I Am Hollywood

by Cui Shi yi

1 - 702

33. 999

I am Hollywood #Chapter 999: Chapter 1001: Rare Occasion - Read I am Hollywood Chapter 999: Chapter 1001: Rare Occasion Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

[Chapter 1001: Rare Occasion]

Mayer was someone who really disliked rainy days. So, when she sensed the faint earthy smell that often accompanied the rain, she quickly opened her eyes from her slumber.

The floor-to-ceiling windows leading to the terrace were drawn with curtains, but she could still feel the gloomy weather outside -- it was clearly raining. After a moment of daze, Mayer suddenly sat up in her big bed and glanced at the watch on her bedside table. It was already seven forty-five. Although Eric had said there was nothing particularly important happening today, she knew she had overslept.

Walking barefoot into the bathroom, Mayer squeezed some toothpaste, standing by the sink. She rinsed her mouth with some water and noticed her reflection in the mirror -- the blonde woman with cheeks slightly flushed from sleep. She found herself momentarily entranced.

Last night, after having dinner at the restaurant with Eric and returning to the villa, Mayer had thought something might happen. After all, Eric had clearly enjoyed how she looked in that fiery red dress. But in the end, nothing happened.

It was hard to say whether she was relieved or disappointed.

Mayer was a very ambitious person. She hoped to secure her desired career path completely based on her abilities. However, the fact that her handsome boss showed no romantic interest in her inevitably led to a small feeling of defeat. Deep down, she wouldn't have minded if something did happen with Eric after all. How many women in this world could resist someone like him, capable of making all admirers feel despair?

That little inner conflict kept her tossing and turning in bed last night; otherwise, she wouldn't have overslept.

After washing up, she changed into a black business suit for the day. She contemplated adding a necklace with a silver diamond pendant and then stepped out of her room.

...

Eric had already woken up and was sitting in the living room downstairs on the phone. When he saw Mayer, he simply nodded and spoke a few more words before hanging up. He then stood up and said, "You woke up just in time. Let's go; Steve Case is waiting for me at the cafe on the corner. We can grab breakfast too."

Before Mayer could react, she nodded and followed Eric outside.

As they stepped out of the villa, fine rain was falling. Eric opened an umbrella and said, "It's not pouring; one umbrella will do."

Mayer raised her hand, wanting to take the umbrella from him, saying, "Eric, let me handle it."

Eric shook his head with a grin, "No need. It's London, after all. I don't want to be criticized for not being a gentleman."

Mayer had to obediently shelter under Eric's umbrella, still maintaining a slight distance out of modesty.

Flanking Garden Street were rows of lush trees, most of the raindrops held at bay. But occasionally, large droplets would fall from the leaves. After being hit by a few, Mayer scooted closer to Eric and occasionally brushed against his arm. The scent coming from Eric was faint, yet Mayer felt her cheeks warming gradually.

...

To the south of Kensington Gardens Street was Kensington Avenue, and the north led to Bayswater Road. Steve Case had mentioned he was at the Diana Cafe on the corner. They left the mansion, walked north along Garden Street, and within a few minutes, they exited the area.

Maybe it was the weekend morning and the rain, but there were hardly any cars or pedestrians on Bayswater Road. Eric led Mayer across the street, easily spotting a cafe decorated with red doors.

When Steve Case mentioned the name of the cafe, Eric felt something was off. As they entered the cafe and saw numerous photos of Princess Diana hanging on the walls, Eric finally pieced together why it was called the "Diana Cafe."

Princess Diana was still alive and active in charity work all over the world, but he had no idea what connection she had to this cafe.

Inside, there were only four patrons -- a middle-aged couple, an elderly man, and of course, Steve Case. Other than Steve, who stood to greet Eric, the other patrons merely glanced up at him before continuing with their meals. The elderly man flashed Eric a slightly strange smile, leaving Eric feeling puzzled.

Steve shook Eric's hand, speaking politely, "Good morning, Eric."

"Morning, Steve," Eric released his hand and added, "This is Mayer."

Steve reached out to shake Mayer's hand, saying, "Hello, Miss Mayer; we've spoken on the phone."

Mayer greeted Steve politely as the three of them took a seat. There were no dedicated waitstaff; the owner, a portly middle-aged man, recognized Eric but only offered a reserved greeting, then asked what Eric would like to eat.

After they ordered breakfast, the atmosphere dipped into an awkward silence.

During this time, even though Eric was seemingly detached, the internal struggles within AOL had intensified. On one side was Firefly Investments, which held a significant amount of AOL shares, and on the other was the management team that had contributed heavily to AOL's success. Although both parties tried to keep this dispute under wraps, the sharp-eyed media had already begun to report on it more frequently.

At that moment, AOL had confirmed it would hold an emergency shareholders' meeting at the end of the month -- that meeting would be the moment of reckoning.

After a moment of silence, Steve finally broke the ice, saying, "Eric, you need to understand that the internet can't have just one media company. AOL diversifying into media won't interfere with our identity as an internet service provider. If we can acquire Time Warner, AOL could also become a cable operator, which would greatly benefit Firefly, MGM, and even Fox's television business. I really don't understand why you keep opposing this."

Eric took a cup of hot coffee from the owner, thanked him, and once the owner passed Mayer a cup of coffee, he stirred his drink and replied, "Steve, you might think I'm doing this to let Yahoo dominate, but in reality, I have no intention of turning any Firefly Investments company into an internet media company -- neither Yahoo nor AOL. I've never thought that. A pure internet media company has no future. The internet is an extremely open platform, and as the number of internet users continues to multiply, any media company won't be able to provide enough diverse content to billions of users. So, I've always wished for Yahoo and AOL to evolve into tech companies offering service and platforms to users, not media companies."

Steve countered, "While you say this, it is undeniable that both Yahoo and AOL are enjoying the benefits of the internet media concept, aren't they? Wall Street recognizes internet media stocks more than ever, and typically, Wall Street's judgment isn't wrong."

"Wall Street is chasing the high stock prices generated by the internet media concept; once the bubble bursts, they will steer clear of it," Eric shook his head and replied, "So if you follow Wall Street's approach, the outcome will be terrible."

"It seems we are absolutely unable to persuade each other," Steve sighed and turned to gaze earnestly at Eric, "Eric, I want to know -- if Firefly loses at the end of the month's shareholders' meeting, what do you plan to do?"

"That's why you really came to London, isn't it?" Eric smiled, saying, "You want to find out if I'd opt for mutual destruction?"

Stocks actually represent two things: 'shares' of capital and 'votes' of attitude. Investors declare their stance through buying and selling. Therefore, the more shares of a company one holds, the greater the impact one has during buying and selling. That is the fundamental power of shareholders.

As the largest shareholder, Firefly Investments held enough AOL stock to determine the company's survival, which was why Steve was taking this so seriously.

"If Firefly chooses to disregard the consequences, it wouldn't benefit any of us, would it?"

Eric shook his head, "Not necessarily. If AOL collapses, I could continue to support a company that aligns with Firefly's vision."

Even if Firefly were to fail, Eric would never choose mutual destruction. But sincerely admitting this to Steve would have been foolish.

Sure enough, hearing Eric's words, Steve's expression turned unreadable.

At that moment, the owner brought over their breakfast in succession.

Steve lost interest in staying for breakfast with Eric and told the owner, "Could you pack my breakfast to-go?"

"Of course," the chubby owner nodded and took Steve's order back to the kitchen.

Eric didn't stop Steve's actions, but after pondering for a moment, he said, "Regardless, Steve, thank you for bringing AOL to its current standing in the industry."

Steve objected softly, "AOL is also mine; it's like my child."

Eric nodded and replied, "Yes, many fathers hope their children grow according to their wishes, whether or not those wishes are indeed correct."

...

The owner quickly packed Steve's breakfast and carried a bag out of the cafe. The weather outside remained gloomy, and the raindrops seemed to be falling even more densely. Steve didn't bother with an umbrella, quickly walking to a Lincoln parked by the roadside. It was the car provided by his hotel.

The driver courteously opened the door for him. Once Steve was in, the car started and he pulled out his phone to dial a number, saying, "It's me, Bob... Yes, so you should implement the plan we discussed as soon as possible."

...

Back in the cafe, after Steve left, Eric ordered a glass of milk and looked over at Mayer, who had been distracted. He asked with concern, "Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Mayer thought that Eric had seen through her, and startled, she quickly shook her head, "No, no! I slept very well."

Eric chuckled and said, "It seems you didn't sleep well. You can take a nap when we go back; we won't be heading to Virgin Records until the afternoon."

Mayer didn't say anything more, just nodded.

Eric was preoccupied with thoughts of AOL and didn't pay much attention to Mayer's expression.

The two quietly enjoyed their breakfast. As they were finishing up, the glass door of the cafe was pushed open, and a soft female voice called out behind Eric.

...

"I often have breakfast here, Maddie. The food is really good, and the coffee is even better."

The tone was so distinctive Eric recognized the owner of the voice without turning around. Suddenly, he understood why there were so many photos of Princess Diana in the cafe.

As the woman approached, Eric shifted slightly and saw Princess Diana, elegantly dressed in a light blue suit, and smiled, "I didn't expect you would prefer dining in a place filled with your own photos; that's quite an unusual quirk."

Celebrities often gave their photos to friendly establishments as mementos, and Eric's remark was naturally just playful banter.

However, the sudden appearance startled Princess Diana, and she instinctively covered her mouth. After realizing it was Eric, her eyes widened, staring at him in a huff without saying a word.

Beside Princess Diana, a woman dressed in a black long-sleeved dress stepped forward warmly, greeting, "Hey, Eric! What a surprise!"

Eric was somewhat surprised to see Madonna too, quickly rising to hug her. He noted her formal attire, complete with an English lady's hat, and jokingly said, "Maddie, I didn't think you'd have a time for serious dressing; this is quite rare."

"You're such a jerk," Madonna playfully hit Eric, laughing, "The princess is here, so don't be too rude. But what are you doing here?"

Eric pointed to Kensington Gardens Street across from them and grinned, "Princess and I should consider each other neighbors."

At this point, Princess Diana finally reacted, still huffy, saying, "I don't want to be neighbors with someone like you!"

Feeling innocent, Eric shrugged, "Well, it may just be a misunderstanding."

"Ha ha," Madonna chuckled and shifted the focus to Mayer, prompting Eric to hurriedly introduce them.

Observing Princess Diana throwing frequent glances at him, Eric didn't want to continue this awkward encounter. Breakfast had nearly ended, so he planned to leave.

Just as he reached the door, Madonna struck a thought and came rushing back, asking, "Eric, you'll definitely be attending the party at Virgin Records tonight, right?"

Eric nodded, responding, "Of course, I'm mainly here for that."

"That's good, then we'll see each other tonight," Madonna said, signaling toward the door, "There are some things I'm really curious about."

"Don't worry, I won't tell you anything."

"In that case, there are a few things I won't be sharing with you either," Madonna replied with a playful warning look, saying, "Looks like trouble is coming your way."

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1002: The Beginning of Decline]

When Eric arrived in London this time, aside from meeting with the management team at Virgin Records, which he had recently acquired, he was primarily there to attend the celebration party for the Spice Girls' debut album, Spice.

After six months of building anticipation with several hit singles, Spice was released in April alongside Fireflyer's second generation. The album was launched with both physical and digital copies simultaneously, a strategy that many in the company had worried would harm sales of the physical version. However, that wasn't the case at all. Since its release, Spice had blazed through the album sales charts in Europe and America.

Now in its eleventh week on the charts, the album had already surpassed an astonishing 20 million copies sold globally by its ninth week, drawing the attention of the entire music industry. In the UK, it sold 2 million copies in just eight weeks, breaking the record set by The Beatles for the fastest album to reach that milestone in British history.

In the United States, the world's largest music market, Spice also easily crossed the 10 million mark, reaching 13.5 million sales by last week. Even two months later, sales continued to soar in countries like France, Germany, and Spain, as well as in the East Asia, Japan, Korea, and Singapore, where Spice held strong positions on the charts.

As the mastermind behind the Spice Girls, Eric not only produced the music video for their first single, Wannabe, but also contributed half the songs on their debut album. With such dazzling achievements, the media and the higher-ups at Firefly Records unanimously credited him for their success. The celebration party, initially scheduled for last week, had been moved to this weekend to accommodate Eric's schedule.

...

Eric visited Virgin Records' headquarters in the afternoon, where he met with the company's management team at the invitation of Simon Fuller, who had since been promoted to president of Virgin Records. The group's record subsidiary did not have a CEO; Barry Weiss held the position of president of Firefly Records, overseeing all music-related operations under the Firefly banner, while Simon served as the head of Virgin. The group aimed to retain the Virgin brand rather than abandon it, planning to consolidate all overseas music business resources into that company. In the future, Virgin would take charge of all Firefly music operations outside North America, including Europe, East Asia, and Latin America, while Firefly Records would focus on the North American market.

London's summer days were long. The party was set to begin at eight in the evening at the Albert Hotel, near Kensington Gardens. This location was chosen not to accommodate Eric, but because many upscale hotels were concentrated in that area.

Since the party started late, Eric had a dinner with Simon Fuller and then returned to his mansion on Garden Street. Just before the party was about to start, he headed to the Albert Hotel with Mayer.

Simon Fuller had organized a truly grand party. Alongside the executives and artists from Virgin Records, he had also invited numerous celebrities from the British entertainment industry. A red carpet had been laid outside the hotel, packed with media reporters from both the UK and overseas.

...

Stars like the Spice Girls, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Hugh Grant, and Rachel Weisz lit up the red carpet, making the atmosphere star-studded. Eric stepped out of the car with Mayer at the end of the red carpet, instantly prompting a frenzy of flashing lights from cameras.

Although he had been briefed beforehand, the sight of Mayer still led reporters to shout out questions as they rapidly clicked their shutters.

"Mr. Williams, is this young lady your new girlfriend?"

"Mr. Williams, can you introduce this young lady?"

"Mr. Williams, have you seen The Matrix 2?"

"Mr. Williams, how does Firefly plan to handle the disputes with the America Online management team?"

"Mr. Williams, it's been said that the casting for Bond 19 is still ongoing. Will this film still make it for next summer's release?"

"..."

Eric ignored the questions from both sides, simply smiled, waved at the crowd, and quickly led Mayer into the hotel.

...

Upon entering the party hall with the waiting Simon Fuller, Eric noticed the guests flocking towards them like iron filings to a magnet. Mayer felt a bit uneasy; she wished she truly was Eric's girlfriend even if just for tonight. However, she knew she was simply there to adorn him like a trophy.

This realization was rather disheartening. Mayer even considered making a hasty exit and couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentment towards Eric. He was so warm with other women, even tangled up with his cousin, while he treated her with complete indifference. It was infuriating.

Eric had no time to dwell on his assistant's feelings. He greeted each of the five girls from the Spice Girls with hugs, congratulating them one by one, before exchanging pleasantries with other guests for a while until he found himself free.

...

Standing by the buffet table, Simon Fuller and Eric each poured a glass of champagne. Simon raised his glass and said, "Eric, I've given careful thought to that reality show you mentioned seeking singers this afternoon, and I think it has a high feasibility. But if it's just held in the UK, won't the scale be a bit limited? Why don't we produce it directly in North America?"

"I certainly plan to bring this reality show to North America, but right now, both ABC's Survivor and Fox's Who Wants to be a Millionaire are performing quite well. These two channels have also been introducing other reality shows in recent years, so they're not short on this type of programming for now," Eric took a sip of his champagne and smiled. "Plus, I don't want to hand this reality show over to NBC or CBS, so I'm planning to get it started here in the UK first. You'll have plenty of time to refine the format."

Simon nodded in understanding. "But, seriously, I doubt this kind of music reality show can really produce a super popular singer. Balancing viewership with absolute fairness is tough; some exceptional contestants will likely be eliminated too early, earning the label of 'loser' that's hard to shake off later."

Eric replied, "If you put in the effort, I believe there will still be some good candidates among the earlier rounds. Also, it might be wise to focus on contestants' songwriting abilities. I forgot to mention this when you picked the Spice Girls; they had great singing and dancing skills, but their songwriting fell short. Thankfully, they've found outstanding producers to write songs for them now."

Simon acknowledged his point with a nod.

Historically and moving forward, successful artists or groups in the music industry usually had solid songwriting skills. However, as the music industry declined, artists with significant creative ability were likely to stand out more, given that the industry's downturn would lead to a reduction in available resources, making it less frequent for record companies to organize teams to package singers who only had good voices or looks but no creative talent.

...

While Eric conversed with Simon, he casually glanced around and happened to notice Barbara Broccoli, the producer of the 007 series, looking towards him. Standing across from her was a tall woman in a light purple backless evening gown that Eric didn't recognize. However, Barbara's gaze had a hint of urgency, so Eric greeted Simon and walked over.

Barbara Broccoli was a staunch advocate of singlehood. Eric initially thought she might have been caught up with some woman, but upon entering the conversation, he realized the woman across from her was Demi Moore.

Demi noticed Barbara's changing expression, turned around, and saw Eric, immediately displaying a surprised look as she reached out, saying, "Oh, Eric, I was just saying I wanted to greet you, but I saw you were chatting with Mr. Fuller."

As Demi reached out her hands, Eric had no choice but to smile and embrace her for a moment, feeling her body lean against him without reservation. He couldn't help but pity Bruce Willis for three seconds; poor guy had to deal with such a wife and probably wondered how many times he had been cheated on. But at this point, it seemed like both were playing their own games.

"So, Demi, what brings you to London?" Though they weren't close, they had run into each other at parties before. Eric didn't quite like her, but he kept the conversation polite. After releasing the hug, he asked courteously.

"I'm in London filming a movie called Notting Hill," Demi pointed to Hugh Grant not far away and continued, "He's the male lead, and it's a love story set in the Notting Hill area."

Eric immediately recalled that Julia had turned down this script when Universal acquired Polygram's rights after Seagram made the acquisition, not expecting that it would end up with Demi Moore.

"Notting Hill; I happen to know that script. It's a good story," Eric complimented.

With the success of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hugh Grant had solidified his status as a box-office star. Additionally, history had changed, allowing him to narrowly escape a scandal. It could be said that Hugh had been quite popular as this charming Englishman in recent years.

After Julia dropped out, Polygram Pictures had reportedly approached Meg Ryan to take her place, but she ended up taking the Warner film You've Got Mail. Ultimately, they settled on Demi Moore as the leading lady despite her popularity being far less than Julia's, likely due to confidence in Hugh Grant's star power.

Remembering You've Got Mail made Eric somewhat frustrated. That film was a product of Warner's collaboration with America Online. Clearly, both parties had already begun to tangle with each other. Because of the differences in development paths, America Online hadn't even mentioned You've Got Mail to Firefly, becoming evidence of the recent disputes between America Online and its major shareholder, Firefly.

"Didn't expect this at all; this is quite surprising," Demi said, a bit astonished that Eric was familiar with the Notting Hill script. It was just a regular romance movie with a production cost of under $30 million. However, she quickly recalled who had handed her this opportunity, and feelings of envy towards Julia Roberts and Eric's close relationship crept into her expression. She looked at Eric with a hint of eagerness, asking, "Eric, may I ask you to dance?" As she said this, Demi smiled at Mayer, who was trying her best to play the part of a trophy beside Eric. "Surely this young lady won't mind if I borrow you for a moment, will she?"

Mayer politely nodded, all while silently scoffing to herself, wondering how much her opinion actually mattered.

Eric, however, simply smiled and turned down the request. "Sorry, Demi; I have something to discuss with Barbara."

"Oh, that's fine; I can wait a bit," Demi replied without showing disappointment or giving up, raising her hand. "You go ahead and chat for now."

...

As soon as Demi walked away, Eric asked Barbara, "What just happened?"

"Nothing," Barbara Broccoli shook her head, smiling. "They're still casting for Bond 19, and she's involved too."

Eric nodded, somewhat understanding. "Speaking of which, reporters were just asking me about it. Given the current situation, looks like Bond 19 won't be able to start filming this year, huh?"

Barbara wore a slightly reproachful look. "Yeah, you boosted the last film's box office so high, and now you're just leaving us to deal with the pressure."

Eric smiled back, retorting, "I haven't ignored you; I've carefully reviewed every version of the script you've sent me."

Bond 19 was originally scheduled to release in the summer, but following the massive global success of Casino Royale, everyone at MGM was exceptionally cautious, treating the burgeoning spy movie universe with great care. The script for Bond 19 had taken a full year to polish, and coordinating the contracts for the three main characters also required considerable effort.

Looking at the current situation, it seemed Bond 19's release would need to be pushed back a full year. However, for a blockbuster like Bond, a production gap of three years wasn't too alarming. No one would risk compromising the good reputation newly established for the entire spy movie universe just to meet a release deadline.

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1003: Upcoming Lawsuit]

Eric was chatting with Barbara Broccoli when Madonna approached from a distance.

"Good evening, Maddy! What took you so long to get here?" Eric said, giving Madonna a gentle hug. He added, "This is Barbara Broccoli, the producer of the 007 series."

"I was having dinner with some executives from Warner Records Europe, so I'm a bit late," Madonna explained. She warmly shook hands with Barbara Broccoli, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then said, "Eric, where are our girls? I need to say hello to them first."

"Well, we can chat later," Eric nodded toward Barbara Broccoli, gesturing for them to move along. "Come on, let me introduce you to them. But you better not bully the young ones, Big Sister."

As they walked together, Madonna laughed. "I can only feel envy. After all these years, I've never had a new album sell more than twenty million copies. The only one to break that number was a compilation album. You clearly have a bias toward me since you only wrote me one song."

"It's not the same. I'm not a music producer. They started from scratch, and everyone just happens to love their image, so that's why they're a bit more popular now. Your image is already set; I can't turn you, Madonna, into another Madonna. Besides, this new album should have crossed ten million in sales by now, right?"

Writing a few hit songs doesn't make one a superstar. It takes a significant investment in marketing and operational resources to create a popular singer. Elevating a popular singer to megastar status requires luck and opportunity. The songs released during the first Victoria's Secret fashion show had a huge impact, but Firefly Records' attempts to promote a few newcomers didn't really create any waves.

The entertainment-in-its-essence style represented by the Spice Girls happened to align with the current public taste, which is why they shot to fame so quickly. Eric primarily played a catalyst role in that. Madonna knew that after being in the business for so long, providing the audience with something fresh and exciting had become increasingly difficult.

Madonna understood this too, and hearing Eric mention her recent album made her feel quite good. Since the release of a compilation album in 1990 that peaked at over twenty-three million in sales, Madonna's subsequent albums have hovered around six to seven million in sales worldwide. While those figures might be considered lofty for second and third-tier artists, for her, it felt like a downward trend.

However, this new album had already surpassed ten million in sales worldwide just over three months after its release, and Warner Records predicted that future total sales could reach fifteen million. Fifteen million in album sales would be enough to bring Madonna's career back to its peak state.

Though Eric had only contributed one single to the process, Madonna felt that the success of the album was significantly due to the luck Eric, the little guy, brought her. The sudden rise of the Spice Girls further solidified her belief in this.

...

As Eric accompanied Madonna, she enthusiastically chatted with the five girls from the Spice Girls. Then she pulled Eric aside.

Holding a glass of red wine, Madonna teasingly gazed at Eric and curiously asked, "So, can we talk about you and Princess Diana? Are you trying to pursue her and it backfired?"

Of course, Eric couldn't share the story of tossing Diana out of his mansion with Madonna. He merely glanced at her defined arms peeking out of her blue plunging evening dress and changed the subject. "I suggest you tone down the intense workouts. I worry you might suddenly take a swing at me while standing next to you."

To put it bluntly, Madonna wasn't unattractive. After some meticulous dressing, she could even be quite pleasant to the eyes. However, paired with her robust arms, it all gave off a vibe of a Barbie doll gone too far.

"How could I hit you, little boy?" Madonna provocatively licked her red lips and said, "I'd rather have you for dinner."

"Alright," Eric raised his hands in a mock surrender. Generally, he was the one taking charge in interactions with women. Yet in front of Madonna, he quickly realized he was at a loss. "Didn't you say I would have trouble this morning? What's going on?"

Madonna understood when to rein it in and turned serious. "Have you been following the recent sales figures of the major record companies?"

Eric shook his head honestly. He had been paying attention to Firefly Records' operations but not in too much detail. Besides, Firefly Records had been steadily climbing in the youth pop market in recent years, and Eric hadn't felt anything amiss.

Madonna continued, "Last week, Roger Ames saw Warner's sales data and threw a fit all day. I happened to witness it. Apparently, because of the impact of Internet piracy, Warner's sales revenue for the first half of this year is expected to decline by thirty percent. A thirty percent drop was enough for Roger Ames to offer his resignation. The situation isn't much better for several other major record companies either. I guess they need to pass the buck to keep their jobs, and your Fireflyer player is selling like hotcakes, making it the perfect scapegoat."

Although Universal had become the largest record label after acquiring PolyGram, Warner Records, Sony Records, and EMI remained traditional giants of the recording industry, much larger than the current Firefly Records. The condition of these big record labels reflected the overall trend of the music industry.

A thirty percent drop in record sales was startling, even though Eric had long been aware of the declining trend in the record industry. The impact of the Internet on the recording industry had finally become apparent, emerging fiercely.

Eric, however, wasn't too worried about the impending lawsuits. Since the launch two months ago, the sales of the second-generation Fireflyer had just surpassed five million units. Counting the previous generation, it was just over ten million.

No one would think that ten million Fireflyer players could shoulder the blame for a thirty percent drop in the entire music industry's sales. The downturn in physical record sales ultimately stemmed from the explosive growth of the Internet industry in recent years. A few taps on a keyboard could yield any desired music resource for free, which naturally deterred people from spending big money on records.

Of course, Eric didn't deny that the emergence of MP3 players significantly contributed to the trend toward digital music. He thought about reminding the Firefly electronics management team to be aware of this issue, but lightly remarked to Madonna, "If lawsuits start flying, I think they should first sue IBM, HP, and Dell. Our Fireflyer player promotes licensed digital music, but personal computers from companies like IBM allow downloads of free music at will. And if it's about sales, global PC shipments might break one hundred million this year. Comparatively, the Fireflyer player is still far behind."

Madonna was certainly one of the victims of the rise of Internet piracy, but given her current status, she didn't seem too concerned about record sales revenue. Big-ticket advertising endorsements and her touring revenue were her main income sources.

"You telling me this doesn't help," Madonna chuckled. "Remember, you owe me a favor."

Eric nodded, "Alright, I'll treat you to dinner sometime."

Madonna gave Eric a seductive glance, "Dinner sounds rather boring, don't you have free time tonight?"

"Nope," Eric's tone was firm, mixed with a hint of shyness as he glanced at Madonna's arms. "I'm afraid you'll hit me."

While Madonna was just a little over five feet tall, twenty centimeters shorter than Eric, and even though she might slightly overdo her workouts, the natural physical differences between men and women made her a non-threat to him.

Moreover, recalling the incident when Eric had playfully pinned her down and only used her mouth to serve him, Madonna knew that he was undoubtedly the dominant one in bed.

Imagining a scenario where she was ruthlessly taken down by him made Madonna feel a slight heat rush through her. Hearing Eric's teasing, she rolled her eyes and said, "You know, I'm really tempted to knock you out now."

Just as Eric was about to respond, Demi Moore approached and winked at Eric. "Eric, the music has started! Don't forget you owe me a dance."

Eric couldn't recall owing her a dance, but he didn't want to embarrass Demi, so he was about to agree when Madonna, feeling a bit irritated by Demi's sudden interruption, said, "Oh, Demi, how about I dance with you? I'm quite good at dancing."

"Ha, Maddy, you must be joking," Demi replied confidently, pushing back against Madonna's offer with a fiery gaze directed at Eric.

Both women were not easy opponents. Since Eric was somewhat of a host, he didn't want to see them at odds in this setting, so he quickly reached for Demi's hand and said, "Let's hit the dance floor, and Maddy, we'll chat later."

Demi placed her hand in Eric's, glancing back at Madonna with a smug look before following Eric to the dance floor, keeping her gaze lowered and submissive.

Madonna still held onto some sense of pride but continued to tease Eric with her words. Demi moved closer to Eric on the dimly lit dance floor.

...

As Demo Moore pressed against him, Eric felt a bit strange with the two soft mounds against his chest.

From Eric's memories of Demi in the original Ghost, she had been flat-chested, and now she suddenly appeared to be a D-cup. It became evident what had occurred.

While Eric preferred women to have a more natural look, he found himself curious about what such a substantial sensation could feel like.

Demi seemed to either intuit Eric's thoughts or was deliberately teasing him, moving in closer as they swayed to the slow music. She suddenly leaned in to whisper, "Eric, I got a room upstairs; do you want to check it out?"

Eric chuckled. While the idea sparked his curiosity, he preferred to avoid complications. Since Demi had been entangled with Barbara Broccoli, it was clear she had a clear agenda: she wanted to be the Bond girl in Bond 19.

Without the opportunity of Ghost, Demi hadn't been as hot in recent years, mostly managing to stay afloat in Hollywood due to her status as Bruce Willis's ex-wife. She barely qualified as a second-tier actress.

The Bond girl role in the upcoming Bond 19 was significant and influential, akin to the impact Vesper Lynd left in Casino Royale.

However, because of that, Eric was cautious about casually handing over such a role for a one-night affair. He wouldn't pull a stunt that could have him backtrack after the fact, so he shook his head with a laugh, "I think I'll pass for now; it's not the right time for me to leave."

Demi wasn't ready to let go. She pressed even closer and whispered, "Why not? No one would care about those details."

"That may not be the case," Eric remained unfazed. When the song ended, he led Demi out of the dance floor, turning to leave amidst her lingering, disappointed gaze.

...

Eric didn't leave the Albert Hotel until the party wrapped up.

Arriving back at his villa on Kensington Garden Street just after one in the morning, Eric felt slightly tipsy from the drinks he had consumed but wasn't overly tired. He plopped down on the couch in the living room and casually turned on the TV, flipping through channels before saying to Mayer, "Mary, can you get me a glass of water?"

Mayer nodded and headed to the kitchen. Inside, she felt a tinge of personal satisfaction that her boss had spent the night entangled with various women but ultimately returned with her.

Well, okay, something felt off.

Mayer quickly brought a glass of water and handed it to Eric, slightly bowing as she did so.

Feeling thirsty, Eric downed the glass in one go and absentmindedly set it aside, noticing Mary still standing in front of him in a maid-like pose, waiting for instructions.

In the deep of the night, feeling slightly influenced by the alcohol, Eric found himself a bit moved. He gestured to Mayer and softly said, "Come over."

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1004: Sleepy Hollow]

Mayer's eyes flickered as she stepped forward, wanting to sit beside Eric, but he raised a hand to stop her.

Eric lifted his hand to block Mayer, though he did not pull it back. Instead, he let it rest gently against the girl's leg, which was covered in a light silk dress, slowly beginning to wander upward.

Mayer felt as if several mischievous little rascals were softly yet audaciously crawling up her leg, sending waves of tingles and shivers through her, causing her breath to quicken.

Taking a cautious deep breath to steady her nerves, Mayer suddenly realized that even if she were willing, she shouldn't let her boss run amok with her. It felt like that invasive hand had reached her waist, as if it had plans to roam uncharted territories. Mayer instinctively pressed her hand against his, almost whispering, "Eric, it's already very late, and Carly is coming over tomorrow morning."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Mayer realized she had spoken something incredibly foolish.

Why did she have to bring up Caroline at such a moment?

Indeed, upon hearing that, Eric hesitated. Thinking of Caroline's heartbreaking little gaze, Eric felt most of his earlier desires dissipate. It was one thing for his interactions with other women, but Mayer was essentially someone who would have to face Caroline daily. If Caroline found out he had slept with Mayer, it would undoubtedly sadden her, even if she didn't voice it.

With these thoughts, Eric withdrew his hand and stood up, giving Mayer a polite kiss on the cheek. "Well, you should get some rest. Good night."

"Yeah, good night," Mayer nodded. It was only after Eric disappeared at the top of the stairs that she suddenly flopped onto the sofa, hugging a cushion like a cat and scratching it for a while. Then, she banged her head against the pillow a few times, muttering, "Marissa Mayer, you are such a big fool, a big fool, a big fool."

...

Good weather was rare in London, and although it wasn't raining like the previous day, it remained overcast on that Sunday morning.

At Wilson Manor, Eric's bodyguard arrived early to pick up Caroline.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll take care of myself. Eric is really good to me," Caroline assured her mother one last time as she embraced her parents. After a few more words of concern from Lady Wilson, Caroline got into the car, rolled down the window, and reluctantly waved goodbye to her parents, before instructing the driver to leave.

Watching the car pull out of the manor, the Count, who had just assumed a fatherly posture, suddenly turned to his wife, saying, "That girl must be hiding something from us."

Lady Wilson glanced at her husband. "It's probably something with Jane. Carly and Jane have always been quite close."

"No, I think it's something else," the Count frowned at the mention of his sister's name, letting out an exasperated sigh. "If she's back, she should be reasonable and do things properly. Why open a gallery? Does she think she's Picasso?"

Lady Wilson looped her arm through her husband's as they walked back toward the castle. "Let her do what she loves; after all, she..."

As she spoke, noticing the displeasure on her husband's face grow, Lady Wilson decided to hold her tongue.

...

In the car heading towards downtown London, Caroline let out a small sigh of relief. She had thought her parents knew about Eric, but they were clueless. Her aunt had specifically told her not to mention Eric to her parents, so she hadn't brought it up. Still, being around her parents for the past few days had left her feeling a bit apprehensive. Truth be told, she really wanted her mom and dad to know that Eric was her cousin.

Instead of taking Caroline to Kensington, they headed to a cafe near Regent's Park. There, Caroline met Eric and Mayer.

The London tabloids were notoriously pesky. Even though the gossip columns from the News Corporation wouldn't chase after Eric, the other tabloids were unrestrained. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't have been a major issue, but since Eric was going to visit Olivia today, he had to avoid media scrutiny.

Thus, he had to put in considerable effort that morning to shake off the paparazzi.

Olivia's gallery was close to Regent's Park. Although it wasn't far, for caution's sake, the three of them decided to drive there.

...

A few minutes later, they arrived outside a four-story white European-style villa. Eric led Caroline and Mayer out of the car, quickly scanning the surroundings. The street appeared quite secluded, lacking any shops. Though the villa appeared luxurious, it seemed more like a private residence than a gallery, given the absence of any signs and the presence of a fence and steps, giving off a vibe of intentional exclusion for passersby.

Eric hesitated, questioning whether they had come to the right location when the villa's door swung open. Olivia stepped out, dressed in a black shirt and white casual pants, offering a soft smile.

Seeing Olivia, Caroline rushed up affectionately to hug her aunt. Then she turned to stand beside Olivia.

Eric approached as well, exchanging a light embrace with Olivia and introducing Mayer. Olivia then led the three of them inside the villa.

From the outside, the villa looked like a regular home, but inside, it had the layout of a standard gallery: an open hall, white walls, and soft lighting. The walls were adorned with realistic-style watercolor paintings, mainly depicting landscapes -- morning farms, castles among the hills, seaside towns, all evidently crafted by the same hand. Eric didn't know much about painting, but he understood that accomplished artists usually had a strong personal style.

Olivia quietly stayed by Eric's side as he walked around the hall. After they ascended the spiral staircase to the second floor, they found more artwork but Olivia led Eric to a relaxation area by the windows, where a few armchairs surrounded a large coffee table, complete with a small bar nearby.

...

Since this wasn't Caroline's first visit, she eagerly ran off to brew coffee for them. Olivia and Eric sat on the sofa together, and sensing Eric's confusion, she explained, "I don't like strangers interrupting; I only allow familiar friends or agents to bring guests."

Eric remembered Caroline mentioning Olivia's quirky shop on Greece's Minox Island and understood her attitude toward the gallery. She didn't rely on it for a living. He smiled and said, "That's fine, too."

Olivia smiled back. "What about you? Have you been busy lately?"

As Eric took the coffee Caroline handed him, he held it and nodded, "I've been flying around a lot. I came here from New York last week, and next, I'm off to Australia before heading back to Los Angeles - just making a circle around the globe."

Olivia held her cup, smoothing Caroline's blonde hair back, then looked at Eric, "You're doing great; there's no need to overburden yourself."

Eric simply nodded. Olivia knew that even if Eric wanted to let some things slide, it wasn't that easy, so she didn't push further but asked Caroline and Mayer to take good care of Eric.

Casual chatting carried on, and before they knew it, it was lunchtime.

...

The villa belonged to the Wilson family, with the lower two floors converted into the gallery by Olivia. The third and fourth floors were her living quarters, which felt very warm and homely, unlike the gallery's layout.

The women prepared lunch together. After eating, Eric suggested they head to Pinewood Studios to check things out.

The set for Sleepy Hollow was built on a nearby farm. Tim Burton was in London, and given the project's enormous budget, Eric certainly wanted to stay involved.

Naturally, Caroline and Mayer didn't object, and Olivia nodded in agreement, so they quickly set out.

...

After over an hour, they met with Tim Burton at Pinewood Studios and made their way to the nearby farm, where the extensive set of Sleepy Hollow had been constructed over several acres.

The afternoon sky remained gloomy, but the atmosphere perfectly complemented the gothic-style town, standing at the entrance while gazing at the eerie vibe created by the town's homes, churches, wooden bridges, and watchtowers; Olivia suddenly exclaimed, "It's beautiful here."

Eric couldn't help but agree with Olivia; although the atmosphere felt strange, the town's architecture clearly showcased careful design that enhanced the visual aesthetics of the film's composition. Photos taken here could easily serve as movie posters. In fact, Eric could sense that as long as the cinematographer was exceptional, this film would produce stunning frames, which, in his memory, could only be described as computer wallpaper-level quality.

The filming was scheduled to commence in September, with other sets and various props being produced. However, the choice of cinematographer had already been decided: Emmanuel Lubezki. Although many later recognized Lubezki for his long takes in Gravity and Birdman, he excelled at using natural light, which was precisely the style Sleepy Hollow demanded.

Tim Burton was an eccentric, reclusive genius who preferred to immerse himself in his own world. Aside from discussing the movie, Eric found little common ground with him, listening as Tim explained his vision for the filming of Sleepy Hollow while walking around the set.

Tim initially envisioned the film being as dark as possible, but this conflicted with the tone of a commercial film, especially one with such a substantial budget. Ultimately, the script had to include a rather heartwarming conclusion. As they reached an agreement on the script, Eric chose not to interfere too much with Tim's creative vision.

...

After spending the weekend in London, Eric set off again the next day, heading to Queenstown, New Zealand.

This journey far exceeded his previous trips, with the straight line distance from the polar region of the UK to the southern hemisphere of New Zealand nearing 20,000 kilometers.

No commercial aircraft yet boasted the capability to cover such a distance nonstop. The Boeing 767-200ER, which Eric was flying, was the longest-range variant of the 767 series but could only manage a little over 12,000 kilometers. Therefore, after departing from London, they had to stop for refueling in Singapore, making the entire journey exceed 24 hours.

New Zealand was 11 hours ahead of London. When Eric left Heathrow Airport in London on Monday afternoon, it was Wednesday morning at 5 AM local time upon arrival in Australia's XN.

At that time, New Zealand was far from the Middle Earth tourist hotspot it would later become thanks to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The country didn't even have an adequate airport; neither Wellington Airport in the North Island nor Queenstown Airport in the South Island could accommodate medium-sized Boeing 767 aircraft for a safe takeoff and landing.

Leaving the 767 at XN International Airport, Eric borrowed a small Gulfstream III jet through Elisabeth's connections to fly anew to Queenstown in New Zealand's South Island.

...

While Eric was flying, the box office results for the opening weekend of The Matrix Reloaded, which had released in North America, emerged. After setting a midnight record of $9.95 million, the film garnered a total of $83.66 million by the end of its opening weekend.

Although it didn't surpass the previous year's record of $91.05 million set by Casino Royale, it comfortably outstripped the $73.75 million cumulative figure for The Day After Tomorrow from two weeks prior. The film breaking the $100 million mark during its opening week was no longer in doubt; everyone began to focus on whether The Matrix Reloaded could maintain enough momentum at the box office thereafter.

By the third week, The Day After Tomorrow saw its weekend numbers drop by 55% due to the impact of The Matrix Reloaded. Ultimately, the weekend's earnings fell to $18.91 million, bringing its cumulative total to $194 million. While it was likely to comfortably break the $200 million mark this week, based on the current trends, The Day After Tomorrow's total North American box office might struggle to surpass $250 million.

From the current perspective, the opening weekend box office for The Matrix Reloaded wouldn't be much worse than Casino Royale's from the previous year. That is to say, the opening weekend box office for The Day After Tomorrow also wasn't too far behind Casino Royale. Each of the three films easily crossed the $100 million mark during their first week, and the key factor in influencing their total North American box office would be the drop rates in the following weeks.

Due to the bombastic word-of-mouth success of Casino Royale, its ticket sales had consistently remained down by the 30% range for several weeks. Seemingly minor differences in percentage points during the same opening might lead to stark contrasts in final box office numbers. If both films had the same $100 million opening weekend but different decline percentages of 30%, 40%, and 50%, their eventual totals would widely differ -- $400 million, $300 million, and $200 million, respectively.

However, despite the polarized reviews affording uncertainty to The Matrix Reloaded's future box office trajectory, its opening weekend gross exceeding $80 million provided ample ammunition for the media to mock Firefly for having initially abandoned the production of any Matrix sequels.

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1005: Sudden Attack]

In facing the impressive box office numbers of The Matrix Reloaded during its opening week, the media's mocking and sarcastic tone only managed to stir up a wave of schadenfreude towards Firefly Entertainment. However, it failed to cause any substantial negative impact on Firefly. In fact, this media commentary inadvertently boosted the sales efforts for the corporate bonds Firefly was preparing to issue the following month.

The management had always remained under Eric's control, and everything seemed to be running smoothly. Eric had hoped that some of the minority shareholders of the group would express their opinions, preferably so upset that they would sell off their shares, but, unfortunately, that did not happen.

Consequently, Eric was not fazed by the media's varied opinions on The Matrix Reloaded's box office performance or the ensuing pessimism surrounding Firefly Group.

...

