581-585

*Chapter 581: Family with Children*

“Pfft! It’s noon, be careful, or your butt will get tanned.”

When Jennifer Shu came in with a tea tray, she saw the two people playing around on the sofa. Her cheeks turned red, and she spat lightly.

“Singsong, come help me.”

Chris Liu reached out and called.

“Nope, the kids are still outside. I’ll leave the snacks here. Eat some if you’re hungry.”

Jennifer Shu blushed, circled the sofa, put the tea tray on the coffee table, adjusted the indoor temperature higher, and walked out. She peeked back with a smile, gently closed the door, and turned around to see a face. Startled, her heart raced, and she leaned against the door, clutching her chest.

“Auntie, why do you walk so quietly? You nearly scared me to death!”

“What are you looking at? Why so sneaky?”

Aunt Liu asked sternly.

“Ha, nothing, Auntie. I just made some snacks. Do you want to try some?”

Jennifer Shu tried to change the subject, smiling sweetly.

Aunt Liu wasn’t buying it. She pushed past Jennifer to open the door. But as soon as she peeked inside, her face turned bright red. Her eyes filled with inappropriate sights, and dirty sounds reached her ears. She looked like she’d been poisoned, her face turning red and white by turns.

“Pfft! Shameless, doing this in broad daylight…”

Aunt Liu swallowed the rest of her words, unwilling to speak more filth, and glared at Jennifer Shu. “They’re messing around, and you’re not stopping them?”

Jennifer Shu lowered her head, blushing.

Aunt Liu knew Jennifer had a submissive personality, probably unable to stop them even if she wanted to, so she let it go.

They went to the side room to warm up with some tea and watched an episode of The Legend of Zhen Huan. Aunt Liu kept glancing at the closed door across the way, but it never opened, even after the episode ended.

Link and Liu Jiani woke up from their nap and were brought over by the maid.

Aunt Liu switched to the cartoon channel and played Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf for them. After one episode, the door across finally opened.

Link, with his shirt slightly undone, was walking with Chris Liu, whispering something in her ear. Whatever he said made her blush and playfully hit his chest, eyes gleaming with affection, lowering her head shyly.

“Ahem!”

Aunt Liu cleared her throat loudly.

Chris Liu looked over, blinked her innocent almond-shaped eyes, and when she saw Aunt Liu, she stomped her foot and quickly returned to her room, face flushed.

“Hey, Lina, you’re here.”

Link greeted her.

Aunt Liu wanted to tease him but held back. Link was the boss, and he had thick skin. A light jab wouldn’t faze him, and saying too much wasn’t appropriate.

Suppressing the urge to joke, she shifted to talking about work, mainly Wanda Pictures' success last year. Wanda had acquired AMC, the second-largest cinema chain in the U.S., and went public in January.

At its IPO, Wanda’s stock was priced at ¥486.56 per share, with a market value of ¥18.9 billion. In just one month, its value grew to ¥27.7 billion, with projections to surpass ¥100 billion.

Link held 11.6% of Wanda's shares, but after the third round of financing, his share was diluted to 9.02%, valued at ¥2.5 billion, roughly $380 million. Over the past few years, he had invested around $45 million into Wanda Pictures, and the current return wasn’t quite tenfold yet.

In the film industry, 388 movies were released in China last year, grossing ¥29.6 billion, a 35.78% increase from the previous year. Among them, 80 were imported films, generating ¥13.484 billion, while 308 domestic films brought in ¥16.155 billion.

Wanda Cinemas generated ¥4.21 billion in box office revenue, up 33.1% year-on-year, leading the industry.

Wanda Pictures also co-produced several successful films, including Gone with the Bullets, Beijing Love Story, The White-Haired Witch, Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy, Coming Home, The Great Hypnotist, For the Rest of Our Lives, and Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2.

Chris Liu and Shu Sing's production company made about ¥20 million.

Wanda’s annual dividends amounted to roughly ¥75 million, around $12 million.

Aunt Liu asked Link what he planned to do with that money.

Link suggested investing it through Chris Liu, whether in TV series or films.

Aunt Liu disagreed, saying it was too much money for Chris Liu to handle wisely.

Link smiled and said Aunt Liu underestimated Chris; she was smarter than she thought.

Aunt Liu snorted, unconvinced. If Chris Liu were that smart, she wouldn’t be so easily controlled by Link.

This year, the stocks of several major companies under the portfolio of Golden Seashell Investments on Hong Kong Island saw significant increases, except for a slight rise in Moutai. Other stocks, such as BYD Auto at 5.36%, JD.com at 5.1%, Alibaba at 0.22%, and Meituan at 10.5%, all surged.

In July last year, JD.com was listed on the NASDAQ, becoming China's first large-scale comprehensive e-commerce platform to successfully go public in the U.S. Within just over six months, its market value increased from over $20 billion last year to $40.2 billion.

Alibaba is preparing for its own listing, with media predicting it will happen around August or September. Its current market value is $242.6 billion.

BYD is also performing well, with a market value of $18.8 billion.

Meituan, supported by Alibaba's traffic, became the top group-buying platform, with a market value of $4.2 billion.

Including Dolphin Bay Entertainment and the World’s Best Real Estate Company, the total assets under Golden Seashell Investments are currently around $4.6 billion, a 54% increase from last year.

Last year's dividends and other income from the investment company were about $120 million.

Link plans to use this money to invest in internet companies like KuaiShou and Douyin, hoping to become an angel investor as these companies grow.

Given the current market trends, in another ten years, Golden Seashell's assets are expected to increase tenfold.

"Daddy, seven pieces."

Little cutie Liu Jiani held up a small snack, blinking her big eyes and calling out sweetly.

"Jiani is so well-behaved."

Link, looking at the adorable little one who was even more delicate and cute than Chris Liu as a child, felt a bit guilty and reluctant. He hugged the little one and said, "Lina, Jennifer, how about I take Jiani and Schubert to the U.S. for a few years? When they’re older, they can come back for school."

