America: My Time

Chapter 490 Influence
Chapter 490 Influence
"Phoenix Group has begun to consolidate its own strength. It seems that he is going further and further down the road of media and entertainment. Now he has discovered the problems of Phoenix Group. Compared with Legendary Entertainment, although Phoenix Group also has huge assets, it is developed in a scattered way. At the beginning, there were not many problems. Now the situation of Phoenix Group has changed, which has attracted his attention. Interesting. John is really interesting. Is all of this something he did on purpose, or just a coincidence?"

"Boss, it must be a coincidence. Legendary Entertainment completed its integration at the very beginning, so its development has never been a problem. Phoenix Group is different; it has been developing in two locations from the beginning. So I think it's a coincidence."

"Was it really a coincidence, or was it intentional, to see the true situation of decentralized development versus group development? If John had planned this from the beginning, he's too calculating and shrewd. Think about how much influence Phoenix Group wields now. On a global scale, Phoenix Group's influence has already surpassed Legendary Entertainment. If he completes the entire group, the whole of Asia will have a powerful voice and influence. If he had pursued a group-based approach from the start, I'm afraid it would have been very difficult to achieve all of this!"

"No way, this is insane!" At this moment, Jimmy couldn't help but show a look of shock on his face.

"It's indeed crazy, but he succeeded, at least for now. Phoenix Group has firmly established itself as a multinational media and entertainment conglomerate. Once it completes full integration, it will hold an unshakeable position in the media and entertainment field. Choosing Hong Kong as the headquarters of Phoenix Group is no ordinary decision. The progress of the Universal Studios Hong Kong project is also an issue that cannot be ignored. Universal Studios in Japan is currently extremely popular. Whether it's Universal Studios in Osaka or Universal Waterpark in Tokyo, they are generating astonishing profits. It has to be admitted that John, this little fox, has indeed reached the pinnacle in entertainment, achieving a level that many media and entertainment conglomerates have not reached. Disney is now being beaten without any power to fight back. If it weren't for John's restraint and not pushing them to the brink, Disney would probably already be bankrupt and liquidated. And this is all thanks to the support of those guys who are constantly injecting money into Disney. But how long can this situation last?"

"Boss, John now controls two major media groups, which I'm afraid those old guys won't accept. Moreover, the previous turmoil will have a significant impact on Japan, prompting them to react strongly. Sony didn't suffer any losses in this turmoil. Do you think other Japanese companies might want to follow Sony's path and make acquisitions among the Hollywood giants? After all, Sony's success is still very attractive!"

"It's not out of the question, but the Hollywood giants these days don't have much value anymore. Apart from Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures, which John controls, Warner Bros. is out of the question; they have absolute power. Fox was acquired by Murdoch, and with the support of those guys behind it, those guys in Japan won't have a chance either. Now, only MGM and Disney are left. MGM's film division was acquired by Phoenix Media, so it's practically an empty shell with little value. Disney is in the same situation. So, the only one that might be involved in Hollywood is MGM. No one will make a move on Disney."

"Boss, should we take over MGM now and wait for the Japanese to walk right into our trap?"

"Sure, I'm sure Kirk Corrian won't refuse us. We just can't do it ourselves. You handle this, and be quick. Those guys in Japan might have already started moving. After all, the depreciation of the dollar and the appreciation of the yen have given them unprecedented expansion. We can't be soft-hearted now! As for what that little fox John is up to, what his schemes are, we won't concern ourselves with that. That old guy will take care of that. Right now, the most important thing is for us to seize this opportunity to gain more benefits from those guys in Japan. What we can detect, those old guys will likely detect as well, so everything needs to be done quickly. Acquire MGM before they react. MGM isn't worth much now!"

Those guys in Japan have no idea that Morgan is plotting against them, scheming against them, and has already made his move. However, whether this scheme will succeed is still hard to say. After all, Japan has considerable grievances against the United States. They are not fools; they are aware of the issues behind these repeated upheavals. It's also hard to say whether someone will follow Sony's example and try to acquire Hollywood giants. Hollywood has changed; it's no longer what it used to be. Today, Hollywood is dominated by the three giants: Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros.

Although Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures had the ability to defeat Warner Bros. as well, John did not make such a decision. If Hollywood were to become a duopoly of Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures, it would bring unnecessary trouble. Warner Bros.' existence was still necessary, and now Warner Bros. felt threatened and was willing to make changes.

