Chapter 493: The Worse, the Better

Charles Capet only stayed in Connecticut for a day before returning to his villa on the Golden Coast of East Hampton, Long Island, just across the Long Island Sound.

Negotiating deals like acquiring NBC Universal, which involves around $30-40 billion businesses, was a long process!

"Michael Jackson went to London, right?" Charles asked Phyllis Jones, sitting on the couch.

"Yes, he did. The concert starts next month, and he was rehearsing at the Staples Center in Los Angeles before," Phyllis replied.

Charles nodded and asked, "How's his health?"

"Michael said he's felt more energetic than ever in recent years. His team is constantly monitoring his health," Phyllis said, shrugging.

"His debts have been transferred to West Pacific Union Bank and Capet Records, reducing some pressure!" she added.

"Start developing this script for The Hunt as soon as possible. Plan for its release next year," Charles closed the file in his hand, which was the adapted script of The Hunt.

After all, it was just a low-budget art film. It wouldn't cost much, and once Michael Jackson released an album next year, Capet Records would make the money back.

Phyllis nodded, "Boss, I've met Molly Bloom. She's quite a fascinating woman with an incredible life. She was a skier and trained since childhood. She retired after getting injured during an Olympic qualifying event.

Then, she got accepted into Harvard Law School, but she took a break for a year to work in Los Angeles, where she got involved in private gambling games at a small bar. Once she got to New York, she opened a private casino and quickly amassed a few million dollars in assets!"

"So, she got bigger and caught the FBI's attention, leading to charges of money laundering and tax evasion," Charles chuckled, "Indeed a fascinating life, and she's in her thirties, right?"

"Yes, the prosecutors wanted her to give up names of others involved in private gambling, but she refused and hired a lawyer to negotiate surrendering her assets in exchange for dropped charges," Phyllis admired Molly Bloom.

"Did she agree to work with you?" Charles asked.

"She's still considering, but without her mansion, sports cars, and designer clothes, I believe she'll accept my terms," Phyllis was confident. She couldn't imagine living without luxury.

"I heard she knows many people in the entertainment and business circles, and she'll be useful in many situations," Charles smiled, "Money is not an issue; your boss is not short of cash right now!"

As long as it made him happy, money was just a string of numbers, wasn't it?

But Charles had more pressing matters to attend to. "By the way, the media coverage about Comcast potentially raising monthly fees for Syfy, Bravo, and other channels if they acquire NBC Universal is not heated enough. Make it bigger. Get some Congress members to comment publicly before the press. Also, raise doubts in the media about Comcast's ability to manage movie studios, potentially endangering Universal's future."

"Got it," Phyllis nodded.

Charles's biggest concern now was NBC Universal Entertainment. As for the Nets, he still had $600 million left unspent, of which $300 million went for buying the team, and the rest would go for building a new arena.

...

In his Hudson River mansion in downtown Manhattan, Anne Hathaway was lazily painting her toenails on the couch.

Charles sat on a single sofa, staring at the news on the TV, lost in thought.

"Charles, have you seen Angels & Demons that Universal released?" Anne looked up after painting her nails.

Charles nodded, "Yes, it was released by Universal last month, but its box office wasn't that pleasing."

He said this with a hint of a smile.

"Yeah, I remember the opening gross was only $46 million. Capet Pictures' The Da Vinci Code opened with over $70 million its first weekend," Anne said, sitting on Charles's lap.

"Why is there such a big difference? Both are Dan Brown novels, directed by Ron Howard, and starred Nicolas Cage!"

Holding the beauty in his arms, Anne Hathaway's loose white shirt paired with shorts left little to the imagination.

"Historical Christianity, European scenery, an older man with a young girl, religious fanatics, and murder in a mystery format," Charles spoke casually, caressing her thigh.

"Angels & Demons isn't much different from The Da Vinci Code. The lure was the historical Christian secrets and Jesus's hidden mysteries. The first appearance of these themes naturally attracted people, but later, the expectations dropped significantly."

Anne nodded, "I've seen both movies, and the first one had stronger suspense, while the second had more action scenes."

Charles kissed her lips lightly before saying, "The Da Vinci Code was popular because the novel was a massive hit, and the director captured the suspense well. Though Angels & Demons was more suitable for movie adaptation, it suffered from Hollywood's typical issues, making it almost a travel action film!

Almost a month in, and Angels & Demons' North American box office barely hit a hundred million dollars, with overseas totals also underperforming. Reaching $500 million globally is unlikely, let alone $600 million."

Anne laughed, wrapping her arms around Charles's neck, "I remember The Da Vinci Code grossed over $700 million globally!"

Then they started kissing, with Charles's hand slipping under Anne's shirt.

Universal spent $70 million buying the filming rights for Angels & Demons from Capet, invested another hundred million in production, plus marketing costs, making the total investment over $200 million.

Universal would likely need DVD sales and paid TV streams to break even. This summer was a big bust for Universal.

Luckily, their April release, Fast & Furious 4, was a success, grossing over $300 million domestically and even more overseas, totaling over $500 million worldwide.

The worse Universal performed, the more it highlighted Capet's strength.

*****

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