[Chapter 436: The Panicked Universal Management]
On October 27th, Linton and his group, along with Akina Nakamori who was promoting the film Scream, arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on an international flight.
The moment they stepped out of the airport, they were immediately swarmed by a sea of reporters and enthusiastic fans.
This was the downside of taking a commercial flight. Although Linton hadn't publicized his itinerary, the resourceful media and fans could always find flight information through various channels.
LAX was one of the busiest airports in the world. Any delay here could disrupt normal airport operations and affect travelers' schedules.
Facing a barrage of microphones pushed to his face and a flash storm from countless cameras, Linton grabbed a nearby reporter's mic and said, "Thank you to all the reporters and, of course, my fans for your concern and support. It's true that I've acquired Universal Studios. But this is a public space, and we can't monopolize it or disrupt public travel. Please, everyone, disperse quickly."
With that, he handed the microphone back and, with the help of his bodyguards, dashed out of the crowd and into the waiting vehicle.
---
Returning to his long-missed estate, upon hearing of his return, all the ladies in his harem had gathered -- except Izumi Sakai and Noriko Sakai, who were away. The estate was decorated lavishly, looking like a grand holiday celebration.
All the women stood in the front courtyard to warmly welcome Linton's triumphant homecoming. At the forefront was Madonna, holding little Lina.
The little girl's wide eyes darted around with curious energy, occasionally letting out joyful giggles, her tiny hands and feet restless in motion.
Seeing the familiar faces of his beloved women and the playful child stirred a wave of warmth in Linton's heart. There was truly no place like home.
He briskly moved forward, embracing Madonna and Lina, planting a kiss on each of their cheeks.
After a brief, tender moment, he took Lina from Madonna's arms. Lina, to his delight, neither cried nor fussed; instead, she smiled broadly and waved her arms and legs, melting Linton's heart.
Then holding Lina, he went around hugging and giving gentle kisses to each of the ladies in turn.
After the affectionate reunion, Linton led everyone into the living room.
The butler and chef had prepared a sumptuous lunch and opened four bottles of Linton's treasured Romanee-Conti wine.
Except for Winnie, all were female stars in the entertainment industry, so they naturally understood the significance of Linton's acquisition of Universal Studios.
What impressed them even more was Linton's financial might -- the media reported the purchase price as a staggering $6.3 billion in cash.
When Linton set up a lavish trust fund for Lina and made a public promise, many of the women had harbored some concerns.
With so many women, if each had children, could Linton sustain his wealth?
Now, it seemed those fears were entirely unfounded, making Linton appear even more impressive in their eyes.
They all chirped excitedly, raising glasses to toast Linton's success.
Linton selectively shared the twists and turns of the acquisition process, eliciting gasps and applause from his audience.
Afterward, the celebration turned into a magnificent party...
...
Linton partied non-stop for two days and three nights at home, finally settling the women's restlessness.
It wasn't until October 30th that he left for Linton Tower.
---
Ever since news broke at the end of September that Matsushita Electronics intended to sell Universal, Universal's management had been on edge, thrown into chaos.
They knew very well that no matter who Matsushita sold Universal to, as long as it was American capital, their golden days were over.
Their best hope was to avoid being held accountable for past misdeeds.
Managers scrambled to clean up messes, erase evidence, balance accounts, and quickly settle payments with partners.
Those shady collaborators, upon learning that Universal was about to have a new owner, frantically pushed to settle accounts, some even violating rules to get paid early.
While Linton was still in Tokyo, Robert had called to inform him that both Universal Pictures and Universal Music were flooded with requests for payment.
He also heard that Steven Spielberg personally intervened, settling all of his and Amblin Entertainment's earnings ahead of schedule, even selling future ancillary revenue shares from Jurassic Park for $25 million.
To be honest, the future ancillary revenue from Jurassic Park, strong as it was, rendering 10% over eight years for $25 million was a tough deal for Universal.
Spielberg's urgency suggested he knew the new boss would crack down on dodgy profit distribution.
