Chapter 86: Summing Up the Finances

Kevin had been resting quietly at home for several days, not going anywhere. He spent each day delving deeper into understanding the things happening in this era through various channels.

Movies have always been something that evolves with the times.

Some movies can shine in any era, like Pirates of the Caribbean.

But there are other movies that depend on the current situation to determine whether they should be made.

For example, the movie Black Panther was a distorted product that emerged after the peak of the civil rights movement. Its audience consisted mainly of black people and some liberal white individuals.

...

In the gym inside the villa, after a vigorous workout, Kevin took a shower and called the driver to head to the company.

As soon as he entered the company, Kevin noticed the bustling atmosphere with people coming and going.

Clearly, after all this time of operation, Kevin's Dawn Entertainment was no longer a makeshift organization.

"Boss Kevin!"

As Kevin walked through, people greeted him, and Kevin responded to each one.

Although he didn't know them personally, it was apparent that they were all employees of his company, and Kevin showed a friendly demeanor.

"He is Steve Kevin? So handsome! It's a pity he's not an actor but a director."

"Our boss is a major shareholder of MGM and an Oscar-winning director. This company definitely has a bright future."

...

Of course, Kevin pretended not to hear occasional whispers.

He went straight to Dawson's office.

Upon entering the office, Kevin saw Dawson looking at documents while sipping hot coffee.

Speaking of which, Kevin couldn't help but make a comment.

Since his rebirth in America, it has been difficult for him to find pure hot water outside. It was only at this moment that he realized only Chinese people like to drink hot water. Other countries don't have this habit. They tend to drink cold or iced water, and hot beverages are usually coffee, milk, and the like.

Dawson, who was sipping his coffee, couldn't help but smile as he looked at the news about the success of Pirates of the Caribbean in the newspaper.

Pirates of the Caribbean, the biggest cake, was undoubtedly devoured by Dawn Entertainment.

As the CEO, Dawson had it easy. He didn't have to worry about performance issues as long as he had Kevin, who could single-handedly handle anything.

The sound of the door opening caught Dawson's attention, and he looked up, ready to scold the person for not knocking.

But he saw Kevin walking in and quickly stood up with a happy smile.

"Kevin, why are you here today?"

Seeing Dawson's expression, Kevin didn't say anything.

He was the main controller of Dawn Entertainment, and Dawson, on a fixed salary, only needed to ensure that Dawn Movies didn't encounter any major problems.

"Dawson, calculate for me the current income on the company's books. I have an acquisition plan for next year that will require a considerable amount of funds."

Dawson walked out of the office, gave a few instructions, and then came back in, asking, "What kind of business and how much money are we talking about?"

"I won't go into specifics about the business, but in terms of amount, I'll need at least five hundred million in cash, and that may not be enough."

Kevin didn't reveal all the information to Dawson; he only hinted at the specific amount he needed.

Marvel was extremely important, and Kevin didn't want any unnecessary complications to arise.

Until the plan succeeded, he would keep this matter buried in his heart.

Dawson nodded, knowing that if Kevin didn't want to elaborate, he wouldn't press further. That was the biggest reason why their relationship was so harmonious.

Of course, Kevin had entrusted all the spies in Marvel to Dawson's care.

He had some speculations as well.

But to be honest, Dawson had no idea what use there could be in acquiring Marvel, a company that was losing money every year.

Therefore, he couldn't be certain about his own guesses.

Before the era of intellectual properties (IPs) took off, no one knew how much value Marvel truly held.

If it weren't for DC already being a subsidiary of Warner Bros. twenty years ago, Kevin wouldn't even consider letting DC slip away.

But now, picking up Marvel as a bargain was still acceptable.

As for why Marvel wasn't favored by other major film companies, that could only be explained by the position of DC and Marvel in the United States.

Let's put it this way.

Before the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel was always overshadowed by DC.

They were not on the same level at all.

DC didn't even spare a glance at Marvel's intentions. In the American comic book industry, DC was virtually unrivaled.

It was under these circumstances that Kevin had the opportunity to pick up the pieces.

This was a realization that came after the fusion of Kevin's memories from two different lifetimes.

In his previous life, it seemed that Marvel and DC were on equal footing, but in reality, it was the tremendous success of Marvel movies that led to the rise of Marvel.

Before that, Marvel had never been taken seriously.

The major film companies were only interested in a few IPs from Marvel, such as Spider-Man and Fantastic Four.

After chatting for a while, the financial manager Jessica, whom Kevin had seen last time, walked in with a stack of documents.

Dawson instructed, "Jessica, give Boss Kevin an overview of the company's current financial situation."

Jessica, the bespectacled woman, nodded and began reading from the documents.

"The company's current payroll expenses..."

"Investment projects, expenses for Pirates of the Caribbean..."

"..."

A series of mundane data flowed from Jessica's mouth, and this time Kevin listened attentively.

As the boss, he had his own performance to support the company's broader aspects.

He only needed to grasp the financial aspect.

Major expenditures in the company required his own signature and approval to take effect, while other matters were entrusted to Dawson.

In other words, the company is not currently generating profits in other areas and is still in a situation where Kevin is sustaining them through losses.

Of course, at the moment, Kevin doesn't have the funds to support the company's other operations temporarily.

Everything has to wait until the dust settles with Marvel.

Until then, the available funds need to be used carefully.