Eyes fixed on the large screen, Laila's mind was pondering other matters. She distinctly remembered that the original version of this movie in her previous life, achieved over 700 million dollars at the box office with a production cost of $150 million.
This was undoubtedly a remarkable achievement. If compared with other movies, it might have easily outperformed them. Unfortunately for Michael, his luck wasn't great. The movie he happened to bet against was "The Lord of the Rings," the first part of which grossed over $800 million.
Laila was well aware of this outcome, which is why she threw down such a seemingly futile bet.
When the box office numbers for "Transformers" come out, Michael Bay will likely have a good year. But it will only be a good year because, with the release of "The Lord of the Rings," he will realize that there are some people in this world who are truly blessed by the heavens. Mortals should just tremble and stay humble.
The film was comparable to the original version, although it was shot a bit earlier. The visual effects were acceptable, as Laila's visual effects company had become one of the most promising in the industry.
Nowadays, the visual effects company not only handles internal projects but also collaborates with external filmmakers. While other companies were cutting jobs and positions for visual effects artists, this company became an oasis, thriving much more than others.
So many visual effects artists hoped to join, at least not worrying about being laid off after finishing their work. This situation applied to some animators as well.
Laila could see the future of visual effects, and she naturally wouldn't give up on animation. Despite being busy with film projects outside, she had arranged for people to handle her company's affairs. Her absence and the lack of any leaks allowed the acquisition to proceed smoothly. Anyone she wanted to recruit would join seamlessly.
Believing that in the near future, she would own her animation production company, Laila had many great ideas to put into action.
After the premiere, Laila was surrounded by reporters at the entrance.
After a whole year without seeing her, how could the eager reporters easily let her go?
"Director Moran, by attending the premiere of 'Transformers' this time, do you have high expectations for this movie?"
One reporter, who managed to squeeze to the front, asked the question.
Laila knew that she wouldn't be able to leave smoothly without satisfying these people a bit. She also happened to have some small plans that needed "help," so she cooperatively answered their questions.
"Yes, I have great expectations for this movie. Mr. Michael Bay is an excellent director, and he has completely captured the effects I wanted to see. I feel honored to have chosen him to direct."
"Director Moran, since you have such high expectations for this movie, why didn't you choose to direct it yourself?"
Laila glanced at the reporter who asked the question and laughed when she saw the logo on his chest. It was a media outlet that had a good relationship with Michael Bay. During their previous confrontation, this media outlet had consistently sided with him. It seemed that Mr. Bay was still somewhat conflicted about her handing over the directorial reins.
"This question is simple. Although I am a director, it doesn't mean I can direct any type of movie. Each director has a mature shooting style; some are good at romance, some at action. Take me, for example, I might do well in several types of movies, but for the parts I lack, Mr. Bay can do better. To get the best results for a movie, I think it's crucial to choose the most suitable director."
"So, Director Moran, did you have high expectations for this movie before the filming started?"
"Of course, the money we invest doesn't just come out of thin air. Every cent needs to be invested in the right place. I can't randomly throw around one or two hundred million dollars, can I?"
Laila explained in detail, mainly wanting to use this question to tell Michael Bay that she genuinely valued his directorial skills when she signed him, and there were no ulterior motives.
It seemed that the last incident left a shadow on this famous director. He seemed worried that she might have some ulterior motive in giving him such a popular script.
She sometimes really felt that Michael Bay was overthinking things. Even the wealthiest people wouldn't throw around one or two hundred million dollars just for the sake of defeating a weaker opponent. Hence, there was an ancient Chinese saying, "A villain has a villain's heart; a gentleman's belly carries the suspicion of others." If you suspect someone is wrong, no matter how you think about them, everything they do seems suspicious.
"Director Moran, can you predict the box office for this movie?"
Laila thought for a moment. "I just watched the movie and felt the atmosphere in the theater. I think the audience really likes it, and breaking $600 million is no problem. If everyone likes it, $700 million is not impossible."
$600 million? $700 million?
The reporters were all excited. They knew that whenever this young lady appeared, there would be good material to report.
Not $300 million but $700 million! In dollars! Could such box office numbers be achieved so easily? According to her, she just looked at the atmosphere in the theater, and if predicting the movie's box office success is this simple, what do professionals need to do?
Michael Bay, who was being interviewed on the other side, looked surprisedly towards Laila. He didn't expect her to hold his movie in such high regard. After completing the film, he felt that he could achieve a very high box office, but even then, it would be around four to five hundred million, a result he would be very satisfied with.
But Laila opened her mouth, and it was $600 million to $700 million, right in front of so many reporters and media. Wasn't she afraid of being laughed at if she guessed wrong? Or was she really that confident that this movie would become such an outstanding commercial success?
Or... was she deliberately saying this? Once the box office doesn't reach that high, even if it achieves a very good four to five hundred million, would he still be laughed at by the public media?
Michael's face turned gloomy as he thought more and more that he had guessed the truth of the matter. Why else would she be willing to invest so much and hand over such a popular film just to make him a laughingstock if the film didn't succeed?
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There's a saying: "Suspect your neighbor of stealing your axe." When you start suspecting someone for no apparent reason, the more you think about it, the more suspicious they seem, and everything they do seems to be malicious.