Although there were some disagreements with Disney, the main characters for "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" were quickly determined.
Not just Rebecca De Mornay as the original antagonist, but other main roles also returned with the original cast. After another month of preparation, the film was expected to start shooting in December.
Additionally, "Sleeping with the Enemy," set to premiere early next summer, had officially begun shooting on the East Coast in North Carolina.
On October 27, with the release of "Scream 2" among several new films, the Halloween season kicked off.
Due to the success of films like "Final Destination" and "Scream" during the previous two Halloween seasons, Hollywood studios have been paying more attention to this holiday, inevitably leading to a crowded release schedule.
Besides "Scream 2," five other new films were released the same day. Of course, only "Scream 2" by New World Pictures, "Critters" by Universal Studios, and "The Frighteners" by Warner Brothers had over 1,000 screens, while the rest of the new releases were limited to a few hundred or even fewer screens.
"Critters," produced by Universal Studios and produced by Ron McMillan, who had left Daenerys Entertainment, was particularly noteworthy.
Although Daenerys Entertainment and Universal Studios collaborated on "10 Days of Danger," the media still prominently featured some articles about "Critters" piggybacking on the popularity of "Scream 2." Universal managed this delicately without causing much conflict, as this "piggybacking" boosted the visibility of both films, and Daenerys Entertainment let it be.
Due to the box office failures of "Final Destination" and the sequel to "The Butterfly Effect," Daenerys Entertainment was understandably anxious about the commercial prospects of "Scream 2."
However, probably because the "Scream" series tells a complete story, unlike the sequels of "Final Destination" and "The Butterfly Effect" which mostly reused the original formula with most of the original creators exiting, "Scream 2" didn't lose much of its popularity.
Thanks to Daenerys Entertainment's relentless promotional efforts, "Scream 2" earned $22.63 million at the box office in its opening weekend, surpassing the first installment's week-long earnings.
In comparison, "Critters," which tells the story of a town attacked by mutant insects, earned only $5.91 million during the same period. Although it ranked second at the weekend box office, the numbers were less than a third of "Scream 2's."
Warner Brothers' "The Frighteners" earned $3.55 million on its opening weekend, ranking third but still posed no threat to "Scream 2."
The other films on the weekend box office chart were hardly worth mentioning.
With Janet not around for Halloween and Catherine having not visited Los Angeles in a while, and his assistant staying with her uncle's family for the holiday, Simon casually chose a party in the circle to get through the day.
Santa Monica.
It was November 2nd, Thursday.
At the Daenerys Entertainment headquarters, the meeting about Blockbuster's IPO lasted all afternoon.
After months of preparation, Blockbuster was almost ready for an IPO in January next year, planning to issue 15 million new shares, roughly equivalent to 22% of the original 68 million shares of total capital. The specific IPO price was still under discussion with Morgan Stanley, the underwriter for this new stock issuance, expected to be between $13 and $15, with a total financing amount of about $200 million.
Based on the estimated issue price, Blockbuster's valuation has more than doubled from the $400 million when Daenerys Entertainment invested, approaching $1 billion.
Simultaneously, Daenerys Entertainment would ensure its 35% shareholding in Blockbuster remains unchanged by participating in the subscription.
Blockbuster's Chairman Wayne Huizenga and his original partners collectively held enough shares to counterbalance Daenerys Entertainment. After the IPO, Wayne Huizenga's shareholding in Blockbuster would drop to 7%, and together with the other partners, the total shareholding would be less than 20%.
Still maintaining a 35% stake, Daenerys Entertainment would thus become Blockbuster's most influential majority shareholder.
After escorting Blockbuster's executive team out of the headquarters, Simon was about to return to his office when Nancy Brill followed him: "Simon, the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' game is releasing tomorrow. Speaking of which, have you tried playing that cartridge I gave you last time?"
"Been too busy lately, give me a break. I've told you all the feedback I could think of already," Simon said as he walked towards the stairs with his diminutive female executive, spreading his hands and adding, "Also, have you discussed with Blockbuster's management about taking over Daenerys Analytics?"
Seeing Simon shift the topic, Nancy had to say, "Not yet. I think the current situation is pretty good. Continuously charging Blockbuster consultation fees is sufficient to support the analytics company's operations, and the headquarters can also get a lot of useful information more conveniently."
"You're not wrong in thinking that, but after the company goes public, shareholders might only see Blockbuster paying high fees to a consultancy that they might not need, which could even be considered illegal benefits transfer."