However, upon reaching Queenstown, New Zealand, and settling in, Eric received news that infuriated him. Steve Case had completely disregarded the consensus that had been formed and brought the dispute between the management and Firefly Investments -- its largest shareholder -- into the media spotlight.

This incident occurred on the morning of Tuesday on the East Coast of North America, when Steve Case gave an exclusive interview. Eric had just arrived in Queenstown, which was Wednesday morning local time. The East Coast was 16 hours behind New Zealand, meaning that when Eric received the news, it was still Tuesday afternoon in New York, as the New York Stock Exchange had just closed for the day.

At a private resort on the outskirts of Queenstown, Eric ended a call from Chris, who had personally reached out to him, and spoke to Tim Sanders, the producer responsible for the Lord of the Rings project in New Zealand. "Tim, just continue with your work as usual. I may not make it to the set today, but I'll call Peter directly later."

Although it was the coldest month of the year in New Zealand, it did not impact the filming of the Lord of the Rings crew. The basic daily expenses for the hundreds of crew members amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Therefore, Eric had specifically informed Peter Jackson not to alter the shooting schedule in light of his arrival. At that moment, Peter Jackson and his team were filming outdoor scenes near Lake Wanaka, approximately forty kilometers north of Queenstown.

Tim Sanders, having just been with Eric, nodded and said, "Alright, I'll take my leave then. Eric, if anything comes up, don't hesitate to call me."

...

After seeing Tim Sanders off, Eric returned to the living room of the villa, where Caroline was standing by the fax machine on the phone, and Mayer approached him holding a notebook, presenting it in front of Eric.

The screen of the notebook was displaying a video interview with Steve Case.

"I am grateful for the unwavering support the Firefly system has given to AOL over the years, but that does not justify abandoning our corporate development philosophy. A corporation should have its own culture and soul; without these, it is destined to be a mere puppet of capital. All evidence proves that such corporations struggle to grow. It's precisely because we had a clear vision for this company that AOL transformed from a small operation with fewer than 100,000 users to the Internet giant it is today, with nearly 15 million users nationwide," Steve Case said earnestly on screen. "Thus, if the shareholders insist on forcing us to abandon our corporate values, we have no reason to continue in this company."

In the studio, the glasses-wearing host nodded in agreement and asked, "So, Steve, when you say 'we,' are you referring to those individuals?"

"Just myself, President Robert Pittman, and twelve department heads in operations, marketing, finance, etc. If we cannot reach a consensus with the shareholders moving forward, we will collectively resign," Steve replied.

The host showed a surprised expression, leaning slightly forward to ask, "Steve, as I understand it, you are also a shareholder of AOL. Surely, you realize that if the management team collectively resigns, it would cause immeasurable damage to the company's stock price, also harming your personal interests. Have you considered this outcome?"

"Yes," Steve Case replied. "However, I would rather uphold my ideals than focus solely on wealth."

On the screen, the host smiled appreciatively and said, "Alright, now let's watch a video that highlights the legendary rise of AOL over the years."

...

Eric stood in place, furrowing his brow as he looked at the video playing on the notebook screen in Mayer's hands. Just then, the phone he had just put in his trench coat pocket rang again.

Indicating to Mayer that she could take the notebook away, Eric answered the phone, and it was John Mack, the president of Morgan Stanley.

Morgan Stanley also operated a massive stock-investment division and was one of AOL's major shareholders, holding about 2% of the company's stock. Previously, under Chris's persuasion, Morgan Stanley had agreed to side with Firefly Investments during the shareholders' vote. However, following Steve Case's almost reckless move, it was clear that Morgan Stanley was struggling to maintain a calm facade.

As Eric spoke with John Mack, Caroline passed him a freshly organized document, which was AOL's stock price chart for Tuesday in the U.S.

As the founder of AOL and a pivotal figure in growing its value to over $40 billion, Steve Case wielded significant influence over AOL, affecting a wide array of shareholders, especially with the entire management team proclaiming their solidarity with him.

Thus, after the interview was broadcasted, the Nasdaq market reacted sharply to the potential collective resignation of Steve Case and the AOL management team.

Throughout the trading day, AOL's stock price plummeted by 6.5%, lowering its market cap from $41.5 billion at open to $38.9 billion. In just six hours of trading, the company's market cap evaporated by $2.7 billion.

Even the Nasdaq index, originally predicted to break 2000 points that week, suffered as well. The overall market dropped from 1973 points to 1935 points, and several previously high-performing tech stocks experienced varying degrees of decline alongside AOL's plummeting stock price.

Hearing the anxious tone in John Mack's voice, Eric responded, "John, perhaps Morgan Stanley lost over $50 million, but based on our holdings, Firefly lost $1 billion today. Do you think I would sit idly by?"

Firefly held a total of 35.7% of AOL's shares, meaning Steve Case's actions resulted in nearly a $1 billion paper loss for Firefly.

Even though many were aware that AOL's actual value was nowhere near that much, a loss in the billions in a single day still stung. Wall Street funds, whose primary focus was stock investments, reacted even more intensely to millions or tens of millions in losses in the short term compared to Eric, who prioritized long-term growth.

After patiently conversing with John Mack for a while, Eric hung up the call, and his phone rang almost immediately again. This time, it was John Bogle, founder of the Vanguard Group, which held assets exceeding $200 billion on Wall Street. Though his tone was polite, he explicitly expressed that he hoped Eric would change his mind and quickly defuse the situation, also voicing concerns about the Nasdaq index possibly crashing.

Eric shared this concern, making him even more displeased with Steve Case's behavior.

...

It wasn't merely the $1 billion paper loss that frustrated him, but rather the blatant disregard for the bigger picture in order to maintain personal power. Initially, both parties had reached an agreement to keep the matter within AOL.

On the upcoming temporary shareholder meeting on June 29, regardless of which side won, the other side would be expected to step back to ensure the company's development.

Yet Firefly Investments, holding 35.7% of AOL shares, already had enough stock to maintain control over the company, much like the Murdoch family behind News Corporation and Viacom, which held about 30% in their respective media groups.

Consequently, Firefly was highly likely to win in the shareholder vote. If not for Steve Case's status as AOL's founder and his impressive track record as CEO over the years, Firefly wouldn't even need to hold a shareholder meeting to oust Steve Case.

Nevertheless, even so, Firefly would only need to court an additional 15% of the shareholders to gain control of AOL.

During this time, due to his close relationships on Wall Street, Chris successfully garnered promises from many fund managers holding shares of AOL to support Firefly. It seemed that sensing his disadvantage, Steve Case decided on today's drastic measures.

In many ways, it was a gamble.

Due to the pressure from AOL's plummeting stock price, most shareholders might have to momentarily compromise with the management. However, Steve Case's actions, utterly disregarding the interests of all involved, were bound to be harshly remembered by Wall Street investors. It would be exceedingly difficult for him to regain their favor in the future.

Of course, if AOL could remain strong, Steve Case could maintain an authoritative figure as a corporate manager and need not worry about Wall Street's scrutiny. After all, Wall Street was always interested in those who could bring them tangible benefits.

Yet Eric understood something others did not: that if AOL continued down Steve Case's current path, its collapse in the coming years would be catastrophic.

On Eric's first day in New Zealand, he spent most of his time on phone calls.

There was no immediate way to resolve this matter, so to prevent AOL's stock price from crashing further the next day, the board urgently sought a temporary trading halt from the SEC, promising the frenzied media and investors that they would hold a press conference before next Monday to announce the final resolution of the incident.

Flying back to New York from New Zealand, although the journey was slightly shorter than from the UK to New Zealand, it still took about 20 hours, effectively an entire day. Therefore, Eric decided not to rush back. Instead, he kept an eye on the production progress of the Lord of the Rings trilogy while frequently maintaining close contact with Chris and others back in New York.

...

Finally, on Saturday morning in New Zealand, which was Friday afternoon on the East Coast, after a few days of intensive negotiations, the major shareholders, board members, and management of AOL gathered in the conference room of their headquarters in New York, while Eric participated in the meeting via video call.

Feeling the shock from AOL's management about the plummeting stock price due to the threat of a mass resignation, many shareholders, initially leaning towards Firefly, had shifted their positions within the past three days.

If only Steve Case were to leave, provided the arrangements were sufficient, AOL wouldn't sustain much damage. But if the entire main management exited, it would plunge the company into a prolonged state of chaos, leaving even highly capable replacements unable to restore AOL to its previous state anytime soon.

Amidst the backdrop of major telecommunications companies and operating system giant Microsoft setting up ISPs, years of turmoil for AOL would likely allow their formidable competition to close the gap significantly. The advantages AOL had accumulated over the years in the ISP sector could potentially vanish, even leaving it in irreparable decline.

Eric had never placed too much emphasis on AOL from the start; his main interest was in leveraging AOL's inflated stock price during the tech bubble as "currency" to acquire a traditional telecommunications company, thereby solidifying AOL's foundation and providing essential support for the previously determined information industry alliance plan.

However, the current situation made those original plans moot. Eric decisively chose what was most advantageous for himself.

In the study of the vacation villa, Eric activated the monitor on his desk. He was facing the large conference room at AOL's New York headquarters, where representatives from various sectors sat along the oval table. Eric could see Steve Case on the other side, and the other representatives were looking back at him.

Taking the prepared folder from Caroline, Eric opened it, glanced at the screen, and said flatly, "I've been a bit tired these days and have a lot on my plate today, so let's keep this brief. Oh, I'll go first; you all listen."

In the New York conference room, a large-screen projector was in use. Chris, who was seated next to the projector, heard Eric's words and shook his head with a slight smile.

The other business elites from various fields gazed at the somewhat condescending young man on the projector screen. Although they felt some discontent, they were more anxious. This meeting concerned AOL's future and whether their stocks would continue to appreciate.

Even though many matters had been pre-arranged, when it came to the moment, many feared Eric might change his mind suddenly, and he certainly had the capacity to do so. Even Steve Case, who tried to act composed, felt his heart racing more than usual.

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1006: The Terms of Withdrawal]

Eric ignored the various expressions of the people on the screen and seemed somewhat indifferent as he said, "So, Steve, you won. I officially announce that, starting today, Firefly Investments will no longer interfere in any internal affairs of America Online. You are completely free to manage this company as you see fit."

In the conference room in New York, everyone sighed in relief upon hearing Eric's words.

However, Steve Case, despite feeling a sense of easing in his heart, soon found himself engulfed by a wave of anxiety. No one understood better than him, the CEO, the significance of the Firefly system to America Online -- it was certainly not just about being the largest shareholder.

Over the years, beyond financial support, the Firefly group had shown tremendous backing to America Online, providing resources in media and technology.

America Online's portal had enjoyed privileges comparable to those of Yahoo concerning internet news publishing rights from the Firefly Group and News Corp's media outlets. Furthermore, America Online had received over 2,000 patent licenses from Yahoo concerning email, instant messaging, and browser software technology. The cooperation between the two in specific projects, such as integrated search engines and online payment platforms, was deeply intertwined.

On the surface, it appeared that America Online had gained significantly more than it had given. However, this had gradually deepened America Online's dependency on the Firefly system.

It was easy to imagine that once they parted ways, if the Firefly group severed the multifaceted cooperation they had established, America Online, which was already falling behind Yahoo in internet media, could potentially descend into chaos.

What was more daunting was that this situation was far from the worst-case scenario; the Firefly system remained America Online's largest shareholder, which was the rooted source of pressure for everyone present.

A series of possibilities dashed through Steve Case's mind. His anxiety morphed into outright fear as he finally spoke up, "Eric, I think I need to explain something."

"I just said, you all listen," Eric interrupted coldly before Steve Case could continue. Once Steve, embarrassed, closed his mouth, Eric went on, "Secondly, I pledge here that in the next two years, the collaborations between several companies of the Firefly system and America Online will not change in any way. Moreover, to mitigate the impact of what happened just a few days ago, Chris Hansen, Ian Gurney, and Robert Iger will officially resign from the America Online board tomorrow. So, Steve, you won again. I truly will not attempt to take control of America Online in a way that might harm the company's interests."

During the initial investment phase, Eric promised not to interfere in America Online's management for three years. The three-year period ended in 1995, and to facilitate the upcoming public listing, America Online restructured its board.

The Firefly system secured three seats on America Online's board out of eleven. Chris gained one seat as a representative of shareholders, while Yahoo CEO Ian Gurney and ABC Group CEO Robert Iger obtained the other two as independent directors.

Eric had originally hoped for Jeffrey Katzenberg to join the America Online board, but since Katzenberg was based in Los Angeles and America Online moved its headquarters from Virginia to New York just before going public, that independent director position was given to Robert Iger.

The declared role of board members for large companies was to provide constructive opinions for the company's development, but in reality, they were primarily advocates for the interests of major shareholders or the management. Even independent directors could not truly maintain their independence.

Typically, the board of directors of publicly held companies controlled by the public's equity was the actual power core of the company, possessing the authority to appoint and dismiss management. Thus, each board position was heavily contested, with control over these positions representing who had actual control over the company.

Upon hearing that Eric would give up the three board seats for Firefly on America Online, everyone in the New York conference room found it hard to remain calm. This news surprised and agitated everyone present even more than hearing Eric guarantee that there would be no changes in their cooperation with America Online for the next two years.

Even though it was unlikely anyone would dare to overlook the influence of the largest shareholder by having Firefly Investments relinquish its board positions, doing so meant Firefly Investments was giving up its direct influence over America Online's decision-makers, further jeopardizing its rights as a major shareholder.

As long as they wanted, America Online's other shareholders and management could easily band together, resorting to mergers, share increases, or introducing other investors to gradually dilute Firefly's 30% stake, effectively marginalizing Firefly Investments. They might even resort to underhanded tactics that directly harmed Firefly Investments' interests.

But now, the fact was that Firefly Investments genuinely intended to do so.

No one could view Eric Williams' decision as anything but madness arising from foolishness; there was only one possible explanation: Firefly intended to withdraw from America Online, and rapidly so.

From Eric's recent words, it was easy for everyone to speculate that Firefly Investments' deadline for selling their shares was approximately two years.

For America Online, a public company valued at $40 billion, that meant the largest shareholder with over a 30% stake would have to offload all its stock within two years, which was extraordinarily hasty.

It was at least predictable that if in the next two years, Firefly Investments continued to sell large amounts of stock on the open market, even if the market remained optimistic about America Online, there was no way the company's share price could improve.

Taking all this into consideration, the American Online shareholders and executives, who had previously been excitedly contemplating how to seize those three board seats after Firefly Investments' exit, now had their expressions shift dramatically.

"Now that I've made my guarantees, what follows is what you need to do," Eric glanced down at the documents in his hands, then lifted his head to observe the faces on the screen and continued, "You probably guessed some of this. The current situation is that Firefly Investments holds a 32.6% stake in America Online, totaling 53.79 million shares. Since 1992, to show support for America Online, Firefly has never sold a single share, not even three years prior when the company went public. On the contrary, we have been continuously increasing our holdings. However, now, since we cannot reach a consensus on the company's direction, Firefly will no longer insist on its position as the largest shareholder."

In reality, the Firefly system held a total of 58.9 million shares in America Online, accounting for 35.7% of America Online's total equity of 165 million shares.

However, another 3.1% was held by the Clover Fund under the Firefly Group.

With a stake of less than 5%, according to federal securities laws, Firefly was not required to report this to the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), and they were also not obliged to inform other shareholders or the management of America Online about these holdings.

Although there were those present who understood that the Firefly system held a significantly larger share of America Online stock, they knew Eric had chosen to ignore that holding and did not bring it up.

Still, imagining the potential scenario of a third of the company's stock flooding the market made everyone shudder slightly.

Historically, the stock market crash in 1929 that caused the Great Depression was due to large shareholders hastily liquidating their shares. After that crash, the SEC imposed strict regulations on large shareholders' offloading in North American public companies to maintain market stability and protect the interests of small shareholders.

For a major shareholder like Firefly Investments, attempting to reduce their stake through the secondary market would first require submitting paperwork to the SEC about their sell-off shares and publicly disclosing the reasons behind the sale. They would also be required to disclose America Online's recent operational performance and financial data to prove that the major shareholder was not acting on insider information.

Ultimately though, these restrictions were designed to prevent major shareholders from willfully harming the interests of other shareholders and investors.

But stocks were ultimately private property; as long as a major shareholder's selling was done legitimately and legally, even if it led to a drastic drop in stock price or a complete collapse, no one had the right to stop them.

All shares held by Firefly Investments in America Online were ordinary shares that could be freely traded. Moreover, since America Online went public three years ago, the shares held by Firefly Investments had long since passed their six-month lock-up period, completely allowing for the possibility of selling.

As people contemplated these scenarios, someone in the conference room broke the silence and spoke up, "Eric, trying to sell off all your shares in such a short timeframe is simply unrealistic. Have you considered the consequences?"

Eric listened to the voice coming from the speakers and glanced at the monitor; it was a somewhat balding middle-aged man. Eric vaguely remembered seeing him during America Online's public offering three years ago, as he seemed to be the president of First Boston Investment Bank.

Eric did not inquire about the man's name but simply replied, "Of course, I have considered it. Everything I said today has been thoroughly thought out."

As his thoughts interrupted, Eric looked down again at the documents in front of him before continuing, "My decision now is that Firefly Investments will first sell 16.5 million shares. I need you to handle this next. As for how much each of you plans to acquire, that's up to you; I'm giving you one month. After a month, if I don't get a positive response, Firefly will choose to sell on the open market."

The 16.5 million shares amounted to exactly 10% of America Online's total equity.

At the current share price of America Online, this batch of stock was worth around $4 billion.

For investment banks and funds holding America Online shares, coming up with $4 billion in the short term was out of the question. However, if they shared the burden, while it would still be a significant transaction, it was something they might be able to manage.

Yet, what everyone was considering was not these numbers.

By selling off 16.5 million shares, Firefly Investments would still have over 37 million shares remaining. It begged the question of how Eric Williams intended to handle the remaining shares; were they going to have to continue buying them up over the next two years?

With the Nasdaq index nearing 2,000 points, everyone understood the significant bubble costs involved.

Setting aside everything else and looking solely at America Online, based on recent valuations and profit expectations, the company's price-to-earnings ratio had reached 131 times, something unimaginable just a few years prior.

In previous years, even companies with great growth prospects rarely exceeded a price-to-earnings ratio of 30. For many investors, a company's ratio exceeding 30 indicated a very high investment risk. Presently, America Online's ratio was over 131 times, its risk was abundantly clear.

While countless media outlets and investors touted tech stocks as the future, arguing against judging the industry by these companies' current earnings, everyone understood that behind those soaring stock prices lurked substantial bubbles.

Calculating with a 30:1 price-to-earnings ratio meant America Online's true value should only be around $9 billion; even that was already deemed overvaluation. Yet currently, America Online's market cap was about $40 billion -- over four times what it should have been in a normal state.

Amidst such a severe bubble, nobody knew how long America Online's high stock price could hold.

Thus, while all shareholders in the New York headquarters reveled in the substantial paper profits from the sustained rise in America Online's stock price over the past few years, they were deeply reluctant to spend $4 billion to purchase the 16.5 million shares Eric was offering.

In many people's eyes, that amount of money was practically enough to buy half of America Online.

However, if they refused to take up the offering, they would face the alternative of Firefly Investments going public with their shares.

They also understood that Firefly Investments wouldn't recklessly liquidate all their stocks at once; rather, a prolonged, continuous sell-off would be much more grueling. With a steady flow of buy orders entering the market, there was no chance America Online's stock price could see any positive changes.

The room fell silent for a moment before John Mack, president of Morgan Stanley and somewhat familiar with Eric, inquired, "Eric, at what price do you intend to sell this batch of stock?"

"If you agree now, $4 billion," Eric looked over, saying, "If you wish to think it over for a month, then we'll go with the price at that time."

John Mack immediately shook his head, "Eric, that's too expensive. Everyone here understands the actual situation at America Online; besides, this is such a large stock transaction. If you're willing to offer a discount, I can immediately commit to buying 3 million shares on behalf of Morgan Stanley. I think 70% of the current price is a figure everyone can accept."

Once John Mack finished speaking, everyone in the conference room nodded in agreement.

They all recognized that to avoid a prolonged downturn in America Online's stock price due to Firefly Investments' continuous offloading, taking on some of Firefly's offerings was unavoidable. But if Eric were willing to sell his shares at 70% of the current price, they were more than happy to take them on -- even if he sold a few more shares than that.

Calculating based on America Online's peak valuation of $180 billion, the total value of the shares held by the Firefly system would exceed $60 billion.

However, even if Firefly Investments sold 1% of America Online's stock in one day, it could collapse the company's stock price, let alone selling off the entire 35.7% holding at the peak price -- that was utterly ludicrous.

Eric was never a greedy person; regarding his America Online shares, as long as he could cash out a couple of billion dollars over the next year, he would be perfectly content. After all, to Eric, the real value of America Online didn't even approach $10 billion.

Had he been uncertain about America Online's stock price growth potential over the next two years, Eric would have indeed considered selling his shares at a lower discounted price. However, a 70% deep discount was certainly off the table for him.

But at that moment, Eric was not planning on making any concessions. Instead, he firmly shook his head, saying, "If that's the case, you can think it over for a month. Today's session ends here. For the remaining matters, you can discuss with Chris."

Just as he was about to hang up the call, Steve Case, who had been relatively quiet at the meeting table, finally spoke up again, "Eric, what about the remaining shares beyond those 16.5 million? How do you plan to handle those?"

Eric glanced at Steve Case and then surveyed the faces of everyone in the conference room. "We'll discuss the remaining shares next year. We'll set it for six months from now, still at 16.5 million shares. You can decide whether to take it or not. I've already mentioned that I won't take any extreme actions, but you'll also have to pay the necessary price to maintain the current situation."

With those words, Eric ignored the rest of the people and casually ended the video call.

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1007: The Cut Off]

As Eric stared at the darkened monitor screen, his mood didn't lighten at all.

Back when the Information Industry Alliance plan was created, Eric had envisioned a powerhouse collaboration involving Cisco, America Online, and Yahoo as internet device providers, internet service providers, and internet content providers, respectively. This was meant to replicate the strong partnership known as the Wintel alliance in the PC industry, featuring Intel and Microsoft.

Now, losing America Online effectively cut that plan in half.

This was arguably the biggest setback Eric had faced in recent years. Even if he could manage to cash out $10 to $20 billion from America Online's stocks in the near future, it wouldn't compensate for the damage done to the alliance plan. Had America Online successfully merged with one of the three major North American telecom companies, reinforcing its market position in telecommunications and internet services, even with the impending burst of the internet bubble, the value of America Online could still have soared to a staggering $100 to $200 billion as mobile communication and the internet evolved.

However, at present, although America Online stood as North America's leading internet service provider, its rise was largely due to the fact that traditional operators had overlooked this segment of the business.

The major telecom companies in North America had initially dismissed the idea that users would spend hundreds of dollars a month on high-speed broadband access, allowing America Online to seize the opportunity.

Yet, America Online's shortcomings were glaringly obvious. Disregarding its doomed and unsustainable internet media business, which was merely a bubble, its focus on basic telecom services was remarkably narrow, solely centered on high-speed broadband access. Other traditional telecom services such as landlines, mobile communication, and cable TV were areas America Online hadn't even begun to explore. Additionally, America Online's infrastructure investment was weak; much of its access equipment and network lines were actually leased from traditional carriers like ATT.

Once ATT, Verizon, and even Sprint -- the robust traditional telecom entities -- realized the situation, leveraging their vast user bases and extensive infrastructure, they could easily snatch network users away from America Online with some creative bundling techniques.

In this scenario, America Online's only chance lay in leveraging their high stock prices to acquire an established telecom company, which was essential in maintaining their industry standing amidst the looming internet bubble burst.

But now, all those plans had suddenly collapsed.

America Online had chosen to pursue the path of an internet media company. Yet within the next two years, once the internet bubble broke, this company would inevitably plummet into an abyss.

Even though America Online and Yahoo would continue to collaborate over the next couple of years, a profound rift had emerged, and it was almost guaranteed they'd end up worlds apart. Yahoo would struggle to find another partner in the basic service field who could work in sync with them.

Still, some things had to keep moving forward.

Traditional North American telecom companies, with their decades or even centuries of history, suffered badly from corporate inertia, causing their pace of adopting new technologies and services to be frustratingly slow. If not, America Online wouldn't have gained its current market position.

The only method to force these traditional operators to keep pace with rapidly advancing new tech firms like Yahoo was to take control of them.

...

Picking up a folder from the table, Eric found documents not only from the recent video conference but also some information regarding ATT, Verizon, and Sprint -- the three major North American telecom firms.

After browsing through them in silence for a bit, Eric's attention eventually landed on Sprint.

ATT and Verizon were both spin-offs of the original Bell System, and with Eric's current capital, ATT was out of the question. The market value of this telecom titan had already surpassed $100 billion. While that didn't sound exorbitantly high compared to the inflated internet companies, in the coming years, with the rise of mobile communication and internet services, ATT's value was expected to multiply. Even if the internet bubble burst, that market was already in place, and ATT's value wouldn't decline dramatically.

Moreover, due to its long-standing dominance accounting for nearly 70% of North America's telecom market, ATT frequently faced antitrust investigations. The chances of regulatory approval for a takeover were slim to none.

What was more concerning was ATT's extreme diversification -- its holdings ranged from mobile to fixed-line services, from telecommunication stations to cable television. Such a company didn't align with Eric's needs.

Verizon, while significantly trailing ATT, had an impressive stock price and earnings report. In light of a solid business performance, the chances of its board agreeing to a merger or acquisition were as slim as ATT's. Moreover, Verizon shared a similar pitfall regarding over-diversification.

In contrast, among the three traditional telecom giants, acquiring Sprint seemed the most plausible.

First, Firefly Investments already owned 10% of Sprint, and during any future acquisition, as a shareholder, Firefly could directly influence Sprint's board.

Second, having invested heavily in mobile communication from the outset, Sprint had acquired vast amounts of mobile communication spectrum from the Federal Communications Commission. This company's future development focus would align with Eric's expectations. If Sprint could hone in on mobile communication and broadband services, even if it couldn't catch up with ATT, surpassing Verizon wouldn't be an insurmountable task.

Finally, the focus on mobile communication had led Sprint to over-invest initially, resulting in somewhat lackluster performance in recent years, with its stock volatility demonstrating just that.

With new tech stocks soaring, Sprint's market value was only about $30.2 billion at that time.

Moreover, it would take a few more years for mobile communication to truly take off, providing Eric ample time to prepare. He also needed to wait one to two more years before making any moves. In recent years, stock prices of companies even marginally related to the tech wave surged. Eric had no intention of acquiring any company before the internet bubble burst. Afterward, acquiring Sprint would be notably easier.

Securing Sprint would not only allow him to rebuild the Information Industry Alliance plan but also enable Eric to maintain his interests in the mobile communication sector.

Both Nokia and Qualcomm were already testing third-generation mobile communication networks, which would later evolve into what everyone recognized as 3G.

With current progress on track, it was expected that 3G networks would enter practical application phases in Europe and America around the year 2000. Even if the anticipated smartphones would require several more years for rollout, Firefly Electronics could utilize Sprint's network to launch 3G versions of tablets.

...

As Eric sat in his study contemplating these matters, down in the villa's living room, Caroline casually flipped through a magazine while occasionally glancing up at the staircase.

Mayer walked in from a nearby lounge, holding a folder, and as she entered the living room, she caught Caroline looking towards the staircase.

Sitting next to Caroline, Mayer followed her gaze and said, "It's almost nine o'clock. Is Eric still up there?"

Caroline nodded and then, noticing the blue folder in Mayer's hand, asked, "Is that last week's North American box office data?"

"It is," Mayer responded, handing over the folder. "Why don't you take it up to Eric?"

Caroline received the folder, flipping it open to find several pages of compiled data.

After a strong opening weekend of $83.65 million, with an additional $30.11 million in earnings over the four weekdays, The Matrix Reloaded's total arrived at $113.16 million by the end of its opening week.

Although that barely surpassed The Day After Tomorrow's first week earnings of $111.74 million from two weeks prior, The Matrix Reloaded's weekday earnings lagged by nearly $7 million, highlighting its overly strong fanbase as a disadvantage.

Given the fervent fan support, The Matrix Reloaded saw impressive midnight and weekend earnings, but the box office hype dwindled significantly as it entered the weekdays.

Taking into consideration the polarized reception of The Matrix Reloaded, it would likely see a steeper drop in the following weeks compared to The Day After Tomorrow. Since the first week hadn't shown a clear disparity, it wouldn't be an easy task for The Matrix Reloaded to out-gross The Day After Tomorrow at the North American box office.

After perusing the document and pondering for a moment, Caroline said, "Maybe we shouldn't show these to Eric today. He's not in a good mood."

Mayer agreed, mentioning that although Eric hadn't lost his cool with anyone recently, everyone certainly felt his intense anger and disappointment simmering just beneath the surface.

In private, Mayer had even grown to admire Eric for maintaining such restraint, especially given his high standing and youth. It was uncommon for someone in his position to stay composed without taking it out on others.

Naturally, the memory of that night in London kept resurfacing, sparking some resentment.

Damn that guy.

Mayer murmured that again in her mind and then looked at Caroline. Although that night's disheartening outcome stemmed ultimately from the girl next to her, Mayer couldn't bring herself to direct anger at Caroline. It wasn't that she didn't possess the composure Eric did; rather, it was hard to put any blame on such a genuinely kind-hearted girl.

...

As the two women chatted in the living room, footsteps finally echoed from the stairs. When Eric walked down, they both stood up.

Eric didn't say anything to the two women, simply stating, "Let's go. Peter should be waiting for us."

Though today was Saturday, New Zealand's labor laws weren't as stringent as California's, so shooting continued over the weekend. Of course, since it was the weekend, the crew was shooting some internal scenes for the main characters at the Queenstown filming base rather than being out on location.

In prior days, the crew had been shooting on location, and due to the situation with America Online, Eric didn't have time to visit the sites with the crew. He waited until Peter Jackson returned to Queenstown to discuss the filming progress of the trilogy and even hosted a small gathering for some cast members of The Lord of the Rings who were still in New Zealand.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy comprised nearly forty filming locations spread across New Zealand's North and South Islands.

As of now, the shooting in the North Island was nearly complete. The crew had just relocated from Wellington to Queenstown the previous month.

While it was winter in New Zealand, the maritime temperate climate of the South Island meant that the low temperatures didn't hinder filming much. The South Island showed little sign of winter, aside from the snow-capped peaks of nearby mountains; the plains of Queenstown remained lush and green.

The crew had erected several reasonably sized sound stages in Queenstown to serve as a filming base that aligned with some scenes from the South Island. The primary filming base for the movie, however, remained in Wellington, New Zealand's capital, where Firefly established a New Zealand division for Digital Domain.

The visual effects for The Lord of the Rings were mainly handled by Digital Domain's Australian and New Zealand branches, with the Australian branch focusing on CGI effects while the New Zealand branch handled much of the props and model making. As for the former Weta Digital, it was no longer around, but Digital Domain's Australian and New Zealand branches essentially enjoyed the same status that Weta once had.

In the original timeline, Weta Digital was able to stand shoulder to shoulder with Industrial Light Magic and Digital Domain, not necessarily due to superior technology but because Weta offered exceptional value for the quality of visual effects, making them budget-friendly.

...

Eric left the villa with Caroline and Mayer, and in less than ten minutes, they arrived at the crew's studio in Queenstown.

Once inside the bustling studio, Peter Jackson was directing a fight scene between the fellowship and Uruk-hai, surrounded by green screens and props.

The Lord of the Rings series placed a strong emphasis on practical effects. The crew avoided CGI unless absolutely necessary, which was evident in the trilogy. Eric couldn't fathom why so many people later mocked Peter Jackson for relying heavily on CGI.

Furthermore, when executed perfectly, CGI could heighten the visual impact immensely.

Without interrupting Peter Jackson during his busy schedule, Eric chatted casually with Sir Ian McKellen, the British actor portraying Gandalf. Other resting actors gradually gathered around, though Nicole and Diane Kruger had long completed their scenes and were no longer in New Zealand. Thus, the majority of the crew comprised men.

After about ten minutes of waiting, Peter Jackson wrapped up a shoot and announced a short break, heading over to Eric.

After exchanging greetings, Peter asked with genuine concern, "Eric, how's everything over there?"

"It's somewhat resolved for now," Eric replied tersely, not wanting to dwindle in details.

The news about America Online had spread like wildfire, and although Peter Jackson was focused on filming The Lord of the Rings, it was nearly impossible for him not to have noticed.

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1008: The Return Journey]

Compared to other hectic schedules in various aspects of work, the planned agenda in New Zealand was originally the most relaxing.

Eric had complete confidence in Peter Jackson and didn't intend to intervene in the filming of the Lord of the Rings series. His intention for coming over was purely to experience the filming process of the trilogy while also getting some well-deserved relaxation. Once he returned to Los Angeles, with the start of Gravity's filming and post-production for Iron Man, he would soon be facing several months of busyness.

However, the situation with AOL thoroughly derailed Eric's expectations for his trip to New Zealand.

After arriving in Queenstown on Wednesday, New Zealand time, everything was in turmoil until Saturday morning. Eric spent just one weekend there before cutting his trip short and returning to Los Angeles.

...

Meanwhile, in New York, when AOL held a press conference on Saturday morning, local time, to announce that the company would continue to adhere to its original development strategy, alongside the news of Chris Hansen and two others resigning from their positions on the AOL board, media outlets erupted in shock.

The New York Times directly used the headline "The Complete Collapse of the Firefly System" to describe the event. However, many media outlets also speculated that Firefly Investment's relinquishing control over AOL could actually pose a significant crisis for the company.

After all, many people could see that Firefly Investment's complete withdrawal might mean they would gradually sell off their stocks. As the largest shareholder with over a 30% stake, if Firefly Investment began to dump their shares, the impact on AOL's stock price would be nearly catastrophic.

On the other hand, anyone with a modicum of sense wouldn't believe that both sides would continue to maintain the close cooperative stance as stated in the press conference. Without the support of the Firefly Media resources, AOL would directly face a shortage of content in its internet media business development.

Nonetheless, even though the two sides couldn't reach an agreement on AOL's development philosophy, Eric didn't deny that Steve Case was a highly capable professional manager.

In response to the unfavorable media environment AOL faced post-press conference, Steve Case promptly enacted a series of remedial measures. The next day, which was Sunday, following urgent discussions, Steve Case held another emergency press conference. He announced that to demonstrate confidence in the company's development prospects, the AOL management would raise $1 billion through methods such as mortgaging their shares to buy AOL stock back.

A company's management buying and selling stock undoubtedly best illustrated their stance on the future of the company. Steve Case's move immediately reassured many hesitant investors.

At the same time, Time Warner executive Richard Parsons also appeared at the press conference to jointly announce with Steve Case that Time Warner would establish a strategic partnership with AOL in terms of media content.

Typically, Richard Parsons, as the CEO of Warner Bros. under Time Warner, wouldn't be the face needed to support AOL's portal business, which primarily needed content support from news media. His appearance at the press conference seemed somewhat out of place.

However, media and investors with a sharper sense could clearly see that Richard Parsons was an executive associated with Gerald Levin, the major shareholder of Time Warner. His presence basically represented Gerald Levin's stance.

Before Time Warner Group's establishment, Gerald Levin was the helmsman and major shareholder of Time Inc., which owned a host of prominent print media, including the famous TIME magazine.

Even though Time Warner had been established for many years, Gerald Levin still maintained a strong influence over the print media owned by Time Inc., which was precisely what AOL urgently needed for its internet media business.

Moreover, Time Warner owned the largest cable news network in North America and possibly the world.

Even with company control disputes stemming from Ted Turner, there wouldn't be significant obstacles to media cooperation beneficial to the company, which Gerald Levin would want to foster. As long as AOL could partner with Time Warner, even with the complete breakdown in relations with Firefly Investment, they would still be able to acquire sufficient media resources.

Additionally, Richard Parsons' appearance at AOL's press conference reignited rumors on Wall Street and among major media outlets about a potential merger between the two giants.

The marriage of a storied conglomerate with a burgeoning internet media titan appeared to many as a strong union where one plus one could yield greater than two.

The capital market was far more blind than many ordinary people imagined. Following a series of favorable news stimuli, when AOL's stock reopened on Monday, it rapidly returned to the price level it had reached before Steve Case's interview in just two hours.

By the end of the day, AOL's stock price had soared to $262.39, a staggering 11.2% rise from its opening price of $235.76, bringing AOL's market cap to $43.294 billion.

Driven by AOL's stock price surge, the NASDAQ index finally broke through the 2000-point barrier, with the market landscape looking very positive.

In light of this situation, the shareholders of AOL, apart from Firefly Investment, were undoubtedly the most conflicted.

The reduction of Firefly Investment's shares in AOL was now irreversible. To prevent AOL's stock price from plummeting or crashing as a result, other shareholders had to buy up the shares that Firefly Investment planned to sell off.

In last week's video meeting, Eric had made an offer of $4 billion for the impending 10% stake sale, adamantly refusing any discounts. Yet, AOL's market cap before the emergency suspension of trading had only been $38.9 billion, so the other major shareholders naturally rejected the idea of purchasing the $16.5 million shares from Firefly Investment at that price.

But merely on the day trading resumed, AOL's market cap surpassed $43 billion.

According to Eric's thinking back then, if they wanted to proceed with the transaction now, the price would have to be recalculated at $4.3 billion. Just in three days, that meant an additional $300 million payment, which would sting anyone's pocket.

Eric was already on a flight back to Los Angeles at that time, leaving the representatives of the major shareholders to probe Chris. On this matter, Eric was incredibly resolute, giving Chris no autonomy, and thus their inquiries yielded no results.

And so it was until the next day.

Following the usual market trends, after AOL's stock experienced a rebound the previous day, most people expected a drop today. Yet reality brought joy mingled with great distress to many shareholders:

AOL's stock not only showed no sign of decline but instead rose another 3.1% the next day, bringing its market cap to $44.636 billion and pushing it toward the $45 billion mark.

Even some minor shareholders who predicted that AOL's stock might have peaked began secretly dumping millions of shares, which did nothing to halt this powerful upward trend.

Apart from Firefly Investment and the management's shares, AOL's other shareholders mostly consisted of major investment banks and state retirement insurance funds across America. These institutions, while they might not hold stocks long term, generally held onto them for much longer than those hedge funds seeking short-term gains -- they were also the mainstay of the U.S. stock market capital.

Due to the nature of these capital firms, particularly the state retirement insurance funds, their investment principles favored caution. Given the increasingly evident bubble component of the NASDAQ market, brokers for these investment institutions would naturally consider taking profits while AOL's stock was high.

Yet in the face of Firefly Investment's resolved stance on significantly offloading shares, these investment firms found themselves needing to patiently hold off on their intentions.

Everybody understood that a collaborative sell-off would only result in everyone walking away empty-handed. If AOL's stock crashed, even Firefly Investment's losses of tens of billions to over a hundred billion wouldn't severely affect the firm holding assets exceeding $200 billion. However, for other investment institutions, losing even a few million dollars in stock could jeopardize many livelihoods.

In the current scenario, they would first need to take up the 10% of Firefly Investment's shares before they could have six months to gradually sell off their holdings.

Of course, a key premise here was whether the related managers could endure the temptation of AOL's continuously rising stock price. After all, most were caught in a "maybe it can go up some more" expectancy, only coming to their senses to regret it once the market crashed.

As a result, when Eric's private jet touched down at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday afternoon, John Mack, president of Morgan Stanley and the chosen representative for the shareholders, also arrived in Los Angeles.

...

Despite over ten hours of flight, Eric didn't feel the fatigue of long-distance travel thanks to the luxurious comfort of the private plane. After catching a few hours of sleep on the flight, arriving under the sunny skies of Los Angeles lifted his spirits significantly.

He gave two female assistants and a group of bodyguards time off, sending them on their respective ways. When Eric returned to the Liberty City manor, he received a call from John Mack, who was already waiting outside the estate.

Though he was hesitant to deal with people at that moment, Eric couldn't avoid a confrontation when someone was waiting at the door.

After getting out of the car at the manor's entrance, Eric approached John Mack and shook hands with him as they strolled into the estate together.

Walking side by side along the tidy path to the Shell Villa, John Mack surveyed the intricately landscaped lawns and exclaimed, "It looks even more beautiful here compared to a few years ago."

Eric seldom entertained guests at the manor, but he had hosted a business party aimed at major investment banks and fund managers during the process of selling Disney's animated division and acquiring Marvel a few years prior, an event where John Mack had also attended.

"John, you could buy a manor in Los Angeles as well; it wouldn't be bad to come and relax on occasion. The environment here is incredibly refreshing," Eric suggested.

John Mack shook his head with a wry smile, "Maybe I can do that once I retire."

As they chatted, the twins came running to greet them, calling their master in unison before trailing alongside Eric.

While John Mack held a high position surrounded by women, he couldn't help stealing glances at the identical and stunning twins, somewhat envious of Eric's good fortune.

Eric had no intention of introducing the twins to John Mack and simply asked, "Where's Drew?"

Natasha replied, "The boss is at the office. She will come over after work."

Eric nodded and said, "Please help me prepare a pot of coffee for Mr. Mack. My luggage is in the car with everyone's gifts, which Carly has already organized. You two also have gifts; just look for the ones with your names on them."

...

After giving his instructions, Eric and John Mack settled into the seating area by the glass wall of the villa, exchanging casual chats until the twins brought in the coffee. After pouring for both men and leaving, Eric finally relaxed into the sofa holding his coffee cup and asked, "So, John, what brings you here this time?"

John Mack offered a rueful smile and said, "Eric, you know deep down, it's about AOL's stock situation."

"I just got off the plane," Eric shrugged in response and queried, "What was the closing price today?"

"$270.52," John Mack replied, "which is about a 3% increase from yesterday."

Carefully sipping his coffee, Eric commented, "It seems it's time for a stock split. I believe a direct ten-for-one split would be appropriate; there's still plenty of room for growth in AOL's stock price."

"Since that's the case, Eric, why are you so insistent on selling?" John Mack inquired.

"Everyone..." Eric paused, "If the direction isn't right, the current brilliance will ultimately be just fleeting."

