America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 292, page 290: Slaying the Knights of Middle-earth (Second Place in Film and Television)

Are you leaving?

Daddario was jolted awake when he saw Eric getting dressed.

"Okay, you should continue to rest. I have something to do."

Eric walked to the bedside and kissed the other person on the lips.

"What is it? Is it important?"

"It's quite important; we have to do it tonight."

"Can't you let someone else do it? You have so many subordinates, I thought we'd be together tonight."

Eric rolled his eyes. By the rules, he was supposed to be with Gadot tonight, so why was he letting someone else do it for him?

Only I can be the one to play the traitor Cao!

"Some things are beyond my ability to handle, so I have to do them myself. Go to sleep now, we'll have plenty of time later."

"Really? Will you still contact me?"

"Of course, you are such a charming darling. Those big blue eyes are stealing my soul. I'm already caught in your sexy vortex."

Ha ha

With his charm acknowledged, Daddario smiled.

She's not stupid; how many stupid people are there in the entertainment industry anyway?

She knew very well that the two had only just met and this was their first time having sex, so she didn't have much say in the matter.

Eric simply let desire overcome reason; in short, he acted on impulse and chose to do what he wanted. He might just play around and then run away.

So it's okay to grumble a little, but it's not time to push your luck.

However, to prevent a man from abandoning you after you've got him, you have to bait him with some bait.

Thinking of this, D'Addario got out of bed and, instead of trying to persuade Eric to stay, helped him pull up his pants.

"Even though it's smaller, it's still this big, that damn little thing!"

After patting Eric's head on the shoulder to satisfy his male vanity, D'Addario took the initiative to extend his tongue and kiss him.

After another round of French kisses, she finally helped Eric button up his shirt.

"Are your eyes really natural?" Eric couldn't help but ask.

"Of course it's natural, you don't think I wear contact lenses, do you?"

"A gift from God, a gift from God to you!"

"Hehe. If you want to experience the gift God has given you more deeply, you must contact me. My best friend gave me a nickname, Husky Girl. You need more time to understand this nickname."

Eric had a sudden thought: What does this mean?

Damn, I suddenly don't want to leave anymore. Maybe I should ask Gadot to make a sacrifice and find an excuse to lie to her. After all, you can't check up on someone via video call these days.

Just as Eric was about to stay, D'Addario pushed him to the door.

She hooked her arm around his neck from behind and gently licked him.

She opened the door and pushed him out.

Looking at the slightly swaying house number, Eric touched the back of his slightly damp neck and felt a sudden, unpleasant ache, like being scratched by a cat.

Below, another framework was erected, and flames burned and surged within him; he needed to vent his anger properly.

However, as I just mentioned, I had an urgent matter to attend to, and the door was already closed. Knocking on it again would be a bit beneath me.

"OMG! No way, you're too strong, Eric!"

Not long after, Gadot became uncomfortable and begged for mercy.

But begging for mercy did not earn understanding; it only fueled the beast's lust even more.

More than half an hour later, she lay motionless like a lump of mud, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Someone always has to bear the consequences, right?

Whether it's "The Conjuring," "Mean Girls," or Lionsgate and DreamWorks, their glory can only last for a week.

The reason why the six major cinemas suddenly announced that "The Aviator" and "Bridget Jones's Diary 2" would be rescheduled for release this week is self-evident.

Upon hearing this news, fans of Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, and Renée Zellweger were naturally very excited, eagerly awaiting the works of their idols.

We originally thought it wouldn't be released until at least the end of the year, but the six major studios pulled off another surprise release. However, the surprise was well done, and we liked it.

However, apart from his fans, nobody likes him in any other way.

Martin Scorsese, in particular, a somewhat stubborn old man, directly expressed his dissatisfaction during the interview.

"I didn't know about this. Nobody discussed it with me. It's ridiculous for a director not to know that his movie is about to be released, but that's the truth."

"The Aviator was originally scheduled for December, at least that's what I was told before."

"Both Leon and I put a lot of effort into this film, hoping to make it a contender for an Oscar."

"My feelings? Forget it, no one cares about the feelings of a 62-year-old man anyway."

