Chapter 134: First-day box office and heading to Fox

Steve Kevin's next film will not accept investment from other film companies.

It's really regrettable.

Although in his opinion, Steve Kevin would at most last two or three years before losing all the money he earned and coming back honestly.

But to be honest, would Kevin be as talented as he is now in two years?

That's something no one can say for sure.

Unfortunately, there's no way to persuade him about this.

If he's persuaded, Kevin will see it as blocking his path to wealth.

It will ruin their relationship.

...

"Hello, this is Steve Kevin!"

His private phone rang, and Kevin struggled to free himself from the four arms clinging to him.

When he stood up, he stumbled and almost lost his balance.

It must be said that in that aspect, men are naturally disadvantaged.

When it happens frequently, the whole person becomes exhausted.

Even someone as strong as Kevin, after eight times in one night, almost became a dried-up person.

"Kevin, it's Robinov. The first-day box office for The Dark Knight Rises is out."

"How much?"

Kevin asked calmly.

"Four hundred and thirty-one million dollars! It's a record-breaking four hundred and thirty-one million dollars!"

Robinov said excitedly.

"Only four hundred and thirty-one million dollars?"

Kevin didn't feel surprised by this number; instead, he was somewhat disappointed. It was much lower than the box office he had anticipated. He estimated the lowest first-day box office to be fifty million dollars.

He never expected it to be just over four hundred million dollars.

A box office achievement that fell seven million dollars short of fifty million.

Robinov felt he must have misheard.

What do you mean "only"?

This is a first-day box office record that ranks within the top thirty in film history!

"Kevin, The Dark Knight's first-day box office ranks within the top thirty in film history..."

"Well, I got it."

Kevin's tone remained flat.

Robinov's joy was stuck in his throat, making him feel uneasy.

After a brief chat, they hung up the phone.

...

Within 20th Century Fox.

Marvin Davis, the current president, was looking at the data collected from the theater chains and feeling extremely frustrated.

Warner Bros. had dominated the entire summer box office with their collaboration with Steve Kevin on the Batman duology. Other movies either shifted their release dates or became cannon fodder because they couldn't compete or refused to believe in the face of Steve Kevin's dominance.

Throughout the summer box office, the only moneymaker was Steve Kevin's Batman: The Dark Knight.

The other two major productions, Paramount's Congo and Universal Pictures' Apollo 13, also suffered heavy losses.

(The translation was Wind in the Wind for the movie Paramount I changed it to Congo because that's the only film Paramount released before Apollo 13. So, I'm sorry if that's incorrect)

Congo managed to release a week ahead of Batman: The Dark Knight, thus avoiding direct competition on the opening day.

Although it experienced a significant drop on the opening day due to Batman's influence, it managed to recoup a substantial portion of its investment during the previous seven days. It might not suffer losses, but its profits would be significantly reduced.

As for Apollo 13, it only had a one-day head start on Batman: The Dark Knight. Just as the word of mouth was beginning to spread, it was overshadowed by the overwhelming news coverage of Batman.

Its box office plummeted by nearly seven million dollars on the second day. Any discerning eye could see that under Batman's influence, a movie that was supposed to make money had crashed and burned.

As the president of 20th Century Fox, facing this situation left him powerless. He couldn't dare to collide head-on with Steve Kevin again after the previous experience. But missing out on the prime summer season left him feeling uneasy.

It wasn't just him; all the movie studios were suffering. Watching Warner Bros. making money filled them with envy and jealousy, and they wondered why they didn't know Steve Kevin.

….

Bang! Bang! bang! (dead)

"Come in!"

Marvin Davis called out as someone knocked on the door.

A stunning secretary entered the room, her long black hair and black stockings exuding allure.

It must be said that these executives knew how to pick their secretaries, and not one of them lacked beauty.

Adjusting his glasses, the secretary softly said, "Steve Kevin is here. Would you like to meet him?"

Marvin Davis was astonished. "That Steve Kevin?"

The secretary nodded, confirming his statement.

"Where is he? I want to meet him right away!"

The idea of meeting the real Steve Kevin filled Marvin Davis with excitement. 20th Century Fox had no conflicts or animosity with Steve Kevin.

If he had come to visit, it must be for a potential collaboration.

Marvin Davis couldn't help but imagine how fortunate he was. If word got out, other studio presidents would be consumed by envy.

Marvin Davis eagerly urged the secretary to lead him to meet Kevin...

…

In the meeting room, Steve Kevin was mentally summarizing his approach. He knew that directly reclaiming the rights to X-Men and Fantastic Four would be extremely difficult.

The best way forward was to collaborate with 20th Century Fox on a film.

By using the movie as leverage, he could negotiate for the rights to X-Men and Fantastic Four as additional conditions, thus achieving a partnership.

This would be the most cost-effective approach to reclaiming the rights.

However, Steve Kevin wasn't sure about the specifics of the film they could collaborate on. He didn't have a clear idea yet.

Click, Clack!

Clanking sounds echoed, followed by the sight of a pair of slender legs wrapped in black stockings.