America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 206 Upgrade

After the meeting, Martin chatted with Mayor Villalegoza and LAPD chief Bratton for a while. Seeing that they had important matters to discuss, Martin took his leave at the appropriate time.

McLean saw Martin off at City Hall.

He not only exchanged personal contact information with Martin, but also presented Martin with an "exemption card" on behalf of the LAPD.

It's not an exemption from violation of the law, but rather a way to obtain certain preferential treatment within the LAPD's enforcement scope.

Martin, referring to McKlain's position, specifically said, "I'm developing my career in Hollywood and also involved in film project investment. Last year, I established a studio, mainly affiliated with Warner Bros. and Pacific Films. In the future, I might need to trouble the LAPD with film production."

LAPD is arguably one of the biggest partners of Hollywood producers, and McKlain, who is in charge of this area, said, "Just give me a call if you need anything."

Martin shook hands with him to say goodbye: "I won't stand on ceremony."

Upon arriving at the side entrance of the city hall, Thomas was already waiting there. He said, "There are many reporters outside."

Martin's expression changed instantly; he lowered his head, shut his mouth, and looked grave.

As he went outside, flashlights kept going off, and reporters were clamoring to interview him.

Several producers blocked the reporters' way, and Thomas escorted Martin out, saying as they went, "Excuse me, everyone, Martin isn't feeling well right now..."

Bruce opened the car door, and Martin climbed into the back seat.

Once Thomas got into the car, Bruce started the engine and drove away.

Thomas leaned back in his seat, exhausted from the past few days, too tired to move.

Martin took out a can of Coke and handed it to Thomas: "Have some energy."

Thomas opened the bottle, took a sip, and asked, "What position do I hold in the Cult of Cola?"

Martin was generous in offering positions: "Would you like to be the deputy leader, or the leader's advisor?"

Thomas asked curiously, "What's the most important position?"

Bruce, who was driving, interjected, "Of course it's the Holy Maiden! The Cult of Cola must have at least ten Holy Maidens, right?"

Thomas understood that the saint being referred to here was definitely not someone like Joan of Arc.

"Ten? Old Brook, are you looking down on me?" Martin rarely spoke his mind like this: "It has to be at least a hundred!"

Bruce reminded him, "It's a deal, I'll be one of the vice-leaders."

Thomas, not wanting to stray from Martin's inner circle, said, "I want to be the vice-chairman too."

Martin thought to himself, "Damn it, I haven't even seen the Holy Maiden yet, and the Vice-President has already sent a whole bunch of wolves."

Bruce drove to Century City, dropped Thomas off, and then they returned to their North Hollywood apartment together.

As soon as I entered the apartment, I saw the landlord, Antonio, sitting in the foyer like a guardian deity, holding the Gun of Friendship.

The paparazzi who had been following from a distance saw the gun slung over the fat man's shoulder and automatically turned back.

Antonio pointed outside: "Martin, there are more and more paparazzi following you, and my tenants are having problems."

Martin said directly, "I'm going to Atlanta right away, so I don't have time to look for a place now. I'll look for a place when I get back."

"Someone offered $5." Antonio's situation is remarkable; how could an ordinary person resist such a huge temptation? Only a seasoned millionaire like him could manage it: "I can hold out for a few more months."

Martin patted Antonio on the shoulder: "The man who wields the gun of friendship must value friendship very much."

Antonio pulled Martin to his side: "Come on, let's take another photo together. The hero of Los Angeles is my tenant. A new screenwriter moved in on the first floor. When the photos are developed, I'll have him write a piece about our deep friendship."

Martin stood behind Antonio and had Bruce take a group photo.

After Old Brooks and Martin went upstairs, Antonio muttered to himself, "If we enlarge and replace the photos, we can raise the rent again."

Martin looked down and said, "You have to give me a commission!"

Antonio looked up: "You're a big star now, and you've got a golden spoon in your mouth. You think you're short of money?"

Martin said no more and went upstairs.

Jessica stood in the doorway with a box at her feet, clearly waiting for them.

Martin asked, "Where did the package come from?"

Jessica said, "It was mailed from Queensland, Australia."

Bruce kicked the box forward, opened Martin's apartment door, and kicked the box inside.

Martin casually asked, "Where's Emily?"

Jessica followed Martin into the apartment and said, "The fans have been quite excited these past few days, so she went to see Rachel."

Martin asked curiously, "What happened?"

Jessica glanced at Martin and whispered, "After the videos about the Cola Cult cult circulated online, a lot of people were clamoring to join it..."

Martin scratched his head. "Everyone's here to join in the fun."

"We'll have ordinary followers soon." Bruce, unusually, saw a business opportunity; of course, a scoundrel like him could only come up with a bad idea: "The opportunity to monetize has arrived! Want to join the Cola Cult? Pay the membership fee!"

He looked down at the large box of goods: "These can be used as church badges, $50 each isn't expensive, is it?"

Martin gave Bruce the middle finger: "You academic slacker, don't show off your pathetic knowledge."

