Across America, Starting with the Boxing Champion

Chapter 413 Box Office Fraud and Pregnancy

“Haha, Link, congratulations, the movie you invested in has become a hit again. What is the next movie? I will invest with you.”

At the party held by Palm Beach Pictures for the global box office of "Bridesmaids" to exceed 100 million, David Ellison put his arm around his shoulder and spoke affectionately.

 “Moneyball, didn’t you also vote?”

Link smiled, and he was not humble when he heard that David attributed the success of this movie to himself.

Having the label of a ‘discerning film investor’ in Hollywood can not only win the respect of peers, but also facilitate future filmmaking and attract investment.

“Only this one? Two more. It would be best if only our two companies invest.”

“At this stage, investment in various film projects has been secured, and new film projects will have to wait until next year. There are currently no suitable projects.”

“Okay, remember to call me in the next movie. If you make money, I’ll invite you to pick up girls. They will all be very beautiful.”

David Ellison said with a wink.

Link smiled lightly and agreed. Among the Ellison siblings, David likes to invest in commercial movies, such as "Mission: Impossible 4" and the upcoming "Jack Reacher". He pays more attention to box office profits, while Mei Gen prefers literary and artistic films, especially those with female protagonists, and focuses on major film awards.

We are all new to the film industry, so it would be nice to work together.

 “Hi, Link!”

Stallone and Schwarzenegger also walked through the crowd to congratulate him, and also discussed with him about investing in the filming of "The Expendables 2".

More than half a year after its release, "The Expendables 1" has accumulated a North American box office of US$1.41, an overseas box office of US$207 million, and a global box office of US$348 million. It ranks 14th in the North American annual box office rankings and 12th in the global annual rating rankings. .

 This film cost 86 million to produce, with a revenue ratio of 4:1, making it a hit.

It also allowed the distribution company Lionsgate Pictures to earn tens of millions in share, and also obtained part of the copyright of "The Expendables".

The box office performance was good. Stallone proposed to shoot "The Expendables 2" and invited Lionsgate Pictures to participate in investment. The current investment budget is about 100 million, and Lionsgate Pictures was invited to cooperate.

After discussion, the Lionsgate Films Production Department believes that this project has a good reputation and has certain potential. It can participate in investment and production and find a way to get the copyright of this film.

Stallone and Schwarzenegger approached him not to attract investment, but to hope that he could continue to star in sequels.

He also said that when writing the script, his role will be increased, and he is tentatively designated as the second male lead. He is still a handsome and highly skilled mercenary, proficient in strategy and tactics, and a hexagonal warrior.

The only drawback is that he is flirtatious and lustful. He plans to arrange a hot girl with good skills in the play and do a regular CP with him.

If there is a third movie, arrange for him to take over the Suicide Squad and become the protagonist of the movie, with other veteran kung fu superstars playing supporting roles for him.

Link sounded good and asked about the filming time. He has three films in the second half of the year. If he shoots during the year, he may not have time.

Stallone said that it can be adjusted according to his schedule, and his attitude was very enthusiastic.

Schwarzenegger is also persuading him to participate, saying that he is good in action scenes and has the potential to become the successor of action actors.

Link also understood the reason why the two of them held him back. After "Suicide Squad" was released, the praise rate was less than 55%.

Most of the positive reviews are directed at Link.

 Fans commented that he was the only bright spot in the whole drama.

Other veteran action actors are too greasy. Regardless of their style or appearance, they look like they came out of action movies in the 1990s, and do not meet the tastes of the younger generation of movie-goers.

 Only Link's performance can win over this group of people.

According to surveys by professional media such as "The Hollywood Reporter" and "Complete Films", Link's contribution to the film's box office is between 22% and 35%, accounting for almost one-third. Although this figure is a bit exaggerated, it is It also partly shows how important Link is to the film.

