American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 126 Azkaban Premiere!

Because everyone in Hollywood believes that Miss Beaver may be the biggest winner of this summer's box office.

Furthermore, this victory could even lead to the ascension of a new god.

Therefore, keeping an eye on the overall market and trying to capture every miracle of the birth of a new god is what all practitioners do.

Uh, they're really not just wasting their time.

Their surveillance was mainly aimed at assessing the extent of Isabella's personal influence.

And then, the result of the surveillance...

That's something no one is satisfied with!

As the first film truly influenced by Miss Beaver, Shrek 2's box office curve was so bizarre that everyone in the industry was baffled. The trajectory of plummeting to the bottom and then soaring to the top left them completely baffled!

Let's start with the first point that puzzled them—

That was a bottom from the very beginning.

If Shrek 2's disastrous start was because Isabella devoured most of the market's traffic;

Isabella's influence must be terrifying!
Take Finding Nemo as an example.

Last year, when Finding Nemo was released, it was met with fierce competition from other blockbusters.

Before it, there were god-like films like "Reassembled" and "Bruce Almighty".

Even so, "Undersea" still grossed $2000 million in its opening day.

So, Shrek 2 started with 1000 million in revenue on its first day? And at least 900 million in revenue on its first day?
If Isabella was responsible for all of this, then doesn't that mean Isabella alone is worth 24 divisions...?

Nonsence!

Is it 24 billion?
The calculation method here is very simple:
The combined box office of "Reloaded" and "Bruce Almighty" is 12 billion.

Then, even when they joined forces, they could only manage to reduce Finding Nemo's daily box office to 2000 million.
So, isn't Isabella, who managed to get Shrek 2 to be worth $1000 million, worth $24 billion?

2000 million / 1000 million = 2!
12 billion * 2 = 24 billion!

Although this algorithm is very crude.

But not important.

Even without multiplication, Isabella's personal influence is still 12 billion, which is ridiculous.

To reiterate, at present, only "Titanic" has grossed over 10 billion dollars worldwide.

If Isabella could really single-handedly generate box office revenue equivalent to a whole ship, then the box office game in the film industry would be impossible to play.

Of course, right now, many people already feel that this game is unplayable.

Let's talk about the second point that puzzled everyone—

That was a sudden surge in box office revenue.

If Isabella was responsible for Shrek 2's lackluster start, then what caused its subsequent rise?

DreamWorks Animation hasn't changed its marketing strategy at all!
There's no outside voice advocating for it right now!

So you can't say that Shrek 2's box office surge means that all evil will eventually be brought to justice, can you?

Nonsence--

A good movie can't be suppressed by external forces, right?

If that's the case, then Shrek 2 is even more awesome than Isabella?
Because the current 'Shrek' single-handedly knocked 'Isabella, the true queen of America, the youngest person in history to own a billion-dollar box office, the youngest person in history to own an empty crown, the producer of the best-started TV show in history, and the lovely Miss Beaver, Haywood' to the ground!
Seriously!

At this moment!

That's why everyone in Hollywood wants to believe that Isabella alone is worth 24 billion!

They didn't believe that Shrek, who was green with poop, could have such abilities!

and so……

"what is happening?"

"Have you obtained any useful information?"

Paramount.

Office of the Chairman.

Shirley Lansing looked at her subordinate with a serious expression.

When confronted with her questions, whether it was her assistant, her secretary, or a Paramount executive, they all shook their heads in confusion, saying, "Sorry, Shirley, we don't know the situation."

"Currently, the feedback we receive from the outside world is that North American people seem to have fallen in love with Shrek almost instantly..."

The abstract description made Shirley Lansing's lips twitch slightly; she found it hard to accept and thought it was somewhat absurd.

Meanwhile, Stacey Snyder, chairman of Universal, also felt that his subordinates' reports were unreliable.

Therefore, after realizing that her subordinates seemed ineffective, she simply took out her phone.

I dialed Jeffrey Katzenberg's number.

After two beeps, the call was connected—

"Did you buy tickets?" she asked bluntly.

"M-Fxxk! You're the one who bought tickets!"

"Who doesn't buy box office tickets from the very beginning?"

"Who would choose to buy tickets on the fourth day of a film's release to break a box office record?"

"Isn't this just giving the enemy dirt on us?"