Smarter executives like Daniel quickened their efforts to clean up unrealistic related-party transactions.
For example, through his family-controlled Sunshine Music, Daniel renegotiated a distribution deal with Universal, where the terms aligned with standard market practice, able to withstand any audit.
When news spread that Linton had acquired Universal, many executives who had previous dealings with him secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
People like Lou Wasserman, Levitt Gore, and Roman Garrett hoped their connections with Linton might spare them.
But that was naive -- they didn't understand Linton's character.
---
On the morning of Linton's first day back at work, Universal's executives all gathered early at Linton Tower, waiting to meet the new boss and show their loyalty.
Linton spent half an hour meeting them but didn't reveal much.
He only informed them that PricewaterhouseCoopers would soon move in to conduct a comprehensive audit and told everyone to cooperate fully before dismissing them.
Next, Linton signed a contract with PricewaterhouseCoopers for a full audit of Universal, a deal already finalized after discussions with Goodman and Henry over the past two days.
Goodman then accompanied the ready team of accountants into Universal.
The audit focused on verifying Universal's assets, cash on hand, liabilities, and ongoing projects to ensure they matched the information provided by Matsushita, expediting the acquisition process.
It wasn't about uncovering past corruption, kickbacks, or misconduct -- those issues would be dealt with decisively once Linton officially took over Universal.
---
Subsequently, Linton called meetings with the management teams of Linton Films and UPN TV Network to check on their progress.
All of UPN's operations were proceeding smoothly, and several network expansion plans were on track.
After reporting, UPN CEO Chris requested that Linton agree to a special interview to boost the network's exposure and ratings.
Considering the impact of his Universal acquisition, Linton agreed that a media appearance would boost confidence for both the market and his team -- it was also a good chance to raise his own profile, so he accepted the invitation for a TV interview the next morning.
---
Linton Films had three movies scheduled for release before the year's end.
Scream was set for November 1st, with its premiere this afternoon.
All marketing preparations for Scream were in place, including widespread promotion and merchandise stocked in theater gift shops.
At previous screenings for theater owners, the film had been well received.
Thanks to Jennifer Connelly's popularity, the distribution team secured an opening at 2,800 screens.
The other two films, As Good as It Gets and The Sixth Sense, were scheduled for December 9th and December 23rd respectively, and their promotions were already underway.
Linton instructed Harvey Weinstein to devise Oscar publicity strategies for both.
...
Final Destination had completed its run, with a North American box office gross of $123 million.
Overseas box office had surpassed $130 million, with worldwide estimates around $160 million.
Most licensing deals were finalized.
Box office receipts netted $67.65 million.
Merchandise sales earned $8 million.
TV broadcasting rights sold for $13 million over seven years, with UPN acquiring public TV rights for $7 million.
Home video exclusive rental and sale rights were sold to Blockbuster for $14 million upfront plus 30% revenue share.
Foreign film rights were sold to Universal for 42% of the North American box office, totaling $51.66 million.
Adding all revenue streams, Final Destination brought in $148.31 million to the company -- not including the 30% revenue share from home videos and soundtrack album sales.
Horror films traditionally made most of their money from video rentals -- a trend confirmed by predictions for the previous release of Happy Death Day, expected to earn no less than $40 million in rentals within a year.
Based on current soundtrack sales, revenue sharing would likely bring in at least $8.5 million.
With product placements earning $3 million, ad slots $3.5 million, and tax rebates worth $2.6 million, the total income approached $200 million.
Against $15 million in production costs and $8 million in marketing, it was an enormous profit.
---
At 5 PM, Linton attended the highly anticipated Scream premiere at the Los Angeles Dome Theater.
News of Linton's acquisition and his attendance drew numerous producers, directors, and agents scrambling to get invitations from the distribution department.
Everyone wanted to get on the new media mogul's radar, hoping for future collaborations.
The star-studded premiere boasted even more big names than Independence Day's, a true constellation of Hollywood elite.
Reporters and paparazzi swarmed the event like a feeding frenzy.
