On June 22, the North American box office earnings for the film "Windtalkers" were released—a mere $24.37 million for the week. Compared to the $130 million investment, this figure was a nightmare for everyone at MGM. Additionally, the reviews in the press were extremely negative.
This refers to print and television media. Although Rotten Tomatoes will become a quality indicator for movies in 20 years, it hasn't gained popularity yet. At this time, internet users could only complain on forums, lacking a centralized platform for reviews.
New York Times: "'Windtalkers' is clearly a mediocre film. John Woo seems not to understand how to shoot war scenes, wasting Nicolas Cage's talent."
Washington Post: "I don't know what authority MGM gave John Woo, but making such a dull and uninteresting film is the fault of both parties. I don't understand why the film is called 'Windtalkers' since so little attention is given to the main theme."
Los Angeles Times: "This is a tedious film. Too many war scenes cause aesthetic overindulgence for the viewer. Yazzi voluntarily passes codes under fire for the Americans, and we are forced to turn the gun barrel against him. It's absurd!"
The negative reviews heavily influenced the audience's perception of the film. With such a stream of criticism, "Windtalkers" was doomed to fail. At best, it would collect another $10 million, marking the end of its North American box office run.
As for international earnings, in the context of the undeveloped Chinese film market, the film's failure in the US practically guaranteed its failure abroad. Although the film might perform well in Japan and Europe, the limited population would not allow these earnings to significantly impact the overall result.
Eric hadn't spoken to his father for several days because he was constantly stressed and often yelling on the phone. In such a situation, it was better not to approach him.
Early in the morning on June 23, the match between South Korea and Spain began. Eric didn't watch it, only following messages on MSN. Despite telling Judy and the others not to watch the match if they felt uncomfortable, they couldn't resist due to the large bets and watched the match, swearing all the while.
The match ended in a penalty shootout, and South Korea won again thanks to the referee. Although everyone sympathized with the Spanish team, no one could refuse easy money.
However, after the previous match, everyone knew about the shamelessness of the Korean team, and although Spain was obviously stronger, the odds for Korea's win were reduced to 1:2.5. In the end, Eric bet $30 million and won $75 million.
Thus, through these five matches, his capital reached the billionaire club with assets of $1 billion.
Judy: "Eric, my Sugar Daddy, I can't believe that a month ago I was still deciding whether to go to Goldman or Morgan, and now I have $5 million. It's just unimaginable; I need to think carefully about how to spend this money."
Billy and Bordeaux were also sharing their plans. The most ordinary by background, Warren had already decided: "I envy you guys; I had too little starting capital, and I won less than a million dollars. First, I'll pay off my student loan, then I'll buy my parents a bigger house, as they just had my third brother."
Everyone immediately supported Warren, considering his plan the most practical. Of the five friends, only Eric didn't have student loans; the others had debts ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
This is a lot, but that's the price of education in America. In the US, studying at a public university costs about $30,000 per year, which is $120,000 for four years. The exact amount depends on the chosen courses.
For example, Eric studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, and his tuition was $39,000 per year. These are 2002 prices; in 20 years, they will increase by $10,000. And this is just the cost of tuition. If you add expenses for books, housing, and food, the year will cost another $30,000, and for four years – $120,000.
Thus, university education costs from $200,000 to $300,000. Of course, if you save, don't participate in events, and don't make friends, you can spend less, but few do this because there are student loans. Thus, most students graduate with enormous debts.
Even Obama paid off his loan for 21 years, indicating the significant burden of this debt. In the US, the largest volumes of loans are mortgages, followed by student loans. If not for Eric, it would have taken Warren over 10 years to pay off the loan, provided he found a good job.
Judy: "So, are we continuing? I calculated that you already have $1 billion. Is it worth continuing or is it time to stop?"
Judy: "Besides, I've noticed that the odds are getting lower and lower. Even in the next match, the Korean team might not get odds higher than one."
Judy's question concerned everyone. Without Eric's guidance, they wouldn't dare to place bets.
Eric thought for a moment and then wrote: "In two days, for the South Korea vs. Germany match, we'll bet on Germany winning. This will be the last time."
Billy: "Not on South Korea? They clearly have the referees in their pocket."
Bordeaux: "Yes, although it's shameless, it works."
Judy: "Maybe due to interference? The international football federation won't allow such blatant cheating in front of the whole world."
Eric was impressed by Judy's quick thinking: "You're right. Germany is not that simple. After the incidents with Spain and Italy, they won't fall for the same tricks. I have information that the football emperor Beckenbauer will intervene in the match."
All four: "Who is Beckenbauer?"
Eric didn't explain: "It doesn't matter who he is. Just know that he's German and has great influence. If he intervenes, South Korea will lose."
"However, the bookmakers have already lost a lot of money on the previous matches, so in the next match, the odds for Germany will be much higher than for Korea. We just need to take advantage of this and make the final move."
According to Eric's recollections, Beckenbauer insisted on changing the referee 30 minutes before the match. In such a short time, the bookmakers couldn't react.
Two days later, before the start of the match between South Korea and Germany, when the players were already preparing to enter the field, FIFA suddenly announced a change of the referee.
The bookmakers were stunned because the odds for South Korea were 1:1.5 and for Germany 1:4. It was another night of heavy losses for them.
As expected, Germany easily won with a score of 1-0, and Eric earned another $80 million.
The amount was less than expected due to the bankruptcy of some small bookmakers.