Jeffrey Katzenberg yelled, “Stacy! Let me tell you this! I’m ready to jump off a building! And then Shrek’s box office skyrocketed!”

"I don't even know what's going on right now!"

"Okay???"

Stacy Snyder fell silent.

She didn't believe the result, but...

She thought Jeffrey Katzenberg was right.

Only an idiot would buy their own movie to become the highest-grossing film in history on the fourth day of its release.

Because these kinds of things are easy to investigate.

And once it's exposed, you won't be able to stay in the industry anymore.

This is not to say that buying box office revenue is a bad thing.

Each of them actually bought box office tickets.

Instead, buying the record for the highest-grossing film in history is tantamount to undermining the livelihoods of one's peers.

You can just release a movie and it becomes the greatest film of all time?

What does my boss think of me?

He'll think I'm a piece of trash!
If everyone buys it.

That would be even worse.

To reiterate, inflating box office figures is very costly. Once marketing costs remain high, corporate profits will plummet, and then these professional managers will be unable to explain the financial statements to their bosses.

Stacey Snyder, the chairman of Universal, was Jeffrey Katzenberg's man. While she suspected Katzenberg might have inflated box office numbers, other companies' investigations were already burning hot.

"so……"

"What did the North American theater chains say?"

Disney.

In the Chief Operating Officer's office.

Robert Iger is also paying attention to this bizarre incident.

The secretary who came to report looked helpless and spread his hands, saying, "Boss, the North American theater chains said that Shrek's data is normal, as if it's growing naturally. Hmm, they used 'natural' to describe Shrek's growth."

"Oh—so you mean, the abnormal one is me? Is that right?"

new York.

Sony.

Office of the Chairman.

Howard Stringer is also investigating the matter.

After listening to his subordinate's report, his temper flared up instantly, and he roared, "You think Shrek's growth is natural just because the North American theater chains say it is?"

"So you're saying I misread the numbers? Shrek's box office on the first day was actually $1900 million? And on the second day it was actually $2900 million? So it was able to reach $4400 million on the fourth day? Is that right?"

"Uh……"

The assistant felt somewhat helpless after hearing such provocative words.

His hands twitched slightly, as if he wanted to play the accordion, to show his boss that he was also very surprised when he heard the news.

But reason told him he couldn't do that, because his boss was in a bad mood.

However, it was this blackout-like behavior that calmed Howard Stringer down.

He let out a heavy sigh.

He waved his hand, signaling his assistant to relax, "I didn't mean to blame you."

"I just think... Shrek's box office performance is just too outrageous..."

"It's so outrageous...it's making my job very difficult..."

The assistant understood what the boss meant.

Howard Stringer officially became the head of Sony's entertainment business last year.

As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean, and after becoming the vice chairman of the Sony Group, he had to flex his muscles.

then……

In the past year, Sony Entertainment, under his leadership, has done nothing of substance.

He originally intended to include Sony Music's acquisition of BMG Records in his first year in office, since a key step in his rise to become the head of Sony's entertainment business was ousting Sony Music's former chairman, Tommy Mottura.

Well, palace intrigue and power struggles are nothing new under the sun.

Therefore, when he needed to purge all the "Motion Pictures" members from Sony Music and replace them with his own people, the best way to do it was to launch an acquisition against a major competitor.

Because at the same time, they can also boost their sales figures.

The logic is very simple.

Acquiring a large competitor means that the company's internal personnel structure needs to be restructured.
I can legitimately replace someone.

Furthermore, acquiring a large competitor means that the company's market share in its main business area will directly surge.

My achievements are remarkable.

Uh……

To put it simply, it's about beautifying reports.

I use financial manipulation to make the financial statements look beautiful, but what about the actual situation?
A corporation is essentially an independent society; those at the top of the pyramid cannot hear the cries of despair below.

All they can see are cold, hard numbers.

However, the idea was beautiful, but the reality was harsh.

Howard Stringer officially took over in April of last year.

The acquisition plan for BMG Music was made in May.

then……

I understand everything...

The neighbors next door are fighting.

When the anti-good alliance and Isabella were fighting, they suddenly pulled a huge punch on him—

Honestly, last year, when he learned that Bronfman Jr. wanted to compete with him for BorgMann, he was completely stunned!

He was really angry at that moment!

but--

For someone from a powerful old-money family like that, let alone hitting him, hitting his master Sony would be as easy as slapping him twice.