"Eric, none of us knows what the future will look like. How can you be so sure that AOL hasn't found its proper direction?"

Eric turned to gaze at the vast, blue ocean beyond the glass wall, seemingly a bit distracted. "Yes, indeed, so we can only adhere to what we believe to be the right path. I have my convictions, Steve has his, and you all have yours. With everyone holding differing beliefs, forcing them to come together would only pull each other down, so it's better to separate."

Sensing Eric was intent on diverting the topic, John Mack broached the purpose of his visit. "Eric, regarding the price you offered last week, how about a 10% discount? We could finalize the transaction within a week with cash payment."

A smile spread across Eric's face as he replied, "John, have you noticed the fluctuations in the Russian ruble recently?"

John Mack blinked in confusion, wondering why Eric had suddenly brought this up. He shook his head, "Eric, I'm not involved with currency matters; is there an issue with the ruble?"

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1009: The Premiere]

Eric remarked, "From what I've noticed recently, after the second round of harvesting in Southeast Asia during the first half of the year, major hedge funds have shifted their targets to the ruble. Once the ruble loses its value, aside from Southeast Asia, this last emerging economy in Russia will also be devastated. Europe's economy is stagnant, and with the dollar entering a rate hike cycle, the booming Nasdaq begs the question of where the trillions being pulled out of Southeast Asian countries will flow next. It seems like there's no suspense. To me, the Nasdaq reaching 2000 points is just the beginning."

As the president of Morgan Stanley, John Mack naturally had profound insights into the world economic landscape and understood why Eric mentioned the ruble.

Despite being optimistic about the future of tech stocks, John Mack countered, "Eric, that's just your viewpoint. Many believe that the Russian economy is recovering and is an attractive investment target. From what I hear, Mr. Soros invested a significant portion of his gains from Southeast Asia into Russian stocks and bonds. The PE ratios of tech stocks in the Nasdaq have skyrocketed to an unbearable level. This situation is crazier than any previous bull market. Buying AOL stocks now carries considerable risks."

Eric had learned about Soros's massive investments in Russia when they met last year, and he had discussed it with Soros at that time. However, Eric didn't intend to persuade John Mack. He simply said, "John, that's my stance. I have no plans to make any concessions regarding the price of AOL shares. You only have a month. A month from now, Firefly Investments will initiate a public reduction in shares. I believe that in the coming month, AOL's stock price will surge again, and perhaps its market cap will even exceed $50 billion. Though AOL's PE ratio is indeed high, its revenue and growth rates are outstanding. For many investors, this company remains a valuable investment target. I'm not worried that no one will buy the stocks that Firefly is selling."

"But, Eric, what you're doing isn't good for anyone. Firefly Investments holds too large a stake; even if you reduce by 1% every month, it would take three years. Only we have enough power to take those stocks off your hands."

The internet bubble could only sustain for another two years at most. Eric never thought he could entirely offload AOL stocks, nor did he intend to sell them off piece by piece on the secondary market. He was ultimately in a contest with other AOL shareholders over who would give in first.

If AOL's stock price began to decline, other shareholders would not easily agree to Eric's demands. But the current situation was that the stock price kept climbing. The higher it rose, the more likely other shareholders would struggle to hold onto their realized gains.

After discussing for half an hour with Eric, who remained resolute, John Mack exited in disappointment.

...

After seeing John Mack off, Eric greeted the twins and went upstairs alone, planning to take a shower first.

Being someone who was naturally family-oriented, in this familiar environment, Eric relaxed quite a bit. He lay in the large bathtub at Shell Villa, losing track of time in the water, even starting to feel a bit drowsy.

Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open, and a girl dressed in a light blue T-shirt and white sweatpants dashed in with a smile. She jumped right into the bathtub without removing her clothes and started kissing Eric all over in a playful frenzy.

Eric indulged her for a while, feeling the girl's kisses followed by a gentle nibbling on his neck. Finally, he reached over to remove a few thin articles of clothing from her, tossing them aside.

After a moment, embracing her soft, slender body, skin against skin, Eric turned his neck slightly and chuckled softly, "Okay, stop nibbling. How am I supposed to face the world with a bunch of marks on my neck?"

Drew seemed to suddenly realize something, leaning her pale neck towards Eric's lips, "Eric, can you bite me?"

Eric dodged, "No biting! What if I turn you into a vampire and my identity gets exposed? I'd be burned at the stake!"

"Hehe," the girl giggled and, feeling Eric's response, didn't mind being in the bathtub. She mounted him, then relaxed into his body, purring like a little kitten, "Eric, I missed you."

Eric wrapped his arms around her waist, "I missed you too."

Since leaving New York half a month ago, Eric hadn't been with a woman. Now, in the arms of the emotionally invested girl, the two of them enjoyed themselves thoroughly for quite some time.

...

After changing clothes, they went downstairs, and it was already eight o'clock in the evening. The twins had already prepared dinner.

Instead of dining in the dining area, they set up a small table by the swimming pool on the terrace, sitting across from each other. They enjoyed the cool summer breeze of Los Angeles while eating and discussing recent events.

"I went to Washington last week to see the President swearing up and down in court that nothing happened between him and that intern. It was hilarious, and a few people near me almost burst out laughing."

During this time, the most buzzing and eagerly discussed current event was undoubtedly "Zipgate." In the fight for midterm election seats in both houses of Congress, Clinton's opponents seized on this event, leading to chaos and uproar.

However, seeing the girl's gleeful expression, Eric put down his wine glass, picked up a knife and fork, and couldn't help but chuckle, "You're such a bore, running to Washington just to watch the President's misfortune."

"I wasn't that idle; I was there about the TV station license. We plan to add a sub-channel to E! Entertainment."

Eric maintained his smile, "Then you really shouldn't have gone to watch the President's misfortune. Be careful he doesn't put us in a tough spot."

"No way! Amy said now is the best time to apply for. The President needs public support right now, and he wouldn't dare to offend us."

With the consolidation of American media groups, Hollywood's influence had been growing stronger. If they could build a good relationship with Hollywood, no politician would go against the tide.

Eric simply nodded and chose not to mention it further. He instead asked, "How did the midnight presales for Charlie's Angels 3 turn out?"

The girl knew why Eric asked and replied, "I estimate it might break $10 million. It's definitely going to surpass The Matrix 2. The Matrix 2 saw a 53% drop this weekend; it poses no threat to Charlie's Angels 3."

Eric had just returned in the afternoon and wasn't aware of the box office numbers from the previous weekend. However, hearing the girl say so eased his mind completely.

This week, only Disney had a family-friendly, low-budget comedy film, The Parent Trap, in theaters, which wouldn't impact The Matrix 2 at all. Yet, that film had still dropped over 50% in revenue, making it easy to imagine that it would face even worse numbers against Charlie's Angels 3.

Ultimately from Firefly Group, Eric didn't take too much delight in this. Even Jeffrey Katzenberg privately asked Eric if he wanted to limit the promotional push for The Matrix 2, but Eric had declined.

...

Wednesday came, and perhaps due to John Mack's rejection by Eric, some AOL shareholders, mindful of the potential impact of Firefly Investments' planned massive reduction, chose to sell off and cash in early.

However, the management led by Steve Case and their supporters also moved to maintain the stock price. After a significant drop at market opening, the price quickly rebounded.

After an entire day of fluctuations, when the market closed, AOL's stock price managed to hold steady at $261.33, with a market cap still over $43 billion.

When Thursday arrived, though AOL's stock continued to fluctuate throughout the day, it ended up rising a strong 1.6% by the close.

During this whole process, while all the media focused on Firefly Investments' reaction, since Chris and the others announced their resignation from AOL's board last week, the senior management of Firefly had not released any public statements regarding AOL.

Even the media under the Firefly group mostly published well-known press releases about AOL.

Nonetheless, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever. Although most participants in last week's video conference aimed to keep Firefly Investments' plan to reduce its stake in AOL by 10% quiet, related information was inevitably leaked, though it lacked official confirmation, and reputable media remained cautious and did not report it publicly.

As for the platform most free to spread information, the three major internet portals -- Yahoo, Microsoft, and AOL -- couldn't simply let such news circulate unchecked, so nothing significant came from it either.

After John Mack's failed dealings with Eric, everything fell into a temporary stalemate and observation state.

...

Gradually, Eric was able to set aside the distractions from AOL. Upon returning to Los Angeles, after checking on Joss Whedon's rough cuts for Iron Man, he began preparing for the production of Gravity.

With over a year until its release next year, Gravity would involve a ton of new filming and special effects technology, also needing to balance 3D and IMAX propagation strategies, so calculating it out, a year and a half didn't feel at all spacious.

However, prior to everything else, Eric's immediate focus was attending the premiere of Charlie's Angels 3, which was held in Los Angeles on Thursday.

After last year's Casino Royale officially kicked off MGM's successful spy movie universe, Charlie's Angels 3, as the first major film following Casino Royale, gathered immense anticipation from fans of the three major spy franchises.

Although Charlie's Angels was the most recent and had natural disadvantages as a female action film, after years of meticulous operations, the Charlie's Angels series was just as popular as the other two series.

In fact, because Eric initially designed a very well-rounded backstory for Charlie's Angels and through comics and side stories, had woven various exciting foreshadowing into the narratives of the three protagonists, he unwittingly gathered a loyal fan base that greatly outnumbered the other two series.

Kevin Costner, the leading man from the Mission: Impossible series, was also set to appear in this film.

After Dances with Wolves, Kevin Costner's career notably faltered outside the Mission: Impossible franchise, with most of his works failing, including the disastrous box office of Waterworld that almost ruined his acting career. His latest film, The Patriot, in which he replaced Mel Gibson, also saw lackluster results, making him acutely aware of the importance of Mission: Impossible to him.

Last year, Eric's assertive negotiating style during the pay for Pierce Brosnan also made Kevin Costner's approach to discussions around pay and his involvement in the spy movie universe less strong.

In this Charlie's Angels 3 film, Kevin Costner only earned $5 million.

While he insisted he wouldn't have more than five minutes of screen time in this film, that was enough to completely link the three major franchises together.

Additionally, Charlie's Angels 3 had a production budget reaching an unprecedented $160 million, and the promotional scale was even more immense. Just General Motors invested $100 million for a joint advertisement with the Buick brand for Charlie's Angels 3. MGM's own advertising budget was also at $50 million, making the total production and promotion scale approach $300 million, even surpassing Titanic from three years prior.

Buick was undoubtedly the most successful advertising partner for Charlie's Angels 3.

Though they allocated a monumental $100 million into the branding joint advertisement and had paid MGM a record-breaking $30 million for product placements, as a car brand selling over 2 million units globally each year, Buick's return far surpassed their expenditure.

The Buick sports car inspired by Charlie's Angels, targeted at young people and priced around $30,000 to $50,000, sold over 160,000 units throughout the year, alone contributing over $6 billion in revenue to General Motors.

An article published by Businessweek highlighted that recent years had seen incredible economic returns from the Charlie's Angels series for Buick, equivalent to 12 times the profit that the films generated for MGM. The potential for brand value increase was even more limitless.

In recent years, several major car manufacturers from Europe and Asia have tried to grasp this brand integration opportunity, offering bids that matched Buick's, but due to various careful considerations, MGM chose to decline those offers.

The premiere of Charlie's Angels 3 in Los Angeles began at 5 PM on Thursday, yet many fans had already gathered near the Chinese Theater from the day before.

By Thursday afternoon, the streets for hundreds of meters surrounding the theater were packed with an enthusiastic crowd. When Eric and Drew got out of the car at the red carpet entrance, he was taken aback.

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1010: Secret Egg]

As Eric made his way down the bustling red carpet, he stopped with his date at the photo wall in the theater lobby to sign autographs and take pictures. Then, they headed towards the makeshift lounge where the cast and special guests were waiting.

Most people had already arrived, and as soon as Eric and Drew appeared, everyone rushed over to greet them.

Eric embraced Charlize and her two friends, all dressed to the nines, and said with a smile, "Ladies, you all look absolutely fabulous today."

Looking at this man who had become increasingly unattainable in terms of wealth and power, Charlize, Kate, and Penelope felt a pang of nostalgia thinking back to when Eric had caught them sneaking a smoke years ago -- an incident that seemed like a lifetime ago. They couldn't help but feel a bit wistful.

Despite the past, both Charlize and Penelope knew that those memories were just that -- memories. They treated Eric with utmost politeness and respect. Kate, who didn't share the same charm as her character in the film, felt a twinge of jealousy as she noticed how intimately Drew was holding onto Eric's arm. "Eric," she teased with a hint of bitterness, "we're still girls, but your speech is getting so much more... old-fashioned."

The crowd's expressions turned a bit awkward at Kate's obvious tone. Over the years, Eric gradually realized that he was no longer cut out for a life surrounded by a harem of women. Even in Hollywood, a place overflowing with beautiful women, those once-desirable goddesses had started to feel ordinary to him. He had grown numb to it and understood why Hollywood and the fashion industry had so many gay individuals.

At this point, Eric chose to feign ignorance about Kate's snarky tone and joked, "What can I say? I'm a big shot now."

Laughter erupted around him, and Kate rolled her eyes, realizing her comment might have been out of place. After a round of friendly banter, the staff began to usher everyone into the screening room.

...

Even though Eric retained the titles of screenwriter and executive producer for the sequel, he didn't intend to take the stage. He was there simply as a guest, enjoying the interaction between the cast and the audience from the sidelines.

When the clock struck seven, the lights dimmed in the hall, and the screening officially began. Everyone turned their attention to the big screen.

After the iconic MGM logo, the scene quickly shifted to a disco filled with the blaring sound of deafening music.

Penelope portrayed Lucini, elegantly gliding through the crowded dance floor in a sparkly mini dress, her sexy form weaving past a few visibly burly bouncers.

A crackling voice suddenly boomed in: "Lulu, enough fun! Get up there and help out."

Lucini glanced at the security camera in the corner of the disco and pressed her wireless earpiece. She then raised a walkie-talkie in her other hand and said, "I AM helping! There are so many weaklings here, swarming up could cause a mess!"

With that, Lucini made her way to the staircase in the corner.

In contrast to the wild scene below, the second floor was even more chaotic. The hallway was littered with downed bouncers, and Lucini stepped over the unconscious bodies with disdain. A sudden loud crash resonated as a bouncer was thrown against a broken door.

"Wow, that's some serious violence," Lucini commented as she kicked a moaning bouncer, knocking him out cold before walking into the destroyed office at the end of the hallway.

Inside the office stood Kate, portraying Selena, clad in tactical gear and coldly positioned at the center of the room.

A plump middle-aged man crouched in the corner like a scared child, frantically begging, "There's $20,000 in the cabinet, I have a credit card and the password is six ones! You can take my Armani suit; it's worth a lot! I'm just an accountant; please don't kill me!"

In the screening room, the audience couldn't help but chuckle at Wayne Knight's bleak expression, reminiscent of his role as the unlucky programmer in Jurassic Park.

"Why do I suddenly feel like I've been robbed of my lines?" Lucini playfully walked up to the frightened man to share a joke that fans of Charlie's Angels would easily get. "Mr. Malden, quit pretending. Just tell me where the safe is, otherwise, I'll let her ask." She pointed at Selena.

Upon hearing Lucini say his real name, the man's pleading demeanor instantly shifted, and he glanced slyly at a painting on the wall.

Then a voice crackled in Lucini's ear: "The desk seems to be frequently moved; shift it and take a look."

Lucini approached the richly carved wooden desk, which seemed heavy, but with a little effort, it slid aside to reveal a safe embedded in the floor.

"Hey, do you know what you're doing?" Suddenly agitated, the man jumped up but was quickly knocked back down by Selena's sharp elbow.

At that moment, the voice in her earpiece warned, "Someone's coming up -- lots of people!"

Lucini, squatting down to inspect the safe, met Selena's gaze. "Buy me two minutes."

Selena nodded and briskly left the office to confront the wave of bouncers charging upstairs.

...

At this point in the story, barely two minutes had passed.

Originally, some fans felt disappointed, expecting more explosive action, but by the end of the next three minutes, enhanced by the club's booming music and thrilling montage cuts, Selena showcased her impressive skills beautifully.

When Charlize finally appeared in a helicopter, lifting Selena and Lucini into the Los Angeles skyline, all the fans erupted into cheers.

Even the more traditional critics who usually dismissed action films couldn't help but nod in approval at this well-crafted opening sequence.

Those in the know recognized that in just five short minutes, the filmmakers had poured a considerable amount of thought into this production -- not only was the action precisely choreographed, but each of the three lead actresses was given just the right amount of screentime, effectively displaying the unique style of the Charlie's Angels series.

While the narrative continued from the spy movie universe, they maintained distinctly unique characteristics to avoid audience fatigue.

007 thrived on high-tech gadgets and the strong-jawed gentleman style of Bond, along with a bevy of gorgeous Bond girls.

The Mission: Impossible series focused on extreme challenges, heightening audience tension with hair-raising plot twists.

In contrast, Charlie's Angels, while centered around the three heroines, left a lasting impression with Selena's toughness, Jill's ingenuity, and Lucini's often amusing ramblings.

Moreover, small details like Buick cars and dad jokes peppered throughout, alongside a well-established world-building, made the Charlie's Angels series stand out.

...

Once the opening segment wrapped up, the title cards rolled, finally delving into the main plot.

Morgan Freeman's character, John, received intel from the girls regarding the chubby man, but without delving into details, told them that due to their previous adventure on that English island, the detective agency had drawn some unwanted attention. To protect them, the agency's boss, Charlie, suggested they lay low until things settled.

From this point, most viewers recognized that Charlie's detective agency had undoubtedly stirred up the Spectre, and more astute fans connected the dots to the infamous destruction of Charlie's vacation home at the end of Casino Royale, hinting at where the plot was headed.

Charlie's agency's attempts to resolve their issues quickly proved ineffective.

Following this was a slightly drawn-out exposition section just over ten minutes long.

With the help of Charlie's agency, the trio landed jobs that concealed their identities.

Jill found herself working at an internet company, listening to an overly enthusiastic yet ineffective boss boast about the company's future IPO while dodging his handsy advances.

Lucini got hired at a top restaurant, fighting the temptation to pocket the expensive silverware.

Selena became a salesgirl at a clothing store, often mistaken for a mannequin.

While the story unfolded slowly, the stark contrast between what they were doing and their actual identities gave viewers an engaging sense of irony.

Meanwhile, the club they had crashed into earlier was, in fact, a base for the Spectre.

The documents they retrieved from the fat man's safe were the names of the Spectre members.

Charlie's agency tried to use this information to collaborate with the FBI to eradicate the gang once and for all by eliminating the chaos that had inadvertently entered their lives.

Although the operation was deemed successful, everyone significantly underestimated the Spectre's potential.

The people on that list represented merely an outer layer of Spectre.

Next came a sequence taken directly from Casino Royale, where Charlie faced retribution from Spectre, prompting the three women to spring into action from their respective "jobs," only to find a vacation home reduced to rubble.

Fortunately, Charlie Townsend was unharmed.

With the tension brewing, Charlie instructed the trio to investigate the Spectre further.

As they pursued their inquiry, they mistakenly crossed paths with another agent team investigating the same organization.

That team happened to belong to Ethan Hunt and his Impossible Mission Force.

After some tension-filled encounters, both sides cleared up their misunderstandings, and thanks to the clues provided by Ethan, the three women launched another attack on a Spectre base, leading to the film's climactic showdown.

...

Upon closer inspection, while this sequel's plot wasn't particularly intricate -- it followed the standard high-concept film model -- its success was supported by the Charlie's Angels universe's well-crafted background, supplemented by plots from the other two series and countless clever Easter eggs, creating an audience experience far exceeding other high-concept films that lacked narrative the strength and popularity.

In this sequel, Eric included a very hidden Easter egg: a document labeled "Operation Treadstone" appeared on the desk of the main antagonist.

Though the shot skimmed past quickly, Eric believed that dedicated fans would eventually catch it.

Operation Treadstone naturally pointed to the Bourne series.

Having that plan appear on Spectre's leader's desk wasn't a forced plot device either.

According to the original novels, the Operation Treadstone was leaked due to information the villain had, leading to the group's disbandment, forcing Bourne into hiding.

Thus, it felt completely appropriate for the formidable and tangled Spectre to acquire intelligence on the Operation Treadstone.

...

After vanquishing the sequel's villain, the film couldn't skip including a proper Easter egg, teasing the upcoming Mission: Impossible 3.

Even though several critics condemned the overuse of these "gimmicks" in the spy film universe, much like in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these little tactics significantly heightened interest and popularity across the entire series.

Truth be told, the Marvel films weren't particularly stellar. Most were decent popcorn flicks heavy on special effects.

Yet, they cleverly intertwined these strategies to amplify the overall appeal of the franchises, achieving results that exceeded anyone's expectations and garnering immense success that every film studio envied.

For Charlie's Angels 3, MGM certainly pulled out all the stops, from the film's quality to its marketing, evident from the staggering $160 million production budget, reflecting the studio's commitment to excellence. Therefore, the premiere naturally turned out to be a resounding success.

As the film concluded and the lights dimmed, the theater erupted into applause.

After the creators took the stage once more to express their gratitude, the premiere officially wrapped up.

...

Eric and Drew made a brief appearance at the subsequent after-party but decided to leave early.

Observing the audience's reactions to the premiere, Eric felt no trepidation regarding the film's box office prospects.

The following morning at the Liberty City manor, Eric woke to the undeniable news that Charlie's Angels 3 had shattered the midnight screening box office record in North America.

In the dining room, Drew, dressed casually in a tank top and shorts, leaned over the table, examining the box office report with gleeful excitement. "$12.5 million! That's amazing! It's $2.5 million higher than The Matrix 2!"

Eric, however, held last week's box office data and, smiling at her over-the-top enthusiasm, dampened her spirits with, "No need to be so proud. The upcoming Star Wards: Episode I will definitely break this record with ease."

She shot back, "Hey, I'm not comparing with Star Wars, but I did hear the first prequel's internal test screening didn't go well. They say Amidala looks really bad. Lucas might just mess this up."

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1011: The Fundamental Gap]

Star Wars had become a sentiment, a culture, or even a belief for Americans. One could say that as long as a film was made, regardless of its quality, any installment in the Star Wars series could be expected to perform well at the box office without much effort, before DEI.

Living in Hollywood, the girl must have understood this deep down. Her previous remarks were merely teasing. Eric didn't bother to explain anything; instead, he focused on last week's box office report.

After debuting with $113.16 million in its opening week and facing no strong new releases last week, The Matrix 2 experienced a 51% drop in total box office during its second week. Although the decline compared to the three-day weekend showed a slight rebound, a 51% drop still left The Matrix 2 with a weekly gross of $55.45 million.

With a cumulative total of $168.61 million in North America over two weeks, it indicated that The Matrix 2 would comfortably surpass $200 million. However, surpassing $250 million seemed unlikely, falling at least $50 million short compared to the previous installment's $280 million box office.

This sequel hadn't shown much improvement in quality compared to the original, but it also wasn't considered a failure. Eric believed that the primary reason for the $50 million shortfall was the distribution limitations of Amblin Entertainment.

If Firefly had continued to distribute it, maintaining the same box office performance would have been manageable. Meanwhile, Amblin's distribution shortcomings could pose greater risks for the third installment's box office potential.

Should the third movie turn out to be as poor in quality as the original, lacking strong promotional resources could result in dismal box office returns. So far, Amblin hadn't announced the release date for the third film, and Eric hadn't taken the initiative to inquire about the specifics.

Besides The Matrix 2, Disney's family comedy The Parent Trap followed closely. Starring Disney's child star Lindsay Lohan, this family comedy opened with $19.15 million and received decent reviews, with expectations for a total box office exceeding $60 million.

While it couldn't compare to any of the summer blockbusters, The Parent Trap's production budget was only $20 million. Even factoring in distribution costs, the box office returns remained quite respectable.

In third place was The Day After Tomorrow. Due to The Matrix 2's weak performance in its second week, The Day After Tomorrow, now in its fourth week, experienced a slight narrowing of its box office drop. Following a 55% decline in the third week, last week it dropped only 46%, garnering $15.47 million, bringing its cumulative box office to $219.56 million.

Although hitting another decline from the competition of Charlie's Angels 3, The Day After Tomorrow's current $220 million box office gave it a reasonable shot at hitting $250 million.

As for other films like The Mask of Zorro and The Truman Show, their box office returns were less impressive. Eric quickly skimmed through them and focused back on his breakfast.

...

As the most anticipated film of the summer, Charlie's Angels 3 immediately captured the media's frenzy and discussions upon its release. At yesterday's premiere, MGM had invited a large number of media, showing immense confidence in the film's quality.

Today, major media outlets were also giving overwhelmingly positive reviews.

"Charlie's Angels 3 perfectly continues the unique style of the entire series while also incorporating innovative elements. After Casino Royale, MGM once again treats moviegoers to a spicy and explosive visual feast." - The Hollywood Reporter.

"The smooth storyline, exciting fights, and seamless integration of the series... everything was just so enjoyable. Perhaps the only regret about this sequel is that Lucini's father, who was referenced throughout the trilogy, never made an appearance. What a pity!" - Los Angeles Times.

"It's hard to deny that MGM has delivered another perfect entry for fans of the spy movie universe. However, the production budget of this film has soared to $160 million, and the promotional scale is unprecedented. Unless MGM can manage the production budgets for upcoming films in this spy universe rationally, this grand plan may well collapse under the mounting costs.

The three-film curse in Hollywood clearly hasn't vanished due to the overwhelming success of the spy movie universe. Reports suggest that the production of Bond 19 has been delayed repeatedly due to various reasons. Perhaps for every sequel in the spy movie universe, we'll need to practice patience." - Variety.

Traditional media had praises, discussions, and analysis, creating quite the buzz.

...

On internet platforms, under Yahoo's aggressive promotional campaign, the topic surrounding Charlie's Angels 3 intensified. Early Friday morning, news broke that Charlie's Angels 3 had shattered midnight screening box office records, prominently featured on Yahoo's front page. With over twenty million daily users visiting Yahoo, such headlines amounted to free advertisements seen by millions.

Meanwhile, Google's search engine, already well-established among core internet users, showed advertisements for Charlie's Angels 3 for any movie-related keyword, leading directly to Yahoo's newly launched online ticket sales.

Of course, MGM needed to pay for this advertising.

However, the results were significant. According to Google's backend monitoring, on the day of the Friday release, over 130,000 users were influenced by the search engine ads and logged onto Yahoo's ticket sales site to make purchases.

With average ticket prices hovering around $5 in North America, though these 130,000 viewers would only bring in $650,000 for Charlie's Angels 3, this was just a single day's figures. The film had at least a month of tightly knit box office revenue awaiting ahead.

While it might not sustain that $650,000 daily ticket gain, over a month -- as a baseline before including the potential audience engagement from Yahoo community discussions -- the advertising alone could still deliver at least an extra $10 million in box office revenues.

Comparatively, MGM's total advertising spend with Yahoo was just $1 million, a mere one-fiftieth of MGM's $50 million promotional budget.

There was no doubt that internet advertising provided exceptional value for money; this collaboration between Yahoo and MGM served as a great demonstration for Yahoo's promotion of its advertising business in Hollywood.

...

On the other hand, discussions about Charlie's Angels 3 in various online communities, such as Yahoo Movies, became extremely lively.

Initially, MGM had planned to release hidden egg details from the film if fans couldn't find them all. However, just on the first day, every clue and Easter egg had been uncovered by the devoted fanbase, including a pivotal document from the Jason Bourne series.

Many were already aware that MGM was developing a spin-off series in the spy movie universe called Fast Furious, which was confirmed for a year-end release. The sudden appearance of the Jason Bourne Easter egg naturally reignited intense interest from the media and fans.

The public email address MGM set up for fan interactions saw a flood of inquiries regarding the Jason Bourne series on that same day. The MGM public relations team received countless inquiries from various media on related issues, and even several major agencies began seeking out information to secure opportunities for their artists.

In Eric's plans, the Jason Bourne series was not set to begin production until early next year. To avoid impacting the buzz around Charlie's Angels 3, MGM was naturally tight-lipped.

Amidst this frenzy, the very next day, Charlie's Angels 3 announced its day-one box office: $26.62 million.

Including the $12.5 million from the midnight screenings, Charlie's Angels 3 raked in a total of $39.12 million on its first day, far surpassing the previous year's Casino Royale, which opened with only $30.5 million.

The fans who created this box office miracle were ecstatic, and MGM's CEO Amy Pascal publicly thanked fans on Yahoo's platform.

...

While the media was amazed, they also provided pragmatic viewpoints.

The New York Times quickly assessed that, similar to The Matrix 2, Charlie's Angels 3 was indeed akin to a strong fan-driven film. Despite impressive midnight and day-one box office numbers, a significant drop similar to The Matrix 2 was expected from core fans in the weeks to come.

The MGM management understood this notion as well. However, compared to The Matrix 2, Charlie's Angels 3 had a higher level of popularity and critical acclaim. Being a popcorn film, it evidently attracted a broader audience than the Matrix series had.

People felt increasingly confident about Charlie's Angels 3's box office prospects.

The film did not disappoint expectations. After the first day, the box office for Saturday exceeded the $30 million mark, reaching $31.53 million, while Sunday saw an additional income of $25.25 million.

In the end, Charlie's Angels 3 achieved a first weekend total of $95.90 million, nearly approaching the $100 million milestone, and emphatically breaking the first weekend box office record set by Casino Royale last year.

...

Facing such a dazzling start, even the skeptics who doubted the film's future box office trajectory couldn't help but agree that reaching $300 million in North America would be an easy feat for Charlie's Angels 3.

With The Matrix 2 underperforming, Charlie's Angels 3 suddenly emerged as the only film of 1998 projected to surpass the $300 million mark in North America.

As for global earnings, even if it fell short of the billion-dollar global milestone, it wouldn't be by much.

The first two installments of the Charlie's Angels series earned around $500-600 million each worldwide, still lagging behind the Mission: Impossible series, whose last two installments grossed $700 million.

However, everyone had noticed that, with the backing of MGM's spy movie universe, the Charlie's Angels series had undergone a transformation similar to that of the Bond series the previous year.

A spy movie universe plan had, by this point, birthed two blockbuster series that each crossed the billion-dollar global mark. The Mission: Impossible series, which had consistently performed the best among the three major series, now seemed increasingly likely to face a similar 'transformation.'

Thus, upon Charlie's Angels 3's initial box office results being released, some began to shift their focus toward Mission: Impossible 3's release later that year.

Yet while some celebrated, others found cause for concern.

...

Early Monday morning, at Amblin Entertainment's headquarters in Culver City, near downtown Los Angeles, the team that watched a preview of The Matrix 3 wore serious expressions.

In the conference room, everyone unanimously felt that The Matrix 3 was chaotic and incomprehensible.

With both films having accrued a staggering production budget of $300 million, further investment for reshoots was impossible.

After completing the films, the Wachowski brothers expressed a sense of contentment and remained resolute against making further modifications to the third installment. Given the nature of the film, it was actually hard for them to pinpoint specific aspects to change.

After a moment of silence, Frank Marshall, a well-known Hollywood producer designated as the CEO of the newly formed Amblin Entertainment, glanced at Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, and George Lucas before speaking up, "I think we should ideally capitalize on the current momentum to release the third installment quickly. A year-end release would be a good timing."

"Frank, that's too risky," Spielberg immediately replied. "Year-end has the Star Wars prequel, Mission: Impossible 3, and Fast Furious, along with many other popular films. I believe a summer 1999 release would be more prudent."

After Spielberg spoke, others nodded in agreement.

Frank Marshall looked around at the roomful of his superiors, feeling overwhelmed with a sense of powerlessness, he couldn't help but envy Eric Williams's ability to grant autonomy to the Firefly management team like Katzenberg.

Had it not been for Spielberg and the others urging to keep him, along with aspirations for Amblin to become another major production house in Hollywood, Frank Marshall would have left to set up his own production company with his wife long ago.

But now, looking at Spielberg and the others, Frank Marshall understood that Amblin would never rise among Hollywood's major studios.

He did not deny the cinematic talent of Spielberg and George Lucas, nor did he lack admiration for David Geffen's media insight, but these individuals fundamentally lacked a strong ambition to establish a major studio. They leaned more toward being emotional artists.

It was just like the Star Wars prequels; after several production studios consolidated, Frank Marshall urged George Lucas to reclaim distribution rights for the prequel series from Fox. He believed that reclaiming those rights, even at the cost of years in legal battles, would be worth it. However, George Lucas refused, hoping the films could be released smoothly and quickly.

Moreover, even Spielberg remained unwavering when it came to personal interests in movie production, maintaining his stance since Amblin was still a small studio.

This resulted in several projects led by Spielberg at Amblin in recent years yielding considerable profits for the creators while the company regularly recorded losses.

More crucially, these filmmakers who held substantial shares in Amblin Entertainment were reluctant to entrust the company's operations to him as CEO. This often left Frank Marshall feeling more like a lackey rather than a chief executive of a major company.

With a sigh, he knew they had to take action, "In fact, if we move the release date up to early November, we could dodge those films' competition. The Matrix series has enough popularity to support such a timeframe. If we wait until next year, even with a good release slot, this finale's box office could see greater variability as interest wanes."

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1012: Off-tracked]

Frank Marshall had repeatedly urged a few times, but the cautious Spielberg and his team were unwilling to budge on the release date for The Matrix 3, which was scheduled for early November. He had to give up on the matter, all the while letting out a sigh of frustration.

Recalling the previous discussions with Microsoft about a second round of investment in Amblin Entertainment, which was rejected due to their cash flow issues, Frank felt the urge to leave again.

With a market value exceeding $200 billion, how could Microsoft possibly be short on cash? Clearly, they had realized that Amblin's growth was far below their expectations and no longer held hopes for the company.

In the original timeline, DreamWorks had once created quite a stir and was considered a threat by traditional Hollywood studios. However, just a few years later, the three partners -- David Geffen, Steven Spielberg, and Jeffrey Katzenberg -- although still publicly associated with DreamWorks, had effectively parted ways. Continuous losses had made the initial capital investors shy away.

Currently, Amblin Entertainment might have changed in many ways, but it was evident they were treading the same old path.

...

Meanwhile, as Amblin debated the release date for The Matrix 3, discussions were heating up at Playa Vista Studio, where Eric and Cameron were also engaged in a dispute.

Today was supposed to be the audition day for the female lead in Spider-Man, a project that Firefly had been closely following. Once Cameron indicated his intent to start filming, many steps had advanced swiftly.

The audition was scheduled to start at nine, but by now, thirty anxious and excited girls were waiting in the hallway outside the audition room as the two bigwigs inside suddenly found themselves sidetracked, leaving everyone else in limbo.

It turned out that Cameron, out of nowhere, had decided to shoot Spider-Man with a 3D camera. He had always been keen on Firefly's RealD initiative and had been offering several suggestions as the plan progressed. Naturally, Spider-Man was expected to be released in 3D and IMAX formats.

While constantly refining 3D conversion technologies, Digital Domain was also developing corresponding dual-camera 3D systems, albeit lagging far behind the rapid progression of the RealD projection system.

So, Eric was understandably frustrated hearing Cameron's thoughts. Spider-Man was already a year behind schedule, and if they had to wait for the 3D camera development, they would be waiting a long time. Despite their amicable personal relationship, their discussions about film were always contentious, and they couldn't help but get into an argument.

"Jim, while the current 3D conversion technology in Digital Domain is far from perfect, there's no such thing as perfect in this world. Plus, the entire technical specifications from production to projection will certainly not become obsolete even ten years from now. This is undoubtedly the most appropriate industry model for 3D films," Eric argued.

"Eric, I don't deny that digital dual-camera polarized 3D is infinitely superior to traditional red-blue 3D. Nevertheless, it's still not true 3D; only images shot with a 3D camera can be truly perfect. Don't you want to achieve something more perfect?" Cameron replied.

If this had been before Eric's understanding of 3D films had deepened, he might have agreed with Cameron. But now, he was just as informed. "Jim, in my opinion, there's really no such thing as true 3D versus fake 3D. You've seen the prototype for the 3D camera; you should know that even images shot with a 3D camera still require conversion. What's more, those purely special effects CG shots cannot possibly be filmed with a 3D camera. The essence of a 3D film is 3D visual reconstruction. Whether done through a 2D conversion or directly using 3D camera material, as long as it presents a stunning three-dimensional visual effect, it's good 3D. Using a 3D camera just shortens the production process; it's like making bread from grain, while using a 3D camera is akin to starting with flour."

Cameron gestured emphatically and raised his voice in rebuttal, "That's not how it works; there's a significant difference between the two methods. The segment you converted for Jurassic Park had some characters whose sizes were totally out of proportion. If shot with a 3D camera, that issue wouldn't arise."

Due to the need to split the original footage into two and recreate the stereoscopic depth, 2D conversion indeed had the flaws Cameron mentioned, leading to some disjointed proportions in the converted footage.

"That issue wasn't even obvious; it can still be eliminated through technical improvements. The conversion studio has already established a technical team specifically for this. Moreover, since you haven't filmed a movie using a 3D camera, how can you be sure it won't have the same problems? Besides, with the current technological standards of the 3D camera, there's a higher likelihood of issues arising if you forcibly use this method in the short term. If we consider 2D conversion a score of 80, then 3D shooting technology can barely be considered a 60 at best for the short term. To achieve completely mature 3D shooting technology, we would need at least two or three years. Are you planning to wait another three years?"

Cameron realized that much of what Eric said was indeed factual, and it was impossible to pull a fast one on someone who understood the industry as well as he did. Thus, his enthusiasm waned a bit; he also knew Spider-Man couldn't delay for three more years.

Eric had once indulged him in spending over $200 million on Titanic. While the film ultimately created a box office miracle, he had always remembered that favor. Although Cameron pursued perfection, he was also a sensible person, known for his loyalty.

Yet, Cameron wasn't about to back down just yet. Stubbornly, he shot back, "I'm willing to wait."

Seeing Cameron's demeanor, Eric couldn't help but smirk internally. "Alright, we can discuss this later. There are so many people waiting. Let's start the auditions first."

With that, without waiting for Cameron to respond, Eric turned to the casting director and said, "Let's get started."

Everyone in the room relaxed. While it was quite educational to witness the two bigwigs debating, even Jon Landau, who sat nearby, felt a little concerned that they might genuinely fall out over this.

...

Upon hearing Eric, the casting director wasted no time, promptly heading out, and moments later, the first audition girl walked in -- it was Kirsten Dunst.

Having emerged as a child star in Hollywood, Kirsten Dunst met all the audition standards in terms of age, appearance, and acting experience. In fact, most of the girls making it to this round were in the same boat; such opportunities were rarely open to newcomers.

Although she had inexplicably waited for over half an hour, Kirsten's expression showed no signs of unease. She elegantly introduced herself, "Mr. Williams, Mr. Cameron, Mr. Landau, and everyone else, good morning. I'm Kirsten Dunst..."

Everyone in Hollywood was somewhat familiar with each other. After a brief introduction, the audition officially began.

Compared to her role as Claudia in Interview with the Vampire, Kirsten Dunst had blossomed into a lovely young woman, though her looks didn't quite align with Eric's preferences. Kirsten's impression as Mary Jane still lingered in Eric's mind.

However, that wouldn't heavily impact today's audition. Whether Kirsten Dunst was equally suited for the character Gwen Stacy would depend on her audition performance and her on-screen chemistry with the male lead, Stuart Ronkel.

While the superhero film didn't necessarily emphasize romantic storylines, having an excellent chemistry between the lead characters could surely boost their popularity.

After patiently watching Kirsten's performance and asking her a few questions, the audition wrapped up quickly. They needed to see over thirty girls today, so they couldn't afford to spend too much time with each.

As Kirsten left the room, Cameron seemed to completely forget about the earlier argument with Eric and professionally commented, "She looks good, her acting is sufficient. However, I think her demeanor doesn't quite fit Gwen Stacy; she seems more suitable for Peter Parker's other girlfriend."

Eric chuckled, "Mary Jane?"

Cameron nodded, "If she's willing, that role can be handed directly to her."

In the newly written script, although Gwen Stacy was undoubtedly the primary lead, Mary Jane, as Peter Parker's neighbor, also had a portion of screen time. Based on long-term plot development, Mary Jane's role could increase after Gwen Stacy's death. However, this was not set in stone, as future storylines would need to adapt to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Nevertheless, Cameron's comment that Kirsten Dunst was suitable for Mary Jane didn't stem from the same reasoning as Eric's; rather, in comic book terms, Mary Jane was depicted as an ordinary-looking girl, while Gwen Stacy was portrayed as a classic beauty. From this perspective, Dunst didn't quite meet the standard of beauty.

After discussing for a bit, Eric naturally didn't oppose Cameron's suggestion; Mary Jane wasn't a character that required extensive discussion. This matter was settled.

As to whether Kirsten Dunst would agree to play this supporting role, no one was particularly worried. Though Kirsten had a decent level of fame, she was still hovering around the second-tier status in Hollywood. If cast as the female lead in Spider-Man, she could only command a basic fee of $300,000.

Moreover, after Titanic, there were hardly any stars in Hollywood willing to turn down a chance to work with Cameron, not even in supporting roles.

...

With that settled, the auditions continued, and as lunchtime drew closer, Eric's eyes lit up when the last audition girl before lunch walked in.

The girl wasn't particularly tall but had a great figure, wearing a pink jacket and blue jeans, paired with beautiful blonde hair. Most importantly, that sweet face had a touch of a doll-like quality.

Alright, Eric had no immunity against doll-like faces.

Standing in front of the camera, the girl confidently introduced herself, "Hello everyone, I'm Keri Russell. I had a few years of performance experience on the Mickey Mouse Club, and I recently starred in films like The Curve. I have loved reading comics since childhood and would love to try out for the role of Gwen Stacy."

In the provided brief, Keri Russell was a pure-bred Disney child star, with Honey, I Blew Up the Kid being a Disney comedy from a few years back. However, she was several years older than Britney and the other girls.

When Eric had previously invited a few kids from the Mickey Mouse Club to visit his manor, Keri Russell hadn't been among them. Upon reflection, that day was for a children's play, and Keri Russell had probably been too old to participate.

