Chapter 382

It was October in New York, Manhattan.

Arthur's private jet, purchased through Galaxy, was delivered. It was a Gulfstream IV model, and the company still used Roman numerals for their models back then.

The jet's wingspan of 23.7 meters, height of 7.45 meters, and length of 26.9 meters, accommodating 13 to 16 passengers for flights.

Galaxy MGM bought two Gulfstream IVs, costing a total of $35 million. Particularly, Arthur's personal jet was a modified version with luxurious interiors, accommodating 8 to 10 people.

In the Carlyle Hotel's banquet hall in Manhattan.

Jennifer Aniston found Arthur and gave him a close hug. "When did you get to New York?"

"Yesterday. The ratings for the Friends premiere were quite good," Arthur chuckled.

"It's only been three episodes. We need to wait for more to air," Jennifer Aniston said, pulling Arthur to the sofa in the lounge area.

"I heard you sold your shares in United Artists Theatre Circuit to Carmike?"

"Yeah, Carmike's chain of theaters is developing quite well, and Galaxy is also a shareholder in Carmike," Arthur explained. The U.S. theater industry was going through a new wave of mergers and acquisitions, and Carmike and United Artists weren't exceptions.

Arthur was surprised. "When did you start paying attention to this news?"

Jennifer Aniston explained, "The newspapers mentioned that Galaxy MGM might be facing financial issues, so they started selling their assets."

Arthur laughed and patted the back of her hand gently. "Don't believe that kind of news. Galaxy is as healthy as ever!"

Media companies were actively acquiring and merging, moving towards corporate consolidation. The assets being sold were mostly unrelated to the media industry, but acquisition was still the main focus.

Jennifer Aniston felt relieved after hearing Arthur's reassurance. "Hey, is that Woody Allen?"

Arthur turned to look and indeed, it was the famous art film director Woody Allen, chatting with Harvey Weinstein.

Woody Allen's new film this year, Bullets Over Broadway, was distributed by Miramax and got a decent reception.

"That guy is really tied up with Harvey Weinstein," Arthur shook his head. At the time, the scandal involving Woody Allen and his stepdaughter Soon-Yi was still unresolved.

"Woody Allen is directing a romantic film called Mighty Aphrodite," Jennifer Aniston mentioned, knowing the film was being shot in New York.

"Forget about them; let's head back," Arthur said. He wasn't interested in them. Miramax wasn't doing well without a big hit like Pulp Fiction to catapult them. Without a big-budget production, they could only continue focusing on independent arty films, which weren't commercial darlings like Woody Allen's works.

"Did you hear? There's big trouble with Universal's blockbuster Waterworld being filmed in Hawaii. The budget keeps increasing, and now it's reaching a hundred and fifty million dollars!"

Back at Arthur's villa on the Upper East Side, Jennifer Aniston eagerly discussed Universal's new movie that was frequently in the news.

Arthur sat on the sofa, stroking Jennifer Aniston's thigh. "The filming of Waterworld has been quite turbulent. The hurricane season in Hawaii hit hard, and their ocean set kept getting destroyed by storms."

"Boom," Arthur chuckled. "They had to rebuild after each loss. Kevin Costner has great faith in this project. His serious attitude demands financial backing."

"Yeah, and recently the newspapers reported that the director of Waterworld, Kevin Reynolds, left the project, and Kevin Costner took over the directing work himself," Jennifer Aniston remarked, clearly keeping up with the movie news. Without a doubt, Waterworld was currently the most expensive movie, and even a hundred million dollars wasn't enough.

Director Kevin Reynolds and producer and lead actor Kevin Costner had significant clashes over creative direction during filming, leading to huge disagreements and ultimately Reynolds' departure before the film's completion.

After Reynolds left, Kevin Costner took over the directorial duties himself. In a media interview, Reynolds sarcastically remarked, "Kevin Costner should only star in movies he directs himself, so he can work with his favorite actor and his favorite director."

However, the newspapers weren't too pessimistic about the movie. After all, Kevin Costner had won an Oscar for Best Director with his debut, Dances with Wolves. Plus, he was still a top Hollywood superstar. The budget of Waterworld might have overshot, but with Costner at the helm, the production continued smoothly.

"Such a shame. The papers said Universal wouldn't cover any further budget overruns. A hundred million dollars invested already," Jennifer Aniston said, nuzzling Arthur's face.

Arthur hugged Jennifer and kissed her, then playfully pinched her soft skin, reminding her with a smile. "I got word that Kevin Costner himself would invest $25 million of his own money to help complete the film. Just like a few years ago, when funding fell short for Dances with Wolves, he invested his own money to finish it!"

"Wow, can a movie cost this much now?" Jennifer Aniston was utterly amazed. Previously, when James Cameron's action blockbusters Terminator 2: Judgment Day and True Lies had budgets exceeding $100 million per film, Hollywood was already shaken.

Now, Universal's Waterworld had directly reached a hundred fifty million dollars.

Arthur lowered his head and kissed Jennifer's fair chest. "Last year's Jurassic Park showed everyone the power of special effects blockbusters. The sequel Batman Forever that's in production also has a hundred million dollar budget."

Moreover, Galaxy MGM was preparing the disaster blockbuster Twister, which was around the same budget level.

But Arthur eagerly awaited next year, anticipating the massive losses Waterworld would incur and Universal MCA's subsequent change in ownership. In Hollywood, besides making money from successful box office hits, nothing brought more joy than watching a competitor's movie flop and lose money.

*****

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