Chapter 662: CinemaCon

Right now, the only thing Charles Capet had any interest in from Sony was the Spider-Man series.

Sony struggled this year, but next year they would release The Amazing Spider-Man and the reboot sequel Men in Black 3, along with the 3D animated feature Hotel Transylvania.

"By the way, I heard Sumner Redstone's health has improved a bit, and he's back at the helm of CBS and Viacom," Charles leaned back in his chair. "Paramount really has nothing going on besides the DreamWorks Animation distribution deal!"

"Boss, they do have Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol coming out this year," Phyllis Jones added.

Charles chuckled; Paramount was in a much worse state compared to his previous life. They lost the distribution deal for Marvel superhero movies, and the Transformers series was gone, additionally, J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions had signed a collaboration agreement with Capet Universal.

...

Later that night, Charles received a call from Tom Garfinkel, the chairman of the Miami Dolphins, informing him that the NFL league would officially lock out.

Since the Super Bowl in February, where the Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC) faced the Green Bay Packers (NFC), the league and players had entered a new round of labor negotiations.

"Couldn't reach an agreement, so the lockout happened," Evelyn said as Charles inquired about the news.

Charles stroked his chin, "Looks like the NBA is also about to start a new round of labor negotiations this year. I didn't expect the NFL to lock out first!"

Back in 2011, the NBA lockout overshadowed the NFL situation.

Evelyn, sitting with her legs crossed on the sofa, smirked, "The NFL is doing OK. Last year, the league's revenue reached $9.3 billion, which the 32 teams shared. Considering each club's income and expenses, most NFL clubs should be making a profit!"

Earlier this year, the NFL signed a broadcasting deal with CBS, NBC, and FOX, worth $39.6 billion from 2014 to 2022.

The deal stipulated that these three platforms shared the broadcasting rights for Sunday Night Football, and they rotated the Super Bowl broadcast annually.

Meanwhile, ABC and ESPN signed a deal with the NFL for Monday Night Football from 2011 to 2021, worth $15.2 billion.

"The major issue now is the NBA," Charles said as he leaned back on the sofa. "The NBA as a whole is losing money; out of the 30 teams, over 22 are operating at a loss. The new round of labor negotiations will focus on the salary cap and players' share of revenue."

Currently, the NBA had a soft salary cap with many loopholes, unlike the NFL's hard cap.

The players' share of the NBA's revenue was at 57%, which was too high - owners couldn't accept annual losses.

"The Nets' move to New York should help. Small market clubs find it hard to avoid losses unless they perform like the Spurs," Evelyn, who managed several players from the major leagues, was well-versed in these matters.

"Alright, I'm off now," Charles said, having recently acquired several clubs, including the B-league Los Angeles Dodgers and the S-League Miami FC, which started competing this year. "I need to make a trip to Las Vegas!"

"Is it for the CinemaCon that starts this year?" Evelyn smiled. "Are you going to personally show up?"

Charles nodded, "A few major theater chain heads called me. They're planning to make this expo a big deal. They also invited several film companies to bring blockbuster films for the event!"

...

The first Las Vegas cinema expo, CinemaCon, in 2011 received significant support from Hollywood's major studios. After all, it was a great platform to promote their upcoming blockbuster films.

Universal's The Avengers and Transformers: Dark of the Moon, along with Warner Brothers' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, were the main attractions!

For the inaugural event, there weren't many stars, but Universal's Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo and Black Widow Scarlett Johansson attended.

At the Venetian Hotel suite, Charles leaned against the edge of a large bathtub, with Scarlett Johansson nestled around his neck, "Is this the expo promoting the new theater line technology?"

"It'll also become a movie trading platform with many theater representatives attending," Charles thought nothing of it; he still had to meet Sheldon Adelson during the trip.

Mark Ruffalo, who had The Avengers and The Incredible Hulk 2 coming out this year, was a fitting attendee.

As for Scarlett Johansson, as the Black Widow in the Marvel series, she was incredibly popular, and most importantly, she was Charles's date!

"Feels like this event isn't as impactful as Comic-Con in San Diego," Scarlett Johansson said somewhat indifferently.

"The theater guild put this together," Charles laughed, "IMAX and Dolby are major participants. And you know Capet Universal is a shareholder in both companies!"

Charles pulled Scarlett Johansson closer, his hand wandering to her chest, "You don't have much to do anyway, so consider it a vacation."

Scarlett Johansson smiled and whispered, "Vacationing with you is more exhausting than shooting a movie!"

"Alright, I have other things to do here. Tomorrow, you go to Caesars Palace to help with the company promotion," Charles rested his head on the bathtub edge. "I have to meet an old friend tomorrow!"

"Alright, got it," Scarlett Johansson had no objections.

Then, she straddled Charles; he embraced her waist, kissing her chest.

With her eyes closed, hands on the bathtub edge, Scarlett Johansson asked, "Capet Universal's New York headquarters is completed. Will it serve as the East Coast headquarters?"

"Yes, after leaving Las Vegas, I'll head to New York for the opening ceremony..."

*****

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