America: My Time

Chapter 399 Columbia's Dilemma

Chapter 399 Colombia's Dilemma
"John, how do you think Columbia Pictures can turn around its current unfavorable situation? To be honest, so much time has passed, and the internal situation of Columbia Pictures has not only not improved, but has continued to deteriorate, which is giving me a real headache!" At this moment, Akio Morita finally asked John about Columbia Pictures again, and now he no longer felt the joy he had felt after successfully acquiring Columbia Pictures.

John smiled wryly, "I have no choice now. If you had chosen to purge Columbia Pictures' top management from the beginning, although there would have been some temporary chaos, everything would have been under your control. Now, I'm afraid that's not the case at all. The best option is to cut Columbia Pictures' projects, preferably all the big ones, and start with small and medium-sized films. However, this will affect Sony's reputation, and I'm afraid you won't agree to that either!"

What caused Columbia Pictures' current situation? With the wisdom of the old fox Akio Morita, how could he not see through it? But even if he did see through it, it wouldn't matter. Columbia Pictures is nominally owned by Sony, but it is very difficult for Sony to take control of Columbia Pictures. There are many obstacles, unless there is a purge, but the consequences of that would be too serious. Reducing Columbia Pictures' projects is also impossible, which has led to the current situation.

"John, isn't there any other way?" Akio Morita asked, still somewhat unwilling to give up. In his view, John, as a Hollywood mogul who controlled Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures, couldn't possibly be without a solution. It was just that John was unwilling to say it, since it was an internal Hollywood matter.

"It's not impossible, but it's hard to say whether Mr. Morita can accept it. Since the film industry has problems, let's put it aside for now and focus all our energy on records, using the revenue from records to offset the film industry's expenses. However, this still requires you to change the film industry. Since Columbia Pictures' projects cannot be reduced, then we need to make a change to the projects. Either only make blockbusters and give up investing in small and medium-sized films, concentrating our energy on a few projects. As long as one or two films are successful, Columbia Pictures itself will not be under too much pressure. Or we can invest in small and medium-sized films. A failure of a blockbuster is a disaster for everyone, from producers to directors to actors. Once is okay, but if it happens one after another, it will be a big problem. If Columbia Pictures doesn't have a single successful film all year, then the higher-ups have no reason to exist. The same goes for small and medium-sized films. No one can afford to fail one after another. Only change can provide a way out, provided that you can withstand the losses in the first year and take this opportunity to carry out a major purge!"

Is John's plan good? It is indeed very good, but its execution will not be easy. It will inevitably face opposition from Columbia Pictures, requiring Sony to make a firm decision and face all kinds of pressure. Of course, even if it does so and completes the purge of Columbia Pictures, Columbia Pictures will be severely damaged and will need a long time to recover. However, the advantage is that Columbia Pictures will be under Sony's control.

With Sony, unfamiliar with Hollywood, taking the helm of Columbia Pictures, the outcome was predictable. So, while John's proposal seemed to solve the problem, it also had many hidden dangers. This is the consequence of Sony's failure to make full preparations before entering the game, and this time Sony may even have to pay a greater price.

Akio Morita shook his head and said, "It's impossible. Sony can't make such a change. If they did, Columbia Pictures would be thrown into chaos and unable to recover in a short time, unable to provide support to Sony. It seems we can only follow your suggestion and take control of Columbia Records to alleviate the pressure on Sony itself as much as possible!"

John was not surprised by Akio Morita's choice; it was expected. If Sony still had Akio Morita, and was willing to make a tough decision and bear the enormous pressure, they should have done so when they partnered with Morgan to acquire Columbia Pictures. Now, with so many problems, it was even less likely that they would make such a decision.

At this point, John shrugged and said, "Well, there's nothing I can do about that. After all, many things require Sony's cooperation. Otherwise, even the best plan can't be implemented. Sony has its concerns, which I understand. But I think you should prepare early. Unrestricted power will only make those guys crazier."

