I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1089: The Glorious Box Office List]

Underworld was a project personally finalized by Eric Williams. Although the budget was only $20 million, which would be considered a low-cost production by today's standards, he was personally keeping track of it. Aside from providing several classic design sequences for Underworld based on his memories, Eric also brought in producer Paul Anderson to ensure the film's gunfights and action style.

Filming began last September and was now more than halfway complete. Eric had just watched a rough cut last week. Although the lead actress had changed to Natasha Henstridge and the director was no longer Len Wiseman, under the dual supervision of Eric and Anderson, the new version of Underworld had quality that was absolutely on par with, if not better than, the original.

To be fair, according to New Line's distribution schedule, it was clearly more prudent to release this film during the summer blockbusters, but after just a brief hesitation, Eric made a decisive call.

To promote 3D and IMAX films, it was certainly imperative to take some risks.

"Even though these are all night scenes, as long as we pay attention to the brightness issue during conversion, this film is really suitable to be made in 3D," Eric thought aloud. "I'll talk to Kenneth about this. I'll handle it myself. Also, I recall that IMAX has a movie called T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous that could also help fill the void. I'll see if there are any other suitable films to choose from, and that should surely be enough."

As long as the supply of 3D film content was secured from the end of this year to next summer, the success or failure of the 3D film promotion would surely be settled by next summer. Once 3D movies took off, the ensuing supply issue would also be easily resolved.

...

After discussing these matters and finishing breakfast, Katzenberg was the first to leave the restaurant. Eric patiently waited for Julia Roberts to leisurely finish her meal before saying, "Aren't you supposed to have a table read meeting with the crew of Erin Brockovich? Should I have someone take you over?"

Julia understood she couldn't cling to Eric all day. After affectionately embracing the man, she took her leave.

...

After personally seeing Julia off to her car, Eric returned to the headquarters building.

That morning, the company was set to hold its annual film business summary meeting, and Eric arrived at the large conference room where the senior executives of the group were mostly assembled.

As Eric sat down at the conference table, the meeting secretary began distributing materials to everyone. As the documents were handed out, a murmur of whispers naturally spread across the room.

Eric opened the folder in front of him and looked at the impressive box office list in his hands. Although everyone had likely received related data beforehand, he could understand the mood of the crowd at this moment.

With films like Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace still in theaters for the holiday season, the box office data on the materials only accounted for figures up to December 31 of the previous year. The first page presented the top ten North American box office rankings for that year.

1. Charlie's Angels 3: $322 million, MGM

2. The Ring: $286 million, New Line

3. Mission: Impossible 3: $266 million, MGM

4. The Day After Tomorrow: $253 million, Buena Vista

5. The Matrix Reloaded: $238 million, Amblin 

6. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace: $218 million, Fox

7. Ted: $212 million, New Line

8. The Scorpion King: $193 million, Universal

9. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me: $186 million, Fox

10. The Truman Show: $125 million, Paramount

After scanning the box office ranking data again, Eric couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental.

It's evident from the rankings that while only The Day After Tomorrow from Buena Vista, and The Ring and Ted from New Line were directly from the Firefly Group, seven out of the ten films originated from major distribution labels under the Firefly system, including Buena Vista, New Line, MGM, and Fox. Even The Matrix Reloaded, released by Amblin, had close links to the Firefly system. The other two films, The Scorpion King and The Truman Show, barely made it onto the list, occupying the lowest positions.

Eric understood that the emotions of the people in the conference room must be quite complex. After all, most of these films could have been directly from the Firefly Group if he had chosen to do so. If that were the case, the Firefly Group could have created market miracles during Hollywood's golden age that even MGM couldn't achieve.

However, from Eric's personal viewpoint, he was very satisfied with this list.

After all, if films like Charlie's Angels 3 and The Matrix Reloaded had remained with Firefly, considering the group's limited distribution capacity, one could question whether these films could continue to reach their original box office potential. Even if they achieved box office figures comparable to the current ones, the Firefly Group would then become very prominent on this list.

By dispersing this series of films across different labels, it was clear to anyone with common sense how these films were linked to Firefly, but it also provided a convenient cover for many who were unwilling to face reality.

Recently, there had already emerged a trend in Hollywood against the Firefly system, and it was clear that without this convenient cover, tensions would undoubtedly rise further.

However, pondering over this year's distribution plans left Eric feeling a little headache.

Compared to last year's relative silence, this year, the Firefly Group's Buena Vista was set to release five major films directly: the Easter release of Enemy of the State, the summer releases of Iron Man and Cars, and the year-end releases of Gravity and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. It wasn't hard to imagine that all five films had the potential to land in the top ten box office rankings for the year.

Moreover, starting next year, the average scale of major film releases from the Firefly Group would undoubtedly only increase. Including MGM, Fox, and Columbia, the entire Firefly system could very well occupy all top ten positions on the box office ranking. Such a situation would surely be thrilling but would also add more pressure to the entire Firefly system.

Nonetheless, Eric couldn't possibly stop expanding just because of these concerns.

...

The meeting began shortly thereafter, but with these thoughts weighing on his mind, Eric found himself a bit distracted throughout the process. The meeting went on until noon, after which everyone had lunch together. He finally arrived at Playa Vista to the Firefly Studios around two in the afternoon.

The post-production for Gravity was ongoing in a tense state. Whenever he was in Los Angeles, Eric spent a significant portion of his time working on this film.

Today, a segment of the lead actress's scenes required re-dubbing. Eric arrived at the Firefly Studios, and Jodie Foster, along with her assistant, was already waiting in the post-production studio.

