Chapter 35: Ignored Again

White Films was back in action, this time with what seemed to be a children's movie, perfectly fitting for his age. It looked like another comedy.

This time, there weren't many people mocking it, but it still didn't receive much faith. The reason was simple: the audience was just too small. Were they planning to release it on Children's Day?

Although the company was still small, they had to put on a grand show. They made a decent profit, but those earnings couldn't be used frivolously. At the very least, personal expenses were out of the question. Of course, if he was willing to pay taxes, that wouldn't be a problem.

He didn't have the capital to build big buildings, so buying one to renovate would do. They needed basic equipment as well; borrowing a camera now would be too embarrassing.

Others would help him handle all that; his job was just to confirm things.

It was impossible for people not to envy him. Forget about small companies -- even the major studios would be drooling.

By rights, he only needed to follow the recipe and make sequels. As long as the story didn't fall apart, earnings of over a hundred million dollars were still reasonable to expect.

The first film was a low-budget flick that only cost a few million, and even if the second one was a bit more expensive, it would probably just go over ten million.

If you added in revenue from merchandise, pre-tax earnings would be at least another hundred million, which was quicker than printing money. It was easy to believe that in a few years, he'd be another major player.

This time, casting was livelier. Hollywood not only produced handsome men and beautiful women but also a lot of child stars. Unfortunately, they didn't need Barbie this time; otherwise, it would have been even busier.

Their requirements were straightforward: a blonde boy who was lively and had some acting chops. If not, that was okay -- the film relied on a natural performance.

For supporting characters, they wanted someone who looked unfortunate, someone you'd want to smack.

Seeing this kind of setup, it was clear that they were fully aware they were still making a small production and thought they could succeed against the odds.

Some scoffed, while others sneered. The odds of striking it rich with such a small production were slim; succeeding even once was practically a divine blessing. Did they really think they could get rich off this?

While people could gossip behind his back, no one would dare say anything publicly. If he succeeded again, their embarrassment would be monumental.

...

William White wasn't bothered by all that. He was focused on his gaming machine project; there was no rush for the film, and it even included snow scenes, even though it was sweltering outside. Nobody should go out in this heat.

Since his rebirth, William felt some changes in his body, though they were subtle. For one, his skin was lighter now. After being outdoors for a while, it even turned a bit pink. This change amused him; when he swam, he felt embarrassed. His skin was softer than a teenage girl's -- quite awkward.

He still loved swimming, so he tried to enjoy it at home. He avoided daytime parties like those swimsuit gatherings.

He tried tanning himself but eventually gave up. Regular sunbathing didn't help, while overexposure wasn't a good idea either. If he ended up with skin cancer, he wouldn't even know where to cry.

The prototype of the arcade machine was ready. Although it looked terrible, William didn't care -- it wasn't a mass-produced item; right now, it resembled some kind of furniture.

The key issue was performance, which was the foundation of everything. His requirement was durability. The machine wasn't cheap -- if someone invested thousands of dollars into it and it constantly malfunctioned, they'd send it back!

Even with a basic design, turning it into a product was still challenging. A lot still needed to change, but applying for a patent had no hurdles.

Including the plans for three games, that was another big batch of patent applications. Game patents were relatively easy compared to software, as this was a mature industry.

...

Back at the Texas farm, life returned to normal. He planned to relax this summer; he had been worn out lately and felt foggy all the time.

Hollywood had taken quite a hit from him and was now mending its wounds. The big shots were trying their hand at smaller-budget comedies. From their perspective, Police Academy had simply gotten lucky; those kinds of scripts were everywhere in Hollywood.

As for that one person's promotional abilities, they could only express admiration. The movie was decent, but the level of marketing was highly professional. They just happened to serve as a backdrop for it.

William White stirred the stagnant waters of Hollywood like a catfish flipping in a mud puddle. What would happen next was anyone's guess, but it seemed that White Films' rise was imminent.

This wealthy boss seemingly had money to spare; Police Academy was pulling in a nice profit. He was buying up buildings and recruiting staff, clearly ready to grow and strengthen his company.

If he reinvested all his profits, the strength of his company could become quite formidable. While it might not rival the current major players, White Films had the chance to become the eighth major studio.

For small companies like this, being unexploited was improbable. This time, however, things took an interesting turn; their average returns somehow exceeded those of the big players.

What was particularly infuriating was that his costs were incredibly low. Overseas distributors nearly always came knocking at his door, which saved him a lot of effort.

He hadn't built a bloated organization; most positions were rented out, and his office staff was minimal. With all this combined, he truly stood to make a fortune.

The saying about anything under 150 million is no good was a well-known joke in Hollywood. Everyone was waiting for the excitement; the media was sure to stoke the flames.

Whether he succeeded or not didn't matter; the people working in the industry definitely felt the pressure. Up until now, not a single film had grossed over 50 million this year. If someone surpassed that by three times, they might just lose their minds.

Luckily, he planned to make a children's movie. That was a pretty good idea. For a short while, they didn't want to stifle him. That guy's destructive potential was too great for the current Hollywood to withstand.

...

Police Academy continued its wild success, and ticket sales showed little signs of diving. This wasn't surprising; the reputation was solid, and there was a steady stream of students coming back for repeat viewings. With that kind of popularity, sky-high earnings made perfect sense.

Some scenes from the movie had become part of the pop culture; many of the dialogues were continually imitated. If you hadn't seen that film, it felt like you were behind the times.

Young people were always this way; chasing trends was their favorite game. If you tried to claim it was for artistic value, you'd be ridiculed.

If people accepted that young folks liked it, that was fine. After all, the director was a representative of counter-mainstream culture. It was odd for adults to enjoy it, though. It was just comedy, right? We can do that too!

And those two no-good bottom feeders asking for a million dollars in salary? They were simply being ridiculous.

*****

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