America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 198 Bullying

In April 2005, The Hills Have Eyes surpassed $100 million at the North American box office and $147.52 million worldwide.

Warner Bros. held another grand celebration for the film.

This also serves as a prelude to the upcoming DVD release.

As Martin walked alone down the hotel red carpet, countless cameras automatically focused on him.

"Martin, smile!"

"Look this way!"

The reporters were as enthusiastic as the alluring Latina women on Tijuana's red-light district, practically ready to pounce on people and grab them.

Martin entered the hotel banquet hall, where someone immediately greeted him with a hug, put their arm around his shoulder, and shouted, "Our fucking North American box office has surpassed $100 million!"

Then he burst into laughter again.

Martin was just as happy as director Aja, saying, "We're now members of the $100 million box office club!"

In terms of fame, the biggest beneficiaries are Martin and director Aja.

The atmosphere in the banquet hall was so lively, it was like a volcanic eruption.

Craven invited Martin and Aja to wash their faces after the party.

"You haven't organized a party in ages." Craven, though old, was still young at heart: "The last party was so great that I've lost interest in other people's parties."

A-Jia also tempted him: "I'll pay for it, you just need to come up with an idea."

Martin said, "These kinds of parties take time to organize and plan. I've been too busy lately, and I'm going to Atlanta soon to film a new movie. How about I come back from Atlanta?"

Craven said, "Okay."

When the two went elsewhere, Daniel came looking for them.

Martin shared a drink with him and asked, "What are the expected sales figures for the DVD?"

Daniel roughly stated, "$3500 million to $4500 million. Horror DVDs always sell well, and the rental market won't be bad either."

Martin asked these questions because they concerned his own interests. Although he had not personally signed a revenue-sharing agreement, the unified agreement between the Screen Actors Guild and the Producers Union stipulated that lead actors could receive a share of the various post-production copyright revenues.

With more blockbuster movies starring him, he can even earn millions of dollars a year.

The most typical example is Morgan Freeman, who has played major supporting roles in countless popular movies and has a certain share of the profits. With the advantage of the sheer number of roles, he later amassed a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Daniel added, "Warner Bros. has the power to start a sequel, and the production company has proposed making one. Are you interested?"

Martin declined, saying, "The story about the male lead is already finished. Neither Aja, Craven, nor I thought about a sequel at the time."

He added, "My schedule doesn't fit either. By the time 'The Departed' finishes filming, it will probably be almost the end of the year."

Daniel, who understood this, said, "That's a real shame."

After the party ended, Martin and his two companions shook off the paparazzi and went to wash their faces.

Subsequently, Warner Bros. capitalized on the buzz surrounding the film's box office success, pushing for its DVD release.

Similarly, the DVD opening credits featured a clip from the movie "GG Summer in Jeans".

Before the Redbox chain store in Burbank Plaza even opened that day, a large number of movie fans holding Martin Scorsese posters lined up at the entrance.

Jessica and Emily were among them.

Rachel was also present, and she called out, "We'll open in ten minutes, everyone please keep order and don't cause any disturbances."

Phoebe, standing behind, raised a signed book: "I brought Martin another gift."

Jessica reacted quickly and asked, "What is it?"

If Martin is asked to write down the wishes they sent last time, she will try to get a copy in the autograph book.

A list of hundreds of signatures is too much for Martin to handle.

Phoebe said, "These are the wishes that I and a few friends wrote to Martin."

Jessica breathed a sigh of relief.

Because notices had been posted on the blog and in MSN groups, many members of the fan club gradually arrived.

They certainly wouldn't miss the first autographed DVD of the movie star they support.

Inside the store, the DVD of "The Hills Have Eyes" was displayed on the most prominent shelf, with a table placed in the empty space nearby.

Someone shouted, "It's time to open!"

Martin sat down behind the table, took the pen Bruce handed him for autographs, and patiently waited for the fans to enter.

As the roller shutter door rose, a male fan, not yet 20 years old, rushed into the store, grabbed a $39.9 commemorative DVD, and ran to Martin's table.

Martin offered his fist: "Dude, congratulations, you've hit the jackpot."

"My name is William!" The man bumped fists with Martin and quickly handed him the disc.

Martin quickly signed his name on it and said, "I'll remember you."

William was overjoyed and excitedly went to pay.

A line had already formed behind them. Phoebe was the second to come over, and in addition to the DVD, she also handed over an autographed book.

Martin signed the DVD and said, "You are Phoebe."

Phoebe was overjoyed and said, "Martin, I brought you a present."

Martin has already seen it; it's another autographed book, one he hasn't even memorized yet.

Forget it, he's completely given up on treatment.

"Thank you." Martin opened the package and took a look; as expected, it contained many well wishes.

Phoebe wasted no time, picked up the DVD and said, "Goodbye, Martin, I'll continue to support you."

"goodbye."

