Chapter 28

Los Angeles, Brentwood community, in front of Scarlett's house.

In the car, Scarlett and Charley parted their tightly pressed lips, then got out of the car and waved, "Bye-bye!"

It was already Monday; Charley and Scarlett Johansson had hung out at home all weekend. Today Charley was going to the company and would drop her off back home on the way.

"Goodbye!" Closing the car door, with a push on the gas pedal, the car sped away.

After arriving at Carpe Films, Charley looked at the current North American box office rankings for the year:

Spider-Man ranked first with $400 million North American box office;

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones ranked second, with $310 million;

My Big Fat Greek Wedding ranked third, with $240 million;

Mel Gibson's Signs ranked fourth, with $220 million.

Then there were Austin Powers in Goldmember with $210 million in North America, Men in Black II with $190 million, and Blue Sky Studios' first 3D animated feature Ice Age with $175 million in North America.

However, next month Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was set to be released; in December, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers would hit theaters. Both were blockbuster sequels. Except for Spider-Man's $400 million which might be hard to beat, a $300 million box office was achievable.

After his gaze lingered on Ice Age for a while, Charley shook his head. Blue Sky Studios was Fox's animation label after all!

With DreamWorks Animation, Pixar, and now Blue Sky Studios entering the fray, the battle of the giants had turned into a three-way fight.

And there were Sony Animation and Warner Animation too. This huge animation cake, Charley could only look at, not touch.

"Boss, the best-selling novel Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella published two years ago has its adaptation rights with Disney. If we want to develop it, we need to cooperate with Disney," Dona Williams reported to Charley's office.

Charley had previously checked with the Writers Guild of America about the scripts of Isla Fisher's two high-grossing films.

The Wedding Crashers was not available yet, but Confessions of a Shopaholic had its rights registered. Since Disney held it, Charley didn't bother to worry about it anymore.

"So many producers, directors, and film companies are eyeing the novels in the market. We need to get our hands on adaptation rights early," Charley surmised that his mother Evelyn should pay more attention to this aspect.

Literary agencies helped writers find publishers, and many novels had their film and television rights sold even before publication.

"By the way, has the Brokeback Mountain script been sent to Director Ang Lee?" Charley asked; this type of film required thorough preparation.

"Director Ang Lee's agent said he's currently busy with the post-production of Hulk and will likely start preparing next year!"

Charley nodded; not long after getting the Brokeback Mountain script, he passed it to Ang Lee's agent, intending for him to direct it.

"Director Ang Lee is very interested in this story!" Dona continued.

"Once the post-production of Hulk is done, we should sit down and talk about the film's preparation," Charley commented.

Universal Pictures' Hulk, tsk tsk.

The development of Spider-Man and X-Men significantly boosted Marvel Comics' influence. Otherwise, how could they compare with DC, which had Superman and Batman!

The Ring opened at 1,980 theaters in North America, grossing $15 million in its opening weekend and topping the weekly box office.

The reviews were mixed. Fans said the movie provided a novel horror experience, while critics claimed it piled up plots and chased after special effects, failing to create a genuinely terrifying atmosphere and lacking details.

However, in its second weekend, The Ring grossed another $18 million, reaching a total of $40 million in North America in ten days.

At night, Inglewood, at Naomi Watts' house.

"I heard you guys are going to Japan to promote the movie?"

Charley, in the living room, entered the kitchen, took out a bottle of water, took a sip, and asked Naomi, who was frying eggs.

Wearing a loose semi-transparent nightgown, Naomi, who was frying eggs, nodded and smiled, "We leave for Japan tomorrow night, there's a premiere to attend."

"Japan is a huge market, the second-largest outside the U.S., so it certainly deserves attention," Charley agreed. After all, many Hollywood movies were heavily promoted in Japan.

Charley walked behind Naomi, hugged her from behind.

"Alright, the eggs are almost done. Weren't you hungry earlier?" Naomi ignored Charley's hands and focused on frying eggs.

"You might not be able to eat now," Charley teased, hugging Naomi.

"All proteins; you just had quite a lot," Charley joked.

Naomi Watts nudged Charley lightly, a bit wide-eyed, "It's all your fault, letting you have all the enjoyment!"

"Go grab a bottle of wine from the cabinet. The Ring's box office is looking good; it's projected to pass $100 million in North America."

Charley nodded, let go of Naomi, and went to fetch the wine.

DreamWorks had been remarkable in recent years, with several films winning awards and achieving high box office. Three consecutive Best Picture Oscars were no joke.

In 2000, it was American Beauty, in 2001, Gladiator, and this year's Best Picture, A Beautiful Mind.

David Geffen, Steven Spielberg, and Jeffrey Katzenberg, the three founders, were indeed very capable.

If managed well, DreamWorks could truly challenge the big six studios of Hollywood!

*****

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