King of Hollywood

Chapter 466: Chapter 187 Lily’s Charm

No matter how envious other major film studios in Hollywood were, nothing could stop “Titanic” from continuing to refresh its own record among the top 15 at the North American box office.

Adrian hadn’t put too much effort into this, merely instructing his team to keep up moderate promotion, ensuring the great ship would sail through the Christmas and New Year period.

“As long as we get through this period, we can make this miracle even more difficult to surpass,” he had said.

Though “Titanic” had already earned a blockbuster box office and had the crown of highest-grossing film in history, with fans attending ten showings in a row, it was impossible to expect it to continue making big profits or even return to the top ten during the end-of-year season. Adrian knew this and had arranged things this way to stretch the miracle further in his own hands—after all, even the original record had not yet been reached.

Of course, the results of this couldn’t be seen yet, first having to get through the current period, so his focus was more on other matters, such as scheduling for three upcoming films. Of the three, only “Armageddon” was most suitable for family viewing, “A Time to Kill” was a drama, and “L.A. Confidential” appealed to nostalgia buffs. If the release dates weren’t scheduled properly, they could potentially backfire.

As for the first installment of “The Matrix,” if a substantial overtime fee was paid, all post-production could likely be completed by mid-December, but there might not be enough time for promotion. After much thought, Adrian decided against releasing it this year. This was a reminder for him; with the release of “Titanic,” movies banking on special effects were bound to become more common, and production cycles, especially post-production, would be longer. So, if he were to direct such movies in the future, he had to take this into consideration.

Besides that, he had to oversee several new film preparations and productions. That blockbuster had its movie adaptation rights sold and preparations had begun; over more than a year, Adrian hadn’t shunned talks with the executives, and though progress was slow, there was still another year ahead. The movie prepared for Monica was also on the schedule, likely to start shooting next summer, and Adrian was fully prepared to let certain people understand the term “subtle temptation.” Of course, a body double was still necessary.

The initial plan to recruit Wolverine for “Swordfish” also got officially set in motion; the film had potential production-wise, but unfortunately, it suffered from a terrible release period. Otherwise, even if it wasn’t a hit, recouping the investment through box office sales would have been feasible. As for the cast, contact with Jackman hadn’t been made yet; they would wait for Ovitz to sign him first. Sean Penn had given a preliminary nod after seeing the script, and as for Halle Berry, Adrian intended to take time personally to speak with her.

Others, like “The Expendables” script, had been officially completed, strictly following the rules of Hollywood commercial movies: introducing the team with an action sequence at the beginning, then taking on a mission for money, and a nemesis seeking revenge who then kidnaps the team leader Stallone’s daughter, uncovering unknown secrets on the way to rescue her, and exposing them. It didn’t require much thought, the main attraction was tough guys showing off their muscles.

“I’m looking forward to working with them,” Schwarzenegger had finally agreed, and the negotiation for his fee went smoothly—the reason for his generosity didn’t need to be stated.

However, this was only the start; more team members needed to be confirmed, and even if they couldn’t bring all the action stars on the list, at least most of them had to be recruited.

All this was underway, but “Spider-Man” got slightly delayed, with Adrian arranging to start shooting at the end of next year. Sam Remy was seeking a transition, but as he was busy directing and producing other films, he had no available slots—for as well as the original version was made, why not let him take charge? Plus, the predetermined leading lady Kirsten also had a new film to complete: “Bring it on!”

Thanks to his habit of browsing through various film studios’ scripts, last year Adrian discovered the script for this movie at New Line and then secured it for himself, intending to cast a young actress in the role. Since Kirsten didn’t want to spend this awkward age too blandly, it was fine to let her be the lead; she would soon learn transitioning away from being just a pretty face was not so easy.