"Why do I feel like I've been played?"
In front of the French window, watching Zhou Wenqiong get into a taxi and leave without looking back, Eric couldn't help but murmur.
He had initially thought she was like Liu Xiaoli, but it seemed she wasn't.
Zhou Wenqiong was more like someone pursuing opportunities, more eager to climb the ladder through her own abilities rather than relying on connections.
In contrast, Liu Xiaoli was purer, purely trading to gain resources. Eric also purely vented his desires on her; both of them were very pure.
Of course, it's not ruled out that Zhou Wenqiong was playing hard to get, deliberately acting nonchalant to attract his attention.
But thinking about it carefully, it shouldn't be. Does a 40-year-old woman have that right? Does Eric lack women around him? And after a few hours of conversation, Zhou Wenqiong did indeed show a thorough understanding of the industry.
"Or, as Ms. Valentine said, give her a manager position to try, a small gamble for a year."
"Damn it! That woman really has her ways; I'm actually considering this."
An idea popped into his head, and he picked up his phone to dial.
"Eric?" Zhou Wenqiong sounded a bit surprised, probably not expecting a call so soon after leaving.
"Don't be surprised, I've considered your proposal."
"That quick? So the answer is no?" Her tone was a little disappointed.
"Why?"
"Because affirming someone definitely requires careful consideration, while denying someone often only takes three seconds of thought."
"An interesting conclusion, but it's invalid with me. You've got the position you wanted, madam."
She paused, and a few seconds later, a light laugh sounded on the phone.
"Are you laughing with joy?"
"Yes, good news always makes people want to laugh, but may I ask? Never mind, I won't ask."
"You want to know if you got the position because you slept with me?"
"Yes."
"You guess."
"Uh..."
After teasing her, Eric stopped joking: "Joan, with gain comes effort. I'll give you a year to show your abilities, but you must first pass a test."
"I want to fire 70% of the original staff at the theater. You decide who stays and who goes, but I don't want any trouble. Can you do it?"
"No problem. Give me a week. I'll make those who are just occupying a position without doing anything get out immediately!" Zhou Wenqiong guaranteed at once.
"You control the process. I know you've been suppressed and might harbor resentment, but don't drive away capable people for personal revenge."
She sneered, "Eric, do I look like a child who can't separate personal and public matters? At least wait until the theater is on track; it won't be too late for revenge then."
"Very good. Hating you but still using you, that's a quality a qualified leader should possess."
"Also, coordinate well with my secretary, Carol. You can choose any MGM movie to adapt into a stage play; I just want to see the results."
"Any other questions? If not, I'm hanging up."
"Thank you, boss!"
Firing employees has always been a challenge, especially when taking over a new company on the verge of bankruptcy.
How to distinguish between capable and incompetent employees has always been a technical problem.
Instead of spending a lot of time on this, it's better to let Zhou Wenqiong be the bad guy. An outsider always knows less than an insider.
Hanging up the phone, Eric got dressed, wiped off the faint lipstick mark on his neck, and left.
This week, the hangover earned $12.3 million at the box office, ranking 5th on the weekly chart.
Its North America box office accumulated $213 million, and it also topped the weekly box office in several overseas countries, earning $133 million.
With a global total of $346 million, it strongly claimed the top spot on the 2004 box office chart, temporarily, of course, as blockbusters are usually released during the summer and Christmas seasons.
Currently, the hangover is still battling it out in cinemas, and BOX estimates its global total box office could reach $450 million, exceeding countless people's imaginations.
Paramount, Sony, Lionsgate, Fox, and other major studios are already scouring their script libraries for these crude, toilet humor films, picking the raunchiest ones to produce.
Following trends is a common problem in the film industry worldwide. Many Chinese people believe their country is dominated by bad films, rampant traffic, and widespread garbage, feeling that Hollywood only produces well-made blockbusters, even commercial films with special effects and grand scenes ensuring quality.
This idea cannot be said to be correct, but it is also wildly wrong.
The reason for this illusion is simply the environment, like an information cocoon. Hollywood's bad films are blocked outside the country's borders.
Only those that have been screened can enter; otherwise, how would they earn your box office? No fool would fall for it repeatedly.
