America gains both fame and fortune

Chapter 167 Between People

There were very few audience members in the theater.

Bruce watched the movie that was playing, grabbed some popcorn out of boredom, threw it into his mouth, and chewed it until it was crunchy.

Martin picked up the Coke and took a sip.

On the screen, Alexander commanded the Greek coalition forces to form a Macedonian phalanx and fight against the Persian army.

One of the most important attractions of epic films is the war scenes.

What is the standard for a good movie? Everyone has different judgments.

But the studio's criteria are very uniform: whether it makes money or not.

Bruce couldn't stand the bloody and heartbreaking scene in Glass and said, "I'm going to go out and get some fresh air."

Martin wasn't too interested in these either: "Let's go."

The two stood up and prepared to leave.

Martin discovered that besides them, there were some other people leaving the theater.

The number exceeds one-quarter of the audience in cinemas.

This is bad news for any movie.

Martin had long forgotten what the movie in his previous life was like. Apart from Angelina Jolie, it seemed that the movie did not leave any other impression on him.

The two left the theater and headed toward the parking lot.

Bruce said, "I watched the King Arthur DVD, it was much more interesting than this one."

Martin thought for a moment and said, "Because even though King Arthur is terrible, it is very commercial, and this one is more artistic?"

Bruce shrugged, "Maybe. If I had known it was so boring, I would have gone to find Jin. It's no more interesting than watching a bad movie with you."

Martin asked, "Fengyoujing?"

"Jin only used a little bit and screamed in pain. She spent a long time washing and almost went to the hospital." Bruce tried to lift his clothes again: "You bastard, you actually wanted me to apply it there."

Martin grabbed his clothes and said, "Don't mess around. There's LAPD here. Be careful of your magazine being emptied." He offered a random suggestion, "Gold uses Fengyoujing, which is popular all over the world."

Bruce gave him the middle finger: "You are such a pervert!"

The two got in the car and went back to the apartment together.

Martin was a little worried and called Louise: "Drunkard, what are you doing?"

Louise whispered back, "Spending time with my family." She asked, "What are you doing?"

Martin had a lot on his mind: "Just came out of the cinema with Old Bull."

Louise understood why Martin called: "I know, the film didn't receive a good response, it doesn't matter."

"I won't bother you anymore." Martin hung up the phone.

Sitting in the passenger seat, he concentrated on thinking, focusing on the relationships between people.

Bruce speeds up and asks, "Do you think this movie will fail?"

Martin simply said: "The fact that so many people left the same theater midway always indicates something."

"You're worried about Louise Mayer? Man, when did you ever have a conscience?" Bruce said, "I thought you left your conscience in Atlanta."

Martin said, "She is a multimillionaire. I don't need to worry about her."

"Man, are you going to do something bad again?" Bruce had a bad feeling.

Martin was vague: "I posted this film because The Hills Have Eyes. I'm worried that the bad luck will continue."

Bruce remembered something: "The Coke that Robert transported arrived a few days ago. I rented a warehouse to store it and also took some and put it in the studio. You can go and have a can."

He deliberately said: "Expired Coke has a lasting aftertaste."

Martin shook his head and said nothing.

…………

Brentwood, a famous wealthy area in Los Angeles.

In a mansion on the top of the mountain, Louise stood at the window, put away her cell phone, and overlooked the night view of Los Angeles in the distance.

The status of the film Alexander the Great was actually determined before it was released.

The only uncertainty is how catastrophic the failure will be.

Martin was able to call at this time to ask about the relevant situation. Louise sighed and said, "He still has some conscience."

There were footsteps behind her, and a woman in her 50s came up behind her: "Honey, are you worried about something?"

Louise turned around and smiled: "It's about work, don't worry, Mom, I can handle it."

Mrs. Meier nodded slightly and didn't ask any more questions: "Just remember one thing, no matter what happens, your father and I will always be your back."

"I know..." Louise took her mother's arm and said, "Come on, let's go have a drink."

Mrs. Meier reminded her, "You are drinking more and more without restraint. Do you need me to send you to Alcoholics Anonymous?"

Louise said: "It's not that serious, I just have a drink every now and then to relax."

The mother and daughter came to the small bar at home and just opened a bottle of light sweet wine.

Mrs. Meier asked, "Is the project not going well this time?"

Louise took a sip of wine slowly: "I guess all the money I earned this year will be lost."

"In business, it's normal to have gains and losses. Buffett can't guarantee that every business will make money." Mrs. Meier has also worked in the business world and has seen many ups and downs. "Since you graduated from USC, your career and life have been going smoothly. It's not necessarily a bad thing to encounter setbacks."

Louise's face almost fell: "Mom, you wish I would fall hard once?"

Mrs. Meier didn't touch her glass. "I don't really understand the big principles, but when you fail, it's easier for you to see who is trustworthy, who can face the storm with you, and who will abandon you at any time."

