America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 140. You damn emperor.

It's a new day, and the movie theater is filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Under the impact of "Finding Nemo", other movies are trembling. They probably never expected that they would be humiliated by a clownfish.

After two consecutive flops with "Cinderella" and "Treasure Planet", Disney seems to have finally found the right approach.

This Mickey Mouse is puffing up again!

Entering June, it's already the fourth week of "The Matrix Reloaded," and even the savior can't save the box office; it will continue to decline.

The daily box office for The Matrix Reloaded is now only around four to five million dollars.

In just one month, it has already grossed $2.3 million at the North American box office, including $9100 million in its opening week.

The analysts' final forecast was around $2.5 million, compared to the original forecast of around $2.8 million.

But "The Purge," which no one took seriously, unexpectedly surged ahead, taking in $45 million in its first week, causing "The Matrix Reloaded" to lose its third-week box office crown.

However, for blockbusters of this caliber, overseas box office revenue is the real focus.

The Matrix Reloaded has now grossed $260 million overseas, surpassing its North American box office. Analysts predict it will gross $450 million, and it should easily break $700 million worldwide.

7 million is a very crucial threshold; once it surpasses 7 million, it becomes a rare blockbuster film of the year.

The Purge was also overshadowed by Nemo, but its daily box office was slightly higher than The Matrix Reloaded.

Overseas, it has already been released in several European countries, including the UK, Germany, and Italy, and will be released in France, Denmark, Sweden, and Australia next week.

Asia was the last to be released, Hong Kong and Taiwan were in the third batch, and Eric decided not to release it in mainland China after consideration.

With MGM's current connections and investments in mainland China, and with the endorsement of figures like Lao Han and Director Wang, importing the film would be no problem at all. They could even do it without any cuts, like with "Titanic" back then, but they would definitely have to use their connections and say nice things.

But interpersonal relationships are something that diminish with use, so it's better to waste them on minor characters like "The Purge".

Why not wait until the end of the year when Transformers comes out, and ask the filmmakers to give us the green light for an uncut version?

When Michael Bay's "Transformers" was released in mainland China, a few minutes of scenes were actually cut.

The reason is that it's too violent. Eric really doesn't understand how it's possible for robots killing humans to be considered violent.

Two lumps of metal fighting, what's with the violence if a few parts fall off? It's like every little boy has smashed a few toys as a child.

This version directed by Eric features a grander scale of war scenes and more deaths. If he doesn't treat Lao Han and the others to a meal, he might have trouble getting past the lighting and animation department and have ten or more minutes of his scenes cut, which would be detrimental to selling merchandise.

"Rolling in the Deep" has climbed to number 31 on Billboard, as Mikey has changed his style to better cater to younger listeners.

With celebrities on Facebook actively promoting it, the song quickly climbed into the top 30 in just two days.

Michael Jackson's songs can be heard everywhere on the streets and radio stations now, and it's expected that he'll break into the top 20 in CD sales figures today.

On the other hand, the more popular Michael Jordan is, the greater the backlash against him.

His Billboard ranking was originally 5th, and he should have continued to climb, but in reality, he dropped 3 places to 8th.

Perhaps sensing the crisis, this scoundrel has been frequently appearing on various radio stations and in interviews these past few days, promoting his own songs.

He's also been actively calling on his friends on Facebook, but since his debut, he's almost always swearing.

He has insulted everyone from the President of the United States to his own parents and wife, and even his colleagues.

In the end, only a few rappers were willing to speak up for him, but at the same time, many rappers stood on MJ's side.

Facebook has seen a staggering increase of millions of new users, like a raging fire that keeps burning brighter and brighter.

At this rate, attracting 20 million users in a month is not a dream.

On the set of "Blue Is the Warmest Color," everyone gradually clocked in for work.

Chen Xing and production manager Julio were waiting nearby, while Eric crossed his legs and flipped through the project report in his hand.

Preparations for "The Hangover" are basically complete, and filming is about to begin.