Even in the DVD market and pirated disc market, only some well-known movies are chosen; otherwise, the discs would incur losses. And the probability of bad films among well-known movies is much smaller, which creates this illusion.
Ranking 14th on the chart was Warner Bros.' starsky & hutch, which had more than twice the investment of the hangover, starring Ben Stiller, and Todd Phillips was initially invited to direct it.
However, Phillips declined it and instead chose the hangover.
Now, the two films were released a week apart. the hangover was an undeniable hit, and starsky & hutch also had a good start, winning a weekly box office championship.
However, its subsequent decline was significant, and in its second week, it was suppressed by the hangover's third week.
Both films were comedies. The more the hangover earned, the less starsky & hutch earned.
As a result, analysis agencies revised their predictions. They initially predicted $150 million in North America and $270 million globally, but now changed it to $100 million in North America and $200 million globally.
It would still be profitable, but compared to an investment of over $80 million, Warner Bros. would certainly earn less.
In comparison, the outside world highly praised Todd Phillips's vision, and many invitations have already come his way.
As dawn broke, a black Lincoln sedan was driving towards Los Angeles International Airport.
"Carol, you don't look so good. Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, I just slept a bit late. I'll rest when I get back, and I'll be fine."
Eric nodded: "Zhou Wenqiong will contact you these days. The work at the Hassende Theater will be her responsibility for now. You coordinate between us."
"Understood, boss."
"By the way, where has Judy Newhouse gone? I feel like I haven't heard her voice in a while."
"Judy took leave, a week ago, which coincided with your return to the country. It expires in two days."
"What happened to her?"
"I'm not sure, only that it's a family matter, and she needs to go back to New York to handle it."
Humming softly, Eric didn't ask any more questions.
He had battled Gadot for half the night yesterday, leaving her exhausted, and the cost was that he hadn't fully recovered either, having slept less than three hours. He had to get some good sleep once he was on the plane.
The car slowly stopped, Eric opened his eyes and got out, with Carol following with his belongings.
"Alright, Carol, you can go back."
Eric took his bag, ready to board, but saw her look as if she had something to say, which puzzled him.
"Is there anything else?"
"Boss, even though the premiere isn't happening, aren't you even attending the first screening?" Carol asked.
"No need. the passion of the christ, while a good movie, is sure to be criticized. We won't be targets."
"But Mel Gibson and the others will all attend. Isn't it a bit bad if none of us show up?"
Eric thought for a moment: "You have a point. How about this, the distribution company is AK Films, so notify Warren to attend."
"Anyway, MGM can stay behind the scenes and just collect money for this movie. Go back and warn everyone in the company not to speak carelessly. I don't want to attract public controversy."
"Understood!"
Watching the white speck gradually disappear into the sky, Carol couldn't help but think: "Eric timed his departure perfectly. Filming is one aspect, but going to avoid trouble is probably another."
The journey was a bit long. By the time the plane landed, it was already three in the afternoon, and by the time they reached Snow Fort, there wasn't much time left for filming today.
On set, watching the orderly filming, Eric nodded to himself.
This scene was Eames's highlight moment, played by Tom Hardy. Following the rehearsed fight choreography, he swiftly and cleanly took down one enemy after another, completing it beautifully.
Bang!
The prop gun fired, and the stuntman fell to the ground. Neil called cut, and this take was passed.
"Well done! It seems you're adapting well to your new role." Eric walked over, clapping in praise.
Neill Blomkamp chuckled a few times: "Director, if you had seen the situation on my first day of directing, you wouldn't be applauding."
"It's all thanks to everyone's cooperation that I've gradually gotten used to it. But the progress is much slower than when you were here; only two-thirds of the planned goal has been completed, I apologize."
"Everyone has a first time adapting. Send the footage you've shot these past few days to my room tonight."
Knowing Eric wanted to check his work, he confidently said, "I guarantee it's all shot exactly according to your storyboards, not a single detail is off."
"Eric, didn't you say you'd arrive by three? Dragging it out like this, everyone thought you had left us!" Nicole's tone carried both worry and a hint of complaint.
"That's right, this is Chile. We were really worried you'd stage an Andes miracle." Theron and the others also came over to greet him.