Renée Zellweger also wore a regretful expression when facing the camera: "I know the producers and distributors must have had their reasons for doing this."

"But as you can see, this decision was very sudden. I'm currently filming other movies."

"I have to juggle filming and promotion at the same time, which makes it a bit overwhelming for me."

"I want to do everything perfectly, but sometimes things change unexpectedly, making it impossible to do so."

As we all know, Martin Scorsese has spent most of his life pursuing the Oscar for Best Director. Unfortunately, he has received several nominations and won all three major awards, but he has yet to win an Oscar.

Leonardo DiCaprio is similar; his commercial value has long been maximized since the "Big Ship" movie, and now he's pursuing artistic value.

It would be good if the six major companies could at least issue a prior announcement like they have before, as a sign of respect for the working class.

They didn't utter a single word, only notifying the parties involved the night before the rescheduling announcement. They're just plain crazy.

It's impossible for everyone not to feel resentful, so why should I lose all my dignity?

Old Martin and Renée Zellweger were already being quite polite in their conversation.

Lionsgate and DreamWorks were also unhappy. Damn it, it's not easy to find a time slot that doesn't involve fighting, and they had just enjoyed the benefits for a week when you guys had to meddle.

And they didn't just send in small fry, they sent in two huge crocodiles! Are they trying to kill us? Will we ever be able to sit down and have coffee together again?

As expected, Leonardo DiCaprio's box office appeal was simply too strong, even though "The Aviator" wasn't exactly a commercially driven film, and even though there was no prior publicity.

However, a week later, the film still topped the box office with over $4200 million, while The Conjuring came in second thanks to its positive reviews, and Bridget Jones's Diary 2 took third place.

As for "Mean Girls," it was relegated to sixth place, with its box office plummeting by 62.4% to just over $9 million. Forget about breaking $100 million; breaking $50 million would be considered incredibly lucky.

This also shows that the six major powers have abundant resources at their disposal, but they are reluctant to spend heavily on them.

Of course, there was also good news: after a week of hard work, Frozen finally grossed $4600 million worldwide.

With a total box office of $11.58 billion, it surpassed "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" by one step, officially taking the second place in the film box office rankings.

However, its box office potential is almost exhausted, and the large-scale screenings in most countries around the world will end next week.

It is expected to remain in theaters for another two weeks or so, grossing twenty to thirty million US dollars before finally being taken off the screens.

Eric was already satisfied with achieving this goal; as for reaching the original target of $12.7 billion, he hadn't had high hopes anyway.

After all, the limitations of the era meant that the number of big screens could not compare to those of later generations.

"Stop crying, what's there to cry about? The film industry is inherently high-risk; you can't expect every film to be a huge hit."

"But with such good results in the first week, I thought my luck was finally on the horizon. Damn it, those guys are all sons of bitches!"

"Eric, what should we do? My best friend and I were celebrating so happily, thinking we were going to become the leading lady at a hundred million-dollar box office."

"There's not much that can be done. Mean Girl is a low-budget campus comedy. Facing the attack of big directors and movie stars, even if we promote it at full speed, it won't have a good effect."

"Eric, are you giving up on me?"

Hearing D'Addario's voice tremble with emotion, Eric felt a surge of tenderness.

"Don't worry, baby, I'm just giving up on this movie, not on you."

"Moreover, our movie has received good reviews and hasn't lost money. Maybe you can win a popularity award like an MTV or Teen Choice Award."

"Once MGM gets a good project—wait, they're planning to start filming 'Fallout' soon, and I'd like you to be the female lead, how about that?"

"Fallout? What's that? It sounds really weird."

"A TV series adapted from a game has a strong global audience base and is the kind of show that is bound to be a huge hit. In short, it will boost your popularity."

When he heard it was a TV series, Daddario was a little disappointed, but then he thought that it was good enough to be in a TV series, especially since he was the female lead.

Look at those actresses who were sexually harassed by Harvey Weinstein; they're usually lucky to even get a supporting role. In comparison, Eric is practically an honest and trustworthy gentleman.

