As soon as the match between Korea and Germany ended, Eric didn't give the four any more time off, demanding they return home the next day.
The four had experienced a rapid surge in wealth in a short period, and they understood who was in charge. Besides, they weren't soccer fans, and after enjoying themselves for a month abroad, it was time to return home.
By the morning of June 24th, the four had successively returned to Los Angeles.
Beverly Hills, Cooper Family residence.
After thanking Emily Cooper, who brought them fruits and drinks, the four followed Eric into the room.
"Warren, your face really has gotten fatter again. How was the food in Hong Kong?"
Warren rubbed his chubby face: "I knew it, I shouldn't have gone. All my previous weight loss efforts were wasted, but the food there was so damn delicious."
Judy directly jumped onto Eric's bed: "Latin beauties are the best; you have no idea how wild those girls are. It was truly a wonderful memory."
"Singapore was also nice, a very beautiful city. But I saw a foreigner get whipped for spitting in public."
Only Bordeaux gently touched his backside: "Let's get down to business. What's next?"
The four simultaneously looked at Eric. Nearly 1.1 billion US dollars—that was an astronomical sum. They all wanted to know how Eric planned to use it.
"First, I need to establish a company, a shell company will do. After that, I plan to acquire MGM."
"MGM? You're going into the film industry?"
"Exactly, that's why I plan to acquire it. Besides, MGM's new movie flopped, so now will be the best time."
"But Eric, we don't know anything about the film industry. This decision is a bit too bold."
Eric smiled and glanced at them: "Have you forgotten that my dad is the CEO of MGM?"
Instantly, the four friends realized that this was a grand scheme.
"Alright, give us the orders, Eric. What do you need us to do?"
Warren said with full enthusiasm. Unbeknownst to them, they had already come to view Eric as their leader, as if it were only natural.
"It's simple. First, set up a shell company, and then thoroughly study the film industry. Once the acquisition is complete, you'll have plenty to do."
"Also, if you're willing to invest, I'd be very happy to have you."
Half a month later, a company named E.C. Film and Television was established in Los Angeles. While the name sounded fierce and domineering, it had nothing to do with weapons; it was simply derived from Eric Cooper's initials.
On July 13th, windtalkers, which had been in theaters for nearly a month, finally ended its run. Its North America box office didn't even reach 40 million US dollars, and its global box office was only around 77 million US dollars.
A complete and utter failure. After deducting distribution shares, MGM would probably only receive about 30 million US dollars. Although the 300 million cost was exaggerated, they would still suffer a loss of at least 80 million US dollars.
And there were also marketing and distribution costs. Even if MGM handled its own marketing, the cost would be around 30 million US dollars. All in all, MGM was estimated to lose over 100 million US dollars.
What was even more frightening was that windtalkers, unlike John Woo's previous film style, didn't do well in the disc market either, and other revenues were almost negligible. This result could only be described as tragic.
Eric had been closely monitoring MGM's stock price recently, and it had indeed plummeted. This is how it is with film companies: stock prices can soar with a hit movie and plummet with a flop.
Late at night, hearing movement from the room, Eric knew his dad was back. He had been coming home very late these days.
"Dad, you're working overtime again?"
Harry Cooper paused, looked down at the time—it was already 2 AM. He hadn't expected his son to still be awake.
Eric walked over, took his dad's jacket, and seeing the fatigue on his face, asked, "Want a drink?"
Realizing his son was waiting specifically for him, Harry Cooper sat on the sofa, even though he really wanted to sleep.
Bang!
He twisted open a beer and handed it over. They each chugged half a bottle.
"Are you worried about windtalkers?"
"What else? spider-man?" Harry Cooper gave a self-deprecating bitter smile. He had nothing to hide from his son.
"Is the loss very serious?"
Harry Cooper nodded: "According to the current situation, it will lose at least 100 million US dollars, which is nothing short of a disaster for MGM."
He then gulped down another large swig of beer. He truly wished to drink away his sorrows.
"Dad, is there internal dissent against you at MGM?"
Harry Cooper frowned: "Why ask that? Don't worry, I'll handle everything. I don't want to talk about those troublesome things at home."
Eric took out another bottle of beer and handed it over: "Dad, do you remember our agreement from over a month ago? It's time to talk. I need to understand MGM's true situation."
Hearing this, Harry Cooper paused, suddenly remembering that his son had taken the 10 million US dollars he gave him and then stayed at home for over a month, seemingly doing nothing.
He had been busy with company matters during this time and had overlooked him. After all, it was 10 million US dollars; if it were in paper money, it would fill a truck.
"Alright, Eric, you go first. How much of that 10 million US dollars is left now?"
In Harry Cooper's mind, the money must have been mostly squandered by his son.
Eric dipped his finger in beer and wrote the number 11 on the table.
"Only 11 dollars left?" A gasp instantly echoed through the living room.
Eric smiled and shook his head: "Have a little faith in your son. It's 1.1 billion US dollars. However, there was 20 million in financing among that, so to be precise, I used 10 million US dollars to get 1.08 billion US dollars, with a net profit of 1.07 billion."
After Eric finished speaking, the living room fell silent. Harry Cooper looked at him as if he were looking at a madman.
"Son, tomorrow I'll take you to a psychiatrist. Has your head been hurting a lot lately?"
Seeing that his dad indeed didn't believe him, Eric repeated his statement very seriously.
Clang!
The beer bottle fell to the floor, and the spilled beer completely soaked Harry Cooper's shoes.
"Eric, is what you're saying true?"
"Of course it's true. If you still don't believe me, I can take you to the bank to check the transaction records when it's light. Those can't lie, right?"
At this moment, even his dad, who had seen much in life, couldn't help but hold his head and roar: "Why don't I understand how you did it?"
Mixing truth and falsehood, Eric recounted the process, and it took his dad a while to recover.
He looked at his son like he was a monster: "So, you said you wanted to acquire MGM, and you really weren't joking?"
"Why would I joke? I've been serious from the start, Dad. I need the true situation of MGM."