Japan's economy had taken off. They have limited land with hardly any open golf courses, and even practice ranges are expensive. These guys love to travel, and Hawaii is a must-visit for them. Building a golf course there would surely be a hit; making money would be a breeze.
What's a few hundred thousand dollars for a golf club membership? For a long time, the Japanese were rich and naive, and this course was created just to take advantage of them.
The U.S. is too far, but Hawaii is much closer. If this venture is managed well, it could be a great destination. It's not just about the Japanese -- Asia's economy was booming with plenty of rich ignoramuses around.
...
Home Alone 2 wasn't directed by William White, but the rest of the team didn't change much. Due to the success of the first film, the compensation for the second was certainly higher.
"What if the results aren't great?"
No need to worry about that. White Films wasn't playing the eccentric game anymore. They would organize screenings for theater owners and listen to their feedback.
You can only play the eccentric card occasionally. If you overdo it, folks will think you're trying to break the rules.
Theater owners can't make movies, but they know which ones will sell well. In Hollywood's history, they've rarely been wrong.
The Donkey party has admitted defeat, and the market's reaction was fairly positive. It's just unclear how much patience they have, but American tough times were far from over.
Releasing a comedy now was quite clever -- it was like sending off an unreliable fellow with a goodbye.
After the advertising boom, the movie's success followed. The Hollywood giants could finally see the reality; they should stop treating him like a newcomer. Even without a successful Disney acquisition, he was already a giant.
...
William White didn't need to calculate how much money he made. Loads of people were already doing that for him, which left him speechless.
Why are the Wall Street folks so bored? Wouldn't they be better off handling their own accounts rather than worrying about how much I make? It's my private company, so whatever I earn belongs to me.
Actually, those Wall Street guys are having a rough time. There aren't many decent public companies around. Even the much-hyped IT industry wasn't doing well this year and wouldn't bring in good returns.
Japan's production capabilities weren't just talk. Once they grasped dynamic storage technology, they quickly surpassed their predecessors.
American firms' shortsightedness was evident. You sold the licenses happily, and now you're filled with regret, aren't you?
William White wanted to tell these fools that their tough times were just beginning. Japan was learning from them, and Korea and Taiwan were learning from Japan. It would only take five years before those so-called advantages would disappear.
...
"Boss, Coca-Cola's profits keep rising sharply this year. From the current data, it'll definitely open high tomorrow."
"Wow, is it that darn luck again?"
"His stock picks have been mixed, but overall they're doing well."
"Yeah, he can buy like that, but our capital's too big to do the same. But this Coca-Cola thing is interesting. Let's build a position too."
"Got it, Boss."
With Morgan Stanley catching on, Coca-Cola started to rise steadily. This change left a group of experts speechless.
As William White said, these guys are only experts in hindsight. If you asked them why you made money before, they would have hundreds of reasons. But if you asked them to evaluate the upcoming market, they'd say only God knows.
One guy was frantically making money, while a bunch of others were drooling and actively scheming how to make William White earn more. Did these folks read Das Kapital until they got dumb? William White didn't know, but he sure was in a good mood.
...
Morgan Stanley was quite annoyed about drooling. They've made up their minds to sell NBC and Disney as a package. William White's repayment ability was strong, so they didn't worry about financing issues -- tons of banks would be chasing after him.
This bunch had no restraint anymore. He could get low-interest loans from Japan and Europe, too. If they didn't know better this time, they'd likely be abandoned forever.
If you really got on his nerves, is it that hard to acquire a bank? Look at the banks he chose for transactions. Almost every major investment bank's involved, except for those that crossed him back then.
From this choice, you could see he was very careful with financial strategies.
As for spending a fortune on planes and yachts, come on now. If you made that much money, wouldn't you know how to flaunt it?
Geez, do you have to be so over-the-top? There's even a third installment!
Seeing a bunch of kids shouting they wanted to see Kevin again next year made some secretly watching executives twitch with rage.
Although this one wasn't quite like the first, it had lots of fans. If the kids liked it, what could you do?
...
Thinking about next year's summer blockbusters gives Hollywood giants a headache. Three major films were already clustered together. They didn't have the nerve to join the fray; even if the summer schedule was promising, you needed to survive it first.
Alright, so even Johnny English is considered a blockbuster? Never mind the production cost; Home Alone 2 didn't have high production costs, but what about the box office?
Even if its costs were just few millions, if the box office reached such heights, who could argue it wasn't a blockbuster? If you went by production costs, Heaven's Gate was certainly the most impressive at the time.
For that film, the giants were very cautious. The director was a fresh Oscar winner, production cost over fifty million, and the cast was all top stars. As for the box office? Let's wait and see how it performs.
Hollywood was already fed up with someone's victory parties. This time was even better; they donated the second week's box office earnings to buy food for Africa, where reportedly there was severe famine.
*****
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