From Hollywood to Media Empire

With the successful hosting of the Oscar ceremony in late February, Kodak went bankrupt, and the Kodak Theatre was no longer named after the company.

The theatre was renamed Hollywood Highland Theater Center.

With the conclusion of the Oscar ceremony, Capet was the biggest winner. The French black-and-white silent film, The Artist, won five major awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score.

At the same time, America's sweetheart Anne Hathaway finally won Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook.

...

At the Sunset Tower Hotel, the annual Vanity Fair after-party was held as scheduled. Charles showed up because Capet's performance this year deserved his personal appearance.

"Congratulations," Charles said as he visited Silver Linings Playbook crew to congratulate Anne Hathaway.

"Thank you," Anne Hathaway replied, excitement written all over her face as she tightly hugged Charles.

"Okay, go accept your congratulations," Charles patted her back.

Soon after, Charles found his mother, Evelyn.

"Tonight, Capet really nailed it, sweeping the four major awards," Evelyn praised, referring to the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress.

Charles shrugged, "The movies were excellent, especially the French film The Artist. The black-and-white silent film brought back the memories of Hollywood in the 1920s."

"By the way, Wanda's offer for the two theater chains is considered too high at $800 million," Evelyn said with a shrug. In business, even mother and son had to haggle.

Charles touched his chin, "Let's keep the one in Universal CityWalk. The rest can be settled for $700 million, okay?"

Previously, Charles planned to keep two multiplex theaters in Los Angeles for a price of $800 million. Now he was making a concession.

This price was still higher than the previous offer from Empire Theatres, which offered about $500 million.

"Fine, I'll talk to them again," Evelyn nodded, though she didn't quite understand why Charles wanted to keep one theater. After all, Capet Theater at the Burbank base was run by Capet film studio itself.

Movie premieres and some releases could be held there, and the Universal Theater in Universal Studios wasn't bad either.

"How are the negotiations with Wanda going?" Charles asked, smiling.

"Still the price. The difference of a few hundred million dollars is significant, so it's going slow," Evelyn replied with a laugh.

"Your two theater chains have fewer cinemas, so their evaluation and estimation are simpler."

...

The next day, the Oscar results were in all the major newspapers. Capet Pictures dominated, leaving no room for doubt.

With the highest annual box office and five of the top ten films in North America produced by Capet Universal, and a sweeping win at the Oscars!

Vanity Fair's cover featured an image of Charles Capet sitting on the Iron Throne from the Game of Thrones series.

With an aura of dominance, below him were the other major Hollywood studios like Warner Bros and Disney!

...

"This is too much, isn't it?" Charles said, sitting in his chair and glancing at Vanity Fair's cover.

Alan Horn chuckled, "Charles, nothing's wrong with it. Game of Thrones' first season ratings certainly justify the photo!"

"A bit regretful that George Martin wouldn't give up the adaptation rights initially. We had to bring in HBO to persuade him," Charles shook his head. "If the premiere had been on Bravo, imagine how many more subscribers we could've gained!"

"At least the secondary broadcast and streaming rights are with Capet Television. When it launches on Netflix, it should really boost the company," Alan Horn acknowledged that Capet had produced many high-rating series over the years.

Not only had Capet Television made a fortune, but NBC's ratings also soared, overshadowing ABC and CBS!

"Currently, the seven major studios account for about 80% of the North American film market, with independent distributors taking the remaining 20%," Charles said, stroking his chin. "Alan, Capet has a 23% market share, but I think there's still room to grow!"

Alan Horn smiled wryly, "Charles, Capet's output this year is already a lot. Universal, Capet, along with Matrix and Focus, total 18 films."

"Warner Bros and Sony each have over 30 films, and even Disney hit 25 after acquiring DreamWorks. To improve box office numbers, we need to increase our output!"

*****

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