Simon decided not to leave with any ladies tonight, as he planned to return to the DuMei Cape Estate and spend the weekend with his family.
After watching the catfight for a while, Simon changed the topic and told Jasmine and Nadja, "Consider setting up a charity fund carefully. Remember, stay away from politics; you can't handle it. Environmental causes can be thankless, so avoid them. Healthcare is challenging to see tangible results, so skip that too. It's best to focus on education, help underprivileged children, and donate to build schools. These are visible and tangible achievements. Also, take this seriously as a long-term endeavor. Don't think about speculation or excessive publicity. Over time, you'll see the benefits."
Jasmine Gere teased, "You're so bossy, Simon. You say we should consider it, but you've already made all the decisions."
Simon gently stroked her slender waist and brought up a topic the two women were more interested in, "As for funding, I'll give you $1 million initially. If you do well, there will be more; if you mess it up, there won't be any more funding."
Nadja Orman asked meaningfully, "Simon, will there always be more funding if we do well?"
Simon understood the implication. Their initial arrangement was only for a year, and due to recent scandals, the two women had been labeled as Westeros' lovers by the media, a label they couldn't shake off anytime soon. However, both Simon and the two women knew that this relationship couldn't last forever. Once they left Simon, there seemed to be no reason for him to continue supporting their charity fund. Yet, Simon firmly nodded and said, "Of course, as long as you do a good job, you will always have financial support from the Westeros system, no matter what happens in the future."
The public often views charity as a tax dodge, but the highest form of charity is using one's financial power to subtly influence society. This is a form of indirect power. The Rockefeller family, for example, maintained its prestige for six generations largely due to the pervasive influence of the Rockefeller Foundation. Considering all aspects, the Westeros system plans to increase its investment in charity. However, to achieve a subtle influence, the best charitable model should also be diversified, subtly permeating various aspects of the world through countless types of foundations.
The charity fund that Simon planned for Jasmine and Nadja to establish, primarily focused on education, was part of this strategy. If managed well, the two women could gain social recognition through this fund. However, ultimately, this charity fund was still part of the Westeros system's layout in the charitable domain.
Simon had already chosen the first charitable project for their fund: renovating school buildings in underprivileged communities in Wisconsin, with the project planned for later this year. The credit for this charitable project would be strategically placed on the Republican Senate candidate Robert Hotwell, supported by the Westeros system, to garner more votes from the social base of Hotwell's competitor, Craig Ames.
Thus, even if the two women were no longer Simon's lovers in the future, as long as the direction of the charity fund they managed aligned with the interests of the Westeros system, they would continue to receive financial support.
Simon did not respond to Cindy's flirtation, leaving her somewhat disappointed but determined to stay nearby. She suspected Nadja Orman of speaking ill of her to Simon. Listening to Simon discuss the charity fund with the two women, Cindy couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. This guy was nurturing his two beauties in every way possible. When the scandal broke, Westeros not only didn't deny it but even used a private jet to help the women escape the spotlight. During this period, with the Westeros system's media management, the two women hadn't suffered much damage to their reputations or careers. A powerful and wealthy man like this, willing to take responsibility, would make many women flock to him, even if it meant being just his lover.
As Cindy sulkily thought about this, she stubbornly stayed on the sofa, ignoring the disdainful glances from the two beauties beside Simon.
Soon after, Simon left the party without the two women, somewhat comforting Cindy, who also failed to get his attention.
The weekend passed, and it was June 13.
Monday.
Daenerys Entertainment announced the official date for its stock listing, set for July 1. At the same time, Daenerys Entertainment, along with two major underwriters, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, launched a global roadshow for the pre-listing stock trade.
Usually, once a company formally submits its IPO prospectus, it must enter a quiet period where it cannot release any information that could intentionally or unintentionally affect the stock price. Daenerys Entertainment had adhered strictly to the quiet period rules in recent months. However, the ongoing success of the online social game "Happy Farm," the rapidly rising boy band Backstreet Boys under Daenerys Records, and the box office hits like "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," and "Stargate" had all shown Daenerys Entertainment's thriving state.
Consequently, many industry media and investment analysts predicted that Daenerys Entertainment could set a new valuation record for U.S. listed companies on its debut.
