Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion

The revenue from this fight was a bit higher than the last, with Pay-Per-View (PPV) sales in Australia and New Zealand reaching 3.43 million copies, setting a new record for PPV sales in local boxing matches.

Including online streaming, ticket revenue shares, advertising sponsorships, and so on.

Link earned 148 million US Dollars from this fight.

After the match, Link held a celebratory party at the Hyatt Garden Hotel, Sydney, inviting partners of the event, media personalities, and a host of film stars and singers.

At the party, Link chatted with Hugh Jackman and the Hemsworth brothers about boxing. Jackman claimed to be a fan of his, having studied his fight videos while shooting "Real Steel".

Link invited Jackman to train at Muscle Beach Club when he was free, and Jackman said he would definitely go.

The elder Hemsworth starred with him in "The Avengers", and the younger starred in Lionsgate Films' "The Hunger Games" series and became famous.

All were acquaintances.

There was also Australian actress Rose Byrne, who starred in multiple Lionsgate Films such as "Bridesmaids", "The Neighbor", and "Spy".

She also flattered him upon meeting.

Nicole Kidman and her husband Keith Urban came over to inquire about his upcoming schedule, inviting him to visit their home.

Link said he didn't have time recently, that he would return home after a few publicity events following the match and wouldn't stay long in Australia. He asked when the couple was returning to Los Angeles, suggesting they get together for a meal with the kids.

Nicole Kidman and her husband currently have two daughters, one aged seven, the other five, who could make friends with Alexander and Cynthia.

Nicole Kidman and her husband cheerfully agreed.

'Elf Queen' Cate Blanchett also came over with a glass of champagne to chat. She starred in the last year's lesbian-themed film "Carol", produced by Palm Beach Films.

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May and was nominated in the main competition. Cate Blanchett, along with the other leading actress of "Carol", Rooney Mara, and Emmanuelle Béart, the lead actress of the French film "My King", jointly won the Best Actress Award at that year's Cannes Film Festival.

Cate Blanchett brought up the film's release date, hoping to postpone it to the end of the year to compete in next year's Oscars.

Cate Blanchett, 46 this year, debuted in the early 90s, with signature works including "The Lord of the Rings" series, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "Elizabeth", "Tower of Heaven", "Blue Jasmine", has been nominated several times for the Academy Awards' Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, only winning Best Supporting Actress in '03 for "The Aviator".

She is considered one of the most skilled actresses, comparable to Meryl Streep.

It's a shame she has not yet won an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Cate Blanchett believes the lesbian film "Carol" is of good quality and hopes to have the chance to represent Lionsgate Films at next year's Oscars.

Upon hearing this, Link nodded and said he hadn't seen the film yet but would discuss it with the company afterwards. If it's good enough and has the potential to contest the Oscars, the company wouldn't miss the opportunity.

He hadn't made a promise because Lionsgate's films were all decent this year, and there were more than one contender for the Oscars Best Actress award, including Reese Witherspoon's "Wild" and the low-budget film "Room".

Moreover, he had promised Little Leo to help him contest for next year's Best Actor award; if they were to compete for the Best Actress award as well, it might be more challenging.

He wouldn't make assurances about these matters - the same applied to Little Leo.

Cate Blanchett expressed understanding, raised her glass, and exchanged contact information with him.

Link thought the matter would end there, but after the party, Cate Blanchett sent him a message asking if he was free that evening, wanting to talk more about films. She said she had brought a local gift as a memento but had forgotten to give it to him earlier and wanted to hand it over in person.

Link sent her his hotel room number, curious about what the mature lady intended.

In less than half an hour, she arrived at his door in a younger-looking and fitted dress, carrying a bottle of Australian red wine.

They sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor, looking out at the nearby Sydney Opera House, making small talk about films. When it was time to stand up, Cate Blanchett lost her footing and fell toward him, and Link instinctively supported her waist.

Cate Blanchett looked at him with a hazy gaze, her palm caressing his chest muscles, wanting to kiss him.

Link held the woman's shoulders and bluntly said that if she wanted to win the Best Actress Oscar, she didn't need to do it this way; if the film was good enough and had the potential to impact the Oscars, both he and Lionsgate's PR department would not miss the opportunity. He hoped she wouldn't be misled by rumors, thinking of him as a man who lured others with the prospect of an Oscar statuette.

With his status, appearance, and charm, he didn't need such tactics.

Cate Blanchett, being an experienced and sophisticated woman, took two seconds before explaining that her visit for a drink wasn't for the Oscars; she simply admired such a man, finding him very charismatic and compelling.

She said it was her first time watching a boxing match live, seeing him beat his opponent in the ring made her heart race, her blood boil, as if she became young again.

Cate Blanchett also asked him if he would mind her age.

Link glanced at her not particularly beautiful but charismatic face, smiled softly, pulled her closer and lifted her long legs, heading towards the floor-to-ceiling window.

Pulling aside the curtains and lifting the hem of her dress, they faced the setting sun and the sea outside the window, recklessly venting the hostility and desire that hadn't been released in the boxing ring during the day.

For him, this was no different from the relaxation training he did in the therapy room after daily workouts; the other party was just a tool for relaxation.

Since the other party was willing to sacrifice, he had no need for even a hint of pity.

——

The next day, after completing the promotion of the event, Link took a plane and left Australia, returning to Los Angeles.