Louise put down her glass and thought carefully.

Mrs. Meier picked up the wine and drank it slowly. After Alexander the Great was released in North America, Martin paid close attention to the market response of the film.

Some films have good reputation but poor box office, but they can always slowly make back their investment through long-term management.

However, the film's reputation exploded, with negative reviews from film critics, ordinary audiences and industry media. It has an IMDB score of 5.6 and a Rotten Tomatoes freshness of an outrageous 16%.

As expected, Alexander the Great only earned $1369 million in its opening weekend in North America.

The film's disclosed production cost is $1.55 million.

Its failure was even more disastrous than that of "King Arthur" and "Van Helsing".

It can be called the biggest box office disaster in Hollywood in 2004.

All investors involved in the merger will face huge losses.

The failure of an A-level blockbuster production will always have many impacts.

…………

Sherman Oaks, South Hillside Villas.

Louise sat at the lobby bar, opened a bottle of whiskey, filled her glass, and drank it in one gulp.

At this moment, the private cell phone placed aside rang.

It was Martin who called.

Louise asked, "What's wrong?"

Martin asked, "What are you doing?"

Louise said, "I'm in a meeting, don't bother me for now."

Martin responded: "You go ahead and send me a message when you are free."

Just as Louise put down her cell phone, the business phone on the other end rang.

She answered: "This is Louise Mayer."

"Hi, Louise, it's me, Feldman." The person on the other end spoke politely: "My Zero Degree Foundation participated in your fundraising at that time. The funds were invested in your Pacific Pictures in batches to participate in Hollywood film collage investment. The foundation is now in trouble. The second and third phases of investment cannot be put in place. The first phase investment..."

How could Louise not understand what he meant? "Don't worry, I will return the first-phase investment and the promised interest dividends to you within the contract period."

Fermat laughed twice: "That's the best. I'll participate in your mixed investment when there's a suitable opportunity."

Louise threw the phone on the bar, poured more wine and continued drinking.

Although she was mentally prepared, she still didn't expect the film to flop so badly.

A few minutes later, the business phone rang again. It was also a foundation preparing to withdraw its investment.

Louise's Pacific Pictures is somewhat similar to Relativity Entertainment Media, which was founded with Wall Street funds. It raises funds from foundations and other investors and invests them in Hollywood film compilation projects to make a profit.

The difference is that Louise also invests herself.

As long as the investment in the package project is profitable or even just pays back the investment, investors will flock to it in an endless stream.

It is only normal for investors to withdraw their investment and cancel cooperation after such a catastrophic failure.

Since the media officially disclosed the North American box office data of last weekend, in just a few hours, Louise received 7 calls, all of which were investors unilaterally canceling cooperation.

Even though she was mentally prepared, she was still annoyed.

How can people feel happy when encountering such things?

Louise drank glass after glass, and soon finished a bottle of 40-proof whiskey.

At this time, the private cell phone rang and it was Kelly Gray calling.

Louise's face was gloomy. She pressed the connect button and said, "Slut, you're not going to cooperate with me anymore?"

Kelly laughed: "Pervert, I do want to abandon you, but I want to see you fail more times."

"You have a conscience." Louise decided to give her a reward: "Next time, I will not only let Martin turn on the external speaker, but also turn on the live broadcast screen."

Kelly was so angry that her teeth were itching. She said, "Aren't you and that bad guy planning a new movie and planning to shoot it in Atlanta? When you come over, I have a surprise for you."

Louise said: "I love surprises the most."

The two didn't say much, and after the call ended, Louise got up, took another bottle of wine, and continued drinking.

You can leave your worries for tomorrow, at least you can get drunk today.

Louise drank a few more glasses of wine. When she was about to get more wine, the housekeeper Mary suddenly came over and grabbed her.

"You've drunk too much. Don't drink any more." Mary advised, "Your body won't be able to handle it."

Louise looked very sober: "I'm not drunk. This is just a few drinks. I know what I'm drinking. It's okay."

Mary said, "I'll help you upstairs to rest."

"I'm really fine." Louise waved her hands and suddenly whispered something to Mary.

Mary hurried down to the hall.

Louise poured the wine and continued drinking.

Mary picked up the hall phone and dialed Martin's number.

The other end picked up: "Louise?"

Mary said, "I'm Mary, Louise's housekeeper."

Martin found a deserted place and asked, "What's up?"

"Mr. Davis, if you have time, please come and persuade her. Louise has been drinking since this morning." Mary spoke quickly, looking particularly anxious: "More than a dozen companies and foundations called to end their cooperation with Pacific Pictures and demanded a complete withdrawal of investment. Pacific Pictures may not survive this, which is a big blow to Louise..."

She paused for a moment and said, "There are still calls coming in. I'm worried that something's wrong with her, but I can't persuade her."

After saying this, Mary quietly waited for a reply from the other side.

(End of this chapter)