Chapter 449: Waterworld Released

[Chapter 511: Old age and a long life often lead to trouble]

Arthur Smith and Monica Bellucci had lunch together at The Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue in Manhattan, New York.

"Arthur, is this the filming location for Scent of a Woman?"

Arthur nodded, "Many scenes were filmed here!"

He had recently visited the NFL headquarters, which announced the addition of two new teams to its lineup: the Carolina Panthers, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Jacksonville Jaguars, based in Jacksonville, Florida. Now, the NFL had a total of 30 teams.

"By the way, when is Twelve Monkeys set to release?" Arthur asked, referring to the mystery sci-fi film starring Monica Bellucci.

"It will have a limited release at the end of the year, to qualify for the Oscars, before expanding further," she replied with a smile. The box office success of Bad Boys, which grossed $65 million in North America and $140 million worldwide, significantly boosted her fame.

Arthur nodded, intrigued by the suspenseful nature of Twelve Monkeys.

"My Black Pearl yacht just arrived from the Mediterranean; let's spend a few days on it!"

Arthur was closely watching the CBS board and felt a bit anxious about the Tisch family, especially with the involvement of the Graham family. That old troublemaker, Katharine Graham, who was almost 80, had a knack for stirring things up. It was true what they said: old age and a long life often lead to trouble.

...

Meanwhile, the highly anticipated Universal blockbuster Waterworld opened with a $21 million weekend and had grossed $60 million total after three weeks, but it showed over a 36% drop in revenue. The film's reception wasn't great, making it difficult to break the $100 million mark in North America. It was clear that unless Waterworld became a hit overseas, losses were unavoidable, given its over $200 million investment.

In the afternoon, Arthur took Monica Bellucci to a club in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. He had arranged a meeting with Grindel von Schubert, the U.S. president of Deutsche Bank. German investment had grown considerably in the entertainment industry, especially with Germany's new tax incentives drawing investors to Hollywood.

"The support for the entertainment industry has indeed increased since German reunification," Arthur said, eager to collaborate with Grindel, as they had previous experience working together.

Grindel smiled. "German capital needs a destination, and Hollywood fits the bill," he noted. "Besides, our past collaboration was a pleasant experience!"

Companies like Constantin Film, part of the Deutsche Bank consortium, and UFA Film, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann, had all worked with Galaxy.

"Galaxy is in the process of acquiring CBS, and Deutsche Bank can establish a film fund specifically for Galaxy's future projects," Arthur shared. The negotiation with Grindel was going well, and for the CBS acquisition, Galaxy needed some cash flow to avoid affecting their film production and distribution. A steady film financing fund would be quite helpful.

After Grindel left, Arthur and Monica enjoyed a performance from the VIP section of the club. The dimly lit hall was filled with the scent of hormones and alcohol.

Monica, nestled in Arthur's arms, kissed him passionately. "Arthur, I heard that Carolco Pictures is headed for bankruptcy. Several production companies are interested in them."

"Does Galaxy have any plans?" she inquired.

"There's a bit of interest," Arthur said with a puzzled expression. "Why do you ask?"

She chuckled, "I met with one of Carolco's founders, Andrew Vajna," she revealed. Carolco, formed by Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna, faced challenges when Vajna didn't understand the direction of their major projects and sold his shares at the end of the 1980s.

Now, Carolco found itself in a bind while Kassar searched for investors, with little success.

"Mr. Vajna and Mr. Kassar met, and their differences seem to have been resolved," Monica mentioned, recalling their meeting at an Italian gala, where Kassar was looking for European investors.

Arthur nuzzled her neck casually. "Everyone's mainly interested in Carolco's Terminator 3."

However, Galaxy would also acquire Carolco's library. MGM had a penchant for buying studios' libraries to bolster their catalog, which Arthur appreciated as well.

Monica smiled. "You should have called me when you were in Milan. I could have shown you around."

Arthur playfully said, "I didn't have enough time; I was just signing an acquisition deal with Gucci. Now your man is the second-largest shareholder in Gucci. It won't be long before I become the biggest!"

Once Gucci went public, Investcorp S.A. would likely sell most of its shares on the market.

"Yeah, the agent received Gucci's ad already," Monica said with sparkling eyes. "Next time in Italy, you have to let me tag along!"

Arthur nodded with a grin, feeling her soft chest in his hands, and leaned closer to her ear, "Sure thing, you'll be in charge of the itinerary."

"I promise to make it worth your while," she cooed, licking his ear. "I'll show you true Italian charm!"

"Monica, a woman like you must be hard for others to handle," Arthur teased, massaging her. "Only I know how to get it right."

Monica giggled and rubbed against him. "Arthur, do you really think you can handle it? Doesn't seem like it."

"Really?" Arthur pondered. "Is someone comparing you to Sophie Marceau in Europe?"

"Yeah, some tabloids are saying that," Monica continued to entice. "But you know who shines brighter, right? Or maybe, you could take the chance to experience the difference between us firsthand!"

"Now that's a constructive idea," Arthur said before leaning in for a kiss.

*****

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