"No way!"

Before he could finish speaking, Chris Liu, now in a dress with a light down jacket, walked in, took Liu Jiani from his arms, and glared at him with her bright almond-shaped eyes. "It’s not like you don’t have kids at home. Why bring them over there?"

"Jiani and Schubert are also my kids. I want them to grow up with me. I think growing up with their dad will make them more mature and courageous."

Link gently rubbed Schubert's short hair and looked at Liu Jiani, who was sitting in Chris Liu's lap, blinking her big eyes.

"You don’t miss me or Changchang, but you miss them? If you want to see them, just come to China more often when you have time. You’ve got a plane; it’s convenient."

Chris Liu wiped the sugar off little Jiani's face while holding her.

The big one and the little one were equally cute.

Link shook his head. "You’re busy filming, and you don’t have time to take care of Jiani. It’d be better if I took her to the U.S. You can always visit her there when you’re free."

"But aren’t you also filming? I’ve only got two movies this year, and the rest of the time, I’ll be home with Jiani."

Chris Liu pursed her lips, her expression firm.

Link didn’t want to argue with her. He couldn’t bear to be apart from the two little ones either. So he and Chris Liu, along with Jennifer Shu, agreed that every year he would come to China to spend New Year’s with the little ones, and they would also bring the kids to the U.S. for vacations when they had time.

He would buy a villa in a city they liked, so the kids could visit often, broaden their horizons, and grow up with a more well-rounded experience.

Chris Liu had an American passport, so it would be easy for her to travel.

Jennifer Shu looked at Chris Liu, waiting for her to decide.

Chris Liu glanced at the little one fidgeting in her arms and finally nodded in agreement.

Aunt Liu, standing nearby, glanced at Link, then at Shu Chang and Feifei, her eyes flashing with a mix of helplessness and relief.

What left her feeling helpless was that she had originally thought Link and Shu Chang, Feifei’s relationship was just a fleeting romance, something that would fade away after a while. But things had developed in a way she hadn’t expected.

First, Shu Chang quietly became pregnant, and even though her family knew, she insisted on keeping the baby, even if it meant being a single mom.

Aunt Liu had tried to advise her and warned Feifei to be careful not to get into the same situation.

Later, Feifei also got pregnant, and no matter how much she was persuaded, she refused to have an abortion, even guarding herself against Aunt Liu like she was a thief.

Eventually, things turned out the way they are now: the whole family living in a large courtyard house. Link visited two or three times a year, staying for ten days to half a month each time, consistently for three years.

That was also what relieved her.

When she first found out Feifei was pregnant, she had prepared herself for the possibility that Feifei would become a single mother, just as she had been. It seemed like a family fate that couldn’t be escaped.

She had also braced herself for the idea that Link would abandon Feifei and the child.

But Link didn’t do that. He stayed in touch with Feifei and Shu Chang, visiting them every year no matter how busy he was. He also invested a lot of money to support their careers, providing them with excellent financial security.

Last year and this year, Link even took Feifei to business negotiations and official meetings, essentially giving her a formal status.

Now, almost everyone in the industry knew about their relationship.

With Link ranked among the world’s top 40 billionaires, no one dared to give Feifei or Shu Chang any trouble at work.

Even if some looked down on this kind of relationship, they never dared show it. On the contrary, they treated them with great courtesy.

In this sense, aside from the fact that Link didn’t spend much time at home, he was better than many husbands in every other way.

He cared about and cherished Feifei and Shu Chang, respecting their opinions, which was admirable.

The only downside was that Link was too much of a playboy and still had a family in the U.S.

Aunt Liu shook her head regretfully.

"So it’s settled then. Nan Nan, little one, want to go to the amusement park?"

Link asked.

"Amusement park!"

Liu Jiani raised her little hand, struggling to get out of her mother’s arms.

"It’s cold outside; why are you running around?"

Chris Liu rolled her eyes at him while holding the little one.

"It’s sunny at noon. If we dress warmly, it won’t be cold."

Link picked up the little one. Shu Nan, absorbed in watching cartoons, didn’t want to move, but after glancing at him, she got up and followed him outside.

Chris Liu, resting her chin on her hand, watched as Link led the two little ones into the sunlit courtyard, and a small smile appeared on her lips.

(End of chapter)

*Chapter 582: North American Film Annual Report*

After celebrating the Lunar New Year in Beijing, Lin Ke boarded a plane, leaving China and spending a few days in Seoul and Tokyo. Besides spending time with Jun Ji-hyun and Shi-chan, he also met with several business partners and closed a few deals.

Currently, his investments in South Korea amount to around $200 million, primarily in entertainment. In Japan, he has nearly $100 million invested in real estate, clothing, and dining.

All of these investments are managed by Golden Shell Asset Management in New York, so he doesn't need to spend too much energy overseeing them.

After staying a few days in Japan and Korea, Lin Ke flew back to Los Angeles, arriving just in time for the Academy Awards ceremony.

This year's Oscars were held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

Although Lionsgate Films had several nominations, Lin Ke wasn't personally nominated, so he didn’t attend the event. Instead, he and Ivanka watched the live broadcast from home.

Similar to last year, the attendees were familiar faces—Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett Johansson, Meryl Streep, Lady Gaga, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, and others.

The first award presented was Best Supporting Actor, which went to J.K. Simmons for Whiplash. At 60, it was his first Oscar nomination and win. His talent and luck were evident.

Simmons thanked Lin Ke during his speech, joking that Lin Ke was like a candle—while he couldn't win an Oscar himself, he always lit the way for others.

This drew laughter from the audience.

Next, the awards for Best Costume Design and Best Makeup & Hairstyling were both unexpectedly won by The Grand Budapest Hotel.

The Best Foreign Language Film award went to the Polish movie Ida, which again dealt with the Holocaust. Before the Oscars, the Russian film Leviathan was the frontrunner.