 In fact, compared to hard-core action movies such as "The Expendables", Link hopes to take on solo action movies such as "007 Series", "The Bourne Series" and "Mission: Impossible Series".

 It's just that these movies don't lack male protagonists, and the new spy movie IPs are not popular enough and don't have much potential.

He has not found a suitable project yet, so he can only continue to practice in the "Suicide Squad" series, and at the same time accumulate reputation in the action movie circle, become a top action star, and prepare for future action blockbusters.

 “Haha, Link, congratulations on the movie’s success.”

After seeing off the two tough guys, Ryan Kavanaugh from Relativity Pictures came over with his new female companion in his arms. She is an olive-colored African-American model with a great figure and a very young appearance.

"Thanks!"

Seeing Kavanaugh, Link took the initiative to ask about the big data model's method of investing in movies, hoping to learn from him.

Kavanaugh saw that he was interested in this method of investing in movies, and he did not hesitate to teach him and explained it enthusiastically.

Tell him that before using this method, he needs to collect a large amount of movie data and analyze the reasons for the movie's success and blockbuster. The more movie data collected, the better. He also said that Relativity Pictures has collected data on more than 20,000 movies. Build models based on these data.

Link listened carefully to the other party's explanation. His purpose was very simple. He used this method as a cover to tell the outside world how he invested in movies. The reason why he could bet on dark horse movies every time he invested was to borrow Kavanaugh's " Big Data Investing in Film Technology'.

As for why Kavanaugh is not too self-conscious and is happy to talk about his techniques for investing in movies, firstly, this method is not a secret and is used by many people on Wall Street. Secondly, the development of Relativity Pictures relies entirely on financing.

 To get more investment, Kavanaugh needs to constantly promote his technology, tell investors that his technology is very useful, and use relatively beautiful box office data to fool those investors and give them confidence.

And Link has invested in two successful movies in a row. The news said that it was the credit of the producers of Palm Beach Pictures and had nothing to do with Link.

 This gives Kavanaugh room to maneuver.

After he told Link this part of the technology, he could publicize it to the outside world and say that the reason why Link was able to bet on dark horses one after another was because he borrowed his technology. Compared to Link, the student, he, the teacher, had better investment skills, so that investors could rest assured. Give Relativity Pictures your money.

Kavanaugh explained enthusiastically, his voice getting louder and louder, as if he was engaging in a pyramid scheme, which attracted a lot of attention from around him.

Link smiled helplessly. He wanted to take advantage of the other party, but the other party was also taking advantage of him.

Sent Kavanaugh away who was still unsatisfied, Ivaca came over to hold his arm, wearing a fashionable LV fishtail skirt that matched well with his casual suit.

 “Do you want to learn from Kavanaugh how to use big data to invest in movies?”

“With this in mind, we are newcomers to the film industry. We should learn a few more investment techniques, which can be used as a reference when investing.”

Link shrugged.

Ivaca nodded, stared at him, and smiled: "You don't look very interested?"

 “Can this also be seen?”

Link smiled lightly and shook his head. He was really not in the mood to attend the party.

 First, I received a message from Guillaume Canet in the morning that Marion Cotillard entered the delivery room and would give birth to the baby today or tomorrow.

 The second thing is that the estimated global box office of "Bridesmaids" is only 200 million, which is much lower than the 300 million in memory. This also makes him worry about whether there will be errors in the box office of other movies? If the error is too large, subsequent investments need to be more cautious.

“When he was promoting it, he publicly predicted that the movie would be worth 400 to 500 million U.S. dollars, but now he expects it to be only 200 million U.S. dollars. The gap is too far.”

Link said.

Ivaca hesitated and told him one thing. This matter was under investigation and had not yet been concluded, so she did not tell him.

"What's up?"

“We suspect that Warner Distribution Company has falsified the box office data of “Bridesmaids”.”

Ivaca said with a cold face.

 “Box office fraud?”

Link was stunned for a moment. This kind of thing is not uncommon in the film industry.

