Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 316 Disintegration
Last year, Steve Jobs was diagnosed with a pancreatic tumor. Fortunately, it was a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, which can be cured with timely surgery. This is the standard treatment for the disease, and surgery can significantly increase a patient's survival rate.

However, no one expected that such a person, known for his high-tech expertise and whose thinking transcended the modern civilization, would believe that surgery was not the best option, because Jobs was a devout Buddhist!

Back in the summer of 1974, Jobs went on a pilgrimage to India barefoot and naked, and he had maintained a vegetarian diet for many years. Because of this, Jobs refused the most immediate surgery, citing reasons such as "I don't allow myself to lose any part of my body, and I really don't want them to cut me open; I feel that would be a serious violation of my rights." Instead, he attempted to treat himself through diet therapy, a strict vegetarian diet, and various Eastern mystical practices, such as Indian cow dung capsules, mediums, and Chinese acupuncture and herbal remedies.

After nine months of this ordeal, Jobs underwent another checkup and discovered that not only was the cancer not cured, but the tumor in his body was growing larger and larger, and had even begun to metastasize.

Now, Jobs has finally accepted reality and is planning to have surgery. However, unlike nine months ago when only his pancreas was removed, he will also have part of his gallbladder, stomach, and small intestine removed. Undoubtedly, this surgery carries risks.

Steve Jobs said to Wu Yuchen, "Wu, I'm about to have surgery, and it's going to be very risky. I'm thinking I should sell Pixar for a good price, so that if anything unexpected happens, my family will be safe."

Moreover, for Pixar, Disney is the best choice. No company is better at marketing and operating animation than Disney.

Upon hearing Jobs' words, Wu Yuchen understood his feelings.

Although he knew that, based on the course of events in his previous life, Jobs should have successfully overcome this hurdle, he still wore a somewhat sad expression: "Steve, I didn't expect your condition to worsen so quickly. I sincerely hope you can recover your health!"

Wu Yuchen then added, "Under these circumstances, I completely understand your desire to sell Pixar. However, if you're asking me to be purely objective and professional, I suggest you wait a bit longer."

"Hmm?" Jobs waited for Wu Yuchen's explanation.

"Steve, you should know that the market for animated films has always been quite large. In my opinion, Pixar is currently the best animation studio in Hollywood, and even in the world. Even DreamWorks, which produced the blockbuster 'Shrek,' is a notch above Pixar."

So from this perspective, you really don't need to rush. Pixar can hold out for a better price; it's Disney that should be anxious.

Steve Jobs seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this.

Then, Wu Yuchen asked Jobs, "Steve, I heard that Pixar is making a new animated film, is it about Superman?"

Jobs nodded and said, "Yes, The Incredibles is almost finished and will be released at the end of the year."

"I think you should probably wait until The Incredibles is released before making a decision."

Wu Yuchen then changed the subject and asked, "May I ask about your surgery time?"

Jobs replied, "In two weeks."

Wu Yuchen continued, "If you don't want to wait until the end of the year, then wait a week for Shrek 2 to be released. It's only a week, which should give you a reference point."

Jobs smiled upon hearing this: "I think you're right, it's only a week. I'll keep an eye on Shrek 2. Thanks for your suggestion, Wu!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "It's nothing, Steve. I believe your surgery will be successful this time."

Jobs smiled, then asked curiously, "Wu, would you consider selling Miracle Pictures?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head, then asked Jobs in return, "Steve, do you believe that Apple is heading towards failure under your leadership?"

"Of course not!" Jobs replied with absolute certainty.

Wu Yuchen shrugged and said with a smile, "You see, just as you are so confident in your field, so am I. Miracle Pictures will only become more and more valuable in my hands!"

Upon hearing this, Jobs laughed heartily: "Wu, you're right, we're the same kind of guys!"

……

In early May, Spider-Man 2 arrived, raking in $1.38 million at the box office in its opening weekend, surpassing the first film. It also received numerous positive reviews from the media, especially for the design of the villain, Doctor Octopus. Of course, the protagonist remains Peter Parker, and Spider-Man once again swept the world.

A few days later, "Shrek 2," which had caught Steve Jobs' attention, was released. The animated film premiered on a Wednesday, and after grossing $20 million on Wednesday and Thursday, word-of-mouth spread, and it grossed over $100 million in its first and last three days of the week, reaching a respectable $130 million in five days. Given that animated films typically have a longer lifespan than live-action films, industry insiders predicted that this "Shrek" sequel would gross at least $700 million.

After seeing the box office performance of "Shrek 2", Jobs decided to follow Wu Yuchen's advice and suspend negotiations with Disney until the end of the year when "The Incredibles" was released and achieved success, so that he could gain more initiative and restart negotiations.

As for whether his surgery will be successful, he believes that Buddha will bless the devout believer!
Wu Yuchen is also paying attention to Jobs' surgery. After all, this is the employee who will make him a lot of money. Whether Apple can become a behemoth with a market value of over 3 trillion US dollars depends on Jobs' next few years.

Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened. On the second day after the surgery, Wu Yuchen received the news over the phone that Jobs' surgery was successful, which relieved him.

Just as Steve Jobs was undergoing surgery, Spielberg's "The Terminal" was released. Despite his reputation as a great director, the presence of Tom Cruise, the presence of Catherine Zeta-Jones, and the praise from many media outlets, it still couldn't change the fact that it only grossed $1905 million in its opening weekend.

Spielberg sighed: "I think my era may really be over."

Wu Yuchen comforted him, saying, "Steven, 'The Terminal' is an art-house film, and it will achieve good results with a long-term release."