The ceremony lasted over three hours. Initially, Lin Ke, Ivanka, and their three kids watched from the living room, but within 30 minutes, the kids were asleep on the couch.

By the last hour, even Ivanka had dozed off, leaning on Lin Ke's shoulder.

Though the ceremony felt a bit dull, Lionsgate had a strong showing this year at the Oscars.

Birdman had 9 nominations and won 4 awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.

The Grand Budapest Hotel also had 9 nominations and won 4 awards in technical categories: Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup & Hairstyling, and Best Original Score.

Whiplash had 6 nominations and won 3 awards, including Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.

These three films were the biggest winners of the night, while other movies only won a single award.

American Hustle, with 10 nominations, won nothing, which was a major upset.

Gone Girl had one nomination but no wins.

The Best Actor award went to Eddie Redmayne for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, making him the first actor born in the 1980s to win the Best Actor Oscar.

Best Actress went to Julianne Moore for her role in Still Alice. With this win, Moore became the first actor in history to win Best Actress at the Oscars, Cannes, Venice, and Berlin film festivals.

Best Supporting Actress went to Patricia Arquette for Boyhood.

Lionsgate Films had a total of 35 nominations and won 11 Oscars, which was quite impressive. However, they missed out on the key awards for Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress, which puzzled the studio's PR department.

This year, Michael Keaton (Birdman), Christian Bale (American Hustle), and Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel) were all nominated for Best Actor.

Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), Amy Adams (American Hustle), and Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night) were all nominated for Best Actress. Two Days, One Night was a film produced by Paris Rose Films and had a limited release in just six theaters at the end of last year.

Emma Stone (Birdman) and Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle) were both nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

Lionsgate actors dominated over half of the nominations in the four acting categories.

Originally, they expected to win at least two of these awards but only secured one—Best Supporting Actor.

Afterwards, the PR department speculated that Lionsgate might have been deliberately targeted by the Academy.

In the previous three Oscars, Lionsgate films won Best Actress three times, along with multiple Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress wins. Their dominance sparked controversy in the media, and many peers criticized them sarcastically.

The Academy may have wanted to quell the controversy by withholding acting awards from Lionsgate films this year.

Following the ceremony, the media noticed that Lionsgate didn't win Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress, even though the nominated actors were strong contenders. To stir up conversation, the media speculated that Lionsgate was being unfairly targeted by the Academy, which wasn't fair to the actors.

However, Lionsgate didn’t want to escalate things with the Oscars, so their PR team didn’t follow up on this narrative. After a few days, the story about Lionsgate being snubbed by the Oscars faded.

The only person who expressed concern was Leonardo DiCaprio. He gained over 30 pounds for The Revenant, grew a full beard, and endured harsh conditions in the wilderness of Canada and the U.S. for over four months. He jokingly said he was almost assaulted by a bear.

He had put a lot into the film and had high hopes for it, but he didn’t want to miss out on another Oscar due to studio politics.

Lin Ke reassured him not to worry. Lionsgate won Best Actor last year, so it was unlikely they'd win it again this year. However, next year, they’d have a better shot, provided the film and his performance were top-notch.

Leo patted his chest, assuring Lin Ke that the film was incredible, his performance was outstanding, and his sacrifices were significant—he was definitely Oscar-worthy.

Lin Ke nodded, then jokingly asked if the rumors about the bear attack were true.

Leonardo got angry and shouted that it was all fake—it was a female bear, and the scene was shot from an awkward angle, leading to the rumors.

Lin Ke was puzzled. “A female bear? Isn’t that better? Or do you prefer male bears?”

“F***! Lin Ke, you’d better shut up, or we’re done,” Leonardo shouted angrily.

“Alright, alright, I won’t mention it again.”

Lin Ke chuckled, then told Leonardo that Oscar voters tend to award actors who make the greatest sacrifices for their roles. If he wanted to win, he might as well own up to the bear story. No actor in film history has made such a unique sacrifice.

Leo was silent for a few seconds before firmly refusing the suggestion.

Lin Ke rubbed his forehead. He had been joking, but it seemed Leo had actually considered it seriously before rejecting it. The guy was really desperate for an Oscar.

Lin Ke had to admit, he couldn’t match Leo's dedication.

After the Oscars, all the nominated films received a significant boost in attention, which was reflected in the box office.

Since the nominations were announced in January, Lionsgate’s nominated films saw a surge in ticket sales, with smaller films benefiting the most.

The Grand Budapest Hotel saw its North American box office rise from $68 million to $76.6 million, with global earnings reaching $188 million.

Birdman’s North American box office climbed to $52.5 million, with global earnings reaching $115 million.

Whiplash’s North American box office grew to $38.77 million, with global earnings of $71.15 million.

American Hustle, after more than two months in theaters, had a North American box office of $165 million, with global earnings of $268 million.

Gone Girl currently has a North American box office of $205 million and a global total of $485 million.

According to data from the studio, the Oscars boosted the global box office by about $160 million for these films, showing the significant financial value of winning Oscars and why investing in Oscar PR is so worthwhile.

At the end of February and early March, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) released several articles analyzing the 2014 box office, including statistics for North American and global box offices, and performance of the seven major film studios.

According to the annual report, the global box office in 2014 totaled $36.4 billion, a mere 1% increase from 2013's $35.9 billion, the lowest growth in the past decade.

In North America, 849 films were released last year, with a total box office of $10.4 billion, down 5.4% from the previous year. The average box office per film was $12.21 million, an 8% decrease from the previous year.

China was the fastest-growing market, with a 34% increase, reaching $4.8 billion, making it the first non-North American market to surpass $4 billion in box office revenue. For the third consecutive year, China retained its position as the second-largest box office in the world.

On the cover of the MPAA’s annual report, Lionsgate’s logo was painted gold, topped with a crown and emblazoned with the figure $2.03354 billion—the total North American box office earned by Lionsgate films in 2014.