Looking at the girl in front of him, Eric also remembered that she seemed to have appeared in Mission: Impossible 3; unfortunately, that character met a tragic fate being blown up by a micro-bomb implanted in her brain.

After Keri finished her introduction, the room went quiet for two seconds. Jon Landau glanced over, noticing Cameron hurriedly scribbling something in a notebook while Eric appeared lost in thought, staring at his folder. Jon decided to speak up first, "So, Miss Russell, why don't you share your understanding of Gwen Stacy's character."

Keri was a bit taken aback. Initially confident, the obvious distraction from the two most significant figures in the room caused her to feel anxious and flustered.

She didn't know much about Cameron but had some connections with others from the Mickey Mouse Club, even being aware of the closeness between Christina and Eric Williams.

Candidly mentioning her experiences at the Mickey Mouse Club was meant to strengthen her connection with Eric Williams, but it seemed to have backfired.

"I'm not clear on the movie script situation, but in the comics, Gwen Stacy is a very intelligent and confident girl. Like many comic characters, she has her own flaws as well..."

Having prepared in advance, Keri Russell answered Jon Landau's questions smoothly, albeit her mood was no longer relaxed, and her tone inevitably felt a bit dry.

Cameron, influenced by the previously auditioned girl, suddenly came up with some script revision ideas. Worried he would forget, he hurriedly jotted them down in his notebook.

Putting down his pen, he focused on the girl in front of him, feeling disappointed as he noted her clear struggle to maintain composure.

Eric quickly regained his focus as he and Cameron looked at Keri Russell, aware of her issues. However, Eric didn't intend to shoulder the blame along with Cameron.

Remaining calm and composed should be a basic quality for any interviewee; failure to do so means they cannot blame anyone else for what occurs.

For Keri Russell, Eric briefly expressed interest but wouldn't make any major concessions just because of her doll-like appearance.

Once Keri Russell finished discussing her understanding of Gwen Stacy's character, Eric signaled to his assistant to randomly select a scene and handed it to her, saying, "Keri, let's try a scene now."

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1013: What Do You Think?]

Keri Russell picked up a script page and, after a moment of preparation, the assistant began to read the lines beside her. "He's a character, that's my uncle. He's a pathological liar and he thought you were someone else."

This scene portrayed Peter Parker in the wake of discovering his superpowers as he got into a dispute and had to face Gwen Stacy afterwards. Keri held the script in front of her, slightly swaying with shyness, and teasingly said, "Oh man, you don't have me on your computer?"

"I took a photo of the debate team, you're in the debate team so..."

Keri flashed a smile that combined embarrassment and teasing, pressing on, "Right."

"So, he must have seen it. I was touching up stuff."

Keri burst out laughing, "You were 'touching up stuff'?"

"I'm not gonna answer that."

Keri shifted the topic deftly, asking, "Did you get expelled?"

"No, I didn't get expelled, I got community service."

...

At that point, Eric called for a stop. This scene was from the once popular The Amazing Spider-Man, and once Eric suggested it, Cameron found it amusing as well, naturally adding it in.

However, compared to Emma Stone, Keri Russell came across as somewhat inexperienced. Their styles differed; Emma had a graceful confidence, while Keri carried the shyness of the girl-next-door.

After selecting two more scenes for Keri to perform, Eric sent her on her way and turned to Cameron, "What do you think?"

Cameron nodded slightly. "Her image aligns perfectly with Gwen Stacy. The acting is a bit raw though, and her presence could use a bit of polish."

Eric replied, "That's somewhat unavoidable. The main characters are supposed to be high school students, so the actors had to be around twenty. At this age, Kirsten Dunst and Keri Russell, coming from child star backgrounds, are already quite impressive. Most people lack their depth of experience."

Cameron could see Eric had a good impression of Keri, and he was actually quite satisfied too. "Well then, let's put her on the shortlist for the final round."

After chatting a bit more, it was lunchtime, and everyone took a break, heading together to the restaurant on the big ship. Firefly had prepared free lunches for all those who participated in the auditions that day -- a nice touch the company hadn't skimped on.

...

As Eric and Cameron left the audition office, they noticed that most of the girls in the hallway had yet to go to the restaurant, clearly hoping for a chance to cross paths with Eric and others.

Eric didn't mind the girls' little schemes and politely responded to a string of greetings.

Spotting Kate Hudson, who was Goldie Hawn's daughter and a close friend of Drew, waiting in the crowd and waving towards him, Eric smiled and said, "Kate, perfect timing! Come have lunch with me."

"Sure," she replied, stepping out of the group. To the envy of many, Kate boldly linked her arm with Eric's. He had hosted a graffiti party at her family's estate, and Kate knew Eric was easy to get along with.

Feeling the girl's flirtation as she clung to him, Eric joked, "Just so you know, I won't go easy on you during the auditions this afternoon."

"I wasn't even thinking that," Kate said, grinning. Although she didn't inherit her mother's American sweetheart charm, her genes did not disappoint either. As she lightly shook Eric's arm, she said, "Eric, you haven't accompanied Drew to hangout with everyone for a long time. How about this weekend?"

Eric smiled noncommittally. "Depends on what you guys want to do with Drew. I might not be free. How about you? What have you been up to lately?"

"Filming! It's a low-budget lead role, so it's quite boring."

"Ha! If those actors who struggle for a decent role for a year heard that, they might eat their hearts out! If you don't like acting, why do you want to play Gwen Stacy? Jim can be quite demanding."

At Eric's jab, Cameron chimed in, clearly put off, "Eric, when did I ever push someone to the point of 'eating their heart out'?"

"I still remember a few years back when we went to Mexico to watch Titanic being filmed; someone actually jumped off the deck."

Cameron rolled his eyes, "That was me!"

Eric joked, "See? That's why I say you're ruthless; you don't even spare yourself."

With Eric bringing up Cameron's misadventure, everyone couldn't help but laugh.

...

After lunch, the auditions continued, and Eric and Cameron ultimately decided on six candidates for the final round. Next, they would pick the final actress for Gwen Stacy.

After wrapping up the workday, Eric rushed to Elisabeth and Julia's mansion in Beverly Hills. Elisabeth had called him the day before to discuss something urgent.

Carrying a spare key, he let himself into the luxurious villa and found both Elisabeth and Julia home. Julia was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner while Elisabeth lounged on the living room sofa, flipping through a hefty design binder.

Julia rushed over from the kitchen, exchanged a hug with Eric, and then dashed back, the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen.

Eric loosened his tie and undid a button on his shirt. Seeing Elisabeth still lounging leisurely, he walked over, sidestepping a small foot wearing stockings aimed at kicking him. Eric then playfully pinned down the young woman on the sofa.

The entire sofa sank with a sudden thud, and Elisabeth let out a yelp, pushing Eric off of her. "You, you're insufferable!"

Ignoring her protests, Eric found a more comfortable position and seized the design binder from her hands. "What's this? Hmm, an airplane?"

"The Boeing Julia and I ordered is already in the process of designing the interior," Elisabeth shoved at Eric again, but resigned when she saw he wouldn't budge. "How's your progress?"

"I've seen the designs too. They're really good -- should be ahead of yours." Eric flipped through a few pages before tossing it aside, adding, "Make sure there's a big bed in it."

"Ah! You're always thinking about that."

Eric put his hand to Elisabeth's face and kissed her, chuckling, "Let me see if you're into that."

After a moment of playful affection, they both just lay back on the sofa, Elisabeth in Eric's embrace.

"By the way, didn't you say you had something to discuss yesterday?"

"If I said it was nothing, would you not come over?"

"Of course not," Eric quickly shook his head. "I planned to come over today all along."

"Yeah, right! Someone saw you having lunch with Goldie Hawn's daughter."

"That's why gossip is the worst! It's clear your paparazzi's instincts are out of control. Didn't they tell you Jim and Jon Landau were also at lunch?"

Elisabeth held her chin up defiantly. "That's so unprofessional; gossip is all about picking what people like to hear."

Eric chuckled, lightly swatting Elisabeth on the rear.

Her cheeks flushed as she huffed before saying, "They're planning a wedding next month; my dad's probably going to invite you. Hmm, you won't have time, right?"

As she spoke, a mock threatening glance shot from her eyes.

Eric realized she was talking about Rupert Murdoch and Wendi Deng, smirking, "I'm actually quite curious. Maybe I'll join the festivities."

Elisabeth rolled her eyes, her tone insistently saying, "You're not allowed."

Eric understood she was serious this time and willingly yielded. It didn't matter whether he went or not. "Alright, alright, if you don't want me to go, I won't."

The once prickly kitten turned soft again, nuzzling Eric's face gently. Elisabeth then remembered the recent buzz about America Online and curiously asked, "Eric, are you really going to sell off all your America Online stock?"

Eric nodded. "I really want to, but selling it all isn't realistic. The stock price is too high now, and not many want to take it off my hands. My plan is to cash out a significant amount."

"I also feel like the Nasdaq might collapse one day. A lot of tech stocks have P/E ratios over a hundred; it's insane! Julia and I cleared out our stock accounts at the end of last month."

Eric looked at her appreciatively. It was indeed rare to see someone decisively cut their losses during a rapid market upswing, but he felt a tad regretful. "If only you could have held out until the end of the year; the profits would definitely have been more substantial."

"Well, that's not guaranteed," Elisabeth countered, shaking her head. "Some say Yahoo's IPO might become the last straw that breaks the camel's back. Wall Street currently has the highest valuation for Yahoo exceeding $50 billion, but compared to other companies of similar value, Yahoo's revenue can only be described as pathetic. There's been no profit at all."

"Yahoo is just in its accumulation phase; the operational costs of internet companies aren't that high," Eric explained. "Once Yahoo becomes a giant far surpassing its competitors, everyone will witness the power of scale effects."

Elisabeth looked puzzled. "Isn't Yahoo already the giant in the internet sector?"

"Not at all. Currently, the internet media concept focused on portal websites has a fatal weakness: it's very easy to replicate. Many users enjoy fetching diverse information from different portals, making it tough for a portal-centric media group to achieve a Matthew effect on a large scale, leading to continuous user loss and making it impossible to reach an oligopoly."

Elisabeth nodded, deep in thought. "But the search engine you keep talking about shouldn't be that difficult to deal with; many websites have their own content search systems."

"That's a completely different concept. Besides, Yahoo aims to create a comprehensive content search ecosystem rather than just a simple keyword search engine. This includes image search, map search, music search, and future video search systems. As long as Yahoo's search engine services outshine its competitors, users will gradually grow accustomed to these search engine tools. The power of habit is immense; thus, even if better technology emerges, it would be tough for rivals to poach many users from Yahoo."

As Eric continued his discussion with Elisabeth, he inadvertently looked up to find Julia had crept over to the other side of the sofa, leaning on the back and watching them curiously.

When Julia saw Eric finally notice her, she softly commented, "You two have the most boring conversation. Talking about work at home?"

"Hey, my bad," Eric chuckled, turning over and stretching his hand toward Julia. "Come here, give me a hug."

Julia's earlier complaints vanished as her eyes sparkled; like a pet summoned by its owner, she eagerly flipped over the back of the sofa and leapt into Eric's arms.

"Ah, you're squishing me! Move aside," Elisabeth, feeling a twinge of jealousy as Julia tumbled into Eric's embrace, playfully complained while pushing him away.

With the back of the sofa as leverage, it was easy for Elisabeth to give a gentle shove, and Julia promptly fell towards the floor, instinctively taking Eric down with her.

"Ugh, ow, so comfy! Liz, you stay on the sofa, don't come down!"

Elisabeth shifted slightly, grabbing a cushion from the back of the sofa and tossing it down at the two on the floor. "I'm not coming down; I'm not sick."

"Ugh, Eric, she says I'm sick!"

"Let her say what she likes. A normal person would question their sanity, only sick people claim they're fine."

"Ha ha, Eric, I'm not sick!"

"Hmm, but just to be safe, let me check. Come here, let me feel."

Elisabeth tossed another cushion down, kicking down at them with her feet in frustration. "Ugh, too gross! I really want to kick you two out!"

"Normal person, why don't you just leave? I can be contagious!"

"I'll choke you!"

"Ah, your strength is so weak."

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1014: Are You Going for the Oscar Too?]

Early in the morning, the three of them sat together on the cliffside terrace of a villa atop a hill, enjoying breakfast. The summer in Los Angeles was not too hot, but the morning hours were the only time suitable for soaking up a little sun.

Elisabeth munched on her salad, excitedly mentioning her recent work, saying, "I found Julia a script! It's a biopic about a female lawyer who secures hundreds of millions in civil damages for her client. It's the largest civil settlement in U.S. history!"

Hearing Elisabeth's words, Eric suddenly remembered something and looked up. "Erin Brockovich?"

Elisabeth's expression was one of surprise. "How did you know?"

Julia, who sat quietly next to Eric, also looked over curiously.

In 1993, Erin Brockovich represented the residents of Hinkley, California, in a lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric Company, accusing it of improperly discharging heavy metal contaminants that caused cancer among many of the town's residents. They sought $300 billion in damages. A broke female lawyer suing a corporate giant initially seemed like a joke to many.

However, after three years of relentless effort, in 1996, Pacific Gas and Electric ultimately lost the case, paying out $333 million to the residents. Although the settlement amount fell drastically compared to their initial demand, it remained the largest civil settlement in federal history.

"I happened to see a report about Erin Brockovich two years ago," Eric replied casually. Although the suit had been intentionally kept low-key by PGE, any observant person could have easily found many news articles about it. "So, you're planning to have Julia go for the Oscar?"

Elisabeth didn't doubt Eric's words and nodded. "Yeah, the Academy voters love this kind of film, and we have the Weinstein brothers helping us."

Even though Julia had won the Oscar for Best Actress for portraying Erin Brockovich in the biopic Erin Brockovich, Eric couldn't remember what other nominations or awards the film had received.

Thinking it over, Eric stated, "Ultimately, the topic of environmental pollution doesn't spark profound social impact in North America. So, I think the film will likely only earn a Best Actress nod; winning any other award seems less likely. Of course, with Julia in it, the box office should be fine."

Compared to some developing countries, the environmental protection system in North America was quite advanced. Cases of companies maliciously polluting the environment were rare; mostly, there were accidental environmental mishaps. Living in such a societal environment, issues of pollution weren't as heated or significant as racial issues.

"Not necessarily," Elisabeth countered. "The role has a lot of room for development. At least Julia has a very strong chance of winning Best Actress. If she wins that little golden statue, you won't have any control over her money any longer. We still have a hefty sum to pay on that Boeing we ordered."

Eric chuckled and nodded. "Sure, but I've turned that money into Firefly Group stocks. You guys need cash, so you could use those stocks as collateral. It'd be a waste to sell them outright."

To motivate Julia not to slack off, Eric had taken the $30 million she received after selling her stake in TG Films and exchanged it for stocks in Firefly Group during its restructuring after acquiring ABC Group.

Naturally, Eric wouldn't be pocketing that little amount of money from Julia. Over the years, he had nearly forgotten about it, and that stock remained under Julia's name, simply held in trust by Firefly Investments. By now, that stock had likely tripled in value and was worth at least $100 million based on current market valuation.

Because of the anticipation around Firefly Group's growth and the sizable dividends it provided each year, very few investors were willing to sell their shares after acquiring ABC Group. In recent years, the ownership distribution among shareholders of Firefly Group had remained mostly unchanged.

Elisabeth was well aware of how sought-after Firefly Group's stock was. "We'll use it as collateral then; we'll have Boeing collect the remaining amount from you."

"Uh, how much do you still owe?"

With a sly smile, Elisabeth replied, "We only paid a $10 million deposit."

"Alright," Eric readily agreed, then casually added, "You can discuss this with Drew. She's my little accountant."

"Hmph, you really lack sincerity."

Eric didn't mind. Elisabeth was very headstrong and wouldn't let him stump up the money. Over the last few years, the two women had built their investments in foreign exchange and tech stocks under his guidance, so paying for a Boeing 747 was quite manageable.

Taking his time finishing breakfast, Eric returned to the previous topic. "So, who are you thinking of directing that script?"

"We're in talks with Martin Scorsese. You know him; he's quite skilled at using a documentary-style realism to tackle real-life themes."

"Martin's not the right fit," Eric shook his head. "What you just said is true, but Martin's films have a strong third-person perspective. Since it's Julia's solo performance, the film should lean towards a first-person viewpoint. You might want to consider Steven Soderbergh."

"The director of Sex, Lies, and Videotape?" Elisabeth asked in response, then added, "It seems he hasn't had any standout work since."

Eric explained, "Winning the Palme d'Or for his first feature is a testament to Soderbergh's talent. Plus, he's not as high-profile as Martin; a slightly lesser-known director can give Julia more room to showcase her talent. If you let Martin direct, it would just be another typical Martin Scorsese film. He often gets nominated, but the Academy doesn't really favor him."

Elisabeth was somewhat swayed. She had respect for Eric's insight into films. "Then I'll have Harvey reach out to Soderbergh and see what he thinks. By the way, Harvey was the one who helped him back then with Sex, Lies, and Videotape, or he wouldn't have won the Palme d'Or."

After finishing breakfast, Eric said his goodbyes to the two women and headed to the Firefly Studios for work.

...

That day, the auditions for Spider-Man continued, but they were focused only on supporting roles, so Eric didn't need to be directly involved.

As for the several actresses confirmed yesterday for the role of Gwen Stacy, the production team still had to analyze their audition tapes and other information in detail. The latter stages of that process were quite tedious, and the final round of smaller auditions would take at least another week or two.

After spending an hour discussing post-production for Iron Man with Joss Whedon, Eric dove into the Gravity soundstage.

...

Since the plan to shoot Gravity was finalized last year, preparations had been underway for almost a year, and filming was set to begin next week.

The only change in the plan was that Eric realized if he wanted to manage the entire crew flexibly and keep track of all the details during filming, he couldn't serve as the cinematographer himself. This role would ultimately fall to his long-time collaborator, Nicole Frank.

Eric's ambition to sweep the Oscars would have to be temporarily adjusted, regrettably starting with the more challenging categories such as Best Picture and Best Director.

On the Gravity soundstage, Nicole Frank was demonstrating a complex shot she had just set up.

After working on multiple films, Nicole had become one of the best cinematographers in Hollywood. In many ways, a cinematographer was similar to a sniper; aside from basic talent, superb snipers were trained and honed by the experience, and cinematographers required the same.

Once Eric decided to abandon the idea of being the cinematographer, he detailed his shooting concepts to Nicole. Upon hearing Eric's thoughts, Nicole felt a spark of excitement she hadn't experienced in quite a while.

For the past few months, Nicole had focused on exploring shooting techniques for Gravity. Her skill in operating the two high-precision robotic arms from KUKA was on par with that of engineers in automotive assembly plants. In fact, she might have surpassed them because those engineers typically only set fixed running procedures, while Nicole had to maneuver two robots to create a myriad of movements based on the shot requirements.

Inside the backdrop light box, an arm fitted with a professional 35mm camera approached another spinning robotic arm holding a dummy, rapidly reaching speeds of up to 50 feet per second.

However, the relative distance between the camera and the target was only about ten feet, so the actual movement time was merely a fleeting moment. In the blink of an eye, the camera whirred to a stop just one centimeter away from the glass shield of the dummy's helmet. This scene startled the other crew members on set who realized that if they were in the dummy's position and saw a cold metal arm bearing a ten-kilogram camera coming toward their face, even fainting on the spot might be a real possibility.

Nearby, at the control desk, Nicole skillfully repeated the previous motion with the robot using a remote PDA. After doing so five times in a row, she turned to Eric, who had been fixated on a monitor, and said, "What do you think? The accuracy of KUKA's machine is already at the millimeter level. I've added two additional safety measures to ensure absolute safety."

Gravity contained numerous shots where actors quickly darted toward other targets or where targets rapidly approached the actors.

With a camera weighing over ten kilograms and a broad metallic arm moving at a relative speed of 50 feet per second, if it got out of control, Eric didn't even want to think about the consequences. There was no room for error -- not even once.

After a moment's hesitation, Eric said, "Let's make sure it brushes past at an angle as much as possible; if it can't avoid it, we'll try shooting it in slow motion."

Shooting in slow motion slowed down the film speed by several times, thus reducing the relative movement speed while still creating a dynamic effect during normal screenings. Slowing down increased the safety factor.

"Eric, that definitely makes it safer, but if it's a close-up, the actor's facial expressions might give things away too easily," Nicole pointed out.

Eric thought for a moment and replied, "In that case, we'll shoot separate close-ups of the expressions. We can't take that risk."

"That being said, we wouldn't need slow-motion shooting; we could just use a dummy," Nicole insisted.

Eric shook his head. "Using a dummy is still too dangerous."

...

As they were discussing, they heard the sound of high heels clicking nearby. Everyone turned to see Nicole Kidman, dressed in a black knee-length dress and carrying a bag, elegantly walking towards Eric.

After greeting everyone, she casually embraced Eric and then looked around at the shooting props. With a hint of sorrow in her tone, she remarked, "It all looks so impressive, yet you didn't ask me to act."

Eric smiled and gestured for Nicole to sit in the chair next to him, clicked the mouse to replay the recent shot, and then playfully pointed at the nearby arm. "Do you dare to act?"

Nicole set her bag down on the expansive control desk, sat beside Eric, watched the replay on the screen, and looked at the robotic arm nearby. "That's too dangerous! If it hits, it could be fatal. Why would you shoot such a risky scene? Plus, it's not just a dummy; if it were me, I'd instinctively duck, and you wouldn't get the shot you had just now."

Nicole Frank interjected, "You wouldn't be able to get away; the actor's whole body would be secured in a rig, and they'd only be able to move their limbs."

"Well, why not design a mechanism that allows the actor to dodge during moments of danger?" Nicole suggested.

Nicole Frank responded, "These machines are extremely precise and can't be moved arbitrarily. We did consider using bulletproof glass for the helmet, but if it were really hit, the protective effect wouldn't be significant."

Nicole thought about the previous shot and realized that even if the visor glass didn't shatter, the outcome could still be terrible -- potentially even fatal for the actor. She couldn't help but stand up and look around, suddenly pointing at the sliding track beneath that robotic arm outside the light box. "Why not equip that machine with a sliding track? If a collision occurs, even if the actor can't move, that machine could simply slide back."

Eric was about to mention that the interior space was too small for that, but he suddenly had an epiphany. He stood up, embraced Nicole at the waist, and kissed her emphatically on the lips. "You're really my little treasure."

Even though Nicole didn't hide her relationship with Eric, she still flushed a bit and shyly pushed him away when he suddenly kissed her in front of everyone in the soundstage.

Nicole Frank realized they had been trapped in the mindset of a cinematographer and director, while Nicole Kidman approached the issue from an actor's perspective, easily solving the problem that had troubled them for some time.

The space inside that light box was indeed limited, but if an accident happened, even a backward movement of just twenty to thirty centimeters would be enough for the multi-safety mechanisms of the robot to effect an emergency stop.

Having figured that out, Eric felt completely at ease and said to Nicole Frank, "Alright, let's wrap it for the morning. Let's bring in the props master this afternoon and discuss it."

After all, if perfection could be achieved, Eric wouldn't want to resort to special effects.

...

After finishing up the day's matters, Eric said goodbye to everyone and took Nicole Kidman to the restaurant for lunch.

A few minutes later, in the luxurious restaurant on the large ship, noticing the script Nicole Kidman handed over, Eric exclaimed in surprise, "Are you going for the Oscar too?"

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1015: That's Not Good]

Nicole put down the menu, looking a bit puzzled, and asked, "Who else is going for the Oscars?"

"Julia has been preparing for a biopic recently. If all goes according to plan, they'll start filming early next year and aim for a release by the end of the year," Eric explained nonchalantly, glancing at the script in his hand.

The cover of the script simply read "Me," which would later be known as Moulin Rouge!. Even people completely uninterested in musicals found it hard not to be impressed by Nicole's stunning presence in the film.

Eric had naturally seen Moulin Rouge!, and while he thought the plot was just average and a bit cliche, Nicole's beauty absolutely captivated audiences. Back in the '90s, even as Tom Cruise's wife, Nicole's fame was not as significant. It was through Moulin Rouge! that many discovered this Hollywood star named Nicole Kidman.

Hearing Julia's name, Nicole smiled slightly in a whimsical way and said, "I won't compete with her, ha ha. Honestly, I haven't even thought about the Oscars yet. I'm just interested in this subject. Pat suggested I try something new. Plus, the funding for the script isn't confirmed yet, so I thought I'd show it to you. The writer, Baz Luhrmann, is from Australia, and he came to the set of The Mummy 3 in Nevada last week to discuss this script with me, hoping I'd be involved."

The Australian contingent in Hollywood generally kept a low profile compared to the distinctly characterized British actors, but they were a tight-knit group. The biggest supporter of the Aussie talent, however, was arguably 20th Century Fox, a subsidiary of News Corp. Many Australian directors and actors made their mark through films produced by Fox. Baz Luhrmann, whom Nicole just mentioned, was a classic example.

A few years ago, his first film in Hollywood, Romeo and Juliet, was produced by 20th Century Fox. The modern adaptation featured Leonardo DiCaprio as the lead; however, due to the advance filming of Titanic, the lead role was recast, though the film still performed well at the box office.

Typically, Baz Luhrmann's films had been backed by 20th Century Fox, and he collaborated frequently with Australian actors like Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman.

After reading through a couple of pages of the script and listening to Nicole's explanation, Eric asked, "Baz Luhrmann's last film, Romeo and Juliet, seemed to do well at the box office. I recall it was produced by Fox. Why isn't he partnering with Fox this time?"

"They've already been approached, but since this is an original musical without any Broadway pedigree, Fox isn't too interested. The last major musical that did well in Hollywood... um, the only one I can think of is Grease from 1978, which was twenty years ago," Nicole said, tilting her head in contemplation before adding, "Also, Baz needs a $60 million investment, which is probably why Fox is hesitant. That's already a big-budget project, but this film doesn't have the box office potential to match."

Eric remembered that the opening logo for Moulin Rouge! was Fox's. However, things had changed since then, as Elisabeth was now managing Fox's film division.

After pondering for a moment, even though he had reached a conclusion in his mind, Eric didn't nod immediately, saying, "Let me take a look at the script first. If I like it, I'll speak with Liz and see if Fox can continue to invest. I don't want her complaining to me about always snatching projects from their hands. If that doesn't work out, Baz will have to seek investors on his own. But if you're on board, I think it's likely Baz will find an investor."

Many Hollywood projects often built a star-studded cast before seeking funding. If they could secure a contract with a top-tier star, producers could easily persuade studios to invest or raise production funds through pre-sale distribution rights.

With the global success of The Mummy franchise and solid box office numbers from past films, Nicole was undoubtedly one of the most bankable actresses in Hollywood, even a bit more so than Julia. Projects concerning her often attracted significant interest from studios.

Nicole nodded, "That's fine, but honestly, this script isn't great. What I admire is Baz Luhrmann's vision for filming. He wants to present this story in a very extravagant and dazzling visual style. I think you should take some time to talk to Baz in person."

Eric grinned, "Since you're so fond of this story, I might as well just agree straight away."

"Sure, if you agree, I can give you a discount on your fee," Nicole quipped, a playful smile on her face as her bright eyes glimmered at Eric. "But in that case, you'd better not let Fox invest. I wouldn't want Liz to backstab me if things went south."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want that either," Eric said, raising his hands in mock surrender. Just then, the waiter brought over their lunch, and they paused their conversation until the waiter left with the empty plates. Eric then said earnestly, "Once I've read the script, I'll set up a time to chat with Baz. By the way, how long are you planning to stay in L.A.?"

Nicole was currently filming Universal Pictures' The Mummy 3 and was also making a cameo in the spin-off, The Scorpion King. Eric thought that her time off could well be for the premiere of The Scorpion King next week. The premiere, set for the 17th, was ten days away, so Nicole seemed to be back a bit early.

"I only took a two-day break. Tomorrow, I have a photo shoot for an endorsement brand, and the day after, I need to return to Nevada," Nicole replied while cutting into her steak and taking small bites.

Eric overcame his psychological barrier and picked up his knife and fork. "I thought you came back for The Scorpion King premiere."

"Oh, I'll be back next week, but you know how much the crew spends in a day," Nicole replied with a teasing look. Seeing Eric's slightly distressed expression, she teased, "Why don't you use my knife and fork? It's been tested, you see? I'm still fine."

Eric laughed and cut into his steak, making an effort to curb his growing obsession with cleanliness while saying, "Who knows, it might be some special poison. I've seen those martial arts movies from Hong Kong where there's a poison called... uh, three-step fall. When you stand up and take three steps, then it's game over."

"Come on, there's no such poison; that doesn't make sense!"

"I think it makes some sense. It's probably similar to bloodborne toxins, like snake venom. Once you get poisoned and get too excited or struggle too much, your heart starts racing, and the toxin spreads faster," Eric explained, then added, "Since you're just back for two days, why don't you hang out with me at the studio this afternoon? Your earlier suggestion helped me solve a big problem; maybe you can come up with some more great ideas. We could head back to Malibu together tonight."

"I can't do that," Nicole said, shaking her head regretfully. "I have some other matters to attend to. I can't hang out with you these two days."

Eric furrowed his brows in confusion, "Huh?"

"It's a friend of mine. She's coming from Japan and wants to develop her career in Hollywood. I'm taking her to meet Pat this afternoon so he can help her find a manager -- she's my dear friend. If I have some spare time in the next couple of days, of course, I'll want to help her get familiar with Los Angeles."

Eric became even more curious, "You have an Asian friend?"

Nicole shook her head, "She's not Asian; she's also Australian, but she's been working in Japan for the past few years."

Nicole's mention of her friend sparked Eric's memory, and he quickly realized who she meant -- it had to be Naomi Watts.

Casually glancing down at his steak, Eric nonchalantly said, "If she's your close friend, then bring her over to meet me."

Nicole rolled her eyes playfully at Eric, "I'm afraid if you meet her, I might not be her friend for long."

Eric feigned innocence, "That's not right! Trust is the most basic thing between friends."

Nicole replied with a hint of mystery in her tone, "Who would trust you, you jerk? Jen hasn't spoken to me in years."

Eric immediately threw up his hands in surrender, "Okay, fine, I'm guilty. But I've turned a new leaf now."

Nicole shot him another skeptical eye. "I don't believe you've really turned a new leaf."

As they were chatting and eating, Nicole's phone rang. Listening to her excited whispering on the line -- "Nami, Nami!" -- Eric was instantly certain of the identity of the woman on the other end.

However, seeing Nicole's cautious demeanor as she ended the call, Eric chose not to bring up Naomi Watts again. Instead, after Nicole hurriedly hung up the phone, he shifted the topic.

After lunch, he saw Nicole off, and taking the script of Moulin Rouge! she left behind, Eric returned to the Gravity set, where he started discussing the installation of safety slides with Nicole Frank and the props master who had come over.

...

In contrast to Eric's orderly life in Los Angeles, the mood in New York had been a rollercoaster ride for many these days.

By the end of June, under pressure from the mass resignation of senior management, Firefly Investment Company abandoned plans to replace AOL's CEO and redefine the company's future direction. Ultimately, they completely relinquished control over AOL, leading to the resignation of all three AOL board members from the Firefly system.

After a brief period of volatility, driven by a series of positive news in the wake of Steve Case's maneuvers, AOL's stock price began to rise again. By last Friday's close, shares of AOL had climbed to $281.01, with a market valuation exceeding $46.1 billion.

However, on Monday, during a small press conference held by ABC Group in response to the departure of ESPN CEO Steve Bernstein, Robert Iger faced reporters and publicly confirmed the news that Firefly Investment would significantly reduce its stake in AOL in the coming months.

Rumors had already been circulating among the media and market about a potential 10% stake sell-off by Firefly Group, and this confirmation from Firefly's upper management sent shockwaves through Wall Street.

Those with even a little stock market knowledge understood the disastrous consequences of major shareholders like Firefly Investment liquidating their holdings.

In the face of panic in the market, AOL's stock price, which had been on an upward trend on Monday morning, plummeted by 5.7% that same day, followed by a further decline of 3.3% the next day. In just two days, AOL's market value dropped from $46.1 billion to $41.9 billion, evaporating more than $4 billion in wealth.

In efforts to boost market confidence, AOL began using funds raised by the management to buy up shares being sold off in the market while Steve Case decisively pre-released AOL's second-quarter financial report for 1998.

For the three months between April and June, AOL's second-quarter revenue hit $922 million, with a quarterly net profit of $135 million. Though the $135 million net profit for the quarter was modest, it represented almost a 70% increase compared to the same period the year before -- an impressive growth rate relatively rare across the U.S.

At the same time, AOL predicted that if the current growth rate continued, the company's net profit for the entire year would reach $500 million, nearly double that from last year.

Should AOL maintain such a high growth rate, it wouldn't take long for its price-to-earnings ratio to revert to below 30, a normalized level.

Moreover, the rapid expansion trend exhibited by the internet further indicated AOL's potential for such revenue growth.

After heavily promoting the impressive quarterly report, AOL finally halted its consecutive drop in stock prices.

Still, under the shadow of Firefly's stake reduction, market sentiment towards AOL stocks began to turn cautious.

...

In the president's office of Morgan Stanley at the World Trade Center in Manhattan, another Friday came without John Mack realizing it, and he had no inclination to think about the upcoming weekend.

Ever since Eric mentioned the Russian ruble last week, he had been consumed with reading about the Russian economy. The more he learned, the more he recognized the correctness of Eric's initial views -- the Russian ruble simply couldn't escape the fate of a steep decline.

Without mentioning anything else, Russia's current foreign debt had reached over $120 billion, and a significant portion of that was short-term debt of the "robbing Peter to pay Paul" variety.

On the other hand, the entire Russian reserves available to combat foreign exchange financial risks and repay expiring foreign debts amounted to only $13.6 billion -- barely one-tenth of its foreign debt size.

It was easy to see that once international currency speculators targeted the Russian ruble, Russia would have no means to fight back.

While flipping through his documents, John Mack's assistant knocked and entered, handing him a folder, saying, "Mr. Mack, here's today's closing data analysis for the Nasdaq and the latest stock price information for AOL."

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1016: Decision]

John Mack didn't bother checking the NASDAQ index analysis report; instead, he went straight to the stock price data from America Online.

As of today's market close, America Online's stock price settled at $26.522 billion after a week of fluctuations, giving it a market capitalization of $43.6 billion. Compared to last week's peak of $46.1 billion, it had once again dropped a hefty $2.5 billion.

Morgan Stanley continued to sit on the sidelines, with no plans to sell off its shares. However, John Mack understood that many shareholders feared the stock price of America Online would collapse under the pressure of Firefly Investment's massive sell-off and had already begun to unload their stocks.

According to the data in hand, the trading volume of America Online's shares reached $5.6 billion just in this week, exceeding one-tenth of the company's market capitalization.

It was clear that while some investors were exiting, many others who felt optimistic about America Online's stock were quietly entering.

John Mack had always focused on core business areas such as the issuance of stocks and bonds at Morgan Stanley and hadn't paid much attention to the international foreign exchange markets. However, after thoroughly understanding the economic conditions in Russia and the Southeast Asian financial crisis over the past week, he started to agree with Eric's analysis of the NASDAQ's future movements.

After emptying out the Southeast Asian nations, the huge profits earned by international capital had to find an investment target rapidly. He initially thought the target might be Russia, which was showing signs of economic recovery, but now he realized that this recovery was merely an illusion. As a result, these funds would likely flow back to North America, which was currently in the midst of a new wave of technological breakthroughs.

Therefore, it was very possible that the NASDAQ index breaking through the 2000-point mark was merely the beginning, as Eric had pointed out.

Indeed, Eric's judgment proved to be correct: after the NASDAQ index successfully broke through 2000 points last week, its growth rate not only didn't slow down but exhibited clear signs of acceleration. Just this week, the NASDAQ index had peaked close to 2070 points, with an increase of 3.5%.

Putting aside these overarching economic trends, John Mack's attention quickly returned to the matters concerning America Online.

With the exception of Yahoo, which wouldn't go public until the end of the year, other prominent tech companies in the NASDAQ market, such as Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, and Sun Microsystems, showed no plans for large-scale stock sell-offs. Even Yahoo had been consistently reducing its initially intended 30% new stock issuance down to possibly only 10% to 15%. Therefore, it was unlikely that Wall Street investors would make significant investments in these companies anytime soon.

Ignoring the hidden risks, it became evident that Firefly Investment's plan to significantly reduce its holdings in America Online's stock was not a threat to Wall Street investors but rather an opportunity.

Carefully weighing the pros and cons once more, John Mack finally made his decision. He planned to team up with a group of investors to purchase Firefly Investment's entire stock holding in one go.

Based on the current market cap calculation, Firefly Investment's 32.6% stake in America Online was worth about $14.2 billion. Such a substantial stock asset was something no single investment institution on Wall Street could absorb completely.

However, if this could be spread among a dozen or even several dozen investment firms, then digesting this $14.2 billion worth of stock would become very feasible.

From another perspective, this action would be quite similar to a company's IPO. And issuing stock was precisely one of Morgan Stanley's foundational businesses.

Of course, the value of America Online shares held by Firefly Investment was impressively high. At $14.2 billion, it exceeded the previous record of $13 billion set by Deutsche Telekom a few years earlier for the largest IPO ever, which would certainly make actual execution quite challenging.

Nevertheless, if they could take over Firefly Investment's shares, the Damocles sword that had been hovering over America Online would vanish, allowing the company's stock price to completely free itself from the risk of a major shareholder sell-off. Without the burden of Firefly Investment and bolstered by America Online's rapid growth, the company's stock would undoubtedly soar with the new wave of technology.

Having made his decision, John Mack didn't hesitate. He picked up the phone on his desk and began to gather Morgan Stanley's executives, planning to hold a meeting that night to discuss how to implement the plan.

...

The impromptu meeting continued late into the night, even drawing in Morgan Stanley's new CEO, Philip Purcell, inquiring about John Mack's intentions.

Even though Morgan Stanley had merged with Dean Witter for over six months, the power struggle between the original management systems had settled after Philip Purcell from Dean Witter was appointed as the new CEO. However, original Morgan Stanley executives had never given up their plans to regain control, and operations between the two companies had not yet merged on a large scale for various reasons.

Although John Mack didn't hide his plans from Philip Purcell, he also had no intention of inviting him to participate.

The next day, after barely five hours of sleep, John Mack flew to Los Angeles with the plans discussed by Morgan Stanley's executives the previous night.

...

Eric had received an invitation from William Hearst III of the Hearst family and originally planned to take Jennifer Aniston to the Hearst Castle in San Simeon that Saturday. However, after receiving a phone call from John Mack that morning, he had to cancel the trip and stay at the mansion.

At that moment, in the study on the ground floor, Aniston, dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans, was clearly in a bad mood. She had drawn an ugly caricature of Eric on a large whiteboard covering an entire wall and, tossing aside her marker, came over like a restless kitten, wrapping her arms around Eric's neck from behind the leather chair.

Eric put down his storyboard for Gravity and pulled the visibly distressed Aniston into his lap, kissing her cheek while holding her waist, saying, "I'm really sorry about this. We'll go to San Simeon this afternoon and come back Monday, okay?"

"You said Gravity was starting shooting Monday; this can't be delayed," Aniston replied, leaning comfortably against Eric. "It was supposed to be our special date, and it's such a shame. I even bought a new dress for it."

Eric said, "Oh, you can still change into it now. I'd love to see it."

Aniston pouted, "I am not changing! You can't see it."

Eric chuckled, "Okay, not changing is fine. I just don't like how you look in clothes anyway."

"Ah, you bad guy," Aniston said, momentarily dazed, before realizing it and playfully scolding him as she hopped off his lap but didn't leave. Instead, she turned and sat on the large desk in front of him, gently kicking his leg with her foot.

Eric didn't move away, smiling as he looked at the sweet-faced girl. Over the years, Aniston's appearance had hardly changed since he first met her. Reflecting on everything they had experienced during that time, Eric couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.

Feeling Eric's gaze, Aniston suddenly became a bit bashful. After holding his gaze for a moment, she picked up the storyboard of Gravity he had just set aside and held it in between them, saying shyly, "No peeking."

With her view obstructed, noticing Aniston's small hand gripping the art board, Eric suddenly remembered something. He stood up, saying, "Right, I just remembered -- there's a gift for you."

"What is it?" Aniston, who had been pretending to ignore him, immediately became intrigued and jumped off the desk to follow him.

Eric walked to the wall, moved aside some decorative art, revealing a safe hidden in the wall, and looked at Aniston, whose eyes sparkled. "Okay, close your eyes for a moment."

"Please, I'm not interested in your safe code," Aniston replied, turning away as she teased in a little voice, "Is this good enough?"

Eric didn't worry about Aniston seeing the safe code but was concerned she might catch a glimpse of the entire set of rings inside, which wouldn't be good.

After opening the safe, Eric picked through a box containing the set of rings, selecting one. He closed the safe and turned back, taking Aniston's left hand, and the ring fit perfectly on her ring finger.

When Aniston saw Eric putting a rose gold ring on her hand, she raised an eyebrow but then took it off again, expertly inspecting the engraving inside before remarking, "I don't want to be compared to that girl's red heart Q!"

Eric was a bit surprised. "You know about that?"

Aniston puffed up with indignation, "That girl flaunted it in front of me so many times, how could I not know? Plus, I've seen someone getting photographed wearing one of these rings more than once."

As she spoke, Aniston shot Eric an annoyed glance, returning the rose gold ring and declaring, "I want a red heart K instead."

Eric was still processing the information Aniston just revealed. With Drew's personality and her rivalry with Aniston, it made sense that the girl would boast about the rings she acquired.

As for the photos, it must have been Julia; she was the one who felt no qualms about wearing the ring out in public every day.

Automatically accepting the ring Aniston handed back, Eric chuckled softly, "There's no red heart K; each ring is unique."

Aniston's eyes sparkled mischievously, "Then I want a Joker!"

"Not happening," Eric immediately shook his head and added, "And Joker won't work either."

Aniston already knew it was unlikely; otherwise, the Joker would surely have gone to Drew instead of her. "How about this, Eric? You open the box, and I can choose myself."

Now that Aniston was aware of the ring set, Eric decided to stop keeping secrets. He opened the safe and pulled out the box containing the set of rings for her to see.

