Chapter 380: Eyesore and Hot Commodity

[Chapter 380: Eyesore and Hot Commodity]

After Forbes released this year's list of billionaires, many media outlets shared the report.

Due to Link's youth, immense fame, and skyrocketing net worth, he became the subject of numerous media stories.

The media and public tagged him with many labels, such as 'the world's youngest billionaire', 'the richest director', 'the wealthiest bachelor', and 'the most inspirational American dream'.

Time magazine featured him once again on its cover, detailing his personal achievements and struggles, explaining how he went from being a mover to a world-class entrepreneur, top director, bestselling author, and renowned philanthropist. The article took thousands of words to share his gossip, labeling him the world's most famous 'playboy'.

People magazine placed Link at the top of its 'Sexiest Man Alive' list, after he had ranked fifth the previous year. Other media outlets reported on Link from various angles, and for a time, he became the hottest figure in global media, an icon of both culture and wealth.

...

"Man, this guy knows how to make money."

In the office, Michael Ovitz flipped through the newspaper, stating, "In '93, his net worth was under $400 million; by '94, he surpassed $1.4 billion; last year, he was over $3 billion, and now he's jumped to over $6 billion. His wealth doubles each year; he's probably truly the golden boy of the goddess of fortune."

Michael Eisner frowned, "The valuation of Guess Pictures continues to rise, while Disney's is consistently declining. There have been many complaints from the board regarding our capabilities. We should be brainstorming solutions instead of worrying whether Link is someone's lover."

"I know, I know! It's just that Guess Pictures' movies keep performing exceptionally well in the market, while ours are underwhelming. We're a film company, and without good works, no matter how well we manage, we can't change our dire situation."

"Last time, during the meeting to strategize against Guess Pictures' expansion, did anyone propose a viable solution?" Eisner asked.

Ovitz paused, finger tracing his cigar, hesitating whether to tell him about Harvey's plan to eliminate Link. After two seconds of contemplation, he quelled the desire to share, as that matter was too risky and he didn't want more people knowing he was involved.

"Those folks only care about their own companies and positions. How could they come up with a good solution?" Ovitz shrugged.

Eisner replied grimly, "Confronting Guess Pictures comes down to two strategies: resistance or collaboration. Given Guess Pictures' current strength, Disney standing against them alone has little chance of success, and teaming up with the other six major studios is even less likely to succeed. For now, our best bet is to collaborate with Guess Pictures. I mentioned cooperation in our last discussion, but I haven't seen any action on your end. Are you still holding onto hostility towards Link?"

"Not at all!" Ovitz quickly denied it, asserting that he had arranged for Miramax to collaborate with Guess Pictures, allowing the two indie film companies to work together, which made procedural sense.

"That's not enough." Eisner disapproved of this approach.

The rise of Guess Pictures had already become a reality, and the big six could not suppress it in the short term. Media predictions suggested that one to two of the six major studios would be eliminated within the next five years.

Disney's marketing department's conclusions aligned closely with media analysis. Currently, Disney's task wasn't to compete with Guess Pictures for box office, but to fight for survival against the other six studios.

"So we need to be more proactive in this situation, investing more resources. If Guess Pictures forges deeper collaborations with the other six studios, taking a larger share of the box office, we will be at a disadvantage in future competition. Do you understand?"

Ovitz nodded. Previously, their goal had been to outpace Guess Pictures in total box office revenue, but last year, Guess Pictures dominated the North American box office far ahead of its peers, leaving Disney in its dust.

Thus, Disney needed to shift its target from competing with Guess Pictures to competing with the other six studios. While Disney could not match Guess Pictures' box office performance, it had a chance to defeat the other six and become the second-ranked film company in Hollywood.

Having realized this, Ovitz could not help but admire Eisner's insight and mindset on this issue. Compared to him, Ovitz felt he lacked flexibility in handling such matters.

"I get it, I'll reach out to Link again to discuss collaboration."

Michael Ovitz nodded, though in his mind, he still contemplated the assassination plan against Link. If successful, without Link, and with only Michael Leeson and others remaining, Guess Pictures could barely hold out, and Disney might find a way to benefit from it.

But if it succeeded, he would lose an ally and would never surpass Eisner to become Disney's head.

Harvey felt conflicted.

---

"Over $6 billion! The 18th richest person in the world, and he's only 24! How can he make so much money?"

In his apartment, Quentin Tarantino stared in shock at the numbers while flipping through Forbes magazine.

Back in '92, he was worth a million while Link was working in a fast food joint, barely scraping together enough to eat, flying from Los Angeles to New York just to purchase a script for $50,000.

By '93, Link's worth had reached around $300-400 million, while Tarantino made his tens of millions from film profits, so the gap wasn't that wide at the time.

However, since '94, Link's assets began to inflate rapidly, soaring from a few billion to over $6 billion, while Tarantino, after a failed film investment, and indulging in parties, was left with just a few hundred thousand dollars.

Link's worth was ten thousand times his.

"Are you envious?"

Robert Rodriguez laughed.

Tarantino nodded, then suddenly and awkwardly shook his head a couple of times as if he had a cramp in his neck, scoffing as he said, "Who's envious? For normal folks, a few thousand dollars a year is enough. Anything more is just numbers in a stock or bank account, it doesn't mean anything."

"Who says it doesn't mean anything? Once Link got rich, he could afford lavish mansions worldwide, private jets, yachts, countless luxury cars, and could vacation wherever he wanted. He buys whatever delicacies he craves, with a bevy of beautiful ladies accompanying him. Doesn't that mean something?"

Robert said, chomping down, whether Tarantino felt envy or not, he was envious of that kind of life; this was what it meant to truly live, while others just made do.

"Having money just to party and waste resources? Is that meaningful?" Tarantino scoffed.

"Not just that! With money, you can produce your own movies without fear of criticism from studios. With wealth, we could focus better on scriptwriting and film projects, collaborating with the best talents. That's awesome; I envy Link!"

Soderbergh wiped the sweat off his bald head as he spoke.

Tarantino raised an eyebrow, "Many great works in the world came from enduring immense financial and psychological pressures; without that pressure, good films won't emerge."

"Are you saying Link's movies aren't good?"

Robert Rodriguez rolled his eyes, "I know you're jealous of Link; I'm envious too, it's normal, but lying to yourself isn't, that's a psychological twist."

Tarantino frowned, choosing not to respond, continuing to read Forbes magazine. As he did, the more he read, the more jealous he became, and he suddenly tossed the magazine aside, standing up and heading outside.

Steven asked what he was doing.

Tarantino replied he was prepping for a new film, noting that if Link could make billions off films, he believed he could too.

Steven and Robert shook their heads, feeling Tarantino was getting close to being driven mad by Link.

*****

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