For the first time in history, Lionsgate became the top-grossing film studio in the industry.

Last year, Lionsgate released 19 films, with two of them grossing over $200 million in North America: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Gone Girl. Eight of its films grossed over $100 million, and 15 surpassed $50 million.

In 2014, there were 10 films in North America that grossed over $200 million, 31 films over $100 million, and 68 films over $50 million.

Based on these three figures, Lionsgate contributed significantly to North America's box office revenue last year.

Among the major studios, Disney ranked second with a total box office of $1.76 billion, with four films grossing over $100 million, many of which were animated features.

Fox came in third with $1.53 billion, successfully releasing hits like Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Rio 2.

Warner Bros. dropped to fourth with $1.25 billion. While The LEGO Movie and Godzilla each grossed over $200 million in North America, films like Transcendence, Blended, and Winter's Tale underperformed, causing Warner Bros. to fall out of the top three for the first time in years and post a total below $1.5 billion for the first time in five years.

Paramount ranked fifth with a total box office of $665 million. While Transformers: Age of Extinction, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Interstellar each grossed over $100 million in North America, the rest of their films had mediocre performances.

Universal fell to sixth with $487 million. Despite releasing 22 films, only Unbroken grossed over $100 million in North America, with the rest performing below expectations.

Sony came in seventh with $465 million. The studio had a tough year, with The Interview, a satirical film about a certain peninsula's leader, being boycotted and unable to release properly, leading to losses in the tens of millions. In the second half of the year, Sony faced executive resignations and fallout from a hacking scandal, which angered many stars and agents, making their $465 million haul quite remarkable.

The Weinstein Company ranked eighth with $320 million. Last year, Harvey produced The Imitation Game, The Giver, and St. Vincent, which all performed well at the box office, cementing Weinstein's status as a leader in independent film production.

Relativity Media, meanwhile, struggled due to debt issues. Only Earth to Echo and 3 Days to Kill grossed over $30 million in North America, with most of their other films failing to turn a profit. This worsened Relativity's financial situation, pushing the studio to the brink of bankruptcy.

(End of the chapter)

Chapter 583: New Movie Plans

The "MPAA Annual Report" also released the global box office results for the seven major film studios in 2014. Lionsgate topped the list with $4.85 billion, with 10 of its films surpassing $100 million internationally.

Fox came in second with $4.77 billion, with films like X-Men: Days of Future Past and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes performing better overseas than in North America.

Warner Bros. ranked third with $4.38 billion, followed by Disney in fourth with $3.95 billion.

Paramount was fifth with $2.88 billion, with Transformers 4 being the only film to gross over $1 billion worldwide last year.

Universal came in sixth with $2.52 billion, while Sony ranked seventh with $2.12 billion.

In terms of profit, Lionsgate led with $2.25 billion in net income, followed by Disney with $1.7 billion, and Fox with $1.5 billion.

Although Paramount's films performed well internationally, the high production and marketing costs resulted in a net income of only $270 million, placing it seventh.

However, due to the massive backing of multi-billion-dollar corporations, Warner Bros. and Disney generated significant revenue from their associated businesses. Warner Bros. led with $12.7 billion in total revenue, followed by Disney with $11.2 billion. Lionsgate, with revenue from films, TV shows, ads, and DVDs, earned only $6.5 billion, about half of Warner Bros.' earnings. They still have room to grow in ancillary revenue.

---

The MPAA's annual report on box office performance garnered massive media attention. While many knew Lionsgate had a strong year, few expected it to perform this well.

With $2.033 billion in North American box office and $4.85 billion worldwide, along with $2.25 billion in net income, Lionsgate topped all three rankings, outpacing the six major studios.

This marks the first time in North American film history that an independent studio has claimed the top spot for annual box office revenue.

Lionsgate quickly became a media darling, with outlets rushing to cover its success.

The Los Angeles Times devoted an entire section to the history of Lionsgate. Founded in 1997, originally headquartered in Canada, the company moved to Santa Monica, Los Angeles, in 2000. Over more than a decade, Lionsgate grew from a small, million-dollar company into a mid-sized studio worth billions, earning the title of Hollywood’s "Eighth Major Studio."

2011 was a turning point for Lionsgate and a landmark year in North American film history. That year, Link boldly acquired Lionsgate for $800 million. Despite widespread media skepticism and pressure from the six major studios, Lionsgate underwent a dramatic transformation within just one year.

In 2011, Lionsgate released 12 films, grossing $580 million in North America, ranking seventh.

In 2012, Lionsgate released 20 films, with a North American box office total of $1.48 billion, capturing 14.2% market share and leaping to third place.

In 2013, it released 19 films, grossing $1.817 billion and securing 16.9% of the total box office, placing second.

In 2014, Lionsgate again released 19 films, grossing $2.033 billion and capturing 19.5% of the North American box office, surpassing Disney, Warner Bros., Universal, Fox, Paramount, and Sony to become the top-grossing film studio in both North America and the global market.

These figures demonstrate that Lionsgate’s success in film has improved year by year over the past four years.

Media outlets also published the list of films Lionsgate plans to release in 2015, including blockbusters like The Hunger Games 4, American Sniper, The Revenant, The Expendables 3, Lucy, and Now You See Me 2.

Other notable films include The Big Short, Wild, Inherent Vice, The Butler, Foxcatcher, Trainwreck, Creed, Split, and Insidious 3, which are all smaller, independent films.

There are also three major blockbusters co-produced with Paramount: The Martian, Terminator: Genisys, and San Andreas.

Lionsgate is also collaborating with Disney on Maleficent.

Judging by the scale of investments, the number of films, and the lineup, this year's Lionsgate slate is even more competitive than last year's, potentially yielding even higher box office returns.

With the Hollywood box office reaching around $10 billion annually, this figure is akin to a big pie. The seven major studios and hundreds of U.S. and global film companies are all trying to get a piece.

