America: My Time

Chapter 112 Phoenix America
Chapter 112 Phoenix America

With the Spring Festival approaching, John missed out on the joy of the holiday last year, throwing himself entirely into his work. This year, he faces the same situation, but with even greater pressure, leaving him feeling extremely depressed. This is something he must confront, a test of his life. If he can't even handle this much pressure, what will he do when a greater crisis or even greater pressure arises? Will he choose to retreat, to give up?

Under immense pressure, John chose to face it bravely. While keeping an eye on the gold futures market, he continued his "creation," constantly writing novels, songs, and screenplays. His plagiarism spree continued to shine, and he kept adding to his copyright portfolio.

By early February, Universal Pictures was back on track, and its plans for the year were in place. Although John, as the owner of Universal, didn't intend to interfere with the company's development, many people who wanted to curry favor with him didn't have the opportunity. John didn't appear at Universal Pictures, nor even at Legendary Entertainment's headquarters.

John has become number one on the Hollywood power list, but this hasn't made him lose his mind. The so-called power list is just a facade. He knows perfectly well what's going on with Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures. It would be foolish to believe in this so-called power list. Now is not the time to worry about such trivial matters.

After receiving John's notification, Matsumoto Taro finally made arrangements. The personnel from the American Phoenix Group had arrived, and John needed to meet with them to make arrangements for the development of the American Phoenix Group, complete the final plunder of Warner, and temporarily end this struggle!
Warner has been in contact with John, but the Phoenix Media representative from the US hasn't arrived yet, so they have to put it off. Now things are all happening at once. Just as Matsumoto Taro and Phoenix Media CEO Watanabe Ryosuke arrived, Naoko was also unexpectedly coming to the US to record an album.

Universal Music's growth in 82 was phenomenal, completing its expansion not only in Europe and America but also in Asia. With Johnny's strong support, Naoko Naoko also saw some success in Europe and America, with two singles selling well: "I Like Chopin" in Europe and the English version of "Christmas Eve" in the US. The success of these two singles led Universal Music Japan to want Naoko Naoko to continue her success in the European and American record markets!

After picking up Naoko and her group, John arranged a hotel for them. The headquarters of the Phoenix Group in the United States would be in Los Angeles, and John arranged for them to stay in Los Angeles. Naoko did not stay in the hotel, but was instead arranged by John to stay at his estate in Beverly Hills.

For his own convenience, John owns two estates in Beverly Hills and two in New York City. From a security perspective, hotels are far from safe; they could easily expose his whereabouts and even his secrets. John doesn't believe hotels can truly protect his secrets; in fact, the hotels themselves are the biggest problem!

John now has to monitor the gold futures market every day, so information security has become extremely important. He can't afford to be careless at all, as it involves the safety of hundreds of millions of dollars. John doesn't want to entrust his information security to the hotel's protection.

“Matsumoto, Watanabe, there shouldn’t be any problems with this negotiation, but you need to be prepared. Phoenix Comics’ development in the US is very important. Warner Bros. won’t refuse this acquisition; at most, it’s just a matter of price. But this is just the beginning. Once the DC Comics acquisition is successful, we need to make a difference in animation and develop this IP. For DC Comics, I mean a complete overhaul, a complete restructuring, revitalizing DC Comics with the DC Universe as the core IP. At the same time, after Phoenix Comics’ distribution contract expires, DC Comics will take over all distribution, allowing DC Comics to be self-sustaining and not rely on headquarters’ funding!”

"Boss, we understand, we won't let you down!"

"I will not participate in this negotiation with Warner; you can handle that. However, DC Comics is just the beginning of Phoenix Media's foray into the US market. Phoenix Media in the US will not only invest in comics, but also develop animation, and further expand into theaters and retail. Acquiring Hollywood giants is our ultimate goal!"
On the retail front, I've already reached an agreement with Legendary Entertainment. Legendary Entertainment's retail division will be sold to Phoenix Media. After acquiring DC Comics, you'll contact MGM to acquire the film library rights from MGM and United Artists. This marks Phoenix Media's entry into Hollywood. Don't be afraid to spend money, as long as they're willing to sell. If Phoenix Media lacks funds, it can borrow from Japanese banks; Phoenix Media has sufficient repayment capacity!