Once Aniston saw the box, she noticed that besides the kings, seven other rings were missing. She went on a rant about Eric but ended up taking the clover K, insisting that it would allow her to wear it out directly. The rose gold ring embedded with black diamonds wouldn't likely be mistaken for an engagement ring even if spotted by someone.

Watching Aniston excitedly play with the ring, Eric neatly put the box away and walked over, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Jen, just so you know, once you put that ring on, you can't take it off."

Aniston had been fascinated by the rose gold ring but didn't appear as indifferent as Eric assumed. Hearing him say this, Aniston leaned against Eric, resting her chin on his shoulder, and after a moment of silence, she said, "Why am I so unlucky to have met someone like you?"

"Yeah," Eric softly agreed.

Aniston lightly thumped his back and said half-jokingly, "What do you mean, 'yeah'?"

"I was thinking about how lucky I am to have made you this unlucky."

Aniston's chin moved, gently brushing against Eric's ear as she teased, "Your ears are right next to my mouth; what if I bite it off?"

Eric suddenly fell silent. The two held each other for a while in unspoken understanding until a light on the communication device on the wall lit up. Eric knew it must be John Mack arriving, and he finally released Aniston.

...

"Eric, I'm sorry to intrude on your weekend, and oh, lovely Miss Aniston, my wife loves your show Friends," John Mack greeted warmly as he arrived.

"Not at all. I didn't have anything special planned this weekend," Eric replied instinctively, trying to maintain the courteous demeanor, which made Aniston roll her eyes.

After shaking hands with John Mack, Aniston went to prepare coffee for the two of them. She had already met the house staff but absolutely didn't want those girls to come inside.

After a while, bringing over a pot of coffee, Aniston quietly left the room, allowing Eric and John Mack to enter into the main discussion after they exchanged a few pleasantries.

John Mack brought forth the plans drafted during last night's meeting, handing them to Eric and saying, "Eric, you can take a look at the proposal we came up with, and we'll discuss it further afterward."

Eric nodded. The reason he chose to forgo the weekend getaway to San Simeon with Aniston in favor of this meeting was that he had already heard John Mack briefly outline his ideas over the phone, yet he still needed to understand the other party's vision in detail before they could move forward.

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1017: Feasibility of the Proposal]

Overall, the plan proposed by John Mack resembled an underwriting agreement, which showcased his confidence.

Investment banks responsible for underwriting client stocks generally employed two methods: buying outright or acting as agents. In a buyout model, the underwriter must ensure that the client's stocks sell completely; any unsold shares must be purchased by the underwriter, thus incurring significant risk. By contrast, in an agency model, there's no guarantee on sales -- whatever is sold is sold. Consequently, the commission earned in this model typically amounts to just half of what it would be in a buyout arrangement.

Typically, both methods pertain to new stocks issued by companies, but this time, John Mack planned to underwrite all existing AOL shares held by Eric, and the value of these shares was unprecedented.

The proposal suggested that Morgan Stanley use its stock sales network to underwrite all AOL shares owned by Firefly Investments. Firefly Investments would pay Morgan Stanley a 5% commission on sales revenue. To facilitate Morgan Stanley's selling process, Firefly Investments also needed to provide a somewhat favorable price that would not be affected by market fluctuations, akin to the initial public offering (IPO) price.

Since Firefly Investments first acquired a 30% stake in AOL for $60 million back in 1992, its total investment had accumulated to an astounding $1.57 billion, much of it spent during the stock acquisitions from late last year into this year.

However, according to Eric's strategy, merely selling the 3.1% stake held by the Clover Fund next year when the AOL stock price was high would be enough to recoup all the capital spent by the Firefly system over the years. Any sales of the 32.6% AOL shares held by Firefly Investments would count as pure profit for Eric.

Based on yesterday's closing price, Firefly Investments' public holding of 32.6% of AOL stock was valued at $14.2 billion.

What does $14.2 billion signify?

In the early rankings of the Forbes World Billionaires list, the Mars family, which controlled the renowned Mars Food Company, ranked tenth with a fortune of only $13.5 billion. Ignoring capital gains taxes for the moment, this $14.2 billion in cash would be enough for a person to make the global billionaire list.

If he could successfully cash out at the current stock price, even if he couldn't compare with giants like General Electric and Walmart, Eric would definitely become the individual with the largest cash reserves in the world, far surpassing all other billionaires.

No one knew the bubble in AOL stock better than Eric. His original plan was to sell as many of his AOL shares as possible before the internet bubble burst, cashing out ten to twenty billion dollars.

Once the bubble burst, even if his remaining shares retained high face value in the short term, no investors would be willing to buy indiscriminately.

Thus, if he could cash out entirely in a short timeframe, even if AOL's current market valuation was much lower than the peak Eric remembered, he was initially unopposed to the proposal put forth by John Mack.

However, after reading through John Mack's proposal, Eric looked up and asked, "John, how confident are you that you can successfully complete this capital operation involving over ten billion dollars?"

"Based on the latest information I've gathered, international hot money has begun a large-scale withdrawal from Southeast Asia, while some hedge funds are targeting the Russian ruble and may attack it as soon as this month. Once launched, I believe the ruble won't last even a month," John Mack didn't directly answer Eric's question. Instead, with a hint of confidence in his tone, he added, "So, Eric, I fully concur with your previous viewpoint that the Nasdaq at 2000 points is merely the beginning. In response to this proposal, Morgan Stanley will release a series of analysis reports predicting that the Nasdaq index will continue to rise, aimed at boosting investor confidence. I hope Firefly Group can provide some media resources to support this."

The economic analysis reports from the major investment banks on Wall Street wield significant influence, often impacting the economic data trends of various countries.

The prior subprime mortgage crisis was partly due to Wall Street investment banks repeatedly touting the safety and returns of high-risk housing mortgage loans through publicly released economic data, leading many investors, including European financial giants like Deutsche Bank, to suffer massive losses. This illustrates the substantial influence Wall Street investment banks have.

As the Nasdaq index surpassed 2000 points, many investors realizing the tech stock bubble began to adopt a cautious stance. However, if a Wall Street heavyweight like Morgan Stanley clearly endorsed the upward trend of the Nasdaq index, it would sway a multitude of investors.

John Mack's remarks clearly outlined his confidence and commitment toward the proposal.

Eric contemplated for a moment before asking another question that concerned him, "So, how long do you need?"

John Mack had evidently considered this aspect and promptly answered, "Three months. Morgan Stanley would need a month to publish relevant economic forecasts to build public sentiment. If the Russian economic crisis erupts as expected during this period, our confidence will increase. Only after a month will Morgan Stanley be able to market AOL stocks to our affiliated investment institutions."

"In that case," Eric leaned back against the chair and looked at John Mack, "what do you think I should do about the plan I mentioned in the video meeting earlier?"

At the end of June, during the video meeting in New Zealand, Eric had forcefully demanded that other AOL shareholders buy the 10% of AOL shares held by Firefly Investments within a month, or else Firefly Investments would opt to sell in the open market.

By this time, nearly half a month had passed since Eric issued that ultimatum, and he couldn't just let it go.

John Mack suddenly realized he had overlooked this matter. From yesterday afternoon until now, he had assumed that after presenting such a secure proposal, Eric would give up his original plan.

After a pause, Eric spoke again before John Mack could respond, "John, I'd like to share my thoughts."

Taken aback, John Mack instinctively nodded in agreement.

"Honestly, everyone knows, including Morgan Stanley, that the other AOL shareholders are not too opposed to purchasing that 10% stake; they're merely concerned that Firefly Investments would offload the remaining stocks onto them."

At this point, Eric paused briefly before continuing, "However, your proposal alleviates the issues everyone faces. Given this, I can make a small concession: that 10% of the stocks will still be taken by AOL shareholders, priced according to the original $4 billion I proposed. Following that, Firefly Investments will grant Morgan Stanley the right to underwrite 15% of AOL stocks for $6 billion. Furthermore, Firefly Investments guarantees that within a year, it will not reduce its remaining stock holdings."

John Mack displayed astonishment on his face; he hadn't anticipated that Eric would make such significant modifications to his proposal in such a short time.

Yet, upon further reflection, John Mack had to concede that Eric's modifications were undoubtedly most beneficial for Firefly Investments.

The total sale of 25% of the shares was valued at $10 billion. According to AOL's current market value, Eric effectively relinquished about $900 million in benefits. Nevertheless, the price aligned with Eric's offer from the end of June's video meeting.

Additionally, separating the transactions into two parts meant that 10% of the stocks would be picked up according to Eric's initial plan, and Firefly Investments would avoid paying Morgan Stanley the 5% commission fee.

The additional 15% stocks would be underwritten by Morgan Stanley, which increased the chances of a successful sale while reducing risks. Firefly Investments could recoup funds in the shortest timeframe.

Were Morgan Stanley merely underwriting 15%, they certainly wouldn't require three months to complete the deal.

By selling 25% of the stock, Firefly Investments still retained 7.6% of its holding.

Though still considered a significant shareholder with ownership falling below 10%, Firefly Investments wouldn't wield enough influence over AOL. Combined with Eric's promise to hold for a year, AOL stock would finally shed the burden of potential sell-offs by Firefly Investments, returning to an upward trend in the broader market.

Finally, keeping 7.6% of the stocks would allow Firefly Investments to benefit from potential gains as AOL's valuation climbed in the future.

However, Morgan Stanley's earnings would be considerably lower.

Under the original underwriting proposal, despite the high risk, success would bring in a commission of 600 to 700 million dollars, which could account for approximately 25% of Morgan Stanley's annual profits.

Yet now, with a $6 billion underwriting plan, Morgan Stanley would only earn around $300 million in commission, more than half less than the original plan.

For a moment, John Mack felt as if he were putting on someone else's clothes.

If Eric could perceive John Mack's thoughts, he'd undoubtedly commend the latter for quickly deciphering his intentions.

Selling 25% of the stocks at once meant that the shares held by Firefly Investments and Clover Fund still amounted to 10.7%. However, on paper, Firefly Investments' equity ratio fell to 7.6%, a figure sufficient enough to ease the market's concerns over Firefly Investments.

As for the valuation of this 25% of AOL stock at $10 billion, it was considerably less than AOL's market cap at its peak. Still, Eric was confident that even John Mack on the other side would make a similar choice if he could foresee the future.

It was crucial to completely remove the invisible "restraining belt" that Firefly Investments had around AOL to allow the stock price to soar alongside the overall trends of the Nasdaq market. Otherwise, AOL would constantly be overshadowed by the fear of sell-offs.

In his memory, by this time next year, the Nasdaq index would surpass 3000 points. At that point, witnessing the ongoing explosion of tech stocks, investors worldwide, not just Wall Street, would be fully caught in a frenzy of irrationality.

By then, as Firefly Investments and Clover Fund gradually reduced their remaining AOL stocks, it wouldn't provoke any significant negative reactions; in fact, investors would be scrambling to buy.

After noticing John Mack's thoughtful silence for a while, Eric took the initiative to speak again, saying, "John, I believe there's definitely room for negotiation on that 5% commission you just mentioned. However, as long as Morgan Stanley cooperates with my recent proposal, I can guarantee that the 15% of the AOL stocks entrusted to Morgan Stanley will operate under this 5% commission -- you think that's reasonable?"

John Mack hesitated for a moment, managing to keep a calm face while betraying a faint hint of a wry smile. He also admired Eric's keen business insight; instead of meeting with Eric's agent Chris Hansen in New York first, he had flown to Los Angeles to meet Eric directly, realizing now that his earlier plans to "take advantage of him" had completely backfired.

Moreover, what could he gain by not agreeing now?

Business proposals do not have traditional patent rights or restrictions. Should he refuse, Eric could directly partner with companies like Goldman Sachs or Lehman Brothers instead. If such a scenario unfolded, Morgan Stanley's competitors would be dreaming of snatching Firefly up while laughing in their sleep.

Without further hesitation, John Mack quickly extended his hand out to Eric, saying, "Then, here's to a successful collaboration."

Eric shook his hand back, nodding with a smile, "To a pleasant collaboration."

Eric was scheduled to start shooting Gravity on Monday, so the detailed cooperation specifics would naturally be handled by Chris in New York.

After wrapping up their discussion, they chatted about Firefly Group's $2 billion bond issuance, which had begun selling the previous week.

Although Firefly Investments anticipated a significant inflow of cash, Eric did not halt the bond issuance plan. It wasn't solely due to the plan being well underway -- pulling out at this stage was impossible -- but also because appropriate levels of debt could benefit Firefly Group through tax deductions.

After inviting John Mack for lunch at the Liberty City Manor, and seeing him off in the afternoon, Eric headed to Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California, for the weekend with Aniston.

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1018: Building Momentum]

On July 13, the filming of Gravity officially kicked off at Firefly Studios.

Following the massive global box office hits Jurassic Park and Casino Royale, which each grossed over a billion dollars, Eric's new directorial project was undoubtedly a hot topic.

Though Eric did not personally engage in the promotional activities, the media relations department at Firefly Group had everything organized perfectly. Prior to the film's commencement, ABC had already conducted a feature interview with the two lead actors, Jodie Foster and George Clooney. News related to Gravity was extensively disseminated across various media channels connected to the Firefly Group.

As was customary, the pre-release information contained no substantial details related to the film's content. All the public knew was that Eric Williams had begun shooting a new movie -- a space-themed film, to be precise.

Although many were already aware of the film's title, every headline that appeared in the media referred to it simply as "Eric Williams' Untitled New Film." Maintaining an air of mystery and keeping the public curious was a standard strategy employed during the launch of any blockbuster.

...

While Eric began filming Gravity in Los Angeles, in New York, Morgan Stanley had already started building momentum for the Nasdaq index, even as discussions on the details of collaboration were ongoing.

The first article released by Morgan Stanley was an analytical report on the false recovery of the Russian economy. Published in The Wall Street Journal, the report pointed out that between May and June of that year, capital withdrawals from Russia amounted to $13 billion. This figure exceeded half of the over $20 billion in foreign investment brought into Russia between 1991 and 1997. Accompanied by the recent drop in international oil prices, which underpinned the Russian economy, Russia faced another impending economic winter, with its foreign debt-to-reserve ratio reaching alarming levels.

Following the Southeast Asian financial crisis, international hedge funds that had profited from the equity, currency, and bond markets in various Southeast Asian countries had begun to flow capital into Russia, which appeared to be a recovering economy. Soros' Quantum Fund was a typical example, investing half of its gains from the Southeast Asian crisis into the Russian stock and bond markets.

Of the over $20 billion in foreign investment brought into Russia from 1991 to 1997, nearly $10 billion had been poured in during the previous year alone. However, once they entered the Russian market, these vast amounts of capital quickly recognized the fragile reality of the Russian economy. This was why there had been a large-scale panic exit of capital in May and June.

Morgan Stanley's analytical report laid bare the imminent collapse of the Russian economy, causing a stir in the press. Those unaware of the deeper motives behind Morgan Stanley's article merely watched the drama unfold, while the various capital players closely monitoring global economic conditions misinterpret the report as a 'signal' suggesting to international hedge funds to attack the ruble.

In truth, the report simply served as groundwork for Morgan Stanley's continued promotion of the Nasdaq market.

Exposing the true state of the Russian economy meant that even for some investors who still held out hope for Russia's economic recovery, they would surely think twice about entering the market amid such revelations. Consequently, the next step for Morgan Stanley would naturally be to guide them to redirect their investments back to North America and into the Nasdaq market.

...

On the day the report was released, the Russian Foreign Ministry promptly condemned Morgan Stanley for its "extremely irresponsible" false statements, while the Russian Minister of Economics held a press conference, vehemently refuting Morgan Stanley's assertions.

The powerful influence of an international investment bank like Morgan Stanley on the economies of various countries quickly became apparent. The day after the report was released, the Russian ruble showed signs of notable appreciation.

Under normal circumstances, a currency's appreciation would indicate a strengthening economy. However, everyone knew at this moment that the ruble's rise was anything but a healthy sign -- it was a dangerous signal.

Many still remembered how, prior to the Southeast Asian financial crisis, the Thai baht had shown dramatic appreciation in a very short time. The ruble's value rise was evidently a sign of international currency speculators amassing the ruble in an attempt to short it.

After the Southeast Asian economies suffered devastation, Russia was also bound to face a similar catastrophe.

...

Following lobbying efforts by Chris and John Mack, America Online shareholders agreed to purchase a 10% stake in America Online from Firefly Investments for $4 billion. Negotiations on the underwriting agreement progressed rapidly, with Morgan Stanley efficiently organizing plans to generate buzz for the Nasdaq market.

...

In Los Angeles, the fifth day of Gravity's shooting had unknowingly arrived.

In this time, aside from a morning call with Chris to catch up on developments in New York, Eric largely focused all his energies on the filming of Gravity.

As it happened, it was Friday afternoon, and the set at Firefly Studios was on a brief hiatus. Eric sat in front of a computer in the studio, watching scenes of George Clooney performing a spacewalk around the Hubble Space Telescope. Surrounding him were Nicole Frank, Jodie Foster, George Clooney, and the film's visual effects supervisor Robert Byer, either standing or sitting as they reviewed the footage on the computer.

At this moment, Eric encountered an unexpected problem that had only arisen after filming commenced: the reflection visible in the glass helmet of the actors' space suits.

Theoretically, in the vacuum of space devoid of any diffuse reflection, the reflections in the glass helmet ought to be very sharp and direct, without any blurring issues. Eric had already considered the reflections of the pupils in the close-up shots of the actors' eyes and had designed a solution for that.

A few days earlier, to help the crew and actors acclimate, Eric had opted to start with some easier wide shots. However, today, when it came to some close-up shots of the actors, Eric realized that even with a real-time environment simulation using a lightbox, the unavoidable scattering due to minute air particles impeded the reflection within the glass helmet from achieving the fine detail of a real space environment.

After a moment, Nicole spoke up first, "Eric, perhaps we could remove the glass covers and do all this part with post-production CG."

Eric nodded; indeed, unless he were to abandon his pursuit of perfection, removing the glass covers for full CG usage would be almost inevitable.

Over 99% of Gravity's footage would be shot in this sound stage, thus the crew was not a large team; even for long-term members like Jodie Foster and George Clooney, it didn't number more than twenty.

On the other hand, Gravity did have a hundred-person digital effects team continually available to support the production.

Seeing Eric nod, Robert Byer from Digital Domain spoke up: "Eric, removing the glass cover and creating CG isn't difficult; we just need to install sensors around the helmet so we can accurately place the CG model of the glass cover. However, this part would be quite tedious."

Eric pondered for a moment and said to Robert Byer, "Bob, how about we put in some extra hours over the weekend? Let's get the helmet props modified. As for the CG creation, let's schedule that in post-production after we've set the other scenes. It'll be much easier that way."

Considering the reflections for the CG glass cover together with other CG scenes in the same phase would indeed be cumbersome. But once all surrounding scenes were confirmed, crafting the relevant CG modules later would be much simpler and quicker.

They further discussed the details for a while. Time was still on their side, but it was clear that filming for today couldn't continue, and Eric announced the early closure. Tomorrow was the weekend, and the majority of the crew would typically take the day off.

...

Once the studio workers had tidied up briefly, they began to leave.

Eric and Robert Byer agreed to meet tomorrow morning to discuss modifications to the helmet. After bidding goodbye to Robert, he remained seated at his workstation, opening his laptop to quietly type today's work log.

Despite having prepared for an entire year in advance, various issues still emerged during actual filming. Eric had long anticipated this; Gravity was recognized as another pinnacle of film technology following Avatar.

Even with those memories helping Eric avoid many pitfalls, he had not imagined achieving this groundbreaking work would be a smooth ride.

As he was focused on writing out his reflections for the day, the sound of high-heeled shoes echoed nearby.

Eric looked up to see Jodie Foster approaching from the makeup room. It was always a hassle for women to remove their makeup after a shoot.

Aside from the two quiet makeup artists and his own assistant, the enormous studio -- which could have housed a large Boeing passenger aircraft -- left only Eric inside. Jodie approached him naturally to say hello, "Hey, Eric, aren't you planning to clock out?"

Eric slipped a few words into his notes before looking up at Jodie Foster with a smile, "I'm waiting for you."

"You're at it again, being all cheeky," Jodie laughed, but she quite straightforwardly pulled out a chair and sat down next to Eric, curiously glancing at his laptop: "Can I take a look?"

"Of course," Eric nodded, adjusting the screen slightly towards her, then asked, "How have you been feeling these days?"

Jodie pressed the mouse and scrolled through Eric's work log, reading it with keen interest, "Thank goodness I took your advice to work out for a few months; otherwise, I might have really struggled to keep up."

It was summer, and there was no air conditioning in the largest studio at Firefly Studios. Combined with a ring of LED screens that continuously emitted heat, temperatures inside the background lightbox often exceeded 30 degrees Celsius.

Though the film required no complex stunts from the actors, wearing bulky space suits and spending three to four hours in a confined, hot lightbox could be quite exhausting, especially when exiting left one feeling drained.

Despite the heat, since the filming had begun, Eric had never heard Jodie complain; instead, she committed to performing exactly as he requested, which greatly impressed Eric with her professionalism.

In truth, Jodie Foster's perception of Eric was quite similar.

This young man, who had amassed wealth that many could only dream of, consistently arrived at the studio first and was often the last to leave.

Sometimes, Jodie found herself pondering why someone with so much money would work this hard. A little laziness or a bad attitude seemed only natural.

Moments later, Jodie pointed at a line in Eric's work log, asking, "Eric, why do you believe that a relative speed of four meters per second was necessary for optimal zero-gravity effect?"

"That's the result of numerous preliminary tests between Nicole and me," Eric explained. "It's not that four meters per second produces the best zero-gravity effect; it's about standardizing the relative speed of the normal state shots at four meters per second, providing viewers with a cohesive visual experience. In reality, during other collision and flight scenes, your relative speed to the camera would always vary. We need to ensure your various movement trajectories align with the laws of physics in space to achieve the perfect zero-gravity visual effect."

Jodie listened attentively, and jokingly added, "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'd hardly believe you graduated from high school."

Eric admired the beauty of Jodie Foster's striking blue eyes and replied with a smile, "That's a bias you have."

Jodie offered him a smile in return: "If you mind, then I apologize."

"Hey, I forgive you," Eric said cheerfully. "By the way, have you thought about that bet we made during the Oscars? What's your take?"

"Nope," Jodie nearly forgotten about the bet she had made with Eric regarding the Best Actress award at the Oscars. She was a clever woman, and it was obvious she wouldn't take Eric's earlier promise of whatever demand she wanted too seriously. Hearing Eric bring it up now, she couldn't help but say, "But why do I suddenly feel like I owe you a promise?"

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1019: Little Boy]

At this moment, when Eric brought up their bet from the Oscars, Judy couldn't help but say, "But why do I suddenly feel like I owe you a promise?"

"Well, if you feel that way," Eric replied smoothly, "how about you take me out to dinner later?"

"Sure," Judy nodded enthusiastically. "After dinner, we can go watch a movie together."

Eric readily agreed. "No problem."

Judy continued, "And after the movie, you can take me home."

Eric was somewhat taken aback. "Sure."

Judy shot him a playful yet sharp glance with her spirited almond eyes, a smile on her lips, and quickly changed the subject. "You wish!"

Eric feigned injury. "Hey, Judy, that's not fair."

Judy showed no signs of remorse, still smiling. "What do you expect? You're always thinking about hitting on me, little boy."

"You know, Judy," Eric said earnestly, "from a psychological perspective, calling me 'little boy' indicates that subconsciously, you worry about not being able to resist someone of the opposite sex. So, you use a defensive term that you think creates distance between us. But in reality, it might just backfire."

Judy propped her chin up with one hand, listening with a beaming smile. "Though I think you're talking nonsense, it somehow seems quite rational."

Eric encouraged her, "You should be a bit more confident and be brave enough to acknowledge your mental state."

"Alright, enough of your rambling," Judy laughed as she pulled out a stack of papers from her bag and handed it to him. "This is the first draft of my novel version of Gravity. Though it's only halfway done, I still wanted you to take a look at it first."

Upon hearing Judy bring up a serious matter, Eric stopped joking and accepted the stack of manuscripts. "I'll finish reading it this weekend and get back to you on Monday."

"You don't need to rush. Take your time to read it," Judy waved off as she stood up. "Well then, I'm leaving."

Eric got up to see Judy off before returning to his desk to continue working on his log for the day.

...

Saturday morning arrived with the typical sunny California weather.

Although he had work lined up today, he didn't have to rush like on a regular weekday.

He woke up promptly at seven at the estate, finished his usual workout, and sat down in the dining room to read the day's newspaper. An open laptop sat on the table. The twins were busy bustling around in the kitchen, having stayed out late the previous night, and were still lounging in bed, apparently not planning to get up until noon.

This Saturday marked the third weekend since the release of Charlie's Angels 3. The laptop displayed detailed box office data for the film over the past few weeks.

After breaking box office records with a $95.9 million opening weekend, Charlie's Angels 3 finally raked in $130.43 million for its first week, continuing to shatter various records in Hollywood.

Moreover, the film's second weekend also met expectations, with a drop of only 43%, bringing in an additional $74.34 million, accumulating a total of $204.77 million over two weeks -- a remarkable achievement of over $200 million in just two weekends.

Based on the box office data from yesterday, the third week's Friday gross represented a 49% drop from the previous Friday, with a daily box office of $8.46 million. Given that another major blockbuster, The Scorpion King, was released this week, this drop wasn't disappointing.

Eric recalled that the previous The Scorpion King could only be considered mid-tier in terms of cost, and its box office performance hadn't been exceptional. However, with Universal's ambition in building their Mummy universe, the production cost of this new scion film had reached $90 million.

Following its widespread release yesterday, The Scorpion King received decent reviews for its story and special effects. The midnight and first-day earnings accumulated to $21.86 million, suggesting a potential $80 million opening week, given the film's reception.

While these figures couldn't compare to Charlie's Angels 3, they were already impressive for a first installment of a derived series, and Universal may recover its entire production cost from the North American box office alone.

Under such circumstances, it was almost a given that Charlie's Angels 3 would be affected. A drop below 50% already demonstrated the strong popularity of this spy movie blockbuster. Moreover, having surpassed the $200 million mark in just two weekends, Charlie's Angels 3 seemed all but confirmed to be the first film in 1998 likely to break the $300 million mark at the North American box office.

Considering the summer movie line-up and the end-of-year slate, unless another surprise blockbuster emerged, Charlie's Angels 3 was undoubtedly a strong contender for the title of 1998's North American box office champion, aside from the similarly-produced Mission: Impossible III.

On the international market, in the countries that saw simultaneous releases, Charlie's Angels 3 had also strongly crossed $260 million in overseas box office in just two weeks. Notably, important overseas markets like Japan, Italy had yet to release.

All these combined suggested that the overseas revenue would conservatively be double that of North America, indicating that Charlie's Angels 3 might again challenge the billion-dollar mark globally, becoming the second film from the MGM spy movie universe to achieve such a feat.

Last year's Casino Royale saw robust box office returns, propelling MGM, which had been dormant for years, to surpass a market cap of $10 billion.

Amidst the general upward trend of the North American stock market, following further successes of the MGM spy movie universe and rapid growth in MGM's television business, MGM's stock price had reached $51.37, valuing the company at $22.3 billion.

Just a few years ago, MGM had been on the brink of bankruptcy, ready to be ousted from Hollywood's major studio ranks. However, in terms of film and television alone, its current strength had far surpassed that of Sony Pictures, with this year's expected profits placing it comfortably among the top three major studios.

...

As Eric casually browsed through the newspaper, he began contemplating MGM's next steps for expansion.

In terms of cinema, the only major shortfall MGM faced was the limitation of its film production and distribution scale.

Despite boasting blockbusters like Charlie's Angels 3 and Mission: Impossible III, MGM only had plans for the production and release of nine films throughout the entire year of 1998. Notably, these two films alone accounted for over 80% of MGM's box office share for the year.

While the spy movie universe was in its most thriving phase, it also faced hidden crises, the most striking of which was that all three major series had started to encounter the "Hollywood trilogy curse."

Although Eric successfully navigated the 007 series past that hurdle last year using strongarm tactics, the increasing importance of the spy movie universe to MGM meant he couldn't resort to such desperate measures again this year.

To lessen MGM's dependence on the spy movie universe, it was imperative to bolster MGM's overall film production and distribution capabilities. That way, even if unforeseen issues arose in the spy movie universe, MGM wouldn't plummet from its peak into a deep valley.

Just like this year's Firefly Group, which boasted only The Day After Tomorrow -- a heavyweight blockbuster -- yet benefited from the combined impressive production and distribution scales of Firefly Pictures, Disney Pictures, and New Line Cinema, as well as continuous revenue from video sales and television broadcast rights following previous years' hits, Firefly Group expected its film and television revenues to maintain a leading position in Hollywood.

...

The twins brought breakfast to the table, snapping Eric back to reality. He stopped pondering his previous thoughts and, as they sat across from him, asked, "So, where did our party girl go wild yesterday?"

Natasha looked up. "Boss hosted a party to celebrate the wrap of Fast Furious."

Eric nodded, not saying much more but reminding them, "Just make sure you don't drink at these parties. Take care of each other."

Natasha replied softly, "We never drink, master."

"That's a good habit," Eric affirmed lightly and then casually inquired, "What do you two like to do in your spare time?"

Natasha seemed taken aback and replied, "Whatever you ask us to do, master."

Eric thought back; he genuinely couldn't recall if the twins had any particular hobbies. They seemed like mere shadows of that girl: "Well, don't tell me you haven't thought about what you'd like to do in the future? Like marriage, perhaps?"

Natasha's bright blue eyes looked back, unexpectedly questioning, "Master, do you want us to get married?"

Eric paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed, shaking his head. "No, that's not right. You usually don't talk like this."

But instead of responding to Eric, Natasha pressed on, "Master, do you want us to get married?"

Hearing Natasha speak so out of character astonished Eric. He bluntly replied, "Of course not! You two are mine. No one's leaving."

"Mm," Natasha responded with a hint of agreement, but it seemed like the earlier conversation evaporated as she returned to her usual cool demeanor, lowering her head and silently munching her food.

Eric fixed his gaze on the two girls across from him for a few seconds and suddenly felt like he had just experienced something uncanny. He couldn't help but ask, "Natasha, do you remember what you just said?"

Natasha raised her face again, slightly nodding, and replied, "Master, if you want, you can take us out for the night. But not together; it has to be one at a time."

One at a time -- how would he ever leverage the twins' advantages like that?

Eric pondered, glancing towards Eve. Sensing his gaze, Eve's exquisite face colored slightly, but she only lowered her head a bit.

He turned back toward Natasha and asked, "Well, what if I wanted both of you together?"

Natasha's expression barely flickered. "Master, you can't take us both on."

"..."

Alright, it seemed logic always lay in the hands of those with bigger fists.

Eric suddenly realized he had two deeply hidden, extraordinary young women by his side and couldn't help but feel a little strange about it all.

"Remember to wake Drew up at ten; she can't sleep too long. Also, I'll head straight to the party celebrating Charlie's Angels 3 tonight, so you two don't need to wait for me."

After breakfast, before heading to work, Eric gave the twins all the usual instructions. Once they nodded quietly, he glanced at their identical beautiful faces and joked lightly, "I'm off to work. Should I get a kiss before I go?"

Natasha nodded, while Eve blushed shyly. The two identical girls had completely different reactions; it gave Eric another curious sensation.

However, after Eric's comment, the two of them remained standing still for a while, neither moving nor speaking.

After holding that pose for over ten seconds, Eric shrugged slightly and said, "Okay, I must've said something strange just now. This morning is just too weird. Well, goodbye."

...

Aside from the peculiar experiences of the morning, Eric soon arrived at Firefly Studios and quickly immersed himself in work.

He spent the morning brainstorming the redesign of the astronaut helmet with Firefly's visual effects supervisor, Robert Byer, after which he was set to have a scheduled lunch meeting with Amy Pascal to discuss the upcoming development plans for the Charlie's Angels series, mainly revolving around the salary issues for Charlize and the other two lead actresses.

Typically speaking, with Charlie's Angels 3 projected to hit the global $1 billion box office, the lead actors in this series would certainly qualify for salaries of $20 million or more each.

However, considering there were three actresses, if each one asked for $20 million, that would mean MGM had to pay a staggering $60 million for just the lead roles in the next sequel. If they wanted to invite one or two strong supporting roles, just the salary expenditures would make it challenging for Hollywood to produce a single A-list film.

Under traditional Hollywood rules, poor cost management had long been the leading reason for major studios suffering losses. This wasn't due to a lack of capable cost managers in Hollywood but because those producers typically reaped the most benefits from the existing rules.

Filmmakers, from directors to producers and other creatives, often came out in the green, while the neglected sacrifices usually fell on shareholders and investors. If Eric were just a director, he would hope for such a profit-sharing model to continue but wouldn't care much about how it affects anyone else.

Now, however, Eric's most important role leaned more toward that of a shareholder and investor, which meant he couldn't allow such scenarios to persist within the Firefly system.

Regarding the future development of Charlie's Angels, while he wouldn't be as inflexible about salaries as he had been last year, he also wouldn't submit to Hollywood's traditional practices of profit distribution.

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1020: Are You Worried I'll Be Like Last Year?]

In the Firefly Cinemas, at a restaurant on the big ship, Amy Pascal and Eric sat at a table by the window overlooking Marianne Bay. After some small talk, Amy took the initiative to bring up the topic of Charlie's Angels 3, which was currently showing.

"Eric, I recently had the finance team do a simple calculation for me. For Charlie's Angels 3, our production cost was $160 million, with a marketing budget of $50 million, making a total investment of $210 million. However, before the release, brand integrations from companies like Buick already brought us $43 million in advertising revenue, and during the filming in the UK, we got $8 million back in tax rebates. That adds up to $51 million in pre-release revenue."

Pausing here, Amy carefully gauged Eric's expression before continuing, "As for box office, if we consider $300 million in North America and $600 million overseas, based on the usual box office sharing rules, we can expect to recover about $375 million in box office revenue over the next six months. That means that with just the theatrical release of Charlie's Angels 3, MGM will theoretically net $216 million in profit."

Eric listened attentively to Amy's words and, after she finished, he smiled and asked, "Are you worried I'll be like last year?"

Last year's event, when Pierce Brosnan's agent sprang an unexpected situation on everyone, made it hard to imagine how things could have turned out differently. Though Eric had directly pointed out her concern, Amy calmly nodded and replied, "Eric, I just think that with the box office potential shown by the Charlie's Angels series, it's definitely worth it for us to pay a little more for the upcoming sequels."

Eric nodded in agreement. Among the three major series, MGM's collaboration with the Charlie's Angels trio had been the most seamless, and he didn't want to stir up trouble over salaries again. "You must have talked to ICM? What did they say?"

Amy said, "Michelle just mentioned they hope to secure a profit-sharing agreement this time; we haven't discussed much else."

Eric paused for a moment, then remembered Michelle Simmons, the agent for Charlize and the others. They hadn't specified any concrete demands, clearly wanting to maintain the good relationship between ICM and the Firefly network. The reason ICM could hold its ground alongside the big Hollywood agencies CAA and WMA was all thanks to the strong support from the various production companies within the Firefly network.

But with ICM not being proactive in their requests, Eric felt a bit uncertain. While ICM valued their relationship with Firefly, Eric wasn't someone who held grudges either. After a moment of thought, Eric asked Amy, "What do you think a reasonable salary would be?"

Even after a year had passed, Amy still vividly remembered Eric's assertiveness from the previous year. She hadn't expected him to turn the question back to her. After a moment's pause, she replied, "Eric, considering that Penny and the others need to participate in two more sequels, Charlie's Angels 4 and Bond 20, I think it's best we get a package deal with an option for an additional film. As for the salary, I believe it's more fitting for you to decide."

Since the announcement of MGM's spy movie universe plan, four films had already been released: Charlie's Angels 2, Mission: Impossible 2, Casino Royale, and Charlie's Angels 3, with Mission: Impossible 3 in post-production counting as the fifth.

MGM also had planned for Bond 19, Charlie's Angels 4, Mission: Impossible 4, and Bond 20. The confrontation between the three series and Spectre would come to a conclusion with Bond 20.

These nine major films formed a tightly woven narrative, creating a complete spy movie universe. If everything went smoothly, it would mark a groundbreaking achievement in Hollywood film history.

Seeing that Amy had turned the question back to him, Eric pondered for a moment and said, "My personal suggestion would also be for a profit-sharing contract. While the chances of the sequels failing are low, it's necessary to take some measures to mitigate risks. So for Charlie's Angels 4, let's go with the fixed salary of $10 million plus 10% of global net box office profits for each of them. However, for Bond 20, they will need to make some compromises in the end; I'll only calculate their salaries at $3 million."

Hearing Eric's statement, a small piece of tension lifted from Amy's chest. "Eric, isn't that a bit of a drastic difference?"

According to Eric's proposal, if Charlie's Angels 4 continued the success of Charlie's Angels 3, each of the trio could make over $30 million from that sequel. But the salary for Bond 20 dropped directly to $3 million with no profit share. Such a tenfold discrepancy would be quite hard for anyone to accept.

Eric calculated for a moment and recognized the unfairness. "Let's adjust that a bit. For Charlie's Angels 4, let's lower the profit share to 5%, and give them another 5% for Bond 20."

Amy hesitated but finally replied, "Eric, that still seems a bit off. While this contract will certainly remain confidential, if each of them gets 5% from Bond 20, it might seem a little high in relation to their salaries."

"Well, let's keep adjusting," Eric chuckled, "And Amy, you don't need to be so cautious. Do I really come off as a tyrant?"

"Only," Amy said, a bit embarrassed, making a gesture subconsciously, "the box office for Charlie's Angels 3 is too good. Everyone seems a bit on edge lately."

"It seems last year's incident left a deep psychological shadow on you all," Eric continued smiling. "But you must have noticed the shifts since then. If I hadn't insisted last year, Kevin Costner wouldn't have agreed to be in Charlie's Angels 4 so easily. Perhaps this time ICM wouldn't be so cautious. Ever since Michael Ovitz founded CAA back in the 70s, Hollywood studios have been losing more and more control in front of stars. Ultimately, Amy, I'm just reclaiming the control that rightfully belongs to us. Or rather, we should be the ones who are in charge in Hollywood."

As Amy listened quietly to Eric's words, she couldn't help but feel a hint of admiration. Though she didn't voice it, in her heart she made a small adjustment to Eric's final statement. The first word shouldn't have been "we"; perhaps it should've been "I."

The young man before her was indeed the one holding the reins of Hollywood.

They discussed in detail the fluctuating proportions regarding the trio's salaries until the waiter brought their lunch. The conversation shifted to a lighter note.

...

Before they realized it, they were discussing the Easter egg about the stepping stone document in Charlie's Angels 3. Amy said, "Eric, we've already contacted Matt Damon. However, because of last year's Good Will Hunting, his current asking price for a commercial film is over $7 million. Moreover, he'd never sign a package deal like Vin Diesel and Paul Walker did for us."

For the original Fast Furious, Eric directly cast the relatively obscure Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. To avoid the mistakes of the spy universe's three major series, MGM signed a three-film agreement with additional support films with both actors, maintaining all control firmly in their hands.

However, this strategy wouldn't work on Matt Damon, who was already rising to stardom in Hollywood. With his success from Good Will Hunting, he'd successfully upgraded to a top male star in Hollywood, and his career had ample room for growth, making it unlikely he would easily sign a package deal with the studio.

"If that's the case, then contact other male stars," Eric said nonchalantly as he continued to eat his lunch. "Just the hype around the spy movie universe is enough to guarantee the popularity of The Bourne Identity. We don't necessarily need to use a top star. As long as the acting is up to par and fits the hero's image, even a total newcomer would be fine."

Amy nodded, having already reviewed Eric's detailed plans for Jason Bourne series.

According to Eric's vision, this uniquely styled series would be difficult to intersect plot-wise with the spy movie universe, but Amy felt very confident about its box office prospects.

Because the series was so distinctive, with its three interconnected plots, unique shooting techniques, and impactful action scene designs, plus a well-rounded story completion, even though the film wouldn't be released for several years, just based on Eric's plot ideas and storyboards, Amy could sense a completely refreshing style of spy film emerging.

...

After finishing their lunch, Eric saw Amy off before returning to the Gravity set to start his afternoon work.

In the afternoon, due to some sudden new ideas, Eric and Robert Byer had been busy in the studio until night fell. It wasn't until a call from Drew at the Charlie's Angels 3 celebration party reminded him that Eric left the studio around 7:30 PM, heading to the Sunset Tower Hotel in Beverly Hills.

It was the peak time for traffic, and Eric arrived at the Sunset Tower Hotel shortly after 8:15 PM, the party had already started.

As Eric pulled into the hotel parking lot, the girl hurried over and linked her arm with his, saying, "Eric, why are you so late? It's already past eight!"

"I was working with Robert on modifying the helmets for filming; we had a few new ideas we wanted to try," Eric explained, glancing around, not seeing the twins, so he asked, "Is everyone else here?"

"Of course!" the girl replied, unaware of Eric's gaze. "The party started at seven, and everyone has been here for a while."

Eric and the girl entered the banquet hall of the hotel where most of the main creators of the spy movie universe series had gathered. Along with them were the stars and socialites from Los Angeles. Although the girl was a few years younger than Eric, she was well-connected in the industry due to her being MGM's major shareholder.

Eric chatted warmly with everyone before heading over to the buffet table to grab some food. After a busy afternoon, he was quite hungry.

"Good evening, Eric," as Eric selected his food, a guest took the girl away to talk, leaving him momentarily alone until someone approached him.

He picked up a couple of grilled shrimp and smiled at Charlize, who stood beside him in a flowing light-green evening gown. "Charlize, you look stunning tonight. Want to grab some food together?"

"Sure," Charlize nodded, taking a plate for herself and standing beside Eric as she selected her food. Then she suddenly said, "Eric, Michelle has informed us about your salary terms."

"Hmm?" Eric knew Charlize had more to say, so he merely responded with a questioning tone.

Earlier, the result of Eric's discussion with Amy was that the trio would receive a $10 million base salary plus 8% of the global net box office profits for Charlie's Angels 4, while their salaries for Bond 20 would be a $3 million base with a 2% box office share.