Although after the 'Paramount Act' of 1948, in order to prevent industry monopoly, the film industry implemented the separation of film production companies and theaters, and the relationship between the two will be strictly regulated and reviewed by the MPAA, but to this day, The behavior of major movie companies colluding with theater chains to steal box office still exists.

 The "Big Six" Hollywood film companies have falsified box office data in order to maintain their share of the film market, suppressing some small production companies or producers.

The media groups behind the six major Hollywood studios control 70% of the entertainment media and television stations in the United States, and lawyers and politicians also rely on the entertainment industry.

Even if someone discovers it later, no one dares to challenge the authority of the six major groups at the risk of being banned. In the end, they can only swallow a bitter pill.

 It is said that "Cutthroat Island", which led to the bankruptcy of Carlock Pictures, was largely due to the box office being stolen by the distribution company. Originally, the film had more than a few million US dollars at the box office.

There are three common ways to steal box office. One is that theaters conceal the number of moviegoers and count movies with 90% attendance as 80%.

The second method is to change the box office of "Bridesmaids" to another movie released at the same time. The printed movie ticket does not match the name of the movie watched.

 Another method is to count the money from selling movie tickets as the money from selling popcorn soda, etc.

 Ted Barr, chairman of the American Religious Film and Television Commission, admitted in an interview in 2008 that the six major film distribution companies had engaged in box office fraud and other behaviors. He was immediately criticized by public opinion and was soon forced to resign.

"According to data from the movie box office monitoring company Rentrak, the theater attendance rate of "Bridesmaids" in Canada and Mexico reached 82% during the three-day opening weekend. The box office revenue in these two places should be around 19 million, not 9.5 million. million, and the theater box office results in the sixteen northern states where Warner is responsible for distribution are generally lower than those in the states where Lionsgate is responsible for distribution.”

Evaka said.

The North American film market mainly includes the United States, Canada, and Mexico. After acquiring Lionsgate, Link regained part of the distribution rights of "Bridesmaids" and still handed over Canada, Mexico, and the sixteen northern states to Warner, which has stronger distribution capabilities. film industry.

"We are currently investigating and collecting evidence. If the data given by Rentrak is true, the box office data of "Bridesmaids" in North America in the first three weeks should be 114 million US dollars, not just 56 million."

Evaka said.

 “So exaggerated?”

 It is too arrogant to eat up half of the box office in one go.

“Yes, the legal department is currently collecting evidence. Once we have conclusive evidence, we will file a lawsuit with the court and the MPAA to try to get Warner Pictures to spit out the box office it has swallowed.”

Ivaca said coldly.

Link frowned when he heard this. He originally thought that the two parties had a happy cooperation on the "Scandal Project" project, and there was a certain basis for cooperation. Warner would not cheat at the box office, but he still underestimated the ugly face of the capitalists.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but wonder if there might also be a problem of ticket fraud in the release of "Scandal Project"?

 Because the overseas box office of "Scandal Project" is also higher than that in North America, and according to the theme of "Scandal Project", it is normal that the box office in North America should be higher than overseas.

Link thought for a while and found Catherine for a small meeting. He couldn't let go of Warner Pictures' box office takeover. Even if he spent 10 million to fight the lawsuit, he still had to get back the lost box office.

  —

He was originally in a low mood. After hearing that his money had been stolen, his mood became even worse. It was not until later that French media reported that actress Marion Cotillard gave birth to a baby at the hospital affiliated with the University of Paris VI. Boy, his mood gradually improved.

Link called Guillaume Canet to inquire about the situation.

Guillaume had a bad temper on the phone. He scolded him in French, said that the child had nothing to do with him, and asked him not to call again, and then hung up the phone rudely.

Link is confused. Guillaume was in a good mood when he sent the message before, but why did he suddenly become irritable after the child was born?

 He suddenly thought of a possibility. Could it be because the child was more like himself? Guillaume loses his temper out of jealousy.

