America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 256 Unorthodox Pursuit

Early Monday morning, Martin got off his electric scooter and entered the Warner Bros. Studios' Wanted Room on time.

With a loud bang, more than a dozen latte art pieces exploded, and countless colorful ribbons and sequins flew and fell, covering Martin from head to toe.

Extremely enthusiastic applause erupted, and everyone was clapping.

For the film's box office success, for Martin, the lead actor and project promoter, and for the prize money they would receive.

When a Hollywood movie becomes a box office hit, all the full-time employees on the crew receive a cut.

At worst, it's a bonus.

Martin joined the crowd in clapping, repeatedly saying loudly, "Thank you! Thank you for everyone's support!"

He was very excited, but not to the point of being arrogant or overconfident. Instead, he said, "Without you all, this film wouldn't have been a success! You are the foundation of its success!"

The crowd applauded again.

Martin waved to the back of the group, and when Bruce and Menez each brought in a case of liquor, he said, "I'll treat everyone to drinks."

Many of the crew members may continue to work together next time, such as Chad and Brad.

Martin had a drink with everyone and headed towards his office, with Chad following behind.

"I heard the new project is taking shape?" he asked.

Martin took the novel "Dark Area" from his desk and handed it to him: "Bradt is planning a screenplay adaptation, which I envision will involve a lot of action scenes. If you'd like, you can continue as the action director and assistant director."

Chad replied, "I don't need to bother looking for a new job."

Collaborating with successful people increases the chances of success. His previous job, "Constantine," wasn't very successful, and Warner Bros. canceled the sequel project altogether.

Martin's phone rang at that moment.

Chad took the novel and took his leave.

Martin answered the phone; it was Leonardo calling.

"Dude, congratulations on your new film's box office success." Leonardo was a bit flustered: "Your new box office champion has a higher opening weekend than all my previous films combined."

Martin told him there was no need for modesty: "Really? I've surpassed Leonardo, that's awesome!" He laughed: "Your movies last longer, longer than you."

Leonardo cursed, "You bastard, don't let me get a chance to mess with you." He then added, "Washing my face tonight will feel great."

Martin laughed, "You call that old bastard, and I'll call a few friends too, let's go together."

Leonardo replied, "Okay."

There was a knock on the office door. Martin hung up the phone and said, "Come in." A staff member led Sophia in.

Sofia didn't waste any words and said directly, "I want to invest in your new project, whatever it is, I want to invest."

With a major investor offering money, how could Martin refuse? He said, "No problem. The script for the new project hasn't started adaptation yet. I'll let you know when I do."

Sofia nodded: "I'm returning to Atlanta today. Just give me a call then."

Martin escorted the person out of the studio.

Looking around, there are so many good people.

A scooter was parked nearby. Thomas got off the scooter, carrying a heavy briefcase.

Martin asked curiously, "What did you bring?"

Thomas smiled and said, "Many agents in the company have been sending me their directors' profiles, wanting to get them involved in your new project."

He specifically emphasized: "It's not just new directors, but also some established directors."

Martin went back to the studio first, and when Thomas caught up, he asked, "Am I that popular now?"

Thomas's smile faded, and he said very seriously, "The latest film grossed $6855 million in its opening weekend in North America. You may not have a concrete idea of ​​that, so let me put it this way: although I haven't done a specific count, no more than 20 films in Hollywood have ever achieved that result! And if you exclude the sequels of blockbuster movies, it won't exceed 10."

Martin vaguely recalls that the first movie to gross over $100 million in its opening weekend in North America was Spider-Man, and only adaptations or sequels have achieved this feat. It seems that no original film will be able to gross over $100 million in North America in the next twenty years.

Working backward from the results, it's not without reason that Hollywood underestimates original films.

Back in his office, Martin looked through the director information Thomas had brought, and found that more than 10 people had proactively contacted him!

Martin carefully read the relevant materials and divided the 14 directors into two groups: those with successful resumes and new directors.

One of the British directors, Danny Boyle, caught Martin's attention. He looked up Boyle's resume and found that he had seen two of Boyle's films, Trainspotting and 28 Days Later.

The former seems to be a movie about a clueless young man taking drugs, while the latter seems to be a zombie movie.

Martin called Bruce and asked him to buy two discs.

In addition, Danny Boyle has crossed paths with Leonardo DiCaprio, who starred in Boyle's adventure film "The Beach".

Thomas pointed to the file: "He's the biggest name among all the directors here, and he's also a second-tier director."

Martin asked curiously, "Did you contact him first?"

