Chapter 431: Greedy Tisch Brothers

In the evening, after attending the welcome banquet for the Saudi Prince, Arthur arrived at Monica Bellucci's villa in the Hollywood Hills. Bad Boys was about to be released, and the publicity campaign was in full swing.

"Phew," Arthur leaned back on the sofa, relaxed his hands from Monica's hair, and exhaled. Monica Bellucci, who had been kneeling on the floor, got up and nestled into his arms, kissing his chest.

"Arthur, with the new hotel opening today, you must be thrilled, right?"

Arthur opened his eyes and looked at the beautiful and seductive Monica in his arms and chuckled, "It feels alright, just those Middle Eastern tycoons really took me by surprise!"

After all, it was Arthur's first encounter with Middle Eastern oil magnates.

"Alright, let's go take a bath," Arthur patted the woman in his lap.

"Sure, let's go."

In the bathroom, Arthur lay in the bathtub holding Monica Bellucci, her stunning 36D figure incredibly enticing.

"Next, I need to go with the crew to Miami and New York for promotional events. The premiere of Bad Boys is also set for Miami's South Beach. Based on the previous preview events, the audience's enthusiasm was high!" Monica Bellucci snuggled against Arthur's neck, rubbing her body against his.

"Trust Michael Bay," Arthur reassured, stroking her back. "Even though it's his first time directing a feature film, his sharp editing and explosive action scenes are captivating; the mix of comedy from the black leads and your stunning presence in the film gives Bad Boys a promising outlook!"

This summer, alongside Pixar's first 3D animated feature Toy Story and the reboot of 007, GoldenEye, MGM was also set to release My Best Friend's Wedding, starring Winona Ryder and Drew Barrymore.

Arthur regarded Toy Story particularly highly as it was set to open the children's animation market, with almost $30 million allocated for marketing -- almost equivalent to the film's production budget!

...

Not just Galaxy, but also the animation juggernaut Disney took notice. Although Disney's chairman Michael Eisner was dismissive of 3D animation, Disney stood ready for competition, having just peaked with The Lion King in hand-drawn animation.

At Disney headquarters in Burbank, Michael Eisner and Disney Animation Chairman Roy Disney were discussing, "Our Pocahontas and Galaxy's Toy Story are releasing at the same time. We can't fall behind in promotion, especially since this month we also have the live-action film Crimson Tide up against Galaxy's Bad Boys."

Coincidentally, both Crimson Tide and Bad Boys were produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and his partner Don Simpson. However, Crimson Tide was directed by action director Tony Scott and starred Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman. In contrast, Bad Boys was helmed by an unknown rookie director with two relatively unknown black actors in Hollywood.

Roy Disney nodded, "We're confident about Pocahontas, but we can't underestimate Toy Story either; their first 3D computer animated film is quite a hook."

After Jeffrey Katzenberg's departure, Roy Disney took on more management in Disney's animation division, still holding the position of Disney's vice chairman.

It's a pity that Steve Jobs didn't agree to Jeffrey Katzenberg's request back then; otherwise, now they wouldn't have to worry about facing such quick competition.

Roy Disney could only lament about it internally, given that Jeffrey Katzenberg and Disney were now sworn enemies, with DreamWorks SKG targeting Disney as their main competitor from the start. Especially since at Disney, it was common knowledge never to mention Jeffrey Katzenberg's name in front of Michael Eisner.

"No need to worry too much. Who would have thought that Arthur Smith, so early in his career, would have a stake in the animation market?"

Michael Eisner, having been in a high position for years, admired Arthur's exceptional foresight immensely. It was rare for newcomers in Hollywood to dive into the animation market so soon. Arthur Smith had supported Pixar for three years, and now was their time to shine.

"Alright, Roy, I've got a meeting with CBS Television's Lawrence Tisch. Come along with me," currently, Michael Eisner's main target was CBS.

The board was quite dissatisfied with General Electric's refusal to sell NBC's controlling interests. Yet, the size of Capital Cities/ABC was too overwhelming for Disney, and Michael Eisner didn't want Disney's debts to skyrocket.

"Let's go, and it's said that CBS is in talks with Westinghouse Electric, and their asking price is unreasonable," Roy Disney frowned.

Given that Disney was a non-Jewish-founded film studio, they typically disliked the practices associated with Jewish enterprises.

Unfortunately, the Disney family scarcely had control over the company anymore; Disney faced massive debts in the 80s and was nearly taken over, saved only by the efforts of Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg, both Jewish.

Now, Roy Disney was the only one from the Disney family still working at Disney, holding just 1% of the company's stock -- less than what Michael Eisner owned. Approaching 65 and nearing retirement, the Disney animation department wouldn't accept current president Michael Ovitz's leadership.

For the sake of the family business, Roy Disney was thoroughly worried, now focusing on live-action film division head Joe Roth.

Hearing Roy mention CBS's pricing, Michael Eisner was quite aggravated; the Tisch brothers' Loews Corporation had acted greedily. With CBS's debt at $2.8 billion, the Tisch brothers expected $5 billion for its acquisition. Michael Eisner was indeed displeased with their greed, which seemed buoyed by Westinghouse Electric's backing.

"Tisch brothers have always been synonymous with insatiable greed. CBS has a debt of $2.8 billion, yet they demand a $5 billion purchase price." Michael Eisner was clearly frustrated with the Tisch brothers' greed, as the competition with Westinghouse Electric seemed to bolster their confidence.

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