Focus of pursuit

Celebrating a great box office achievement is like the ancient tradition of boosting morale after a victorious battle; it often requires a certain formal setup. This is essentially what a victory celebration is.

Especially considering the fantastic box office performance of "Miscreant", it has essentially secured a place within the top ten North American box office rankings for the year. Currently second, trailing behind "Finding Nemo".

This has truly made Paramount Pictures shine. It's been several years since they've had a film in the top three of the annual box office chart.

Even a few films they invested in earlier this year didn't meet their expected profits. Though they didn't incur losses, it's always problematic to make comparisons, isn't it?

The performances of several other competitors lag significantly behind Paramount, and when the year-end reports come out, would they be impressive?

If they're not, for a listed company like Paramount Pictures, which relies on shareholders' money, how could they maintain the investors' enthusiasm?

If the investors stop putting in money and the stocks don't grow, how would they continue to reap profits?

So, this is also why Sherry Lansing was under scrutiny and even demanded to step down.

On the surface, things might seem calm, and the Hollywood Big Six might still dominate the market, but in reality, year after year, things are getting worse.

People are anxious and holding their breaths.

However, right at this time, the movie "Miscreant" triumphed over all the films released in the same period, and it continued its momentum, even extending to overseas markets.

This is about saving face. Not only that, but the stock price also saw a surge. For a publicly listed entertainment company, this is even more crucial.

Are they happy? Of course, a victory celebration is a must, and they're inviting all sorts of people to join.

So, in reality, this isn't just an internal celebration; it's more like a form of... showing off?

...

At seven in the evening, the night's festivities began.

The Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills was aglow with lights, just as before.

Lyman led Eva Green and Thomas to this party. As for René, he didn't come; he went to James Wan's set for "Saw".

After all, Mann Studios had a stake in it too, and working hard for his own career was only natural.

The deep-pocketed Paramount had directly reserved an entire hall, and there were many guests coming and going.

The exquisitely decorated banquet hall had Lyman dressed in formal attire, holding a glass of champagne, continuously greeting various individuals and clinking glasses with them.

John stood by his side, specifically reminding him about the degree of interaction based on the guest's identity.

For those who needed attention, he exchanged handshakes and pleasantries; for those less important, he nodded in acknowledgment.

Even in the world of adults, even courtesy is laden with reality and distinctions.

Since he walked into this massive banquet hall, there had been a continuous stream of people around him, like prey being stared at by hungry wolves.

They scrutinized him, contemplating how to approach.

This was also why Lyman was not particularly fond of attending parties, but Paramount's goodwill was truly hard to refuse.

Actually, thinking about it was quite helpless. Even success comes with its own set of troubles.

Warner Bros., Sony Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and other major companies, as well as second-tier companies like Lionsgate, New Line Cinema, and Lionsgate, their top executives or representatives came over one after another. While expressing congratulations, they were also testing the waters for potential collaboration in the future.

Profit-driven, it's only human nature.

This was also the aura of a successful director that Lyman's consecutive successes had brought him.

Perhaps in this industry, it's the place in the world that loves to chase after successful individuals the most.

In short, the desire for personal gain is too strong.

"Should we go over and say hello?"

Standing not far away, watching Lyman busily mingling, Adam Sunderland turned to his superior, Ron, and said.

"Of course, he's worth our attention." Ron had an air of taking things for granted.

Although during those days before, they had relentlessly smeared "Miscreant" and spread rumors about Tom Cruise.

But back then, they were competitors; what's wrong with using some tactics?

Now it's different, with no conflicting interests, and Lyman continues to prove his directing abilities. For Universal Pictures, he's also someone they need to cozy up to.

Most of the people present probably came for this reason as well.

As for his boss's shamelessness and thick skin, Adam had long been familiar with it. Seeing that the crowd around Lyman had diminished considerably, he strode over alongside Ron.

"This is Ron Meyer, head of Universal Pictures Distribution, and the person next to him is probably his assistant."

John continued to dutifully introduce.

"Hey, Director Lyman, congratulations on the impressive box office of "Miscreant"."

"Thank you."

They shared an intimate handshake and exchanged pleasantries, as if they were old friends who knew each other well.

The three of them clinked glasses and downed their drinks.

With a smile on his face, Ron continued speaking after another person who had come over to say hello left, "Our company has several projects, and I wonder if we would have the privilege of collaborating with you."

Being a businessman, these people spoke very directly. "Or perhaps, do you have any ideas that you'd like to see materialize? If you're in need of investment, Universal Pictures is always ready to provide. What do you think? Could you consider it?"

"I also hope to collaborate with your company, but I don't have any immediate filming plans," Lyman waved his hand and continued, "When the opportunity arises, we can discuss it in detail."

"John."

Lyman reminded, and his manager considerately handed a business card to the other person's assistant.

In any case, tonight, when it came to discussions of collaboration, he'd respond in this casual manner.

The other person was tactful as well. After exchanging business cards, they bid farewell politely, "Until we meet again, I'm really looking forward to our collaboration."

Such courteous interactions were not taken seriously by anyone.

However, establishing a foundation for potential collaboration was always beneficial, whether for Lyman or for the executives of those film companies who had come to chat.

"Congratulations."

The next one to offer a toast was Tom.

"Is the matter resolved?" Lyman took another glass of champagne from a server and clinked glasses with Tom before drinking again.

"After hiding for so many days, things have finally calmed down," Tom chuckled self-deprecatingly.

The impact of this round of negative publicity on him was not small.

"Just... be more cautious," Lyman wasn't quite sure how to console him.

After all, some things were just baseless rumors, but they still had their origins.

Trying to tarnish his reputation was really too easy.

Of course, trying to bring him down would depend on one's capabilities. CAA was not to be trifled with, and including his own network he had cultivated over many years in the industry wasn't shabby either.

"Oh, by the way, are you free tomorrow? I'd like to invite you for a meal."

"No need to be so formal, right? You're making it sound so official."

"You'll know when you go," Tom teased, leaving a hint that it wasn't a simple invitation but came with a task.