America 1919-Chapter 964 - 329, lured by profit

Amidst the swirling movements of various parties, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas, and Griffith arrived in New York!

When Douglas saw Donnie, his face still looked displeased. Clearly, he was holding onto the unpleasantness from his previous encounter with Donnie!

However, Donnie didn’t take Douglas’s attitude to heart. Instead, he straightforwardly shared his thoughts with the three of them.

Outsiders often said that Donnie was a person with an overwhelming desire for control, but in reality, Charlie Chaplin was the same. His control tendencies were equally strong.

So when Donnie proposed the idea of listing United Artists on the stock market, Charlie Chaplin was the first to object.

"I don’t believe United Artists needs to go public right now. The company’s profitability is excellent, and there’s currently no visible need for external funding!"

Donnie wasn’t surprised by Charlie Chaplin’s opposition; after all, Donnie understood Charlie Chaplin well.

What truly concerned Donnie was the reactions of Douglas and Griffith.

Even though Venus Bank was currently United Artists’ largest shareholder, it wasn’t a controlling shareholder. This meant that if Donnie wanted to list United Artists, he’d need to find another ally among Charlie Chaplin’s trio. Only then could Donnie achieve his goal of taking United Artists public.

"Charlie, while United Artists is doing very well right now, compared to other major studios, we’re still lacking in many areas. For instance, aside from Miss America joining every year, there are few other actors joining us. Essentially, the company is relying on the three of you to sustain it, which isn’t a healthy model.

Additionally, we need to start building our own theater chain. Although I haven’t been involved in the company’s operations these past few years, I’ve seen that a large portion of the profits from our films goes to external cinemas. If we had our own theater chain, we could complete a closed-loop business model from production, editing, to distribution.

Only by doing this can United Artists strive to become the largest and best film production company in the United States!"

Charlie Chaplin didn’t entertain Donnie’s persuasion and instead responded bluntly: "Donnie, your idea does have some merit, but do you know why our films consistently succeed at the box office?"

Donnie asked Charlie Chaplin, "Why?"

Charlie Chaplin replied, "It’s because we have absolute control over our films and don’t have outsiders who don’t understand the industry interfering. If the company goes public, it will inevitably bring in more shareholders, and our operations will be constrained by them. That, in turn, would compromise the quality of our films.

Moreover, the company’s development is currently going smoothly. I believe that as long as we continue producing more blockbuster films in the future, we’ll naturally be able to build our own theater chain and recruit more actors."

At this point, Charlie Chaplin even reproached Donnie, saying, "Donnie, you’re being too hasty. You need to rediscover the trust you initially had in us!"

Faced with Charlie Chaplin’s reproach, Donnie simply smiled without rebutting and responded, "Charlie, this isn’t just a matter between the two of us. I think we should also listen to Douglas and Griffith’s opinions because they’re major shareholders of the company as well!"

With a wave of his hand, Charlie Chaplin declared, "No need to discuss further, they’ll surely support me!"

Donnie noticed the dissatisfaction on Douglas’s face, while Griffith showed a look of helplessness.

Clearly, this negotiation didn’t yield any results between Donnie and Charlie Chaplin’s group. Consequently, Donnie arranged for them to stay at a hotel, preparing to continue the discussions later.

At the hotel, Charlie Chaplin was fiercely venting his frustration to Douglas and Griffith about Donnie: "I thought Donnie was different from other capitalists, but in the end, he still treated this as nothing more than a business."

Griffith tried to persuade Charlie Chaplin: "Charlie, no matter what, Donnie is the company’s largest shareholder, and I think his proposal genuinely seems to have the company’s future in mind.

You should discuss things with him properly instead of letting these disputes sour relationships."

Charlie Chaplin waved his hand dismissively and said, "There’s nothing to discuss. Donnie may be the company’s largest shareholder, but I am the company’s president. I need to ensure the company develops under my control because my judgment is the most correct!"

Griffith sighed at Charlie Chaplin’s remarks, showing a trace of helplessness.

Charlie Chaplin then explained, "Don’t be fooled by Donnie’s rhetoric. Have you forgotten the news we saw when we arrived?

Donnie is already preparing to list Trident Shipyard. This indicates that he must be planning something requiring a significant amount of cash. Even if our United Artists goes public, Donnie would undoubtedly find a way to channel those funds out through dividends. At that point, the company wouldn’t receive any development capital, and we’d invite a crowd of outsiders who don’t understand filmmaking. Those people would certainly start interfering in the company’s operations, leaving us powerless in decision-making!"

Griffith pondered for a moment, unsure how to respond to Charlie Chaplin.

At this point, Douglas suddenly interjected, "Actually, I do think there are some advantages to going public!"