American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 107 Taking a Departure to Welcome the New Year

"Boss, judging from the current box office trend, 'The Return of the King' has no hope of breaking 10..."

"Or perhaps, it might be difficult to even break through to 9."

2003 12 Month 22 Day.

Robert Shea's secretary walked into his office with last week's box office report.

Yesterday, the 21st, was a weekend. Because the work week was about to begin—Christmas is indeed a statutory holiday, but the legally mandated holiday only starts on the 25th, and whether Christmas Eve on the 24th is a holiday depends entirely on the boss's mood, not to mention the 22nd and 23rd, they don't get holidays unless the earth explodes—so, the North American box office saw a large drop on the 21st, with "The Return of the King" seeing a 15.2% decrease in daily box office, taking in $2013 million.

Although this figure was released, the total North American box office of "The Return of the King" officially exceeded 100 million.

After five days in theaters, it grossed 1.07.

But this data...

To put it bluntly, given this trend, it definitely won't break 200 million within 14 days.

What if a movie can't reach 200 million in two weeks?

Unless the box office is artificially inflated, breaking 8 billion worldwide would be the best result, and at this point, a long-term run would be pointless.

Go up further?
Even if the six major powers came, they wouldn't have the money to spend; the cost was too high.

Since the future of "The Return of the King" is predictable, and its ending is already quite clear, the fate of the new storyline, or rather, Robert Shea's fate, has also emerged.

And this...

"Okay, I know."

Robert Shea nodded slightly and smiled at his subordinate who had been with him for many years.

He waved his hand, signaling the other person to go about their business.

The secretary felt a pang of heartache at his forced composure. She pursed her lips and accepted the order.

"Boss, how about we try a little harder? Maybe we can hold on for another year?"

"In our schedule, we have many good movies to release next year, such as Blade, Sunset, and The Notebook, which we have selected. These projects can bring us substantial profits."

Robert Shea, leaning back in his executive chair, had a glint in his eye.

He understood what his secretary meant.

The other party meant that he could swallow his pride and beg Ted Turner to protect him for another year. In that case, as long as he could deliver a good box office performance in 04, he could still stay at New Line Cinema and control everything.

but……

Thank you for your suggestion.

Robert Shea sighed softly and rose slowly.

I stood by the office window and gazed out at wintertime New York through the glass.

Light snow was falling in New York today, and the falling ice crystals gave him a whiff of the beauty of Christmas.

That was during my childhood, when I was with my grandmother, warming myself by the fireplace at home.

His features slowly relaxed as he rested his hands on the windowsill and said, "Your idea is brilliant, because whether it's the final chapter of 'Blade,' Pierce Brosnan's 'Sunset,' or that low-budget romance film we're optimistic about, they all have the potential to bring us substantial profits. But the problem is..."

"Even if these movies are very good, they can only keep me at New Line Cinema for one or two more years."

"After a while, I will still be kicked out by Warner."

"Because all companies can make these kinds of movies."

"If that's the case, what makes our new line worthy of special treatment?"

If a company wants to maintain its independence after being acquired by a giant, it has to demonstrate some real capabilities.

Taking major music labels as an example, when many of the labels acquired by giants are the assets of big-name singers, the singers' uniqueness is the foundation upon which those labels can gain independent operating rights.

Once those singers fade into obscurity, then...

Sorry.

Those brands are about to become history.

Those brands are about to be absorbed by the parent company and become an office within the group.

The reason for this situation is simple:
Firstly, no one is willing to relinquish their power;
Secondly, the multi-brand operation model is actually a waste of resources and an increase in costs. For example, if a group company already has distribution channels, why should its individual brands have to spend money to maintain their own channels? Isn't that just crazy?
Therefore, when New Line lost its intellectual property and lost its unique characteristics, the only path they could take was to integrate into Warner Music.

This is also the real reason why Warner Bros. felt confident that it could acquire New Line Cinema.

That's the logic of the game within this industry.

If one wants to regain freedom, the only way is to rebuild one's soul, but that's something...

Not to mention how difficult it is to create a new IP, even if New Line Cinema had the ability to create a new IP, Robert Shea wouldn't be able to save New Line Cinema, because the standard for measuring a soul is not static.

