Chapter 393 |
The next day.
I met Michael Müller, the president of Universal Pictures. He was a German-American in his 50s who had rushed to the hotel to meet me.
We shook hands warmly.
"Thank you for coming, CEO Kang Jin-hoo."
"No, thank you for inviting me."
No matter what anyone said, Hollywood was the center of the global film industry, home to countless movie studios.
Universal Pictures was a giant, one of the top five studios in Hollywood. That’s how they could produce blockbusters with budgets in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
But even a company like Universal was no more than a small to medium-sized enterprise compared to OTK Company.
"I enjoyed the movie. It looks like it will do very well at the box office," I said.
"Absolutely. We've had several blind screenings, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Considering its entertainment value, artistic merit, and buzz, we expect it to generate the highest revenue in history."
As the term Homo Ludens (Man the Player) suggests, humans always seek play and fun. As economies grow, spending on culture and leisure inevitably increases.
Indeed, the global cultural industry was expanding daily, generating immense added value. A globally successful film could gross over a billion dollars.
Making one successful movie could earn hundreds of millions of dollars!
Of course, not every project succeeds, and a flop means you don't even recoup your investment.
Take, for example, a film set during the Japanese colonial era released in Korea this year. Despite all sorts of patriotic marketing, it bombed spectacularly due to controversies surrounding historical figures, an implausible script, anachronistic direction, and wooden acting, inflicting significant losses on both the production and distribution companies.
It failed so spectacularly that it became synonymous with a box office bomb. It gained notoriety for being a flop, to the point where everyone knew the title even if no one had actually seen the movie.
Of course, 'The Big One' wouldn't end up like that. Judging by President Müller's expression, he seemed to be internally expecting at least $1.5 billion.
"The growth of the film industry has been formidable recently," I remarked.
"Production costs have also risen significantly, and competition has become fierce," he replied.
Amidst this intense competition, mergers and acquisitions were rampant. The most aggressive player in this arena was The Walt Disney Company.
Starting with the acquisition of Pixar, they went on to acquire Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm in succession. More recently, they successfully acquired Fox's film and TV divisions.
The acquisition was so significant it sparked antitrust concerns. However, the U.S. Department of Justice approved the merger, and Fox ultimately fell into Disney's fold.
Other studios couldn't help but feel nervous.
"We have high expectations for Infotainment, led by CarOS."
Like other studios, Universal Pictures was also paying close attention to the Infotainment market, which was opening up thanks to autonomous driving technology.
Freed from driving, cars were now transforming into the best leisure spaces. Moreover, electric cars had less vibration than internal combustion engine vehicles.
This meant people could comfortably watch movies and various content while on the move. Tobey and Gerard had wanted to offer in-car pornography services, but unfortunately, that was impossible.
Instead, FaceIt, leveraging the algorithms it had developed through its pornography services, partnered with CarOS to enter the Infotainment industry.
To this end, the two companies joined forces to create a company called 'Lets,' an OTT service pre-installed on CarOS's OS.
The home OTT market had long been dominated by Netplay. Netplay had secured 150 million subscribers worldwide and was using its profits to produce and release a flood of original content.
Netplay had also been eyeing Infotainment for some time, but in this particular market, it was a fight worth having.
For one, we were the ones making the cars. And Hollywood studios, including Disney and Universal, had partnered with Lets. Content providers preferred a competitive landscape with various platforms rather than a monopoly by one company.
President Müller spoke cautiously.
"Universal Pictures would like to adapt Lost Fantasy into a film."
The current trend was One Source Multi-Use (OSMU).
Film production companies competed fiercely to secure rights to good source material – novels, comics, games, and so on.
Lost Fantasy was currently the most popular MMORPG. With its captivating world and story, many studios were eager to make it into a movie.
However, a great original story didn't guarantee a successful film adaptation. How many live-action adaptations had failed miserably?
Universal Pictures had a history of botching the film adaptation of 'Legend of War,' an MMORPG by IceStorm.
By trying to cram the game's vast world and extensive lore into a single film, it ended up being neither here nor there. Thanks to its box office success in the Chinese market, it barely broke even, but the planned sequel was scrapped.
Neither President Ichikawa nor Taekgyu would want Lost Fantasy to suffer the same fate. If it was going to be made, it had to be made well. If it couldn't be made well, it was better not to make it at all.
"The cultural industry isn't under my authority. It would be best to discuss that with the Vice President when you visit Korea later."
***
The movie premiere was just a sideshow; the real business was about to begin.
I headed to L.A. with Professor Mohan, where President Ronald's speech was scheduled. Professor Mohan looked somewhat disgruntled.
"What's wrong?"
"As I've said before, I'm a die-hard Democrat supporter."
"Really? I thought everyone knew you as a Republican supporter by now."
Professor Mohan heaved a long sigh.
"That's precisely the problem. Not just me, but my family, my ancestors – they all supported the Democratic Party. Does it make sense for me to support a Republican president?"
Despite his words, he was likely supporting Ronald because of what happened during the 'Big One'.
I smiled.
"Just support him this once, and you can go back to supporting the Democrats from the next president onwards."
Los Angeles is the largest city not only in California but also on the West Coast of the United States. It was also a region where Diane had received an overwhelming majority of votes in the last presidential election.
Well, that was true for most cities in California.
Nevertheless, tens of thousands of Ronald supporters had already gathered at the speech venue. We took our designated seats.
