crushing.

Ice Age was the dark horse of the year, a problem for all the movie studios. The first weekend they grossed just under $50 million, and to everyone's misfortune, it was thought to be monopolizing the month's box office.

The first week of release was $79 million, the second week $89 million, the third week was still ongoing, but already at $94 million for the third week, and the start of the fourth week was no slouch either, with $23 million in the first three days.

From November 25 to December 17, the box office successes in America are enough to reevaluate the animation industry for a third time - the advancement of animation, the great script, and lastly the money, the green bills fluttering in the air.

-Why haven't you found a suitable outfit? - Billy commented for the umpteenth time, they were running half an hour late.

-I don't have anything to wear and it's completely annoying that I'm lacking clothes, - Mónica responded pleasantly. Billy couldn't believe she had a room full of clothes and shoes.

-Are you kidding? - Billy asked.

Mónica's eyebrows furrowed and her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel hoarding its acorns. - Honey, I've worn most of those clothes already, plus it's winter, it's a new clothing season. I got gifted some outfits, but I didn't like them. -

He crossed the room to see Mónica still in her pink pajamas.

-Red has always been lovely when you wear it. No one can deny your beauty in red. I remember well that you bought that one not long ago and haven't worn it yet, -Billy commented.

-I'm saving it for the New Year's party, - she said, tapping her foot on the carpet. -Today I wanted something fresher, I don't want a full dress. -

-A floral print, maybe? - Billy questioned.

-Over my dead body, flowers for the evening just don't go with me. Plus flowers for a formal party, nooo, I'd better wear the white suit, - Mónica said, taking out a women's outfit - wide black pants, a shirt, a knee-length white blazer, and an elegant fur coat. Something she had tried on at least three times in the last hour. 'This is it,' she could be heard humming in the dressing room, shaking her head both outwardly and inwardly.

***

Parties didn't need celebrations or excuses, they were simply celebrated, period. This one in particular was a traditional ballroom dance. The theme was formal nothing more or less, but after midnight, small shooting competitions, bets, and generally everything typical of a casino took place. But more discreet and to the taste of those who celebrated the parties. The 1995 Oscars were being played for the 1996 ceremony, the proposal is attendance is necessary to see how these relationships are in the field.

With less than 5,000 people in the academy, it's logical to abdicate that numerous aids or favors are needed to obtain a certain number of votes necessary for a role. Curiously, certain groups are created that usually have ideas about what to vote for or not.

-Today we don't need votes, we just came to have fun... I don't have work either, the casino opens at noon, maybe I'll chat for a while or get lost in some time, but the party is for both of us, - Billy commented to Mónica. They were in the entrance foyer of the mansion, which at most surpassed any mansion in sight, it was simply gigantic with many decorations for the holiday season.

'I didn't know very well who the owners were'

-Well... -Mónica answered calmly. For her, it was a fantasy to attend a party like this. She had attended some, but this was different from the entrance, to the beginning and end. Her bright but cautious eyes observed everything as she leaned her body against Billy's chest. The insecurity and the factor she showed were slight, only noticed by her companion as he saw her approach subtly as if she wanted to hide behind his arms.

They directed the path to frequent greetings from numerous non-Hollywood members who had relevance, such as politicians who advocated for cinema as a means of tourism, wealth, and cultural development, from important judges, deputies, councilors, and businessmen. They made a long sweep of greetings, security was not allowed inside and everything was rigorously guarded, the waiters wore masks, and a first-class pianist used the piano with a taste that seemed impractical not to hear, but only accompanied the evening with his melodic skills.

They talked about the weather, the elections, the situation in the Middle East, and even Italy. The rose of Italy did not go unnoticed when asked something and smiled, captivating the men around her.

Indisputably, with the issues in the East resolved and the Iran crisis, oil prices will stabilize for at least another two to three years, murmured a mining, metals, and crude investor.

-Well, it's always a gamble with crude, but these companies generate money without much fear if you know where and with whom to work, - Billy replied. To be precise, he understood the political situation but had no real idea about how the entire oil topic could unfold, apart from some news and explanations he had received from a few members.

The signal was clear; Mónica extended her hand. -My love, I want to dance for a while. -

Excusing himself and stepping out of the circle of crude investors, he decided to wait on that topic. Construction contracts were always bothersome for Billy, especially with the recent efforts to modernize the Golden State Warriors' stadium. But that was a matter for another day.

-Ha ha ha, who would have thought that the great Billy Carson would run away like a child from his promising investors? -

-I have my weaknesses, - he replied, giving her a soft kiss on the lips as they headed to the ballroom for a gentle waltz, typical of school dances or graduation parties.

-They're appreciated, my love. But I don't think I can do that repeatedly. It's curious how you Americans talk about work even at parties; your culture is exhausting, - Mónica commented.

-We should practice some shooting, although at night it's more complicated. We can still have fun; I hate that the shooting range is so enjoyable, - Billy responded.

