America: My Time

Chapter 108 Plan
Chapter 108 The Plan
It's virtually impossible for Legendary Entertainment to acquire the film libraries of MGM and United Artists. No matter how little Kecorian values ​​MGM's development, he wouldn't agree to it, as it would be aiding the enemy. If they alerted the enemy, it would be difficult to acquire them later. It would be better to have the Phoenix Group of Japan handle it, but that would require transferring Legendary Entertainment's portion of the company to Phoenix Group.

There shouldn't be any major problems with this deal; it's just a transfer from one hand to the other. However, John felt he needed to discuss it with Robert Iger, since Robert Iger was the CEO of Legendary Entertainment, and even though he was the boss, he had to respect Robert Iger's opinion.

"Boss, are you planning to spin off the newly established retail business from Legendary Entertainment and let Phoenix Group take over? Is that necessary? We're not in a monopoly situation yet, and we haven't violated any laws in that regard!"

"It's necessary because I want to acquire MGM and United Artists' film libraries from Kirkkorian. If we were to acquire them under Legendary Entertainment's name, no matter how high the price, they wouldn't sell. Phoenix Group doesn't have this problem. You know that there's nothing MGM wouldn't sell to Kirkkorian! With MGM and United Artists' film libraries, plus Universal's, retail leasing can start smoothly. At this stage, Legendary Entertainment can't devote too much energy to developing in this direction. We need to relaunch Universal and develop intellectual property. Phoenix Group's current task is to increase the development of retail leasing, as well as the acquisition and expansion of cinemas."

“If that’s the case, I have no problem. Legendary Entertainment can’t spare much energy for retail right now. It’s just that it’s not easy for Phoenix Group to establish itself in Hollywood unless it can acquire one of the Big Seven, which is difficult at the moment. Boss, your fame is too great. If you make a move now, it will be easy for people to notice.”

"Yes, I know that too, but it's nothing. I have time to wait, but retail rentals can't wait. It's related to the development of our peripheral plans. Since Legendary Entertainment doesn't have the energy, we'll hand it over to Phoenix Group. We need to put a lot of effort into developing peripheral products, and the rental market is one of them."

"That's good, at least it can alleviate the pressure on Legendary Entertainment and reduce its own financial consumption. However, you need to be cautious about Phoenix Group's foray into Hollywood. Hollywood giants don't want to see this happen, and they won't turn a blind eye!"

"I've thought about Phoenix Media's situation. If Phoenix Media wants to continue developing, it will inevitably need to enter Hollywood. There's a perfect opportunity right now. Phoenix Media is centered around comics, so we can start with animation and comics. Warner Bros. is willing to reconcile with us, and whether they're sincere or not, they'll have to pay a price this time. Phoenix Media can use this opportunity to acquire DC Comics, thus gaining access to Hollywood. However, at this stage, Phoenix Media will not be involved in live-action film production in the US, at least not for the next two or three years. We need to focus all our efforts on developing cinemas and retail leasing, increasing our presence in downstream industries, and complementing Legendary Entertainment!"

"This plan is feasible. As long as Phoenix Group can control a cinema chain, it will play a huge role in the development of Universal Pictures and can alleviate the pressure on Legendary Entertainment. Legendary Entertainment cannot be too aggressive now, as that would make other industry giants uneasy. Handing over the retail business to Phoenix Group is the most appropriate option!"

“Alright, since you have no questions, I will inform Matsumoto and have him arrange for the establishment of Phoenix Group in the United States and prepare for expansion. Phoenix Group must invest heavily in cinema chains, not only in North America, but also in Europe and South America. In the future, Phoenix Group will form its own cinema chain group globally.”

John paused for a moment, then continued, "Phoenix Media's animation is on track, and taking over DC Comics would be a huge step forward. What about Legendary Entertainment's animation? Animation is just as important to Legendary Entertainment, no less so than Universal Pictures. We need to invest heavily in developing talent in animation!"

"Legendary Animation has completed its initial integration. The film and animation production are finished. The animation will still be based in the United States, with Taiwan playing a supporting role. After all, we are aiming for global promotion, and Taiwan is not a suitable place!"

