Disgusting certain someone

"Clang." A crisp sound.

In the office of Harvey Weinstein, a piece of decorative porcelain suddenly toppled to the ground, its shattered fragments skittering and spinning on the floor.

"Ah," Bob sighed, using his foot to push the broken pieces of porcelain aside. He advised, "What's the use of getting angry about this? It's just that a movie's box office wasn't competitive. Besides, we still made money. There's plenty of time ahead; there's a chance to win."

However, Harvey didn't share the sentiment. His portly hand slapped an invitation onto the table, his face contorted in anger. "A wretch like him, succeeding and showing off. They sent the celebration invitation for "Saw" to me. He's deliberately trying to provoke and disgust me."

Was Harvey so angry just because of the invitation?

Of course not. It was because, in his heart, he believed it was Lyman's idea to send the invitation through Paramount Pictures.

In the past two years, his biggest regret was missing out on Lyman, which had soured their relationship and become an irritation in his heart. As he saw Lyman's career thriving, his discontent grew, and on top of that, they had faced off for the first time and he had been defeated. Now, even more outrageously, the invitation for the celebration event had been sent to his company.

What was this? A show of force?

Bob, standing at the side, also had an unsightly expression upon hearing this. He certainly knew about the animosity between Miramax and Lyman. But in his perspective, even if they couldn't work together and had conflicts, their company still thrived in the industry.

But they absolutely couldn't be pushed around.

Bob, however, was a very rational person. Despite being irritated by such provocation, he still said, "You know he's doing it on purpose, to rile you up. Why get angry?"

Harvey returned to his office chair, and after smashing a piece of porcelain, he managed to somewhat quell his anger. "The project we're working on this time, "Kill Bill", really isn't impressive. Quentin lost to a newcomer. Do you know what the newspapers are saying now? They're all saying that the director we nurtured at Miramax couldn't even outdo Firefly's second in command. Isn't that humiliating? And besides, not to mention the box office results, the key is that the production costs of the two movies aren't comparable. Can I not be angry?"

To be honest, he was indeed frustrated.

This kind of reality was staring him in the face, making Bob unsure of how to console him.

The difference in North American box office between the two wasn't that significant, with "Saw" merely surpassing "Kill Bill" by a little over $20M, but the production costs of the two films were vastly different. For "Kill Bill", the pay for a few actors and Quentin's directorial fee cost over $15M, and there were also deductions from a 12% North American box office share. All things considered, relying solely on the North American performance, they still hadn't broken even. The total cost of "Kill Bill" should be around $55M.

Generally speaking, for a Hollywood film to make a profit based solely on the box office, its earnings should be at least three times the production costs.

And to have a production cost five times that of "Saw" without surpassing it was indeed quite embarrassing.

Harvey sighed, "That's not even the worst part. I just got off the phone with the distributor in Europe. The situation for "Saw" in the European market is even better."

"What?" Bob found it hard to believe. This news was even more difficult for him to accept than the fact that the film hadn't performed well in the domestic market.

Keep in mind that the strengths of both companies' overseas channels were fairly balanced, with EuropaCorp being stronger in France and their distributor being stronger in Germany and the UK.

And what's even more important is that overseas audiences don't have as many information channels to understand a movie. They generally prioritize familiar faces when choosing films. For instance, they might buy tickets to watch a movie just because a certain actor or director is involved.

After all, they have a wide range of options for local movies to watch as well.

For markets like Japan, animation films often outperform live-action movies. Similarly, countries with strong cultural identities like Hong Kong and South Korea tend to prioritize their own quality local films, not to mention the impact of certain policies. So, among English-speaking cultural circles, the European market, which is quite Hollywood-friendly, has been a major overseas box office source. Quentin's reputation in Europe has always been strong, but it's unexpected that he couldn't surpass his competition domestically and now even overseas.

This phenomenon is detrimental to Miramax. While they can ensure profitability, the size of that profit margin is still important, particularly in the overseas market.

Now, with one slip, it's difficult.

Harvey opened the invitation and handed it to Bob. "Take a look for yourself. Paramount has specifically highlighted the overseas results in here. Up to now, the cumulative overseas box office has reached $150M, and the global total box office has officially exceeded $300M."