"No," Thomas explained simply. "After I entered the project into the company database, Danny Boyle contacted me. He had read the novel 'Dark Area' and was very interested in adapting it."

Martin said, "You talk to him first, and I'll find a suitable opportunity to talk to him too."

Meanwhile, at Paramount Studios, the crew of "Derailment" had just finished their final pre-release promotional event.

As Jennifer Aniston emerged from the studio, the scorching air from the spotlights made her feel extremely uncomfortable, almost as if she couldn't breathe.

What put immense pressure on her was not only these factors, but also the huge success of "Wanted" last weekend.

"Derailment" opens nationwide this weekend, and in the second weekend, with the wanted posters clashing, Aniston will face off directly against Jolie.

What will the media say if we lose?

Is Aniston no match for Jolie if her opening weekend box office performance is no match for her second-week release?

It's another endless round of gossip and hype.

The male lead, Clive Owen, walked by and waved to them.

Aniston smiled and nodded in response, but she was somewhat disappointed; his box office appeal was too poor.

When this film was being made, King Arthur had not yet been released, and the film was a complete flop at the box office.

Aniston couldn't help but sigh inwardly. With Martin Davis as a great helper, Jolie's market appeal as the leader of the Coca-Cola cult was enormous, far surpassing that of an artsy type like Clive Owen.

Look at Martin and Julie, they've turned their scandalous gossip into a French feast.

"Hi, Jane." A familiar voice came from behind.

Aniston turned her head and saw her ex-husband Pitt's face, which she loathed, and asked coldly, "What are you doing here?"

She noticed that behind Pitt were Matt Damon, Harvey Weinstein, and several other people, and then she roughly understood.

The Weinstein Company is one of the distributors of "Derailment".

Pete pointed to the coffee shop across the street: "Let's chat for a bit, for the sake of our past."

Aniston didn't want to argue with people in this busy place, so she left the studio first, crossed the main road of the studio, and went into the coffee shop across the street.

Pete followed closely behind and sat down opposite her.

Aniston spoke as if she were talking to a stranger: "Please speak."

"Jane, give me a chance, okay?" Pete seriously suspected he'd been played by Jolie. Compared to the promiscuous leading lady, he couldn't help but think of Aniston's good qualities: "I'll leave Jolie, and we can go back to how things were before, okay?"

Aniston suddenly wanted to laugh, but forcibly held it back: "You were dumped by her, and then you come back to me? Do you think I'm easy to bully? Just because I don't want to get entangled with you doesn't mean I'm stupid."

Pete replied, "I just made a mistake that all men make..."

Aniston interrupted him: "Why did she break up with you? Weren't you deeply in love?"

"Martin Davis! She's a promiscuous woman. You just left me, and she's already hooking up with Martin Davis." Pete tried to remain calm: "Perhaps Martin Davis loves her even more deeply."

He said sincerely, "Jane, let's go back to the way things were."

"It's impossible." After understanding the whole story, Aniston didn't want to see Pete again, so she got up and left.

Pete stood up, wanting to chase after him, but many people around were watching, and considering his pride, he ultimately didn't.

Aniston walked along the main road of the studio toward the main entrance parking lot.

At that moment, Pete's words echoed in her mind, making her realize a reality.

Pitt was hurt because Jolie kicked her.

Jolie was injured because Martin kicked Pitt.

In this love triangle, the one who should be hurt the most, and who is also the only one who hasn't been hurt yet, is Julie!

Aniston appeared nonchalant in front of the media, as if she had completely let go of everything, but only a woman can understand the hatred in a woman's heart.

As she passed by the newsstand, she bought a copy of The Hollywood Reporter, which featured a photo of Martin and Julie on the front page.

These two are the male and female leads of "Wanted," a film that has just been a huge success, making Jolie a star again and even portraying herself as a super saint.

Aniston didn't care about children, family, or the Virgin Mary; she only wanted to make Julie suffer.

What should I do?

Aniston opened her bag, took out her phone, and scrolled through her contacts, finding the number she had exchanged with Martin at the Coty community wine tasting.

Her finger hovered over the dial button, but she didn't press it. After thinking for a moment, she scrolled through her contacts and dialed her agent, Steve, saying, "Find out about Martin Davis's situation for me."

The person on the other end didn't quite understand: "Because the two movies are competing over the weekend?"

"No, it's a personal matter," Aniston said directly. "Find out his latest situation and get back to me as soon as possible."

"Give me a few days," the agent agreed.

Aniston puts away her phone, and a scooter drives by nearby. She sees Pitt, Damon, the Affleck brothers, and Harvey Weinstein riding in the same scooter.

It looks like they've gotten together.

(End of this chapter)