The director chosen was Todd Phillips, a comedy director in his thirties who, despite his young age, had already achieved considerable success.

He produced "Hala Road" and "Singles Club," both of which were well-received comedies.

"The Singles Club" was released in February of this year and grossed nearly $9000 million at the box office, making a fortune for DreamWorks.

Spielberg recommended him not long after MGM announced its production plans.

"Boss, Phillips is a very good genre film director. He turned down a film offer from Warner Bros. for 'The Hangover,' and Warner Bros.' had a bigger budget."

"Really?" Eric asked, somewhat surprised.

Julio nodded confidently: "Obviously, the script for The Hangover is more appealing to him. I heard that Warner Bros.' 'The Two Cops' had a budget of $6000 million, which is double that of The Hangover."

"That's right, he's a discerning person. In the future, he'll realize that The Hangover will be far superior to The Cop."

Looking at the three most important male leads, the handsome teacher Phil Winnock was given to Deadpool.

The role of the chubby Allen Garner was taken by Jack Black, whose more well-known roles to Chinese audiences include Po in "Kung Fu Panda" and Gulliver in "Gulliver's Travels".

He's the kind of actor whose name you might not recognize, but whose face you'd immediately recognize.

The unfortunate dentist, Stupperles, invited a big name, or rather a future big name, Adam Sandler, who hasn't become famous yet.

This name is familiar to movie fans worldwide, so there's really no need for further introduction.

Adam Sandler has already gained considerable fame in the film industry. Although he hasn't completely broken out of the mainstream, he is considered a leading figure in the comedy world.

However, most of his works are romantic comedies, and one of the reasons he took on this role was to break away from that and try some lowbrow comedy with scatological humor.

Adam Sandler is searching for that one film that will truly make him a star.

His salary was also the highest in the entire crew, just like comedic actors are often more expensive than actors in other types of films.

One person took home $550 million, which is expensive, but it's still worth it for a team without any big stars.

Ryan Reynolds' salary was $70, that's a huge difference. Although Sharktosh brought him some fame, his salary wouldn't have been high until Transformers was released.

Jack Black's salary is $100 million, which is higher than Deadpool's.

Thus, the Hangover trio was formed, completely different from the original, with all three actors replaced, but clearly for the better.

After watching it, Eric nodded in approval: "Not bad, very good. The casting was excellent. I really didn't expect you to find Adam Sandler."

"Looking at it this way, a budget of $3000 million might be a bit low. Let's change it to $3500 million. I don't want the filming quality to fall short because of budget issues."

Eric signed his name on the report, and Julio could use it to get funding; filming officially began.

After sending him away, Eric turned his attention back to the scene.

Although the Olsen sisters were still not full after last night's indulgence, their resentment had dissipated, and their gazes toward Eric had become much kinder.

The filming went very smoothly, and before we knew it, half a day had passed.

After lunch, there was a one-hour break in between, as usual.

Eric left Studio 4 and headed towards Studio 6, which was not far away. "Monster" was filming there today, in Studio 6.

Upon arriving at the studio, we could see Patty Jenkins holding an apple, munching on it while staring at the monitor screen.

The two hadn't seen each other for over a month. The last time Eric asked him for money, he was in seclusion working on the script for "House of Cards" and approved it over the phone.

"Hi, Patty, long time no see."

Hearing the familiar voice, Patty Jenkins looked up, opened her arms, and hugged Eric.

"Eric, what brings you here?"

"Listen to what you're saying! I'm filming in Studio 4, don't you know that?"

"But wasn't Transformers already filmed? Is there something they're not satisfied with, so they're doing reshoots?"

Eric frowned speechlessly: "We've worked together for a while, and I even gave you $800 million. You're practically family to MGM, yet you don't care at all what's going on at home."

"Of course there were no reshoots for Transformers. I started another project, and I originally wanted you to continue as assistant director, but now the opportunity has been given to someone else."

Patty Jenkins asked, somewhat puzzled, "What about Transformers?"

"All that's left is the post-production special effects and the soundtrack."

