Chapter 754 - First Week Box Office: Dominate the World

"The Lord of the Rings" seized the top spot in the box office rankings of various countries with the momentum of ruling the world, winning the first-week box office championship in over a hundred countries in just one week. In Laila's stronghold, the North American box office alone reached a staggering $310 million in the first week!

When this number came out, everyone who saw the news was stunned. Even those who were not usually interested in movies became aware of this movie under the media's relentless bombardment, and it seemed to have taken an exaggerated box office by storm.

The $310 million in just the first week left no one doubting that this movie would achieve substantial box office success in the following weeks.

In fact, previous movies could also achieve similar box office results. The main reason was that Laila used to choose to release her movies on Fridays, resulting in only three days of box office for the week, yet still reaching between $100 million to $200 million. So, the box office of "The Lord of the Rings" this time sounded frightening, but it was not something that couldn't have been achieved before. It was just that such a release could yield the best returns.

Warner Bros. and DC, upon learning of this news, felt as if they had been struck by lightning because, in the upcoming week, they were eagerly anticipating the release of their meticulously crafted film "Batman Begins," directed by the exceptionally talented director Christopher Moran.

Originally, when they learned that Laila's movie was scheduled to premiere a week and a half before theirs, they considered whether to change the release date to avoid being overshadowed too badly. Who didn't know that the box office miracle created by that young lady included snatching the box office championship for two weeks straight?

But for the sake of face, they ultimately didn't do so. They were already a week and a half late, and if they rescheduled again, it would seem too fearful of the other party, which they couldn't afford.

Later, when they heard about the boycott of Laila's movie and the potential impact it could have on the box office, they secretly rejoiced, thinking their luck was just too good, and they didn't have to worry about being trounced too badly.

However, it wasn't until after the release of Laila's movie that they realized that the predictions of being boycotted, of the movie being poorly received, and of the inclusion of Eastern elements turning the movie into a joke were all the most laughable jokes.

They now understood that no matter what overt or covert rules existed in Hollywood, they had no restraint on Laila Moran whatsoever. She simply didn't play by those rules. Boycott? Other companies would be scared to death, trying their best to resolve the situation, but she didn't even acknowledge it, letting the other side boycott as they pleased. And the result was astonishing; the movie exploded as it pleased, and she made money as she pleased, without any impact whatsoever!

It's said that people compare themselves to others and suffer, and encountering such an opponent, who wouldn't feel stifled to death?

Breaking $300 million in the first week, even with a 50% drop in the second week, the movie would still earn over $150 million. Looking at the records of the declines in box office for Laila's previous movies, her movies usually experienced very small drops, often only 30% to 40%. This meant that the movie was likely to still earn over $100 million to $200 million in the second week.

This wasn't good news for Batman. They chose to premiere on the weekend, and trying to surpass $200 million in just three days would be extremely challenging.

Now, DC and the movie company could only hope that the success story of Iron Man dominating the summer box office would be replicated by them. If a second-tier superhero like Iron Man could achieve it, there was no reason their Batman couldn't.

The only uncontrollable factor lay with the director. Laila Moran was someone who operated outside the rules. It was best never to use rules that could be verified on others to speculate about her, or else you would end up like those poor Hollywood film critics, getting your face slapped with facts every time.

After achieving the first-week box office, Louise, like the rest of the employees in the company, happily celebrated for a long time. The heart that had been hanging high up until now could finally be put back in its original place.

Her previous worries were not unreasonable. Once the first movie failed, the two unfinished movies might lose their chance to be released. In other words, the $300 million production cost and the minimum $150 million advertising cost would all go down the drain.

Even though the company had developed well in recent years, it couldn't afford such heavy losses all at once. The boss had previously taken away most of the company's cash to invest in Asian cinemas and support new projects. If they lost a few hundred million, the company would suffer a huge blow. She didn't expect the boss to take out more money from her investments to cover the losses here; that money invested elsewhere wouldn't be earned back for years.

Now that the first-week box office had already exceeded $300 million, breaking even was unquestionable. Now, she only needed to think about how much profit she could make. Losses? Haha, with Laila around, losses could all go to hell!

While everyone's attention was focused on the box office of "The Lord of the Rings," Laila and Roy had already left Hollywood and arrived in Hawaii as tourists.

After working continuously for so long, both of them urgently needed a vacation that would soothe both body and mind.

Roy's face was too recognizable, causing a stir as soon as he appeared at the hotel.

He was quite depressed about it. He wore glasses and a hat, so what made those people recognize him immediately? Fortunately, it was the hotel staff who recognized him. After taking a few photos with them, he finally managed to get them to keep it a secret.

"It's quite funny, huh?" After taking a few photos with the hotel staff, Roy returned to the room and saw Laila laughing heartily.

"Isn't it good? If we came out and couldn't even find a few people who recognize you, then you wouldn't qualify as a top Hollywood star."

Unfortunately, he was only a top-tier star now, still some distance away from the top level. But there was no rush; he was still young, and the pinnacle of a male actor's career had not yet arrived. Just like how the outside world speculated that she would undoubtedly become a great director in the future, Roy, who became the youngest Oscar winner in history at a young age, also had a bright future.

As long as he didn't let the readily available honors burn his head like Downey Jr once did, and followed the path he should take, he believed he could reach an astonishing height on this path.

Many celebrities, when annoyed by fans and the media, would complain about why they were born with such a face, or how they ended up on this path. But Roy wouldn't. Instead, he had thanked his face countless times. If it weren't for this, he wouldn't have met Laila, nor would he have the fulfilling life he has now.

When you lose so much, even a little warmth becomes exceptionally precious. As for the accompanying troubles, he would only treat them with gratitude, rather than adopt a cold attitude just because he was now famous.

Perhaps this was also why his fans liked him.