Akio Morita knew this, but he couldn't change it now. The sacrifices were too great, the impact too great, and most importantly, this was a special time, which made him have too many concerns. This wasn't just Sony's problem; it was related to the entire Japanese industry. If Sony's actions affected all Japanese companies, the consequences would be unbearable for Akio Morita. Sony would be attacked by others.

John was well aware of Hollywood's greed. These guys dared to embezzle even Wall Street's money, let alone Japan's. As long as Sony didn't fully take over Columbia Pictures, they wouldn't have an easy time. Losses were inevitable, and it was perfectly normal for them to collude to create projects and profit from them.

It's precisely because John understands the Hollywood landscape that Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media have such strict systems in place, denying big-name stars any opportunity to negotiate prices. Their internal review of every project is also extremely rigorous, leaving no room for manipulation and maintaining complete control. Many only see the rapid growth of Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media, but they fail to see the strict systems behind these two media and entertainment groups and how powerful their control over artists is. They don't give any opportunity to threaten the company's interests; it's either accept Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media's terms or get out—there are no other options. Even the biggest stars aren't valued by them.

Unfortunately, this situation is not suitable for Sony or Columbia Pictures, because Sony is an outsider and they have more concerns. This is not the case for John, who can freely exert the power of capital and does not have to care about the pressure from big stars and their companies.

There are countless people in Hollywood who want to become stars, so Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media don't have many concerns and can develop entirely according to their own wishes without any impact. Although they have also suffered suppression from other Hollywood giants, this is something they have to face. Only by being strong enough can they gain a foothold in Hollywood. Obviously, Columbia Pictures does not have that strength and qualifications, so it has a lot of problems and is truly under double pressure from internal and external troubles!

While Akio Morita was talking to John, Naoko and Riko were also quietly discussing their own topic. Naoko's appearance at the White House dinner party shocked Japan and aroused envy and jealousy in many people. Such a high-class dinner party is not something you can just attend if you want to; it requires strength and connections.

"Riko-nee, is it really as serious as you say?" Naoko asked in surprise after hearing Riko's words, feeling that it was a bit of an exaggeration. It was just a dinner party, what could possibly be wrong?

“Naoko, you really need to make a change. No matter how much you love your singing career, you have to prepare for the future. I’ve told you this before, but you didn’t listen. When the news gets back to Japan, there will definitely be a big storm. It’s time for you to gradually withdraw from the industry. At least you can’t continue like this.”

"But I don't see any problem with it, and I'm reducing my workload now!"

“This isn’t about workload, it’s about your attitude. Now that Mr. John has taken over the business, you two should spend more time together, instead of living apart for so long. Do you think countless women are eyeing Mr. John now? As a Hollywood mogul, media tycoon, and capital magnate, how many women in the US do you think will want to latch onto him? You need to be careful! Most importantly, Mr. John will have many social engagements and events coming up, and he can’t be without female companions. You need to actively seize the opportunities. You’re different from me. I have no hope, but your position in Mr. John’s heart is different. I don’t want to see you regret it later.” At this point, Riko couldn’t help but sigh. She knew very well that her relationship with Akio Morita couldn’t continue like this unless she had a child; otherwise, she would eventually leave in disappointment. Naoko, on the other hand, didn’t have this worry. That was the difference.

Of course, Naoko and Riko are also different. Many people in Japan want to use Naoko to influence John's views on Japan, so there is a fundamental difference between the two in terms of their status!
In fact, this situation wasn't unique to Naoko; it was happening in Japan as well. Hitomi Kuroki had Mao Daichi trying to persuade her, but Akina's situation was rather awkward—no one was offering her advice. Her greedy family, eager to leech off her, had no intention of considering her future. If Akina gave up her acting career now, how could they continue to exploit her?

The previous situation at Johnny's had driven this family even crazier, seeing even more opportunities. Although they received a warning from Ken-On, they didn't take it to heart. They were completely consumed by boundless greed, with only money in their eyes.

The situation in Hong Kong is quite peaceful because they don't have much ambition, and they don't have the same pressure as Naoko, Hitomi Kuroki, and Akina. Perhaps this is their biggest difference.

(End of this chapter)