"What! The editing is already finished?"

However, she quickly realized: "Oh, I almost got confused. You're not your average director. Your filming is all about getting the final product done, so the editing is naturally very fast."

"Yes, it was all done in less than a week," Eric said with a smile, holding up one finger.

Patty Jenkins shook his head: "After working with you on one, I feel like I've been influenced too, and I've unconsciously started using your shooting style."

"It's the kind of thing where you first construct a complete story in your mind, then break down the scenes into individual shots, and finally film them all in one go."

As she spoke, she pulled out a thick script: "Take a look, this is my preparation work."

Holding the script, which was several hundred pages long, Eric flipped through it and found that most of it consisted of storyboards.

He couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Looks like you've got the knack, Patty! Actually, many directors use this filming technique, like Chris Columbus in America, Zhang Yimou in China, and Bong Joon-ho in South Korea."

"Hey, what are you guys talking about? Can I join in?"

Not far away, the door to the dressing room opened, and a woman with a fierce and menacing appearance walked over.

She was slovenly dressed, had a coarse voice, and was even bald, without eyebrows, making her seem unapproachable and intimidating.

But Eric knew very well that this was just the result of makeup; once the makeup was removed, she would become the most beautiful South African diamond.

Even in Hollywood, where beauties abound, she would still be at the very top of the beauty rankings.

Not only today, but twenty years from now, she will still outshine all others.

Charlize Theron, you're the Queen!

Mandela called her the one who truly made South Africa a name on the map.

Stephen Hawking commented on her: "Even in an infinite number of parallel universes, you would never be able to get a date with Charlize Theron."

"Hello, Theron."

Eric reached out his hand.

Theron pointed to her face, looking at Eric in surprise: "Seriously? You can't recognize me now?"

"Of course, you're Charlize Theron, the dream of countless men."

"Hahaha. Mr. Cooper, you're quite the charmer. Nice to meet you, Charlize Theron!"

Their hands briefly intertwined. Although the makeup made her face look fierce, the skin on her hands remained as soft as silk.

"Theron, how did you accept your current face? Don't you have nightmares?"

"Of course! After I finish my makeup, I don't even dare to look in the mirror. I start to wonder, 'Where did Charlize Theron go?'"

"Then why did you take this role? Seeing how you are now, this sacrifice is indeed quite significant."

Charlize Theron looked at Patty Jenkins and said, "On the one hand, I like challenges, and this role is complex and profound; on the other hand, the director kept bothering me, persuading me that I could handle the role. Maybe she had some kind of spell on me, but anyway, I was convinced."

The three of them burst into laughter.

Eric said, "You will definitely not regret watching 'Monster'. I have a feeling you will win an Oscar for this role."

"Really?" Theron's eyes widened in surprise.

Then he waved his hand and said, "Impossible. Although playing ugly might win me the favor of the Academy, I haven't won an Oscar or even a union nomination since my debut. They don't like me."

"No, believe me, you will definitely win the Oscar for Best Actress. I'm not talking about a nomination, I mean the award!" Eric said with great certainty.

Seeing how serious he looked, not like he was joking, the two women were somewhat surprised.

Because everyone knows that it's impossible to win several major Oscars without public relations efforts. There are many good films and excellent actors every year.

One-sided domination is extremely rare; simply being nominated indicates considerable ability.

So, when everyone is neck and neck, how do you ensure you win? The answer is simple: spend money on public relations.

It's normal to throw away tens of millions of dollars to win a big prize; Weinstein knows this all too well.

Once Eric is certain that "Monster" will win awards, he will inevitably have to spend a huge amount on public relations, all in real US dollars, more expensive than the film's production cost.

Theron also said solemnly, "Mr. Cooper, since you've put it that way, it seems I must do my utmost."

Patty chimed in, "Then I must strive for perfection too, boss. If we run out of $800 million, can we get more?"

Eric chuckled and, under Patty Jenkins' expectant gaze, replied, "Dream on!"

(End of this chapter)