Should both films manage to reach a global box office total of $1 billion, theoretically, each of the trio would make over $30 million, potentially coming close to $100 million collectively.

Of course, nobody could guarantee such an outcome. It would be challenging to predict whether audiences would tire of two consecutive billion-dollar spy films, and the production costs for upcoming films would undoubtedly rise, yielding lower box office net profits even if they did reach a billion.

Charlize didn't meet Eric's eyes as she continued selecting her food, seemingly absent-mindedly stating, "Michelle advised us to accept this offer, and I've agreed."

Eric waited for a moment. Not hearing further details, he pieced it together. Charlize's agreement likely hinted that Kate and Penelope weren't satisfied with the pay proposal and might be discussing something.

Moreover, the fact that Michelle Simmons had urged the trio to agree to the offer suggested that ICM valued their relationship with Firefly more than the individual salaries of the actresses, prompting Michelle to negotiate with the three women.

Nodding, Eric said, "To be fair, considering your individual stature, the salaries I've proposed are somewhat on the lower side. But you have to understand, there are three of you. Calculating it this way, you're already earning unprecedented salaries as leads in Hollywood. If it gets any higher, MGM would struggle to bear the associated risks."

Charlize glanced at Eric and remarked, "Michelle mentioned that to us as well."

"I swear, I absolutely did not coordinate with Michelle on this," Eric chuckled, carrying his plate of food over to a table in the banquet hall where they could both sit. Eric then asked, "So, aside from the details for Charlie's Angels, I can't remember you working on anything else lately?"

Charlize blushed slightly. "I've been working; it's just that they've mostly flopped, so you probably wouldn't have noticed."

Realizing why Charlize had approached him, Eric grinned, "Then I'll keep an eye out for you."

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1021: Lionsgate]

Eric was chatting with Charlize when Kate and Penelope, noticing the situation, approached them.

Penelope greeted Eric without any obvious sign of discomfort, but Kate's gaze towards Charlize was clearly suspicious and unfriendly. Charlize, however, showed no signs of giving away any discomfort; she smiled and nodded at the two women, and continued her conversation with Eric about their earlier topic.

Eric understood the different attitudes the three girls were showing towards the sequel's salary. In the Charlie's Angels series, both Kate and Penelope enjoyed immense popularity, but due to the role of the tech-savvy genius, Jill Monroe, Charlize's character didn't have as much room to shine, often existing as a support character. Consequently, her popularity lagged behind that of the other two.

At that moment, Charlize readily agreed to the salary terms Eric proposed, subtly hinting to Eric about the discontent and unrest of the other two girls, which stemmed from this very reason. After quietly listening to a few exchanges between Eric and Charlize, Kate couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Eric, don't you think the salary contract you offered us is a bit too stingy?"

Eric admired Kate's exquisite features and replied in a slightly amused tone, "As long as Charlie's Angels 4 and Bond 20 perform normally, you three will probably get around $100 million in salary. Isn't that enough?"

Kate immediately countered, "But when you break that down per person, and considering we're each starring in two blockbuster movies that could gross over a billion dollars, $30 million is simply unreasonable. Mel Gibson, for example, received $30 million for Lethal Weapon 4, and that film hasn't even grossed $300 million worldwide yet."

"Kate, you've got one thing wrong," Eric shook his head. "As you said, Lethal Weapon 4 hasn't hit $300 million worldwide, which is why Mel Gibson's $30 million salary is unreasonable. Moreover, you're three individuals, and we can't calculate it individually."

"But the amount you're offering is just too little. I know these studios often use financial loopholes to shortchange actors on their box office share. So, Eric, you at least need to raise our base salaries a little."

"Those situations do happen, but as long as a complete contract is drafted in advance, they can be avoided. At least, ICM won't make you sign a loophole contract like that," Eric replied calmly.

"Who can guarantee that? I feel like ICM isn't fulfilling its responsibility to us as an agency; they're sacrificing our interests to please you," Kate pouted, looking defiantly at Eric as she added, "Anyway, if you don't raise our salaries, I won't easily sign with MGM."

Listening to Kate's words, Eric's mind raced with thoughts as he asked nonchalantly, "So how much do you want?"

Kate hesitated suddenly. She understood the industry rules well; actors shouldn't directly negotiate salaries with studios, as it could lead to a deadlock where both sides might lose negotiating power. After pondering for a moment, she said, "For Charlie's Angels 4, a base salary of $20 million; for Bond 20, a base salary of $5 million, with unchanged profit-sharing terms. Eric, I think I'm completely worth this pay."

Upon hearing this, Eric glanced at Penelope, who was also looking concerned, and calmly shook his head, saying, "No, you're not worth that much. Kate, you need to understand, the role is something I've given you. In my view, you're now threatening me with something that I provided you."

Women's thoughts are always subtle; Kate clearly felt Eric's change in emotion. Yet, she quickly retorted, "Eric, I'm not threatening you. I--uh, I, along with Penny and Charlie, have generated plenty of profits for MGM. We just want what we deserve."

Eric maintained his flat tone and replied slowly, "The profits brought to MGM come from the Charlie's Angels franchise, from the characters of Selina Kyle, Jill Monroe, and Lucienne Baker. You're just fortunate to be the vessels for these roles. If I had chosen other girls at the start, this franchise would still have succeeded, but you wouldn't have the glory or status you have now."

The more Eric maintained his calmness, the more Kate felt a sense of unexplainable pressure emanating from him. She could barely withstand the chill coming from Eric, straightened her posture, but then immediately felt indignation at her own nervousness, raising her voice slightly in anger, "Then fine, Eric. Go ahead and find other girls to play this role. I don't have to act."

Eric put down his utensils, took a napkin to wipe his hands, and stared at Kate, who now resembled a kitten with her tail raised, and coldly said, "Why don't you say that you might just quit acting altogether?"

Hearing the overtly warning tone in his words, Charlize and Penelope exchanged tense glances. They realized Eric was genuinely getting upset.

Kate noticed that her fingertips were slightly numb, a reaction she only experienced when she was extremely nervous. Still, she forced a scornful expression and scoffed, "Eric, you're so arrogant. You can only control half of Hollywood at most, and even if you can't collaborate with Firefly, MGM, or Fox, there are still many film companies left in Hollywood. Why do you think you can stop me from being an actress?"

"Ha, Kate, do you think you could handle half of Hollywood?" Eric suddenly laughed, leaning slightly forward, and said, "Let me tell you what happens when you offend half of Hollywood. First, ICM will immediately terminate your contract. You might think you have CAA and WMA to fall back on. True, but neither CAA nor WMA would be foolish enough to offend half of Hollywood for your sake because, by doing so, their other clients will lose a lot of opportunities that you alone cannot compensate for. As for those second and third-tier agencies, they wouldn't dare to offend half of Hollywood either. As for the other half of Hollywood, Kate, filmmaking is ultimately a business -- an immensely expensive one that involves tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars. Every film failure could cause some who once wielded power in Hollywood to lose all their influence and status overnight. So, what gives you the right to think they would risk multi-million dollar businesses and their own careers for you, a mere pretty face who offended half of Hollywood?"

Eric enunciated each word deliberately, watching as Kate could no longer maintain eye contact with him, her gaze shifting nervously elsewhere. He reached out, ignoring the stunned faces of all the diners around the table, and forcefully cupped her delicate chin, turning her face back to look at him, continuing coldly, "Come on, Kate. Tell me why you think you can afford to offend half of Hollywood?"

As he twisted her face around, Kate's indignation bubbled up as she stared into his infuriating face. A surge of strong grievance washed over her.

"I just wanted to negotiate for a little more pay; even if you didn't agree, can't we just have a decent conversation? Why does it have to be so confrontational?" She felt an urge to grab something and throw it at him or even lunge at him to bite him, but she realized she couldn't muster even a hint of defiance against this man's imposing presence.

Through gritted teeth, she stubbornly refused to back down, even as he withdrew his hand; she held her head high, exposing her fair neck defiantly.

After a standoff, realizing Kate's stubbornness was beginning to wear thin, Eric relaxed back into his chair, lifted his head, and instructed, "Go fetch me a glass of champagne."

Kate instinctively wanted to turn away, but recalling that Eric might force her face back again, she suppressed that urge and sat rigidly in silence, determined not to help this guy fetch anything.

"Let's see you go thirsty!"

Penelope hadn't expected Eric's anger to be so intimidating. From the moment he erupted, she tried to act small and frightened, fearing he would take his anger out on her. She shared the same thought as Kate and had privately discussed switching agencies with her.

However, at this moment, Penelope completely dismissed all such thoughts and had no intention of negotiating with MGM any further. She had always been much more mature than Kate in dealing with situations and had never intended to confront Eric aggressively. Reflecting on Eric's earlier words only made her break into a light, cold sweat.

Upon hearing Eric's order, and seeing Kate stubbornly refuse to move, Penelope took the initiative and offered, "Eric, I'll do it."

With that, not waiting for Eric's response, Penelope went towards the buffet table, carefully holding a glass of champagne as she returned, eagerly presenting it to Eric.

As the atmosphere seemed to lighten, all the guests around the table, who had been paying attention to the unfolding events, let out a collective sigh of relief, resuming their previously lively conversations.

Though they didn't understand exactly what transpired, everyone clearly realized Kate Beckinsale had been reprimanded by Eric Williams. Moreover, seeing Kate's visibly close to tears expression indicated she had been through quite a scolding. Some MGM executives even recognized that the Charlie's Angels franchise was likely to successfully cross the trilogy curse threshold.

Eric sipped some champagne, cleared his throat, and looked at the three girls while relaxing his tone, saying, "In recent years, Hollywood's economic situation has been very robust. Germans, Japanese, Canadians, and various international investors have been eagerly investing in Hollywood. Many film companies are spending money without restraint since it isn't their own. But the Firefly system is different; most of our film production funds come from the company's financial chain, and we bear the profits and losses ourselves. We can't offer you exorbitant salaries. So, no more haggling with me, and don't throw around phrases like 'I won't act' lightly. You three are still under twenty-five, right? Most breakout actresses your age in Hollywood are still struggling to find even a small role. So, don't take for granted what you have now. I can give it all to you, but I can take it all back just as easily. Now, go enjoy yourselves and don't feel like you have to stay here with me."

Kate thought, 'As if I want to stay here and entertain you,' and only risked a glance at the other two girls. Once Charlize and Penelope stood up, she dared to follow suit, avoiding Eric's gaze as they moved towards other areas of the banquet hall.

...

After Kate and the others left, their manager, Michelle Simmons, approached, worryingly asking, "Eric, what just happened?"

"Nothing," Eric shook his head, signaling for Michelle to sit. "Just take them to MGM to sign the contract in the next few days."

Hearing this, Michelle breathed a sigh of relief. Over the past few years, she had gradually bought 6% of ICM's stock and was now one of ICM's partners. Thus, when it came to the interests of the girls' salary commissions versus the overall benefits of ICM, she leaned towards the latter. Maintaining a good relationship with the Firefly system naturally brought more opportunities and advantages to ICM.

"That's a relief. I talked with them this afternoon, but the results weren't great. I am worried about potential complications."

Eric then asked, "Are Kate and Penelope looking to leave?"

Michelle nodded. "CAA and WMA are indeed showing interest. Their star power is increasing, and I can't manage their careers by myself anymore. I have been discussing assigning separate management teams for each of them, though I'm trying to keep them at ICM."

Eric smiled, coming clean, "Then your work ahead might be challenging since I just had a stern talk with Kate."

Michelle Simmons appeared quite carefree about it and laughed, "If we can't keep them, then that's that. However, if the Spy Movie Universe continues down the road, we might not be able to assist."

"They are here for four main films and two crossover films -- six big movies in total! That's already unprecedented in Hollywood. The Spy Movie Universe will certainly continue, but it won't always focus solely on these three films," Eric added. "By the way, have you noticed the Easter egg from Charlie's Angels 3?"

"The Bourne series?"

Eric nodded. "Amy has already been in contact with an actor I had in mind, though it seems hopeless. The lead role choice is up to you. Looking for someone in their thirties, with an average appearance and sufficient acting skills. As for star power, I have no expectations. However, this time, it must be a three-film contract. As long as the box office is outstanding, I won't be stingy with the actors' salaries; I just don't want to always be in a passive position."

Michelle Simmons smiled and nodded. She understood Eric was reciprocating; ICM initiated support for MGM on the Charlie's Angels series, and now Eric had given ICM another opportunity for a male lead in a trilogy.

With no expectations regarding star power, ICM had a good chance of nurturing another Hollywood leading man.

Such potential benefits far outweighed straightforward commission earnings.

After a brief conversation, when Michelle saw Drew leading a middle-aged man over, she knew it was time to discuss matters and took her leave.

...

"Eric, this is Frank Giustra," Drew said, nodding at Michelle Simmons, then took Eric's arm, grinning as she introduced him.

Eric examined the short, middle-aged man with thinning gray hair and deep-set eyes and smiled as he extended his hand to the man, "Hello, Mr. Giustra."

"Hello, Mr. Williams," Frank Giustra shook Eric's hand eagerly, quickly pulling out a business card to present it. "Mr. Williams, here's my card."

As Eric took the card and glanced at it, a flicker of surprise crossed his face. On the card were some very familiar words: Chairman of Lionsgate Films.

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1022: A Ticking Time Bomb]

"Over the years, Hollywood has become increasingly powerful, but in my view, it's also losing its creativity, becoming more rigid and formulaic. Whether it's big-budget blockbusters or low-budget horror and comedy films, they increasingly resemble products coming off an assembly line. Of course, no one can deny that this assembly line approach has been commercially successful. However, Hollywood's high level of industrialization has also marginalized those alternative, rough, and unconventional films, which actually have a substantial market demand. My Lionsgate company focuses on the production and distribution of these types of films."

In the banquet hall of the Sunset Tower Hotel, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, Frank Giustra began to speak passionately about his development plans for Lionsgate.

After a moment of surprise, Eric returned to his usual demeanor, listening with interest as Frank expressed his opinions, occasionally engaging in discussion with him.

As they chatted, Frank sensed that the young man in front of him did not seem overly interested in his film company. Disguising his disappointment, Frank politely excused himself.

...

Once Frank moved away, the girl asked, "Eric, what do you think?"

Eric nodded in agreement, saying, "He's a man of ideas. If he follows through on his vision, that company he has could very well carve out a place for itself in Hollywood."

"I feel the same way. I just had him talk with Amy, John, and the others, and everyone thinks his ideas are quite impressive. So, Eric, how about we buy that film company? This way, MGM would have a subsidiary like New Line or Miramax. You did say we needed to expand MGM's production department."

Eric recalled Lionsgate's history and shook his head without hesitation, "No way."

Historically, Lionsgate had indeed risen as a new player in Hollywood precisely along the lines Frank had described -- alternative, rough, and unconventional. However, Lionsgate's rise had been riddled with controversy.

From the early anti-religious film The Passion of the Christ, to the later banned Irreversible in many countries, and to Fahrenheit 9/11, which created a fierce clash with the Bush administration, Lionsgate's brand of contrarianism was built on offending mainstream values.

If Lionsgate had remained a small, independent company, it could have faced the pressures of distributing these controversial films with a very cavalier attitude.

But if MGM were to acquire them, such pressures would multiply tenfold, affecting the parent company. One could say that Lionsgate, in this context, was a "ticking time bomb" for a major studio.

Of course, after acquisition, under MGM's control, Lionsgate might abandon its overly unconventional film production and distribution approach. But doing so would mean losing its unique characteristics and making it difficult for it to achieve significant growth.

The girl never opposed any decisions made by Eric. Hearing his quick dismissal of her idea without questioning, she simply said, "Oh, I see. Never mind then."

Eric smiled as he watched the girl sip her orange juice like a little kitten, gently adjusting her slipping dress strap, saying, "A small company like Lionsgate might get away with being unconventional, but MGM simply can't afford that. We also can't allow our subsidiaries to do so. However, collaboration is possible. We could channel those commercially viable but unconventional films to a company like that."

He remembered that Fahrenheit 9/11 had been picked up by Lionsgate after the Weinstein brothers had transferred it, despite Disney's higher-ups opposing it.

That one had made a worldwide documentary box office record of two hundred million dollars, with most of the profits still going to Disney, which had managed to avoid the political risks that the film could have inflicted.

His encounter with Lionsgate boss Frank Giustra was merely an inconsequential episode. Later on, he learned from the girl that she had met him through Clinton while obtaining a licensing deal for E! Entertainment's subchannel. Frank was one of Clinton's main campaign donors.

...

After the celebratory party, Eric's mind shifted back to the astronaut helmet modifications for Gravity.

He had originally planned to remove the glass dome and later use CG effects to fill it in.

However, during the modification process, he discovered that the glass dome was embedded in the helmet. If he simply removed it, fitting the CG version back into the helmet would become quite cumbersome. In reality, while he could disassemble components around the glass dome to place it inside, he wouldn't be able to do so in the effects process, as the helmet in the shot couldn't simply be "taken apart," leading to potential blunders and flaws.

To solve this, Eric and Robert Byer removed several sealing components around the glass dome, performing CG modeling on those parts to create a cohesive CG module with the glass dome -- effectively resolving these issues.

This work sounded tedious, but with robust digital technology backing them, disassembling the helmet, installing the sensors, and conducting CG modeling tests took just two days to get done.

...

As workdays began, filming for Gravity resumed without delay. After a brief adjustment period, Jodie Foster and George Clooney quickly adapted to the new equipment.

Eric almost tuned out the world around him during the filming of Gravity. However, during this time, North American media and public interest seemed to surge with news related to Firefly Group.

With the new week, Firefly Investments and America Online held a press conference to announce that several major shareholders from America Online would collectively invest four billion dollars to buy 16.5 million shares from Firefly Investments, representing 10% of America Online's total shares.

Simultaneously, John Mack announced at the conference that Morgan Stanley would underwrite another 24.75 million shares from Firefly Investments, accounting for 15% of America Online's total shares.

Once both plans were complete, Firefly Investments' shareholding in America Online would drop to 7.6%. With increased holdings from previous shareholders like Vantage Group, Goldman Sachs, and others, Firefly Investments would exit America Online's top five shareholders.

Chris also publicly stated at the conference that after reducing its stake by 25% in America Online, Firefly Investments would not reduce any further shares in the next year.

While many Wall Street analysts held reservations about Morgan Stanley's underwriting plan, believing that America Online's stock price was too high and carried substantial investment risks, no one doubted whether the powerful Morgan Stanley could absorb this 6 billion dollar stock sale agreement.

Consequently, the press conference led to an immediate boost in America Online's stock price.

With the press conference, the shadow of Firefly Investments' stock reduction that had been hanging over America Online for over a month finally dissipated. America Online's stock surged by 5.6% on Monday, with trading volumes surpassing one billion dollars, pushing its market value past 46 billion dollars, significantly raising the entire Nasdaq index in response to America Online's strong rebound.

On the other hand, many noted that once the reduction of America Online's 25% shareholding plan was successfully completed, this transaction would bring Firefly Investments a cash influx of ten billion dollars!

...

As a pure equity investment firm, even considering the reduction costs and up to 20% capital gains tax later, Firefly Investments' future cash reserves would reach an astonishing level.

It's worth noting that even among the Fortune 500 companies, only a few had close to ten billion dollars in disposable cash reserves.

Take Walmart, known for its healthy cash flow; despite the substantial cash flows within retail, at that time, Walmart's annual revenue had just surpassed 100 billion dollars. Due to its massive procurement costs and payroll expenses for over a million employees, Walmart's cash reserves were actually less than 5 billion dollars.

In contrast, the cash reserves Firefly Investments held were far more valuable than those of other similarly-sized corporations because Firefly Investments had zero debt. With no liabilities and all its subsidiaries performing well without needing to set aside emergency funds, Firefly Investments could allocate that massive fund entirely at its discretion.

...

While many media, from professional financial journals to gossip tabloids, began to provide unsolicited advice on how Firefly Investments should spend this money, on Wednesday in Century City, Los Angeles, MGM also announced that the Charlie's Angels trio signed on for two additional sequels within the company's spy movie universe.

Many recalled the recent disputes over payment between Pierce Brosnan and MGM regarding the Bond series.

No one expected that the Charlie's Angels franchise, which might have stirred another pay controversy, would settle down quietly without causing any of the waves people had anticipated.

Though MGM did not publicly disclose the details of the contract, Hollywood's trade media could easily foresee that, considering Eric Williams' personality, if the Angels requested excessively high payment conditions, MGM could never agree to it.

Thus, most speculated that in this pay negotiation, the trio must have made some concessions.

A few well-informed media personnel even got wind of certain details from the Charlie's Angels 3 celebration party. However, given Eric Williams' involvement, these gossip pieces certainly could not be published outright in the press and had to be circulated as whispers among insiders.

Regardless, the fact that the Charlie's Angels franchise had successfully passed the Hollywood trilogy curse was undeniable.

...

After breaking the two hundred million dollar mark, and under the pressure from The Scorpion King, Charlie's Angels 3 experienced a final weekend drop of only 46% in its third week, bringing in another 28.11 million dollars and culminating in a total of 232 million dollars.

Following The Scorpion King, during the rest of the summer block, aside from the end of July's The X-Files film, no other major productions were released. Hence, with the positive reputation and box office trajectory shown by Charlie's Angels 3, its North American earnings of over 300 million were set to be an easy feat.

With North American box office aiming for 300 million and global earnings poised to reach 1 billion, the three lead actresses had successfully re-signed contracts, and this series had decisively overcome the trilogy curse... This series of favorable developments spurred MGM's stock price like adrenaline.

Throughout the third week of Charlie's Angels 3's release, MGM's stock skyrocketed alongside its box office earnings. In just a few days, MGM's market value reached as high as 25.3 billion dollars, leaving MGM's shareholders understandably ecstatic. Compared to the under 5 billion dollar market value right after the acquisition and integration, they'd seen over 400% returns in just over three years from MGM stock.

...

In this spotlight, many media outlets suddenly noted that, given MGM's market value exceeding 25 billion dollars, Drew Barrymore, holding a 33.56% stake in MGM, had managed to assemble a personal net worth of 8.5 billion dollars at such a young age.

8.5 billion dollars, while it couldn't place her in the top ten of the world's richest, it nonetheless made her the wealthiest woman worldwide.

Amidst the awe and envy, questions inevitably arose.

Even with Firefly Group's significant standing in the North American media industry, numerous articles began to circulate questioning the legitimacy of the girl's vast wealth.

Despite all pursuits for equality, everyone understood that this world still operated within a male-dominated structure. If a man were to achieve such a feat, he'd likely garner more admiration. However, when a woman shines too brightly, she almost invariably faces scrutiny and doubt.

...

Time passed unexpectedly and it was Friday again at Firefly Studios.

As night descended, most of the studio employees had already clocked out.

In the ship's restaurant, Elisabeth and Eric sat across from each other, casually flipping through the menu, but Elisabeth didn't hold back: "8.5 billion, that's about how much we have in our family. Are you not afraid that one day this girl might suddenly turn against you and marry some pretty boy just to spite you?"

Eric ordered two dinners without hesitation and waved away the amused waiter. "Actually, if you want, I could give you that much too."

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1023: Charity Work]

"I don't want your money," Elisabeth said with a haughty tone, but deep down she had to admit that Eric's personal wealth far surpassed the other richest people in the world.

Earlier this year, Forbes had estimated Eric's net worth at a staggering $136.7 billion. Over the past six months, as the Nasdaq index continued to rise, the stock prices of companies that Firefly Investments was heavily invested in -- such as Cisco, America Online, Qualcomm, and Sprint -- had nearly doubled. If the Nasdaq market didn't crash and Yahoo completed its IPO successfully, Eric's fortune might reach an even more jaw-dropping figure by this time next year.

From this perspective, Drew's wealth seemed trivial to Eric, akin to a billionaire helping to create a millionaire. Of course, this 'millionaire' Eric was helping create would still impress most ordinary folks.

Thinking about this, Elisabeth dropped the topic about the girl and curiously asked, "Everyone is guessing how you plan to spend that money. After selling 25% of your shares, minus taxes, you'd still have around $8 billion, right?"

A beautiful waitress walked by their table, setting down two bottles of mineral water and glasses next to Eric and Elisabeth. Just as she was about to pour Eric some water, he raised a hand to stop her, placing the glass back on her tray and sending her away. Then he answered Elisabeth's inquiry, saying, "I plan to save it; I don't have plans to spend it for now."

Elisabeth picked up the coaster where the waitress had just placed the glass, glancing at the phone number written on it. She displayed it to Eric as if to show off, then pressed it down with her own glass, saying, "This is $8 billion! If you don't spend it quickly, inflation will eat away at it. By the way, the stocks in the Clover Fund must be worth a fortune by now, right?"

The waitstaff at the various restaurants and bars aboard the ship had looks far superior to those in Los Angeles, and the reason was apparent.

Eric didn't mind Elisabeth's antics. He replied, "In the report from this past Monday, the total value of those stocks was $18.1 billion."

Elisabeth knew well that Eric had invested a considerable amount of money through the Clover Fund in the Nasdaq market over the years. She and Julia had also invested in tech stocks under Eric's guidance. Still, hearing the number Eric had just mentioned left her genuinely shocked.

"That's $18.1 billion! If you sell now, counting what Firefly Investments has, wouldn't you have over $20 billion in cash? Wow, over $20 billion, and you plan to save it?"

The Nasdaq index had just broken the 2,000-point mark this month. Eric planned to start selling shares from the Clover Fund once the index hit 3,000 points. At that point, the stock's value could at least double. Even after paying hefty taxes, the Clover Fund would still retain over $30 billion in cash.

Quite frankly, this was much more than Eric had initially expected.

By this time next year, while continuing to sell shares in America Online, Firefly Investments would likely also reduce its holdings in other companies. At that point, the entire Firefly system could have cash reserves reaching as high as $50 billion.

Seeing Elisabeth's shocked expression, Eric didn't point out her math error and said, "Of course I'm saving it. The whole market is filled with bubbles right now. If I buy anything, I'd only do so through stock swaps or mergers. Waiting for the bubble to burst means Firefly can make this money work for us, buying low is the true essence of investing. Also, having a ten or twenty billion in cash isn't as much as you think. In a few years, when Cisco, Yahoo, Qualcomm, and Hollywood companies grow, the profits we receive from them could hit that figure."

Elisabeth imagined the scenario Eric described and raised an eyebrow. "With that much money, you wouldn't be able to spend it all on investments. What do you plan to do?"

Eric replied, "Charity work, for the better future of humanity."

"Ugh!"

"Hey, be a lady,"

Elisabeth rolled her eyes at him. "Who told you to babble nonsense?"

Eric laughed and said, "Honestly, if I want to preserve my wealth for future generations, I need to start doing 'charity work' now."

Elisabeth's eyes flickered as she casually asked, "So who do you plan to pass your wealth on to?"

"I haven't thought about it," Eric admitted honestly. "But it will definitely be our kids."

"Oh please, who wants to have kids with you?" Elisabeth blushed, then quickly realized Eric's 'we' certainly didn't just refer to the two of them, giving him another glare.

Eric pretended not to notice her look and said, "It's still too early to talk about such things. Anyway, how much our little ones will get in the future is up to fate. By then, I'll have bigger things to worry about than this."

Elisabeth suddenly thought of something, glanced around cautiously, and leaned in, whispering, "Do you have a will?"

"Sure," Eric grinned, nodding. "If I were to suddenly die, you'd be the one cashing in."

Elisabeth clearly picked up on the double meaning in Eric's words, and the blush that had begun to fade returned to her cheeks. Sitting up straight, she replied, "Aren't you afraid I'd get greedy?"

"I think my judgment is pretty sound. If I were wrong, by then I wouldn't know anything, so what would it matter?"

"You really are carefree," Elisabeth responded, feeling warmed by Eric's trust.

The waitress returned and set their dinner down, noticing the coaster from in front of Eric had vanished. She slyly winked at him before walking away.

Once she had gone, Elisabeth scoffed, "Does she really think I can't do anything?"

Eric took a sip of water and picked up his fork. "She probably doesn't know you. Plus, if I call her after this, losing her job would be worth it."

"Are you going to call her?"

"Nope."

"Don't believe you."

"Women are really expensive to maintain."

"Hmph."

The two slowly enjoyed their dinner, and after a moment, Eric said, "Another thing: about the Moulin Rouge! script, I talked with Baz Luhrmann during lunch. His ideas are actually pretty good. This project is worth a try."

Elisabeth nodded. "I think it's good too, but it carries some risks. If Nicole participates, the production cost would need to reach $60 million. Moreover, as a non-mainstream musical, if this film was to guarantee box office success, it could only be aimed at winning awards. The production cost exceeds Miramax's investment limit, and we've just set a rule with Harvey that it can't exceed $50 million. We can't break that so soon, and next year they already scheduled Julia's Erin Brockovich as their main award contender, so I turned it down."

"You're starting to get a bit too obsessed with the Oscars' influence. Truly outstanding films like Dances with Wolves, Forrest Gump, and Titanic could achieve commercial success even without the Oscars' glow. For those films, the Oscars just added a bit of icing on the cake. It should be perceived that way," Eric shook his head. "Besides, Miramax's operational model won't last long. Otherwise, the Oscars would turn into Harvey's personal territory. Do you think the Academy would agree to that?"

On serious matters, Elisabeth always went along with Eric's suggestions. She nodded and said, "I'll find time to talk with Baz again."

...

Julia had a commitment in New York, so that night it was just Eric and Elisabeth.

After dinner, the two didn't rush to leave. Exiting Firefly Studios, crossing the Barona Canal to the north, they found themselves in the increasingly bustling Venice Beach, a neighborhood thriving under the influence of Firefly Studios, where countless young dreamers gathered, walking along the bright neon-lit pedestrian streets filled with handsome men and beautiful women. If lucky, one might even spot a minor celebrity, attracting more visitors.

In contrast, Eric and Elisabeth, dressed casually and a bit disguised, were nearly unnoticeable in the night streets.

Elisabeth seemed to enjoy this feeling, linking her arm through Eric's while holding an ice cream cone she bought from a roadside stall, occasionally commenting on the beautiful girls in the street.

Passing a movie theater, she noticed a poster for The Ring that read, "Heart patients, please view with caution," immediately feeling excited and dragging Eric toward the cinema.

Eric couldn't help but pull her back slightly. "Actually, I'm really scared of horror movies."

"You're more afraid of sitting on an already occupied sofa, right?" Elisabeth scoffed, continuing to pull Eric forcefully into the lobby.

Walking from the darkened street into the bright theater lobby, Eric had to adjust his cap, following Elisabeth to the ticket counter. Thankfully, the theater wasn't too crowded, allowing them to slip in unnoticed.

Rather than the VIP section, Elisabeth asked for two regular tickets, clearly choosing to do so on purpose.

Holding two buckets of popcorn, they entered the half-full screening room, selecting a seat in the back row. Noticing Eric's evident discomfort, Elisabeth leaned in, enjoying his unease. "How about you sit on my lap?"

Eric threatened with fake annoyance, "You think I'm scared?"

Elisabeth immediately shrank back, giggling, "Watching a movie, we're watching a movie! Oh, the lead girl you picked out is quite fitting for a horror movie, though I wonder if this film can really scare someone into a heart attack."

Eric had no choice but to focus on the movie. Being familiar with the plot, he said, "You'll see soon enough."

...

On screen, the character Rachel Keller, played by Vera Farmiga, had begun unraveling the mystery of her niece's death with the help of her ex-boyfriend, played by Johnny Depp.

The dark, ominous visuals, eerie midnight phone calls, and pervasive psychological hints quickly drew both Eric and Elisabeth into the storyline.

When a demonic girl, with disheveled hair and ghastly white eyes, crawled out from the television in an oddly contorted position, the atmosphere of psychological horror that the film had built up exploded at that moment. A scream erupted in the theater, and Elisabeth, whose earlier playfulness had vanished, trembled and clutched Eric's arm tightly.

After this scene passed and a while went by, Elisabeth, still shaking, said, "Eric, that was really terrifying. Let's go."

Eric nodded and wrapped an arm around Elisabeth as they made their way out of the screening room. However, aside from the two of them, the other moviegoers remained focused on the big screen.

...

Once outside the theater, Elisabeth lost her interest in shopping, directly getting into the waiting black car.

Instructing the driver to take them back to Beverly Hills, Eric turned to Elisabeth and said, "Didn't I warn you? It's terrifying."

"When did you warn me? I don't remember."

"The sign said, 'Heart patients, please view with caution.' I designed that warning personally."

"You're just playing with words," Elisabeth replied, reflecting on the scenes they had seen earlier, then continued, "But what if someone really did get scared to death? You would be in deep trouble."

"We've added the warning; even heart patients who notice it would obviously be mentally prepared."

"That's not guaranteed. Maybe someone would attempt to push their limits and end up not being able to handle it."

"What can we do about that? Honestly, dying from being scared while watching a movie isn't such a bad way to go. How many people in this world die in such an extraordinary manner?"

"You're something else."

...

The first weekend passed quickly, and there were no reports of anyone dying from fright during The Ring's screening. However, the tagline that had been widely criticized by the media and public before the release gained considerable acknowledgment after the first weekend's screenings.

With no previous Japanese version to set the standard, the new version of The Ring drew a much larger response than anyone had imagined.

Many thought that after The Scorpion King, with the only upcoming movie to watch out for being Fox's The X-Files film at the end of July, there would be nothing to get excited about. Yet, The Ring once again demonstrated how an unexpected hit was born.

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1024: The Unprecedented Surge]

Many years later, when recalling the summer box office of 1998, movies like Charlie's Angels, The Matrix 2, and The Day After Tomorrow surely came to mind. However, for most people, the first thought that popped into their heads was likely that terrifying scene where the vengeful spirit crawled out of the television.

The opening weekend box office for The Ring was not particularly impressive, raking in only $26.68 million. However, as word of mouth about this classic horror film spread rapidly, the total box office for its first seven days soared to $43.88 million.

On the surface, $43.88 million seemed modest compared to other summer blockbusters. But it was important to remember that the film's production budget was only $30 million, far lower than any of the summer hits.

Moreover, comparing the first three days to the first four weekdays, it became apparent that The Ring earned $17.2 million during those weekdays, which equated to 39% of its opening week take. This was significantly higher than the average 30% for most films during weekdays. Considering this along with the heavy media and fan engagement, New Line Cinema astutely recognized that The Ring's momentum was gathering strength, prompting them to increase the number of screens from 2,161 to 2,395.

In the first week of August, The Ring's box office drop was predictably minimal, just a slight 9.7%, bringing in $39.65 million. The X-Files, which premiered the same week, managed to surpass The Ring's earnings by less than $2 million, barely clinching the number one spot that week.

Under these circumstances, New Line once again ramped up The Ring's exhibition scale, boosting the North American screen count to 2,775. After two weeks of building anticipation, the film's reputation peaked. Among young audiences, there emerged a trend of viewing The Ring as a challenge. This led more casual moviegoers, influenced by the surrounding buzz, to flock to theaters.

By the third week, after being outperformed by The Scorpion King and The X-Files for two weeks, The Ring finally secured the top box office position, with a week-over-week drop of only 11.2%, earning $35.19 million.

...

Suddenly, many people realized that what had initially seemed like an unassuming mid-budget horror flick had accumulated a total box office of $118.75 million in just three weeks. This far surpassed the North American totals of earlier summer blockbusters like Lethal Weapon 4, The Patriot, and The Truman Show. Given the current momentum, the box office potential for The Ring looked to be far from exhausted.

With Firefly Group's support, The Ring's growing fanbase became increasingly invested in its box office performance. The swell of interest coupled with a new wave of promotions attracted even more fresh viewers.

Consequently, in the fourth week, The Ring's drop in box office earnings was virtually negligible at just 1.7%. That's right, just 1.7%, not 17%. The film's weekly earnings reached $34.59 million, pushing its North American total to $146.97 million. This figure rocketed The Ring to sixth place on the 1998 North American box office charts as of August, following hot on the heels of Charlie's Angels 3, The Day After Tomorrow, The Matrix 2, The Scorpion King, and the Easter release of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Furthermore, every other film in the top ten had production costs at least double that of The Ring.

At this point, all the media that had predicted Firefly Group would experience a quiet summer were left utterly stunned. Even Eric never anticipated that The Ring would unleash such formidable box office potential.

Given its current trajectory, The Ring was likely on track for at least another $100 million in box office earnings. Its North American total could very well exceed that of Firefly's summer feature, The Day After Tomorrow. Given such impressive North American numbers, the film's international box office wouldn't fall short, especially in Japan. This single overseas market alone could yield Firefly another $100 million in international revenue.

Who would dare claim that Firefly Group's film business was at a low point while two films were on track to join the year's top five box office earners?

...

Meanwhile, nearly in tandem with The Ring's release, an economic crisis erupted in Russia.

Unlike the lengthy tug-of-war in Southeast Asia, the fragile Russian economy faced a brutal assault from hedge funds with little chance of counterattack. The country's foreign exchange reserves of over $100 billion were insufficient even to cover its massive debts, let alone effectively intervene in currency exchange rates.

In just two weeks, the Russian central bank, without putting up any significant resistance, brazenly announced it would entirely abandon defending the ruble's exchange rate. The ruble, which had stabilized for less than three years, swiftly plummeted, experiencing devaluation of over 50% in just a week.

Yet an attacker that fails to strike first often ends up suffering devastating losses. The policy of allowing the ruble to freely devalue resulted in massive financial hits for international currency speculators. Currency futures were a zero-sum game, where profit for one party could only come at the expense of another. With Russia no longer in the game, speculators saw the ruble's sharp devaluation coupled with exorbitant short-term lending costs, leading to huge financial losses.

Moreover, capital investors like Soros' Quantum Fund, which had previously shown confidence in Russia's economic recovery by investing heavily in its stock and bond markets, found themselves trapped in an economic quagmire. After making a difficult exit, Quantum Fund expected losses exceeding $3 billion.

The swift unraveling of this emerging economy validated Morgan Stanley's forecast given over a month prior. Under further encouragement and guidance from Morgan Stanley, increasing capital flows sought out the tech stocks within the Nasdaq.

In a month, the Nasdaq index not only remained resilient in the face of Russia's crisis but also soared past the 2,100-point mark with virtually all major tech stocks in the green.

...

On Saturday, August 22, Eric set off early from Los Angeles, flying to New York.

It was the day Firefly Investments would finalize stock transfer agreements with several major investors from America Online. While Saturday was not a working day, Gravity was in the middle of a tense production schedule, leaving Eric with only the weekend for meetings. New York had to accommodate his schedule.

Over the past month, America Online's stock price had skyrocketed without the pressure of Firefly Investment's divestment, with the company's market cap reaching $49.6 billion -- $50 billion was just around the corner.

Although America Online's stock had increased nearly 20% in a month, Eric decided against adjusting the already agreed-upon transfer price to avoid stirring any further waves.

Many times, abandoning greed can lead to greater gains. If Eric were to raise the price now, the investors' newly established faith in America Online would likely take a hit, and Firefly Investment's divestment plan for America Online would encounter unforeseen complications.

Since Eric had fixed the same pricing for an upcoming 15% stock divestment to be managed by Morgan Stanley, there was already considerable interest from numerous investors attempting to secure more shares even before Morgan Stanley's underwriting plan commenced.

Although this batch of stocks was subject to a six-month lock-up period due to SEC regulations, investors were assured that even if America Online's stock price remained unchanged for that duration, they would still see a 20% profit upon the lapse of the lock-up.

In a thriving Nasdaq market, America Online's impressive growth rate further prompted many investment firms to shift from their cautious approach, assessing the likelihood of loss in this transaction as negligible.

...

On the flight to New York, Eric relaxed on a sofa, holding a box office analysis report for The Ring while Caroline and Mayer sat beside him, reporting on another matter.

"Last month, Warner Records, Sony Records, BMG, and EMI Records all released their second-quarter earnings reports, showing declines compared to the previous year of 27%, 33%, 29%, and 26%, respectively. Universal Music, which is still merging with PolyGram, experienced an even steeper decline of 36%, with losses of $320 million in just one quarter."

Mayer briefly outlined the situation and then continued after gauging Eric's reaction, stating, "According to data compiled by various record labels and media recently, the dramatic revenue drop from the Big Five record companies has largely been attributed to the rise of free MP3 music sharing websites that emerged late last year. One site, called Napster, amassed over 7 million registered users in just over six months, offering a staggering 1.6 million songs for free. Initially, Napster was part of Yahoo's advertising alliance, but in March, due to the rising legal risks, Yahoo promptly terminated its partnership with Napster and other similar piracy sites. However, in this round of lawsuits, the Big Five record companies included Yahoo as a defendant, claiming that Yahoo facilitated Napster's growth and spread, thus suing Yahoo for $100 million and demanding that it proactively block links to sites that propagated pirated music."

With Yahoo's IPO approaching, the Big Five's lawsuit against Yahoo was clearly a strategy to ensure they cooperated in combating online music piracy.

At such a critical juncture, Yahoo had no choice but to negotiate quickly with the Big Five to avoid further complications. Just as the Big Five proposed a $100,000 settlement for each pirated song with Napster, they would surely be aiming for an easier agreement with Yahoo.

"They've finally wisened up this time, attacking the enemy by rescuing themselves," Eric smiled slightly. Months ago, while in Britain, he had instructed several companies to prepare for this eventuality, and he wasn't worried about Yahoo handling it poorly. He then inquired, "What about Firefly Electronics?"

Mayer shook his head, "The Big Five haven't taken any action against Firefly Electronics yet. However, they are likely to demand restrictions on audio copying."

After the lawsuit filed by Sony and a few others was outright dismissed by the San Francisco federal court last year, the Big Five seemed to understand that pursuing a ban on MP3 players was unlikely to succeed and would have to find a different approach.

"After this, the record companies should finally see some realities. The trend of digital music is inevitable, and Yahoo Music Store should leverage this opportunity to secure more licensed music," Eric remarked, not wanting to overthink it. He then looked at Caroline and Mayer and instructed, "Send an email, reminding Yahoo to pay attention to public sentiment on this issue. If anyone is still oblivious, we'll help them see the light."