So he had no choice but to accept it.

After being upset by Bronfman Jr., he was unable to produce the 'perfect' report card he envisioned on time, and when the development of his music business was hindered, it was inevitable to seek compensation in other industries.

Since his personal space at Sony is movies, therefore...

Just as Rupert Murdoch thought, he wanted "The Loser Man 2" to be the box office champion this year.

If Azkaban gets bogged down in controversy, he wouldn't mind kicking it while it's down, teaming up with Murdoch.

Unfortunately……

Murdoch failed to get the momentum going at all.

This made him very regretful.

Even more regrettably, if Azkaban hadn't flopped, it might have been this year's box office champion.

Yes!

In Howard Stringer's world, "The Failed Man 2" being the second highest-grossing film worldwide in 2004 was already his bottom line! He couldn't accept "The Failed Man 2" falling to third or fourth place, or even lower!

Because if he did that, he wouldn't be able to explain to Sony's board of directors what he had actually done all last year!

however……

In Shrek 2, did some kind of god descend to earth?!
The fact that he became a god-like figure after only four days of release must have broken his mentality!

And Shrek 2 broke Spider-Man's box office record in just four days...

And this flaw made it impossible for them to find any weaknesses...

"you say……"

"Is Azkaban going to rake in 5000 million on its opening day?"

Howard Stringer looked at his assistant with a pained expression.

"And then...we...can only...get third place?"

"Did Spider-Man also fall from first to third place in history within a month?"

at the same time.

Same city.

Another corner of New York.

Inside the Hilton Hotel in Times Square.

Barry Mayer asked the same question to the girl in front of him.

However, his face didn't show the same pain as Howard Stringer's; instead, it was filled with excitement and a smile.

"I think $50 million on the first day is no problem. I even think that, given the current state of 'Azkaban,' it can easily reach $50 million on its first day, $100 million in two days, $200 million in four days, $300 million in six days, $400 million in eight days, and $500 million in ten days, in North America alone." "..."

A giant pancake falling from the sky woke Barry Mayer up.

He pursed his lips, looked at the girl in front of him, and said, "Oh, Isa! I'm seriously talking to you about planning!"

"Really? I thought you were making a wish to me!"

Isabella, who was flipping through the newspaper, looked up and said with a smile, "Oh, Barry, I thought you mistook me for Fortuna, the goddess of fortune! I'm not God! How would I know if 'Azkaban' could break the record!"

Yes ~
Miss Beaver has once again graced her loyal North America with her presence!
Her reason for coming here was simple: Azkaban had its North American premiere on May 23.

Well, it's today.

The premiere was held at Radio City Music Hall in Rockefeller Center, Manhattan.

For Ms. Beaver, attending the premiere here should have been a happy occasion.

She'll be staying on set for a long time to come.

Although filming on set is quieter than in society, filming in isolation is exhausting.

But, no one expected this...

She had just gotten off the plane when she heard some explosive news and an explosive question.

Well, the bizarre box office performance of "Shrek 2" surprised her too!
As for Barry Mayer's problem...

Because she doesn't have hyperthymesia, Isabella can't actually remember who the box office champion was in her previous life in 04.

But she knew it definitely wasn't Azkaban.

Because in her previous life, Azkaban was the lowest-grossing film in the Harry Potter series.

If they can win the annual championship like this, then we can only say that HP is invincible.

Uh……

wrong!

HP is invincible!

So, if Shrek, this giant green poop man, was the box office champion of 04 in her previous life, then when Shrek 2's box office followed a bizarre curve that shocked the world... wouldn't that be an enemy that came out of nowhere?
hiss--

good good!
So she really was the destined protagonist!
"Goose, goose, goose, goose—"

As the plot holes from the novels she had read in her previous life kept popping up, Isabella burst into laughter, howling like a beaver.

This situation left everyone present somewhat puzzled.

The makeup artist preparing the cosmetics had no idea what the little girl was laughing at, while the stylist working on Isabella's dress for the day glanced sideways at the Warner Bros. princess, and as for Barry Mayer...

He had come to ask for some blessings before Isabella finished her makeup and dressing, and asked directly, "What's wrong with you?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Isabella waved her hand.

Some jokes couldn't be shown, so she had to enjoy the happiness all to herself.

