America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 409 Annual Income of 20 Million

In the small building where Pacific Pictures was located, Martin asked Jessica to take the finance director and accountant to reconcile accounts, and went to Louise's office alone.

Louise's assistant, Nikki, said, "The boss is in the meeting room. He said you can go straight there when you arrive."

"Thank you." Martin went to the reception room diagonally opposite, knocked lightly on the door, and pushed it open to enter.

Besides Louise, Sophia is also in it.

Martin was somewhat surprised by the latter's attire.

Sofia was wearing a sharp, tailored women's business suit, which looked like a custom-made version. Her bulging muscles made the suit look like it might burst into shreds at any moment.

She also wore a pair of non-prescription glasses, perhaps to match her suit.

When Louise wears business attire and glasses, she exudes a beauty that is both sexy and intellectual.

Sofia's similar attire makes her look like King Kong from Skull Island who has infiltrated the human world.

"What? Don't you recognize me?" Sophia mimicked Louise's mannerisms, pushing up her non-prescription glasses. "I'm a female CEO too."

For the sake of his backside, Martin unusually told a completely false story: "She has the temperament and demeanor of a female CEO; she looks like a strong woman in the workplace."

Sofia burst into laughter, her cheeks jiggling with every laugh.

Martin quickly found a chair and sat down, making sure to put Louise between them. Only when he sat down on the thick sofa did he feel at ease.

At that moment, he suddenly understood why Old Bu always leaned his butt against the cement wall whenever he saw Sophia.

That solid sense of security is so important.

Louise adjusted her black-rimmed glasses slightly, appearing both intellectual and elegant, yet also sexy and charming, in comparison to Sophia: "You've come at the right time. After the New Year holiday, Warner Bros. settled the revenue from 'Limitless' with us. Your share will be transferred to your respective accounts soon after the accounts are settled today."

Sofia laughed so hard her flesh twitched as if electrocuted: "Choosing to invest with you guys back then was such a wise decision. I know a guy who set up a foundation and came to Hollywood to invest in movies, but all the anthology projects he invested in over the past few years have lost money, he's gone completely, it's so tragic..."

Louise glanced at Martin: "You were introduced by Martin, so naturally we can all make money together."

Sofia smiled at Martin again, the muscle fibers beneath her skin taut and trembling wildly like plucked strings.

Fortunately, Martin has a strong mentality and was able to calmly face Sofia's strong smile, saying, "Your support is what has given me my status and influence today. I believe I have a good eye for movies, and I hope we can continue to make money together when the opportunity arises."

He couldn't handle such a huge circle on his own, and his success in recent years is also closely related to the strong support behind him.

Without Louise, Warner Bros. would have started this whole thing a long time ago; without Warner Bros.' backing, Harvey Weinstein and others wouldn't have hesitated to act.

They probably targeted him when he was still weak.

Martin needs money, fame, influence, and support from powerful figures.

Only in this way can he live freely, have fun, and boldly cause trouble.

Louise asked, "What about that action movie project you have on hand?"

Martin said, "We're in the early planning stages. Once the project is officially launched, we'll definitely need your investment. The production cost is estimated at around $4000 million."

Sofia replied without hesitation, "Count me in on the investment."

Martin said he wouldn't put all his money into film projects, adding, "My project proposal and script will be delivered to you soon."

Louise didn't speak. She knew Martin's character; he was indeed a bastard, but he was undeniably kind to those who had helped him.

Sofia, preparing to leave, asked Martin, "I've heard there are quite a few interesting clubs on Sunset Boulevard. Shall we go check them out?"

Martin shook his head: "I never go to those places."

Sophia straightened her suit jacket, adopting an unusually refined demeanor: "Goodbye, gentlemen, I'm heading to the male model club."

Louise escorted her back, closed the door, and tilted her head to look at Martin: "You have some kind of psychological fear of her?"

"This isn't fear, it's complete respect for our benefactor," Martin said matter-of-factly. "I treat you, my big benefactor, the same way—I do my best to keep you satisfied, don't I?"

Louise invited, "Carrie, you'll be in Los Angeles at five this afternoon. Why don't you come to my place tonight?"

Martin understood that another fierce battle was brewing tonight, and replied, "I'll go over for dinner and prepare plenty of meat."

A man must never back down when faced with a challenge.

But first, we need to fill our stomachs.

The two chatted for a while longer, then Jessica called and asked Martin to come over and sign the papers.

Martin left Louise's office and went to the finance office of Pacific Pictures.

The financial statements that need to be signed mainly concern Martin's share of the investment in "Limitless" on behalf of Davis Studios.

More than two years ago, when the project was launched, Martin didn't have much money. The cost of purchasing the original novel "Dark Area" plus the initial investment led him and Louise to exaggerate the investment scale to $300 million when they established "Never Ending" studio.

