America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 167 Between People

There were very few audience members in the theater.

Bruce watched the movie playing, bored, grabbed some popcorn, threw it into his mouth, and chewed it with a crunchy, delicious sound.

Martin picked up the Coke and took a sip.

On screen, Alexander commands the Greek coalition to form a Macedonian phalanx and engage in battle with the Persian army.

One of the most important selling points of epic films is the large-scale war scenes.

What are the criteria for a good movie? Everyone has their own judgment.

But the standards of film studios are very uniform: whether it makes money or not.

Bruce couldn't stand the melodramatic and heart-wrenching scenes anymore: "I'm going out for some fresh air."

Martin wasn't particularly interested in any of this: "Let's go."

The two got up to leave.

Martin noticed that, besides them, there were other people leaving the theater.

The number exceeded a quarter of the audience in the theater.

This is bad news for any movie.

Martin had long forgotten what that movie was like in his previous life; apart from Angelina Jolie, it seemed that the movie had left no other impression on him.

The two left the movie theater and headed towards the parking lot.

Bruce said, "I watched the King Arthur DVDs, which were much more interesting than this one."

Martin thought for a moment: "Because King Arthur, though terrible, is very commercial, while this one is more artistic?"

Bruce shrugged: "Maybe. If I'd known it would be this boring, I would have gone to see Kim instead. It's much more interesting to watch bad movies with you."

Martin asked, "Medicated oil?"

"Jin only used a little bit and started screaming in pain. She spent ages washing herself and almost had to go to the hospital." Bruce tried to lift his shirt again: "You scumbag, you actually wanted me to put it there."

Martin grabbed his clothes: "Don't do anything reckless, there's LAPD around, be careful your magazines get emptied." He offered a wild suggestion: "Use Tiger Balm, it'll become a global sensation."

Bruce gave him the middle finger: "You're a pervert!"

The two got into the car and went back to the apartment together.

Martin was a little worried and called Louise: "Hey, you drunkard, what are you doing?"

Louise replied softly, "With family." She countered, "What are you doing?"

Martin had a lot on his mind: "I just came out of the movie theater with Old Brooks."

Louise understood why Martin had made the call: "I know the film didn't do very well, but it's okay."

"I won't bother you anymore," Martin said, hanging up the phone.

Sitting in the passenger seat, he pondered deeply, focusing on interpersonal relationships.

Bruce sped up and asked, "Do you think this film will be a flop?"

Martin simply stated, "The fact that so many people leave halfway through the same screening room must say something."

"You're worried about Louise Mayer? Man, when did you ever have a conscience?" Bruce said. "I thought you left your conscience in Atlanta."

Martin replied, "She's a multi-millionaire; I don't need to worry about her."

"Dude, are you up to something bad again?" Bruce had a bad feeling.

Martin gave a vague answer: "The Hills Have Eyes put this film on the screen, and I'm worried the bad luck will continue."

Bruce remembered something: "The Coke that Robert shipped arrived a few days ago. I rented a warehouse to store it, and I also put some in the studio. You can go and have a can."

He deliberately said, "Expired Coke has an unforgettable aftertaste."

Martin shook his head and didn't say anything.

…………

Brentwood is a well-known affluent neighborhood in Los Angeles.

In a mansion atop the mountain, Louise stood by the window, put away her phone, and looked down at the night view of Los Angeles in the distance.

The status of the film "Alexander the Great" was actually determined before its release.

The only uncertainty is how devastating the failure will be.

When Martin called to inquire about the situation, Louise sighed, "At least he has some conscience."

Footsteps sounded behind her, and a woman in her fifties came up behind her: "Honey, is something bothering you?"

Louise turned around and smiled: "It's work-related, don't worry, Mom, I can handle it."

Mrs. Mel nodded slightly and didn't ask any more questions: "Just remember one thing, no matter what happens, your father and I will always be your support."

"Okay..." Louise took her mother's arm. "Come on, let's go get a drink."

Mrs. Mel reminded her, "You're drinking increasingly uncontrollably. Should I send you to Alcoholics Anonymous?"

Louise said, "It's not that serious. I just have a drink now and then to relax."

The mother and daughter went to the small bar in their home and opened only a bottle of low-alcohol sweet wine.

Mrs. Mel asked, "Is the project not going well?"

Louise slowly took a sip of her drink: "I reckon all the money I earned this year will be lost."

"Business is business; it's normal to make and lose money. Even Buffett can't guarantee that every deal will be profitable." Mrs. Mel, who has also worked in the business world and seen many ups and downs, said, "Since you graduated from USC, your career and life have been very smooth. Encountering setbacks is not necessarily a bad thing."

Louise's face fell: "Mom, you'd love for me to fall really hard!"

Mrs. Mel didn't touch her glass: "I don't understand big principles, but when you fail, you can more easily see who around you is trustworthy, who can stand with you through thick and thin, and who will abandon you at any time."

