New York 2006

Chapter 312 Earning one billion dollars
"Taylor, when will your song be released? Today is October 10th."

"It's just this month, you'll know when it's released."

Luo Ji sat on the sofa in the Burbank living room, looking at the messages Taylor responded to on WeChat, and shook his head helplessly.

Taylor is a little girl. Luo Ji has asked her many times since October, but she just won't tell her the specific day when the song will be released.It was as if he was deliberately provoking Luo Ji's emotions.

I won't be tempted to give up the forest by just one song from you!
Luo Ji said silently to himself.

He is very satisfied with his current life. He has three girlfriends, and their looks are in line with his aesthetics.

But if he and Taylor got back together, Luo Ji really couldn't guarantee that he would be able to resist stealing.If they break up in the end, both parties will be left with only pain, and in the end they may not even be friends.

"What are you thinking about? You're so lost in thought." Fiona came over holding a briefcase.

"It's nothing."

"Let's go then, the meeting starts in an hour."

……

after an hour.

Logic Films Conference Room.

Luo Ji, Fiona, CEO Yang Yanzi, two people from the production department, one person from the finance department, and two people from the budget department, a total of eight people started today's meeting.

Yang Yanzi reported to work with a document: "Before October, Logic Pictures had a total revenue of 10 million US dollars. The largest contributor was "The Twilight Saga 5.8". "The Twilight Saga 2" shared global box office and DVD sales. TV on-demand, online on-demand, peripherals and streaming media, the total revenue was US$2 million."

"Yeah." Luo Ji nodded.

Yang Yanzi continued: "The other $1.1 million in income comes from "The Twilight Saga", the TV series "Westworld" and "The Vampire Diaries"."

"Okay." Luo Ji secretly rejoiced. "Twilight" really brought him so much.

Is it time to thank Christine?

The "Twilight" series brought by Apocalypse by his little girlfriend can be regarded as the most profitable project that Apocalypse has brought to him so far.

That's it. Let's prepare a good gift for her next time we meet.

Yang Yanzi said: "In the next three months, our company will also have an unreleased horror film "Dead Man", a documentary "Dolphin Cove", and TV series "Westworld" and "The Vampire Diaries". Second- and third-round broadcast rights and overseas copyrights are a huge amount of revenue. It is expected to bring about 3 million yuan in revenue to the company."

"Not bad, not bad." Luo Ji nodded with satisfaction.

Yang Yanzi looked at Luo Ji and continued: "The company's estimated total revenue this year is US$7.3 million. Since the projects we filmed this year, except for "The Twilight Saga 3," all other projects used the company's profits from last year."

"continue."

"So, the company's expenditure this year is like this. The production cost of "Twilight Saga 3" was 7000 million US dollars, and we spent 5600 million US dollars. The promotional cost of "Twilight Saga 2" was 8400 million US dollars, and we spent 4200 million US dollars. The company’s daily operating costs are expected to be 1500 million US dollars this year. The year-end bonus is tentatively set at 500 million US dollars according to the results of our discussion. In other words, we have spent about 1.6 million US dollars this year.”

Yang Yanzi paused for a moment and continued: "The company expects net profit to reach 5.7 million yuan this year."

Bang bang bang, everyone immediately applauded.

Having the experience of earning money from "The Twilight Saga 1", Luo Ji was not too shocked.But others were stunned by this and their mouths dropped open.

A blockbuster movie is so profitable that it continues to make money years or even decades later.

Yang Yanzi looked at Luo Ji with a smile on her face: "Logic, how do you plan to spend all this cash?"

"Save enough production funds for next year, and use the remaining funds to pay off debts."

Yang Yanzi frowned: "Huami Bank's commercial loan has a five-year term, so we don't have to be in such a hurry to repay it in advance. We only need to repay [-] million dollars this year."

"Please pay back the rest of the money." Luo Ji's tone was full of doubt.

"Okay." Yang Yanzi nodded. Although she wanted to expand the company's size, she did not dare to object.