Not only that, she also changed the subject directly, "By the way, Barry, after Shrek 2 broke the box office record of The Lost Man, how many billions do you think its total global box office will reach?"

“Uh—it could reach 9 million—” Seeing that the girl didn’t want to share her joy with him, Barry Mayer stopped worrying and said, “Because the world total box office of the historic Spider-Man is 8.21 million.”

"Then, their North American box office and international box office ratio is 50:50."

"So, when Spider-Man was able to gross $4 million in North America, Shrek 2 had a very high probability of also reaching that number. Then, I want to say that a 50:50 split is not a normal situation."

"The international box office of a blockbuster movie is usually higher than its North American box office, typically 40:60, especially for animated films. So, if Shrek 2 is likely to gross $4 million in North America, its international box office should be $5 million."

"4 plus 5 equals 9, so there are 9 million people in the world."

"Oh no, you're British, so..."

"Forget it, let's not talk about that anymore. You know what I mean anyway."

Isabella certainly understood what Barry Mayer meant.

What he meant was that North American box office and international box office are terms used by Americans.

So when she was British, the names of the box offices in different places had to be changed.

But it is not important.

In Isabella's opinion, the most important thing is that Shrek 2's box office should be over 9.

Because so far, she has never missed out on the annual box office crown.

and so……

hmm~
She admitted that she is a very materialistic person.
When Isabella realized that Azkaban needed to break 10 to secure the year's number one spot, she immediately looked around.

However, after looking around, she couldn't find the person she was looking for.

So she looked at her mother, "Where's Margot?"

"Huh? She was just here." Vivian looked left and right, somewhat surprised.

However, before they could even start looking for someone, a response came from the doorway.

"Oh—I'm here—"

As she spoke, Margot Robbie scurried into the presidential suite.

Not only that, but as she entered the house, she also showed everyone a red medium-sized bag without a logo.

"Isa, what do you think of this bag?"

Does it match my outfit today?

Robbie was wearing a black pantsuit and a little black dress today, with her blonde hair tied back. At first glance, she looked simple and capable.

She's like a little secretary.

After she put her red bag on...

The fact that a single light shines amidst the deep darkness is quite eye-catching.

"Oh~ I think it's great~"

Isabella laughed and said, "You can walk the red carpet with me like this later, no need for a makeover."

Yes, Isabella's red carpet companion today is Robbie Jr.

This was decided a week ago.

As for why she had Robbie accompany her on the red carpet?
Firstly, her regular companion, J.K. Rowling, wasn't there this time.

My aunt is pregnant again, and her due date is in January next year.

Secondly, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to walk the red carpet with either Harry or Ron.

The three of them had to walk alone.

Thirdly, Robbie is an artist under her company.

Why would you give your own data traffic to outsiders instead of your own people? Isn't that stupid?

Fourthly, there is...

"Oh~ the classic red and black combination, is it? You have good taste~"

Robbie Jr.'s red carpet look earned a thumbs up from Barry Mayer, but at the same time, he had a question—

"Issa, isn't your dress white today?"

"Black and white is already harmonious enough... so why did you have to make a red bag?"

"I think Margot might be better off without her bag."

Upon hearing this, Isabella and Robbie burst into laughter.

Miss Beaver waved to Little Robbie, and the little girl familiarly sat down next to her.

Without saying a word, he simply opened his bag.

Isabella reached in, and then, two or three seconds later, as if she had touched a magic pouch in HP, she pulled out a hand wrapped in a gold and red metallic glove, with a round palm cannon firing port in the middle of the hand.

"???"

When this object appeared, Barry Mayer was completely dumbfounded!
"Iron...Iron...Iron Man?"

His mouth was a little dry.

“Yeah~~~”

Isabella wiggled her fingers and laughed uncontrollably, "Iron Man~~~"

"How about Marvel merchandise? Interesting?"

"..."

The affirmative answer made Barry Mayer's eyelids twitch.

He stared at Isabella's palm for a long time, then looked at the smiling little girl, and finally stood up, refusing to believe it, walked to the little beaver's side, and reached out to examine Miss Beaver's new treasure.

After he confirmed that Isabella was indeed wearing the Iron Man gauntlet sold by Marvel...

He immediately grasped the essence of Sichuan Opera face-changing.

A mix of surprise, tension, joy, and helplessness flashed across his face.

