Millennium director

"Daniel, have you finished your work in China?"

"Come! I need you here!"

"The company is almost overwhelmed by investors from all walks of life. I really can't hold on any longer. Whether it's selling shares or packaging and selling, there must be a result.

"You have to come and talk to them in person about this!"

Late at night, Wu Yuan, who had just finished the "Love Letter" road show, received a call from the other side of the ocean not long after he lay down.

Suppressing his sleepiness, he had to comfort John, "John, my good business partner, thank you for your hard work."

"If you delay it as long as possible, I will return to Los Angeles by the end of the month to do the post-production of "The Martian." At that time, I will personally take over the negotiation work in this area."

Rubbing the root of his nose gently, Wu Yuan hung up the phone amid John's complaints.

It has finally come to this point.

Sighing, Wu Yuan lay back on the bed. Liu Yifei, who was also awakened by the sound of the phone, leaned forward in a daze and hugged his neck.

"What's wrong? Is it still something from the Light Era?"

When the Light Times faced something that was coveted by North American capital, Wu Yuan did not hide it from Liu Yifei. After all, from the time of filming "The Martian" until now, Wu Yuan and John made countless overseas phone calls to discuss the matter, and Liu Yifei was watching. , and also got a general idea.

"Yeah." Wu Yuan shook his head and said helplessly: "My arms can't hold my thighs."

"Actually, when it comes to making money, Light Times doesn't make much. It only makes one to two hundred million US dollars a year. It can't compare with the six major Hollywood companies, nor can it compare with the first-tier independent film companies in Hollywood."

"There are not fifty but a hundred such companies in North America. In fact, they cannot attract the attention of Wall Street capital."

"But who said that the business operated by Light Times is so sensitive? It is a company that produces movies."

"No country can allow its cultural base to be invaded by foreign companies."

Wu Yuan knows best how much Americans attach importance to the protection of their own cultural territory.

When he woke up from his dream, it was 2023. At that time, China's TikTok, the international version of Douyin, was involved in the compulsory acquisition bill in North America.

What threatens the security of the US Internet? Groundless charges such as leaking user privacy have been pinned on TikTok, requiring TikTok to divest its North American business and package and sell it to North American Internet companies.

This commercial case had not yet come to a conclusion before Wu Yuanmeng woke up. It was just delayed. TikTok also linked its big data technology and servers to Oracle, which temporarily relieved the crisis of forced acquisition.

But Wu Yuan knows very well that this matter will not end easily. Even if it is delayed for another year and a half, TikTok will be forced to acquire sooner or later.

Without him, the United States would not be able to accept an Internet company from China as the mouthpiece of North American Internet culture.

Tiktok is a software that has influenced almost every North American family. The young generation in North America all rely on Tktok to receive information from the Internet. It can be said that all information portals in North America are controlled by this software.

This situation cannot be accepted in any country.

This is just like the reason why China Internet does not allow search and social software such as Google, YouTube, and Twitter to be used in China, and strongly supports similar domestic software such as Baidu and Weibo.

The problems faced by the Light Age are similar to those of TikTok. Although the size of the Light Age cannot be compared with it, the nature is the same.

As a film production company operating in Hollywood, although Light Times has not done this, in theory, it can export a large amount of Chinese culture and ideology. It only needs to be added to the films produced to have a subtle influence. North American audience.

Just as Hollywood movies exaggerate American democracy and how powerful and prosperous North America is, the Light Age can also promote Chinese culture in reverse.

This risk is something that North American capitalists cannot accept, and its ability to make money is insignificant.

"The white Jewish men in Hollywood cannot accept a Chinese film company stirring up trouble in Hollywood. Even if the threat is only a little bit, they must be killed as soon as possible."

Wu Yuan hugged Liu Yifei and said helplessly but relievedly: "Actually, I have been mentally prepared for this since the first day when Light Times was established."

"Sooner or later, Light Times will develop better and better, and if it develops well, it will definitely be noticed by Hollywood Capital, and then it will face their forced acquisition and expulsion."

"So the positioning of this company in my mind has always been to make quick money. From the "Hangover" series to the "Twilight" series, it is all about making money."

"Now that we are facing compulsory acquisition, I actually don't think it is a pity. I can only say that it is something that we will face sooner or later."

"The only regret I have is that the new series "The Hunger Games" that I originally planned to launch for the Age of Light may not be implemented smoothly."

"Whether I sell a majority of my shares or package up the company and sell it, I won't be able to make money from The Hunger Games."

The rights to film and television adaptation of the novel "The Hunger Games" were purchased in the name of Light Times Company. After that, whether it was selling the company or selling shares, Wu Yuan would not be able to enjoy the majority of the profits from this series.

Although he could set up a handbag company to buy the IP of "The Hunger Games" before the company was acquired, it really makes no sense to do so.

After all, he couldn't start over again and build a Hollywood film production company. The old white men in Hollywood were not fools, and they didn't lead such tricks.

"But this can be considered a gain and a loss." Wu Yuan thought for a while and said in a relaxed tone: "Although the opportunity to produce the "Hunger Games" series was lost, it may lose hundreds of millions in profits."

"But if we sell Light Times, we can directly make a profit of at least several hundred million US dollars, which is not a loss at all."

“Even in terms of time cost, we’ve made a profit.”

"I have to resolve this matter when I go to the United States this time."

"John really can't drag it out any longer."

“Before ‘The Martian’ is released, we must reach a conclusion on the sale of the company to stabilize them.”

"Then how much do you plan to sell it for?" Liu Yifei raised her head and asked curiously: "In other words, how much is the Light Age worth?"

She really has no idea about the value of Light Times. Liu Yifei can be said to know nothing about business. Light Times is not a listed company, so she has no idea how much this company is worth.

"We have the IP rights of "The Hangover" and "The Twilight Saga", plus "Night at the Museum" shared with Fox, and "Kingsman" shared with New Line. Just the subsequent development of these copyrights, and then Plus the company’s reputation value.”

"The valuation of Light Times must be at least US$1 billion!"

Wu Yuan said with confidence: "Even if it is a forced acquisition, the total price will not be less than 1 billion US dollars. After all, in addition to this company, I am also a world-renowned director. They can't lower the price too hard."

"If they can acquire Light Times normally, they will have achieved their psychological expectations. As for selling it at a bargain price, no one dares to think so." (End of Chapter)