Hearing this, John nodded slightly, agreeing that it made sense. If it was for global promotion, it was indeed inappropriate to have all the animation production done in Taiwan, as there was a difference in their philosophies!

"Sure, you're the CEO of Legendary Entertainment, so you can make all the decisions. I have no problem with that. But there's one thing: we need to increase our investment in animation. We need to produce those IPs quickly and release them in the global market to increase Legendary Entertainment's IP and revenue. Legendary Entertainment is heavily indebted and needs to significantly increase revenue!"

John never considered cutting costs in any aspect of Legendary Entertainment to reduce its burden; his goal was to increase revenue. Only by significantly increasing revenue could Legendary Entertainment's development be guaranteed. Cost-cutting was not an option; Legendary Entertainment not only shouldn't cut costs, but it should invest heavily in itself. Only in this way could it have sufficient repayment capacity!

After communicating with Robert Iger, John then contacted Taro Matsumoto of Phoenix Comics. Matsumoto was delighted with Phoenix Entertainment's ambition to expand into the US and Hollywood. While Phoenix Comics and animation were thriving, further expansion required a foothold in the US. Hearing about the potential acquisition of DC Comics filled Matsumoto with immense excitement! Where would the funding come from? Naturally, a loan from a Japanese bank. This wasn't difficult for Phoenix Comics, and as it represented outward expansion, it would significantly strengthen the group; the Japanese bank would certainly not refuse. Even without John's involvement, there wouldn't be any problems; Phoenix Comics had already undergone a qualitative transformation!
John's parents were disapproving of him thinking about work even on holidays, feeling it was bad for his mental and physical health. Smith said, "John, you need to learn to relax. Don't put all your energy into work. Even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about how others feel. Do you think it's good to talk about work on holidays?"

“I also want to relax, but time doesn’t allow it. We need to make arrangements between Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Group because the changes at Warner have caused problems with the original plan, so we have to make changes! Is there any news from Grandpa? Has the winery acquisition been completed?” At this moment, John suddenly thought of the two wineries he was going to acquire!
"The acquisition is complete. The two wineries cost less than 30 million in total!"

"So cheap?" John was greatly surprised when he heard the price; it was far from what he had expected!

"Cheap? Not cheap at all, this is already a premium!" The mother gave John a disapproving look!
John thought about it for a moment and immediately understood the reason for the problem. The US dollar was very strong at the moment, and the winery acquisition prices he knew were for more than ten years from now, so there would naturally be a huge difference.

"You need to settle down and not scatter your energy too much. A person's energy is limited, so don't make endless investments. Now you need to focus on yourself and consolidate your previous investments."

"I've already made arrangements. Yongyuan Group is in the clothing and cosmetics business, targeting the luxury market. It's not the time to expand the winery now, and I don't have much spare cash, so I'll leave it for now. Legendary Entertainment, Phoenix Group, Dream World, and Nvidia all have professional managers handling them, so I just need to keep an eye on the big picture. As for Chengxin Bank, needless to say, we can just develop it steadily."

"John, are you really going to enter the mechanical manufacturing industry?"

"We must participate in the automotive industry. As for aircraft manufacturing, it depends on the situation, but we definitely won't stay in the US. Privatization in Britain is progressing rapidly, and acquiring a car brand like Bentley is the most suitable option. We need to understand the automotive manufacturing industry first before preparing for expansion. How can we expand if we don't understand anything? Although the automotive industry is currently in a slump, this situation won't last long. Everything will improve once the economy recovers. I am very optimistic about the development of the automotive industry. In my opinion, as long as we don't manufacture in the US, everything will be fine."

"Alright, just keep that in mind. Don't invest blindly. You already have too many companies under your control, and they're all in a mess. If your cash flow runs into trouble, the consequences will be unimaginable."

“I know, I’ve always handled this issue carefully, making sure the company doesn’t bear too much debt, and all loans go through Japanese banks, not those local bloodsuckers, so they don’t have a chance to take advantage of me!”

"You can't completely trust Japanese banks either; you should also be careful."

“I understand, which is why my loans aren’t with any one bank. However, Japanese banks won’t do anything to harm me in the short term; they need me. Some people in Japan need the media power I have, after all, there are serious issues with trade between Japan and the United States!”

(End of this chapter)