Last year, Lionsgate claimed 19.5% of the pie. If they grab an even bigger piece this year, it may leave other studios hungry. In severe cases, some may face massive deficits, or even bankruptcy.

Lionsgate, however, has firmly established itself in Hollywood, with its market value hovering around $10 billion.

It has partnered with Netflix, Amazon Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount, and Disney, and deeply collaborates with independent production companies like Palm Beach, Annapurna Pictures, and Skydance.

Lionsgate has become a crucial part of the film industry’s profit ecosystem.

Moreover, in recent years, Lionsgate has released over 30 high-quality, critically acclaimed art films, earning praise from fans and recognition at the Golden Globes, Oscars, and major European film festivals. It has become the biggest awards contender in the past three years at the Oscars.

This shows that Lionsgate is not only successful in commercial cinema but also excels in artistic films, making it a leader in the independent film industry.

Lionsgate's solid foundation means that it's not easy for other studios to bring it down.

In addition, Lionsgate and Netflix have launched a joint production plan for ten TV series in recent years, with several shows achieving great success.

Lionsgate's revenue from television last year also exceeded $1 billion.

In advertising, Lionsgate earned $500 million from product placements in its films, almost enough to cover production costs.

The Los Angeles Times believes that Lionsgate has grown strong, and it will be difficult for the six major studios to reclaim their market share. The next step is for these studios to accept Lionsgate’s presence, make better films, and compete to stay in Hollywood.

Failing studios will be eliminated, and the Los Angeles Times predicts that Sony Pictures, currently embroiled in controversy, may be the next to go.

The newspaper also pointed out Lionsgate's current challenge.

The hit Hunger Games series is coming to an end, and Lionsgate has yet to find a replacement franchise. While Now You See Me, Divergent, The Conjuring, and Insidious have potential, none can fully make up for the loss of The Hunger Games.

If Lionsgate wants to maintain its edge, it must develop more popular franchises, ideally with a superhero character or two.

“Well written, but superheroes aren’t easy to come by,” Link said, setting down the newspaper.

Since the end of last year, he had arranged for his team to approach Marvel at Disney, DC Comics at Warner Bros., and the X-Men series at Fox, hoping to acquire rights to one or two superhero characters, such as Black Panther, Ant-Man, Deadpool, Wonder Woman, or Venom.

None of the three companies agreed.

Even when Lionsgate proposed co-developing and investing, the companies refused, holding onto their characters tightly.

After several meetings and negotiations, Lionsgate managed to acquire the rights to develop the Joker from Warner Bros., as their previous film had flopped.

From Disney, they secured the rights to develop Black Widow. Lionsgate has an advantage in making female-centric films.

Other characters, however, couldn’t be secured. The higher the offer, the less willing the studios were to collaborate. Rumor has it that Lionsgate has a great eye for potential blockbusters, and any film they want is likely to be a hit.

After negotiations fell through, characters like Venom, Wonder Woman, and Black Panther became top priorities for the major studios.

Without superhero characters, Link turned to books. He has since found The Invisible Man, A Quiet Place, Barbie, Dune, and other bestselling books and good scripts.

Coupled with existing projects like Jumanji, Joker, It, the Now You See Me series, John Wick, The Conjuring, Insidious, La La Land, Wonder, Bohemian Rhapsody, and more.

Lionsgate won’t be short of films for the next few years.

In the new year, Lionsgate’s project slate has been set and is already underway. This year’s lineup includes Jumanji, Sing, It, La La Land, Fifty Shades of Grey, Hacksaw Ridge, Lucy, John Wick, Divergent 2, The Conjuring 3, and Hereditary.

In addition to films from Palm Beach, such as Carol, Before We Met, and The Shallows.

Along with several films co-produced with Paramount, Annapurna Pictures, and Skydance.

This year, Lionsgate has 20 film projects, with an estimated production investment of $800 million and a marketing budget of $400 million.

Even though these films seem promising, Link still feels a sense of regret.

At this point, Disney has completed several major acquisitions: Pixar Animation Studios in 2006, Marvel Entertainment in 2009, and Lucasfilm in 2012.

Disney not only has strong animation production capabilities but also holds many Marvel superhero characters, as well as Lucasfilm's Jurassic World and Star Wars franchises.

Any one of these popular IPs could easily be among the top ten box office hits of the year.

Lionsgate, for now, can't compete.

Then, in 2017, Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, bringing Avatar, X-Men, Deadpool, and Fantastic Four under its umbrella.

In the coming years, barring any special circumstances or a downturn in the film industry, Disney could almost dominate the North American movie market.

If Lionsgate doesn’t want to fall too far behind, they’ll need to make a huge effort to continue developing new film IPs.

---

After Lionsgate topped the global box office charts, as the company’s owner, Link and Ivanka, along with the senior executives of the company, started getting a lot of media attention. Mainstream outlets began chasing after them, hoping to get insight into Lionsgate’s success story.

For the sake of the company’s growth, Link and Ivanka made time to participate in a few radio and TV interviews to answer some questions the public was interested in.

Due to his fame and the stories surrounding him, Link and Ivanka’s marriage became a topic of interest to many. These interviews always turned into gossip sessions, with questions about their relationship, kids, rumors, careers, net worth, and more.

Link wasn’t interested in exposing his private life. After a few superficial interviews, he stopped participating in media appearances and handed those duties over to Ivanka and other company executives.

He needed to focus on reading, training, spending time with the kids, and making movies. He simply didn’t have time to engage with the media.

It was only after the Motion Picture Association of America’s annual report was released, showcasing the performance of the major film studios, that Forbes published its new list.

Link’s updated ranking on the Forbes Billionaires List once again sparked public attention and widespread discussion.

(End of chapter)

Chapter 584: The Forbes Rich List

This year, the top three spots on the Forbes World's Billionaires list remained unchanged: Bill Gates, Carlos Slim, and Warren Buffett, with net worths of $79.2 billion, $77.1 billion, and $72.7 billion respectively.