Martin took the third disc, signed it, and returned it while smiling and nodding, saying, "Thank you for your support."

As an actor with professional ethics, Martin disregarded everything else at this moment and treated every fan and every person who came by with utmost care. He would greet them with a smile, making consumers feel like they were basking in a warm breeze.

These are all our providers.

No matter how tired my wrists are, it won't be as tiring as screwing in screws in a factory or crawling around as a stuntman.

Even if you smile for a long time and your facial muscles become stiff, it's still not as difficult as smiling and flattering directors, producers, and investors at each table while offering toasts.

One of the pens ran out of ink, so we replaced it with another.

Bruce secretly admired Martin's smiling face and enthusiasm. Martin was indeed a scoundrel, but he was also a scoundrel with professional ethics.

It was nearly 11:30 a.m. when Martin's autograph session was over, and there were still many people queuing inside and outside the store.

In this particular store alone, DVD sales are booming.

While Martin was warming up his wrists, he turned to Bruce and said, "Go and talk to them about extending the autograph session. I'll treat all the staff to pizza at noon."

Bruce went to communicate with the person in charge, and the two quickly reached an agreement. He returned to Martin's side, called Jessica, and asked her and Emily to order pizza from a well-known nearby shop.

Martin continued signing autographs, while Bruce thought for a moment, then moved away from the crowd to a quiet place and dialed the numbers of several paparazzi, including Jody.

How could such a big event as a popular movie star giving up lunch and midday rest to sign autographs for fans not be reported?

The signing didn't end until after midnight.

Just as the large number of movie fans dispersed, a shop's vehicle delivered several pizzas.

Bruce didn't rush to eat. He found the cameraman and said, "Give me a copy of the video."

He then found the store manager and pointed to the surveillance camera that could see Martin: "I need the footage from here, after 11 o'clock."

Business was booming today, and the manager, who had been instructed to cooperate with the person signing the document, immediately said, "Come with me."

A dozen minutes later, Bruce left the shop, entered the mall, and went to the parking lot through another door.

After sending a text message from the Volkswagen and waiting a few minutes, Jody, wearing a baseball cap, opened the passenger door and got in.

Bruce handed her the USB drive: "The latest news about Martin."

Jody put the USB drive away, ready to get out of the car, then stopped and asked, "Was Martin and Annie's USB drive left behind on purpose?"

Bruce isn't stupid, so of course he wouldn't admit it: "You should ask Anne Hathaway's assistant about that."

Jody benefited greatly from that video, and specifically said, "If you have another opportunity like this, feel free to use me."

She said earnestly, "I don't mind being used by you, really."

A single video can sell for tens of thousands of dollars; Jodi Ba would love to have more opportunities like this.

Bruce didn't waste any words and said directly, "You can leave now."

Jody got out of the car with the USB drive, quickly returned to her newly bought sedan, got in, and hurried back.

Jody pays special attention to news about Martin, having made a huge haul last time, completely upgrading her equipment from cameras to DV camcorders to vehicles.

In the past few months, none of the news stories she's reaped from following several A-list celebrities have sold as many as Martin's.

Those established celebrities aren't as restless as Martin.

Bruce got out of the car and heard a commotion.

Looking back casually, I saw some boys in school uniforms arguing, with Fak's words constantly ringing out.

These people weren't very old, only about seventeen or eighteen years old.

Seven or eight tall, burly men were surrounding three people.

The 1980s campus culture in the United States, whether in public or private schools, has an extremely long history and can even be considered a tradition.

Bruce drove to the mall exit and soon met Martin and the others.

The others got into a minivan, while Martin, carrying a box of pizza, got into the car driven by Old Brooks.

He opened the pizza box: "Have some before you go."

Bruce moved his car aside to make way, picked up his pizza, and started eating.

Martin then pulled out a can of Coke and gave it to him.

Bruce swallowed the food in his mouth and asked, "It's not one of those expired batches, is it?"

Martin placed it on the armrest box: "That batch of expired Coke is so precious, do you think you can just drink it as you please?"

Bruce didn't trust Martin, that scoundrel, so he specifically picked it up and checked the production date.

"What about trust between people? Old Brooks, you've betrayed my trust in you." Martin cracked his knuckles and noticed the conflict a few dozen meters to his side.

Seven or eight boys in school uniforms were chasing and beating up three other people.

Bruce saw it too: "They were arguing just now, and now they're fighting."

The two groups alerted the mall security guards, who came out and shouted a few times. The group with more people left, cursing and swearing.

The side with fewer people supported each other and walked in the opposite direction.

After finishing half a pizza, Bruce started the car and drove Martin to the store where he was scheduled to do his book signing that afternoon.

On the other side, three white boys with bruises and swelling on their faces staggered away into the distance.

This is not the first time there has been conflict; they have been frequently oppressed in recent months.

Because they were immigrants from Russia and a major family crisis had befallen them, no one stood up for them.

(End of this chapter)