For months now, the global monthly sales of the Fireflyer player had surpassed 2 million units and continued to grow steadily. The trend of portable digital music players replacing traditional ones was unstoppable. In this environment, if record companies remained resistant and opposed to digital music players, they would only exacerbate the proliferation of pirated music resources online.

...

While discussing these matters, they didn't realize their private jet had already reached the East Coast.

The stock transfer signing ceremony was scheduled for 2 PM Eastern Time, and it was almost 1 PM. Instead of landing at MacArthur Airport in central Long Island, this time the private jet touched down at JFK Airport, which was very close to New York City.

As Eric disembarked, he was greeted by Chris, John Mack, and several other America Online executives, including Steve Case. Although the two parties had been on bad terms recently, they could not neglect the essential courtesies due to Eric's presence.

After the usual pleasantries were exchanged, Eric and Chris stepped into the Firefly Group's car. Once they were on their way, Eric recalled the expression John Mack had when he proactively invited Eric into his car, seemingly wanting to discuss something important. He then asked Chris, "What's going on with John?"

Chris glanced at the nearby BMW, stating, "He probably wants to explain something to you. While you were on the plane, I hadn't had a chance to inform you yet. At lunch, Philip Purcell told me that Morgan Stanley had confirmed that 70% of the subscription allocation for that 15% of America Online's stock was already filled. However, in an attempt to take credit -- or possibly for other reasons -- John Mack concealed this information from us. Plus, Philip Purcell probably forced his way into this project; you know, Dean Witter primarily focuses on stock distribution, and their resources and channels outshine those of the old Morgan Stanley."

Eric wasn't particularly interested in the conflict between the CEOs of Morgan Stanley. He simply cautioned, "Make sure you keep a closer eye on this. If their infighting starts to impact our interests, we'll need to be more cautious with future cooperation."

Chris nodded seriously, "I understand. By the way, The Ring's box office is certainly surprising."

The conversation shifted to lighter topics, and Eric chuckled, "That's indeed a surprise. I never expected this horror film to do so well."

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1025: Too Risky]

The signing ceremony for the share transfer agreement took place at the headquarters of Firefly Investment located in Rockefeller Center.

Chris was a great admirer of Warren Buffett's minimalist business philosophy and thus aimed to follow in the footsteps of this predecessor in many respects. Although Firefly Investment had moved its headquarters to Rockefeller Center two years prior, it still maintained a small team of around 50 people, especially when considering that other major companies, like Morgan Stanley, occupied a whopping 27 floors from the 47th to the 74th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

Eric recalled that during the last office relocation, Chris had suggested that they share a building with Morgan Stanley to facilitate collaboration, but Eric would never agree to that.

He did, however, remember how on the day of the 9/11 attacks, virtually all Morgan Stanley employees were evacuated safely, with only six out of close to 3,000 tragically losing their lives. It was said that this was largely attributed to a safety director at the firm, which could only be described as a 'miracle.'

The signing ceremony was rather simple. A batch of 16.5 million shares was being taken over by seven other shareholders of America Online, including Morgan Stanley and Vanguard, at a price of $4 billion. The completion of payment settlement, equity restructuring, and SEC filing procedures would still require about a week. The purpose of bringing all parties together was not just for the signing ceremony, but also for the subsequent press conference.

...

There had been far too many rumors about America Online lately, and this share transfer was a prime opportunity to address them all.

Firefly Investment's employee activity room was temporarily transformed into a press conference venue. After the signing process, Eric, Chris, Steve Case, and John Mack seated themselves on stage. There was no long table, just four simple chairs. One of Chris's aides filled in as the host, and below sat over a hundred reporters packed into the room.

With a prearranged simple QA format, they clarified and responded to some rumors related to Firefly Investment and America Online. Upon reaching the free questioning time, a reporter was called upon.

"Mr. Williams, I'm a reporter from The Wall Street Journal. Since Firefly Investment has repeatedly stated its optimism about the future of NASDAQ and America Online, why does your company insist on reducing its holdings?"

As the question left the Wall Street Journal reporter's lips, all eyes in the room turned eagerly toward Eric.

Despite the prior tensions between the two parties, it was apparent that Firefly Investment's move to sell at low prices seemed hasty, as if they felt a crisis looming. While the NASDAQ index had recently shown strong performance, with many investors starting to shed their worries, Wall Street had never lacked pessimism about the NASDAQ index.

Chris shot a reassuring glance at Eric, who picked up the microphone, "In fact, Firefly Investment's reduction of shares in America Online is not significantly related to the overall trends of the NASDAQ market. We made this choice simply because America Online's established development strategy does not align well with the complementary interests of our other industries. Hence, we chose to exit and concentrate more on other businesses. You should know that Firefly Investment is also a major shareholder in tech companies like Cisco, Sprint, Qualcomm, and Nokia. If we were pessimistic about tech stocks, you would see us selling shares from these companies, but in reality, we haven't sold a single share of Cisco, Sprint, or any others in years."

After Eric spoke, many present appeared deep in thought. The Wall Street Journal reporter still wanted to counter but found himself unable to formulate a suitable rebuttal in that moment.

Firefly Investment's achievements in the tech sector over the years were evident. Now, their decision to significantly reduce their stake in America Online, even if unrelated to NASDAQ's bubble, still sparked reflection.

The host quickly called on another journalist before the previous one could continue.

"Mr. Williams, I am a reporter from Forbes Magazine. After reducing your stake in America Online by 25%, Firefly Investment will gain a massive sum of over $10 billion. What are your future investment plans? Will you continue to focus on the tech sector?"

"We do not yet have detailed plans for this funding," Eric answered. "However, traditional industries have generally established stable market structures. Firefly is not very familiar with these areas. Therefore, it is certain that we will focus on the nascent tech sector, which holds more growth potential."

Actually, Eric and Chris had already deliberated on the allocation of this funding.

While they would not be entering significantly inflated stock markets in the short term, nearly $10 billion could not simply be left in a bank account earning interest.

Since this funding would likely be tapped again within two years, Eric planned to invest in various types of short-term convertible bonds. Compared to banks' annual interest rates of less than 3%, investing in bonds that yielded about 5% annually seemed feasible, especially since such investments could generally convert back into cash within 12 months.

However, these were not details Eric could share with the journalists, so he navigated the discussions loosely. He knew well enough that reinvestment in tech sectors would have to wait until after the inevitable tech bubble burst around 2000 -- a time ripe for bottom-fishing.

Eric had too few opportunities to appear before the media, so the reporters shot a flurry of questions at him. The conversation eventually veered to the movie he was currently filming, though Eric humorously declined to comment on it. Eventually, the press turned their attention to the others on stage.

...

Once the press conference wrapped up, he handled a few more errands until, before he knew it, evening had fallen.

To celebrate the successful transaction, John Mack reserved the top floor of the Twin Towers' Windows on the World restaurant for a celebration party, hosted under the Morgan Stanley name.

Inside the restaurant, after attending to a Boston Consulting Group executive, Chris and Eric stepped over to a window that overlooked all of Manhattan. Looking down at the twinkling lights of the city, Chris smiled and said, "First Boston wants 5 million shares as well. If we slightly increase the price now, we might just sell them out entirely."

"Let's treat this like an IPO," Eric instinctively felt a bit hesitant about this unfortunate high-rise building but didn't show it. Holding a glass of red wine in one hand and the other in his pocket, he replied, "There's no need to complicate things. Let's secure this $10 billion first."

According to America Online's current stock price, selling 25% of its shares would mean Firefly Investment was foregoing about $2 billion in profit. Yet throughout this transaction, Firefly Investment would undoubtedly be the one to benefit the most.

After all, as Eric recalled from memory, America Online's profits accumulated over its decade-long trajectory from inception to decline amounted to far less than $10 billion.

Now, those investment institutions that believed they had scored a deal by acquiring shares from Firefly Investment would undoubtedly stand to gain substantial profits if they could resist the temptations to sell once the lock-up period expired six months later. Yet, Eric was sure that many would be unable to suppress their greed. Many would remain, waiting until after the inevitable NASDAQ crash before finally waking up to the harsh reality -- too late to regret.

People often wondered where the losses from stock market crashes went; the truth was that they ended up in the pockets of those quick enough to withdraw their hands.

"From the current situation, it looks like we'll be able to sell the remaining 15% of shares within the next month. I'll select a list of recently issued high-quality bonds. You know, if the bonds over at Firefly Group aren't sold out, we might as well buy some for ourselves. When do you plan to head back to Los Angeles?"

Eric replied, "Tomorrow afternoon. I need to get back to filming Gravity on Monday."

Chris nodded, and then asked, "By the way, did you really invest $1.6 billion to promote 3D and IMAX movies?"

"Yeah," Eric smiled easily as he spoke. "According to the initial tentative plan, we're aiming for 4,000 3D screens worldwide, with an average renovation cost of $300,000 each. Jeffrey is negotiating the details with the major cinema chains. We're planning to directly operate 200 IMAX theaters in North America and overseas. Due to site selection reasons, the costs here are a bit uncertain, but averaging about $2 million per theater should be accurate. That all adds up to $1.6 billion."

Chris listened intently and shook his head at the end. "That's too risky."

"You might think differently after you see the finished product of Gravity one day," Eric confidently replied. "Besides, I can afford to take this risk now."

As they were chatting, John Mack approached with a middle-aged man, at which point Eric and Chris ceased their conversation politely to greet the new arrival.

After a round of pleasantries, Eric took his leave from the party at 9 o'clock.

...

After dropping Caroline and Mayer off at their apartment on Sixth Avenue and giving them some parting advice, Eric made his way to East Hampton, eager to see the children since he would be leaving the following afternoon.

By the time he arrived in East Hampton, it was already past 11 PM. The car slowly drove into the seaside estate, where Joanna awaited him in the courtyard with a maid.

Upon seeing Eric exit the vehicle, Joanna walked over with a joyful expression and softly called out, "Eric."

Eric embraced Joanna and kissed her softly on the lips, "Did the little ones go to sleep?"

Joanna smiled and nodded, instructing the maid to take Eric's bodyguards to a nearby villa for the night before they all headed into the main house together.

Thoughtfully helping Eric hang his coat on a rack, Joanna turned to see that he had already changed his shoes. Naturally, they started toward the children's bedroom together, and she quietly said, "Elia and Kevin fell asleep around nine, and Emma just dozed off not long ago. The little one is getting so naughty."

"Well, I'll give her a good talking-to tomorrow," Eric said with a laugh as he and Joanna quietly pushed open a bedroom door, refraining from turning on the light. With the hallway's dim light, they could see a tiny figure lying in the small bed.

As they crept closer, Joanna carefully adjusted the blanket on Hawaii, gently touched her daughter's delicate face, and then retracted her hand as she saw Eric's rough hand reaching out as well. She shot him a look and blocked him.

Eric had to lean down and place a gentle kiss on his daughter's forehead, gazing quietly for a moment before stepping out of the room.

As the kids had grown, each of the three little ones now had their own rooms.

Eric followed Joanna as they checked on Kevin and Emma, then they finally went upstairs together.

"Didn't Vicki say she would focus on watching Kevin? Why did she go back to acting?" Eric asked somewhat irritated as he removed his shirt in the second-floor bedroom.

Joanna was drawing a bath for Eric in the bathroom as she replied, "It's just a small role; it should only take a week to film. You know how Vicki is; she can't stand just sitting at home with the kids all the time."

While saying this, Eric tossed his trousers onto the bed and walked into the bathroom. "Still, there's really no need for her to take a role. She could have done something else, even in Vancouver."

"Hey, I'm not one to control her. You can talk to her about it next time she's back."

"I guess a lesson might be necessary," Eric chuckled as he stepped into the bathtub. Noticing Joanna getting up to leave, he reached out and pulled her back without bothering to take off her clothes.

"You're going to get my clothes wet," Joanna protested as she squirmed for a moment but ultimately resigned herself to leaning against Eric's embrace, feeling his soft kisses on her neck while their breaths quickened.

After some passionate moments, they left the bathroom past midnight.

...

In the big bed, Joanna's flaxen hair lay scattered as she sleepily rested atop Eric, feeling their bodies pressed close without any inclination to sleep.

After a while, Joanna softly said, "Eric, I want to discuss something with you."

Eric's large hand had been roaming over her body tenderly, and he gently responded, "Hmm?"

Joanna's expression grew somewhat anxious as she raised her face to look at him, "I want to take Elia back to Poland for a visit."

Eric paused for a moment. He was very unfamiliar with Poland as a country and naturally was not keen on sending his child to a place he had no connection to. However, seeing the hopeful look in Joanna's eyes, Eric pondered for a moment before nodding, "Alright, I'll make the arrangements for you."

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1026: It Recognized Me]

East Hampton always managed to set Eric's mind at ease. Summer, however, wasn't the best time for sleeping in. Feeling the warmth of the sunlight pouring through the burgundy curtains, with Joanna no longer by his side, Eric got dressed and got out of bed.

After freshening up, he headed downstairs, and from the staircase, he could hear Emma's sweet voice. The smell of food wafted from the kitchen, but Eric followed the sound to the small living room on the lower level instead. In the spacious living room, a large coffee table occupied one corner, and three little figures were seated on small stools around it. Emma appeared to be drawing, while the other two kids had their backs to him, not quite sure what they were doing. A girl with a ponytail sat near Kevin, also turned away from him.

When Emma spotted Eric entering, her eyes went wide with excitement. After a moment of confusion, she shouted, "Daddy!" and dashed toward him.

Bending down, Eric scooped up the little girl in his arms, smiling as she planted a kiss on his cheek. He then gently asked, "Did you miss Daddy?"

"Uh-huh," Emma nodded vigorously, her face lighting up with anticipation. "Daddy, did you bring me a present? Auntie brought me so many gifts last time!"

"Of course I did! Daddy would never forget to bring you a present. I'll have Auntie Joan get it for you later."

As Eric spoke, he walked over to the coffee table and set Emma down, glancing at the cluttered surface. In front of Emma lay a pile of colored markers, and Kevin was holding a pencil, scribbling something in his notebook. When he noticed Eric, his gaze turned shyly towards him. Elia was still engrossed in a rather hefty book, completely oblivious to the fact that her father was in the room. Next to her was a seven-inch mini keyboard and a small tablet that he had seen before. These had been custom-made and sent over by Steve Mitnick; they simply weren't available on the market.

Ruffling Emma's hair, Eric settled down on a mat between Kevin and Elia. The girl with the ponytail had initially stood up at Eric's arrival but hesitated for a moment before sitting down beside Kevin instead. "Hello, Mr. Williams, I'm Annie Brunelle," she introduced herself.

Eric nodded in response. This was likely the tutor Virginia had hired for Kevin. He wasn't particularly fond of the idea of Kevin receiving formal education so early and had opposed it several times but couldn't win against Virginia's insistence, so he conceded: "You can head out for now; I'll stay with the kids."

Annie's eyes flickered with a hint of disappointment, but she obediently stood up to leave.

Noticing his father sitting nearby, Kevin shyly called out, "Daddy."

Eric awkwardly adjusted his seating position and realized that the mat wasn't conducive for a grown man to sit comfortably. He stood up, lifted his son into his arms, and sat down on Kevin's little stool while looking over at his sweet daughter. "Elia, don't you think you should say hello to Daddy?"

Without turning her head, Elia flipped a page in her book and replied, "Good morning, Daddy."

"Uh-huh, sweetheart, what are you reading?"

"Models for Web Data Retrieval Based on Bayesian Theory."

Eric felt a moment of frustration and thought that he needed to try harder. He cautiously asked, "What's that about?"

Elia didn't answer. Instead, she studied her father intently, as if assessing his intelligence, then returned her attention to her book with a nonchalant expression.

Okay, that was a blow to the ego.

Feeling defeated, Eric glanced at Kevin's notebook and realized that it was a word puzzle. His fatherly pride surged as he exclaimed, "Hey, son, you're doing a word puzzle! Let me help you."

With that, Eric picked up the pencil Kevin had put down and looked at the prompt in front of him.

P_ncil.

This was simple; clearly, it was 'pencil.' He just needed to fill in an 'e.'

His confidence returned instantly.

After a while, Joanna walked in and noticed that Eric had already completed most of the word puzzle book. She laughed, "This is the homework Vicky left for Kevin. If she found out you did it, she'd be furious."

With a sense of irresponsible pride, Eric penned a few more words in the notebook and said, "Just don't tell her."

Joanna squatted down on the other side of the coffee table, sorting through the scattered colored markers in front of Emma. She shot a reproachful look at Eric and said, "It's time to eat. You should take Kevin to the dining room."

Eric didn't get up but pointed to his sweet daughter.

Joanna took a glance at Elia, said nothing, and picked up the tablet. "Elia recently created something fun; let me show you."

Emma immediately raised her little hand, "I'll do it, Auntie Joan! I can too."

Eric noticed that his son also wore an excited expression, piquing his curiosity further.

Joanna pressed the power button, smiled, and handed the tablet to Emma, then retrieved a camera from beneath the coffee table and switched it on.

Upon seeing the camera, Eric looked at the separate mini keyboard and tablet and instantly realized something crucial he hadn't noticed before: all these components were evidently using Bluetooth technology.

However, that thought was fleeting as Emma's attention drew him in again.

The tablet's screen lit up, and the little girl tapped on an app icon, which opened on the desktop. She then pointed the camera at her own face with great seriousness and pressed a button on the screen.

In an instant, a female voice emanated from the tablet's speakers: "Emma Roberts Murdoch Williams."

"Daddy, look! It recognized me!" the little girl exclaimed, even more thrilled to hear her name as she pressed the button again, and the speaker repeated that lengthy name.

After several rounds, Emma aimed the camera at Joanna and pressed the button. The speaker chimed in, "Mom."

After testing with Joanna, Emma turned the camera towards Eric and pressed the button once more. The speaker accurately responded, "Eric Williams."

Eric paused for a moment, then chuckled at Joanna, "Why do you get to be 'Mom,' and I'm just 'Eric Williams?'"

"Who knows?" Joanna shot Eric an eye roll, took the tablet from Emma, and said, "Alright, sweetheart, time to eat. We can play again later."

The two adults tidied up and led the three kids to the dining room. Joanna then explained, "Elia wrote a recognition program herself. Steve said that although the program is simple and can only recognize people whose data has been pre-stored in the computer, Elia's concept surpasses all existing face recognition algorithms. With enough database and computational power, it could eventually identify any person in front of a connected camera worldwide."

Eric set his son down beside the dining table and said, "I'm only focusing on one issue here: our daughter isn't even six years old, is she?"

Hearing that, Emma, who had just settled down at the table, raised her little hand. "Daddy, no! I'm already seven!"

Eric laughed, responding, "Yes, Emma is very clever."

Joanna remarked, "I don't think it's a big deal. Our daughter might become someone brilliant, like Da Vinci."

Eric, receiving breakfast from the maid, began distributing plates to the three little ones. "Let's leave Da Vinci aside. Knowing too much can be exhausting."

Joanna took a small pot of porridge from the maid and sat down at the table. "As long as Elia enjoys it, that's what matters."

"Well, then," Eric nodded and sat down. "Regarding the trip to Poland, I'll have Carter arrange for four female bodyguards for you. With the two at home, that should be enough. You'll be taking that Boeing 767 to get there."

Eric always took the safety of women and children very seriously, donating to the East Hampton Police Department every year to enhance security patrols in the area. Apart from a custom security system, two female bodyguards were always stationed at the estate, while Eric had never considered hiring male guards.

However, since Joanna wanted to take the kids back to Poland, they naturally needed to increase the number of people accompanying them. He wasn't entirely clear about the current situation in Poland.

Joanna didn't refuse Eric's arrangement and added, "And there's Vicky too. We plan to go together. The kids have grown up here and haven't really been anywhere outside of Long Island except for Chris's wedding."

Eric thought for a moment and said, "That sounds better. I won't go this time, but next time I'll join you all on vacation."

Joanna nodded. "Also, we've completed building our private school and plan to start enrolling students this year. Would you like to meet the principal at noon?"

"Sure, I'm leaving in the afternoon, so let them come over for lunch," Eric replied without hesitation.

Although he had been wary about Virginia pushing Kevin into education too early, he still took the children's education quite seriously.

...

Many Americans held the belief that instead of leaving their children a vast sum of money, it was better to provide them with a quality education. The competitive elite culture in America placed enormous emphasis on elite education, and for the upper class, children's education was of utmost importance. Many times, a failure in their education could signal the family's decline.

Thus, the children of America's upper echelon also carried the burden of rigorous education, while the carefree rebel students often depicted in Hollywood movies and TV shows typically belonged to public schools -- the so-called "underachievers." The true elite were shaped in expensive private schools and the Ivy League universities.

In recent years, the two women had devoted a significant amount of energy to preparing for this school. The budget for its infrastructure alone had unexpectedly topped $30 million, and assembling a teaching management team had cost an arm and a leg. They named the school East Hampton Private School, a decision made by Eric since he felt uncomfortable attaching his name or surname to things around him.

Currently, the school offered classes from first to sixth grade, with a total of six classes and thirty students each, catering to residents of East Hampton, Southampton, and Bridgehampton on Long Island. While money did not guarantee the best school, no one could underestimate the impressive hardware and software strength of this new private institution. Although the school was only accepting 180 students, the management team had already received over 500 applications for enrollment in recent months.

Eric and Joanna invited Principal Katherine Wister to lunch at noon, discussing various details for several hours. Finally, Eric made his way to JFK International Airport at 4 PM to board a private flight back to Los Angeles.

...

"Eric, based on the box office data from Friday and Saturday, the drop for The Ring this week should stay under 30%. The total box office could surpass $180 million this week," Mayer reported report while holding a stack of documents in the lounge of the plane.

After reviewing the box office report in his hand, Eric took a coffee from Caroline and gestured for Mayer to continue.

"Furthermore, due to the success of The Ring, other companies are now trying to acquire the rights to Suzuki Koji's other novels. Several adaptations of Japanese horror novels have also begun development recently. New Line emailed us to ask if we wanted to immediately start the sequel and another project for Ju-on."

"Not for now," Eric shook his head and added after a moment's thought. "I'll discuss this with Kenneth personally when I get back. In addition, how's the situation with Rush Hour 3?"

Mayer hadn't been keeping tabs on that matter and turned to Caroline, who had been following up on the news related to the Firefly system tech companies. Usually, she was the one managing the film company's progress.

Caroline looked at Eric, but her mind wandered to his trip to East Hampton to see the kids. She quickly regained her focus. "New Line has finalized the contracts for both male leads' salaries, and they're currently working on the script."

Eric recalled that the first two Rush Hour films performed well, but the third one had struggled due to its change in style. Still, since they hadn't drafted the screenplay yet, there was no rush.

After a brief pause, Mayer saw that Eric had no objections and handed over another document, saying, "Eric, this is the pirate script you requested last time. The writers are Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott, who originally worked at Disney's animated division. However, the script is quite underdeveloped; it's just a basic outline. They've registered it with the Writers Guild, but we haven't had any contact with them yet."

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1027: Stretched to the Limit]

After discussing a few things and sending Caroline and Mayer off to rest, Eric turned to the script in his hands.

In the wake of the new millennium, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise emerged as an undeniable Hollywood blockbuster; aside from the initial film, the subsequent installments nearly all grossed over a billion dollars globally. Eric had been thinking about this since the days of Cutthroat Island.

After facilitating the collaboration between former Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp in The Ring, Eric became increasingly invested in the Pirates of the Caribbean project. He quickly located the script based on the screenwriter's name that lingered in his memory.

However, the script in front of him diverged greatly from his recollection of the plot of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

The story still revolved around Captain Barbossa and a group of pirates kidnapping the governor's daughter to lift a mysterious curse, but the protagonist was a blacksmith named Will. Although Jack Sparrow, captain of the Black Pearl, had a significant role, he was essentially relegated to a supporting character.

Drawing from several behind-the-scenes details he remembered about the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Eric knew this was not merely a butterfly effect triggered by his involvement.

The original Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, if you set aside Depp, was essentially a cliche love story about a stable boy rescuing a princess from wicked villains and living happily ever after.

After skimming through what was basically an outline of the script, Eric closed the folder and instinctively thought about sending an email to Katzenberg, urging him to take charge of getting the script pulled together.

However, despite the lavish interior of the Boeing 767, there was no internet, nor even a phone in the cabin. This made Eric look forward even more to his own Boeing 747, which was set to have a personal communication system installed.

...

With another hour until arriving in Los Angeles, he found himself without other tasks at hand and unable to contact the outside world. Glancing at the Pirates of the Caribbean script, he picked up a pencil, intending to recall some of the major franchises he had possibly overlooked in the coming years.

But as he organized his thoughts, Eric shocked himself with the sheer volume.

Even without mentioning Marvel, which had already reclaimed most of its copyrights and was a golden goose, just the three franchises he currently had -- the Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Rings series, and the Transformers series -- were enough to keep a significant film company thriving for a decade. Pixar and Disney, both powerhouses of 3D animation, could continually generate lucrative animated films for Firefly, providing consistent box office returns and merchandising profits.

Moreover, Firefly couldn't solely focus on these major IP films; the company would still need to attempt one or two original big-budget films each year. Although Eric championed a highly industrialized film production mechanism, a film company fully reliant on major IPs would gradually lose its most vital creative edge.

For big productions, the entire Firefly Group's limit had already reached six productions and releases per year. Accordingly, if they planned one 3D animated film, two Marvel Universe films, and two original blockbusters each year, the production and marketing resources available for large IP films like the Harry Potter series would become quite strained.

An excellent commercial film, if not properly marketed and distributed, would struggle to achieve box office success.

A classic negative example was G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, created by Paramount Pictures.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen both premiered during the summer of 2009, just a month apart. Because Paramount devoted nearly all its resources to the distribution of Transformers 2, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which had a production budget of $175 million, managed only a dismal $300 million in global box office.

Eric distinctly remembered the explosive action sequences featuring the two protagonists running through the streets of Paris in powered suits; had Paramount diverted sufficient resources into marketing and distribution, this film would definitely have surpassed $300 million at the global box office.

Logically speaking, it was more reasonable for each major film company to take on one of the Harry Potter franchises, ensuring each IP received careful, all-channel development. However, he could only influence three major film companies at the moment.

...

Among those, Firefly and MGM had thriving commercial film franchises, while Fox, although owning the distribution rights to Star Wars and having success in indie films through Miramax, had not seen substantial growth in their franchise offerings.

Eric was quite dissatisfied with Fox's handling of the X-Men series, as the timeline had become muddled, with most entries barely making $300 to $400 million globally. Thus, he had considered not placing the series with Fox.

But looking ahead, with Firefly focusing on the Avengers series and MGM nudging towards their spy universe, Fox remained the only viable choice for developing an X-Men universe with the resources at hand.

However, this time around, Eric was determined to maintain a firm grip on the rights to the X-Men universe, just like with the spy movie universe, ensuring that Firefly would definitely partake in the relevant profit distributions.

This wasn't due to Eric's stinginess; after all, within News Corp, Elisabeth's family now had only about 30% of the shareholding, and handing over the benefits of the X-Men series entirely to Fox would leave Elisabeth with barely a sliver of the profit.

Currently, what everyone sought was greater control over Hollywood and the media industry. As long as they offered the majority of shareholders a fraction of the profits, these individuals wouldn't interfere with the management of the film companies. The traditional benefit distribution rules in Hollywood essentially operated along these lines.

Eric increasingly understood that the pursuit of control was paramount; even if a person had no personal wealth, controlling a substantial industry provided access to abundant resources.

Resolved in his thoughts, Eric decided to expedite Firefly's expansion in Hollywood because, after all, being only half of Hollywood was still incomplete.

...

Due to the time difference, when he reached Los Angeles, it was only around 4 PM on the West Coast. As soon as he disembarked, he received a call from Drew. After saying goodbye to the two women, he hurried off to Beverly Hills.

However, the girl wasn't at the Trousdale Estate but rather shopping on Rodeo Drive.

Eric instructed the driver to head over to Rodeo Drive, and as he entered the Gucci store mentioned by the girl, Natasha greeted him. Inside, there were only a few attendants and no other customers.

"master, the boss is changing clothes," Natasha explained before leading Eric further inside.

Arriving in the waiting area for guests, Eric opted for a high table rather than a couch and nodded at a waitress bringing him coffee, signaling her to place it on the adjacent table.

After a brief wait, his girl emerged from the changing room, wearing a sky-blue cotton sheath dress, short-sleeved with a few embroidered accents around the neckline, and a hemline that was a tad short, revealing her slender, pale thighs. Despite not being a tight-fitted style, the dress was tailored excellently, giving her a youthful vibe reminiscent of a high school girl.

"Eric," she called out, rushing over to him for a warm embrace and a few kisses before stepping back to twirl around. "Isn't it pretty?"

Eric nodded and said, "Very pretty, but a bit too short."

"Maybe I've just grown taller," she laughed. "By the way, I ordered two pairs of leather shoes for you; I just picked them up today. Try them on."

Saying this, she gestured for Natasha to bring over a shoebox. As she pulled out a pair of brand-new black leather shoes, she squatted in front of Eric, ready to help him change shoes.

Watching her, Eric pulled his foot back with a smirk, saying, "With such attentiveness, you have to come clean first. Did you get yourself into trouble?"

"Not at all; I'm just very considerate," she pouted, slightly displeased by Eric's teasing, but she didn't push back. She stood up and handed the shoes to a nearby waitress, then dragged a chair over to sit beside Eric and asked, "Eric, Kate's family wants to invite us to dinner tonight. Do you want to go?"

Just as Eric was about to respond, a striking blonde waitress knelt before him, prompting him to raise his foot in cooperation. Then he asked, "Which Kate?"

"Kate Hudson," she replied. "Didn't she get the lead role in Spider-Man? She wants to invite you to dinner to show her appreciation."

Eric nodded, feeling the attractive waitress subtly caressing his ankle, but he only pretended not to notice as he slightly pulled back his foot and replied, "Well, if you've agreed, then let's go."

The role of Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man had only recently been finalized, and Eric honestly preferred Keri Russell, who had a sweet doll-like face. However, Cameron leaned more towards Kate Hudson.

Compared to the petite and delicate Keri Russell, the tall, almost 5'7" Kate Hudson clearly aligned better with Cameron's tastes. This girl had just turned 19 and was in the prime of her youth, inheriting her mother's beautiful features, and her smile was lovely too, but her build was a tad fuller, giving off a hint of "Kate Winslet" vibes.

While Eric had his preferences for Keri Russell, he wasn't dead set on it since he had barely interacted with her. Kate Hudson, on the other hand, was someone they knew reasonably well, and since Cameron liked her, Eric figured it would be a smooth sail to agree.

Once the shoes were changed, Eric tried them on, walking a few steps to give a nod of satisfaction. Yet, he didn't try on the other pair but asked his girl beside him, "Have you decided on your dress?"

"Yeah, I'm going with this one," she answered, pulling out a credit card from her handbag to give to the waitress without any intention of changing back. Before long, Eric and his girl exited the Gucci store, followed by a pair of twins carrying several shopping bags.

...

Not long after stepping out of the store, they spotted the flash of cameras not far down the street. A paparazzo with a long camera was snapping photos like crazy.

The bodyguard who assisted Eric and Drew in getting into the car asked whether he wanted to intervene, but Eric casually shook his head. The girl wrapped her arm around his, leaning into him with a smile, clearly enjoying the attention.

Once settled in the car, Eric instructed the driver to head back to Trousdale Estates, while the twins followed closely in the girl's Range Rover.

A glance in the rearview mirror revealed a motorcycle tailing them, which made Eric furrow his brow and ask Drew, "Why is there paparazzi around you?"

Since Eric and Drew had been spending less time in the spotlight lately, the public's interest in them had diminished significantly over the years. Adding to that, with their status in Hollywood, sightings with paparazzi had become increasingly rare.

After all, tabloids needed appealing news to survive, and the gossip about top stars was undeniably more attractive than the mundane lives of Eric and Drew. Moreover, without concrete evidence, tabloids wouldn't risk publishing their gossip, lest they faced lawsuits. Over time, the two of them became less appealing to paparazzi.

Hearing Eric's question, the girl nestled closer, laughing, "I'm currently the richest woman in the world."

"Wow, that smug tone of yours is just bursting with that kind of wealthy little princess vibe, too extravagant," Eric chuckled, shaking his head, understanding in his heart that with her age and gender, plus the nature of her wealth, even without fabricating stories, the sheer subject matter was enough to draw considerable attention.

"Ha-ha," she giggled as she snuggled into Eric's arms, then after a moment of playfulness, she quietly leaned against him and said, "Eric, I feel like I have too much money; it's quite a hassle."

Eric affectionately pinched her cheek and said, "Let them say whatever they want in the papers; just ignore it."

"I don't care what the papers say! It's just that it feels like so many things have suddenly cropped up around me; it's driving me crazy! Last week, my mom came to ask me for money, and I refused her. Then she went to the reporters, wailing about how terrible her life is. I give her a $10,000 allowance every month; how many people in LA can earn that much in a month? Especially since she doesn't even need to work."

Eric wrapped his arms around her waist, saying, "Then give her a little more, don't let her kick up a fuss; we certainly don't lack that bit of money. I've told you this a long time ago; many things in the world, we just can't avoid."

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1028: A Little Situation]

Back at the mansion in Trausdale, Drew and Eric took a brief rest. By 7 PM, they set off for the nearby Coldwater Canyon. Eric had already visited Kate Hudson's family estate in Coldwater Canyon before, but on that occasion, Kate's other family members were not present. This time, however, everyone was gathered.

As Eric and the girl arrived, Kate Hudson's family welcomed them, along with several guests who had arrived early. Kate's mother was Goldie Hawn, and even though Kate had the Hudson surname, she had grown up with her mother and stepfather at their home. Kate's stepfather, Kurt Russell, was also a well-known Hollywood actor, prominent in the 70s and 80s. Since Hollywood only began its global expansion in the 90s, Kurt Russell's international fame wasn't very high, and due to his age, he primarily appeared in supporting roles in various films. Eric's only memory of him was from Quentin's film Death Proof, where he played the perverse driver who crashed a car into a group of girls, splattering them and Ego from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Besides Eric and Drew, the other guests included Gwyneth Paltrow's family and Kurt Russell's close friend, the famous Hollywood director Ron Howard's family. Goldie Hawn's generation primarily consisted of Hollywood stars, directors, and producers who rose to fame in the 70s and 80s, often supported by an older generation. They could be compared to the Coppola family as traditional Hollywood families.

Interestingly, if it weren't for Drew's parents not making a mark, they might have belonged to this circle too. Given it was summer, dinner was held outdoors on the breezy lawn, where a long table was surrounded by lively guests.

Eric felt a bit awkward among the group; while he was roughly the same age as Drew and her friends, his status in Hollywood prevented Goldie Hawn and others from viewing him as a junior. Fortunately, due to his psychological maturity, Eric naturally integrated into the adult circle, making for a pleasant dinner.

Since everyone had work the next day, the gathering didn't last too late. As the clock neared 10, everyone started preparing to leave. After bidding farewell to the group, Drew emerged from a crowd of kids and introduced a tall, somewhat shy redhead. "Eric, this is Bryce, our new friend. She's been studying in New York for the past few years and just returned to LA, planning to enroll at USC this year."

Eric recognized the girl right away, as they had been introduced earlier. Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of Ron Howard, attended the gathering with the idea of helping her daughter mingle with the girl's circle.

After exchanging smiles and greetings with Bryce Dallas Howard, Eric remarked, "Let's go, we should head back. We have work tomorrow."

Drew shared a whisper with Bryce, who then turned to leave. She then came over with a cheeky smile and said, "Eric, I'm staying over with the girls tonight, you can head back alone."

Eric raised an eyebrow, "You're planning to officially come out?"

"Not at all," the girl chuckled and hugged Eric, leaning in to whisper, "Natasha and the others are outside, take them home with you. Hmph, don't think I don't know -- you've had your eye on them for a while."

Eric adopted a serious expression, "I think I need to explain something."

The girl, well aware Eric was about to start his banter, pecked him on the cheek and dashed back to her friends. She waved goodbye to Eric with a teasing expression. In the crowd, Kate Hudson pulled Drew's waist, kissing her cheek in a show of affection, and the girls burst into laughter.

With the girl staying behind, Eric had no choice but to depart alone. At the parking lot, he bid farewell to Goldie Hawn and her husband before getting into the car that the twins had driven.

...

On the way back to Trausdale Manor, Eric noticed through the rearview mirror that the twins appeared flustered, their cheeks flushed, as if they had received some kind of instruction. He got a sense of a wife facilitating her husband's romantic encounters with their maid.

Sigh.

However, the anxiety radiating from the twins clearly unsettled Eric, who himself began to feel somewhat tense. Remembering the script for Pirates of the Caribbean he had read on the plane, Eric took out his laptop and sent an email to Katzenberg to ease the atmosphere after he got home.

Even though Katzenberg was off that day, he typically rose around four or five and began working. The two had breakfast together every Monday morning to discuss the week's happenings, so sending the email now would give them something to chat about over breakfast.

Having completed the email and lifted his gaze, Eric noticed only one girl remaining quietly seated on the sofa, watching TV, her face still showing signs of that telltale blush. Karl Lagerfeld once remarked that Russia is a mystical land, home to the world's most beautiful women, but also the ugliest men. Given Lagerfeld's orientation, it was hard to tell if he was being earnest or ironic; nonetheless, Eric completely agreed with his assessment of Russian women.

The girl before him wore a simple shirt and white casual pants, and from the side, her figure appeared both slender and curvaceous in all the right ways.

Noticing Eric watching her, the twin began to feel flustered, the blush creeping down her neck. Eric closed the laptop, glanced over, and smiled softly, asking, "Can we really only go one at a time?"

The girl didn't answer, instead lowering her head to stare at the TV remote as if she hoped that it could conceal her.

Eric chose not to press further; instead, he approached her and noticed the pendant around her neck. It belonged to the older sister. Gently taking her hand, he pulled her up. Seeing that Natasha still clutched the remote tightly, he softly said, "Let's go take a shower."

She remained silent but obediently followed Eric, hand in hand.

Half an hour later, Eric placed Natasha, who was merely draped in a large bathrobe, onto the bed. Leaning down, he kissed her lips, but just as he was about to continue, Natasha's previously squinted eyes popped open, and her flushed face muttered, "Light."

After having been buried in bubbles, Eric softly said, "I want to see your body, okay?"

Natasha didn't respond, her eyes fluttering closed once more, long eyelashes trembling.

Assuming she was in agreement, Eric reached to untie her bathrobe but found Natasha gripping it tightly. After several gentle attempts, Eric realized his strength might not match Natasha's, and he resignedly compromised, getting up to turn off the bedroom lights.

As the room darkened, Eric sensed that the girl on the bed grew more submissive. While she forbade him from seeing her, she didn't reject his touches, remaining silent the whole while, appearing exceptionally calm.

When the moment of truth arrived, the girl instinctively wrapped her long legs around Eric's waist.

Thinking this would be a wonderful night, he was shocked when Natasha suddenly squeezed tightly, a sharp pain shooting through his side that nearly brought him to tears.

That hurt like hell.

It turned out that some screenwriters from the 007 series were not tossing around wild ideas after all; perhaps they had experienced something very painful themselves.

After a while, reassured that Natasha had no intentions of harming him, probably it was just a reflex from the first time, he took a deep breath and hesitantly asked, "Nat...Natasha, has Eve seen GoldenEye?"

...

In the morning, Katzenberg showed up at the Firefly Ranch before 7, and Eric soon followed. In the large ship's restaurant, upon seeing Eric enter, Katzenberg set down a stack of paperwork. Although he noted Eric walking a bit oddly, arms seemingly raised slightly, he still warmly reached out for a hug.

Eric, noticing his gesture, quickly raised his hand to shake Katzenberg's. He pointed to his waist, saying, "No, Jeffrey, something happened. I can't hug anyone for a while."

Katzenberg, puzzled, sat down and examined Eric's condition across the table, suddenly asking in a tentative whisper, "Did you get... clutched?"

Noticing the surprise and embarrassment flash across Eric's face, Katzenberg realized he had guessed correctly.

It wasn't proper to laugh at one's boss, and it was even less appropriate to laugh at him to his face. However, Katzenberg couldn't help but sport a grin typical of a cat that got the cream, struggling to take a sip of water to suppress his laughter.

Eric casually ordered breakfast from a passing waiter. Once Katzenberg had also placed his order, and the waiter departed, Eric expressed a hint of resignation, "Was it that easy to guess?"

Katzenberg shook his head with a smile, "I just mentioned what I thought was most unlikely to break the ice."

Well, then. Eric decisively dropped the subject, recalling how last night's events had left him feeling somewhat awkward. Sigh. Hopefully, he wouldn't be left with any psychological scars.

Katzenberg didn't continue teasing Eric. "I met with William yesterday; the shoot for Gravity may be extended by a month."

William Stewart, producer of Titanic, was who Katzenberg was speaking of. Eric had originally agreed to let him produce his project after Jeffrey Hansen retired, and some production responsibilities for Gravity fell to him.

Eric nodded, "I feel some shots could be improved using virtual cameras; I plan to reshoot some scenes. Don't worry, though; post-production will go on alongside filming, so this won't affect the release schedule."

Strictly speaking, a virtual camera is software designed specifically for creating CG shots and does not have a physical form. However, it can replicate all functions of a physical camera within a virtual environment.

Most scenes in Gravity combined live-action and CGI, and Eric intended to convert some shots entirely to virtual camera formats, which meant previous footage would be discarded, necessitating new shoots for composition.

With a $100 million budget, Gravity was actually quite economical given Eric's current standing. Thus, during the reshoots, no one would be overly concerned about potential budget overruns. The vital point was the release schedule. As the flagship film for promoting 3D and IMAX formats, any delay would be disastrous.

Upon hearing Eric's explanation, Katzenberg felt reassured. He transitioned to discussing the progress of the '4200' plan: "We've established locations for 110 IMAX theaters, 71 in the country and 39 abroad. Regal Cinemas has shown substantial interest in our 3D movie plan. However, they require exclusive rights to 2,000 of our domestic 3D screens and expect us to provide hefty guarantees and a two-year slate of 3D movies after theaters have been upgraded. I declined, but negotiations are still ongoing. I've sent a detailed report to your assistant's office; you can review it when you have the chance."