Eric looked speechless: "I just forgot to account for the time it takes to get to Snow Fort after landing, but the plane did arrive punctually at three."
"An Andes miracle, indeed! If something really happened, I'd eat you all first!"
The Andes miracle mentioned here refers to a real plane crash that occurred in the 1970s.
The plane crashed while flying over the Andes Mountains. Out of 45 passengers, 21 died instantly, and 24 survived.
Subsequently, these 24 people, facing severe cold, injuries, and hunger in the boundless snowy mountains, amazingly, 16 of them walked out of the snow region alive, which was called the Andes miracle.
However, later investigations revealed the cruel reality: the survivors had actually fed on the flesh and blood of the deceased to stay alive.
After the truth came to light, public opinion began to waver, and critical voices followed.
Ultimately, some of these 16 people couldn't bear it and committed suicide, while others went into hiding, their whereabouts unknown. The so-called miracle was a cruel tragedy behind the scenes.
"Alright, but I don't have much meat. Theron should be more delicious." Nicole giggled.
"Hmm? Is she saying I'm fat?" Hearing this, Theron immediately started to connect the dots and quickly smiled, ready to retaliate.
Eric keenly sensed something was off and spoke first to disrupt the conversation.
"Speaking of cannibalism, I suddenly remembered a novel, Life of Pi. Have you read it?"
Bale's eyes lit up: "I've read it, a work by Yann Martel, a very wonderful novel."
"Yes, especially the dissection of human nature. The metaphors, struggles, sacrifices, and transcendence contained within it are captivating."
Bale nodded: "I think it's a work about how humans and the world coexist. After reading it, I had a feeling that this journey wasn't to conceal human beastliness, but to have greater faith in human nature."
See, these are actors who love to learn. What do actors ultimately compete on? It's cultural depth, and reading is the best way to accumulate that depth.
Seeing the two discussing a book they hadn't heard of, the others, unable to join in, dispersed.
"Eric, I think Life of Pi is very suitable for a film; it's the kind of excellent film that you know at a glance will contend for an Oscar."
"I agree with that. MGM will greenlight this project."
"Huh?"
"Haha. I've already secured the novel's copyright; however, I need to find a suitable director to start it, someone extremely skilled at controlling emotions and the human psyche."
"Can I have a cameo role?" Bale asked excitedly.
"I know there aren't any major roles suitable for me, but a cameo would be enough. I truly love this novel."
"No problem."
Midnight, Los Angeles, Kodak Theatre.
Today was the release day of the passion of the christ. Given the film's special nature, even the ArcLight Cinema, which MGM always used, was abandoned, and the premiere was set here.
The film had been in development for two years, from its inception to today's release, and has been consistently controversial.
The main opponents were the Jewish People, because Jesus was betrayed by Judas, and Judas was a Jewish person. This is also why the film had difficulty finding distributors, as the Jewish community in Hollywood still accounts for a significant number.
For example, audiences are familiar with Spielberg, Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Robert Downey Jr., Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Ben Stiller, Adrien Brody, Orlando Bloom, Scarlett Johansson, and so on; these stars all have Jewish heritage.
Besides celebrities, many senior executives at Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. are Jewish People. Although not to the extent of being controlled, they can still influence company decisions.
Other large and medium-sized companies also have Jewish People distributed to varying degrees. Currently, only MGM and Fox appear relatively clean.
But when Mel Gibson approached Fox, they were also very cautious and conflicted. Only Eric approved it, but he also threw the hot potato to AK Films, his white glove.
Although the film was constantly controversial, it also had an advantage: it saved on publicity costs. There was no need for advertising; those who criticized and boycotted it would naturally promote it for him.
MGM also gave it excellent treatment, opening in 3,100 theaters, a number that many self-produced films couldn't even achieve.
The reason isn't complex: Eric also dislikes those hypocritical and meddlesome Jewish People!
Why not annoy them a bit? What's the harm?
As for Gadot, she agreed with whatever he did.
She had no military experience and no religious beliefs; she only felt a sense of belonging to her family.
As for Jewish heritage, she had no connection to them, so they shouldn't try to claim kinship!