As movie fans eagerly await Laila's return to the screen, Hollywood filmmakers secretly hope she doesn't return. Having such a formidable figure in the industry puts immense pressure on them. Comparing their box office earnings to hers, many can't help but shed tears of frustration.
Laila appreciates her fans' support and encouragement but doesn't believe she can return. This is partly due to the current environment and partly because her goals differ. For years, her focus has been on winning an Oscar, not topping the box office charts.
Achieving the record for the youngest Best Director is no easy feat. It's not about advancing a year or two but significantly improving. Convincing the conservative Oscar voters to favor a young director like her requires a solid plan. Otherwise, she would have had a chance to touch the trophy back when "Chicago" swept the Oscars.
"Number one in box office history..." Laila felt a surge of excitement as she put down the newspaper. While achieving this is challenging for others, it shouldn't be too difficult for her, knowing which future movies would hit that milestone.
Before her rebirth, the top-grossing film in history was "Avatar," followed by "Titanic," which earned another round of revenue with its 2012 3D re-release. "Titanic" held the second spot with a combined total of $2.18 billion from its original 2D release and the 3D re-release.
In third place was "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" with $2 billion, followed by "Jurassic Park" (2015) with $1.6 billion. The fifth spot was taken by "The Avengers" (2012), which grossed $1.5 billion worldwide.
The subsequent records were less significant to Laila, as her movies dominated the rankings so much that mentioning them seemed pointless.
Laila had every reason to be proud—her films grossed significantly more than their original versions.
This success was due to her advanced technology and personal effort. For example, she spent years meticulously adapting "The Lord of the Rings" after acquiring the rights, ensuring every detail was perfect. By enhancing the good aspects and avoiding the bad, failure was nearly impossible.
Coming from the future, her concepts were decades ahead of current techniques, allowing her to shoot and edit films in ways audiences preferred. Additionally, waiting a few years before filming allowed her to utilize much-improved special effects, making her movies more appealing and grand.
All these factors combined made her success unique and inexplicable. While "Avatar" might be a good choice to challenge for the top spot, Laila wasn't interested in recreating James Cameron's fantasy world. She admired the movie but doubted she could recreate it from memory or generate a similar world.
If it weren't for that kind of world, no one could guarantee whether fans would accept the new world she created. The most important factor was that some of the technology in her envisioned world might not yet be feasible.
Therefore, if she had to choose, she would opt for "The Avengers." Her familiarity and fondness for this movie, along with it being part of her superhero franchise, made it a valuable project to film.
Although "Avatar" and "Titanic" achieved first and second in box office history, "The Avengers" created more value, evidenced by the massive sales of superhero merchandise following its release.
However, these were just thoughts. Laila sighed, feeling powerless. Until her grandfather returned to take charge, she could only fulfill her duties in the office.
While Laila struggled with "movie deficiency syndrome," Roy, in disguise, visited a cheap accessory store on a remote path for a simple reason: Bernie had completed the initial design draft.
"Where is it?" Roy urgently asked Bernie, who was both the owner and staff.
"Calm down, Calm down, come with me." Bernie had a look of joy on his face as he led Roy upstairs. "After seeing that diamond, I had an idea. I modified it several times, and I think the results are good. I hope you'll like it too."
After reaching the second floor, he took out a stack of draft papers and carefully placed them in front of Roy. "Take a look first. If you're not satisfied, we can discuss it further."
Roy detected a note of insincerity in his tone. He had seen Janet designing clothes before. Although she usually had a good temper, when it came to her designs, she would stubbornly stand her ground against anyone.
Designers treat their creations like their children. If someone says their child is not good-looking, they would naturally argue back.
Unlike established designers like Janet, Bernie didn't have the same confidence. The diamond belonged to Roy, and the opportunity to make a name for himself was also given by Roy. If he only pleased himself without satisfying Roy, it was uncertain if the ring would still be designed by him.
So, his only hope was that Roy would like his design, or that he would be able to persuade Roy to like it through his explanation. But realistically, he doubted he dared to fight for his work, being a rookie designer. He didn't believe his words carried much influence.
Roy wasn't concerned with Bernie's thoughts at the moment; he just wanted to see if the designer Laila liked could surprise him again.
There were quite a few drafts. Roy roughly flipped through them, noting there were over ten sheets, each with slight differences. The overall concept remained consistent, just expressed in different ways. Bernie had mentioned he had a plan after seeing the diamond, and it seemed his idea was good. From the designs Roy reviewed, each one could be considered a masterpiece.