Finally, he chuckled and weighed the gloves in his hand, "Oh—Your Highness—you really do want to win even more than I do—"

"hahahahaha~"

Vivian, Catherine, Robbie, and Isabella joined in the joyful laughter.

"So why didn't you let me prepare this?"

Barry Mayer returned the gloves.

As Isabella told Robbie to put it away, she shrugged and said, "Because after I asked you to prepare, you'll definitely try to create some hype, which is pointless."

"In my opinion, people will only follow your work if they genuinely like you."

"so……"

"I won't show this if no one asks about Marvel on the red carpet."

Yes ~
Isabella isn't a cavewoman; when she goes online every day, she naturally knows that her little beaver has undergone a super-evolution.

Since Marvel, or rather Spider-Man, fans are so supportive, Isabella started having some little schemes. Well, if possible, who wouldn't want more fans? Right?
So she asked Robbie, who lives in North America, to prepare a glove for her.

Well, "Queen Bee" was actually filmed a long time ago, but Robbie didn't go to England to visit Isabella. Instead, she stayed in Los Angeles because there's a performing arts school there, and she wanted to learn something.

Isabella's plan is to "hide" a glove while walking the red carpet, and once enough people ask about Marvel on the red carpet, she can casually show it off and attract some attention.

Because Spider-Man fans actually go to the theaters.

What if not?

Anyway, she doesn't carry a bag.

With a hardworking and dedicated assistant like Robbie, she really has an easy time doing anything.

As for the outcome...

After getting her makeup done and changing into her gown, Isabella appeared on the red carpet at Radio City Music Hall in New York at four o'clock sharp.

The deafening screams made her feel the enthusiasm of her North American fans once again;
The dense crowd blocked out the sun, as if it could fill the entire world.

She's walked the red carpet so many times already, so this formulaic performance... isn't really what she wants.

It's all instinct.

While waiting for her to finish waving and greeting the fans who had arrived, and to get up close and personal with them...

Swah——

Suddenly, quite a few people in the crowd raised up support signs.

The board is decorated with cute cartoon beavers.

There was one wearing a magic robe—this was clearly Hermione Benmin.

There's one wearing a ring and transforming into a muscular man, his whole body ablaze—this is clearly Hermione completely corrupted by the Ring.

One of them is wielding a lightsaber—that's Hermione Skywalker.

There's one with a whip—Isabella paused when she saw this beaver, because in her memory, there didn't seem to be any famous characters in film history who used whips. It wasn't until she saw that the beaver also had a gun on its waist that she remembered that the one who used a whip was Indiana Jones, so the beaver with a whip should be Hermione Jones.

The bizarre and varied images of beavers evoked some emotions in Isabella.

Her fans are truly a bunch of fun-loving people.

Just as she was smiling and admiring the scene, someone roared—

"Isha—do you use the internet?—have you seen these things before?—"

"There are a lot of rumors right now that you'll be making movies featuring other classic characters—is that true?"

"Oh—I mean—I like reading comics too—"

The unexpected question made Miss Beaver's eyes crinkle with laughter.

The gesture of extending an index finger and placing it to the lips, a gesture to silence, disappointed the fans holding up the sign.

In their eyes, Isabella was simply unwilling to answer their questions.

But the next second, Isabella waved to the host in the interview area. Isabella didn't recognize the host, but the host knew that Isabella was the last person she could afford to offend in the event.

So, in response to Isabella's call, the host immediately walked over.

After taking the microphone from the other person, the little beaver holding it up immediately smiled and said, "Someone just asked me if I've ever seen a cartoon beaver? Oh my god—Aunt Rowling goes online every day, how could I not have seen the emoticons you guys play with? This is called a JPG, right? I use it when I chat."

"Whoa who ...

Isabella's positive response elicited cheerful laughter from the audience at the premiere.

At the same time, countless screams erupted once again—

"Isa—so you have filming plans other than HP—"

"Isha—are you really going to make an Iron Man movie—?"

"Isha—do you prefer Marvel or DC?"

"Isa—will you continue working with Chris—"

The overwhelming enthusiasm delighted Isabella.

Normally, faced with such a barrage of questions, she would definitely hold the microphone and wait for everyone to finish shouting.

But today—

He glanced sideways at Her Majesty Queen Margot's personal assistant, Robbie, who immediately opened the bag at his waist.

He reached in with practiced ease and lifted it up cleanly and deftly.