Luo Ji actually had no intention of repaying the loan in such a hurry, but Huami Bank was planning to acquire United Commercial Bank, which went bankrupt due to the financial crisis.After the future acquisition is completed, Huami Bank's capital flow may be somewhat tight in order to cope with some depositors' deposits from United Commercial Bank.

United Commercial Bank is one of the few Chinese-owned banks in the United States. When Wu Jianmin, chairman of Huami Bank, asked if he could repay more money in advance, Luo Ji immediately agreed.

Of course Luo Ji supports Chinese capital in the banking industry, and the shopping mall is like this. You help me, and I will help you.When he first acquired Marvel, the mortgage interest Huami Bank gave him was very cost-effective.

"This is what the company will spend next year."

"Daily operations are expected to be 1800 million meters."

"The estimated production cost of "Friends Together" is 3800 million, and we need to spend 2660 million yuan."

"The estimated production cost of "Les Misérables" is 6500 million, and we need to spend 4500 million."

"The promotional funds for "World War of the Dead" are estimated to be 8000 million US dollars, and we will set aside 4000 million US dollars."

The film industry is like this, it's asset-heavy.It usually takes a year to prepare in advance.It will take at least a year to get results.

Yang Yanzi suddenly said: "But there may be some problems with the budget expenditure of "The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn."

Luo Ji looked at Yang Yanzi in confusion: "What's going on?"

People from the production department began to speak: "We found that after the first version of the script for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn" was written, the entire content of the book could not be described in the length of a movie."

Luo Ji immediately realized the problem. He frowned and asked, "What are your plans?"

Someone from the production department said: "Either a lot of content is deleted, or the movie is made into two parts."

Luo Ji was deep in thought, but Fiona couldn't help but said: "Of course it will be made into two parts. This can bring in more revenue for one movie. Just think about the terrifying box office of "Twilight" and you will know how to choose." ”

Yang Yanzi laughed: "We think so too, but the production cost of the movie may soar."

Fiona wondered: "Why is this happening?"

Yang Yanzi explained: "We have only signed four film contracts with actors. If we shoot a fifth film, they will definitely charge a lot of money."

Fiona asked: "Then why didn't you sign more film contracts?"

Luo Ji said: "After more than 100 years of development, Hollywood has developed very complete rules. Actors and film companies check and balance each other. You don't just sign as many film contracts as you want. The film company signed five film contracts with the actors. If you have a film contract, you have to make five films. If you sign six films, you have to make six films. Otherwise, you will lose money."

Fiona said: "So your film company originally thought it would only make four movies?"

"Yes." Luo Ji talked about the past: "Stephanie's fourth novel hadn't come out yet, and she said it would be over after the fourth one. So we signed four-film contracts with the main actors. But who can Thinking of this, the fourth novel would be too long to be filmed in one movie,"

Yang Yanzi asked: "Then what should we do?"

"The Twilight Saga" has a global box office of 2 million yuan. Everyone has no doubts about the "Twilight" series.It is already a movie series comparable to "Harry Potter". Shooting one more film will earn more money for one movie.

Luo Ji thought for a moment: "Inform the partners of "The Twilight Saga" and start negotiating with the actors who will appear in the fifth movie. We must let them sign the contract for the fifth movie. "

"Okay." Yang Yanzi knew something, so she said, "Logic, the next negotiation with the actors will probably be very difficult. I wonder if you can tell Kristen and ask her to do the same for other actors. example?"

As a capitalist, Luo Ji was instantly attracted to this proposal. He thought for a moment and said, "Okay, no problem."

Of course Luo Ji would not treat his girlfriend badly. He could make up for her in private later.

Yang Yanzi continued: "What about you? You are also an actor in the crew."

"I'm the boss of the company, so what's the use of setting an example?"

"But you are also an actor in the crew after all."

"Okay, I'll say hi to Braun."

"Ok." Yang Yanzi continued: "The plots of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn" are all coherent, and we can shoot the two films consecutively. This will also be beneficial to negotiations with the actors."

"Okay." Luo Ji then stared at her and said, "But don't go too far. You can make concessions to the actors appropriately."