Disney doesn't have live-action movie IPs, so after Pirates of the Caribbean came out, it became their standard for measuring their soul. Warner Bros. has live-action movie IPs, like HP, so if you want freedom, you have to beat HP.

Otherwise, wouldn't it all be the same no matter where you place the IP address?
Right?

And let New Line develop an IP that can beat HP?

Dear!
Even after all that preparation they did for The Lord of the Rings, they still couldn't beat Harry Potter!
Given Isabella's current popularity, Azkaban could easily break 10 billion!
When "Azkaban" is poised to become the second film in history to break the $10 billion mark at the box office, and a series of sequels like "The Goblet of Fire" and "The Order of the Phoenix" are likely to break box office records, then Time Warner's standards for freedom are ridiculously high!

To put it bluntly, making a Titanic movie would be easier than beating HP!

Since that's the case...

What's the point of Robert Shea insisting on keeping the new line?

Humiliating yourself?
Right?

Gazing at the endless stream of people below, Robert Shea suddenly smiled.

"Everyone will leave the stage, and new people will come to the world stage every year."

"so……"

"Let it be time to take your bow."

"And then, I want to say..."

“I, Robert Shea, have never lost to Barry Mayer. Warner has never beaten me in a head-on battle, not even when Steve Ross was around!”

"The one who truly represents the world in dismissing me is..."

Isabella Haywood.

At this point, Robert Shea pursed his lips tightly.

He paused for two seconds, then turned and left the office.

As he passed his secretary, he casually patted her on the shoulder.

The sudden expression of concern made the secretary's shoulders relax, and she felt completely lost.

By the time he realized what was happening and turned around, Robert Shea had already disappeared.

The secretary's eyes welled up with tears as the office door opened wide, and that night...

The board of directors of Time Warner, which has since removed the AOL logo, received a fax from Robert Shea.

The fax was very short, only three lines, and could be summarized in just one sentence—

Born in 1939, I've retired.

That's right!

Robert Shea is now 64 years old!

I stay in the industry purely because power is wonderful!

The disappointing performance of "The Return of the King" led Robert Shea, the founder of New Line Cinema, to embrace his fate.

Even though he had already exuded an aura of detachment from all things, at this moment, no one cared about his spiritual realm.

This is not only because Ted Turner had already categorized him as trash six months ago, but also because the gaze of the winner on the loser is always one of pity and charity. If I had time, I might have a few thoughts on this, but if I don't have time...
I'm sorry, but when I have time, I might think of you from the past.

This is not because I am cold-blooded or cruel!
Instead, it was a victory...

So wonderful~~~
“Oh~ Mom~ It’s so great to get your call at this time, yeah! yeah! yeah! My movie is a hit! My movie is a hit… hahahaha~~ What did you say? ABC and SBS both reported on me? Saying I’m Australia’s most successful young actor? Oh—this is really such a surprise—”

"Yay! I'm fine! Grandpa and Grandma miss me? Oh, please tell them I miss them too, I love them, and I'll go back to see them as soon as I finish what I'm doing. And of course, you too, my dear Mom..."

"Mmm, I'll take good care of myself... I'm not tired at all. Isha and her family are all so kind to me... Of course! I'm very grateful to them! Okay, okay... I'll pass on your gratitude, and my grandparents' gratitude, to them... Oh dear! I'm not just saying that! They all know you love me! You just couldn't leave because of your brother!"

"Okay, Mom, I have to go now. I have an interview to do. I'll call you again later. Bye~~"

As soon as the phone call ended, little Robbie started rolling around on the bed like a spinning top.

No matter how much she flipped around, whether to the left, right, up, or down, it never stopped her from expressing her joy.

There's nothing we can do about it; the "Competition Plan" unsurprisingly exploded in popularity.
Since "The Game" raked in a whopping $5058 million at the box office in its opening weekend, Robbie has found herself at the center of the world's attention, a media darling, with countless media outlets reporting on her story and calling her the warmest sunshine of this Christmas.

Uh……

Ok……

Actually, Isabella and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson received more media coverage.

But that doesn't matter, right?

Because this time, she's no longer an invisible villain!

