Chapter 251: Spring Has Come for the Black Brothers

Some are happy, some are sad.

Spielberg feels *Zhenzhugang* was lucky, but Eisner doesn't think so at all. This film was a massive loss; with a North American box office of just over $100 million and a global total of less than $300 million, it can now only rely on disc sales to slowly recoup its costs.

What's even more painful isn't actually how much this specific project lost—the whole film lost at most a little over $100 million, which isn't actually that serious for a behemoth like Disney. However, the resulting drop in stock price is what's truly fatal.

Since the failure of *Zhenzhugang*, Disney's stock has been in a continuous, quiet decline, falling 40% in just three months. Do you know what that means? It's equivalent to a loss of nearly $20 billion in market capitalization!

Of course, this isn't just because of *Zhenzhugang*; it's because the market sees that all of Disney's subordinate business units are being managed poorly, and this failure served as the starting point for a downward spiral. In short, the market has lost confidence in Disney...

If it were just that, it might be fine, but Disney's stock suffered another heavy blow. The sudden occurrence of 9/11 caused a fund holding Disney stock to go bust. The natural result was that their Disney holdings were forced into liquidation, leading to the sell-off of over $1 billion worth of stock in one go, which immediately triggered a further decline. In other words, in less than half a year, Disney's stock has fallen by 65%, meaning a loss of nearly $30 billion in market value.

At this point, both large and small shareholders of Disney are panicking. Calls from various shareholders and directors immediately flooded Eisner's line. Although Eisner explained that no one could have predicted something like 9/11 and refused to take the blame, the shareholders don't care about that...

"Eisner, you take a high salary of over a million dollars every week and get tens of millions in bonuses at the end of the year. We didn't put you in that seat to lead us into losing money! If you can't improve Disney's operating situation as soon as possible, you know the consequences yourself!"

Eisner hung up the phone with a grim expression. This wasn't the only shareholder to express this sentiment. He knew that if he couldn't pull the stock price back up, then this hurdle would truly be difficult to clear.

For the past two years, shareholders had held their noses and accepted Disney's losses, partly because of the poor economic climate and partly because Eisner was deeply entrenched at Disney. Replacing him would mean an unknown period of instability, and the cost was too high. Therefore, the shareholders and directors hadn't done anything to him yet.

But in the last six months, Disney has fallen too severely, and a group of shareholders can no longer stand it. What if another "black swan" event happens? Who knows who the next one to go bust will be? At this point, no one cares about how deep his roots are; they are all ready to vote with their feet.

Harvey Weinstein, on the other end, changed his attitude immediately upon hearing this:

This was another project he had thought of in the short term that could succeed. Harvey had spent his energy this year crafting an Oscar-bait film; if it could achieve a clean sweep at the Oscars, that would be a very impressive achievement, and he could promote it extensively then.

"Oh, Wu, you're finally back!"

Subsequently, Eisner picked up the phone and dialed out. As soon as the call connected, he heard a voice from the other side:

"Aha, my dear Mr. President, what can I do for you?"

"Hahaha, Mr. Eisner, the situation with *Chicago* is excellent right now! We swept the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards yesterday—Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, we took them all! This year's Oscars won't escape my grasp!"

Eisner asked directly: "Harvey, how is your new project doing now?"

After hanging up, Eisner thought of Pixar Animation. For the past few years, Disney's own animation has been useless, even with his repeated support. It seems he must secure Pixar now. But thinking of Pixar's boss, Jobs, he frowned again; that guy is not easy to deal with.

How to cut costs? Layoffs!

And there is a ready-made reason to use: the number of visitors to Disney parks plummeted after 9/11 and still hasn't recovered to 60% of what it was before. To maintain the normal operation of the amusement parks, they have no choice but to lay off staff and reduce costs.

Eisner made a direct call: "Have the company increase promotion for the success of *Monsters, Inc. *!"

Pixar's newly released animated film, *Monsters, Inc. *, reached $62 million in box office in its first three days and hit $130 million in ten days, sparking a recovery in cinemas. It is undoubtedly both critically acclaimed and a box office hit.

And an even more important point is to create successful cases to restore the market's confidence in Disney.

Hearing Harvey's confidence, Eisner replied: "Good, I will have Disney's PR team cooperate with you fully!"

