Chapter 382: Advancing into Hollywood

[Chapter 467: Advancing into Hollywood]

The sales of Twilight's first volume had already surpassed ten million copies. With the release of the second volume, sales were sure to see a boost.

Instead of calling it a vampire novel, it would be more accurate to say it merely had a vampire theme.

To say it had literary value was nonsense. It was nothing more than the usual formula of a domineering CEO. The writing didn't hold a candle to A Game of Thrones, nor did it compare to The Shawshank Redemption.

The problem was, readers ate it up, especially the younger crowd.

An old group could only hide in dark corners and curse, too afraid to make any provocative moves. If this guy could knock them down, why would anyone think he wouldn't do it again?

To put it simply, it was your own fault for poking the bear. Why stir trouble when everyone was getting along? The five families might sound powerful, but did they really think they could control everything?

[T/N: Incase if don't remember, MC modified the novel series to have five Vampire families and likened them to the major five banking families Rockefeller, Morgan, Vanderbilt, Rothschild, and Du Pont.]

The plan to acquire Columbia was no secret. Emotionally speaking, Americans were conflicted. American cars were tough to handle, so they opted for cars from the East -- economical and quite reliable.

Movies were another matter. They weren't interested in sumo wrestlers or ninjas; tough action heroes were what they loved.

They took away our jobs and glory, and now they wanted to invade our culture. The outrage was immediate, and many jokes about the Japanese folks surfaced. It was evident that all the East Asians had become the most disliked people among Americans.

...

"Four billion? Those Japanese must be crazy!"

"Yeah, sir, Columbia is in dire straits and has $1.6 billion in loans. In comparison, Time Inc. got a real steal."

William White thought, what does that even mean? When Rockefeller Plaza was sold, you'd finally understand what financial power really looked like. They were so flush with cash they could afford to pay over the asking price.

Comparatively speaking, real estate prices in America were pretty cheap.

"Filson, how are we doing on Japanese properties?"

"Sir, we'll clear them out completely by the end of the year. We expect to bring in $5 billion."

"Wow, that's quicker than a bank heist. I bet no one could rob the Japanese treasury as efficiently. Anyway, let's sell all our our assets before the year's up. What about those conglomerates? Any moves?"

"No, actually, they keep buying more."

Filson had been focused on Japan recently; he was well aware of their craziness.

Acquiring Columbia wasn't actually a big deal. Anything the Japanese showed interest in was already rising in price.

Lanai Island had become an art trading hub. The monthly auctions weren't enough to dampen the Japanese enthusiasm.

If it weren't owned by that billionaire, they'd probably want to take the whole island back home.

Three standard golf courses were still in short supply. The $2.5 million membership fee didn't stop their enthusiasm.

All right, that was William White being picky. He didn't really want to stop it. It was like being in the presence of a fat cash cow; he was just thrilled about it.

...

"William, you should buy Columbia. We've got to do something; we can't let those Japanese take over Hollywood," Lucas said seriously, but William White could see the performative nature in his tone.

"Don't kid around. Honestly, I'm all for this acquisition. You know, as the largest individual shareholder of Coca-Cola, I really don't want to see any infighting. Remember when I suggested you buy MGM? You turned it down; I bet you regret it now."

William White had a teasing smile, clearly enjoying himself as he jabbed at Lucas.

"You're really a jerk."

"Ha! Envious, are ya? Kirkorian doesn't know how to run a film studio. Besides, they don't have their own distribution network, so DreamWorks doesn't need to worry."

[T/N: Incase forgotten, Lucas and Spielberg started DreamWorks.]

With the Japanese storming into Hollywood, Lucas naturally wanted to test the waters. He saw that William White was completely unfazed.

Warner Bros. or Columbia, even with their new allies, wouldn't be a match for William White. In Hollywood, his only competition was probably Spielberg.

Lucas clearly understood that after becoming the world's richest man, William White became a bit complacent, or rather, his attention was divided. This was normal; how many billionaires personally directed films?

Well, actually, there was one.

Howard Hughes was like that; the first billionaire who not only directed films but also nearly got himself killed doing so.

"Lucas, you're worrying over nothing. Cultural invasion? If they want to come to Hollywood and shoot films to take back home for airing, fine. But if they want to make money off Americans, they need American talent."

"Sure, I don't worry about that. I'm just concerned that everyone's banding together; it's tough for little companies like ours."

"What's the worry? If Paramount won't let you collaborate, you can come over to White Films. I'll tell you straight -- Warner's the one trying to challenge me."

Lucas shook his head with a bitter smile; it had barely been two days since he got in good with Warner, and now he was bracing for drama again.

He was overthinking it; even if Time Inc. completed the acquisition, it would only bring them closer to matching White Media's strength. To pursue an all-out war was suicide.

"Let's go grab a bite, Lucas. Don't overthink it; this is Hollywood -- nothing will change here."

"Yeah, maybe I'm just being paranoid. The Japanese are usually pretty humble most of the time."

William White smiled silently. He certainly didn't believe the Japanese were humble. The bowing and scraping were merely their customs; had they not been thoroughly schooled by Americans years ago, they would never be so submissive.

*****

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