Although they knew their boss was ambitious and had a grand vision for the entertainment industry, neither Matsumoto nor Watanabe expected that after acquiring Universal Pictures and NBC, their boss was still eyeing Hollywood giants and now had his sights set on MGM, aiming to directly acquire the film library rights of MGM and United Artists.

"Boss, the most important asset of a film studio is its film library copyrights. Will MGM sell them to us?"

"Don't worry, nothing is unsellable for MGM; it's just a matter of price. However, there's one thing you need to note: we want the entire copyright, not a limited acquisition for ten or twenty years!" Although MGM's situation was what it was, and John knew MGM would be sold again, he decided to acquire the entire film copyrights of both MGM and United Artists as a precaution. Even if the acquisition of MGM Studios failed in the future, or faced obstacles, it wouldn't affect his retail leasing strategy!

This acquisition not only benefits the retail sector but will also boost the television station's development. Both film studios possess a wealth of classic films, representing a substantial fortune. Since no one has yet noticed this, it's crucial to act quickly, secure control, and ensure a dominant position!

"Boss, as long as MGM is willing to sell, we have no problem. However, even with the assets transferred from Universal, the retail sector is not enough to support your plan!"

“I know, that’s why I’ve chosen Hastings Entertainment as your acquisition target. It’s a book and music wholesaler. Acquiring it will allow us to perfect our retail and rental business in the United States and also give Legendary Entertainment and the gaming world a boost!”

Once this retail and leasing company completes its setup, it will indeed, as John said, greatly benefit Phoenix Group, and provide a significant boost to the retail of music, books, and games. It can be said that John has high hopes for this newly established Blockbuster company.

Although Matsumoto and Watanabe were unaware of the situation in the United States, their boss had such confidence, so they naturally wouldn't have any problems. Even if they had any ideas, they had to put them aside. Phoenix Group's development in Japan had shown Matsumoto and Watanabe the importance of retail, so they both fully agreed with their boss's arrangements on this matter.

"Boss, how should we handle the personnel issue? Should we transfer people from Japan or recruit from the United States?" For any company, personnel issues are a major matter, and Matsumoto and Watanabe understood this as well!
"You can discuss and handle the personnel issues yourselves! As for the cinema chain issue, you need to be prepared, conduct in-depth research on the North American cinema market, and determine which cinema chains are suitable for our acquisition!"

Taro Matsumoto and Ryosuke Watanabe didn't particularly value Blockbuster, the retail and rental company. While retail was important, it was also the easiest to expand. In their view, Phoenix Media's focus was on comics and animation, and theaters, not Blockbuster, which was primarily a retail and rental company. Even with their bosses demanding significant investment to seize market share, they didn't believe the company's potential could compare to that of a theater chain. They still believed theaters were Phoenix Media's primary objective.

John understood Matsumoto and Watanabe's thoughts and didn't want to change anything. As long as the two guys could complete their plans, what they thought didn't matter.

Before Blockbuster, this retail and rental company, grew and expanded, no one would have believed in its enormous potential or the vastness of the rental market.

During this period, Hollywood's exploration of related areas was still insufficient. Even if people in Hollywood knew about the emergence of Blockbuster, they wouldn't care. These giants all had their own channels, and such companies would not pose a threat to them.

Hollywood giants may not care, but John cannot. If Blockbuster can expand according to his plan and spread throughout the United States, it will have a huge boost to the legendary entertainment and gaming world. Even Hollywood giants will have to bow down, because it is a complete sales network and an important part of the surrounding industries.

When the rental market is fully opened up, Hollywood will be shocked. At that time, they will understand the importance of Blockbuster and the previous arrangements made by Phoenix Media.

(End of this chapter)