Therefore, Eisner now knows he has reached a dangerous point and must take some measures to pull Disney's stock back up.

There is no shortage of successful examples...

If viewed from the perspective of company performance, it's nothing more than increasing revenue and cutting expenditure. As for increasing revenue, there is nothing in the short term that can bring about a significant increase in performance, so he can only cut expenditure.

"Wow, how rare. Eisner, you actually care about me so much. It really flatters me, tsk tsk tsk~" Harvey Weinstein said sarcastically on the other end of the line.

Confidence is the key to the stock market. If the market has confidence in you, even if you are losing money, the stock can keep rising. But when confidence is gone, just like the failure of *Zhenzhugang* last year, all kinds of problems erupt at once.

According to the agreement previously signed between Pixar and Disney, Disney not only has half the investment in *Monsters, Inc. *, but within the contract period, Disney also has the authorization for its character merchandise, earning huge profits from it.

However, Eisner didn't care about that at this moment and suppressed his temper, saying:

"Harvey, do you have confidence in this year's Oscars? If you can achieve success at this year's Oscars, I will give you more support in terms of funding for Miramax for the next two years."

*A Beautiful Mind* producer Grazer hugged Wu Yuchen tightly and patted him.

For the past few months, Wu Yuchen had been busy in China and couldn't come over; all the PR activities for *A Beautiful Mind* were led by him. From the Toronto International Film Festival in September to the subsequent various film critics association awards.

"Hahaha, Grazer, with you here, I am very at ease. I have 100% trust in your abilities!" Wu Yuchen laughed and praised him.

To be honest, he didn't want to go through the exhausting Oscar PR schedule like last year again. Fortunately, Grazer was there to hold down the fort this year; he is a producer with a relatively wide network in the industry. He shared a lot of pressure for Wu Yuchen, so much so that Wu Yuchen didn't arrive until December.

But now that Wu Yuchen is here, he will definitely participate in the PR. This is also the main purpose of his trip to America.

"Oh, if you, the director, were present, I think we could have won Best Director at a few more stops!"

Wu Yuchen smiled it off and then asked: "Grazer, how has the situation been over the past few months?"

Upon hearing this, the smile on Grazer's face disappeared: "*A Beautiful Mind* has been favored by many and has won many awards, but at the same time, we now have a very powerful opponent..."

"*Chicago*, is it?" Wu Yuchen asked proactively.

Grazer nodded: "Harvey, that guy, is worthy of being the one who understands the Oscars best. *Chicago* is adapted from a classic Broadway musical, which easily evokes nostalgia in a bunch of old men, and it also has depth through its biting satire of ugly social phenomena. It poses a great threat to us!"

Wu Yuchen rubbed his chin upon hearing this. Although he disliked Harvey Weinstein, he had to admit that the guy indeed had ability.

Previously, he had wanted to buy a script from him, but Wu Yuchen didn't sell him a single one. Unexpectedly, this led him to directly acquire the adaptation rights for *Chicago*. A film that should have been born next year was brought forward to this year. *Chicago* is indeed a formidable rival; in his past life, it received 13 nominations and 6 major awards at the 2003 Oscars.

Wu Yuchen shot *A Beautiful Mind* specifically to win awards. He originally thought this year would be relatively stable, but unexpectedly, a strong enemy suddenly appeared, and this strong enemy seemed to be created by himself, which left him somewhat dumbfounded.

But he wasn't someone who feared trouble. Although the opponent was strong, *A Beautiful Mind* wasn't weak either; it was also the type of subject matter the Oscars loved most. Since they had already crossed paths, it was naturally a case of "when two brave men meet, the one who is more courageous wins." Who wins and who loses will have to be decided after a battle!

Wu Yuchen encouraged him:

"Grazer, don't boost the opponent's morale and destroy our own prestige. Last time, *Shakespeare in Love* was pushed by Harvey to the top of the Oscars and won so many major awards that many members of the Academy who favor art were already dissatisfied with him. We must seize this point and strike the opponent hard when the time comes!"

In 1999, *Shakespeare in Love* defeating *Saving Private Ryan* to win Best Picture caused an uproar in public opinion, and Gwyneth winning Best Actress was also called the "wateriest" Best Actress in history. At the time, there were loud voices questioning the fairness and gold content of the Oscars.

