Chapter 72: Acquisition Begins

"You took a trip to Germany and brought back $4.5 million," Robert exclaimed repeatedly in Sand Sea Entertainment's office. "Ronan, how did you develop such financing skills?"

Before the release of 'The Purge', Sand Sea Entertainment would have taken years to earn this $4.5 million, wouldn't they?

Ronan remained calm and replied, "Actually, the opportunity has always been there. I studied some cases and discovered loopholes in Germany that we could exploit."

In addition to the $4.5 million, he still had $10 million to pay to Koch Entertainment. Thus, the trip to Germany actually raised $14.5 million.

Of course, Ronan wouldn't default on payment. Once 'The Purge' completed its settlement, the $10 million would be returned to Koch Entertainment.

Mary interjected at this point, "You two, isn't it a good idea to read more books?"

George Clint chuckled, "I excel in publicity and media relations. Asking me to negotiate investments is one thing, but raising funds is a bit more challenging."

The atmosphere in the office was very harmonious. After Ronan returned to Los Angeles, he immediately distributed rewards for the trip to Abu Dhabi, including a 1% cash reward for each person, including himself, which amounted to $400,000.

Ronan applauded and, once the office quieted down, began discussing business. "Mary, the $4.5 million tax refund income belongs to Sand Sea Entertainment from Koch Entertainment, and does not need to be included in the profits of the two film projects."

Mary nodded gently, "Okay, I know what to do."

George Clint praised, "This is a reasonable and legal company income."

Ronan regretted, "The tax refunds in the UK were already distributed last year, otherwise, we could have gone to the UK again."

The UK's tax refund policy was not particularly strict. As long as some scenes were shot in the UK and there were British actors among the main cast, they would meet the application requirements. However, compared to Germany, the cooperation between the UK and the US was closer, and the annual tax refund quotas were determined months in advance.

Robert chuckled, "This $4.5 million is already an unexpected joy you've brought us."

The discussion shifted to global film tax refunds, and then Ronan asked, "How are the two film projects progressing?"

Robert quickly replied, "The preliminary planning for 'The Purge' is ongoing. James Huang has submitted detailed shooting plans, scene plans, and storyboards to the company, which I've put in your file cabinet."

After some thought, he added, "Regarding the behind-the-scenes team, James Huang's suggestion is to use as many of 'The Purge' behind-the-scenes staff as possible, and I'm in contact with them."

Ronan nodded, "That's good. It's better to have a foundation for cooperation. Negotiate the terms for these personnel."

Robert continued, "James Huang's agent, Edward, has come several times demanding an increase in James Huang's director's salary. He believes that with the success of 'The Purge', the $300,000 director's fee is seriously inadequate."

Ronan wasn't inflexible. "I'll find time to talk to Edward."

A slight increase in salary was acceptable, but the amount would not be high, and it would need some time to wait.

In fact, during the conversation, Ronan had roughly thought of a solution, which could also stimulate James Huang's initiative.

"What about 'Ace Agent'?" he asked again.

Robert quickly replied, "Mohammed has agreed to play the male lead, and I've had one conversation with his agent. The terms are not excessive, $500,000 salary plus box office bonuses. As for the director, I've posted a job advertisement, and I've received recommendations from twelve directors."

Ronan said, "Continue negotiating with Mohammed, you can offer box office bonuses, but you need to lower the basic salary. If this film reaches the budget cost in North America, he can receive a one-time box office bonus equivalent to the basic salary."

Hearing this, George Clint glanced at Ronan. Truly, he was a qualified movie company boss and producer, very shrewd and capable.

According to the established plan, the public budget for 'Ace Agent' was as high as $25 million. Could this film about an Arab agent saving the world make $25 million at the North American box office?

Regarding the director, Ronan said, "Contact a few more talent agencies. See if they have any suitable recommendations."

He looked at the three of them and said, "This film will be difficult to profit from, but we can't give up. We need to treat it with the utmost seriousness and responsibility."

Robert understood that every little bit of profit saved counted.

Although the money was from the Arabs, according to Hollywood's accounting methods, a significant portion of the extra money earned by the film could be converted into legitimate income for Sand Sea Entertainment.

Ronan frowned slightly. 'Ace Agent' was more difficult to handle compared to 'The Purge'.

For any director with options, just looking at the male lead in the script, they probably wouldn't touch it. It couldn't be that he personally directed it, right? It would definitely turn into a mess.

How to maximize profits from the money dug out from Abu Dhabi also required careful planning.

If all else failed, he could look among directors who had directed music videos. Directors from the music video industry were visual-oriented, shot at a fast pace, and were best suited for action-oriented commercial films.

Let's see if anyone dares to take on this burden.

At this point, Mary reminded, "James Huang called yesterday. He needs funds."

"Money can be approved, and you monitor it," Ronan said. "This project is almost done. George, pick a suitable time and contact the media to convene a project launch press conference for 'The Purge'."

George nodded, "Okay."

"Has there been any contact with Embassy Pictures?" Ronan left the most important question for last. "What's their reaction?"

Robert said, "George and I contacted the three major shareholders. They're interested in cashing out, but their intentions aren't strong enough, and the company's management also has doubts."

George added, "This distribution company isn't large in scale, but it also generates several million dollars in stable income each year, supporting quite a few people. It's normal for the company's management to worry about the future."

Ronan thought for a moment and said, "Continue negotiating with the shareholders. Additionally, contact the management team and show them our strength appropriately." He reminded, "Don't forget, we have the support of a large conglomerate behind us."

With that said, George and Robert both smiled.

The meeting ended, and soon only Ronan was left in the office. Sitting behind his desk, Ronan's focus was still on the distribution company.

'The Purge' was on track, but 'Ace Agent' depended on how much money it could recover. The distribution company directly determined how wide the road would be for the next ten years.

Ronan calculated the funds in his hands. $20 million from the income of 'The Purge' was reserved, $10 million was left over from the Abu Dhabi trip, minus the actual needs of the two films, and they had also divided $1.6 million among the four of them. Then there were the gains from Germany, $10 million from Koch Entertainment, and $4.5 million in tax refunds.

This amount of money should be enough to acquire a distribution company.

If the funds were insufficient, it was also not a problem. Miss Judith would occasionally contact him, and obtaining a bank loan shouldn't be difficult.

The most important thing was whether the other party wanted to sell or not.

Intentions could change at any time.

Ronan pulled out the information of the three major shareholders of Embassy Pictures. These three were around forty to fifty years old and had been partners for a very long time, with good relations.

One item marked by Robert on the information caught his attention. These three had invested heavily in Nasdaq, and in the past few months, the Nasdaq index had skyrocketed. Due to Embassy Pictures' average profit-making ability, which couldn't bring in large cash flows, the three were willing to sell their shares and continue investing in internet stocks.

Perhaps this was an opportunity.

But how could he truly grasp this opportunity? These three were only willing to sell, and whether they could finally sell was uncertain.

Distribution channels were too important for film companies, the earlier resolved, the better.

Ronan spent the entire afternoon considering this matter. If he could acquire the distribution company, he could go to the upcoming St. Denis Film Festival.

Just before leaving the office, he finally had a rough idea. Just as he was about to leave, he received a call from Gray Enrico of Lionsgate Films.

He wanted to meet Ronan to discuss the next distribution cooperation.