It's no wonder Harvey was so infuriated. This was a blatant slap in the face.

They even provided him with accurate data: You're not good enough!

Of course, all these thoughts were their own speculations. Lyman had no idea who Paramount had sent the invitations to, and he wasn't involved in planning the celebration event either. He didn't care much about it. Furthermore, he had never collaborated with Miramax. He basically treated them as strangers and ignored them entirely. Moreover, they even gave themselves more screen time; it's disgusting.

Bob accepted the invitation and said, "Let me go on your behalf. Since they've sent it, isn't it a matter of saving face by not attending? Miramax is very mindful of its reputation."

Harvey helplessly waved his hand, indicating his agreement.

In fact, based on the films both companies were releasing in October, the two they were putting out were already unrivaled, occupying a category of their own. Other competitors had no chance of getting into the arena under the premise of their competition. No matter how you looked at it, "Kill Bill" wasn't really a loser.

But unfortunately, people always focused on the brightest side. Who cared about the performance of the second best? The heat surrounding "Saw" and the frequent media coverage completely overshadowed "Kill Bill". It seemed more like a backdrop, highlighting how amazing "Saw" was through comparison.

Originally, Harvey had hoped that Quentin's overseas fanbase could have created a different situation in the foreign market. After all, people have habitual consumption patterns, just like how they prefer familiar stores when shopping. Similarly, moviegoers have their own viewing habits. Watching movies by familiar directors is generally better than choosing an unfamiliar film.

Likewise, why do franchises become producers' first choices? It's also due to this habitual perception.

After watching the first film, there's a subconscious impulse to watch the second, third, and fourth films in the series. This is why franchise movies tend to sell well consistently. As long as the quality stays above a certain threshold, audiences are not only more forgiving but also willing to spontaneously promote and support them by purchasing tickets.

On November 13th, a hint of coldness lingered in the air.

As Eva Green stepped out of the airport, she spotted a familiar figure right at the exit.

Of course, from Lyman's perspective, it should have been like this.

Amidst the crowd, a stylish and stunning woman in a white blouse paired with straight-cut cropped jeans walked toward him. Her chestnut hair was pulled back in a stylish manner, and the exposed ankles were adorned with high heels. Her straight and alluring long legs drew attention effortlessly.

"Lyman—"

She exclaimed with delight, setting down her suitcase and throwing herself into the embrace of the man before her.

Oh god!

Under the slightly envious gazes of bystanders, they exchanged a passionate kiss.

Alright, perhaps it was because his fellow men were bursting with jealousy.

Lyman, who was under the scrutiny of several pairs of eyes, didn't dare to take another step into the proverbial minefield.

"Thank you for coming to pick me up. Did you wait for long?"

It had been a while since Eva had seen Lyman, and her mood was quite beautiful upon their reunion.

"No, it's actually you who dressed so lightly. Aren't you cold?"

"Wasn't it warm on the plane? So I took off a layer."

"Let's go then, Johnson is still waiting outside." Lyman took the suitcase from her, held Eva close, and walked toward the airport's parking area.

He really had to get moving before the single folks' death glares killed him. Terrifying.

Kissing in public, did they think there was no "Large F*cking Festival" branch in the United States?

Once in the car, Lyman said to Johnson, "To the flagship store of Dior."

John promptly started the car.

Tonight was the celebration banquet for "Saw". Taking advantage of the opportunity, they were going to pick out Eva's gown beforehand.

"Are you coming with me to choose?" Eva asked excitedly.

"Of course." Lyman wrapped his arm around her petite waist and said earnestly.

"...How about this dress?"

"This color is pretty good. Let me try it on first."

"..."

Perhaps all women were born shopaholics. Two hours passed, and they were still in the Dior store.

Silent beside him, John watched as Eva continued to discuss outfit options with the store manager.

He finally asked, "Have you two confirmed your relationship?"

"Yeah, haven't you known for a while?"

Lyman replied, puzzled.

"Not that. I mean, have you prepared to let the media or everyone else know about your relationship?"