This time, the media gave her a special section!

Since the birth of cinema, very few films have managed to experience a box office reversal on weekends!
In response, some media outlets even called her the Wonder Girl who created a miracle!

Although everyone knows that the Sunday box office surge of "The Competition" is related to "The Voice of China," if "The Voice of China" hadn't aired on Saturday, preventing viewers from going to the cinema on Saturday night and forcing them to catch up on Sunday, then the box office performance of "The Competition" wouldn't have been so "strange" and "magical."

but--

The influence of "The Voice of China" on "The Competition Plan" is just an objective factor that creates magic, isn't it?

The real subjective factor is that the film itself is very good.

If "The Game Plan" is bad and unwatchable, then no matter how strong its gimmicks are, the audience won't buy it.

Especially in today's world, where information travels at an exceptionally fast pace, only if Hailey Bieber's fans who enjoy surfing the internet truly appreciate Margot Robbie, like her performance, her collaboration with Dwayne Johnson, and all the wonderful things they portray in the film, will "The Game" see a rebound in its Sunday box office.

and so……

She is truly a Wonder Girl!

"Hahahahaha~~~"

Thinking of this, Margot Robbie couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Clutching her pillow, she kicked her legs wildly, as if each kick could shatter the past and usher in a new life.

At the same time—

“Crack—”

"pat-"

The door to her hotel room was opened from the outside.

Assistant Melina squeezed in.

Upon seeing the messy house, the 'little girl' immediately shook her head with a smile.

"Margot, it's been days already? It still hasn't calmed down."

"Oh—Melina—I just can't calm down—"

Upon hearing the commotion and turning around to investigate, Robbie immediately stood up after seeing Melina.

Kneeling on the bed, she shouted, "I'm so happy—I'm so happy—"

"Because I've always dreamed of becoming famous! I've wanted it for a long time! But now..."

"OMG—do you know my mom just called me?"

"She said that all the media in Australia are reporting on me!"

“My Australian friend called me before; he’s the friend who auditioned for ‘The Voice’ with me!”

She said I was simply a miracle!

"Oh—this feeling is just so wonderful—"

Melina smiled as she listened to the unpretentious outpouring of emotion.

A slight nod—is that considered approval?
At the same time, she tapped the folder in her hand with her knuckles.

"Can you still look at the things I brought?"

"Ok?"

Melina's words made Robbie's eyes light up.

"This is...an invitation?"

Her 'cautious' guess.

"Yeah~"

Melina handed over the folder.

Robbie excitedly took it and promptly opened it.

Then, endorsement deals, project invitations, event introductions... appeared before her like snowflakes falling from the sky...

Countless new jobs are the best sign of success!
The endless stream of documents brought Robbie a happy kind of trouble!

Well, as I said before, Groundhog Company operates on a free-range system.

When it comes to her artists taking on jobs, Isabella is all about taking them down without any regard for their well-being.

As long as the invitation is reliable, the company will inform the artist about the collaboration.

As for what kind of jobs the artists want to take?
That depends entirely on their own mood.

In principle, the company will not offer much advice.

However… after flipping through the cooperation documents in his hand, Robbie suddenly had an idea.

"Where is Isa?" She looked up at Melina.

Melina blinked and said, "The rehearsal room on set, the set of 'The Voice'."

"Is she preparing for her final performance?"

"Yeah~"

Since the finale of "The Voice" was a live performance broadcast to the entire American public, how could Isabella, as the initiator of the project, possibly have no performance to show? Many people actually bought tickets for the performance specifically because of her.

So, after finishing the premiere of "The Competition Plan", Isabella started recording her regular episodes of "The Voice" while also preparing for the final performance of "The Voice".

During this period, her life was not exactly fulfilling, but it was busy nonetheless.

That's why, when Robbie found Isabella, the exhausted Miss Beaver, who was resting, immediately turned into a beaver pancake and sprawled on the practice room floor, with Catherine beside her wiping her sweat.

Upon seeing Robbie, Miss Beaver immediately burst into laughter. "Finished laughing?"