He hadn't considered the idea of ​​a Coca-Cola cult for making money. He said that at the time partly to distract the gunman and partly to draw attention to some people through Helen's video.

Both objectives have been achieved.

Martin told Jessica, "Tell the fan club members that joining the fan club automatically means joining the Cola Cult. We're just a loosely organized hobby group and don't plan to officially register yet. We'll notify them as soon as we do register."

Jessica replied, "Okay."

Bruce then opened the box, took out the crocodile tooth pendant and bison horn, and put them into a large box on the side of the living room.

Jessica went over to help.

Martin dragged out another box, took out a mahogany gift box containing jade jewelry, and put the gold key back in.

I'll be going back to Atlanta soon, so I should prepare some gifts.

Although Martin rejected Brooks's terrible idea of ​​monetizing the Coca-Cola cult, in America's highly developed commercial society, personal reputation and influence can truly be converted into commercial value.

In the week following the Burbank High School incident, sales of the "House of Wax" DVD, which typically sold less than 3000 copies per week in North America, skyrocketed, with the latest week's sales exceeding 7 copies.

"The Hills Have Eyes," which had already been taken off the screens in North America, was put back into theaters by Warner Bros. in conjunction with several theaters, and surprisingly grossed nearly $500 million in its opening week.

This also brought the film's cumulative North American box office to over $1.1 million.

The news also reached overseas, especially English-speaking countries and regions. The overseas box office surged again, with the company earning another $415 million that week, bringing its global box office total to $1.8 million.

The film's newly released DVD is a huge success, selling $1954 million in its first week.

Although it's far from the kind of DVD that sold fifty or sixty million dollars in its opening week like Spider-Man 1, it's just a low-budget horror film.

Even "Zombie Dancer," which had long been forgotten, has been rediscovered by many movie fans, generating over $100 million in revenue in the past week through rentals, DV and videotape sales.

However, this film has no direct commercial connection with Martin Scorsese.

When Martin Scorsese filmed Male Zombie, he had not yet joined the Screen Actors Guild, so he naturally did not enjoy the post-production revenue sharing under the agreement between the guild and the producers' union.

The higher the post-production revenue of Madame Tussauds and The Hills Have Eyes, the more revenue Martin will receive.

Many veteran stars who lived a life of extravagance during their active years now rely on the post-production revenue of the films they starred in to make a living after fading out of the film industry.

As long as they don't squander money like Marlon Brando, most of them live very comfortably.

…………

At Warner Bros. Studios, the crew of "Wanted" are packing their belongings in preparation for moving to Atlanta.

The project will soon enter the filming stage.

Director Leterrier took the film crew and special effects team to Atlanta ahead of time.

Jessica and Emily were staying in Los Angeles. Martin had just finished explaining his work to them when Mene ran in from outside.

"Boss!" Menne pointed to the studio entrance and said, "A very tall girl is looking for you. She seems to be the female lead from the jeans movie crew."

Martin knew who it was; Blake had called him yesterday.

He approached Bruce, who handed him a small tote bag and said, "You've upgraded."

"We were poor before, there was nothing we could do." Martin, carrying a tote bag, walked out of the studio and saw Blake wearing low-rise jeans and a crop top.

He pointed ahead: "A truck will be here soon. Let's go to the coffee shop up ahead; their cold drinks are pretty good."

Blake wanted to reach out and take Martin's arm, but worried that her crush wouldn't agree, so she pulled her hand back halfway up, pretended to tidy her small backpack, and followed Martin forward.

"I've been so worried about you lately, I tried calling several times but couldn't get through." She saw a news report that Martin had gone to see a psychologist: "Are you okay?"

Martin doesn't readily share his true situation with others: "I was a bit withdrawn, turned off my phone and didn't want to contact anyone, but I'm much better now."

Blake finally reached out and grabbed Martin's arm: "If you have something on your mind and no one to talk to, you can tell me."

Upon seeing the coffee shop, Martin said to the brown-haired girl behind the counter, "Mia, a cup of black tea and a nonfat ice cream, please."

He and Blake sat by the window, and Mia quickly brought them drinks.

Martin placed the bag in front of Blake: "Here, this is for you. It's a talisman that can ward off bad luck if you wear it."

Blake was surprised, but more excited. He quickly took out the gift box, opened it, saw the emerald green jade pendant, and asked, "An emerald?"

"Jade," Martin said. "One of the investors I found is from Asia, where this gemstone is abundant, and I bought a few pieces."

Blake picked it up and hung it around his neck: "Isn't it pretty?"

Martin nodded: "You're a perfect match."

Blake said with some annoyance, "I didn't prepare a gift for you."

Martin smiled and said, "The best gift is that you're here talking to me."

Blake was overjoyed: "You said yesterday you were going to Atlanta to film a movie?"

"I'm leaving the day after tomorrow," Martin said simply. "It's an action-packed gunfight movie. I'll be back when the jeans premiere."

Blake calculated the timing; it was a crucial time for her college applications, making it difficult for her to visit her in Atlanta.

After careful consideration, I think it's best to wait until after August to make a decision.

(End of this chapter)