Including his share of the film's salary, which he had factored into his investment, the total investment amounted to $600 million, accounting for one-sixth of the project's production cost of $3600 million.

After more than two years of preparation, filming, promotion, and online and offline distribution, the harvest season has finally arrived.

"Limitless" ultimately grossed $1.76 million in North America and $3.86 million worldwide.

By the end of December last year, the film's North American DVD sales reached $5895 million. Including television rights and other revenue from North America and overseas distribution, Martin Scorsese ultimately received $1925 million.

Although the investment process takes a long time, the returns can be quite substantial.

At the same time, the studios of several other films starring Martin Scorsese also settled their investments or share of the profits from the previous year. Thanks to the continued success of "Wanted" and "The Departed" in the DVD market, this part of the revenue totaled $352 million.

A $2000 million annual income is within Martin's grasp.

His next goal, naturally, is to earn $2000 million per film!

Joining the $20 million club is no easy feat; Hollywood has only produced a dozen or so people to date.

…………

"Congratulations, you're a multi-millionaire." Louise personally poured drinks for Martin and Kelly, raising her glass: "Kelly, let's all toast to the multi-millionaire."

Kelly laughed and raised her glass: "Today I'm going to taste whether being a multi-millionaire is different from what I used to be."

Martin helped himself up from the bar and clinked glasses with both of them: "To you both."

The three of them shared a drink.

Kelly poured Martin a drink and asked, "Now that you've made so much money, what are your plans?"

Martin revealed his true thoughts: "I want to find a hundred beautiful women from various countries, rent a luxury cruise ship over 100 meters long, and go on a crazy month-long adventure at sea."

Louise snorted coldly: "At most three days, you'll emerge covered in blood, and within a week, you'll be dead at sea, your corpse used to feed the fish."

Kelly, a woman with political ambitions, couldn't help but shake her head: "Martin, you have no ambition at all, you're so vulgar!"

"That's what you call having real ambition. Why do I hone my acting skills, work so hard, and earn so much money?" Martin didn't need anyone to answer before saying, "To have fun, of course!"

He took a sip of his drink: "Am I supposed to watch my account balance grow while living the life of a Puritan? I won't do it."

Having been in the industry for over a decade and witnessed the rise and fall of many stars, Louise didn't want Martin to become like Marlon Brando in the future. She specifically warned him, "With your lifestyle, you'll have a hard time when you run out of money."

Martin understood the good intentions behind it and roughly said, "I divide the money I receive into three parts: one-third for investment, one-third as a reserve fund, and one-third for food, drink, and entertainment. This is enough to ensure that life is full of fun."

In fact, he doesn't spend that much on pleasure.

Kelly raised an eyebrow at Louise: "Did you hear that? I told you, he thinks way more than most people." She leaned on Louise's shoulder: "You worry about him too much."

Louise smiled and said, "I'm afraid he'll grow old and become penniless, and we'll have to support him."

Kelly asked in surprise, "Are you thinking about this far ahead?"

Martin took the initiative to change the subject for Louise: "Come on, let's drink. Whoever drinks the most gets a prize."

Kelly asked, "What's the reward?"

Martin laughed and said, "The reward is for her being in the middle."

When the three of them finished a bottle of whiskey, the hall was in such a chaotic state that it resembled a battlefield.

The following morning, Martin, unusually, cooked breakfast for the two of them himself.

Kelly was still fast asleep when Louise came downstairs alone, wearing a robe, and leaned against a pillar by the kitchen. She asked, "Was what you said yesterday true?"

"Of course it's true." Martin knew what he was asking and simply said, "Both investments and consumption are tax-deductible. If you don't invest or consume, that part of the money still goes to the IRS. So I will continue to invest most of the money I earn or purchase practical assets."

Louise cautioned, "Be careful. The economic situation isn't looking good right now. Don't lose money."

"I'll keep an eye on it." Martin's clearest memory of this era is of Apple, so naturally he'll buy stocks that he remembers best.

He divided the fried eggs, bacon, and ham into three plates, poured three glasses of milk, and as he carried one plate to the dining room, he patted Louise's butt: "Go and call the lazybones upstairs down for breakfast."

Louise quickly dragged Kelly downstairs.

After the three of them had breakfast together, Martin drove to Burbank and had a brief meeting with Chad Stahelski and Braddart. After finalizing the script and filming plan, he had the script and project proposal delivered to Louise, Kelly, and Sofia respectively.

Including Davis Studio, the four companies each contributed $1000 million to this project.

Martin joined the project as a producer and lead actor.

His salary must be in line with his market value.

Thomas was eager to make a move and had already drafted a preliminary contract outlining a basic salary plus revenue sharing and compensation clauses.

(End of this chapter)