Despite the increase in Marvel's stock price since 1996, the company cannot avoid the consequences of bankruptcy and restructuring, and its situation has become progressively dire.
In 2003, a young man approached Sal Perlmutter, who was then an executive at Marvel, with an innovative idea.
His name is David Meisel!
David said, "What if you used your brand to create a series of films? Why not let the superheroes in these films intersect with each other, just like they do in the comics?"
Marvel responded, "Let's do it!"
This was a million-dollar suggestion and became the foundation of the "Marvel Cinematic Universe"!
After the animation department was formed, Kyle gathered all its employees to discuss "SpongeBob SquarePants." Following the meeting, Stephen was instantly promoted to head the animation department, while David Messer became the second in command and the chief screenwriter for the department.
Kyle had great hopes for the animation department of the company!
In the days that followed, Kyle found himself busier than ever.
He spent his days either on set or visiting the animation department to monitor the progress of "SpongeBob SquarePants," travelling to Silicon Valley to observe the development of ICQ, and enjoying shopping and long phone calls with his girlfriend, Lima. Additionally, Kyle dedicated some of his limited time to studying management principles.
I am so busy that I feel worn out!
Yet, it is also quite fulfilling.
"It's not easy being a time traveller either!"
"Tell me, even though I've travelled through time, I still need to study. Is that fair?"
"It's not easy being a billionaire!"
While Kyle voiced his complaints, he still made time for reading and learning. Yes, he had many managers working under him, but as a leader, he knew he couldn't be easily deceived, even if he lacked expertise in overseeing different departments.
Human nature is flawed!
This is a belief that Kyle adheres to.
It's reasonable for Kyle to hold such views. We should never have overly high expectations of individuals. Haven't there been enough instances of company executives deceiving their superiors?
Especially in large organisations, internal power struggles can be particularly intense!
The dynamic between company management, executives, and shareholders is also quite common.
Kyle remains optimistic about the future, confident that his wealth will undoubtedly surpass 10 billion dollars. Without management skills, retaining such a significant fortune after the crossover bonuses would be difficult.
"No one, not even my management team, can outsmart me."
...
July 1st.
Los Angeles is the main store of SpongeBob SquarePants.
"Now, let's hear reports from each store regarding their business performance for last month," Kyle stated while taking a sip of his coffee.
As soon as he finished his words, several store managers gathered around Kyle, including his longtime neighbour John, and began their reports.
"Boss, our headquarters recorded a net profit of $120,000 in June, marking a 58% rise compared to May. This profit is quite encouraging."
"Our second store is also thriving, achieving an all-time high net profit of $118,000."
"While your second store is performing well, our third store has also set a new record with a net profit of $105,000."
....
Laughter rang out as everyone engaged in conversation, creating a cheerful ambience.
When business thrives, so does income, which naturally uplifts everyone's spirits.
It's worth noting that SpongeBob SquarePants enjoyed an outstanding June. The sales across the seven stores reached record levels, generating $650,000 in profits for Kyle in just one month, a 42% increase from the prior month and a remarkable 91% increase from April.
"I appreciate everyone's hard work. Let's give ourselves a round of applause!" Kyle said with a grin.
Clap, clap, clap~!
The applause continued without end.
John and the others were flushed with excitement.
This month's bonus is sure to be significant.
"Boss, the remarkable performance of each store is not only due to our collective efforts but also because of your acumen and authority in securing the peripheral licenses for several blockbuster films in advance," everyone concurred with John's statement.
"Let's be modest. I've advised you many times against creating a personality cult," Kyle replied with an annoyed glance at John.
In truth, Kyle felt quite pleased with their compliments.
This is undeniably a mindset of a loser!
To be fair, John was right. The impressive records of the seven SpongeBob SquarePants stores over the past two months can indeed be attributed to Kyle's insight and courage.
On May 1, "Twister" hit theatres, earning $41.05 million on its opening day. The current cumulative box office in North America stands at $230 million;
On May 22, "Mission: Impossible" premiered with a box office of $45.4 million, and as of yesterday, its cumulative box office has surpassed $150 million;
On June 7, "The Rock" debuted with a premiere box office of $25 million, and its cumulative earnings in North America have reached $100 million.
All of these films ranked among the top ten at the North American box office in 1996, and Kyle had also secured the movie merchandise licenses for the Los Angeles area. Even though these films are not directly related to animated features, their popularity is substantial!
Kyle has profited immensely!
"Everyone, as it is July 1st, and the premiere of 'Independence Day' is coming up in two days, I trust you realise what this implies?" Kyle shared in a serious tone.
James and the others nodded emphatically.
Indeed, that was the anticipated film "Independence Day!"
It became the champion of the North American box office in 1996!
The North American box office grossed $306 million, while the worldwide earnings amounted to $817 million.
Moreover, Kyle didn't only acquire the merchandise rights for the film within the Los Angeles region, but he also obtained the online sales rights across North America after investing $1 million to 20th Century Fox, of course, for only two years.
That's right, it's selling peripheral products online!
After Page Pictures signed a strategic contract with Amazon, Kyle has been working hard on online peripheral products, and the movie peripheral products of "Independence Day" are the first step.
"Big companies are shady!"
"This is especially true for 20th Century Fox, which charged me $1 million for just two years of online peripheral licensing!"
Kyle cursed the big companies for being shameless in his heart.
Yes, the big companies are shameless enough. They have never sold movie peripheral products online. After Kyle came to them, they certainly wanted to give it a try. The two-year online peripheral licensing time is enough to show their shrewdness.
You make money, well, then from now on the price of our online movie peripheral licensing will increase!
If you make a lot of money, that's even better. We will no longer sell online peripauthorisations. Anyway, there is no need to open stores, so the profit will naturally be higher.
It has to be said that the booming development of the Internet has dealt a huge blow to physical stores, all over the world.
In 2020, the North American movie-related market reached $20 billion, of which as much as $15 billion was online sales. This is why Kyle did not continue to open new stores after making money from the surrounding stores.
I can't afford to get hurt, brother!