[Chapter 618: An Unexpected Outcome]
Eric noticed that the twins were clearly dressed for a morning workout and nodded, "Perfect timing, come work out with me."
As Eric spoke, he turned to leave, but the twins exchanged glances and didn't move. Eric asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
One girl hesitantly replied, "Our boss doesn't allow us to... exercise with you."
The boss in question must have been Drew, and Eric paused for a moment before he realized that when the girl said Drew wouldn't let them 'exercise' with him, it meant they weren't allowed to join him in boxing. After all, in the boxing ring, he only had a punching bag for a partner.
Eric, of course, had no masochistic tendencies and laughed, "If you wanted to hit me, I wouldn't be keen either. I meant you could join me for a run, a game of ball, or anything else."
Only then did the twins quietly follow him.
Watching the two girls, who appeared innocent and harmless, Eric joked as they walked, "Drew may be your boss, but I'm the owner of this estate, so you should call me 'Master.'"
Though the twins' English hadn't improved much over time, they weren't so clueless as to miss the pun in Eric's statement. However, they didn't hesitate and replied in unison, "Yes, Master."
Eric had always found their mindset puzzling. Hearing the twins address him so confidently and recalling how little the girl had reacted when she casually mentioned wanting to gift them to him for his birthday, it left him even more intrigued. After returning from their morning workout, he took the opportunity, while the twins were preparing breakfast, to ask the girl his question.
"It's simple. Because I bought them," the girl said with a mouthful of toothpaste, eyes sparkling playfully as she winked at Eric. "You can try asking them to do anything in the kitchen; they'll absolutely obey. And they're still virgins too."
Eric leaned against the door frame and shot her a look, pursuing his inquiry, "And your reason?"
Drew finished rinsing his mouth, washed his face, and began his skincare routine, explaining, "They were basically sold to America. If I hadn't bought them from Don King, they would either be dead in an underground boxing ring or severely beaten. Lots of people love to see that kind of spectacle. Even if they survived, they would likely end up in some shady tech academy."
The world has never lacked for beautiful things that became the dark sacrifices of some people under money and power. As Eric's own status improved, he gradually gained access to parts of the world that ordinary people never saw. Hearing Drew's response, he merely shook his head.
The girl applied face cream and glanced at Eric's expression, adding, "So, I not only saved their lives but gave them a life they never dared dream of before. I even helped their families escape from that godforsaken place in Moscow where they can barely get enough to eat. So why would they refuse me?"
"Right..." Eric trailed off, nodding thoughtfully. "Is that all?"
"Ha ha," the girl giggled, showing no discomfort revealing her mischievous side to Eric, "I just very plainly told them that if I wasn't happy, I'd return them to Don King."
If they were sent back, it would mean the twins would face the grim fate she'd just described. Eric sighed inwardly, stepped closer, and wrapped his arms around the girl's soft waist, saying, "You wouldn't actually do that, would you?"
She turned around, playfully wrapping herself around Eric, and replied with a melodramatic sigh, "If you don't let me do that, then I won't."
Eric patted the girl's back and remarked, "Looks like I need to keep a tight rein on you, little imp, to prevent you from wreaking havoc on the world."
She rested her chin on Eric's shoulder, her tone dreamy and soft as she whispered, "Eric, you're my whole world; I don't care about anyone else."
...
The disappointing first-day box office of $1.72 million for Beverly Hills Cop III poured cold water on many people's hopes of actively attacking Firefly.
Hollywood's competitive landscape was never short of situations where people pushed others down when they fell. Consequently, media reviews were overwhelmingly negative, and the following day's box office for Beverly Hills Cop III plummeted to a stark $1.5 million. After the first two days, the total ticket sales had barely reached $3.22 million, just a small fraction of Paramount's original box office estimate of $12 million.
Even outside Hollywood, many began to see a noticeable change in the environment. Over the next few days, Eric received a flurry of favorable emails in his inbox. On the same day the first-day box office for Beverly Hills Cop III was announced, Firefly Group also released plans for The Matrix series and Eric's follow-up project for Julia, Runaway Bride. The sales of Firefly's long-term bonds immediately jumped by 50%, with total sales reaching $200 million. Unless there was a drastic shift, Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank's planned bond distribution, expected to take three months, might wrap up in just two.
On May 27, Universal Pictures' The Mummy rolled out in 3,100 cinemas across North America, shattering Jurassic Park's previous record of 3,000 screening venues. Universal even went as far as to apply for a Guinness record for this achievement.
With Beverly Hills Cop III entirely swept into the background, The Mummy experienced a slight surge on its opening day, netting $16.9 million, while Beverly Hills Cop III managed to scrape together only $4.5 million. Over the next two days, The Mummy took in $18.1 million and $16.3 million, respectively. While the $51 million total ticket sales over the three-day opening weekend exceeded both industry expectations and internal projections at Universal, the only party truly thrilled was Universal itself.