Fourth and fifth were Amancio Ortega, the Spanish owner of Zara clothing retailer, and Oracle boss Larry Ellison, with net worths of $64.5 billion and $54.3 billion.

The top ten all had assets exceeding $40 billion, more than $5 billion higher than the tenth place last year.

With $1 billion as the benchmark, 1,826 billionaires made the list this year, an increase of 181 from last year. The total net worth of those on the list was $7.05 trillion, an increase of $550 billion from last year.

This year, Link ranked 21st on the Forbes World's Billionaires list.

His total assets were $27.3 billion.

Compared with last year, Link's asset growth this year mainly came from two sources: Lionsgate Films and Hong Kong Golden Shell Investment.

Lionsgate's market value increased from over $4 billion at the beginning of last year to $10 billion. Forbes magazine estimated it to be $9.2 billion, and Link's net worth increased by $2.5 billion.

The total value of shares held by Hong Kong Golden Shell Investment increased by 54%, and his assets increased by another $2.1 billion.

The remaining asset growth came from Eli Lilly and Company, Link Music Company, and the addition of a LINK Tower to his name. The increase in these three assets was approximately $2.2 billion.

Other investments, including shares in Netflix, Spotify, Tesla, Nvidia, SpaceX, News Corporation, Universal Music, Dynasty Sports, and Amazon, did not change significantly in value.

Currently, the total market value of New York Golden Shell Asset Management Company is $11.8 billion, an increase of about $2 billion from last year.

Adding these together, Forbes magazine calculated his total assets to be $27.3 billion, an increase of $8.8 billion from last year.

Ahead of him were Google's two founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, with net worths of $29.7 billion and $29.2 billion, respectively.

Mark Zuckerberg ranked 16th with a net worth of $33.4 billion.

Elon Musk ranked 291st with a net worth of $5.2 billion.

His father-in-law ranked 405th with a net worth of $4.1 billion.

Ivanka ranked 1464th with a net worth of $1.6 billion.

In China, the number of entrepreneurs from the mainland on the list this year reached 213, an increase of 28.6% from last year. Wang Jianlin of Wanda ranked 29th with $24.2 billion, the richest man in mainland China, and Jack Ma of Alibaba ranked 33rd with $22.7 billion.

Compared with last year, Bill Gates had the largest increase in net worth, from $64 billion to $79.2 billion. Link ranked second with an increase of $8.8 billion.

After the release of the Forbes World's Billionaires list, Link once again became one of the key figures reported by the world's media.

He was 26 years old this year, but his net worth was as high as $27.3 billion. He was a self-made billionaire, a world sports superstar, a music superstar, a Hollywood superstar, and a former famous playboy.

He was too topical, and the media hyped him up for more than half a month before letting him go.

In addition, on the Forbes magazine's list of incomes in various industries, Link still ranked first in sports with a total income of $1.35 billion, including bonuses from four boxing matches, numerous advertising endorsements, and Nike-LINK sports brand sales share.

On the singer income list, Taylor Swift ranked first with a total income of $73.5 million. Last year, her income from touring alone reached $61.3 million.

Link ranked second with an income of $42 million. Although he did not release an album or hold a tour last year, he performed well in terms of copyright, streaming media, and album sales revenue.

Country music singer Kenny Chesney ranked third with $39.5 million.

There were also singers and groups under Link Music who released new albums last year, including Ariana Grande, Lana Del Rey, One Direction, Huang Zitao, and Charlie Puth, who all made it onto the Forbes singer income list and ranked in the top twenty.

Among Hollywood actors, Link ranked second with $68 million, Robert Downey Jr. ranked first with a total income of $80 million last year, and Jackie Chan ranked third with an income of $50 million.

Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, and Alexandra Daddario earned $32 million, $24 million, and $11 million respectively last year, ranking second, fifth, and twelfth on the list of actresses' incomes.

---

"Brother, you're so rich, why aren't you happy?"

In the hillside villa, Selena Gomez nibbled on a big apple and swung her legs on the sofa.

"Why am I not happy?"

"You're not smiling. Happy should be like me, hehe~"

Selena Gomez pulled the corners of her mouth, squinted her crescent eyes, and gave a carefree silly smile.

Link glanced at her. "I heard you failed another class? You're not busy all day. It's better to spend more time in class than shopping and playing games all day."

"Oh, why are you talking about studying again? It's so annoying. If you talk about studying again, I... I'll beat up Alexander."

Selena puffed up her cheeks and patted Alexander, who was sitting on the carpet reading a children's comic book. Alexander touched his head and ignored her.

"Selena, Selena, you beat me up."

Margarita dropped her Barbie doll and ran over, climbing onto Selena's leg.

"Why do you want me to beat you up?" Selena asked, pinching the little girl's chubby cheek.

"It's fun."

Margarita blinked her big eyes.

"Okay, I'll beat you up real good."

Selena dramatically scooped up the little girl, yelling that she was going to spank her. Little Margarita wasn't scared at all, giggling the whole time.

Link shook his head and continued reading the newspaper.

At the beginning of the year, Lionsgate had several films released, including "Two Days, One Night" starring Marion Cotillard, the sports biopic "Foxcatcher," the boxing movie "Creed," "Insidious: Chapter 3" which was postponed from last year, the comedy "The Duff," and "Now You See Me 2."

"Two Days, One Night" had a limited release in North America on December 27th last year. It was a French-Belgian co-production about Sandra who, with the help of her husband, has one week to convince her colleagues to forgo their bonuses so that she can keep her job.

The film starred Marion Cotillard. It was released in several European countries in the middle of last year. Due to its good reputation, it received more than ten nominations and awards. It landed in the United States at the end of last year and also helped Marion Cotillard get two nominations: Best Actress at the Golden Globes and Best Actress at the Oscars.

Currently, the North American box office is $2.03 million, and the overseas box office is $7.82 million. The film's production cost is $6.5 million. With the income from streaming media, it probably barely breaks even.

