Chapter 525: All About Luxury Brands

[Chapter 590: All About Luxury Brands]

Los Angeles, Bel-Air Hotel.

Arthur Smith attended a Hollywood-style gala with Sophie Marceau.

"Did you go to France?" Arthur asked, planting a kiss on the lady's cheek.

"Yeah, I went back for a little while," Sophie Marceau smiled. "You know us French, we can't work all the time."

"Of course I know," Arthur said, wrapping his arm around her waist. "If you want to take a break, go ahead. Besides, you're not short on anything now."

"Speaking of which, you know director Adrian Lyne, right?" Sophie inquired.

Arthur nodded. "Of course! He's a famous erotic film director."

Films like 9 1/2 Weeks, Fatal Attraction, and Indecent Proposal were all directed by him.

"Right! Adrian Lyne adapted Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita while he was in France. Is Galaxy interested?" Sophie laughed.

"Lolita!" Arthur exclaimed, recalling the well-known adaptation by Stanley Kubrick from the 60s.

He shook his head, "That kind of film has no market in the U.S. It's basically just spending money for awards and publicity."

He smiled at Sophie. "Look at Galaxy now, do we even need a film like that?"

Sophie paused, thinking about the current Oscar contenders like The English Patient and Evita.

"True, Galaxy's performance at the Oscars these past few years has indeed been impressive!"

Arthur hugged her lightly. "So, are you interested in that film?"

"Why should I care?" Sophie took a sip of her drink. "While I was in France, Yeri mentioned it casually, and I thought I'd let you know."

"I knew it. When did you start considering such things?" Arthur muttered.

Sophie shot him an amused glance. "I have to drop by there, let's head back together later."

"Alright, I'll find you in a bit," Arthur replied.

...

Soon after, Arthur bumped into Edgar Bronfman Jr. in the lounge area and began chatting.

"Arthur, Galaxy is really impressive!"

Edgar expressed genuine envy toward Arthur.

"It's okay," Arthur clinked his glass with Edgar's. After the restructuring at Universal, things didn't seem to have improved much; this year, there was just one film, Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World, directed by Steven Spielberg, that generated any excitement.

"Hollywood is indeed a deep pool," Edgar said. He had acquired MCA Universal Entertainment less than two years ago, and after the reforms, losses were still mounting. The Schottenstein Group was even considering selling off some of their liquor brands to keep Universal afloat.

Arthur raised an eyebrow at him. "Isn't DreamWorks releasing two films this year? The comedy Mouse Hunt and the thriller-action The Peacemaker. At least DreamWorks can guarantee its domestic market; internationally, it's just collaborating with Universal."

Universal and Paramount had the joint UIP (United International Pictures) and other regional agreements, with Universal's own UPI (Universal Pictures International).

Edgar shrugged helplessly. "At the end of the day, they're still DreamWorks' films; they distribute them themselves in North America. Plus, in international markets, outside of Japan, it's Korean CJ in charge."

"That's true, but DreamWorks Animation has two films coming out next year. Universal can still get a share from the international market," Arthur reassured him.

With Steven Spielberg forming DreamWorks SKG, he was busy managing his own film company after years of working with Universal. Universal was losing a pivotal anchor.

The Schottenstein Group, after all, was a liquor giant in North America, boasting brands like Martell, Johnnie Walker, Royal Salute, Crown Royal, Captain Morgan, and Tanqueray.

Especially Martell, the crown jewel of the Schottenstein liquor empire; it was well-known that the world's finest brandy came from Cognac, France, with four top brands: Hennessy, Martell, Remy Martin, and Napoleon.

Cognac produced over a hundred million bottles annually, and the big four brands accounted for about seventy percent of that; among them, Martell was the oldest.

Edgar noticed Arthur deep in thought and teased, "So, is MGM looking to collaborate with DreamWorks?"

Snapping back to reality, Arthur had been contemplating whether to use Gucci to acquire a few of Schottenstein's liquor brands. After all, fine spirits were also luxury goods!

Hearing Edgar's inquiry about the DreamWorks collaboration, Arthur responded directly:

"MGM could indeed collaborate with DreamWorks if the opportunity presented itself; we just partnered with Paramount on the action crime film Face/Off. We also teamed up with 20th Century Fox for the epic disaster romance Titanic. If DreamWorks has a good project for collaboration, MGM would definitely consider it."

"You're talking about Titanic?" Edgar chuckled at that point. "Arthur, there are whispers in Hollywood saying you're throwing money at the leading lady of that film. Everyone knows Arthur Smith's reputation with women. However, this movie has faced challenges since shooting began; MGM invested tens of millions of dollars just to keep the project alive. This film's production cost has reached an unprecedented two hundred million dollars! The marketing and promotion costs will undeniably be high as well. Before, Universal had some buzz thanks to Waterworld, but now that title belongs to 20th Century Fox."

Arthur was speechless. Were they talking about Kate Winslet as the star?

"James Cameron is a director known for pushing the boundaries of film technology and spending lavishly," Arthur admitted, recognizing that this had been evident from previous works like Terminator 2: Judgment Day and True Lies.

"However, the films he produces are indeed spectacular," Arthur said, downing the last of his drink.

"Right," Edgar understood that given Galaxy's current scale, this small loss wouldn't mean much -- they'd quickly recover from another film.

Arthur patted Edgar on the shoulder. "In fact, I'm interested in fine spirits as well; if Schottenstein decides to pull out of the liquor business, I'd be keen to acquire a few of their brands through my Gucci Group."

Edgar looked puzzled but replied with a smile, "A clothing and accessory brand wanting to acquire liquor brands? Your idea is quite creative, Arthur."

"Hey, it's all luxury goods anyway..."

*****

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