Anyway, as long as Eric doesn't get annoyed, she's already made up her mind to stick with this rich guy.

He's rich, handsome, talented, and incredibly charming; it's better to be with him than with a bald, middle-aged man.

"Okay, whatever you say. Are you coming to see me tonight?"

Upon hearing this, Eric instinctively clutched his lower back.

"Not tonight. Tonight is a family gathering, and I need to spend time with my parents."

"Okay, I'll wait for your call."

After hanging up the phone, Eric gestured for the masseuse to continue.

Although only a week has passed, he and Daddario have already spent three intimate nights together, and their relationship is rapidly heating up.

Of course, the price was heavy; Eric felt exhausted and needed a massage to relieve the fatigue.

Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Gal Gadot, and the Olsen twins each had one day off, and now even their three days of rest have been taken up.

It's all gone, really all gone, not a single drop left.

He even felt a little weak, and when he lay in bed, his lower back felt like it was hanging in mid-air. This was caused by his lower back muscles being too tense and not being able to relax effectively.

Why are the lower back muscles always tense? Naturally, it's because of an excess of the iliopsoas muscle.

Even after all this, Daddario still kept seducing him.

Her figure was already amazing, it was simply breathtaking.

Faced with such a beauty, Eric's body always seemed to be out of control.

Damn it, why can't I control my lower body?!

You'll die on a woman's belly sooner or later, you fucking bastard.

......................................................

As August arrived, the big screen became a battleground for films like "The Conjuring," "The Aviator," and "Bridget Jones's Diary 2."

Three films accounted for more than 60% of the entire market share, while the remaining dozens of films shared less than 40%.

The six major studios' attack undoubtedly had an effect, and the box office expectations for "The Conjuring" dropped from $2.8 million to $2 million.

However, despite its setbacks on the big screen, Lionheart.com has experienced rapid growth on the small screen.

Even with FX, HBO, and other TV stations pulling out all the stops, they still couldn't withstand the lion's relentless stream of hit shows.

The sheer number of killer moves unleashed at once was enough to overwhelm many viewers.

Many viewers hope that TV stations will follow this path, but such a demand is obviously unrealistic.

This week, Lionheart.net launched a new series, "Hannibal," and invited Anthony Hopkins to record a special creative version of the game.

At the same time, a new variety show called "The Truth" was also launched. It's the show that Eric came up with at the police station after being framed and using a lie detector.

Driven by the big boss, the variety show was produced in just over two months, which is considered incredibly fast in the American entertainment industry.

That evening, a private party was being held at the Olsen sisters' new villa.

There weren't many participants; it was just the Olsen twins, Eric, Nicole, Theron, and Gadot.

When Eric learned that the three of them had also been invited, he was puzzled. "When did you two become so generous?"

However, when he heard from Mary that we wanted to show off the villa we bought and renovated for over $7000 million, he understood.

Damn, those two little bitches are really rich. In his opinion, this villa is worth at most $2000 million, which means the renovation cost at least $5000 million, much more luxurious than Cooper's house.

Sure enough, when the three women arrived, they were all secretly amazed by the villa's magnificence and wondered about its value.

Having achieved their goal of showing off, Ashley and Mary were naturally very happy, wiggling their bottoms like two little hens.

Fortunately, Elizabeth Olsen was very well-behaved, obedient, and sensible, which won the hearts of everyone present and eased the atmosphere considerably.

"Let's watch some TV. It's a new program on Lionheart.com, it's really interesting."

Mary nodded quickly upon hearing this: "I like to eat while watching, it makes me more hungry."

After saying that, he lowered the screen with its shiny frame and projected the laptop onto it.

"Eric, which one are you talking about?"

"In the variety show, it's the one pinned at the top."

"Truth or Dare, what kind of game is that? It looks pretty good."

"I'm guessing this name refers to a detective-themed variety show, right?" Theron asked.

Eric shook his head.

"It looks more like a haunted house escape game," Nico guessed.

Eric shook his head again: "Gadot, you should be more familiar with this show. I would rather call it the most profound, darkest, and cruelest test of humanity in history."

(End of this chapter)