Linton had kept a low profile since returning from Tokyo, spending days secluded at his estate without giving any interviews -- not even the UPN network or entertainment papers got exclusive access.
Though photographers caught glimpses of Nicole Kidman, Cristiana Reali, Naomi Watts, and other leading ladies at Linton's mansion, the gossip about Linton's love life and scandals from tabloids had grown tiresome to audiences.
Now, only live footage or explosive photos would generate buzz.
What viewers really wanted were updates and insider info on Linton's Universal takeover.
Since Linton was undeniably attending the Scream premiere, the press's excitement was palpable.
...
The film's two lead men, David Arquette and Skeet Ulrich, were cast without Linton's interference.
They were rising young actors, still building their fan bases, while Jennifer Connelly was the true star carrying box office weight.
Linton was credited as writer and co-producer behind the scenes and typically wouldn't walk the red carpet.
Traditionally, Jennifer and her on-screen boyfriend Skeet would walk the carpet together, and Akina Nakamori and David Arquette likewise.
However, producer Bob and director Zack wanted to capitalize on Linton's popularity to generate more buzz and media coverage.
They suggested having Linton escort both Jennifer and Akina on the red carpet.
Everyone in the crew enthusiastically agreed, though the two male leads felt a little disappointed.
Though, as newcomers, they dared not show it.
Besides, during filming, they had known that Jennifer and Akina lived next door in Linton's production camp.
...
As anticipated, when Linton linked arms with Jennifer and Akina on either side, the crowd's cheers and screams nearly shook the sky.
Photographers tirelessly snapped away, flashing lights turning the carpet into a blaze of brilliance.
After the carpet, Linton greeted scores of Hollywood stars gathered in the VIP waiting area.
Most had come because of him, and he made sure to exchange warm pleasantries, chatting longer with familiar faces, although such occasions allowed only brief interaction -- etiquette was key.
At 5 PM, everyone moved into the screening room and the film began.
...
The movie was impressive, opening with a high-tension murder scene.
Blonde beauty Casey received a mysterious call, as the killer psychologically tormented her with horror movie trivia before savagely murdering her and her boyfriend, hanging their bodies from a tree in a grisly tableau that shocked the audience.
The plot twisted repeatedly, weaving a tangled web of suspense where anyone could be the killer, amplifying the sense of dread and fear.
Throughout, the audience was completely engrossed, with shrieks and gasps echoing continuously.
...
After the screening, Bob and Zack took the stage with the creative team to thank the audience and field interviews.
At first, the Q&A went as expected, until the fifth question diverged.
A reporter asked, "I noticed Linton is credited as writer and co-producer. Why hasn't he come up on stage?"
The crowd erupted, chanting for Linton to join.
Not one to shy away, Linton rose from his seat, stepped onto the stage, and confidently stood at the center of the team.
"Linton, what motivated you to spend so much on buying Universal Studios?" another reporter eagerly inquired.
"Of course, my love for film. Movies have always been my passion and dream. To grow that dream and business globally, I needed a large platform, and Universal is exactly that -- a worldwide distributor. Including today's Scream, which Universal handles for overseas release. I believe Scream will perform well globally."
"Do you have specific plans for Universal's future? Can you lead Universal to new heights?"
"Absolutely. The plans are already in my mind but are corporate secrets I can't share. As for Universal's future, it starts with Scream. We'll conquer America and the world with blockbuster hits, one after another."
...
The rest of the event became Linton's spotlight.
All questions centered on him and Universal, but since this was the Scream premiere, he always tied his answers back to promoting the film.
Naturally, the inevitable question about box office predictions came.
Linton confidently predicted that Scream would exceed $100 million domestically.
Among the film industry veterans present, a $100 million box office was a phenomenal target.
Many thought he was just boasting for publicity, considering the film's modest budget and that it was a horror flick.
But to the press, that forecast was a mild claim -- Linton's past track record was so impressive that a $100 million opening felt almost routine.
Some even grumbled that if he was going to boast, he should have gone bigger to shock the audience.
Nevertheless, the media had plenty of material to write not one but two or three stories on.
*****
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