As long as there was no strongly competing film squeezing Saving Private Ryan, Firefly had little pressure. Even after the saturated release of Jurassic Park last year, the high acclaim couldn't prevent a 40% drop in ticket sales the following week. The Mummy was projected to earn $75 million in its first week, with the next week's revenue likely dropping between $40 million and $50 million. Moreover, this summer's box office had previously peaked at $170 million; the two films had completely different themes. The Mummy's drop the following week wouldn't significantly impact Saving Private Ryan.
...
With that matter settled, Eric let go of his worries and focused on the production of his films.
He now held the reins of some of Hollywood's most heavyweight films. Firefly's roster included Jurassic Park II, True Lies, Toy Story 2, Face/Off, and others.
Flower Films had the Mission: Impossible series, Night at the Museum series, and Forrest Gump.
Firefly collaborated with Columbia on the last two films, Jumanji and Mr. & Mrs. Smith 2, and with DreamWorks for the Charlie's Angels series, Resident Evil, and more. Even MGM's upcoming GoldenEye would see some financial involvement from Firefly.
While Fox's Braveheart had no ties to Firefly, it was certain that Eric would soon find himself roped into offering free consultation to Elisabeth.
The films were at varying stages of production: some were already in post-production, while others were still in script revisions. Eric had only managed to check in on the effects progress for Jumanji and had just wrapped a detailed post-production discussion with the recently finished Mission: Impossible director Brian De Palma when June 3 rolled around.
...
After a grand premiere, Saving Private Ryan officially opened in 2,700 theaters across North America.
As a war film commemorating the 50th anniversary of World War II's D-Day, it broke ground with simultaneous releases in major European markets such as the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, with a total of 29 countries participating in the global rollout.
The authentic and harrowing D-Day scenes, the moral debates of saving eight to rescue one, and the growth and struggles of ordinary characters during war prompted an avalanche of discourse about the film.
Many box office analysis organizations reached a common conclusion: a film's final box office usually correlates directly with its buzz. As the media began to deliberately probe into Kathryn Bigelow, the female director, the topic around Saving Private Ryan spiked to a peak.
Firefly originally aimed to leverage Kathryn's previous marriage to Cameron for promotion. They even adjusted the release schedule of Firefly films, planning to release True Lies a week after Saving Private Ryan.
However, after The Hollywood Reporter published an article questioning whether Kathryn could direct a war film as authentically as a man, leading other media to copy and follow up on the discussion, feminist groups in North America and Europe quickly reacted with sharp backlash. The initial hopes of a healthy box office competition between Saving Private Ryan and True Lies failed.
Nonetheless, this outcome didn't significantly impact Saving Private Ryan's ticket sales. In fact, with the sudden influx of female viewers, who previously had no interest in war films, the box office soared. After earning $42 million in its opening weekend, the film continued its impressive streak by raking in another $31 million over four weekdays, totaling $73 million for the first week, exceeding Firefly's projections by a whopping $25 million. This surge was largely attributed to the unexpected support from female viewers.
...
As True Lies hit theaters the following week, this momentum showed no signs of waning. Some feminists who suddenly noted Cameron and Kathryn's relationship even publicly bought ad space in newspapers, urging women to continue supporting Saving Private Ryan, seeking to overshadow True Lies. Remarkably, these appeals seemed effective.
True Lies earned $37 million during its opening weekend. Although Saving Private Ryan didn't surpass it, the gap was less than $1 million, making it hard to determine which film would ultimately take the lead. While Eric and Firefly's execs celebrated the explosive success of Saving Private Ryan, they couldn't help but think: Don't mess with women. If they could propel a film's revenue 50% higher than expected, they could equally drag another film's numbers down by 50%. At the same time, Eric privately thanked his stars that True Lies was a male-centric movie; if it had been aimed at female viewers, it would have suffered immensely.
True Lies ultimately raked in $51 million at the box office over its opening week, barely topping Saving Private Ryan's second-week gross of over $49 million. While it couldn't match the earlier earnings of The Mummy and Saving Private Ryan, it still met Firefly's expectations. The outstanding box office performances of both films silenced skeptics who had predicted a dreary summer for Firefly, ensuring that even if The Lion King underperformed, no one would challenge Firefly's might anymore. Under these circumstances, Jeffrey's reform efforts on ABC faced much less resistance when returning to New York.
...
At the newly expanded Firefly Studios in Playa Vista, bustling activity resumed.
During busy hours, most people rushed from one place to another, seemingly indifferent to the outside world. However, when several buses slowly pulled into the studio, they quickly caught everyone's eye. Five buses parked in front of a newly built but unused gigantic soundstage drew onlookers.
Certainly, while Hollywood was used to an abundance of beautiful women, few had witnessed such a formidable array of gorgeous faces.
As a group of tall, curvy models streamed off the bus, many of the male onlookers couldn't help but swallow hard. However, before they could voice their thoughts, stern security personnel swiftly dispersed the crowd. Interestingly, as some studio staff admired the scene, the models looked around in awe at the impressive soundstage. For models, whose careers often last only a few years, finding their place in Hollywood could lead to a decent marriage, if not a meteoric rise to fame.
Moreover, if they could connect with that important figure upcoming, they could enjoy a life of endless luxuries for the rest of their days.
*****
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