First Lady Veronica Stamper, a Czech-born model who still exuded beauty in her middle age, stepped onto the podium overlooking tens of thousands of people and took the microphone.
Veronica Stamper spoke for about ten minutes about how family-oriented and passionate her husband was, and then announced Ronald's arrival.
"My husband, and the President of the United States, Ronald Stamper!"
The supporters erupted in applause and cheers.
"Ronald! Ronald!"
Ronald walked onto the stage, waving both hands as if responding to the cheers, much like a professional wrestler entering an arena.
Taking the microphone, Ronald began his speech. He started by criticizing the Democratic Party and the media.
"What has the Democratic Party actually done? They've only raised taxes and wasted them on useless things. And the media? If there were even one or two empty seats here, CNN and The New York Times would immediately run a breaking news story saying, 'Ronald couldn't even fill the venue.'"
At his words, the supporters directed loud boos towards the press covering the event.
Ronald then emphasized the economy.
"The American economy is the envy of the world. In recent years, the United States has achieved the greatest economic performance in its history. Since becoming president, I have created numerous jobs and led tax cuts and deregulation. Even now, sitting at my desk in the Oval Office, I constantly think about how to deliver victory to the American people."
The self-praise continued endlessly. The highlight, of course, was about the 'Big One'.
"When I said we needed to prepare for the 'Big One,' everyone called me crazy. But I didn't waver despite countless criticisms. What would have happened if we had listened to the Democrats? I would like to introduce two people here whom you all know."
It was finally our turn. As Professor Mohan and I walked onto the stage, a thunderous applause and roar erupted.
People chanted our names in unison.
"Kang Jin-hoo! Kang Jin-hoo!"
"Mohan! Mohan!"
Ronald, with his characteristic exaggerated gestures, pulled us into a tight embrace for all to see. I took the microphone and spoke.
"I am Kang Jin-hoo, CEO of OTK Company. Thank you so much for this warm welcome. Honestly, just standing here with President Ronald is an honor beyond words for me. President Ronald showed me what conviction and decisiveness mean in dealing with the unprecedented disaster of the 'Big One.' I want to express my sincere respect to the American people who produced such a great president. I believe America's great victories are all thanks to its great people."
As rehearsed, I spoke about Ronald's actions and greatness at the time. I wondered if I had to go this far, but we were already in the same boat, so I had no choice.
After my remarks, Professor Mohan took the microphone and spoke. He stated that President Ronald's correct response had minimized the damage.
There was one reason for giving such a speech here.
Ronald raised a finger and said:
"We must make America great. We will keep America greater than ever before. From this moment, as President of the United States, I officially declare the start of my re-election campaign. Keep America Great!"
***
[President Ronald Announces Re-election Bid!]
[Strongly Criticizes Democrats and Media at Re-election Rally Kick-off]
[OTK Company CEO Kang Jin-hoo Endorses President Ronald in Support Speech!]
[Keep America Great!]
[Supporters Cheer Enthusiastically!]
The Democratic Party was also set to begin its primary race in earnest at the end ofthe month, starting with a televised debate among 20 candidates. However, people showed little interest in who would become the nominee.
Even within the Democratic leadership, there was a sense of giving up on this election. Perhaps because they considered it a lost cause, the Democratic primary was not very competitive. Prominent politicians announced one after another that they would not run. The strategy was to skip this election and focus on the next one.
In truth, his re-election victory was pretty much in the bag. Nevertheless, the reason for holding such a grand kick-off rally was to achieve an overwhelming victory that no president had ever achieved.
Ronald's current approval rating was at least 70 percent, reaching nearly 80 percent at its peak. The reason, of course, was his successful handling of the unprecedented disaster known as the 'Big One'.
Added to this was the incumbency advantage. Indeed, cases of an incumbent president failing to win re-election were few and far between.
Moreover, the U.S. economy was currently booming. The Dow Jones, Nasdaq, and S&P were all hitting record highs, and the unemployment rate was at its lowest. Many companies were even experiencing labor shortages.
Wages were continually rising, and despite the boom, inflation remained stable.
This was due to the growth of new industries leading the future and a construction boom driven by urban reconstruction. Experts were optimistic about the U.S. economy, stating that it was experiencing the biggest boom since World War II.
Of course, Ronald was not without his problems. Personally, issues like sex scandals, the Russia scandal, and tax evasion remained unresolved. The U.S. also faced problems such as environmental issues, the wealth gap, and friction with allied nations. The illegal immigration issue, which he had pledged to solve during the last election, had only worsened instead of being resolved.
Unlike other countries struggling to escape the swamp of low growth, the U.S. economy alone was enjoying a unique boom. Consequently, many people from South American countries like Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Venezuela, which were suffering from economic recession and political instability, left their homelands and migrated.
As if heading west to pan for gold during the Gold Rush, people formed groups, and their numbers grew so large that the media eventually began calling them 'Caravans,' after the groups that used to cross deserts on camels.
Their final destination was, of course, the United States, but they were blocked by a massive wall. The U.S. border checkpoints with Mexico were virtually paralyzed by the influx of immigrants.
Ronald pressured Mexico to come up with measures to stop the inflow of illegal immigrants, but Mexico was equally clueless.
If anything, Mexico was incurring enormous expenses managing the immigrants who were stuck there, unable to enter the U.S.
However, this illegal immigration problem was, in a way, proof of how good the U.S. economy was.
Barring any extreme unforeseen events, the path to re-election was a flower-strewn road. All he had to do was gently tread on the petals and walk comfortably.