Upon hearing this, Robbie's face immediately broke into an embarrassed smile, "Uh—"

"You're pretty fast—"

Catherine picked up the conversation, saying, "I thought it would take you more than a month to adjust, but I didn't expect... oh~~"

It's only natural to feel excited after becoming famous.

Therefore, after the "Game Plan" achieved good results, Robbie was happy for several days in a row.
The two sisters considered this normal.

Or rather——

Even now, Isabella sometimes has the urge to ask Catherine to read fan letters to her!
Since becoming famous naturally keeps one very busy, Robbie has been running around doing countless gigs in the past period of time. In addition, her excitement is easily contagious and can disturb other people's work, so she hasn't been spending much time with Isabella lately.

but now……

Did they just come over suddenly?
"Did you come to see me because you need something?"

Miss Beaver asked lazily.

"Uh-huh."

Robbie didn't mince words and directly explained the difficulties he was facing.

Because Isabella is different from Huang Lei and Jay Chou.

She neither likes to be a teacher nor likes to interfere in other people's lives.

So Robbie received a bunch of new jobs and then had no idea where to start?

She doesn't want to get involved in this.

"Marge, you should be in control of your own life."

To be honest, Isabella's words sounded a bit cold, but Robbie didn't care.

Seeing that the water cups in the rest area were still full, she picked one up, held the straw to Isabella's lips, and said softly, "Your Highness, please have some water."

Isabella bit the straw.

After taking two sips, little Robbie said again, "Isa, can you give me a suggestion?"

"I really don't understand business stuff."

"..."

Isabella's face twitched at the coquettish voice, and she spat out the straw.

This made Catherine, who was sitting next to her, bite her lip and suppress her laughter.

After finding that his words seemed to have an effect, Robbie Jr. gave the exhausted Isabella a massage.

He added, "Isha, I'm working for you. If I don't do well, won't you earn less?"

"..." Isabella choked.

She glanced up at her older sister and complained, "Keisha, I think I'm already a very conscientious boss."

“But what Marg said makes me sound like a heartless capitalist.”

"Hahahaha~~~" Catherine laughed so hard she was shaking.

Isabella sighed and looked back at Robbie.

Those bright, sparkling eyes that stared at her made Isabella give up her insistence.

"Okay, if I were you, I wouldn't look at those invitations."

"There are two reasons."

"The first reason is that you already had a project on hand, Paramount's 'Queen Bee'."

"Once you become famous, Paramount's biggest priority will definitely be to push that project forward. And if that project also fails, your net worth will be even higher, and you'll be able to earn even more when you take on new jobs."

"Secondly, projects submitted through formal channels are not good projects."

"Because everyone in the industry knows that you are signed with my company, if there are really good projects that want to work with you, then those people, such as Robert Iger, will call me directly."

"It's not that I'm judging people with prejudice."

"If even the chairmen and CEOs of the top six companies don't know about a project, then it's probably not very good."

"I've finished speaking."

"Then I won't watch it."

Isabella raised an eyebrow at his crisp and concise words. "Do you make decisions so casually?"

"Yes." Little Robbie nodded and said, "Because I believe in you."

Isabella rolled her eyes at the cheesy words.

Robbie chuckled at his speechless expression and said, "Well, actually I think you're right."

"Moreover, there's a saying in the circus industry where I used to work: 'What the master says you can do may not actually be done, but what the master says you can't do must never be done,' because things that can't be done have definitely resulted in deaths."

This explanation...

Isabella accepted.

To put it simply, it means that those who don't heed the advice of elders will suffer the consequences.

Given Isabella's current qualifications, status, and abilities, she can be considered a senior to countless people.

Therefore, anyone who doesn't listen to her and doesn't obediently cling to her is definitely an idiot.

but……

So you're saying I'm old?

The little beaver put on a stern face.

It waved its tail.

Its long, thin tail slapped against the floor as if it were possessed by a Labrador.

"No way!"

Robbie paused for a moment, then realized what he meant and chuckled, "Oh, Isa, how could I possibly say you're old?"

"Aren't you only a few months older than me?"

"Hmph~" Isabella snorted lightly, too lazy to pay attention to her.

Robbie then changed the subject, saying, "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. I've been away for the past few days and I didn't know how your finale show was going. Oh, by the way, what show are you preparing?"

