"As long as the funds are legitimate," Murphy said to Kara Faith, spreading his hands, "I won't question who 20th Century Fox secures financing from."
Strictly speaking, he had no authority to question it. As long as it wasn't money laundering, he didn't care whether the investment came from the East or the West.
Kara Faith smiled and explained in more detail, "The company decided to accept Chinese investment primarily to ensure the film can be released in their theaters."
Murphy nodded lightly, and Kara Faith continued, "Originally, the company planned to follow the normal procedure, submitting the film for review when the time came. But we've received information that your name is on a highly sensitive list over there, making it difficult to pass the political review."
Gal Gadot sighed, "It's my fault. I was too impulsive last time."
"It's not your fault," Murphy reassured her, holding her hand. "It's the content and values in my films that are problematic."
"That's correct," Kara Faith agreed. "Your previous incident was just a trigger. For the reviewers there, Murphy's films are too politically incorrect."
She thought for a moment before adding, "Relatively speaking, this time the theme leans more towards justice triumphing over evil. If we have a strong local partner for lobbying, there's still a good chance of passing the review."
Indeed, with a powerful investment partner, passing the review wouldn't be difficult. However, the second film would be challenging as it would delve into issues of ideology and values.
Thinking about the review process, Murphy asked, "Is the Chinese investor an individual or a company?"
"It's a large conglomerate," Kara Faith briefly introduced. "They own their own theater chain and film production company. The boss seems ambitious, aiming to build an Oriental Hollywood."
"Oh?" Murphy was intrigued. "Which company is it?"
Kara Faith thought for a moment. "I think it's called Wanda."
"Wanda?" Murphy was momentarily confused before understanding. Kara Faith was using a phonetic transcription.
Having such a company as a partner would certainly help with passing the review.
However, Murphy wasn't overly concerned about this. His films had limited market potential across the Pacific, and it was unlikely to generate significant box office revenue. After all, noir films were quite niche in their current movie market.
More importantly, Murphy was interested in potentially investing in Wanda's theater chain if possible. He wondered if they would be open to it, given the rumors about their ample funds and connections.
He could have Bill-Rossis reach out to them. The ambitious owner, aiming to create his own Hollywood, might find value in partnering with a renowned Hollywood director.
Compared to some unreliable theater companies over there, Wanda was much more secure.
Murphy had followed Wanda's rapid rise to becoming a world-class theater company, especially during the post-"Avatar" boom when theater construction was rapidly expanding.
In the vast film industry chain over there, theaters connect the upstream production and downstream cinemas, serving as the middlemen. After films are made, they must go through theater chains for distribution and screening.
After the establishment of the theater chain system in 2001, theaters in their cities experienced rapid growth. With the influx of capital, the theater industry landscape changed, shifting from state-owned to diverse ownership.
Murphy vaguely remembered that from around this time, Wanda began leading the box office, market share, and audience numbers year after year, becoming a cinema giant.
After dinner with Kara Faith, Murphy made several calls, one to have someone monitor Leonardo DiCaprio and another to have Bill-Rossis gather more information on Wanda.
In just two days, Bill-Rossis obtained extensive information through CAA's Far East division and immediately faxed it to Murphy.
Although it was uncertain whether Wanda would accept his investment, Murphy knew he had to be well-prepared. Investments weren't about throwing money blindly; even if the other party was open to investment, he needed a thorough understanding to avoid being taken advantage of.
Business was always a game of deception.
Even for an intended investment, Murphy would conduct basic due diligence.
Wanda's most notable feature was its heavy asset model, unlike other lightweight theater companies. Wanda's theaters were all owned, making it a typical heavy asset company.
CAA's research indicated that Wanda entered the market before the rapid development of their film industry. Typically, early investors profited significantly.
Wanda's biggest advantage lay in its combination of theaters with commercial real estate, providing better locations, crowds, and services than theaters without such integration.
Thus, Wanda's theaters followed the commercial real estate integration model.
Even for the few leased theaters, their standardized management and adoption of North American advanced practices provided a significant management advantage.
Bill-Rossis highlighted that Wanda was both a theater chain and a cinema operator, with cinema revenues reflected in Wanda's financial reports. Their income was highly diversified, including sales of concessions and derivatives, far exceeding typical theater revenue sources.
CAA's report also mentioned the ambitious billionaire behind Wanda, whose business strategy focused heavily on acquisitions. This was evident in Wanda's frequent acquisitions of international theaters, aiming to become a global cinema giant.
Murphy noted another point: Wanda wasn't just focusing on cinema operations but also on merchandise and marketing, aligning with cinema development trends.
In summary, CAA's data suggested that Wanda had first-mover, brand, and capital operation advantages in a market leaning towards mergers, vertical integration, diversified channels, and non-box office revenues. Wanda was poised to become a leading industry consolidator.
This was undeniably a prime and worthy investment opportunity.
However, the question remained whether Wanda would accept his investment.
Murphy knew such matters couldn't be forced. If Wanda was open to investment, great; if not, he wouldn't lose anything.
Currently, Wanda representatives were negotiating the film investment with 20th Century Fox. Bill-Rossis had made initial contact, but their attitude was unclear. It likely needed approval from their headquarters across the Pacific.
Meanwhile, Murphy continued refining the script and discussing production plans with his team. Administrative tasks were fully delegated to Gal Gadot, who had significantly improved in both ability and experience over the years.
By late June, 20th Century Fox had approved the project, agreeing to invest in Murphy's new film, temporarily titled "Black New York," with a production budget of $150 million. The funding would come from pre-sales and financing, with Wanda Film Company as one of the investors.
This also meant Wanda Film would handle the film's release in their theater market.
Frankly, Murphy's films weren't particularly popular over there, and the previous U.S.-China film forum incident had created additional barriers. Passing the review would be challenging, which was a key reason 20th Century Fox brought in Wanda as an investor.
Like Murphy, Hollywood didn't care if the money came from the East as long as it benefited them.
With the new project confirmed, Bill-Rossis formally began negotiations with Wanda. Initial feedback wasn't promising; Wanda didn't seem short of funds and wasn't particularly interested in Murphy's investment offer.
However, a top Hollywood director expressing a desire to collaborate intrigued them, leading to further discussions.
That same month, Jordan Belfort's lawsuit against Murphy was finally adjudicated. With overwhelming evidence, the court ruled against Belfort, who had to cover hefty legal fees, a huge financial blow for someone hoping for an out-of-court settlement.
But it wasn't over. Murphy countersued Belfort for defamation. With his wealth and status, Murphy intended to drag Belfort through the courts until he was exhausted.
This wasn't just about Belfort but also setting a precedent. Murphy knew that the tougher he acted now, the fewer problems he'd face in the future.
Legal matters were handled by his lawyers, allowing Murphy to focus on his new project. With "Black New York" officially greenlit, his production team quickly assembled and announced a series of casting calls for the film.
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