-I wanted to go see the casino, - Mónica replied, her large doe-like eyes ready for any request.

-Then the casino it is. Let's try not to lose too much; I don't have skills for betting or those games, - Billy said, thinking about how little he knew about poker and the various casino games. For now, he preferred roulette, dice, or blackjack, which seemed the simplest to play, even if they carried certain traps or required specific calculations or reading skills. One thing was certain: Mónica was a woman with a lot of luck.

They danced three extra songs until… both rushed to the gambling hall, joking and colliding with a gentleman he knew perfectly well—George Lucas.

-I didn't expect to see you here, - Lucas commented. Billy wasn't much of a socialite; his circle was so small that he rarely received invitations, a situation that seemed to have changed with the woman at his side—three parties in two months, more than he had attended in all his years in Hollywood, even if he was still young.

-Well, I didn't expect it either, - Billy countered.

-It's for Star Wars; it's always good to make connections before the premiere. Some might even be encouraged to invest a bit in Lucasfilm for some benefits. Congratulations on your new success, Ice Age. Although I haven't seen it, it's been quite controversial. They say it will be one of the highest-grossing animated films; the record is at $400 million. Do you think you can surpass it? I don't know, -George Lucas said as they made their way to the casino with due attention.

- This is Mónica, - Billy introduced, while the Italian smiled. - By the way, it won't be the only film; we have more in different formats. We recently won an Annie for a television series called Train Souls. We want to do the same at the audiovisual level with a project called The Musician, the life of a deaf person during the Cold War… it's not just 3D. Because I say, $400 million is very little; I'm aiming for $1 billion. -

-Oh, what a bold young man! If you had been born in my time, Star Wars would surely have been yours, - Lucas remarked.

Both were confident that the next Star Wars film would be a great success. Three sharks joined in to shape a project that would surely be great on its own. George's relationship structure involved checking the publication status for May, talking to some leaders, discussing the return, advancing funds, and signals, and perhaps improving their position as a production company; the opportunities to win were in the air.

-I don't think that's true, - Billy commented.

-Oh, young man, how wrong you are! You have a lot of power… too much for some people's taste, even if you don't use it, and that's not bad. You're focused on what you imagine; you see it. I don't see it, Steven doesn't see it, and no one understands it. In animation, you have a corporation larger than Disney, but you keep expanding. It's almost as if you want to create thousands and thousands of works nonstop, but you can. Why do you keep expanding? I don't know. -

-I have a few animation companies. -

-You were recently testing the waters in France and Spain. I know, and everyone knows. Your war with Warner is the biggest gossip in recent years. Why did it start? - Lucas asked curiously as they took their seats at the designated roulette table with Mónica.

-I suppose the casino pays for the party, - Mónica said, observing all the expenses. The champagne fountain with ice sculptures was another unique feature that she couldn't help but notice, as everything seemed to be an absurd amount of waste. The maximum price per chip was five dollars; there was no way she would pay for the party. The planners understood that it was more exciting when people bet real money.

They played ten chips on red, and ten chips on the numbers 3, 21, and 39.

-It started with a contract. At that moment, we reviewed the entire contract. I agreed; even in the initial reading, there were no vague terms. But when combined with specific clauses like subsequent payments, royalties, and labor agreements, it tangled the contract in a way that made it difficult for the legal team to debate. Lawsuits followed because our clauses for purchasing completed series were abusive and the licenses were very costly. They fought for everything because I don't know… in my free time, I think it's because they wanted to acquire Lux Animation, - Billy whispered.

-Business is strange... you're attacking Disney,- Lucas questioned.

-Nooo! What are you talking about? - Billy replied, his surprised white eyes wide open.

-I see, Michael has some enemies; it's not surprising, - Lucas commented, downplaying the situation. They both played at the casino for a while until, at 2:00 AM, people headed off to the shooting competition.

***

The following week, Ice Age grossed $300 million at the box office, skyrocketing from 0 to 100, with a 34% increase. This figure only accounted for North America; worldwide sales were even more promising, with its release on December 14, 1995, and first-weekend global sales reaching $100 million.

-This year we only had successes, - responded Armand Millester, director of distribution at Lux Animation. The timely success of each distributed film brought a healthy balance to the small distribution company, enhancing popularity and improving relationships with theaters. It could be said that there wasn't a cinema chain Armand Millester hadn't visited in recent years.

-We need to improve our projects in some states that still haven't penetrated strongly enough against the big film companies, - commented Stacy Roman, clinking champagne glasses with all the members. She was the grounding force and administrator, while Armand was the lone cowboy, going back and forth.

By December 31, Ice Age had grossed a total of $700 million at the box office, breaking the animated film record by a significant margin. It left theaters on January 25, with a global box office of $980 million, of which $432 million came from the United States. Billy took home $310 million after paying the exhibitors due to his contract.

The rest was paid in installments, but the coffers received $290 million, plus some additional distribution.

...