Hollywood Director 1992.

Chapter 484 Summer Box Office Summary
He also heard an interesting anecdote while chatting with Joseph Schmitz, Kauf Black, and others.

When the Los Angeles Police Department raided the 18th Street gang in Oakland last time, they hired Blackwater security personnel to assist in the operation.

With the assistance of Blackwater, the operation was a resounding success, with no police casualties.

When other police departments received the news, they expressed doubts about the matter, expressing disbelief that the Los Angeles Police Department had the capability to carry out such an operation.

Through their investigation, they learned that Blackwater played a key role in the operation.

Police from several regions recently sent representatives to Blackwater to discuss cooperation.

Some police departments invited Blackwater to conduct joint operations to combat crime in their jurisdictions; others invited Blackwater to send instructors to train officers, improve the police force's combat capabilities, and teach them to use tactical thinking; still others wanted to utilize Blackwater's intelligence analysis department to investigate cases.

Blackwater has already secured more than twenty orders, and the company's revenue is expected to increase by tens of millions this year, enabling it to truly achieve profitability.

Link was also pleased with the development of Blackwater.

Blackwater's rapid growth period was originally expected to begin after 9/11. After 9/11, the United States began a large-scale counterterrorism operation, in which security companies like Blackwater played an increasingly important role.

During the Iraq War, in order to make up for the shortage of troops, the U.S. military began to hire a large number of private security companies to carry out combat missions, and businessmen who went to the Middle East to do business also hired a large number of bodyguards to protect their own safety.

Security companies like Blackwater reached their peak of power during that period, and the companies made huge profits.

Earning tens of millions every year is just the tip of the iceberg.

After making the phone call, Link went to the backyard of the manor to continue eating, drinking, and having fun with his girlfriends, having an uninhibited party.

When the weather is good, he goes to Lanai Airport to practice flying planes, hoping to get his driver's license as soon as possible.

In its second week of release, "Armageddon" grossed $5591 million in North America, bringing its total box office to $1.56 million, retaining its position as the top-grossing film of the week.

This week marks the end of the 1998 summer movie season. A total of 65 movies were released this summer, 8 more than last year. Eleven of these movies grossed over $100 million at the North American box office, 2 more than last year.

The number one film is MGM's "Tomorrow Never Dies," which grossed $2.87 million in North America and $3.24 million overseas, for a total of $6.11 million worldwide.

The second place winner was "Rush Hour 2," distributed by Guess the Movies, which grossed $2.05 million in North America.

The third place goes to "There's Something About Mary," produced by Guess the Movies. It grossed $1.72 million in North America and currently has $9241 million in overseas box office. The film had a production cost of $23 million and is the highest-grossing film among those that have grossed over $100 million. The female lead, Cameron Diaz, was named "Sexiest Woman Alive" by People magazine.

Fourth place goes to Guess What Films' "Dumb and Dumber," which grossed $1.61 million in North America, making it the most unexpected dark horse film of the summer.

Fifth on the list is Disney's science fiction film "Armageddon," which has grossed $1.56 million in North America so far and is expected to gross over $300 million, potentially surpassing "007" to become this year's box office champion.

The sixth-ranked film is Fox's "Dolittle," which grossed $1.33 million in North America.

The seventh-ranked film is Paramount Pictures' science fiction film "Deep Impact," which grossed $1.25 million in North America.

The eighth-ranked film is Columbia Pictures' "Godzilla," which grossed $1.21 million.

Ninth place goes to Warner Bros.' action film "Lethal Weapon 4," which grossed $1.09 million. Jet Li played a supporting role in the film, which brought him fame.

Tenth place goes to the romantic comedy "As Good As It Gets," a co-production of Columbia Pictures and Guess Who Pictures, which grossed $1.04 million. Julianne Moore's performance in the film was highly praised.

Eleventh place goes to Disney's animated film "Mulan," which grossed $1.02 million in North America.

Following the release of the list, Link and Guess the Movies once again became the focus of Hollywood media attention.

Because on this list, apart from "Dolittle," "Deep Impact," and "Lethal Weapon 4," the other eight films are all related to Link and Guess the Movies.

The first and fifth places are films directed by Link, which are also the most likely to become the highest-grossing films of the year.

