America: My Time

Chapter 107 Film Library
Chapter 107 Film Library
Upon returning home, John immediately inquired with Boeing about how long it would take to receive his private jet. Despite the holiday season, Boeing responded promptly to a customer like John.

As Smith said, Boeing does have the aircraft on hand. If it is modified according to John's requirements, it will take at least two months. The interior decoration is not difficult, and John's requirements are not high. However, safety performance and the installation of defense systems will take time. Due to the general situation, Boeing is willing to speed up the modification process.

John believes Boeing made this decision because it knew that Boeing was acquiring Executive Jet Airways and intended to enter the aviation industry, hoping to get more orders from him. An airline cannot order only Gulfstream private jets; it will inevitably need some regional jets.

John didn't care what Boeing thought. As long as Boeing was willing to speed up the modification process, nothing else mattered. If he wanted to get involved in the aviation industry, he would inevitably have to deal with Boeing. This was unavoidable. As long as he participated in the acquisition of a major airline, he would definitely need large mainline aircraft. Being in the United States, it was impossible to avoid local companies like Boeing. This was an unspoken rule!
With Christmas approaching, John didn't forget Naoko, who was far away in Japan, and Cherie Chung and Sally Yeh, who were in Hong Kong. He prepared a top-quality jewelry gift for them and arranged for it to be delivered in advance. John also prepared a gift for his family members.

Although John was very annoyed by this family meeting, he did not blame his grandparents because of it. Even as the head of the family, many things could not be decided by his grandfather alone. Family meetings were caused by a combination of forces, and he would not completely break with the family, but simply not participate in the family's struggle for interests.

John really went all out this time, ordering jewelry specially from Van Cleef & Arpels, and all of them were exquisite pieces. He also brought Max Factor cosmetics, since no woman doesn't love beauty, and such a gift was perfect.

"John, have you thought about what will happen next? You won't get any help from the family anymore, and when you give up your position as heir, the family won't invest any resources in you."

"I've thought about it. If I had the help of my family, things might go more smoothly, and they could provide some assistance with talent. But overall, it wouldn't have a big impact. I've never thought about relying on my family's power. I have the ability to build my own business, and the talent problem isn't difficult to solve. Isn't that what headhunting companies do? As long as you provide enough cash, there's no talent problem that can't be solved. I don't lack that kind of funding now!"

John is no longer like he was at the beginning, with little money at his disposal. As long as he has money, headhunting firms can naturally meet his talent needs; that's what they do.

"Have you thought about long-term development? It's time for your struggle with Warner to stop. Although Legendary Entertainment's overall strength has surpassed Warner's, there's no need for you to have a blood feud with them. Warner doesn't belong to Steve Ross alone!"

"Heh, it seems Warner Bros. can't withstand the pressure. They want to get rid of Steve Ross. But they started this fight, and it's not something they can just end as they please. Otherwise, anyone would dare to step on my foot. They can end it if they want, but they'll have to pay the price. Otherwise, we'll continue. I believe that Legendary Entertainment will be the one to hold on to the end. Most importantly, I don't trust these bastards at all."

"You're just young and impetuous. Warner's reputation has already been damaged, and Atari is on the verge of bankruptcy. Overall, Warner has suffered a huge loss, while you haven't lost much. There's no need to be so petty with them. If Legendary Entertainment becomes too powerful, it will be a threat to other media giants and will also affect Legendary Entertainment's development."

John had considered and understood this situation, but Warner couldn't do nothing; it would only make others think that Legendary Entertainment was easy to bully, and that they themselves were easy to bully.

“Okay, I agree to a settlement, but they need to show some attitude. Asking them to apologize to Legend Entertainment would be putting them in a difficult position. This matter can't be resolved with just a few words. Both Legend Entertainment and I need to show some attitude. If they really want a settlement, they should send someone to negotiate with me. If they are sincere about settling down, I believe they will make the right choice!”

"It's good that you think that way. As for how to decide, that's up to you. I'm just reminding you not to be overly aggressive. Legendary Entertainment hasn't really established itself yet. You need time to consolidate your position, instead of fighting Warner to the death over a momentary moment of pride. Warner is also a giant."

"I know and understand that it's precisely because Warner is also a giant that I dare not give up easily. If they are given a chance to breathe, it could have a significant impact on Legendary Entertainment." "A confrontation between industry giants is inevitable. However, Legendary Entertainment needs time to integrate itself and develop steadily. If you haven't even resolved your internal issues before rashly engaging in a major battle with a giant like Warner, what do you think the other giants will think, and how they will react? If this confrontation drags on too long, it will only give other industry giants an opportunity, which is not good for either Legendary Entertainment or Warner!"

Hollywood today hopes to see Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. fight to the death, ideally resulting in mutual destruction. These guys haven't made a move yet, but once they see an opportunity, they will definitely not hold back.

"Let's see how Warner reacts first. They started this fight, and they need to back down first if they want to reconcile. Legendary Entertainment can't give up so easily!"

While John was also worried about sabotage from other Hollywood giants, this couldn't be a reason for Legendary Entertainment to back down. If Warner Bros. was truly willing to reconcile, this might be an opportunity for Phoenix Media to expand into the US market and improve itself.

"Perhaps I should contact MGM and see if Phoenix Media could acquire it. If we can complete the acquisition, Phoenix Media will have a comprehensive layout in the film industry, instead of just staying in Asia. If Phoenix Media can set foot in the US entertainment industry, the pressure on Legendary Entertainment will be much less."

“John, your idea won’t work. Such an acquisition is impossible to succeed. Hollywood will not allow it, and MGM may not agree either. Even if they do agree, you will have to pay a huge price, which is not worth it.”

"Things shouldn't be that difficult. Other Hollywood giants can't decide MGM's fate. Acquiring MGM is certainly difficult, but it's not insurmountable. MGM's owner, Kerkorian, never genuinely wanted to develop MGM Studios. He just used MGM's reputation to boost his real estate investments. Now, MGM is practically an empty shell. Everything that could be sold has been sold. If MGM still has anything valuable, it's only its own film library and United Artists, which it acquired not long ago. It has long lost its giant status."

"Even if MGM is weak, it still holds the title of a Hollywood giant. Nobody wants to see you control two of Hollywood's biggest players. Even if you want to use Phoenix Media as the parent company for the acquisition, it won't work. Give up; now is not the time to acquire it! You'd be better off focusing on developing Legendary Entertainment and getting it established. Right now, Legendary Entertainment is all bark and no bite. As for Phoenix Media, it's even worse; they don't have the right people at all. Taking over MGM now will only waste your time and money and won't bring you any benefits!"

John nodded slightly. At present, neither Legendary Entertainment nor Phoenix Group has absolute power, and he had indeed been making some assumptions.

"Phoenix Group is indeed not in a good position to acquire MGM right now, but I have enough time to wait. Perhaps when the time comes, I won't need MGM anymore, but I can find a way to acquire MGM's film library!"

Unable to acquire MGM, John turned his attention to MGM's film library, which was crucial for developing the rental market. Having the combined libraries of MGM and United Artists would eliminate concerns about a lack of films to rent and allow for a rapid expansion into the rental market. Although MGM's sale of its library wouldn't take several more years, John didn't want to wait any longer; acquiring it sooner would provide peace of mind.

Although the acquisition of Universal and the availability of Universal's film library are significant, Universal's film library alone is far from sufficient for the entire film rental market. If the film libraries of MGM and United Artists could be acquired, the problem would no longer exist.

John knew exactly who Kecorian was. This guy would sell anything, including MGM and United Artists' film libraries, as long as a 'reasonable' price was offered, nothing was a problem.

(End of this chapter)