Laila's face suddenly flushed red, Their conversations always seemed to gravitate towards that topic. He spoke about it with no burden at all, but she felt a bit embarrassed.
Coming back and immediately "driving" might be a bit too arrogant.
Fortunately, Roy knew she was embarrassed, so he teased her a bit and let it go. After all, she was the one who started teasing him first, right?
"Have you seen the box office numbers in the East and Asia? They're pretty good." To prevent her from hiding her head in his embrace again, he smiled and changed the subject.
"Yeah, I've seen them. Better than I expected." Laila could proudly take credit for half of the success without blushing. It was because she had invested heavily in building high-quality theaters with great amenities there, which attracted more people to go to the movies.
Movies like "The Lord of the Rings" and superhero movies heavily rely on special effects, which provide audiences with a powerful visual experience. Therefore, more people are motivated to go to the cinema to watch them.
The East is an emerging market, and South Korea and Japan already have mature movie distribution systems. With proper promotion and the addition of an Asian actor, coupled with rumors of an excellent story, it's understandable that people are willing to buy tickets to watch.
This has led to almost equal box office numbers between North America, Asia, and other regions, splitting the success almost equally.
This is a remarkable achievement. Most Hollywood movies, even when released globally, usually make the majority of their box office revenue in North America, with other countries combined not even reaching half of North America's revenue, sometimes even just a tenth.
Achieving the same level of success indicates that this movie knows no boundaries and cultural differences and can be accepted and loved by people worldwide. Which movie was able to achieve this last time? "Star Wars"? "Titanic"? Regardless of which one, it proves that "The Lord of the Rings" has great box office potential!
On the other side, seeing the new box office numbers, Faaris remained silent for a long time with a dark expression.
Cooper stood by silently, unaware that after he vetoed Faaris's decision, Faaris had found someone else to carry out his orders. He just thought that Faaris's current anger stemmed from the high box office of Laila's movie.
However, what made Faaris angry was his own mistake. He was unwilling to admit that he had made a wrong decision, yet the facts proved him wrong. The negative reviews he had bought now seemed like a joke, even though people outside didn't know it was related to him, he knew it deep down.
Thinking that he couldn't even compete with an old man like Cooper, he felt an urge to tear him into pieces.
He looked at him with cold eyes, thinking how great it would be if he could use Cooper's knowledge about movies for himself. Unfortunately, current technology hasn't reached that level yet, otherwise, he wouldn't mind implanting Cooper's knowledge into his own brain.
Why should his intelligent mind lose to his subordinates? And why should he need to listen to him to avoid mistakes?
The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt with the situation.
Cooper was so chilled by the sight of him that his scalp was numb, making him want to scratch it twice.
"Mr. Faaris..." He wanted to say something to ease the tension in the room.
But as soon as he opened his mouth, Faaris raised his hand to stop him.
He didn't want to hear him speak now. If possible, he didn't want to hear his voice for the rest of his life, because every time he spoke, he would be reminded of yesterday when he rejected himself and his mistake.
How could such an arrogant person like him allow himself to make such a mistake? And why would he need to listen to him to avoid mistakes?
The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he felt.
Faaris regretted it a little as he looked at Cooper. He still needed his intellect to help him. Once he destroyed Laila Moran, he could make him disappear.
At this moment, Cooper felt like he was being stared at by a hungry wolf as if it could pounce on him and snap his neck at any moment. Chills ran up and down his back several times, and finally reached the top of his head.
"Cooper, you really didn't disappoint me." Faaris finally spoke, and as he did, the coldness surrounding him seemed to dissipate.
Cooper quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, he didn't know how long he could hold out under such scrutiny.
"Thank you." Although he didn't know what Faaris was referring to, he still bowed his head and thanked him cautiously.
Faaris waved his hand to let him sit down. "Your prediction this time was accurate. I didn't expect Moran to make such a comeback. But is that box office real? Could she have done something fishy?"
If she really did something fishy, as long as it was found out, she could be ruined! It seems like it was her who faked the box office this time. Even if it was exposed this time, there would be a second time. People would start to doubt her previous high box office numbers too! If only it were fake.
Cooper also had the same thought, but he also knew that Faaris wouldn't do such a self-destructive thing. "It should be fine. I've seen many people complaining that they can't buy tickets and have to make reservations." Even if not all theaters were full, as long as half of them were, the popularity of the movie was self-evident.
Faaris was somewhat regretful but not surprised. If Laila's weakness was found so easily, he wouldn't have stayed in Hollywood to deal with her for the past few years.
"We can't let this continue. Think of a way to deflate her arrogance! If her momentum continues to rise, you know how detrimental it is to us!"
"I know, I'll figure something out," Cooper said, but he was secretly complaining. They had invested in some movies with low profits but high chances of winning awards. None of them were released during the summer season. Even if Laila's movie made 10 billion, it wouldn't matter much to them. What's the point of envy? It's just because she's making so much money that they're envious, right?
If it were him from before, seeing Laila's new movie making so much money would make him angry and disapprove, wishing to curse her movie to fail. But now, his mindset has gradually changed. Under Faaris's cruelty, seeing him like this gives him a sense of satisfaction.
Yes, I can't beat you, and I don't dare to deal with you, but someone can take care of you for me. What's the point of being so fierce to me? If you're capable, go pick on Laila!