Wu Yuchen recalls that this film, which had a production cost of 6000 million, ultimately relied on the reputation of the big director and Tom Cruise. Although its North American box office stopped at 7000 million, it was very successful overseas, eventually raising its global box office to 2 million US dollars.

Spielberg shook his head: "Wu, you don't need to comfort me. Tom and I combined only made this one opening weekend. The numbers speak for themselves. From now on, I will focus more on producing."

Spielberg sighed inwardly, realizing he was indeed falling behind the times; after all, he'd be 60 in two years. As people age, their sensitivity to new trends and market demands inevitably declines, and their creative passion is no longer what it once was. Looking at Wu Yuchen, who was not yet 30, Spielberg felt a surge of emotion again—youth is truly wonderful! He had a premonition that, at Wu Yuchen's age, the next 20 years of world cinema would belong to him!

Wu Yuchen didn't try to dissuade Spielberg from going behind the scenes to become a producer, since it wasn't his business anyway; he was just being polite for the sake of it.

Spielberg then calmly said something unsettling to Wu Yuchen: "Wu, perhaps DreamWorks is going to fall apart."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen was filled with question marks: "What?? What do you mean DreamWorks is going to close down?"

Spielberg, with his arms crossed and looking somewhat weary, said, "David Geffen is out of the game. He's reached an agreement with Universal to sell DreamWorks Records to Universal."

"Wait, can David make this decision himself?" Wu Yuchen asked.

"He can. In fact, when the three of us came together, I was in charge of the films, Katzenberg was in charge of the animations, and David Geffen was in charge of the music and records. We were quite independent, and we each had decision-making power in our respective fields. But now the record industry is in decline, and the internet has had a huge impact on the record industry. Katzenberg no longer intends to waste his energy on it, and he has chosen to retire and enjoy life."

Hearing this, Wu Yuchen also felt a little sentimental. Back then, when these three top figures from their respective fields came together to form DreamWorks, it shocked the entire Hollywood, and the major studios even joined forces to secretly suppress it.

Now, David Geffen's sale of DreamWorks Records and his departure signifies the beginning of DreamWorks' disintegration. This is exactly what the major record labels wanted to see. Geffen's departure will inevitably dampen the morale of the other two members; will they continue to persevere?

If they can't hold on, then they have no choice but to sell their assets, which is a good time for big companies to start acquiring and reaping profits.

Wu Yuchen immediately asked Spielberg, "Steve, what about you? What are your plans?"

After hearing Spielberg's frustrated remarks, Wu Yuchen had a bad feeling. He was worried that Spielberg might also sell DreamWorks.

Spielberg smiled and then said to Wu Yuchen, "Wu, to be honest, if it weren't for you and the Pirate King series, I might have considered quitting too."

Wu Yuchen breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this; Spielberg's statement meant he had no intention of selling the company.

In his previous life, DreamWorks Pictures was sold to Paramount for $16 billion in 2005. But now, thanks to the Pirate King franchise, Spielberg is reluctant to let go. After all, just one film series can recoup all the losses from other projects and still leave a surplus. It's a cash cow!

Wu Yuchen then asked, "What about Katzenberg? What was his reaction?"

Spielberg smiled and said, "With the success of Shrek 2, he's really fired up! DreamWorks Animation will be going public this year, and Katzenberg wants to have a chat with you."

Wu Yuchen looked puzzled: "You want to talk to me?"

"Yes, he wants to talk to you about a new project at DreamWorks Animation."

……

"Hey Wu! What would you like? Coffee? Tea? Or juice?" Katzenberg's bald head gleamed, and the shimmering light made Wu Yuchen feel that he was in a good mood.

"A cup of tea, thank you~ Jeffrey, I heard from Steven that you were looking for me?" Wu Yuchen got straight to the point.

Katzenberger served Wu Yuchen a cup of black tea and then said with a smile, "Yes, I want to talk to you about our new project, because it's a project full of Chinese elements, featuring Chinese mountains and rivers, scenery, and most importantly, pandas!"

Wu Yuchen immediately knew what he was talking about; it was the globally popular "Kung Fu Panda"!
The Kung Fu Panda trilogy grossed nearly $20 billion worldwide and amassed a large fan base, making it a very successful animated film series!
"Jeffrey, you want to make an animated movie with pandas as the main characters?" Wu Yuchen asked immediately.

"Bingo! Wu, I knew you'd guess it as soon as I mentioned it. You're the best director in China, I trust your judgment. Could you give us some suggestions regarding the location scouting for this animation?"

Chinese elements have been very popular in recent years, and pandas, China's national treasure, are even more popular abroad. They have truly melted the hearts of many foreigners and are a must-see for children visiting the zoo.

Therefore, DreamWorks Animation's decision to produce an animated film featuring pandas and filled with Chinese elements at this time is truly a great market choice.

However, animation cannot rely solely on imagination; it must also draw inspiration from real objects, such as landscapes. This is why Katzenberg sought advice from Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen immediately smiled and said, "Of course! China has so many beautiful sights, I can introduce them to you. No matter what style you want, you can find it in China!"

Kung Fu Panda has a positive and active role in promoting Chinese elements and culture, and Wu Yuchen is naturally happy to make it happen.

"Jeffrey, I'd love to invite you to visit China. I'll arrange a guide to take you on all the tours. And you absolutely must visit the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base—that's the pandas' home! You're sure to find a lead actor that you'll love!"

Wu Yuchen then added, "Jeffrey, do you need me to write a script for you?"

Katzenberg's face lit up with delight: "Wow! Of course I'd love to! But Wu, can you also write an animation script?"

"Hehe, don't worry, I know exactly what kids like~"

At this moment, Wu Yuchen smiled broadly. He decided to organize some promising animators in China and have them join the "Kung Fu Panda" project as consultants to learn from the masters!

(End of this chapter)