Regal Group, the largest cinema chain in the U.S., consisted of a series of sub-brands, boasting nearly 7,000 screens. Although it was the largest chain in North America, it could not cover every region -- many states lacked their operations. Both Eric and Katzenberg hoped the 3D screens could spread nationwide to enhance the promotion of this format. Unless absolutely necessary, they definitely wouldn't agree to Regal monopolizing those 2,000 screens.

After discussing the '4200' plan, they wrapped up breakfast, and Eric asked, "Did you get a chance to look at the email I sent you last night?"

Katzenberg nodded, tapping on a folder beside him. "I just reviewed that script, and frankly, compared to Cutthroat Island, this one feels like it only adds a touch of fantasy elements, plus the storytelling comes off as quite cliched -- really nothing remarkable. I called earlier to inquire further; this story has already been circulating for two or three years. It has remained stagnant in the hands of agents ever since the failure of Cutthroat Island."

Eric agreed, saying, "I see it the same way. However, I don't intend to shoot it as is. I just want to acquire the idea and then modify the story, promoting that character named Jack Sparrow to a leading role. So, it would be best if you could bring both writers back from Paramount. I don't have enough time to revise the script myself."

"I'll arrange it soon," Katzenberg nodded. He merely shared his opinions earlier, but he now had no doubts about Eric's vision for films. "However, Eric, remember, we sold the entire Disney hand-drawn animation studio, not sure if Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott would want to return?"

Eric wasn't too worried. "They wouldn't pass up an opportunity like this. After all, they're just regular screenwriters, not household names. Of course, if they're unwilling to come back, it's fine; we just need to get our hands on that script idea."

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1029: Spread the Word]

Today, the crew filmed a series of shots capturing Ryan inside the space station.

The team had previously constructed a model of the space station's interior in another soundstage. It was actually quite simple -- a few green-screened, concave corridors. The scenes filled with high-tech equipment were all created using CGI.

Holding tightly onto the thick director's script, Eric concealed the issue of his arms not wanting to hang naturally at his sides. Although some attentive people might have sensed something was off, he didn't expect anyone would ask about these details.

"Hey, Nicole, just remember the feeling of standing next to the glass wall at the aquarium and watching the fish swim by. I want Judy's perspective in this shot to feel like a free-swimming fish. Your camera should be like the eyes of a tourist following the fish."

Beside the concave corridor, Eric was explaining his vision for the upcoming shots to Nicole when Jodie Foster walked out of the changing room in a special outfit designed for wire work.

To allow Jodie to perform various aerial movements, they used a total of seven wires, with thin cords connected from her shoulders down to her waist. Once the setup was complete, she looked like a marionette.

Gravity featured very few conventional shots; the scenes seemed to drift constantly, with an array of unique camera angles that regular handheld shoots could rarely achieve. At this moment, the outside of the concave slots was still equipped with camera tracks and robotic arms for precise movements.

After chatting with Nicole for a bit, she went off to prepare while Jodie approached.

Eric admired Jodie's beautiful blue eyes and sighed over a running gag from the original script that couldn't be used. "Today's shoot is going to be tough. Are you ready?"

Nicole still had some prepping to do. The harness under her T-shirt for the wires wasn't very comfortable, so Jodie just sat down next to Eric and said, "Is it going to be worse than a few days ago?"

Eric nodded seriously, "Of course. But don't worry, I've told the chef to add two eggs for you at lunch."

Jodie smiled sweetly but had a mischievous glint in her eyes as she assessed Eric casually. "With your wealth, only two eggs? That's quite stingy."

Eric made a pained expression, "How about I add one more? No more than that."

"Hehe," Jodie chuckled, her eyes narrowing with mischief. Suddenly, she reached out and precisely poked a spot on Eric's side with her finger.

"Ah!"

Caught off guard, Eric jumped almost out of his seat, but more than anything, he was surprised that this woman had figured that out.

The busy crew members around them glanced over at Eric's yell. Upon realizing it was their star and director 'interacting,' they pretended nothing was happening and returned to their work.

Jodie was startled by Eric's reaction and quickly said, "Sorry, Eric, I just wanted to joke around."

"It's all good," Eric shook his head, feeling the confusion in her tone, generously forgiving her.

However, women naturally had a curiosity trait; after apologizing, Jodie quickly asked, "Eric, what happened to your waist?"

Eric shrugged casually, "Nothing, I just bumped into something."

"Oh," Jodie replied softly, but the look of confusion in her eyes didn't fade. After a moment, she seemed to come up with something, and her lips curled into a sly smile.

Noticing the faint smile, Eric wondered if she could possibly guess like someone else. So he asked, "What's on your mind?"

Jodie leaned in slightly, lowering her voice, "Did someone clutch you?"

Alright then.

It looked like Hollywood natives had quite an imagination.

Fortunately, Eric was somewhat prepared for this question and calmly glanced at Jodie's long, fair legs, "How about you try to clutch me and see if you have the power to hurt me?"

"We women might not," Jodie teased, winking. "But men are another story."

A shiver ran down Eric's spine as he threatened, "Careful, or I'll take away your eggs."

"Hehe," Jodie laughed but couldn't resist asking, "What really happened?"

"Just as you imagine, I got clutched by a woman," Eric decisively entered the 'tell-the-truth-no-one-believes-me' mode, "You've seen GoldenEye, right? I ran into a Russian female spy last night."

Jodie's expression instantly changed to one of realization: "Oh~~~"

"What does that mean?"

Jodie continued to smile, "Eric, actually, I'm quite familiar with Drew."

Eric tried to play dumb, "So what?"

Jodie raised her hand as if to poke him again, which made Eric hastily shield himself with the thick director's script. Jodie proudly lifted her chin and stood up, "Alright, I need to get to work, you silly director."

"You're judging me without any evidence."

"I'm a woman."

"..."

Fortunately, aside from Jodie, no one else noticed any of this.

The crew attached the wires connected to the ceiling tracks to the hooks on Jodie's back. After a few tests, the shooting for the day officially began.

...

Meanwhile, in a nondescript office building in North Hollywood, the headquarters of a talent agency was buzzing. Though it shared a name somewhat similar to CAA, it was just a typical small agency.

Agent Matt Gilson received a call from the script purchasing department at Firefly Group shortly after clocking in that morning, asking him to come to their Burbank headquarters to discuss a script he had in hand.

The agency was small, and Matt wore many hats -- both talent and script agent. However, in such a small company, being a 'jack of all trades' only served to make him feel less important.

He only represented a few newcomers and a few lesser-known screenwriters. The script called Pirates of the Caribbean, written by Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott, was underwhelming, especially since its creators had previously worked on the 2D animated film Aladdin, and there hadn't been any standout scripts since. The influence of Cutthroat Island meant that Pirate scritps had spent years without attention.

However, since last week, Matt had sensed a shift.

This script, buried for years, suddenly drew interest, and it was Firefly Group showing it. That realization made him feel an opportunity.

This script wasn't entirely finished -- it resembled more of a treatment than a fully-formed screenplay, and selling it now, considering Rossio and Elliott's minimal clout in Hollywood, it would be tough to command a price over $100,000.

But Matt thought, if he could link this script to a certain someone, its value might multiply significantly.

He sensed intuitively that this script could be one that Eric Williams had personally picked. After all, Cutthroat Island's box office disaster was etched in the Guinness World Records, and Hollywood had largely avoided pirate films in recent years. A cautious executive wouldn't easily step into that territory.

Moreover, Cutthroat Island was connected to Disney, which was now a subsidiary of the Firefly Group. Many executives now had roots in Disney and were likely acutely aware of how poor the film's reception was. So naturally, it would seem unlikely they'd be interested in pirate films, suggesting only Eric could unreservedly select a pirate-themed script.

...

With these thoughts in mind, Matt Gilson wasted no time in heading over to the Firefly Group headquarters. Indeed, even the big three agencies couldn't compete with Firefly, and as an unknown agent, he had no room to act big.

Although the $100,000 offer seemed generous for the script, Matt didn't immediately agree; he stated he needed to discuss it with his clients.

The manager handling his negotiation at Firefly didn't appear too eager either, and they arranged to follow up later. Matt left the Burbank headquarters feeling a bit deflated as he recalled their conversation, which had revealed nothing of substance.

However, the recent sensation of The Ring prompted Matt to think about taking a chance.

Due to Eric's attention, this horror script from Japan had soared at the box office; it had easily grossed over $170 million in North America alone, outperforming most major summer blockbusters, all produced on a mere $30 million budget.

At the same time, every film associated with Eric during that summer was raking in big bucks. By that standard, if Pirates of the Caribbean was indeed Eric's interest, it would likely be worth at least $500,000.

As an agent, Matt's income was quite unstable, averaging around $5,000 a month. Selling Pirates of the Caribbean at a high price would give him commission money that could rival almost ten months of income.

Making ten months' worth in one go, Matt couldn't conceive of any reason not to take the risk.

While calculating his potential gains, Matt didn't keep this information from his clients. Upon returning to the office, he called Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott to explain his theory in detail. Both were intrigued. After lunch together to discuss it thoroughly, they reached a consensus.

...

In the afternoon, Matt began contacting acquaintances at various major studios in Hollywood, claiming to have a script that Eric Williams might be interested in personally.

Due to the massive success of The Ring, Hollywood was shamelessly eager for any projects that might catch Eric's attention, even resorting to corporate espionage. However, Eric had learned from past mistakes and certainly wouldn't repeat them.

Despite this, Matt's mention of the script still held significant interest. Even years later, few studios dared to venture into making pirate films, especially something as high-budget as Pirates of the Caribbean seemed.

Outside of Eric Williams, very few in Hollywood would show interest in such a script.

While Matt prudently stopped short of making a 100 percent guarantee, it was still before the end of the business day when many executives had copies of the Pirates of the Caribbean script on their desks.

...

While the crew hadn't wrapped for the day yet, Eric received several phone calls from various folks, including a call from Drew and Elisabeth, along with inquiries from several others. Spielberg even wondered if Eric needed to come in and discuss strategies.

"Let's tell the script department to pause contact with them and see how things develop," Eric concluded after a chat with Spielberg.

Standing in a corner after hanging up, he felt helpless. The current Pirates of the Caribbean script and the film itself were practically different stories. Eric wasn't worried that the script would be snatched away to replicate past box office successes; however, it would be a shame if such a potentially immense franchise was ruined.

"Eric, we tried again, but it still doesn't work," Nicole said as she returned to the filming area. "Trying to get Judy to maintain the fetal position in the wire setup is just impossible."

Nearby, Jodie was still tied to the rigging, only able to rest against the specially constructed model of the space station.

Eric approached the monitor and replayed the last shot. This shot was filmed from the side, creating the illusion that Jodie was floating inside the capsule. In reality, she was still hanging vertically on the wires, and her drifting rotation was achieved through the relative motion of the camera.

With the wires on her back, maintaining balance meant Judy could only extend her legs. It was tough for her to curl up like a baby.

The scene depicting Ryan curled up in solitude within the capsule was both classic and deeply symbolic. Eric had no intention of modifying or glossing over that.

But, with thoughts of Pirates of the Caribbean weighing on him, Eric felt somewhat anxious. After discussing with Nicole and Robert Byers, he couldn't come up with a fitting solution. With time running short, he decided to call it a day early.

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1030: The Chaos]

Even without any signs of a decline in popularity, audiences continued to flock to theaters to watch the ghost emerge from their TV screens.

By its fifth weekend, the North American box office for The Ring had already reached $171 million, and it was projected that in the next four working days, followed by the subsequent week, the film's total North American box office would surpass the $200 million mark.

Early on Tuesday morning, Michael Eisner sat in a Beverly Hills restaurant, deeply engrossed in reading an article from Variety discussing why The Ring had become an unexpected box office hit. He set down the newspaper, his gaze falling on the script before him titled Pirates of the Caribbean.

Another pirate film, huh.

Michael Eisner could now face the blunder he had made with Cutthroat Island with a certain calmness. After leaving Disney and making a comeback at Universal, he had reflected on his years at Disney. In the final years, he acknowledged he had become overly blind and headstrong, and now, he viewed his experience a few years back as a transformation in his career.

This summer, Universal Pictures released two blockbuster films, The Mask of Zorro and The Scorpion King, both achieving impressive box office results. The Scorpion King, a spinoff of The Mummy series, was particularly successful, indicating that Universal was beginning to establish its own 'film universe.' Even if it couldn't compare to MGM's consecutive $1 billion spy movie franchise, it was more than enough to make other major film companies envious.

With the upswing at Universal, Michael Eisner's position in Hollywood and at Seagram was becoming increasingly secure. However, the sudden emergence of Pirates of the Caribbean stirred some ripples in his otherwise settled mindset.

As Michael Eisner drifted in thought, the current CEO of Seagram, Edgar Bronfman, hurried over, casually greeted him, and took a seat across the table. He impatiently waved for the waiter to come over.

Michael Eisner raised an eyebrow at Edgar Bronfman's somewhat frantic actions but refrained from commenting.

While Universal Pictures was thriving, the situation at Seagram Group could only be described as dismal.

Last year, Seagram had acquired Polygram Records for a staggering $10 billion and had yet to complete the integration with Universal Music. This year, the overall condition of the music industry took a steep downturn.

Influenced by the rapid spread of internet piracy, the sales performance of the world's major record labels plummeted by around 30% in the first half of the year. Universal Music and Polygram, still in the integration process, were faring even worse. Other record companies were experiencing declines but remained profitable, while Universal reported massive losses.

At this moment, Michael Eisner couldn't help but admire Eric Williams' foresight.

He had been closely following Firefly Group's progress and knew that two years prior, Firefly's executives had aimed to expand the company's record business. Rumor had it that Firefly was the first potential buyer Polygram had approached, but Eric Williams had decisively rejected the offer.

Even though Firefly had acquired Virgin Records last year, the scale of Firefly's music division was still nothing compared to the major labels.

Perhaps it was this nimble nature that had allowed Firefly to grow while major labels were suffering. Though official financial reports were not available, many public sales data suggested that Firefly Records was definitely on the rise.

The strategy of focusing on youth pop music seemed to offer considerable potential. In the entertainment industry, it was no secret that young people's money was the easiest to earn.

After taking a few sips of the soda the waiter had brought, Edgar Bronfman expressed his frustration, "Doug Morrison is a fool; Polygram just discovered $600 million in hidden debt. Adding in the losses from the first half of the year, the record group will need to write down at least $1 billion in assets."

Michael Eisner listened as Edgar Bronfman blamed the current mess at Universal Records on its CEO. He opened his mouth slightly but said nothing. In fact, the situation at Universal now stemmed not only from the impact of internet piracy but also from Edgar Bronfman's overly eager approach to the Polygram acquisition.

However, pointing this out would only embarrass Edgar Bronfman further without achieving anything practical, so Michael opted for silence.

When Edgar Bronfman said this, noticing that Michael Eisner neither agreed nor disagreed, his expression became somewhat awkward. As the head of Seagram, he was far from mediocre and was keenly aware of the root cause of Universal's troubles.

Spotting the script resembling a manuscript on the table in front of Michael Eisner, Edgar Bronfman shifted the topic, "Michael, is this the script for our new movie?"

Michael Eisner handed over the script for Pirates of the Caribbean, saying, "No, this script just circulated in Hollywood yesterday. It's said that Eric Williams personally selected it, and Firefly Group has already made an offer."

Edgar Bronfman glanced at the cover and remarked, "A pirate film? Didn't they say pirate films are a no-go zone in Hollywood?"

As he said this, Edgar glanced pointedly at Michael Eisner, and the awkwardness he had felt earlier faded somewhat. Michael's disastrous experience with Cutthroat Island had indeed been quite severe.

Michael Eisner seemed oblivious to the change in Edgar Bronfman's expression and replied, "Exactly, which is why this script is more likely to have caught Eric Williams' eye; others wouldn't dare touch this subject matter."

Edgar Bronfman detected the excitement hidden in Michael Eisner's tone and urged, "Michael, while I have absolute confidence in your handling of Universal, it might be best if we avoid this kind of subject matter."

"I've already had the production department run the numbers. For this movie, being cautious, $80 million should cover it," Michael Eisner continued, ignoring Edgar's concern. "And while the narrative is somewhat cliche, it aligns perfectly with the high-concept film approach. Plus, the fantasy plot involving cursed pirates has great potential for box office success as a special effects blockbuster."

Edgar Bronfman felt frustrated by Michael Eisner's independent decision-making and began to question whether helping him oust Michael Ovitz was a wise choice. Universal's developments had been impressive, but Edgar could sense his control over Universal dwindling.

Given Universal's dire situation, he didn't dare to entertain too many ideas about reclaiming power from Michael Eisner for fear of causing unrest within the company.

After outlining his plans, Michael Eisner noticed Edgar Bronfman's subtle expressions and chuckled, saying, "But my thoughts can only stay at the planning stage. Universal will follow the offers, but we don't truly know what Eric Williams is thinking about this script, so we won't be making any outlandish bids. The chances of acquiring the script are slim."

...

By ten o'clock in the morning, Warner Bros CEO Richard Parsons had spent several hours discussing the merger with Steve Case. He declined an invitation for lunch, instead making his way to East Hampton where Gerald Levin, vice chairman of Time Warner, had been vacationing. They were scheduled for lunch to chat about the progress of Richard Parsons' negotiations with Steve Case.

The merger talks between AOL and Time Warner were becoming very public, and Firefly's decision to sell off 25% of its AOL stock had made the merger's prospects clearer. Otherwise, even if both sides reached a merger agreement, they would still be bound by Firefly's interests and the subsequent antitrust scrutiny.

After departing from AOL's headquarters, Richard got into his car, and his assistant handed him a script.

Although much of his focus was currently on the merger, Richard Parsons had not slackened his grip on managing Warner Bros. In a company like Warner with severe internal strife, once power slipped away, reclaiming it would be nearly impossible.

"Is this the script that surfaced yesterday?" Richard asked, flipping through a few pages uncertainly.

The assistant nodded, "Firefly made a formal offer for this script yesterday. As you know, over the past few years, very few have ventured into pirate films. This script is also a classic high-budget effects blockbuster template. At Firefly, aside from Eric Williams himself, it's clear that others with decision-making power wouldn't be keen on such a script."

"You mean this is merely speculation with no confirmation?" Richard asked.

The assistant replied, "We can only speculate; Firefly clearly wouldn't disclose any confirmations to us."

Richard Parsons hesitated for a moment. Warner's film endeavors had been lukewarm; they desperately needed a flagship series to hit it big. Particularly now, if the film sector could turn around, it would greatly enhance their negotiating power in discussions with AOL.

"Alright, you personally head back to Los Angeles. I'll give you a budget of $3 million to secure this script. If we can confirm that it's Eric Williams himself who is interested, the offer can go up to $5 million."

...

Early in the morning, as soon as they entered the office, Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott received word that Sherry Lansing wanted to speak with them.

Since yesterday afternoon, the two low-level screenwriters from Paramount Animation had felt a level of attention like never before, receiving a flood of inquiries and probing calls throughout the night.

At that moment, both men sported heavy dark circles under their eyes, and there was no thrill from being in the spotlight; they both sensed they might be in over their heads.

If this script incident turned out to be a misunderstanding, with Eric Williams completely unaware of their possession of the pirate film script, they could imagine that once this was exposed, their Hollywood careers would be over.

Standing outside Sherry Lansing's office, the secretary went in to announce their presence. Inside, Terry Rossio finally snapped out of his daze, and quietly asked Ted Elliott, "What should we say when we go in?"

Ted Elliott, slightly more composed, urgently whispered back, "Decline, just decline for now, and wait for Firefly's reaction."

Terry nodded, feeling somewhat reassured. Only if Firefly provided further feedback could their speculation hold any weight. If Firefly showed no further interest in the script, then the incident evidently had no ties to Eric Williams, merely a routine purchase of rights for Pirates of the Caribbean.

If that happened, Firefly wouldn't even need to make a public denial; the other major film companies in Hollywood would realize they had been duped. In that case, even if they managed to snag a few million dollars now, their future prospects in Hollywood would be bleak.

With a few million bucks, after agents' fees and taxes, splitting it would yield little, hardly enough to sustain them for life.

While their current job didn't pay too well, it was stable and, more importantly, it allowed them to continue writing scripts and seeking opportunities. The moment they were labeled as frauds and were thrown out of Hollywood, their literary degrees would barely help them find another job.

The secretary soon emerged, informing them they could enter.

...

Walking into Sherry Lansing's office, the Paramount leader was reviewing documents through her elegant silver-rimmed glasses. She noticed the two men entering, set the file aside, and politely stood to shake hands.

After a round of introductions and pleasantries, Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott sat down with Sherry Lansing on the couch in the meeting area.

After the secretary served them coffee and left, Sherry smiled and looked at the two, "I took the time to review your script suggestions for the studio's recent animated films. They were exceptional! By the way, since you're both with Paramount, feel free to contact our script procurement department directly if you have any excellent scripts."

Of course, Terry and Ted had contacted Paramount's script procurement department before, only to find that interest in pirate-themed scripts was immediately lacking. However, the two men now respectfully agreed with Sherry Lansing's words without any intention of arguing.

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1031: The Observer]

Words had an amiable way of bridging relationships. Sherry Lansing sensed a certain tension between Terry Russo and Ted Elliott. Although she wasn't privy to the details, she refrained from applying further pressure. She elegantly sipped her coffee, set the cup down, and dove into the main topic. "Terry, Ted, if possible, I hope you can keep that pirate movie script at Paramount. What do you think would be an appropriate price?"

Terry Russo's lips moved, but he looked to his friend for guidance.

Ted Elliott hesitated but pressed on. "Ms. Lansing, we really want to work with our company. However, as you know, the other companies approached us first, so it wouldn't be appropriate to ignore them entirely."

Sherry Lansing nodded, her expression betraying no displeasure. "In that case, let me share what we can offer. Paramount can put up $2 million and a percentage of the profits. I hope you'll consider it carefully. The company happens to be on the lookout for suitable special effects projects, and collaborating with our internal team could provide this film with more resources down the line."

Two million dollars was twenty times what Firefly had offered, and on top of that, there were profit shares. Terry Russo and Ted Elliott felt their hearts race. Both had surpassed their thirties, and after years in Hollywood, they had never seen income figures like a million dollars, let alone this kind of offer.

However, a guilty conscience restrained them from agreement. The more they obtained now, the worse their fate would be if the truth came to light.

...

As they left Sherry Lansing's office, the two soon found a payphone and hastily dialed their agent, Matt Gilson. Ted Elliott, holding the receiver, couldn't wait to ask, "Matt, has there been any reaction from Firefly?"

On the other end, Matt Gilson's tone was filled with excitement as he rapidly spewed out figures.

Listening to the numbers he'd once only dreamed of, Ted Elliott calmed himself and interrupted, "Matt, I don't want to know how much Sony Pictures has offered or what Warner Bros. is willing to pay. I only want to know, what's Firefly's response?"

After a moment of silence, he hung up the phone and looked at his friend, shaking his head with a wry smile. "The situation is worse than I imagined. It seems everyone is convinced this is the script that Eric Williams has taken a personal interest in."

Terry Russo voiced his urgency, "Didn't we agree it was just a possibility? Why has it escalated to this?"

Ted Elliott took out a cigarette, glanced around, then put it back, leaning dismally against the phone booth door. "It's probably because of the strong impression Cutthroat Island left on Hollywood. Everyone thinks no one outside Eric Williams would be interested in a pirate film. Of course, it's also possible that Matt used some misleading terms when talking to these companies. You know how he is."

"I think," Terry Russo hesitated, "this script is very likely the one Eric Williams is interested in. Just think about it -- within less than a day, the rumors have spread this far. If this script had nothing to do with Eric Williams, Firefly likely would have publicly refuted the rumors instead of keeping their distance."

"Let's hope it's not the case," Ted Elliott remarked. "When Cutthroat Island was first released, there were rumors that Eric Williams deliberately set a trap for Michael Eisner, right? The seven major studios are fundamentally competitors, and now everyone's rushing to get this pirate script. If this has nothing to do with Eric Williams, do you think Firefly would turn it into an opportunity to take someone else down? Hollywood is full of sharks. The bigger this project gets, the worse our fallout will be if it fails."

Terry Russo looked conflicted for a moment and suggested, "How about we let Matt sell the script to whichever company offers the highest bid? They would be willing participants. If we can each score a million..."

Before Terry could finish, Ted Elliott shook his head. "Terry, I can't do that. I have a family to support. And look at you -- Bonnie is a stay-at-home mom with no income. If we each made a million and got kicked out of Hollywood, we'd never land decent jobs again. You think that's enough to support us for the rest of our lives? Plus, Claire and Danny are already in high school, both excelling in their studies and likely heading for an Ivy League. Do you see any Ivy League school with tuition under $40,000 a year?"

After hearing Ted's words, Terry Russo lost some of his resolve but still felt a bit resentful. "Things may not be as dire as you think. As long as we put our hearts into the script, even if it has nothing to do with Eric Williams, it shouldn't flop too badly. Special effects movies have been selling well in recent years."

"The key isn't about that. The problem is, unless this project performs exceptionally well at the box office, if a big company realizes they were fooled, we'll be in serious trouble. Hollywood has plenty of crazies, but not too many fools, and nothing here stays secret for long. We shouldn't be naive," Ted Elliott countered, turning back to the phone, flipping a coin into the slot. "We should really talk to Matt face-to-face. We can't end up like Pierce Brosnan, getting burned by our own agent."

Terry's flickering ideas were doused by his friend's cold water. Watching Ted dial again, he asked, "Ted, if this script is actually something Eric Williams is looking at and Firefly reaches out again afterward, what should we do?"

Ted Elliott understood that the possibility of Terry's scenario occurring was quite low. As he listened to the dial tone, he mused, "If that's the case, we should be thankful to have gotten this far."

...

For those in the industry, Hollywood indeed had no secrets, and many messages spread like wildfire. Early that morning, nearly everyone involved in Gravity was privy to the situation surrounding the Pirates of the Caribbean script. Yet, due to potential leaks of sensitive business information, no one dared to broach the subject in front of Eric.

Thus, the atmosphere in the studio buzzed with curiosity, creating an oddly charged environment.

Eric was now aware of more details, realizing that the leak didn't come from within Firefly Group. Instead, it was just speculation from the script's owners designed to generate buzz with an obvious purpose.

Katzenberg's advice was to abandon the script entirely; otherwise, such situations would continue to crop up. Eric knew, logically, that Katzenberg's advice was sound. But while the other scripts could be set aside, this was about the Piratesof the Caribbean.

Although Eric's involvement carried many uncertainties, considering that average gross of the five films in the Pirates of the Caribbean series was over a 900 million globally was enough to make him overlook potential risks.

Since the matter had already gained widespread attention, it was unlikely to settle down quickly. Therefore, Eric decided to remain an observer for the time being.

...

In the Gravity studio, the team continued to work on the shot of the female lead, Ryan, curling up in the fetal position.

After trying various adjustments with the harness, Eric resolutely began to explore other options.

In front of the space capsule model, everyone gathered and shared their opinions. Visual effects supervisor Robert Byer spoke up. "The issue now is we need a support system that allows Judy to complete her movements without compromising the perfect zero-gravity illusion on camera."

"What if we add a fixed mechanical arm support to my waist? I'm saying, if post-production doesn't have a problem," Judy suggested, raising her hands to gesture at her waist. She caught a glimpse of Eric's waist and thought back to yesterday's antics, finding it amusing, though at least he didn't seem to be in pain today.

Noting the smirk Judy shot his way, Eric shot her a helpless glare but replied earnestly, "Post-production will be fine; we'll just erase the equipment. But your idea won't work. For this shot to be perfect, every part of your body needs to be entirely relaxed. Binding your waist won't allow your legs to bend naturally. It's not possible to be loose and graceful that way."

"You said I should completely forget about my sense of direction, right?" Judy countered. "In that case, I don't have to elevate my legs; we could dangle equipment from the ceiling to hoist me horizontally."

Eric remarked directly, "But that's exactly how you were positioned with the harness just now."

"I mean with fixed equipment. The harness feels too airy; I can't use it as leverage."

After thinking for a moment, Eric was about to test this when Robert Byer interjected, "Judy, that won't work either. To meet Eric's requirements, the fixed equipment can't be too extensive. It should only secure your waist like a belt. Supported horizontally, your body weight would rely solely on that one point, causing both sections of your body to sag, which would make the movements more difficult."

"Why don't you all consider other methods? If not, I might try something different later," Judy said, still relaxed despite her plans being rejected repeatedly. Leaning against the model, her long, smooth legs naturally crossed, her feet only clad in temporary slippers for the performance, she lightly tapped her toes against the ground.

Eric fortuitously stood across from Judy and suddenly thought, if she swapped her footwear for a pair of chunky red platform heels, donned a wide-brimmed white hat, and added a rebellious expression to her face, she would instantly transform back into the character from Taxi Driver who captivated a certain someone enough to attempt an assassination.

Of course, that wasn't the point.

The crucial part was that seeing Judy in this position sparked an idea in Eric's mind. He snapped his fingers and gestured to Judy, then turned to Robert Byer and the others, saying, "Look, I found the support point."

Everyone turned their attention, with Judy looking bewildered in her previous stance. Most others wore similarly confused expressions, and Nicole quipped, "If only the costume were appropriate; we could film a space version of Taxi Driver today."

Eric gestured for Judy to rotate to a side position. "Judy, use your right leg as support and try out the position we need."

Upon hearing this, Judy confidently planted one leg down, bent her body, and curled her arms and left leg. After attempting this, she realized it was much easier than her previous suggestion. However, after a brief demonstration, Judy felt unstable since her right leg wasn't secured, so she kicked off her slippers, climbed onto the half-height model behind her, scanned the area, and looked at Eric. "Come help me secure this."

Eric laughed as he approached and tried securing her leg with his arm, holding her lower leg tightly. "All set! Try it again."

Judy cheerfully lifted one leg and wiggled it, feeling much steadier. She glanced at the man beside her and, rather playfully, tapped her toes against Eric's side, saying, "Holding on this tight, you're not trying to take advantage of me, are you?"

"Of course, I am. With such a legitimate reason, why wouldn't I?" Eric replied with a smile. "Come on, strike your pose; I'm worried my hands might wander."

Judy immediately shot Eric a look. "You dare!"

Around them, the rest of the crew sighed dramatically, thinking, "Come on, we're all adults here."

Judy soon realized her previous words were inappropriate and, feeling embarrassed, stuck her tongue out before starting her moves, while Nicole grabbed a nearby camcorder and dashed to the opposite side.

After some time, everyone gathered near the computer to review the footage Nicole had filmed. Robert Byer said, "This method is workable, but we'll need to create a prosthetic leg for Judy. Simulated CG limbs are going to be a real challenge."

"Let's make sure it's well done. After this, we'll surely have opportunities to use this tech again," Eric noted. "For now, this is the best feasible method we've come up with. If you all think of a better way, feel free to let me know."

https//Sayonara816.

[Chapter 1032: I Like Dealing with Smart People]

The props team worked busily for over an hour, and soon Eric had the props he required ready. Filming began shortly after.

After a few rounds of adjustments, Jodie Foster quickly found her rhythm. In the monitor screen, Jodie, with her right calf secured to a special brace, slowly arched her body. Her left leg bent forward as her arms relaxed and raised in front of her, gradually forming the pose of a baby in a mother's womb.

Shooting a special effects film often did not provide performers and onlookers much immersion, but at that moment, the woman in the camera lens radiated a raw static beauty that captivated everyone. The studio fell completely silent; even the sound of the machines seemed to fade.

Eric sat in front of the monitor, marveling at the scene until the woman on screen completed a full rotation in the weightless-like camera motion. He gave Nicole an "OK" sign, still wanting more.

...

On the model stage, Jodie received a signal to gradually bring her pose to an end before glancing over towards Eric. He instructed the crew to release her from the apparatus, walked to the edge of the stage, and said, "As much as I'd love for you to do it again, what you just did was already perfect."

"I'd love to do it again too; that felt amazing, almost like practicing yoga," Jodie replied.

Eric pointed to the brace under Jodie's foot. "If you want, you can take these home to practice."

Jodie thought for a second, then shook her head with a smile. "That would be too weird."

As the straps were released, even though they only filmed for a bit over ten minutes, Jodie felt a slight numbness in her calf, moving somewhat stiffly as she stepped off. Noticing her condition, Eric offered his hand to help her sit at the edge of the stage.

For Gravity, it often took the crew days to complete just one shot, and Jodie had only filmed a small segment of a long take. However, since they had just wrapped up her segment, the shooting for the day was effectively over, and there wasn't enough time left to prepare for other shots.

Eric stood by the model stage, watching Jodie gently swing her legs while engaging in casual conversation with her. After a while, feeling almost fully recovered, Jodie pointed with her toes at her slippers placed nearby. "Eric, can you help me get my shoes over here?"

Eric immediately shook his head. "Sorry, I'm a bit of a germaphobe."

Jodie paused for a moment, then said, "Are you saying you want me to walk on the ground to get them?"

Eric glanced around. "You can have them bring it to you."

"I want you to bring them to me, Director," Jodie said, lifting her chin with a playful smirk. "I'm the leading lady; if you don't treat me well, watch out for the leading lady throwing a tantrum and making it impossible for you to film."

Eric surveyed the distance between the slippers and Jodie. "How about I carry you over there so you can put them on yourself?"

Jodie shot Eric a disapproving look. "Aren't you a germaphobe? How can you still dare to carry me?"

"That's different," Eric replied seriously, shaking his head. "I believe women are made of water, very pure."

Jodie blinked, immediately adapting this thought. "What about men?"

"Well, I haven't thought about that yet. As you know, I'm not interested in men."

"You're rambling again. Just help me get them."

"Come on," Eric spread his arms wide. "Do you want a princess carry or a fireman's carry? Or I could just piggyback you, you choose."

Jodie feigned irritation, trying to push Eric's hands away, but as her arms lifted, it seemed she was actually positioning herself for him to carry her. She felt her body lighten, and with a light sway forward, she found herself precisely atop the pink slippers.

Here we go again.

In the studio, the invisible bystanders were left in awe while secretly feeling a bit envious. The director's flirting techniques were indeed outlandish; it appeared he was determined to turn one of Hollywood's famous lesbians straight.

Once her feet landed in the shoes, Jodie snapped back to reality, quickly scanning the surroundings. Seeing that not many were paying attention, she turned to Eric, saying, "Eric, don't do that again; otherwise, I might... I might really get angry."

Eric immediately raised his hands in surrender with a smile. "Alright, I promise."

Jodie quickly realized that her previous comment lacked any real threat, and it even dawned on her that she didn't feel much aversion to the brief hug earlier, causing her to reflect silently and firmly decide to keep some distance from this guy.

...

In the following days, while the entire crew remained in sync, everyone noticed that Jodie often made an effort to avoid conversations and contact with Eric outside of work.

As Eric continued shooting Gravity, he had to divide his attention among many other matters, naturally lacking any zeal to chase after her. The situation with the Pirates of the Caribbean script was still developing.

Within a week, not only did all major Hollywood film companies respond to the script, but even some independent producers got involved, capturing the attention of well-known Hollywood media outlets like The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.

However, even with Warner Bros. reportedly offering a whopping $3 million, the scriptwriters Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott hadn't given any definite replies. Rumors circulated in Hollywood that the two were preparing for a script bidding war.

Two years prior, Shane Black sold his script, The Long Kiss Goodnight, through a bidding war for $4 million, setting an individual record for his original scripts. Although the film underperformed at the box office, the script bidding model encouraged many top screenwriters in Hollywood to follow suit.

Hollywood had its fair share of crazies, but not many fools. Ted Elliott's observation was spot on; the delay from both writers also hinted that they might be waiting for a response from Firefly Group.

During this time, even MGM and 20th Century Fox jumped into the fray with offers, but after the initial contact, it seemed Firefly forgot all about the Pirates of the Caribbean script. The planned follow-up discussions with Matt Gilson from Firefly's script procurement department fizzled out.

There were countless uncontrollable factors in a film's path to success, but the reasons for a film's failure were even more numerous. Traditionally, Hollywood didn't believe anyone could predict a film's success or failure ahead of time. Yet, numerous instances proved this rule didn't apply to Eric Williams.

The ongoing release of The Ring served as the most direct evidence of this viewpoint. Although rumors said Eric himself didn't foresee the film achieving such phenomenal success, few in Hollywood genuinely believed that. To a large extent, it was the explosive box office of The Ring that made studios eager when they heard news about Pirates of the Caribbean.

Similarly, because of the ongoing situation with the Pirates of the Caribbean script, the once disastrous box office flop, Cutthroat Island, was mentioned again by many.

Reflecting back, more and more people concluded that this was indeed a trap Eric had set for Michael Eisner at the time. After Cutthroat Island, Michael Eisner's grip on Disney was significantly weakened, allowing Firefly to smoothly complete its takeover of the Disney Group.

So, what was the real story behind Pirates of the Caribbean?

Despite the somewhat too radical "4200" plan, the Firefly Group hadn't displayed any ambition for large-scale expansion within Hollywood in recent years. By all accounts, this script seemed unlikely to be a trap. The Firefly Group had soared so far ahead in Hollywood that there really was no need to dig any more holes. Additionally, with Cutthroat Island's precedent, any production company that managed to get their hands on this script would undoubtedly proceed with utmost caution, hoping to avoid repeating the past.

So, after much commotion, things gradually calmed down, and everyone shifted their focus back to Firefly Group, waiting for Eric Williams' final response.

The Pirates of the Caribbean script was sitting there; even if they secured it immediately, such an extensive special effects blockbuster project would still need at least a year to develop. Everyone was patient enough for that.

...

Soon it was Friday, and around four in the afternoon, Caroline and Mayer rushed over from Burbank with a thick stack of documents.

After wrapping up the final shot, Eric announced the end of the day, taking the two women to a large work desk in the corner of the studio. He had been using his off-duty hours to complete work logs in the studio and hadn't returned to his office in the lot specifically for this.

"Eric, the $4 billion funding was successfully completed yesterday. Here's the list of short-term investable bonds that Mr. Hansen sent over at noon; he made thorough annotations," Caroline detailed.

With the Nasdaq index bursting past 2000 points, both Firefly Investments and Clover Capital ceased stock investments. In contrast, investing in bonds bore much less risk. By selling 10% of America Online's stock and acquiring $4 billion, Eric and Chris discussed retaining this in short-term convertible bonds. This way, they could ensure a solid yield to offset inflation losses and maximize fund security. Many corporations reserved cash this way, with only a small percentage actually held in bank accounts.

The documents both women brought were ones Eric planned to sort through over the weekend. Mayer went on, "Also, Eric, these are the settlement terms proposed by the five major record labels to Yahoo. Additionally, they've filed another lawsuit against Firefly Electronics, this time demanding that Fireflyer enhances its encryption and identification for legitimate music."

As Mayer introduced these items, Eric marked the ones that needed special attention, inquired, "What about news from Morgan Stanley? How's the stock distribution plan for America Online going?"

Mayer shook his head. "We haven't received any related material recently."

"Then I'll call Chris and talk to him directly," Eric nodded, not pressing further as he turned to Caroline. "How about in Los Angeles?"

The Firefly Group's focus remained on movie affairs. While television's fall season approached, Firefly hadn't made significant strides in that domain this year. Meanwhile, MGM's television division was expanding rapidly. However, this discussion typically took place directly between Caroline and Eric; absent Eric's directives, the assistant office wouldn't follow up.

As for movies, Iron Man was under Eric's close watch, while Ted had over half of its post-production completed, and Underworld had already assembled its crew, getting ready to shoot in London. There were also scripts and budgeting materials for several other projects.

After discussing these matters, Caroline added, "Oh, one more thing, Eric: Over in the UK, Mr. Fuller's reality show, Pop Idol, has completed filming and is set to air on Sky Television at the end of next month. They called to ask if they should send over any sample footage."

"Just send over the first three episodes after editing," Eric indicated as the conversations got winding down. He then asked, "What about the Pirates of the Caribbean script?"

"Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott have been stalling with requests from several other film companies. Most folks have entered a wait-and-see mode. It seems like they won't make any moves unless they get a response from Firefly Group."

Eric thought it over and understood the dynamics at play. He decided, "They both seem to be smart people; I enjoy dealing with smart people. There's no need to drag this out. Let's have them come to the estate tomorrow morning to meet with me."

Eric was determined to secure the Pirates of the Caribbean script. He was even prepared for a price bidding contest against several major film companies. After all, for a script, the price could only be so high.

However, given the current circumstances, since both screenwriters were indeed bright, a straightforward, candid approach to cut through the confusion might just be the way to go.

Caroline acknowledged and diligently noted this in her memo before looking back up at Eric.

Changing topics, Eric relaxed slightly and asked, "So, any plans for the weekend?"

"Yeah," Caroline replied, nodding. "Rachel is in Los Angeles, and we've planned to head to Ventura tomorrow. Mel's coming over too."

"Rachel, huh?" Eric chuckled. "That gal is an international superstar now, and I've never even gotten a proper thank-you from her."

Caroline smirked, "We already took you out for a meal, remember?"

"A meal just won't cut it," Eric gazed appreciatively at Caroline's charming face. "At the very least, there should be a kiss involved -- here, you can stand in for her."

Caroline recoiled slightly. "I'll tell Auntie you're bullying me."

"Typically, mothers are supportive of their children, so she might actually be pleased that I'm teasing you."

"I don't think so."

"Why not just give me a kiss instead?" Eric laughed. "And don't worry, I won't tell your aunt about you bullying me."

"I didn't bully you!"

Eric leaned forward a bit, striking a pose. "Come on, bully me."

"You're the one trying to bully me," Caroline's cheeks flushed, glancing around the studio. Most people had already left, and only a few remained who weren't paying attention to them. After hesitating, she couldn't resist leaning in and gently pecking Eric on the cheek.

Just then, the makeup artist's door swung open, revealing Jodie Foster chatting and laughing with two makeup artists as they stepped out of the room, catching sight of the scene.

Jodie had been intentionally keeping her distance from Eric these past few days and felt a tiny pang of guilt. But seeing Eric shamelessly let his little assistant kiss his cheek transformed her remorse into an unrecognizable jealousy, her expression narrowing as she shot a disdainful glance, reflecting the thought of "So you're actually this kind of person?"

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