Chapter 10: Eric's Advantage
Judy: "OMG! Pure profit, it's pure profit! I've never seen such a lucrative business.
"30 million, it multiplied 11 times in one game, turning into 330 million. If gambling were a woman, I would definitely fall in love with her."
Warren kept sending laughing emojis: "11 times, my heavens! I should have bet more, I should have put all my assets on it!"
Eric: "Didn't you only have 1,000 dollars?"
Warren: "Hehe, actually I had a little left. I was worried about losing everything. Now it seems my worries were unnecessary. Eric, you're f***ing amazing!"
Seeing these guys getting a bit carried away, Eric quickly tried to cool them down. He knew how dangerous gambling, drugs, and prostitution could be.
Once you get involved with gambling or drugs, you're ruined. As for prostitution, for the wealthy, it's nothing; after all, rich people have plenty of time and money to maintain their bodies. That's why I say, I am irreconcilably opposed to gambling and drugs!
Eric: "Sober up, everyone. Gambling is just a crooked path. Even if you win occasionally, no one can guarantee they'll keep winning."
"So this is the only time, because I need to quickly accumulate initial capital. But I hope you remember, long-term gambling always leads to losses."
"After this World Cup, if anyone touches gambling, they will no longer be my friend, Eric Cooper!"
Eric spoke very seriously, and he promised to follow through.
However, these close friends were not ordinary people either. With their intelligence, Eric believed they would know what to do.
In just two matches, in only one week, Eric's wealth reached an astonishing 500 million dollars, almost like a dream.
500 million dollars in 2002 was wealth that surpassed most Hollywood stars.
Even 20 years later, 500 million dollars would be enough to invest in two major Hollywood blockbusters, the kind with big stars and huge productions.
And now, for example, Sony's "spider-man," although it has been out for a month, a few cinemas are still showing it, and this superhero blockbuster cost less than 400 million dollars.
MGM's "windtalkers," a war epic, had a production cost of only 300 million.
Although this cost might be inflated, the inflation component is definitely not large, because they are all listed companies, with shareholders' eyes on them, and what's more terrifying is that the tax bureau will audit their accounts.
If you talk nonsense and falsely report costs, exaggerating by three to five times, when the tax bureau comes knocking, you'll be crying your eyes out.
In America, never provoke the tax bureau. Even Hollywood might dare to fool Wall Street, but it wouldn't dare to fool the tax bureau.
Besides production costs, adding a certain amount of promotion and distribution costs, these are the two major expenses for releasing a movie.
Eric estimated that the total cost for "spider-man" and "windtalkers" should fluctuate around 800 million dollars.
However, this is the cost relative to what ordinary filmmakers require. If Eric were involved in the entire production, costs could be reduced by at least 30 to 40 million dollars.
Because there are many discarded takes during film production. For example, a 120-minute movie might have over 1,000 minutes of shooting time behind it, which is then edited into what the audience sees.
As a transmigrator, Eric knew exactly what the final cut of each movie should look like, so unnecessary shooting could be completely omitted.
This would greatly shorten the production cycle, reduce costs, and allow for an earlier release, which was his advantage.
However, although 500 million dollars was enough for him to shoot several blockbusters, there was still a huge gap in the funds needed to acquire MGM. He still needed more, much more!
However, you can't shear the sheep to death.
The last time he took 190 million dollars, it already halved the profits of many small betting companies for several days.
This time, taking 330 million, even large betting companies like Pinnacle and Ladbrokes would probably see their profits sharply decrease.
As for the small companies, it would be good if they had any profit left at all.
These companies needed a breather, otherwise, the game couldn't continue.
Eric: "Same rules as before, no more bets these few days. All your food, drinks, and entertainment will be on me."
"But keep a low profile. We've had two big upsets in a row, and I'm worried it might have alerted some casinos. Just be careful."
Time flew by, and soon it was June 14th. There were two important things to do today.
First, "windtalkers" was released. Eric planned to go to the cinema to watch it, just for fun.
Second, there was an important match today: South Korea against Portugal.
That's right, the Koreans were finally going to make their move, and the biggest scandal of the 2002 World Cup was about to unfold.
At the cinema, Eric walked in alone, ordered a soda and popcorn, and quietly waited for the movie to begin.
During this time, he secretly observed the front desk and noticed that the vast majority of people choosing "windtalkers" were men, many of them in groups of friends, while couples or women were rare.
Nearby, a black guy was muttering to his companion: "I like John Woo's style. Nicolas Cage will transform into a war god on the battlefield, sending all enemies to hell."
Another black guy demonstrated his racial talent: "Bullets, white doves, explosions, blood, bang bang bang!"
A white office worker not far away was discussing John Woo with his companion: "I've seen 'Face/Off,' 'Mission: Impossible 2,' 'Hard Boiled.' I like this guy's movies, and I hope this time he can also let me enjoy a violent blockbuster. Work is too tiring, I need to relax."
Everyone around held similar views, but Eric knew they would be disappointed. Audiences wanted to see a thrilling movie about individual heroism, which was the impression John Woo had left on the public, but "windtalkers" clearly wasn't that.
This was an Eastern film in Hollywood clothing, emphasizing not individual heroism at all, but dedication to the country.
And it was Native Americans dedicating themselves to America. Doing this in 2002 was clearly premature.
Forget 2002, even in 2022, at most it would be black people making sacrifices. When would it be the Native Americans' turn?
Do you have zero-dollar shopping? Do you have Black Lives Matter? Far from it, brother!
Entering the screening room, the lights dimmed, and the movie officially began.
Eric's attention was sometimes on the big screen, sometimes on the surrounding audience. Although Nicolas Cage's acting was still excellent, the plot was really full of flaws.
Midway through the movie, many audience members were already frowning, as it was completely different from what they had imagined.
Some audience members were already going to the restroom, and some simply never returned, which indicated the movie's appeal.
Needless to say, tomorrow there would be widespread condemnation from the media and audience.
Amidst the audience's grumbling and protests, Eric happily walked out of the cinema. "windtalkers" was doomed, and it was time to harvest his third crop of leeks.
Back home, the match between South Korea and Portugal had already ended, just as he remembered: Portugal had two players sent off.
The South Korean team, with 12 players, defeated Portugal's 9. Portugal's golden generation ultimately failed to advance from the group stage, leaving with regret!