 He sent a message telling Guillaume that if the child was him, he would bring the child to the United States to raise him and give him the best living conditions.

 Guillaume told him that it was impossible, the child was not his and had nothing to do with him.

Link sent a message asking about Marion's condition and asked her if she was awake?

 I sent two messages in a row and got no reply.

 He sent another message to Monica Bellucci, asking her what she was doing.

Monica replied that she was in the hospital and asked him if he wanted to know the gender of the child and whether it looked like him.

Link said yes.

Monica said if she wanted to know, come here. Marion suffered a lot when she gave birth to a child, and he, the father, didn't even look at her. This is not a scumbag, but a scumbag father.

Link was very embarrassed after hearing this and said he was going to come over tomorrow.

The Cannes Film Festival is here, and "Midnight in Paris" has been invited to be the opening film of this year's Cannes Film Festival. As the leading actor, he needs to attend the opening event, and he can also see Marion Cotillard on the way.

Monica replied and said that this is like a man.

 Putting down the phone, he couldn't help but think of another child, the child born to Taylor.

Although it is said that no one will continue the investigation, it is to protect the children and not cause trouble to Taylor.

　　But knowing the existence of the child and not even taking a look at it for more than two months seems a bit excessive.

He thought about it seriously and sent a message to Mrs. Andrea, asking about the child's condition. Isn't it convenient for him to go see the child in the near future? Will go quietly without letting Taylor know.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Andrea wrote back saying it was ‘inconvenient’.

After a while, he said that the child had been given away by Taylor, and the adoptive parents lived in a family in Switzerland, Europe. The text message also included an address, saying that if he wanted to see the child, he could go there to see the child.

Link clenched his fists in anger when he saw the news. He originally thought that with Taylor's conditions, he could give the child a good life by just spending one or two million, but she gave the child to others to raise. If she didn't want to raise the child, You can completely raise your children by yourself.

 It is too cruel to give your child to others to raise.

He endured it for a few seconds, but couldn't hold it back anymore and dialed Taylor's number.

 The mobile phone number is still blocked, and other contact information is also blocked.

 “Selena, use your phone and give Taylor a call.”

He glanced at the small round face lying on the sofa. The girl was wearing a loose dress, with her bare feet on the sofa. Her toenails painted strawberry red were still moving around. She was holding a fruit machine in her hand. I don't know what I'm looking at. Her big eyes are bright and her round face is flushed, like a home girl.

Seeing that she had no objection, Link reached for the phone and glanced at it. The screen was full of words, including Anastasia's enthusiastic response to Christian, whips, and handcuffs.

"ah!!"

Before he could take a second look, Selina jumped up from the sofa with a difficult move, threw herself on him, and shouted with a red face, "Asshole, give me your phone back." "Don't worry, Just make a call on your cell phone."

 “No! Give me your phone back quickly.”

Selena grabbed his neck with both hands and shook it, baring her little tiger teeth as if to bite his ear, it was so cute and cute.

Link shook his head and could only return the phone to her.

Selena took her phone back, swiped it a few times with her fingers, then breathed a sigh of relief and glared at him angrily with her round face.

“Bad guy, who asked you to steal my phone? Don’t you know that the phone is personal privacy?”

“I just asked you if you could lend me your phone, and you had no objection.”

"But I didn't agree. I'm telling you clearly now, it's impossible! It's never possible."

Selena put her phone in her pocket and took a picture, giving him a cute big eye roll.

"Really? You are reading a **** novel, do you want me to tell Mandy?"

Link said with a smile.

When Selena heard his words, her face suddenly turned red. She looked in the direction of the kitchen, grabbed his shoulders and shouted in a low voice: "I didn't, that's not that kind of novel, you'd better not talk nonsense. "

 “Oh, it’s not a pornographic novel. Why are you blushing?”

Link hummed softly.

