When Laila and Roy returned to Hollywood, it was already a week later.
During this week, the third-week box office of "The Lord of the Rings" still exceeded $100 million, reaching 146 million US dollars. The North American box office alone had accumulated more than 600 million US dollars, while the overseas box office had reached over $500 million, which was just the third week. No one dared to predict how much it would reach in the future, not even the most experienced analysts.
Meanwhile, "Batman Begins" also performed well, grossing $150 million in its second week, finally surpassing "The Lord of the Rings" by a slight margin to grab the weekly box office champion title.
This was a remarkable achievement that delighted the Batman production team. Snatching the championship from Laila's "The Lord of the Rings" was no small feat! Although it might seem unfair to compare their second week to her third week, a championship was still a championship, and no one could say that their victory didn't carry weight!
Because of this victory, those who had previously thought that "The Lord of the Rings" would dominate indefinitely suddenly realized that "Batman" was also formidable.
This newfound recognition oddly boosted the somewhat declining box office of Batman.
In the words of the Batman production team, this was an unexpected joy, a gift from the brave. It seemed that colliding with Laila's film was not entirely without benefits. While films of questionable quality might be ruthlessly criticized, those with guaranteed quality would, like the Titanic hitting an iceberg, sink but leave a deep mark in history.
See? By challenging Laila, their box office might have initially taken a hit, but they still managed to clinch the weekly box office champion title. That was enough! The attention and discussion they garnered were undoubtedly more than those films that kept their distance from Laila. With attention and discussion came box office numbers, and perhaps all the projected losses might now be recouped.
However, if they were to encounter a similar situation next time, they would probably still choose to steer clear of Laila's films. Because in the film industry, you never knew if a film would be loved by the audience until it was screened. Many big-budget blockbusters made with great care received criticism and ridicule, while some low-budget films became unexpectedly popular. So, until they had Laila's keen eye for what would be successful, it was better to stay away from her!
After returning to Hollywood, Roy was summoned by Ovitz. In order to show that he genuinely called Roy back for work, Ovitz generously arranged a bunch of tasks for him. Fortunately, he remembered to choose carefully and not let Roy lose his dignity for the sake of making money. Thus, all the endorsements he chose were world-class luxury brands.
Meanwhile, after returning, Laila received a call from Michael Bay.
After a year's absence, the two finally met again.
"You win," Michael Bay admitted his defeat with a grim face in the café where they met.
Laila looked at him and smiled slightly. "You're giving up already?"
"What else can I do?" He didn't want to give up, but could he afford not to?
It had only been three weeks since the release, and the global box office had already surpassed a staggering $1.1 billion, surpassing his "Transformers" by a significant margin. Did he still have a reason to continue?
Laila took out a contract from her bag and said, "Welcome to the Dragon Soul family."
Michael Bay took the contract and quickly signed his name without much hesitation.
"You should take it back and let your lawyer review it carefully," Laila kindly reminded him.
Michael didn't need her kindness. He glanced at her with annoyance. "No need!" He believed she wouldn't set any traps in the contract. They were both influential and prominent figures. There weren't many naive people who could smoothly run such a large company. Moreover, someone who casually handed over such a big IP like "Transformers" to a former rival wasn't likely to be narrow-minded.
He had some skills in judging people.
Laila took back the contract with a smile. "I'll count on you for the next few 'Transformers' films."
"How many?" Michael's eyes widened. "How many are you planning to make?"
"Who knows? Four, five, maybe even more. Don't you think it's interesting to release a film every two years?"
Michael was conquered by her ambition. Four or five... Just the investment would amount to tens of billions of dollars. Her courage was truly remarkable.
"Are you so sure I won't make a loss for you?"
"Haha. Yes, I'm very sure." Laila laughed heartily, then looked him straight in the eye with her icy blue eyes. "You may not know, but as long as it's something I'm interested in, there's no chance of loss!"
Her words were too arrogant, almost making Michael want to make "Transformers" into a flop just to embarrass her. But then he realized that wouldn't just embarrass her, but himself as well. So, he finally pushed aside such a tempting idea.
"You're a crazy boss," he instinctively licked his suddenly dry lips. "But I don't dislike it."
Who would dislike a boss who gave them opportunities to succeed, become famous, and leave a mark in history?
"Pleasure working with you." Their hands clasped together.
After settling the bet with Michael Bay, Laila met with Anthony again and informed him about her and Nolan's upcoming appearance on NBC. She instructed him to handle the details properly.
"I admire Director Nolan, and I don't want him to face any unnecessary difficulties. You understand what I mean, Anthony," Laila reminded him specifically.
She was well aware of the twists and turns of those TV shows from her past life. To get higher ratings, they needed engaging topics, the more controversial, the better. They loved to put guests in tough spots.
With Laila around, the host definitely wouldn't and couldn't be too harsh on their boss, which meant Nolan would ultimately bear the brunt of any conflict that arose. So, she wanted to remind him in advance that Nolan was someone she valued, and that he shouldn't scare him away.
"If I remember correctly, Mr. Michael Bay has officially announced his joining your company, right? And this time, you've set your sights on Director Nolan?" Anthony used to think that the boss's greatest talent lay in filmmaking. Even though she had come up with some brilliant plans for others, she couldn't completely overshadow her achievements in film.
However, gradually, he realized that perhaps she was indeed the most suitable person to inherit the Moran Group. All her abilities were more suited to developing the company rather than being confined to the film industry.
Seeing those reality shows she casually tossed out, as well as the television dramas, which all occupied the top spots in the ratings, and her methods of recruiting talents, not only did she recruit people, but she also made them willingly serve her...
She was only in her twenties, who could imagine what she would become in another ten years?