Chapter 362 - "She Succeeded Again"

In the second week, which was also a full week of release, "Kill Bill" secured its position at the top of the box office with an impressive $62.33 million, while "The 13th Warrior" only managed to gross just over 20 million, placing it in third.

This week was in the middle of June, marking the start of the summer blockbuster season. "Kill Bill" had surpassed everyone's expectations, not just by making over $623 million in the first two weeks, recouping the film's costs, but also by generating significant profits even after sharing with theaters.

"She succeeded again," read the headline of Entertainer, lavishing praise on Laila and her film.

Laila had managed to create her unique charm in a genre and type that no one had high hopes for. That was sheer talent!

"When everyone thought that female-led films were all about romance, Laila used her film to tell everyone, 'No! Female-led films can be made like this too! The female lead can be cool, attractive enough to make people scream, and the action scenes can be as graceful as a painting!'"

"She rescued female-led films, paved a new path for female leads, and used her talent and films to show that female-led films can be made this way! I believe that shortly, there will be many outstanding female-led films for everyone to enjoy!"

The newspaper's words were intended to boost their young heiress, but at this time, they had no idea that they had actually hit the nail on the head. Just one year later, a new female-led action film would achieve tremendous success, and its name was "Tomb Raider"!

In the third week, "Kill Bill" maintained its strong position with a slight 30% drop, grossing over 40 million again. However, this time, it came in second place due to the onslaught of big-budget summer films.

Nevertheless, Laila was content because her film had grossed over 100 million in less than 20 days, indicating a high likelihood of surpassing the 300 million mark. Whether it could surpass her personal record of 400 million would depend on fate.

She also watched with red eyes as the big productions of the summer season devoured the high box office figures. She could only scrape the leftovers between them.

"Next year! Next year, I'll definitely stand at the pinnacle of the summer box office!" Laila clenched her teeth and made a silent vow while looking at the box office rankings.

"Director, what did you say?" the cinematographer asked, not catching her words and looking at her in confusion.

"Nothing." Laila set aside the box office rankings and refocused on the shooting tasks. "Let's shoot a few close-ups..."

The film had been in production for over three months since late February, breaking Laila's previous record for production time. There had been plenty of challenges and incidents along the way, but they had handled them all.

Laila had high expectations for this film because she knew how much money the entire pirate franchise had made for Disney. Holding onto this film series alone would secure the company's future for at least a decade.

She wasn't someone who would be overwhelmed by billions or even hundreds of billions. She wanted to expand her film empire with commercial films to earn even more money.

She wasn't an artist or an idealist in the film industry. Her goal had always been simple: make movies, make more movies, and make lots of movies. In this life, even just making movies wouldn't satisfy her anymore. She wanted to establish her territory in Hollywood and create her film empire!

In the fourth week, facing the competition from big-budget special effects films, "Kill Bill" experienced a 40% drop but still held onto the top three spots with a box office of over 30 million. Meanwhile, due to poor ticket sales, "The 13th Warrior" was pulled from theaters prematurely.

Under normal circumstances, they might have reduced the number of screens to continue harvesting some residual box office earnings. However, it was the hot summer season, and the big productions were fighting fiercely for every large screen. With "The 13th Warrior's" dismal box office performance, there was no way theater owners would sign contracts with them.

So, they had to shift their focus to the overseas market, hoping to earn some box office revenue with the label of a Hollywood blockbuster. Unfortunately, foreign audiences weren't gullible either. When the film finally completed its global run, the total box office had barely exceeded 100 million, stopping just above 90 million.

"The 13th Warrior" had an initial investment of over $160 million, and the extensive marketing efforts had cost tens of millions more. Even after considering theater owners' shares, they had still lost a significant amount. It could be said that they were in dire straits.

Laila, busy with her filming, couldn't help but make a peculiar expression upon hearing this news. The onlookers had no idea why she had that expression, but only she knew. History was unfolding as it should.

In her past life, this film had been a flop. However, her reborn wings had changed some things. Faiza's strong presence and substantial investments had improved the film's quality and impact compared to her previous life, resulting in a box office performance that was over $30 million more than in her previous life.

While they were still hemorrhaging money, Laila saw this as a warning. If she lazily copied the successful ideas from her previous life's successful films without thoroughly studying the filming techniques and editing skills involved, she might end up altering the course of history. It could lead to the horrifying outcome of a blockbuster turning into a flop. She couldn't let herself believe she could conquer everything based on a bit of future knowledge alone!

Meanwhile, Faiza was in the process of moving again. From one suite to the next within the same hotel.

The hotel staff had grown accustomed to these moves. Their well-practiced techniques indicated how remarkable their skills had become during this period of "practice."

Currently, the entire hotel is undergoing renovations. The presidential suite on the top floor remained under construction, and half of the next level's suites were also undergoing "complementary" renovations. The hotel's management hoped that Faiza would be willing to spend on more suites in the future, allowing them to renovate all their high-end suites.

Thinking about how Laila might be gloating at her at this moment, Faiza couldn't resist the urge to grab something and smash it on the ground. However, this time, she didn't succeed because her hand was caught.