On another front, as the new week began, rumors in traditional media circles suggested that Simon Westeros personally set a price cap for some assets Hearst Group intended to sell. The Westeros system didn't prevent other companies from acquiring Hearst's assets, but any purchase above Simon's set price would be considered antagonistic towards the Westeros system.
The approximate price list was soon leaked.
The 13 newspapers and magazines Hearst wanted to sell, which were worth no less than $500 million before the scandal, were now greatly devalued. The price Simon set was just 30% of their original value, totaling only about $150 million, practically slashing the price at the ankles.
Hearst had already expected to sell at a low price due to the scandal, willing to accept half the original value because of the urgent need for cash. However, Simon's stance forced Hearst to abandon the sale. Selling at a 70% discount, turning $500 million worth of assets into $150 million, was simply too painful.
This move by Simon made Hearst realize that their core issue was the young man himself, prompting them to seek further negotiations. However, after their last offer, Simon showed no signs of backing down.
Amidst the chaos, another week of summer box office came to an end.
On June 10, two new films were released in North American theaters: Disney's military comedy "In the Army Now" and Paramount's children's comedy "Little Giants." The former, directed by Penny Marshall of "Big" fame, tells the story of an unemployed ad executive teaching English to soldiers, similar in tone to Disney's hit "Good Morning, Vietnam." Paramount's "Little Giants" was another attempt to capitalize on the success of "Home Alone."
June 10 to June 16.
Unsurprisingly, "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" topped the box office chart for the second week. In its second week, the film dropped 49%, earning $65.09 million. In two weeks, the DC superhero blockbuster had grossed $192.72 million in North America, just $7.28 million shy of the $200 million milestone, which it was expected to surpass on its third week.
The film's international box office also started to roll in. Despite not being released in major markets like Japan, France, and Germany, "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" grossed approximately $270 million in 27 other countries and regions in two weeks. In its first half-month, the film had a global box office of $470 million.
With DC's growing success, Warner Bros. had secured higher revenue shares with domestic and international theaters. In the U.S., "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" had a revenue share of around 65%, ten points higher than the Hollywood average. Although international revenue shares varied, they also increased significantly. Despite the film's total production and marketing costs of $215 million, its two-week box office revenue of $470 million had already covered all costs and started generating profit.
With the expanding Eastern European and Asian markets, industry analysts and media were optimistic that "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" would surpass the $1 billion global box office milestone.
Previously, the highest-grossing film in North American history was "Jurassic Park," with a global box office of $980 million, followed by "Batman Begins" with $960 million. Both films came close to the $1 billion milestone but never crossed it. This proximity, coupled with the growing global markets and the natural growth of the film industry, made "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" a likely candidate to break the $1 billion barrier.
Daenerys Entertainment's comprehensive saturation release strategy for blockbuster films had significantly freed up market space for other films in their second week, giving Disney and Paramount confidence to release two major new films on June 10. However, even as "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" dropped almost 50% in its second week, the new releases "In the Army Now" and "Little Giants" underperformed.
As a result, the second-place film for the week ending June 16 was "Speed," in its fourth week. Starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, this action blockbuster grossed $9.69 million, a 25% decline from the previous week. With a total gross of $80.18 million after four weeks, "Speed" was on track to join the $100 million club and possibly surpass that milestone.
Disney's "In the Army Now" managed to secure the third spot, grossing $8.2 million in its opening week. However, with a per-theater
average of only $4,654, the film seemed destined for a short four-week run. "Little Giants" took fourth place with a $7.12 million opening, grossing an even lower per-theater average of $3,641.
Michael Bay's "Stargate" ranked fifth, grossing $6.02 million, a 35% decline from the previous week, bringing its total to $96.56 million, nearing the $100 million mark.
Outside the top five, the most disappointing performer was Mel Gibson's "Maverick." While "Speed" maintained its 2,869-screen presence in its fourth week despite being released concurrently, "Maverick," due to its underwhelming performance, saw its screen count drop from 1,969 in its third week to 1,326 in its fourth week. This led to another 53% drop in box office revenue, down to just $3.19 million for the week. As a result, major North American theaters removed "Maverick" from their schedules, ending its run with a final gross of $46.99 million. Even with potential additional revenue from smaller theaters, the overall picture looked bleak. This $105 million blockbuster's failure significantly impacted Warner Bros., causing turmoil within the company's management.
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