"Foxcatcher" was a film led by Annapurna Pictures.

The film is based on the true story of John du Pont, heir to the DuPont family fortune. It tells the story of Olympic gold medalist wrestler Mark Schultz joining du Pont's "Team Foxcatcher" with his brother Dave. At first, Dave and du Pont are good friends, but in 1996, due to various conflicts, du Pont shoots and kills Dave Schultz. Du Pont himself is found to be mentally ill and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

The film stars popular actors such as Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, and Sienna Miller.

It won the Silver Bear for Best Director at this year's Berlin International Film Festival. The film's director, Bennett Miller, also directed the biographical films "Capote" and "Moneyball."

It was released in North America at the end of January. Currently, the North American box office is $12.08 million, and the overseas box office is $9.7 million. The film's production cost was $25 million, and it is estimated that it will be difficult to recoup the cost.

However, the film is an art film, and its purpose is to win awards. After winning multiple awards, it may be able to earn a few million more.

The third film, "Creed," is also a sports film. It tells the story of Adonis Creed, the son of Rocky's former opponent and friend Apollo Creed, becoming a boxer. Stallone plays a supporting role in the film.

The film was released in mid-February. After four weeks of release, the current North American box office is $82.03 million, and the overseas box office is $54.4 million. The total box office is expected to be around $180 million. It will also be Lionsgate's first film to break $100 million at the North American box office this year.

Compared to the $35 million production cost, it is a box office hit.

This week, Lionsgate's fourth film, "Insidious: Chapter 3," was released. The film was originally scheduled to be released in October last year, but it was postponed to March due to scheduling and publicity reasons.

The film opened in 3,002 theaters in North America and earned $10.41 million on its first day. It earned $23 million over the weekend, making it the weekend box office champion.

Second place is Warner Bros.' "Focus," starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie, with a box office of $15.74 million this week. After two weeks of release, the cumulative box office is $33.4 million, far below expectations.

As of mid-March, a total of 102 films have been released in North America.

Currently, the best box office performance is the children's animated film "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water" released by Paramount Pictures, with $162 million. Second is the action film "Kingsman: The Secret Service" released by 20th Century Fox, with $128 million.

"Creed" is currently ranked third in North American box office.

Lionsgate's total box office for the four new films released in North America at the beginning of the year is less than $160 million, ranking fourth among the seven major studios. This data also gave their peers a temporary sigh of relief.

After reading a stack of newspapers, Link suddenly patted his forehead. He had promised himself that he would no longer care about these movie box office figures and leave the company to Ivanka and the others to manage. Now, he had unknowingly read so much again.

He put down the newspaper, looked at the big and small friends in the room, and asked everyone if they wanted to go out to play.

The answer he got was "yes."

Link asked the little ones to go change clothes with the nanny, went upstairs to call Ivanka, who was doing beauty treatments and Pilates, and, taking advantage of the good weather, went out for a walk and then to the Venice Pier restaurant for a seafood feast.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 585: Gathering of the Wealthy

After the release of the Forbes billionaire list, on the advice of his father-in-law, Link and Ivanka hosted a cocktail party at the top of LINK Tower in New York, inviting many elites from various fields.

The attendees included business magnates such as Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Elon Musk, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Carl Icahn, Nvidia’s CEO, the Murdochs, and many others.

In addition, there were notable Hollywood figures, sports stars, and investors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Leonardo DiCaprio, the Ellison siblings, Frank Duer, Oscar De La Hoya, Lady Gaga, and Cathie Wood.

Also in attendance were Ivanka’s friends and other wealthy elites and politicians invited by her father.

More than 200 people attended this event, all of whom had significant influence in various sectors of American society.

The party served two purposes: networking for potential collaborations and building connections for Link's father-in-law's upcoming political campaign.

His father-in-law had already confirmed his participation in next year’s presidential race.

Although Link didn’t know much about politics, he could help by leveraging his financial resources and connections.

“When will you run for office, Link? If you ever do, I’ll fully support you,” Elon Musk joked while holding a glass of wine.

“I haven’t considered it yet. I don’t know much about politics and don’t want to jump into it without proper understanding,” Link replied with a shrug.

“Link, you should think about it. You’re a national icon, the embodiment of the American Dream, with more popularity than Reagan had back in the day. If you run, there’s a 90% chance you’ll win,” Larry Page added with a grin.

Reed Hastings chimed in, “Exactly. Link has conquered the boxing world, the music industry, and now Hollywood. Like Caesar, if he takes over Washington, his achievements would be extraordinary.”

“Thanks for your support. If I ever consider it, I’ll definitely seek your advice first,” Link said, raising his glass with a smile.

As they were chatting, laughter erupted from a nearby group where Link’s father-in-law was entertaining a crowd, much more at ease in such a setting than Link.

Since Link wasn’t into politics, he shifted the conversation to investment with Musk and the others.

Musk mentioned something that piqued Link’s interest. He said that Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal, and Sam Altman, the founder of Y Combinator, had approached him recently with a proposal to start a company focused on open artificial intelligence research and deployment. Their goal was to “develop safe general AI” that would benefit humanity, and the company would be non-profit.

The company’s tentative name was OpenAI, and they planned to invest $1 billion.

Musk found it intriguing and was planning to get involved. He asked if Link, Larry Page, or Sergey Brin were interested.

Larry Page declined, saying he was deeply invested in flying cars, which required significant funding. Sergey Brin also passed.

However, OpenAI sounded very familiar to Link. He recalled that in 2022, this company launched a new chatbot model called ChatGPT, which ignited a global AI race. Sam Altman would eventually be dubbed the “father of ChatGPT” by the media.

Initially, Musk and Altman were co-chairmen of OpenAI. However, due to disagreements over AI research, Musk left the company in 2018. Without Musk’s support, OpenAI shifted from being non-profit to becoming more focused on profitability.

