Chapter 366: Shareholders’ Meeting

Chapter 366: Chapter 366: Shareholders’ Meeting

"Fine, I’ll attend." Irene Coppola made her decision, her tone firm. "I want to see what kind of reaction this Marvel CEO, who has rejected us so many times, will have when he sees me, his new shareholder."

Lisa smiled and said, "I knew you would go. I’ve already prepared all the materials you’ll need for the shareholders’ meeting, including Marvel’s financial statements, equity structure, and explanations of shareholder rights. You can look through them later. Additionally, I’ve arranged a professional legal team for you. They will accompany you to the shareholders’ meeting to ensure your rights and interests are protected."

"Thank you for your hard work, Lisa." Irene thanked her sincerely. "During this time, whether it was the copyright battle for A Song of Ice and Fire or the acquisition of Marvel shares, you have done an outstanding job. Once these matters have settled, I will definitely reward you handsomely."

"This is what I should do." Lisa smiled and shook her head. "I feel very honored to be able to work alongside you and witness the growth of the company. Moreover, I believe that under your leadership, Future World Pictures will definitely get better and better and become the top film and television company in Hollywood."

The two talked about specific details for a while longer, and then Lisa stood up to take her leave.

After sending Lisa off, Irene returned to her bedroom, sat at her desk, and looked at the two stacks of documents on the table, her heart filled with ambition.

The road ahead would likely not be smooth sailing. Whether it was the competition from HBO or the resistance from Marvel’s management, both would be huge challenges.

But she was not afraid, because she had an excellent team, the support of her family, and, even more, firm confidence in her own judgment.

She believed that as long as she took it one step at a time and advanced steadily, she would definitely be able to achieve her goals and build her own film and television empire.

Meanwhile, in New York, the lights were still on in the top-floor office of the Marvel headquarters building.

Marvel CEO Isaac Perlmutter was sitting at his desk, looking at the financial statements on the table, his brows furrowed tightly.

In recent years, Marvel’s business situation had been getting worse and worse. Although its hero IPs were highly well-known, because most of the previous film and television adaptation rights had already been licensed to other companies, the resources it could control were very limited, leading to a continuous decline in the company’s revenue and a steady drop in its stock price.

"How are the preparations for next Monday’s shareholders’ meeting going?" Isaac Perlmutter looked up at his assistant, Peter Cooper, who was standing in front of him.

"Everything is ready, Mr. Perlmutter." Peter handed over a document. "The list of attending shareholders, the meeting agenda, financial reports, and other materials have all been organized and will be sent to the shareholders tomorrow."

Isaac Perlmutter nodded, picked up the document to flip through it, and suddenly stopped at the page with the list of shareholders.

"Who is this Irene Coppola?" He frowned, pointing at a name on the list. "How did she suddenly become our largest individual shareholder?"

Peter quickly said, "Mr. Perlmutter, this Irene Coppola is the young director who has recently risen to fame in Hollywood. The films she directed, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Million Dollar Baby, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, have all achieved huge success. Although the Future World Pictures she acquired hasn’t been reorganized for long, its development momentum is very rapid. The horror film Saw, which has recently caused huge discussions, is her handiwork."

"Irene Coppola..." Isaac Perlmutter muttered to himself, his brows furrowing even tighter. "This name sounds so familiar. I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere."

"Mr. Perlmutter, you should remember," Peter reminded him. "Previously, on several occasions, representatives from Future World Pictures contacted us, wanting to purchase the film and television adaptation rights for some of our hero IPs, such as Iron Man, Thor, etc., but you rejected them."

"Oh! I remember now!" Isaac Perlmutter realized with a start, slapping his forehead. "It’s that arrogant little director? She actually became our shareholder through this method?"

An expression of surprise and a trace of annoyance appeared on his face. "I thought she was just acting on a whim. I didn’t expect her to be so patient and even play the trick of achieving her goal through a roundabout way."

He stood up and paced back and forth in the office, his eyes becoming complex.

He had to admit that Irene Coppola was indeed a very talented and ambitious young director. Her film works had achieved huge success both commercially and artistically, and the strength of Future World Pictures could not be underestimated. ℴ

Now that she had become Marvel’s largest individual shareholder, she would certainly not let the matter rest. In the future, she would likely raise the request for film and television adaptation rights again and might even want to intervene in Marvel’s management.

"How many shares does she hold now?" Isaac Perlmutter asked, his tone carrying a trace of gravity.

"13.5%, Mr. Perlmutter." Peter replied. "Although it hasn’t reached the proportion of absolute control, she is already the largest individual shareholder and the largest single shareholder outside of the Perlmutter family. She has quite a lot of say at the shareholders’ meeting."

Isaac Perlmutter’s expression became even uglier.

Marvel’s equity structure was relatively dispersed, with major shareholders including mutual funds, hedge funds, and asset management companies such as T. Rowe Price, Fidelity, etc.

The largest single shareholder was their Perlmutter family, now holding about 20% of the shares, but without absolute control. And these shares were held by the entire family, not something any single person could decide on.

Most of the other individual institutional shareholders held less than 10% of the shares, while Irene Coppola held 13.5% of the shares, having already become the de facto largest individual shareholder.

This meant that at the shareholders’ meeting, her opinion would play a crucial role. If she united with other small shareholders, she might even be able to influence the company’s decisions.

"It seems we can no longer underestimate her as we did before." Isaac Perlmutter’s tone became serious.

"We must be fully prepared for next Monday’s shareholders’ meeting. You go and check the detailed information on Irene Coppola, including her background, the business situation of Future World Pictures, her recent investment trends, etc.

The more detailed, the better. In addition, notify the company’s legal team and finance team to let them be prepared as well, so that if any unexpected situation occurs at the shareholders’ meeting, we can respond in time."

"Okay, Mr. Perlmutter, I will go do it now." Peter nodded and turned to leave the office.

Isaac Perlmutter walked to the window, looking at the bustling night view of New York, his heart filled with anxiety and unease.

He knew that the appearance of Irene Coppola would likely break the current calm of Marvel, and the future situation had become unpredictable. He had to come up with a response strategy as soon as possible.

Otherwise, Marvel might fall into the hands of others. This was an opportunity he had fought hard to seize, and he hadn’t even achieved any results yet. Once he was beaten back, all that awaited him would be marginalization.