Faced with pressure from Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media, how could Warner Bros. not feel pressured? Seeking help is only natural. Otherwise, how could it compete with the two giants on its own? Warner Bros. can no longer pin its hopes on other Hollywood giants. Columbia Pictures has clearly sided with Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media. MGM and Disney are barely alive. It's better to develop on its own than to rely on them.

Morgan noticed John's instigation of the Phoenix Group's consolidation in Hong Kong, but wasn't too concerned. As for the old guys like Rockefeller, while they had their own ideas, they didn't take the initiative, after all, Phoenix Group was a multinational corporation. In contrast, the Japanese were the first to react. Yes, that's right. When they discovered the consolidation of Phoenix Group and learned that Cherie Chung was involved in its management, they became somewhat nervous. This was a multinational media and entertainment group with considerable influence, and the Japanese were the last thing they wanted to see. Phoenix Group's headquarters were in Hong Kong, which increased their pressure considerably.

Although TV Tokyo is not affected by the integration, Nikkatsu Pictures and Nikkatsu Cinemas will be integrated into Phoenix Pictures and Phoenix Cinemas. At the same time, Phoenix Pictures has also established corresponding film companies in Taiwan and South Korea. These are not just for show, but real branches. Even elite talent agencies are strengthening their own development.

After the integration, only Phoenix Comics and Animation Company was unaffected and instead benefited greatly. Toy companies were all brought under their control, greatly increasing the strength of Phoenix Comics and Animation Company. At the same time, newspapers were also brought under Phoenix Comics and Animation Company, while the company's other industries were separated.

"One wave subsides only for another to rise. First, there was the Universal Studios Hong Kong project, and now there's the Phoenix Group's comprehensive integration. It seems we must make new preparations. We can't let things continue like this. If the Phoenix Group's influence is affected by Hong Kong, it will be very detrimental to Japan. This situation absolutely cannot happen. We need to get Mitsui, Sumitomo, and Sanwa to take action!"

“We have ideas now, but it’s impossible to stop all of this. Mr. John isn’t in Tokyo or Japan, but in Hong Kong. And Hong Kong is the headquarters of the Phoenix Group. That’s our biggest obstacle. If we want to change everything, we need to wait for Mr. John to come to Japan and Tokyo. Perhaps our previous actions made him feel threatened, which is why this situation has occurred. We must make a gesture of goodwill and resolve the previous conflicts.”

"It seems that this is the only way. If all else fails, we'll push all the responsibility onto Mitsui and make them make sacrifices. We can't let this matter affect the overall situation. The integration of Phoenix Group is an opportunity for Japan, an opportunity for us to expand our influence, and an opportunity for us to showcase Japan. Previously, because of the publicity from Phoenix Group and Legendary Entertainment, Japan has received a lot of attention. Next, we need to increase our efforts, continue to expand our advantages, increase Japan's popularity, and accelerate investment in tourism."

John has been heavily promoting his resort hotels to support the development of the Mandarin Oriental Group, which has brought considerable benefits to Japan. Now, the Mandarin Oriental Group's focus has shifted to Southeast Asia and the larger tourism market, so the resources of Phoenix Group and Legendary Entertainment are also being transferred in these directions. The integration of Phoenix Group has once again touched a nerve with the Japanese, making them feel that this situation cannot continue and they need to make more preparations.

Unfortunately, Phoenix Group's integration is unaffected by them, nor will it change because of their ideas. John naturally wouldn't do anything without benefit. Now that Mandarin Oriental Group's real estate expansion in Japan has long since stopped, there's no need to continue promoting it there. Hong Kong has become the focus of the media. The Universal Studios Hong Kong project and the location of Phoenix Group's headquarters have brought Hong Kong tremendous attention, allowing Mandarin Oriental Group to better develop its expansion in Southeast Asia and letting everyone know how powerful Mandarin Oriental Group is.

Unfortunately, this is not the situation that the Japanese want to see. The rapid expansion of the Mandarin Oriental Group will inevitably affect tourism in Japan, because the Mandarin Oriental Group will take away most of the publicity resources of Phoenix Group and Legendary Entertainment Group. This will seriously affect the development and interests of Japan, so they are somewhat unwilling and have new ideas!

(End of this chapter)