"I want to congratulate Eric for becoming the boss of Disney. When I first heard about this acquisition, I didn't have much hope for this acquisition. I didn't expect that you actually completed it." Michael Eisner said with a smile.
"Although Disney was once the largest entertainment company in the United States, it has been in decline since the death of Walt Disney 15 years ago. Although it once had enough foundation, but after more than ten years of arrears, the entire company can no longer sustain it. If no one injects more capital or changes the current situation, it will probably go bankrupt within a few years." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.
In the original history, Disney Company had serious capital chain problems in 1984. Many senior management officials were forced or left their jobs. It was also under this situation that Michael Eisner came to Disney as the new CEO. If If it weren't for his joining, it is estimated that Disney may not have been able to survive until the 1990s. No matter how glorious the past was, it would not be able to change its current decadence. Just like Nokia in the smartphone era, it could only rely on its old capital to make ends meet. Patent fees paid.
"Same." Michael nodded.
"How do you think about the invitation I made to you before? How about coming to Disney to be the CEO?" Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.
Although he knows a little bit about the development process of Disney in the original history, except for the few animated movies he shot, he has also seen them. In theory, Disney can make them. Although it has declined, but It's only in terms of finance and operations, but the animation-related technology is still very strong. It may not be as good as the peak of the past, but it is much better than other peers.
But the problem is that if you want Disney to reach its peak, it will definitely not be achieved with just a few animation movies. These animations can only be said to provide the company with certain funds and help the company develop, but if you want to do it well, you need a strength A strong management team is responsible. After all, animation movies are only one of Disney's businesses, and Michael Eisner is the leader of this team.
When the acquisition was first announced, Chen Zhiwen commissioned a headhunting company to find Eisner with the intention of poaching him from Paramount. Chen Zhiwen also met with him more than a month ago, which was the first time they had met him. , but at that time whether Disney could be acquired by itself was still controversial in the United States, so there was no in-depth discussion at the time and just treated it as a friend.
Now, it's a formal invitation.
"What rights would I have?" Michael Eisner asked.
"Investments exceeding US$3 million and personnel changes above the vice president level require my approval. For the rest, you have the final say. However, any investment exceeding US$50,000 needs to be summarized to me quarterly. I need to know The intentions, income and other information of these investments, but these are just for understanding. In addition, I will have some of my own requirements, such as changes to Disneyland, new Disneyland or other small parks in the future, etc., or some movies. "Chen Zhiwen said simply.
In fact, in the future, he, the boss, will inevitably interfere in some things. Now, it is natural to not be able to explain a few words clearly, and there is no need to explain clearly. Chen Zhiwen will also respect strong professional managers, not that he thinks there is a big problem. Chen Zhiwen will also agree to the project, but will not limit his rights.
"You want to make your own movie?" Michael Eisner said with some surprise.
"It's just some small ideas. When the time comes, we will discuss it together. If you think it works, we will shoot it. If you think it doesn't work, then we will shoot two or three movies. If it doesn't work, then I will never get involved in this area again. How about that?" Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.
Some future classic animated movies will have some content provided by themselves, plus Disney’s professional team, and Michael Eisner’s professional ability. There is no reason why they will fail. Even if there are some differences, it should only lead to a lower box office. But the word "failure" is far different.
And if the shooting results are really mediocre due to the butterfly effect or one's own reasons, it doesn't matter. Anyway, in the original history, Michael Eisner was able to take Disney off, and if he provides financial resources, it will only allow Disney to take off. Stronger.
"Did you just say that you would build some small paradises?" Michael Eisner asked again. He noticed every sentence and every word of the boss in front of him, because a rich man of this level might have the same meaning. It represents an investment of tens of millions of dollars or more.
"This is an idea of mine." Chen Zhiwen paused and said: "Disney's two existing parks are too big, and each requires huge investment. The park in Los Angeles spent 130 million US dollars in the 1950s, and the park in Orlando Ten years ago, we spent US$760 million. You and I both know what US$760 million was ten years ago. The two twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York only cost US$700 million. But now you look at Orlando Disney. Not only does the park not make money, it also suffers huge losses. The rent of the World Trade Center Tower now amounts to US$100 million a year.