"I won't tell you~" Miss Beaver drawled.

I'll stay angry if you don't apologize.
Don't think you can get away with being cute!
That's my skill~
The sight of Cos the Stubborn Donkey left Robbie both amused and exasperated.

He looked up at Catherine, who shrugged helplessly.

Seeing that Miss Beaver was getting angry, Robbie immediately shook her arm and started to speak in a high-pitched voice—

"Your Highness~ please tell me~~ please~~~"

"..."

Time flies like an arrow, and before we knew it, it was December 27th.

This Christmas was a busy one for Isabella, as she had a lot of work to do.

But for those who like her, like Miss Beaver, and have been following "The Voice of China"...

"Wowww——"

"The view from this spot is absolutely fantastic!"

It's 5 p.m. Pacific Time.

California.

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The afterglow of the setting sun, like sparks of fire, ignited cheers throughout the 90,000-seat stadium, which was being filled with water.

Maureen, a student from UC Berkeley who managed to snag tickets to the final performance of "The Voice of China," excitedly shook her friend's arm and exclaimed, "We're only ten seats away from the stage! Ten seats!"

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I know this spot is good! Because even a direct shot from the camera will be clear!"

"This is so cool!"

Della nodded frantically, holding up her Sony F828 and peering excitedly at the stage through the lens.

Yes ~
For fans of Isabella Leigh, Miss Beaver, and those who have been following The Voice, this Christmas is like a major holiday – not only because the 25th falls on a Thursday, but also because The Voice's global finals will officially kick off at 7 p.m. Pacific Time on the 27th.

When this fact came to light, everyone immediately felt relaxed and at ease!
As for the reason?

It’s very simple!

Because Thursday has neither the main competition of "The Voice of China" nor the spin-off "Growth"!
This allows everyone to enjoy the holiday to the fullest!
Even if someone partyes all night on the 25th and drinks beer, the 26th will be enough for them to sober up!

This won't stop everyone from watching new anime on the 27th at all!

And what's even better is—

"Shh-"

As 7 p.m. approached, the stadium lights went out on time.

A burst of drumbeats followed, drawing everyone's attention to the main stage.

The powerful music, like an iron hook, relentlessly captured the public's attention.

After three bars of looping, the drummer, as if shot and killed, disappeared without a trace.

but--

The sudden silence only made the audience's eyes widen even more, raising their spirits!

Because everyone knows...

The big one is coming.

next second...

"when--"

A huge white beam of light descended from the sky!

Like a comet hitting the Earth, it forcefully illuminated the center of the stage!
And in that place, a piano had been placed there at some point!
There was another figure sitting in front of the piano!
Because the stage screen was not yet turned on, many spectators in the stadium were unable to see the people on stage clearly.

But that's not important—

Even if the stage is big, you can still see it if you sit close to it.

So, after only a few seconds of pause, cheers erupted from the inside of the stadium.

After the figure in the center of the stage gently taps the piano keys and plays the Christmas music most familiar to North American audiences...

The stage screen began to flicker.

Like an old movie playing, it slowly brought out everything in the center of the stage.

That was Miss Beaver, wearing a bright red dress and a Santa hat.

"H0000000000——"

Isabella's appearance caused a terrifying scream to erupt from the crowd!
"Wowwwwww——Isabella——Isabella——"

"Hermione—I love you—I love you—"

The accompanying shouts were like an underwater earthquake, stirring up endless waves!

The cheers, rising higher and higher, brought a smile to the little girl's face in the center of the stage!
That light laugh seemed to indicate that he understood the public's plea!
But it's more like they're enjoying the joy, the screams, the praise, and everything!
and--

Respond thoughtfully —

As the intro to the song ended, the little girl sitting at the piano parted her lips slightly—

"I don't want a lot for Christmas~"

"There is just one thing I need~"

"I don't care about the presents~"

“Underneath the Christmas tree~”

"I just want you for my own~"

"More than you could ever know~"

"Make my wish come true~~~"

“All I want for Christmas is you~~~~~”

Yeah~
Isabella's performance in the final episode of "The Voice" was Niu Niu's "Christmas Will Kill You".
(End of this chapter)