Chapter 2090 2092【Indispensable】


    Due to the epidemic in 2020, many film shootings were delayed. Therefore, Xiang Nan did not help Universal Pictures finalize new projects in 2021.


    After all, the epidemic is taking hold, and Universal Pictures does not dare to make films rashly. Otherwise, the film will not be released and will end up losing money.


    ?Also because of Universal Pictures'' production cuts and box office revenue falling short of expectations, Universal''s stock price fell by more than 10% again. Compared with the market value when Xiang Nan sold, Global has depreciated by nearly 30 billion US dollars.


    ?At this time, people who had previously lamented that Xiang Nan had sold a chicken that laid golden eggs now began to praise Xiang Nan''s good luck. If he hadn''t taken action early, he would have lost at least 20 billion US dollars.


    ?In 2021, Xiang Nan continued to enjoy happiness at home with Cong Shan and Shanshan, and donated his property to charitable organizations, such as Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, Po Leung Kuk, and the Red Cross.


    In 2020, he donated US$5 billion, setting a record for charitable donations in Hong Kong. In 2021, he plans to continue his efforts and donate another 10 billion US dollars.


    In fact, the rate at which he is donating money is less than the rate at which he is making money. The reason is that when Bitcoin was first released in 2009, he successively accumulated a large number of them.


    During the epidemic, the United States issued more currency to stimulate the economy and encourage consumption, causing the price of Bitcoin to surge. From a few hundred or a few thousand dollars a piece before, it has increased to fifty or sixty thousand dollars a piece, an increase of dozens or hundreds of times.


    ?Hence, the money Xiang Nan donated was much less than the money he earned.


    …


    In 2022, the United States gradually relaxed epidemic restrictions, and Hollywood regained its vitality.


    ?Universal Pictures has also returned to normal, starting to shoot new films and release old films. Xiang Nan''s previous films "John Wick 2, 3, 4" and "Fast and Furious 8" will be released one after another.


    In addition, "Avengers 3 and 4" are also being released one after another, and the follow-up "Thor 4", "Black Panther 2", "Spider-Man 4", "Deadpool 3", "Fantastic Four 2", etc. are also scheduled On the agenda.


    During this period, the relationship between Xiang Nan and Universal Pictures began to change.


    Previously, he basically kept his word at Universal Pictures, and no one dared to object or comment on the projects he decided on.


    But things are different now. Maybe the new boss wants to establish authority, or maybe the new boss is suspicious of Xiang Nan’s motives, or maybe the business strategy has changed...


    In short, several projects finalized by Xiang Nan were rejected by Universal Pictures. For example, "Interstellar", "Superbody", "Three Days in Danger", "The Bureau of Destiny", "The Conjuring" and so on.


    On the contrary, several projects that he rejected were picked up by Universal Pictures, such as "Shang-Chi", "New RoboCop", "Men in Black: Global Pursuit", "New Ghostbusters", " Independence Day 2: Resurgence" and more.


    From an analysis point of view, Universal Pictures'' operations are more conservative than before, and most of its investments are sequels or remakes of classic works. This way, it is indeed more likely to achieve good box office results, but if the remake is not effective, it can easily ruin the brand.


    Xiang Nan dropped these projects because the scripts were not written well enough and he knew they would ruin his brand. Unexpectedly, the new executives of Universal regarded them as treasures and picked them back from the trash can.


    …


    ?Seeing that Universal Pictures insisted on going its own way and no longer followed his own opinions, Xiang Nan stopped being infatuated and tried his best to help them make plans and randomly arranged a few movies for them. And because of Universal Pictures’ self-righteousness, five of Universal Pictures’ films suffered huge losses in the past two or three years. They are "New RoboCop", "New Ghostbusters", "Independence Day 2", "New Die Hard" and "New Back to the Future".


    ??The previous films of these films were all blockbuster hits with huge reputations. They are one of the most treasured IPs in Universal Pictures’ film library, and are also the most precious memories of countless Americans.


    Universal Pictures wanted to exploit the value of these classic works, so they remade and filmed sequels one after another. But because of their incompetence, each of these films was uglier than the last. In the end, they received poor reviews and failed at the box office.


    ?Like "Back to the Future," the original trilogy was one of the top ten box-office hits of the year, with each one grossing nearly a billion dollars in inflation-adjusted terms.


    But even though "New Back to the Future" has more investment, more amazing special effects, and more grand scenes, the story is a mess, and it is completely incomparable with the meticulous, logical, and imaginative story of the original.


    After its release, movie fans were greatly disappointed, and there was a lot of criticism on the Internet, accusing Universal Pictures of ruining classics and IP. In the end, the film''s global box office was only US$80 million, a loss of US$120 million compared to an investment of US$150 million.


    Other movies also suffered a lot of losses, which ultimately led to Universal Pictures'' first huge loss in 27 years.


    The box office failure of Universal also further proves Xiang Nan’s indispensability. Without him, Universal was destined to be mediocre and become the most ordinary company in Hollywood.


    As a result, Global lost the confidence of investors, and its stock price fell for several days in a row, eventually falling to US$90 billion before it stopped falling. Compared with its peak market capitalization, it is US$150 billion less.


    Even though Apple has a great business, the loss of US$150 billion, equivalent to two years of total revenue, is really unsustainable.


    Eventually the management of Universal Pictures was swept away and capable people were re-appointed and selected. And Xiang Nan was also taken seriously again.


    Xiang Nan did not miss old grudges and re-ordered several movies for Universal Pictures, such as "Deadpool 3", "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 4", "Top Gun 2", "Crazy Rich Asians", and "Sherlock Holmes" , "Baby Men 3", "Baywatch" and so on.


    ?Several of these works are also sequels to well-known IPs, but they are all sequels, and Xiang Nan’s work is extraordinary. The stories, entertainment, and freshness of these movies are all perfect. After they were released, they received great reviews and the box office was naturally not bad. Universal Pictures made a lot of money, and the stock price began to rebound.


    ?Just two or four years later, after the contract expired, Xiang Nan resigned from Universal Pictures and no longer served as the honorary chairman. Although Universal Pictures repeatedly expressed condolences, Xiang Nan never agreed again.


    Xiang Nan’s departure caused Universal Pictures’ stock price to plummet again. The box office, which had gone up before, fell back this time.


    This also proves Xiang Nan’s indispensability from the side.


    …


    After resigning as the honorary chairman of Universal Pictures, Xiang Nan was completely free from anything, so he focused mainly on his family.


    He spent half his life wandering around, not spending much time at home or spending time with his family.


    They are all old now. Cong Shan is already in her seventies, and Shanshan is in her fifties, so Xiang Nan mainly spends time with them, drinking tea, shopping, dancing, traveling... and living a leisurely and comfortable life.


    (End of this chapter)