Yang Yanzi nodded: "I know that, I just want to make sure those actors don't talk too much."

Luo Ji asked, "How much do you expect the next two movies to cost?"

Yang Yanzi had obviously considered this matter for a long time. She immediately said: "If the two films are shot equally at the same time, according to Hollywood standards, each film will require at least 1.3 million US dollars."

Luo Ji was a little heartbroken: "The cost has nearly doubled!" Yang Yanzi was also a little regretful: "There is no way, why did we only sign four film contracts?"

"Oh, that's the only way to go."

The matter was a foregone conclusion. Luo Ji sighed and quickly got rid of the negative energy: "The continuous shooting of the two films will require a total of 2.6 million yuan. We will spend about 2 million, and the partners will spend 6 million."

"Yes."

Luo Ji did a little mental calculation: "So next year we will need to spend approximately 3.3 million US dollars?"

The finance manager clicked on the calculator a few times and then nodded: "Yes, boss. This year the company's net profit is 5.7 million, and next year's expenditure will be 3.3 million. In other words, we can use 2.2 million to repay the debt of East West Bank."

Luo Ji made the final decision: "Just take out 3 million yuan to pay off the debt. The filming of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn" will not be until the second half of the year. Now contact Huami Bank. I will stay in Los Angeles for the next two days to deal with this." Something happened."

"Ok."

Luo Ji would handle such large financial expenditures personally, otherwise he wouldn't worry.

These days, it has happened more than once or twice that company executives or financial officers have taken away company money.

…………

three days later.

Wu Jianmin, chairman of Huami Bank, called: "Logic, I'm so sorry. I've been busy with the acquisition of United Commercial Bank recently, so I'm just calling you now."

"It's okay." Luo Ji said, "Today Logic Pictures repaid a loan of US$3 million. Have you received the news?"

"I got it." Wu Jianmin said with a smile, "That's why I'm here to thank you."

"You're welcome." Luo Ji said politely: "Does Huami Bank still need more cash flow? I can pay back a little more in advance."

"That's enough. With your three hundred million dollars, we can handle the next deposit problems of United Commercial Bank."

"That's good."

Wu Jianmin pondered for a moment and then asked, "Logic, are you interested in investing in Huami Bank?"

Luo Ji became curious: "What do you mean? Are you asking me to buy Huami Bank's shares on Nasdaq?"

"Of course not." Wu Jianmin continued: "Our acquisition of United Commercial Bank will cost approximately US$[-] million. If you are interested, you can participate."

"Is it because there are not enough funds for the acquisition?"

Don’t think that the banking industry is very high-end.

It was normal for Luo Ji to ask this. Huami Bank's current market value is only 13 billion, and the profits of the American banking industry are not that high. For them to spend 5 million yuan to acquire it is not a small amount.

Of course, the funds Huami Bank can use are at least tens of billions.

But this is depositors' money, just like the [-] million yuan that Luo Ji returned to them. It cannot be used for acquisitions. They can only use the bank's profits for acquisitions.

Wu Jianmin said with a smile: "Although $5 million is a lot, I can definitely raise it. I know a lot of old Chinese money and Chinese fund companies. However, I am more willing to accept your funds than them. You Very nice, and I heard Zhu Qinqi say that you are a good partner and your cooperation on Xiyin Clothing is very pleasant."

Can you be unhappy?
Xiyin Clothing Luo Ji not only endorses the brand himself, but also embedded the brand in the explosive "Twilight Saga".It has made Xiyin Clothing Company famous.Except for financial issues, he basically does not interfere in the company's operations.

It can be said that it is a matter of money and effort. Where can I find such a good partner like him?

Luo Ji thought for a moment and asked the most critical question: "What is your valuation of the company after the acquisition?"

"19 billion knives."

"What is the specific valuation of your company on Nasdaq now?"

"13.02 billion."

Luo Ji did a little mental calculation, which meant that if he wanted to participate in this acquisition, the company's current value would be a 5.6% premium.

This is actually not bad. Acquisitions generally stimulate an increase in the company's value. This valuation is very reasonable.