"If Blockbuster chooses to go public, even without doing so, there will still be various other criticisms," Nancy didn't care, saying, "And if someone raises questions by then, there's actually a simple solution. Daenerys Entertainment can buy their shares with money."
Simon paused, then laughed, "Good idea."
Choosing to go public meant unavoidably facing market scrutiny and criticism no matter what.
Simon was also not satisfied with the current 35% stake in Blockbuster, so if someone did cause trouble, Daenerys Entertainment could simply buy back more shares with money.
Entering his office without waiting for Simon's invitation, Nancy made herself comfortable opposite his desk.
Leaning back in his chair, Simon looked at the woman sitting across from him and said, "If it's uncomfortable, don't always wear high heels. It's not good for your health."
Nancy was visibly surprised Simon noticed such a small detail.
Standing on heels for a long time is indeed not easy, and Nancy would definitely prefer sitting over standing in her own office, even secretly taking her shoes off. However, she wasn't about to admit these to a "little man," stubbornly saying, "No, I love wearing high heels."
Simon just shrugged and looked down at the "Home Alone" script John Hughes sent over this morning.
It was past working hours, and with no other arrangements after the afternoon meeting, Simon, accustomed to leaving the company around six or seven o'clock, planned to read the "Home Alone" script before leaving.
Seeing Simon not pursuing the matter of her heels, Nancy brought up after a moment, "Simon, do you think our foray into the video game industry will be successful?"
Simon didn't look up, his voice tinged with amusement, "It was you who came to me with dozens of pages of plans persuading me to invest, now you're losing confidence?"
"Of course not. I've done everything I could. Moreover, if it were me, even if I failed, I'd continue. The scale and
profits of the video game industry are evident." Nancy shook her head, adding, "I just feel you have a special attitude towards this project."
"Why do you say that?"
"For instance, you're very strict about the budget for other projects under the company, but you didn't say anything when the budget for 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' doubled."
Simon glanced at Nancy, nodding, "Okay, I did place a lot of importance on this project from the beginning."
Nancy wasn't satisfied with the answer, persistently asking, "What else?"
Simon looked up at the woman leaning forward with intense curiosity and smiled, "Do you really want to know?"
Nancy felt the gaze from the man opposite and suddenly understood something, instinctively shaking her head, "No!"
Simon turned his attention back to the script, "Then you should head home early and rest."
Nancy paused but didn't stand up, still unable to resist asking, "Aren't you afraid that one day, um, you'll suffer losses?"
Simon shook his head, "Not afraid."
Hearing him say that, Nancy remembered what Janet privately called someone and muttered something under her breath.
Without saying goodbye, she left Simon's office.
Seeing Nancy leave and noticing Jennifer still dutifully at her desk, Nancy inexplicably felt some displeasure, approaching her and offering, "Jennifer, want to go for dinner together?"
Jennifer was surprised by Nancy's sudden invitation, politely declining, "I still have things to discuss with Simon."
Nancy approached Jennifer's desk, "Discuss with him now, I'll wait for you."
Jennifer shook her head again.
Puzzled by Nancy's departure, Jennifer tidied up the documents on her desk, stood up, knocked on the door, and entered Simon's office, "The Santa Monica airport called just now. That plane arrived at 6 o'clock. Do you want to go see it?"
The Boeing 767-200ER they had ordered was already delivered a few days ago, but Simon directly sent the plane to Australia.
With numerous news of private planes being bugged, even some heads of state's planes turning into giant listening devices, Simon didn't trust Boeing, not even the anti-eavesdropping inspection teams in the US. Therefore, he had Janet thoroughly inspect the plane first.
Since it returned smoothly, there likely wasn't any problem.
Looking at his watch, Simon said to Jennifer, "Let's go to New York for dinner later, and stay there tonight."
Jennifer's cheeks flushed slightly, "Flying there now, we'd arrive on the East Coast around 1 a.m."
"Oh, I forgot about the time difference," Simon thought for a moment, "Then let's go to Hawaii. It'll still be evening when we arrive."
Jennifer shook her head again, "There, we don't have a house. Do you want to stay in a hotel?"
Simon certainly wouldn't tell Jennifer about the time he took two women to Hawaii for the weekend. The assistant was different from other women, and he didn't want to borrow someone else's place, simply saying, "Then let's stay on the plane. You've seen the cabin interior design, it seems pretty nice."
Jennifer's face turned even redder, glancing at Simon, "I don't want to stay on the plane. You can fly wherever you want. I'm off work now."
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