"Director Lyman, congratulations, congratulations."
At eight in the evening, the venue started buzzing with activity.
At the entrance, people were exchanging polite greetings.
Lyman was dealing with the greetings when Sherry Lansing approached, accompanied by her assistant.
With a smile, she greeted, "Lyman, congratulations on the blockbuster box office. I hope we can continue our collaborative relationship in the future."
"Oh, it's actually thanks to Paramount. Their publicity was quite impressive this time." Lyman smiled.
Sherry then shook hands with James and said, "Director Wan, you are also young and talented. Keep up the good work. The future belongs to you young people."
James lightly shook her hand and let go, politely responding, "It's the result of everyone's effort."
After shaking hands with Eva, Hugo, and others, Sherry led Lyman and the others to their seats.
The celebration tonight was a star-studded event. For instance, Leonardo DiCaprio had brought a female companion. Currently, he was engrossed in a conversation with Kate Winslet. Due to the massive success of "Titanic", many viewers regarded them as the best on-screen couple. However, privately, they didn't share that sentiment and got along more like friends.
For example, Kate Winslet wasn't feeling jealous because Leonardo DiCaprio had brought a female companion; instead, due to their infrequent meetings, they were having an animated conversation. Their private relationship seemed quite good.
As Lyman's gaze swept around, he noticed in a corner of the banquet hall the legendary CEO of Legendary Pictures, Thomas Tull, sitting and apparently having a conversation with someone.
Lyman was somewhat surprised and pulled John over, asking, "Who is that person chatting with?"
Following the direction of Lyman's gaze, John smiled and said, "That's Robert Bowman, head of Universal Pictures' distribution department."
Lyman was suddenly curious. He remembered that Legendary Pictures was supposed to gradually expand with the support of Warner Bros. over the past couple of years. Why did it seem like they were leaning towards Universal Pictures now?
However, it wasn't something he should worry about. After observing for a while, he let it go.
When most of the guests had arrived, Sherry raised her glass and said first, "The market explosion of "Saw" has pushed the box office beyond three hundred million. Among them, Director Wan's directing ability is indispensable. Here, I would like to offer you a toast and also wish that the sequel of the movie continues to be excellent."
For a moment, all the guests stood up, raising their glasses in celebration.
Next, as the guest of honor at the party, James was frequently approached by people for toasts. He had to save face and could only drink one glass after another.
Lyman stood by his side. Before long, he saw a figure he didn't want to see.
The person was none other than Bob Weinstein, representing Miramax at the event.
He was accompanied by Quentin Tarantino. It was noteworthy that Tarantino's "Kill Bill" had just been surpassed by "Saw" in the box office. They were direct competitors. Why had they come?
Lyman was somewhat puzzled but maintained a courteous smile on his face.
"Director Wan, congratulations. Also, congratulations to Mr. Lyman for the growing success of Firefly Films." Bob Weinstein took a champagne glass, smiling.
"Thank you." James was almost dumbfounded. Regardless of who it was, the response was always a simple "thank you."
"Congratulations on the bright future of Miramax as well." Lyman clinked glasses.
Seeing that Lyman had no particular reaction, Bob Weinstein downed his drink with a smile. He didn't pay much attention to appearances and, after finishing his drink, said, "I hope we can have the chance to collaborate in the future."
After exchanging greetings, the person took the initiative to excuse himself.
Quentin Tarantino couldn't help asking, "Is that all?"
Bob shook his head. "What else? Should I make a scene? This is Paramount's territory. Miramax can't afford to offend them."
Upon hearing this, Quentin didn't say anything further. He actually didn't have much opinion about "Saw" surpassing his movie.
It was simply a matter of being outdone, and perhaps his film's theme didn't resonate enough with the audience.
However, the conversation with Harvey had left him feeling as if the invitation was a slight against him.
This was also why he appeared at this event.
Since losing to "Saw", Quentin had seldom shown up at such occasions to avoid media attention.
As the two of them were about to leave, they unexpectedly bumped into Barry Meyer at the entrance.
"Hello, please come in."
As the host, Sherry spoke with sincerity, her face adorned with a smile. Those who didn't know might have mistaken her for an enthusiastic greeter.
In recent years, Paramount had indeed been pummeled by Warner Bros. in the market.
"Congratulations, congratulations." Barry shook hands with Sherry, maintaining a friendly expression, and then turned to James, saying, "To reach $100M with your first movie, you're young and promising."
James chuckled and offered a courteous response.
After greeting, Barry walked straight over to Lyman.
His main purpose for coming today was to discuss project collaboration.
Subsequently, the two of them engaged in an enthusiastic conversation.
Sherry on the side looked somewhat astonished but didn't say anything.
Several bigwigs present brightened their eyes, motioning for their assistants and discreetly giving them instructions.
To others, including Bob, it seemed as if their relationship wasn't ordinary.
As such, the scenario of Lyman leaving Paramount and joining Warner Bros. began taking shape in their minds...
Eva was also a bit bewildered.
She was quite intelligent and understood that Lyman had brought her to this reception with a specific purpose in mind.
While she was happy, she was also determined to firmly secure Lyman by her side.
Despite knowing how extraordinary her man was, she hadn't anticipated that he would have connections even with the executive of Warner Bros.
Thinking about this, she glanced at Lyman, who was still engaged in a lively conversation with Barry.
Then she looked around at the eager gazes of those present.
Many actors in the industry were keen on attending such events to expand their network.
And due to her association with Lyman, most people treated her kindly.
Furthermore, now that John was her agent, he was actively creating opportunities for her.
Though their conversations were brief, they might lead to future collaborations.
About five minutes later, Lyman greeted Eva again and then walked with Barry towards a column in the corner of the banquet hall.
This kind of behavior essentially conveyed that they needed a private space to converse, discouraging any interruptions or idle chatter.