The other films were either exclusively produced by Guessing Pictures or co-produced with other companies.

The Hollywood Reporter commented that the list should be called the Guess What Movie Studios' Summer Box Office Rankings, because MGM has effectively dominated Hollywood.

Total Film magazine commented that Guess Movies is profoundly influencing the film industry in an unprecedented way, and its impact on Hollywood is more profound and lasting than that of MGM, Paramount, Disney, and other film companies.

The Los Angeles Times simply stated that the six major film studios continued to suffer defeats under the onslaught of Guess What MGM, offering no resistance whatsoever.

Some tabloids are also using the recent 'red carpet assassination' to create buzz. They claim that 'if you want to know why someone would hire an assassin to kill Link, just look at this list,' and 'under the combined efforts of MGM, the six major studios and other companies are struggling, having already lost 50% of the film market, and will lose even more in the future. The way to alleviate this situation is to 'find a way out with Link.'

Because the report threatened Link's personal safety, it was banned from publication on the same day it was released, and the newspaper also faced a huge fine.

"Haha, hahaha!"

Inside the club, Xavi couldn't help but laugh as he looked at the expressions on the faces of Barry Diller and Ron Meyer across from him.

"why are you laughing?"

"I asked, annoyed."

"Back then, I urged you every day to take action against Link and Guess the Movies, but you didn't take it seriously. You even said you would wait until Guess the Movies encountered setbacks before taking advantage of their misfortune. Now look at you, you don't even have the ability to deal with Guess the Movies anymore."

Harvey grinned.

In the past few years, in an effort to counter Guess Movies and reverse Miramax's decline, he has been lobbying the executives of the seven major studios, but no one has listened to him.

Now the Big Seven have become the Big Six. Apart from Columbia and Disney, the other four are not much better off than Miramax. Their films are not profitable and their corporate debt has increased significantly.

Executives at companies like Langmeyer are facing unemployment and are constantly worried.

Harvey felt a sudden surge of pleasure when he saw them become depressed as well.

"Harvey, I heard Miramax is on the verge of bankruptcy. Are you planning to keep going, or just go bankrupt?"

"Baridil asked."

Harvey's lips twitched. "Miramax won't go bankrupt. We'll find a way to stay afloat. Don't forget we have Disney behind us."

"Disney's situation isn't good either, so they might not be willing to step in to protect you."

Langmeyer picked up his phone and glanced at it. "Michael said he's busy with work and doesn't have time for the party. He's not coming."

"As expected."

Harvey shrugged.

Ding Dong!

Harvey's phone rang twice; it was a message from Jeffrey Epstein, saying that he seemed to be being followed and that it wouldn't be convenient for them to meet anytime soon, and that he should be careful.

Harvey shuddered, nearly dropping his phone, and texted to ask if Link had sent someone.
Epstein said it was uncertain at the moment, as long as he took care of himself.

Harvey's expression changed, and he lost interest in drinking with Langmeyer and Baridiller. He made an excuse to leave early.

Langmeyer and Baridyl looked at the empty booth and sighed. Ever since Link rose to prominence, their lives had become increasingly difficult, and now they couldn't even gather enough people for a drinking party.
-
After leaving the club, Xavi kept thinking about Epstein.

Epstein said he was being followed, possibly by Link's men, meaning Link already knew about their hiring of someone to assassinate Link, and Link sent people to investigate them, and would put them in jail once they found evidence.

Thinking of this, Harvey was terrified, and sweat poured out of his body, quickly soaking his shirt again.

After starting the car, Harvey peered out the window, cautiously observing the rear to see if any cars were following. When he saw a Chevrolet sedan following him out of the parking lot, his face paled, and his heart pounded like a drum.

He took out his phone, panting, and texted Epstein, suspecting he was being followed and asking Epstein what to do.

Epstein told him to calm down, to do what he was supposed to do as usual, and not to act strangely, since those people couldn't follow him every day.

Harvey took a few deep breaths, forced himself to remain calm, and after a moment glanced back at the rear window. The black Chevrolet had disappeared without a trace.

But he didn't let his guard down, suspecting that the car was still not far behind them, or that they had switched cars.

Harvey spent a week in fear and anxiety, and he lost a lot of weight.

(End of this chapter)