Luo Ji continued to ask, "What are your plans if I join the acquisition?"

"I hope you will invest at least 9500 million to get 5% of the company's shares, and I can give you a seat on the board of directors." Wu Jianmin continued: "Of course, you can also invest more, and I can give you up to 15% of the shares. "

Luo Ji reacted when he heard this: "You are planning to use my reputation as an investment genius to increase the company's stock price."

Wu Jianmin did not deny it, and said with a hearty smile: "Hahaha, I do have this idea. If your stake is too small, it doesn't make much sense if you don't announce it in the media."

Luo Ji didn't get angry and asked directly, "How long can you give me at most to think about it?"

"Fifteen days. The acquisition will officially start next month."

"Let me think about it and I will give you a reply within three days." Luo Ji continued: "If I want to participate in this acquisition, I may need you to provide me with some company documents for verification."

"It's natural."

After hanging up the phone, Luo Ji touched his chin and fell into deep thought.

Avril, who was sitting next to her, took Luo Ji's arm and asked Luo Ji to hug her. She asked curiously, "I just heard you talking about valuation, acquisition, and bank. Are you planning to acquire a bank?" "

Luo Ji rubbed her shoulder twice, shook his head and said, "No, it's just that the chairman of Huami wants me to join their next acquisition so that I can get some shares."

"Okay." Avril frowned: "Banks? It sounds bad at first. They were the cause of last year's financial crisis. And the appreciation of banks is a little slow. If you have money, you might as well invest in those Internet stocks you recommended in the media. .The prices have gone crazy this year.”

"I've already invested a lot in the Internet."

Luo Ji then pretended to be a little more coquettish: "Moreover, for a rich man like me, the first priority now is not to increase the value of assets, but to share the risks of assets."

Avril didn't realize it, and said blankly: "You... didn't you just invest in Twitter some time ago? Do you still have money?"

Luo Ji looked at her seriously: "You also invest in my private equity fund and can receive income statements. Don't you know that Logic Investment Company can get 2% management fee and 20% income commission?"

"Okay... I forgot about this." Avril continued: "This income is settled every six months. Your second phase fund has just reached half a year, right?"

"Yes, it will be settled this month."

Not counting Marvel. Logic Pictures, two music companies, and Logic Investment Company will have a net profit of at least 10 billion US dollars this year.

Of course, most of the film company's earnings this year will be used to pay off debts, which will not provide him with cash flow.But the investment company brought him a large amount of cash.

Luo Ji relied on Tianqi and truly became a walking money printing machine.

I don’t even know what it’s like to be short of money, hahaha.

Avril asked: "Then do you plan to participate in the acquisition of Huami Bank?"

"It's most likely that it will happen. By the way, you have to keep this news a secret and don't leak it."

"Ok, I know."

Luo Ji was telling the truth when he invested in Huami Bank. The investment company suddenly made a huge profit this month.This money must be spent, otherwise you will have to pay a large amount of taxes next year.

In order to diversify the risk of assets, Luo Ji did not want to continue investing money in the Internet.

Then investing in Huami Bank this time is indeed a good project!
Although the financial crisis has passed, the banking industry is still undervalued.Coupled with the increasingly close economic ties between the United States and China, Huami Bank, the largest bank for Chinese Americans in the United States, should have good future development.

And most importantly, unless there is a financial crisis like last year, the banking industry's ability to resist risks is very strong, which is fully in line with his current strategy of diversifying investment risks.

Avril asked curiously: "Then how much do you plan to invest?"

Luo Ji thought about the investment company's half-year settlement income this month, and said calmly: "About 1.9 million yuan, I can probably get 10% of Huami Bank's shares."

"Ah..." Avril exclaimed, then looked at her boyfriend with admiration: "My dear, you are so awesome!"

Luo Ji, who had rested for several days, had recovered. He looked at Avril with a smile: "Then do you want to try something more powerful?"

Avril immediately understood what her boyfriend was thinking, and said with a smile on her face to please her: "My dear, I was almost ruined by you just now, can you let me rest for a while?"

(End of this chapter)