Although its initial valuation was under $1 billion, starting in 2022, it doubled every year, and by 2030, its market value surpassed $1 trillion, making it the fastest company to achieve this milestone in the tech industry.

AI was the next big thing in the investment world, and Link had long wanted to get involved but hadn’t found the right opportunity. Musk’s mention of OpenAI seemed like the perfect opening.

Link asked Musk for more details about the company’s research progress.

Initially, Musk was worried that Link, being an athlete, wouldn’t understand, so he explained things in simple terms, using sci-fi movies as examples. However, Link surprised him by interjecting with precise descriptions of AI's working principles, its future direction, and the challenges it posed.

Musk was amazed to realize that Link not only understood AI but had a visionary perspective on it. Musk immediately offered to introduce him to the OpenAI research team and expressed hope that Link would join.

With a smile, Link agreed and even encouraged Larry Page and Sergey Brin to reconsider joining. As the founders of Google, the world’s largest search engine, their involvement could be pivotal.

Future search engines would integrate AI search tools. Unlike current search engines, AI would provide structured, well-summarized answers from curated sources, delivering fast and timely information.

If Google joined forces, AI’s future potential could be even greater.

After hearing about AI search, both Larry and Sergey said they’d think about it. Google was in the process of reorganizing into a new holding company, Alphabet, which would separate its search, YouTube, and other online subsidiaries from its R&D and investment divisions.

The new Alphabet would consist of two parts: Google and other ventures.

Link nodded. Google’s current market value was under $380 billion, but after restructuring into Alphabet, its value would skyrocket, eventually exceeding $2 trillion.

Considering this, investing in Google was still very profitable.

Link decided that when he had extra funds, he would buy some Google shares. While the returns wouldn’t be massive, a six-fold increase was still more attractive than investing in movies.

After talking with Musk, Link had a chat with Jeff Bezos, who had a net worth of $34.8 billion and ranked 15th on the latest Forbes list. At 51 years old, he was the youngest among the top 15 billionaires.

Bezos was interested in deepening the partnership between Lionsgate and Amazon Studios, with the goal of making Lionsgate a key content provider for Amazon Prime Video.

Link said he would consider it. Amazon Studios was now Lionsgate’s second-largest shareholder, and their interests were aligned. Additionally, Amazon would soon acquire MGM Studios from Sony, intensifying Hollywood’s competitive landscape. Partnering with Amazon seemed like a wise move.

After chatting with Bezos, Link and Ivanka were introduced to a group of politicians by her father, leaving them no time for rest during the event.

“Is Link seriously considering a career in politics?” Leonardo DiCaprio asked, watching Link from afar. Among the crowd, Link stood out as the youngest and most handsome, instantly drawing attention.

“Would that be so bad? Link is incredibly capable,” remarked Robert Downey Jr.

“No, it wouldn’t be good. He’s younger than me, more flirtatious, and not serious at all. I’d feel weird having someone like him as our leader,” DiCaprio replied.

“Relax. If he ever runs, it won’t be for another 20 years. By then, we’ll be in our sixties or seventies. You’ll get used to it,” Downey said with a laugh.

“If that day ever comes, I’ll lead a movement against him,” DiCaprio quipped.

“Why? Aren’t you an environmentalist? If Link becomes president, you could push for policies that benefit the environment. Wouldn’t that be a good thing?” Lady Gaga asked with a smile.

DiCaprio stroked his chin, thinking it over. It made sense. If Link had the ambition, he could support him. But if Link’s policies didn’t align with his values, he wouldn’t hesitate to oppose him.

——

By March, Hollywood’s major studios were back in full swing, and actors were gradually returning to work. After a brief break, Link joined the cast of Captain America 3.

Last year’s Captain America 2 had grossed $860 million worldwide, with a return on investment of 6:1.

Captain America 3 was being given significant attention by both Disney and Marvel Studios, with a production budget of $240 million. Link’s salary was $20 million, plus 5% of North American box office earnings and 3% of global box office revenue. His co-star, Robert Downey Jr., was only slightly behind, with the exception of global box office share.

The film also featured Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, and other members of the Avengers cast.

In Captain America 3: Civil War, the main conflict arose over whether or not the Avengers should be subject to government oversight. Captain America advocated for the freedom to protect the world without government interference, while Iron Man surprisingly supported the government’s oversight and responsibility system.

The Avengers were divided: Hawkeye, Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch, and Falcon sided with Captain America, while Black Widow, War Machine, Vision, and Black Panther supported Iron Man.

This led to a civil war.

In this year’s slate of superhero films, DC Comics’ Batman and Superman also engaged in a civil war. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was Warner Bros.’ big project of the year.

Both films had production budgets exceeding $200 million, but which one would achieve higher box office earnings would only be revealed when they hit theaters next year.

The filming locations for Captain America 3 included Los Angeles and New York in the U.S., as well as Berlin, Germany. After a month of shooting in the U.S., the cast and crew traveled to Berlin for additional scenes.

With Link’s high net worth, his insurance coverage was substantial.

During filming in Berlin, he had over 10 bodyguards, assistants, and security personnel around him. Additionally, four stunt doubles helped him complete most of the action scenes and explosion sequences.

He had a relatively easy workload during filming.

“Cut!”

“Prepare for the next scene!”

While filming in Berlin, Emma Watson, Marion Cotillard, Chris Liu, and Taylor, who happened to be in Germany, as well as a surprise visit from Monica Bellucci, all came to visit him on set. They brought some delicious treats and stayed with him for a few days.

With Scarlett Johansson, a relentless stand-in, his time in Berlin was quite comfortable and not too restrictive.

However, there were two major title defense fights scheduled for May and June, so he couldn’t slack off on his training during the shoot. He spent no less than 30 hours a week on fitness and boxing training.

With this schedule, every day was fulfilling. Both his acting and boxing skills steadily improved, though the progress was minor and barely noticeable, but still, there were gains.

This also showed that his persistence and hard work were meaningful.

(End of this chapter)