$17.5 million!
That was the total amount of money My Big Fat Greek Wedding made on its very first day, Valentine's Day.
It was the undisputed Number One movie in North America!
In second place was Warner Bros.'s movie, Message in a Bottle, which made $13.2 million.
In this big battle between Zane and the giant Time Warner empire, Zane had won the first round. And it was a victory that left everyone stunned.
You might think, "$17.5 million isn't that much. Big superhero movies make $40 million!"
But you have to remember: this was just a sweet, funny romantic comedy. For a romance movie to make that much money on its first day was incredible. It was almost a miracle.
...
At Paramount Pictures...
Jordan, Zane's old friend at Paramount, looked at the report and shook his head in amazement.
"Incredible," he whispered. "Zane Blackwood... to think you've come this far in just a few years. Warner Bros. threw everything they had at you, and you still won. I have to admit... you are really something special."
Jordan was the first person in Hollywood to ever work with Zane. He really thought Zane was going to lose this time. After all, Zane didn't have Paramount's protection anymore, and he was fighting a giant.
But Zane fought back and won.
...
At Miramax Pictures...
Harvey Weinstein's eyes went wide.
"My God! How is this possible?!" he muttered. "AOL has 25 million users and is worth nearly $300 billion! They are the biggest internet company in the world. How did Zane get them to join forces with him? Is the world going crazy?!"
Harvey had been in Hollywood for decades, but he had never seen anything like this. A fight over one little movie had turned into a war between two giants: AOL vs. Time Warner.
"It's just a movie!" Harvey laughed nervously. "Is it really worth all this?"
For a whole day, the two giants fought. It was huge news.
"He's not someone to mess with," Harvey whispered to himself. "Zane Blackwood is too strong. If nothing changes... no movie studio is going to dare attack him in secret ever again."
Zane had proven that he had powerful friends. Who would dare to bully him now?
It wasn't just Harvey. Robert Shaye, the boss of New Line Cinema, was also quiet.
"Damn that Zane Blackwood," Robert thought, annoyed. "He actually pulled it off!"
Robert used to think Zane was just a lucky kid. Now, he didn't dare say that. Zane had fought a media war and won. Robert knew he couldn't beat him.
Zane's victory frightened a lot of the other movie studios. They had all thought, 'Oh, Zane left Paramount? Now he's weak. Maybe we can take him down.'
But Zane had played his trump card—AOL—and scared them all away.
...
At Time Warner Headquarters...
BANG!
Chairman Steve Ross slammed his hand on the table. He was furious.
"Damn it!" he cursed. "A tiny company like Wald Pictures causes all this trouble? And now AOL is standing up for him? What is this? Is he trying to pick a fight with me?"
"Hmph! A fight?!" Steve roared, standing up. "I started my life with a small funeral business! Then I ran parking lots! I worked hard my whole life to build Time Warner into the biggest media group in the world! Who have I ever been afraid of?!"
Steve Ross was a legend. He wasn't born rich; he built his empire from nothing, just like Zane. He was a tough, scary man.
The whole conference room went dead silent. None of the executives dared to speak.
"Boss, if I may," a voice said gently.
It was Barry Meyer, the Vice President. He was one of the few people Steve Ross actually respected.
"Boss," Barry said calmly, "Time Warner is worth $150 billion. We have hundreds of companies and 120,000 employees. We are the kings of old media."
"But," Barry continued, "is it really worth fighting a giant like AOL over one little movie from Wald Pictures?"
Steve Ross listened, his face red.
"We might not win," Barry warned. "And it's just one movie. Zane is young, and he wants to win. Fine, let him have this one. Wald Pictures only makes a few movies a year. We make hundreds. If we really go to war, we will lose a lot of money, no matter what happens."
Barry finished his point. "Sometimes, being patient is the smartest move. I don't believe AOL can protect him forever. We will have our chance to deal with him later."
All the other executives quickly nodded. "Yes! Barry is right!"
None of them wanted to fight AOL. It was too expensive.
Steve Ross knew Barry was right. Fighting now would just cost him money. Barry had given him a way to back down without looking weak.
"Hmph!" Steve Ross snorted coldly. He sat back down.
"Zane Blackwood," he grumbled, narrowing his eyes. "And AOL... you two just wait. This isn't over."
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