[Chapter 786: Are You In?]
"Well, too many people want to achieve success without effort, and very few realize that in order to get what you want, you have to pay the price," Eric nodded and continued, "Usually, in this kind of deal, you often have to sell your soul to the devil."
"Ah," Gisele opened her mouth, feeling a little anxious.
"But I'm not the devil, and I'm not interested in your soul," Eric shrugged, wearing a devilish smile. "So, I only need your body."
Gisele fell silent.
Eric opened the newspaper in front of him. "Well, you can think it over."
But Gisele didn't stay silent for long. She quickly asked, "Eric, can I ask what exactly I would get in return?"
Eric thought for a moment and said, "You might just become the second Drew."
With Eric's relentless support, and thanks to her shares in MGM, Drew had already become the youngest female billionaire in the world, no doubt about it.
Women close to Eric all harbored some thoughts about becoming the next Drew.
Gisele suddenly felt that if a girl from a small town in Brazil could reach Drew's heights in her lifetime, selling her soul... oh, her body to the devil would be worth it. Of course, she knew Eric's promises couldn't be found in any written contract; maybe there wasn't even a 100% chance of success. But she had always been a decisive girl, and she understood that even so, this man's promise wasn't something just any woman could easily obtain.
After pondering for a moment, Gisele looked at the man across from her and said firmly, "Eric, I'm in."
Eric looked up again, somewhat surprised by Gisele's determination, and said with a smile, "You've really thought it through?"
"Yeah."
"Then let's talk about the next steps," Eric continued. "First, you'll need a public partner to help shape your media image. Since you're my woman, that partner obviously can't be a guy. So from today on, you'll be a lesbian."
Hearing this, Gisele instinctively turned to look at Alessandra beside her.
Alessandra, who had been watching the drama unfold, shrank back a bit when Gisele suddenly looked at him, stammering, "W-what do you want from me?"
Eric showed a mischievous smile and said, "Great, you've found your target. I think Alessandra is quite suitable, so let's see a kiss."
Without hesitation, Gisele reached out, wrapped her arms around Alessandra, and leaned in to kiss her.
As their lips met, Alessandra blinked rapidly a few times, stunned for a while. By the time she wanted to push Gisele away, she found herself pressed against the sofa, Gisele's hand already slipping inside her shirt.
"Oh my God," thought Alessandra, trapped on the couch. "That psychic was right! But why am I the one getting bullied? Is this my fate?"
Eric watched the delightful scene unfold between the two girls, setting aside his newspaper to open his laptop and check his email. The box office results for the previous day's release, Rumble in the Bronx, had just come in, with the figures emailed to Eric.
...
With nearly 2,000 screens, Rumble in the Bronx garnered $3.6 million on its opening day, which was one of the best opening numbers for a Hong Kong film in recent years. In fact, more than 90% of Hong Kong films that made it to North American theaters didn't even reach $3.6 million in total. This indicated that Jackie Chan's comedic kung fu still had a market in North America.
Additionally, the weeks leading up to Easter were traditionally a lull period for the North American film market, as films slated for the year-end had already entered their winding-down phase, and companies held back some of their highly anticipated releases. Thus, with $3.6 million on its opening day, Rumble in the Bronx easily became the Friday box office champion.
Based on the usual weekend box office curve, Saturday's figures would be higher than Friday's, and Sunday would likely match Friday's total. If this pattern held, Rumble in the Bronx could expect a weekend total around $11 million. If the next couple of days followed this trend, the film's first seven days could even hit $16 million -- far exceeding New Line's expectations.
Eric recalled that in the original timeline, Rumble in the Bronx only made a little over $30 million in North America. But now, due to a much larger marketing and screening push, he expected those figures to be exceeded.
If Rumble in the Bronx could follow a typical Hollywood box office trajectory, its total earnings might even reach $50 million. Eric never expected it to achieve a long-running box office like some films; after all, the audience for Hong Kong films in North America was limited. The second week drop-off could be as much as 50% after an opening weekend spike.
Still, a total box office of $50 million would be a recent miracle for Hong Kong films.
Rumble in the Bronx was simply a warm-up for Jackie Chan's star power, gearing up for the popular anticipation for Rush Hour slated for release later in the year. Above all, the focus remained on the film Se7en, which had seen over two months of intensive marketing and was set to premiere on April 5.
Scanning over the upcoming release schedule, Eric noted that Se7en was firmly positioned at the top of the charts, planned for 2,500 screens. Just as he intended to close the email interface, a certain title caught his eye.
...
The film's name was Primal Fear.
Looking up its details, Eric remembered that Primal Fear was Edward Norton's breakout role. The film portrayed a dramatic courtroom battle between two lawyers entangled in a story involving a suspected murderer with possible dissociative identity disorder. Richard Gere's character, Martin, ultimately proved that Norton's character, Aaron, was not responsible for the murder due to his mental condition, but the shocking twist at the end revealed that it had all been a con.
As a crime thriller, Primal Fear's pacing could be slow, yet Norton's standout performance was undoubtedly its highlight. He won countless nominations and quickly rose to fame in Hollywood.
Recalling this information, Eric opened the IMDB site and found the page for Primal Fear. To his relief, Edward Norton still had not been replaced; he successfully retained the role of Aaron.
With just a week until release, the movie's page had several reviews from professional critics.