“It’s a best-selling novel and has been on the New York Times list. It’s not an unhealthy novel. If you don’t believe me, read it.”

Selena took out her phone again, opened Google, and searched for information about a novel called "Fifty Shades of Grey".

 “Fifty Shades of Grey?”

Seeing a familiar book title, Link wanted to take the phone and take a closer look.

Selina refused, pointing to a few lines of information in the information and told him that this novel was originally serialized on a novel website and was released to the public at the beginning of this month. It is available in bookstores and websites. It sold more than 100,000 copies in the first week, making it definitely a best-seller. novel.

Rather than some pornographic novel, ask him not to smear her innocence. She, Selina, is not that kind of person.

"Really? Was this novel originally a fanfic of "The Twilight Saga"? It tells the story of a female college student who falls in love with a domineering president, falls in love with him, and lives a life without shame? "

 “Have you seen it too?”

 The little round face widened its eyes in surprise.

 “Do you still dare to say that this novel is healthy?”

Link said with a smile.

With a small round face and a small mouth, he hummed softly: "You saw it too. If you dare to report me, I will report you too."

“I am a boy or a scumbag, what impact does reading this kind of novel have on me?”

Link chuckled.

Selena blinked her big eyes, as if that was indeed the case.

This bad guy has so many girlfriends and has done more outrageous things than what is written in the novel. He is like a man covered in black mud and is not afraid of being accused of reading such novels.

Thinking of this, Selina felt powerless. It didn't matter that Link had done so many bad things. It was really unfair that she only read relatively strong novels and had to read them secretly.

“Don’t you have a mobile phone? What do you need my mobile phone for?”

 “Call Taylor, I have something to ask her.”

Link stretched out his hand and said.

"No, Taylor said she won't answer your calls. If you use my mobile phone to call her, she will definitely blame me."

Selena put her phone behind her back, blinked her big eyes and said.

“Then you send her a message saying that I want to chat with her and ask her to release my mobile phone number first.”

Link said helplessly.

"All right!"

 Selena sent a message, put down her phone and looked at him with strange eyes.

"Why do you read a novel like "Fifty Shades of Grey"? This is a novel with a female protagonist and is only suitable for us girls. As a grown man, don't you think it's awkward to read it?"

"Of course not, I brought in the male protagonist. I want to learn from the novel how to fall in love with girls. I am a bit lacking in this aspect."

Link shrugged.

“Lack? In the novel, Christian only has one girlfriend. Your girlfriends are all over the world. He should be the one to learn from you, okay? You are a big scumbag.”

Selena rolled her eyes, suddenly feeling that Link was not only more philandering than the hero, but also more valuable, countless times more famous, and more handsome than the hero. She blinked and moved closer to Link. He asked curiously, "Do you usually play like Christian with your girlfriends?"

“Don’t ask questions that shouldn’t be asked.”

Link said as he pushed her round face away.

“Hmph! I can guess that you appear to be decent, but in fact you are more over-the-top and perverted than Christian.”

Selena clenched her little fist and hit him.

 Ding dong!

The phone rang. Selena looked at the message with a small face, suddenly smiled brightly, and shook the phone at him, "Taylor said he didn't want to talk to you, and didn't want to hear your name. She also said that if you dare to force me, Taylor I’ll never talk to you again.”

Link frowned and said, "Ask her if she still remembers the bet she made last year. Now that she has lost, ask her when she will cash it in."

 “A bet? What are you betting with Tyler?”

Selena asked curiously.

 “Don’t ask random questions that shouldn’t be asked, send a message.”

Link said as he pushed her forehead away.

Selena pursed her lips vigorously, hummed slightly, and threw the phone to him, asking him to send the message himself.

Link took his mobile phone to edit a text message and asked Taylor if he still remembered the bet last year and when would it be cashed in?

Last year, the two made a bet on the sales of their third album. If he lost, he would continue to release albums and could not quit the music scene. If Taylor lost, he would do whatever he wanted.