By June, the summer movie competition heated up, with big productions like "Armageddon," "Avengers: Age of Ultron," "Terminator: Genesis," "Jurassic World," "Inside Out," and "Mad Max: Fury Road" released one after another.

"Armageddon" had been in theaters for seven weeks, with a current North American box office of 223 million US Dollars and a global box office of 468 million US Dollars. It was now showing in less than 40 theaters in North America, and its subsequent box office would not exceed five million.

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" had been released for six weeks, with a current North American box office of 462 million US Dollars and a global total box office that just broke 1.4 billion US Dollars, temporarily ranking first for the year.

"Terminator: Genesis," after five weeks in release, had accumulated a North American box office of 102 million US Dollars and a global box office of 440 million US Dollars. The film was a collaborative project between Lionsgate Films, Paramount, and Sky Dance, starring Schwarzenegger and Daenerys Emilia Clarke, with a production cost of 150 million US Dollars.

From the current perspective, the movie has already made back its cost, but the profit margin is not huge, and Lionsgate's profits will not exceed 50 million US Dollars.

Since Lionsgate is responsible for the North American distribution, it is also their fourth film this year to break 100 million at the North American box office.

"Jurassic World," released four weeks ago with Spielberg as the producer, is the sequel to "Jurassic Park" and set 22 years after the first film, has received strong anticipation from movie fans during its promotional period.

It broke the film's box office record for opening weekend revenue in North America with 208 million US Dollars in the first three days, surpassing "Avengers 2".

After four weeks of release, it garnered a North American box office of 570 million US Dollars, and the global box office has exceeded 1.2 billion US Dollars, also surpassing "Avengers 2" in terms of box office growth rate.

Media predicts that the film will gross over 1.6 billion US Dollars globally.

The production cost of the film is only 150 million US Dollars, suggesting that Universal Pictures and Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment are set to make a substantial profit.

The animated film "Inside Out," in theatres for three weeks, has a North American box office of 266 million US Dollars and a global box office that has already accumulated to 280 million US Dollars, clearly another hugely successful film.

The film is produced and distributed by Disney Pictures, with a production cost of only 175 million US Dollars.

Looking at the films released in the first half of the year, Disney Pictures is currently leading in total box office, with Universal Pictures in second and Lionsgate temporarily in third.

Given the outstanding box office performance of "Avengers 2" and "Jurassic World," it would be extremely difficult for Lionsgate to retain their first place in annual box office revenue.

In early June, Warner Bros. Pictures' "Mad Max: Fury Road," starring Charlize Theron, was released, with North American box office just breaking 100 million, reaching 102 million in two weeks.

Compared to this, the overseas box office performance was a bit better, with a current global total box office of 237 million.

With a production cost of 150 million, breaking even is not difficult, but making a large profit is unlikely.

In fact, the quality of this movie is quite good, and it could be considered one of the high-quality commercial films of this summer's box office. However, it was unfortunate to encounter two blockbuster films like "Avengers 2" and "Jurassic World," and even "Armageddon" and "Inside Out," which both surpassed 200 million in North American box office.

The competition was too intense, and it was normal for "Mad Max" to be affected in ticket sales.

Also because of the fierce competition at the box office, a major share of the summer box office has been taken by the aforementioned films. Link began to worry about the upcoming releases from Lionsgate, such as "Sleeping Spell," "The Expendables 3," and "The Martian."

These three films are also one of Lionsgate's main attractions this year. If the box office is too low, it would be difficult for Lionsgate to hold their own against Warner, Sony, Paramount, and Fox.

As for these data, he would glance over but not obsess over.

Since fussing over it was futile, he might as well read more scripts and bestsellers, aiming to recommend a few good script projects to the production department, like finding impressive movies such as "Escape from Escape Room," "Hidden Figures," "Lady Bird," and "Manchester by the Sea."

By June, the crew was preparing to start shooting "Fifty Shades of Grey."

After careful consideration, he gave up the role of the male lead in the film, letting the crew find someone else, even if it meant spending more money. The main reason was it was inconvenient, as this film has a lot of passionate scenes and nudity.

If his net worth were a few billion less and his fame a bit smaller, he wouldn't have to hesitate so much.

Furthermore, his father-in-law will participate in the elections next year and he will inevitably need to campaign, appearing in more formal and serious settings. Shooting such a film at this time could easily provide ammunition for political opponents.

After declining the role in that movie, at the repeated request of Emma Stone, he accepted the male lead role in "La La Land." The male character is a pianist who loves jazz, is good at dancing, and a band member.

Link matched these criteria and saw no harm in taking on the role, although he had some regrets after accepting it. The film's director was Damien Chazelle, who was also the screenwriter, and who rose to fame last year with "Whiplash." He continued working with Lionsgate on "La La Land" this year.

Prior to becoming a director, Chazelle was a professional jazz drummer who had participated in the All-American High School Jazz Band before realizing his talent was not sufficient and deciding to give up music to study film at Harvard University.

As a director, Chazelle, an expert in music, is also quite demanding and serious about films. He required both him and Emma Stone to learn modern dance, waltz, tap dance, Latin dance, and other dance styles to reach professional levels before the official shooting.

All these seemed quite troublesome, but since Link had committed to the role, it wasn't easy to back out. Whenever he had free time, besides practicing boxing, he would also attend rehearsals at the dance center with the crew's dance teacher, striving to meet the director's demands to the best of his abilities.