Eric casually clicked on one, authored by Stephen Garry, the film critic for The Seattle Times, and after reading a few passages, his brow furrowed slightly.
"... Invited to see two excellent crime thrillers in just one week, the frightening and shocking impact of Se7en still lingers; however, the newcomer Edward Norton in Primal Fear produced a chilling shudder within me once again. Between the two films, Kevin Spacey and the Broadway-trained Edward Norton presented two somewhat similar villainous roles. Spacey effectively embodied a cold, psychopathic killer, making a strong impression despite limited screen time, comparable to Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs. However, as a newcomer entering Hollywood, Norton's performance eclipsed Spacey's. His chameleon-like ability to portray a character with an innocent facade hiding a rage-filled soul was showcased with raw intensity, causing a spine-chilling effect that lingered long after the film..."
While the critic praised both films, Eric noticed a clear intention to flatter Primal Fear. The review didn't delve into a detailed comparison of the films' plots, character development, or cinematic techniques; rather, it caught onto Norton's stellar performance, positioning it favorably against Spacey's and insinuating that Spacey was inferior. Given that average audiences would read this review, they would likely develop greater curiosity for Primal Fear, subconsciously favoring it when deciding what to see.
Putting aside the review for the moment, Eric knew very well that, when it came strictly to acting chops, Norton couldn't hold a candle to Spacey.
In the original timeline, Norton's roles had always been somewhat narrow; he excelled only in portraying characters with stark contrasts between their outward appearance and internal struggles, which made films like Primal Fear, American History X, and Fight Club resonate deeply. However, outside of these, it was tough to identify any real standout performances; some roles even evoked a sense of artificiality.
Irrespective of several allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment, Spacey was a different level of actor. He could portray a cold, crazed killer in Se7en, a sensitive but awkward single father in The Negotiator, a seasoned politician in House of Cards, a miserly boss in Horrible Bosses, or a husband facing a mid-life crisis in American Beauty.
In theory, Spacey could present a thousand different facets of himself in a thousand films, while Norton, with his undeniably distinct style, could only ever be Edward Norton.
After skimming through the review once more, Eric closed the page.
Maybe he was just overthinking things.
...
Just as he was about to flip through the newspaper to check for similar news in the latest film reviews, Gisele and Alessandra, who had been entangled for a while, finally sat up together.
Alessandra straightened her disheveled clothes and threw an accusing glance at Eric, saying, "Eric, I never agreed to anything with you."
Eric spread out a newspaper on the table and quickly went through the relevant information, chuckling as he replied, "It's all fake anyway; just for show."
"But Gisele doesn't seem to be just 'putting on a show'..."
Eric raised his head and glanced at Alessandra, saying, "Then let's turn this act into reality. I kinda like it."
"I..."
Alessandra tried to voice a small protest but lacked the courage.
She suddenly recalled a well-known rumor in the industry: when the first Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was held, a supermodel named Heidi Klum had been banished to New Zealand for violating interview protocols. Banished! That sort of thing usually only happened centuries ago. Rumor had it that Heidi's career never fully recovered; she was stuck in the second and third tier of modeling, and even after her punishment ended, no big-name brand wanted to work with her.
Silently cursing Eric's arrogance and tyranny, Alessandra looked over at the girl who had just forcefully kissed her, then slyly turned to Eric, "Eric, aren't you worried Gisele might have second thoughts in the future?"
Eric lifted his gaze, looking at Gisele, "Will you?"
Gisele quickly shook her head, reaching over to pinch Alessandra's waist.
Alessandra couldn't help but suppress her protests, reaching out in retaliation, only to have Gisele catch her hand, pinching back.
Noticing the playful exchange between the two girls, Eric chuckled.
Relationships were complex and deepened over time, especially between men and women. In the end, how could a mere "second thought" allow one to escape?
...
After a quick glance through today's newspapers, Eric indeed noticed several reviews tying together Primal Fear and Se7en, echoing similar sentiments that insinuated Norton's talents surpassed Spacey's.
Cross-promotional strategies in film releases were not uncommon, with films often stirring up conversation with one another to elevate their buzz, usually resulting in a win-win situation.
Nevertheless, while both films had a production budget of around $30 million, prior to now, Primal Fear had lacked the same level of hype and promotional push as Se7en. It was clear that Paramount, the distributor behind Primal Fear, had low expectations for the film; otherwise, they wouldn't have planned for a release on just 1,900 screens -- a number even fewer than Rumble in the Bronx. Besides Norton's performance, there wasn't much else to highlight in the film.
Linking Primal Fear with Se7en was likely Paramount's last resort to boost visibility.
After contemplating for a moment, Eric casually noted this in his laptop's memo pad, not bothering to take any other actions.
The distribution process for films was entirely handled by the New Line team. If Paramount just tugged a bit on the coattails, everyone would benefit; however, if they went too far, New Line would naturally respond accordingly. Eric was not the type of hands-on boss who needed to oversee every detail; otherwise, why bother paying a distribution team?
...
In the meantime, the two girls playfully tussled. Gisele, observant of the cluttered table full of documents in front of Eric, smartly volunteered to grab coffee.
Once Eric finished reviewing his work emails, he heard the notification sound coming in for new mail - a response to the email he had just sent. He opened it and looked up at Gisele, who was returning with the coffee pot, saying, "So, let's continue discussing your situation."
*****
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