I know that the significance of Disneyland is not to just rely on the park to make money, but to rely on the park to promote the fame of various cartoons and help expand the market for movies and various toy derivatives, so even if it loses money, I support the existence of a large Disneyland , including if the Disney company’s economy improves in the future, I will also prepare to build a Disneyland in Europe.
But my idea is, why don’t we make small parks, not just one in every city, but at least New York and Chicago. Can a big city like San Francisco have one? A small paradise can live very well in a big city. Many theme parks of other brands have proven that they can live very well, even if it is the simplest children's playground. "
"From an operational point of view, this is indeed feasible. The current two Disney parks have high investment costs and high maintenance costs. If you want to make a profit, you need to attract a large number of customers, but many customers are far away. It may not be difficult to get them to come to Disneyland specifically, but it would be 10 times more difficult to come there a second time. Building small parks near cities can indeed solve this problem, but in this case, it will also have very big side effects. That is, when people have a small Disneyland around them, who would pay to go to a big park far away?" Michael Eisner analyzed.
"So these new small parks will not be called Disneyland. They have nothing to do with the big brand Disney. They are just another brand, another theme park, but with cartoon characters and so on. Disney still needs to find a way to turn its fame into Let’s do it.” Chen Zhiwen said: “Stagger the operations so that people who come to our small park will not see Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck, and it will not affect the two Disney parks.”
"In other words, we are simply investing more in other theme parks, which is equivalent to opening a new business in a small park?" Michael asked.
"Yes, we just need Disney's existing team to be responsible for this project. I will be responsible for the funding up front, but you still need to decide what kind of park to build." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said.
"If that's the case, that's no problem." Michael nodded. It was purely an increase in the company's business, and the boss was willing to invest alone. No professional manager would object.
"One more thing, if you try this kind of small paradise in the United States now, I will transfer this type to Asia in the future." Chen Zhiwen added.
"Asia? Japan, Hong Kong?" Michael asked.
"There are them all, including some Southeast Asian countries and the mainland." Chen Zhiwen said.
After the mainland further relaxes restrictions on foreign investment next year, it will welcome foreign-invested enterprises even more. However, for foreign-invested real estate companies, except for the likes of "International Trade Center" and "five-star hotels", foreign investment is not allowed to get involved. Yes, even Hong Kong investment is difficult, and there are too few projects required by the central government. The low profitability of five-star hotel investment will always be a dilemma, resulting in a lot of Chen Zhiwen's capital being unable to enter the country.
It is possible to invest in large shopping malls and super office buildings, but these are long-term projects, and huge gains will not be realized until after the 21st century, or even after the 10s.
In this case, investing in an entertainment park project is a good choice, but Disneyland is obviously not possible. This kind of huge investment must be in a place with a huge population and a developed economy, such as Shanghai in 30 years. It is completely insufficient now.
With the help of the Disney team, the small theme park developed can well meet the needs of the mainland. It has a small investment, serves one or several surrounding cities, and has convenient transportation, and it is perfect in no time.
Michael asked: "Does the mainland have such strong spending power?"
"Of course there is. Shanghai used to be the largest city in Asia. Even if it is not that good now, its economic consumption power is still very strong, and they are also developing." Chen Zhiwen said.
"Okay, it's not a big problem to try a few first." Michael nodded and said. The investment in the small amusement park is not big. Anyway, the boss has money. He only needs to try his best to make the theme good. The only problem is that he needs to work with Disney. In addition, I am working on other themes.
And if this small park is really completed, it will also be a good thing for Disney. Not only will it have new profits, but it will also be able to use the new park to promote new IP. This is equivalent to giving Disney an additional promotional channel. In the past, we were crowded into two large parks, which made customers very tired from playing, which was indeed not a very good idea.
"Our previous public relations also said that we will invest US$200 million to renovate the current Disneyland. This is a commitment to the US government and society. I will naturally implement it, but if you are the CEO, how will you implement it?" Chen Zhiwen added asked.
"Eric, you didn't say the time, right?" Michael said with a slight smile.
"Indeed, no. This is a non-mandatory requirement of the Ministry of Commerce. Although I do have this plan, I will not take the initiative to set a box to trap myself." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said, how much he invests is his own business, but There is no need to set limits on yourself.
"Disneyland does need proper renovations. Some old places can be improved with money, but major renovations have to wait. We need a project that can make money quickly to bring the Disney company back to life," Michael said.
(End of chapter)