It was precisely because of this that Harvey had been quiet for the two years following that, and the Academy hadn't let Miramax win any awards either. Although the Oscars emphasize PR, many Academy members have certain artistic pursuits and developed an aversion to Harvey's hard-pushing tactics. This is one of his major weaknesses.

Grazer patted Wu Yuchen on the shoulder: "Yep! Wu, you think the same as I do. This time we must seize this point and attack fiercely! We cannot let the Oscars degenerate into 'Harvey's Oscars'!"

"That slogan is excellent! 'Harvey's Oscars' will definitely cause dissatisfaction among many people, hahaha!" Wu Yuchen laughed loudly.

The two of them had already set the policy and strategy while chatting and laughing. Since your film quality is high enough, then make an issue out of other aspects. Oscar PR relies on one's own means; the cause Harvey planted before is why there is the current effect.

However, Grazer then said to Wu Yuchen: "By the way, Wu, there is one more point. For this year's Oscar Best Actor and Best Actress, I think we can consider giving up."

"Hmm? Why? Did something happen?" Wu Yuchen asked in confusion.

Grazer nodded: "A piece of gossip."

Although the other party called it gossip, Wu Yuchen wouldn't underestimate it at all; many pieces of gossip are very accurate.

"It has to do with the American troop deployment this time. The higher-ups hope the Oscars will give more consideration to Black people this time."

"What? Sending troops? Black people?" Wu Yuchen didn't react for a moment.

Grazer explained: "Although our troops have already broken through in Afghanistan, we may still need reinforcements. Therefore, America is currently actively conducting recruitment activities. You know, the willingness of white people to join the army has dropped significantly compared to the past, so naturally, more effort must be put into black people.

The higher-ups hope that all aspects can grant black people certain benefits at this time to enhance their sense of belonging and identity. And we in Hollywood have always been at the forefront of equal rights. The Best Actor and Best Actress of this year's Oscars will very likely be affected by this."

In an instant, everything clicked in Wu Yuchen's mind. No wonder in his past life, the Best Actor and Best Actress of this year's Oscars were both given to black people for the first time in history. Because they need the black brothers to go to the battlefield and risk their lives!

And Grazer didn't know, but Wu Yuchen was clear that a year later, the old Americans would launch a war against Iraq, and then the reliance on the black brothers would be even stronger. In other words, the American upper class is currently extending an olive branch to black people to unite forces that can be utilized.

If you want the horse to run, you must let the horse eat grass. And in this process, the American upper class must give black groups certain benefits and power. The longer the war drags on, the more benefits the black brothers can continuously obtain from this.

At the same time, Wu Yuchen thought of the president after Bush; the next president was also the first black president in American history. Presumably, he also used this momentum to reach the top. These are all linked together!

Wu Yuchen let out a breath. The impact of this 9/11 is indeed huge; it's not just as simple as counter-terrorism. The chain reaction it triggered really changed a lot, a lot.

Awards are indeed inseparable from social trends. It used to be said that the Oscars were art-oriented and the vanguard of satirizing and attacking the American government. Now it seems that the American government just doesn't bother with you usually. If they really want to use you, doesn't your Oscar Academy still have to obediently bow its head and do the work?

In an instant, Wu Yuchen had many more reflections. Major awards are actually just like that; it's just a comparison of whose means are higher or lower.

Perhaps others might still hold onto a fluke mentality and give it a try, thinking it might not really be the case. But combined with his experience from his past life, Wu Yuchen knew that the Best Actor and Best Actress of this year would definitely be black people. Therefore, he nodded directly and said:

"Then let's just give up on Best Actor and Best Actress. But to be honest, it wouldn't have affected us anyway, so there's no need to worry about comforting the lead actors."

*A Beautiful Mind* lead actor Russell Crowe just won Best Actor last year with *Gladiator*, so it's basically impossible for him to win consecutively this year. And the lead actress Jennifer Connelly's screen time is relatively small, so she has no chance competing for Best Actress. This time, they were originally going to submit her for Best Supporting Actress.

Grazer laughed: "You're right, we don't have to worry at all. On the contrary, over at *Chicago*, I don't know how Harvey is going to explain it to his lead actors. It might even lead to infighting. I really hope he can spend more energy and resources on Best Actor and Best Actress!"

Wu Yuchen curled his lips and smiled: "That's not something we need to worry about!" ===== CHAPTER 252 =====