Although they had seen each other a few times since the film wrapped, Jodie's demeanor towards Eric was noticeably conflicted. She was a very independent woman and didn't want to become just another one of Eric's numerous flings. However, the charm radiating from this little man made it hard for her to resist. Over the past few weeks, Jodie's attitude toward Eric often appeared a bit distant yet intrigued.

Since they were only reworking a few segments, the dubbing didn't take long, and within half an hour, Jodie finished her work.

Seeing the woman packing her things and preparing to leave, Eric suggested, "How about you come to my office for a bit? You have nothing else to do this afternoon, right?"

Jodie hesitated for a moment but then nodded.

...

After they left the post-production center together and arrived at the administrative building where Eric's office was, he noticed Jodie's anxious expression. She even brought her assistant along, which made him chuckle.

Pulling out his wallet to check, Eric realized there was no cash, so he looked over at Jodie and said, "Can you give me your wallet?"

Startled, Jodie instinctively took a small step back. When she realized Eric only wanted her wallet, she rolled her eyes at him and said, "You want my wallet? You're Eric Williams!"

Despite her protest, Jodie retrieved her wallet from her purse and handed it to Eric.

Eric opened Jodie's wallet, pulled out a one-dollar bill, and handed it to her assistant, who was trying his best to look inconspicuous, saying, "Here, go buy yourself some candy. You don't need to stay here with us."

Watching her assistant leave in a daze after being sent off by Eric, Jodie finally reacted and snatched her wallet back, forcing a stern expression as she said, "You llittle guy! I thought you were up to something. That joke isn't funny at all."

Eric walked over to the coffee machine, poured coffee for both of them, and smiled, "Yeah, I figured you thought I was up to something, that's why I had your assistant come in, right?"

Jodie didn't respond but couldn't help her cheeks turning a bit red. Seeing Eric busily back turned, she relaxed a little.

After settling onto the office's sofa in the guest area, Jodie leaned against the backrest, gazing out the glass window. The view from here was quite nice, featuring the photography studio areas and the commercial lofts of Digital Domain. It suddenly occurred to her that his own place probably had a good view too, especially that shell villa at Liberty City Manor. She had a random thought about wanting to take a look there.

Just as her thoughts began to wander, Jodie heard a low, teasing voice: "Isn't it great? Finally, the two of us can be here alone together."

The tone and content of the statement sent an eerie chill down Jodie's spine. When she turned to see Eric holding coffee with a sly grin, she realized she had been pranked and lightly nudged him on the leg with her foot.

Eric chuckled, placing the coffee on the coffee table and quickly catching her ankle as he sat down on the sofa, casually lifting her legs onto his lap. He took off one of her black high heels and remarked, "You actually wore high heels today. Were they meant for me?"

With her legs now held by Eric, Jodie leaned slightly against the couch, feeling her body soften. Hearing his comment, she rolled her eyes gently and said, "Eric, I've just realized you're such a conceited guy."

"No, no, you're wrong. If a man's confidence far exceeds his personal abilities, that's what you call conceit. I think I've always been quite humble."

As Eric spoke, he effortlessly slipped off Jodie's other high heel. Although she was in heels, she was still wearing a pair of loose-fitting jeans, which had enough space for Eric to slip his hand through.

Feeling the sensation of his fingertips on her calves, Jodie's body went even softer, and she lost any will to break away -- perhaps deep down, she didn't even want to resist. Grabbing a cushion to hug against her chest, she playfully murmured, "Eric, you jerk."

"Not now; save the compliments for later. I can't feel anything at the moment."

"Funny!"

...

Jodie groggily opened her eyes to a dimly lit room. Remembering the afternoon's events, she felt a bit of regret. It was utterly ridiculous; she had easily let that little guy have his way again.

Moreover, the bedroom was right next to the office. That mischievous guy must've done plenty of things like this on a daily basis.

The thought of other women possibly having laid on this bed made Jodie a bit uneasy, even though she wasn't a germaphobe. She shifted around in the sheets and reached out with a hand to see if anyone was on the other side of the bed, only to discover there was no one there, not even a trace of warmth on the sheets. This indicated that the guy had left long ago, abandoning her here by herself, which made her feel a slight sense of grievance.

What was this situation? Perhaps she should keep her distance from him in the future. At the very least, she shouldn't let him have his way so easily again.

With these chaotic thoughts swirling in her mind, the bedroom door suddenly swung open. Jodie froze for a moment but didn't pretend to be asleep. As the lights in the bedroom came on, Jodie turned around, her eyes shining brightly as she leaned against her pillow, looking at the man entering. He wore a simple white shirt and fitted trousers, and his chiseled face was flawless.

Noticing how strong her feelings for the man before her had become, Jodie suddenly felt a bit of panic.

What was happening to her?

Eric approached the bedside, noticing the look in Jodie's eyes. He brushed the hair from her face and smiled, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jodie shook her head. "What time is it?"

"It's already six o'clock. I made a reservation at a restaurant on Venice Beach. Let's go have dinner together."

Jodie hesitated, "Isn't there a restaurant on the yacht? If we eat outside, won't someone recognize us?"

"We can't always eat in the same place," Eric laughed. "Plus, even if someone sees us, they're likely to just think I'm your good buddy... Ouch! Easy on the waist, that hurts!"

He whimpered, dodging Jodie's pinch at his waist. Eric rubbed the spot and said, "Alright, do you want me to help you get dressed?"

Jodie instantly shook her head, "You need to leave!"

Eric didn't press further, standing up to walk outside. "You can take another shower. I'll wait for you outside."

Watching the door close behind Eric, Jodie took a moment to collect her thoughts before sitting up.

*****

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