars. Simon thought that 200 million US dollars could be won. After all, this means a price-earnings ratio of 76 times. Traditional enterprise mergers and acquisitions, and the opening price of more than 50 times the price-earnings ratio is already outrageous, but Because of the advantages of the Chinese market, even though the VCD market is still very small, at the current level of popularity of the technology industry and the growth rate of the Chinese VCD market, Chen Qing’s team judged that a malicious acquisition may require more than 300 million US dollars to get it. Under this company.

300 million US dollars, this is already a bit of a loss.

With such a sum of money, the Westeros system can cooperate with other electronics manufacturers, such as Sony in Japan and Philips in the Netherlands.At that time, the cooperative R&D cost may only need one tenth of 300 million US dollars, and it may only take up to 1 year.

At that time, China's VCD industry just happened.

However, if this is done, it will be difficult for the Westero system to carry out further layouts, thereby controlling China's VCD industry to the greatest extent.

After the proposed new plan was approved by Simon, Chen Qing took his small team and started to act immediately.

After all, Scooper’s plate was not big. In just one week, Chen Qing absorbed 5% of Scooper’s stock and made the acquisition entirely in the name of an offshore fund that was irrelevant to the Westeros system. Therefore, when This fund filed with the SEC after breaking through the 5% holdings, and neither Wall Street nor Scobal paid too much attention.

Until the next two weeks.

Chen Qing's team is simply fiercely continually absorbing strong in the secondary market.

In two weeks, Scotsberg's stock price soared 69%, and its market value exceeded the $200 million mark from $120 million at the beginning of the month.When everyone reacted, Chen Qing had absorbed more than 21% of Scobel shares in the open market at a cost of $31 million.

Then, showdown.

And it was a very strong showdown.

This small team divided their ways and contacted several shareholders of Scopus respectively to initiate an offer to partially acquire each other's shares.

In fact, it is mainly Sequoia Capital in Silicon Valley and Texas Instruments in Texas.

Scooper was initially a peripheral company incubated by semiconductor giant Texas Instruments. Subsequently, Sequoia Capital continued to participate in multiple rounds of financing before the IPO, and the investment before and after also exceeded 20 million US dollars.

In the IPO in March last year, the share of Scooper’s public listing was about 23%. However, with the continuous reduction of various shareholders after the end of the half-year sales restriction period, the circulating shares on the secondary market have exceeded 30%. The strong absorption of Chen Qing's team, and some people couldn't help but tempted to cash out a lot.

As of the showdown, Scotiaber's equity distribution was roughly 33% of Sequoia Capital and 19% of Texas Instruments.21% of Chen Qing's team is already the second largest shareholder.The remaining 27%, and 11% are in the hands of another venture capitalist similar to Sequoia Capital, and the final 16% is held by the circulation market and management.

The showdown content is also quite straightforward.

Chen Qing's team did not hide the capital background of its Westeros system, nor did it optimistic about China's VCD industry, and directly presented a business plan to several major shareholders.

Or, Sequoia, Deloitte and another venture capitalist holding 11% of the shares will sell another half of their shares to the current share price, and give up control of Scooper. Then, the Westero system is personally responsible for the development of China’s VCD market, everyone controls this market together.

Or, the Westeros system has shifted to cooperation with manufacturers such as Sony or Philips, and the two parties have become the most direct competitors.Scooper may have an advantage. However, in the face of Sony and other manufacturers who have mastered the DVD standard, the advantage is not obvious at all, and the almost insurmountable gap between VCD and DVD is also obvious.

The two sides held a bargain for three days.

In the end, the original shareholders of Scotsberg made a concession. Based on the closing price of the transaction, the three major shareholders sold a total of 32% of the shares of the Chen Qing team at a price of 63 million US dollars. Kobe provides a low-interest loan of US$20 million as a follow-up plan execution.

In addition, while achieving a 53% absolute holding, Sequoia Capital founder Don Valentine also ceded the previous chairmanship of Scopper, planning to hand over to Emmanuel Brandt recommended by Chen Qing Be responsible for.

In the last ten minutes before the plane landed, Simon fastened his seat belt and quickly scanned the final plan from San Francisco.

Kiev is over six o'clock in the evening.

According to the time difference, the west coast of the United States is in the early morning.Knowing what Chen Qing was waiting for, left the airport and got on the bus. Simon asked the girl A sitting next to him to notify San Francisco over the phone and the plan passed.

It is roughly conceivable that when the working time on the West Coast arrives, with the signing of the formal agreement and the exposure of more inside information, Scooper, a small company that was not conspicuous, will definitely become the focus of discussion in the North American capital market. The East Coast side In the remaining hours of trading today, as the news spread, Scotiaber's stock price will rise to a new level.