Louise put down her glass and began to think carefully.

Mrs. Mel picked up her glass and sipped it slowly.

After Alexander the Great was released in North America, Martin Scorsese paid close attention to the film's market response.

Some films have good reviews but poor box office performance; however, through long-term management, they can eventually recoup their costs.

However, the film received overwhelmingly negative reviews, from critics to ordinary viewers to industry media. It scored 5.6 on IMDb and a shockingly low 16% on Rotten Tomatoes.

As expected, Alexander the Great only grossed $1369 million at the box office during its North American opening weekend.

The film's publicly disclosed production cost was $1.55 million.

Its failure was even more disastrous than that of "King Arthur" and "Van Helsing".

It was arguably the biggest box office disaster in Hollywood in 2004.

All investors involved in the scheme will face huge losses.

The failure of an A-list production always has many consequences.

…………

In the villa on the south slope of Sherman Oaks.

Louise sat at the bar in the lobby, opened a bottle of whiskey, filled her glass, and drank it down in one gulp.

The personal cell phone that was lying to the side rang.

It was Martin who called.

Louise asked, "Is something the matter?"

Martin asked, "What are you doing?"

Louise said, "I'm in a meeting, don't bother me for now."

Martin replied, "You go ahead with your work, send me a message when you have some free time."

Louise had just put down her phone when the other end of the line rang.

She answered: "This is Louise Mayer."

"Hi, Louise, it's me, Fairman." The other person spoke politely: "My Zero Foundation participated in your fundraising back then, and the funds were invested in your Pacific Film Studio in batches, participating in Hollywood film anthology investments. The foundation is now facing difficulties; the second and third phases of investment cannot be in place, and the first phase of investment..."

Louise understood perfectly well what he meant: "Don't worry, I will return the initial investment and the promised interest dividends to you within the contract period."

Fermat chuckled twice: "That's for the best. I'll participate in your portfolio investment when the opportunity arises."

Louise tossed the phone onto the bar, poured herself another drink, and continued drinking.

Although she was mentally prepared, the film's disastrous failure still took her by surprise.

A few minutes later, the official phone rang again; it was another foundation preparing to withdraw its investment.

Louise's Pacific Pictures is somewhat similar to Relativity Media, a Wall Street-funded company that raises funds from investors such as foundations to invest in Hollywood film anthology projects in order to make a profit.

The difference is that Louise herself also invests.

Investors flock to the mixed-asset investment projects that are profitable, or even just break even.

Given such a disastrous failure, it's only natural that investors would withdraw their funding and cancel the partnership.

From the moment the media officially released the North American box office data for last weekend, Louise received seven phone calls in just a few hours, all from investors unilaterally cancelling their partnerships.

Even though she was mentally prepared, she was still very annoyed.

How can anyone feel good when something like this happens?

Louise whiskey was drunk glass after glass, and a bottle of 40-proof whiskey was quickly emptied.

Her personal cell phone rang; it was Kelly Gray calling.

Louise's face darkened as she pressed the answer button and spoke into speakerphone: "You slut, you're not going to cooperate with me anymore?"

Kelly let out a crisp laugh: "Pervert, I do want to dump you, but I'd rather see you fail a few more times."

"You've got a conscience after all." Louise decided to reward her: "Next time, I'll not only have Martin play it out loud, but I'll also have him stream it live."

Kelly was seething with anger and said, "Aren't you and that bastard preparing for a new movie, planning to film it in Atlanta? I have a surprise for you when you come over."

Louise said, "I love surprises the most."

Without saying much, the call ended, and Louise got up, grabbed another bottle of wine, and continued drinking.

Worries can wait until tomorrow; at least today you can have a good time getting drunk.

Louise had drunk a few more glasses of wine, and as she was about to get another glass, the housekeeper Mary suddenly came over and stopped her.

"You've drunk too much, don't drink anymore," Mary advised. "Your body won't be able to handle it."

Louise seemed quite sober: "I didn't drink too much. It's only a small amount. I know my limits. I'm fine."

Mary said, "Let me help you upstairs to rest."

"I'm really fine." Louise waved her hand and then whispered a few words to Mary.

Mary hurried to the foyer.

Louise poured herself a drink and continued drinking.

Mary picked up the phone in the foyer and dialed Martin's number.

The call connected on the other end: "Louise?"

Mary said, "I am Mary, Louise's housekeeper."

Martin found a secluded spot and asked, "Is there something you need?"

"Mr. Davis, if you have time, please come and talk to her. Louise has been drinking since this morning." Mary spoke quickly, sounding particularly anxious. "More than a dozen companies and foundations have called, ending their cooperation with Pacific Films and demanding a complete withdrawal of their investment. Pacific Films may not survive this, which will be a huge blow to Louise..."

She paused briefly: "I'm still getting phone calls. I'm worried something might happen to her, but I can't persuade her to stay calm."

After saying this, Mary waited quietly for a reply from the other end.

(End of this chapter)