This bet was brought up by Taylor on his own initiative. He didn't know Taylor was pregnant at the time, so he agreed.

 Now his third album "The Woman I Love" has sold a total of 5.35 million copies in North America.

 After winning the MTV, American Music Awards, and this year's Grammy Awards last year, and with the popularity and promotion of several awards, the album sold an additional 7.8 million copies in North America.

More than three million more copies have been sold globally. Now the cumulative global sales have reached 28 million, and it is only a matter of time before it exceeds 30 million.

Taylor's "Lastkiss" has just sold more than 4 million copies in North America. Thanks to several awards and the popularity of the North American tour, it has only sold 15 million copies overseas.

 “A bet? Tell him I don’t know.”

Taylor replied to the message and said.

 “Haha, Taylor said he didn’t know.”

Selena lay on his shoulder and said crisply.

Link was helpless and replied to the message, "Link said that he knows you like to cheat and often don't keep your word, so he doesn't want you to fulfill your bet. He just wants to meet and chat with you. How about it?"

“No! We have nothing to talk about (give the phone back to Selena, if you secretly use Selena’s phone again, I will block this number)”

Taylor said.

 “Give me your phone back quickly.”

Selena reached out to grab the phone and sent a text message to Taylor, complaining that Link bullied him and used force to **** her phone. She couldn't fight him at all and was so angry.

 “Is Taylor in Los Angeles?”

Link asked.

 “I won’t tell you, Taylor wants me to stay away from you.”

Selena put away her phone, made a face at him, and walked up the stairs in her slippers.

“It’s time to eat, what are you doing upstairs?”

Catherine came out with a plate of fruit, and Ivaca also came out of the kitchen with an apron wrapped around her waist.

 “Charge, the phone is out of battery.”

Selena responded crisply.

Link smiled softly, remembering that the "Fifty Shades of Grey" novel was later adapted into a movie. Three movies were made, with a total global box office of more than 1 billion US dollars. It is a project with great potential.

 He ​​told Ivaca about this matter and asked her to arrange for someone to go to the publishing house to check the copyright status of the novel. This novel has just been published, and the copyright should still be in the hands of the author.

Find a way to buy it. This novel is very popular among young women, and it should be made into a movie and do well at the box office.

Ivaca said that she saw that this novel was also in Tiffany’s house. After reading a few pages, she found it boring, with poor literary quality and lack of literary talent in wording and sentence making.

“Would it be a good movie?”

“It should be so. Tiffany and Selena are both reading it, which shows that there is a market for the novel among young women.”

The heroine of this novel is a Cinderella-style college student, and Ivaca is a princess. Naturally, there is no sense of empathy when reading this kind of novel.

This novel was originally just a fan novel with a heavy flavor of "Twilight". The author of the novel is not a professional writer, and the writing style is indeed very poor.

After its public release, it was ridiculed by many professional writers. From the plot to the writing, it was a mess. It was similar to Internet literature, but it was very popular. It sold more than 150 million copies worldwide, and 35 million copies were sold in the United States. It set the fastest-selling paperback record in the UK and became another phenomenal novel after "Twilight".

“Before buying the copyright, you can also do a market survey to see what female readers say.”

  “Also.”

Ivaca smiled slightly, rolled up her hair, and returned to the kitchen to get busy.

Catherine glanced at Ivaca, turned back and asked softly when Link was going to get married. It was not easy to meet a girl like Ivaca.

Link said helplessly that he would do it as soon as possible.

 Catherine smiled, satisfied.

 Ding dong!

The phone received a message from Chris Liu, asking if it was convenient for him to answer the phone now?

Link got up and went to the terrace and dialed Chris Liu's phone number.

As soon as the call was connected, Chris Liu told him excitedly that Shu Chang did not have her period this month. They just took a test and there were two lines on the pregnancy test stick. Shu Chang was pregnant. It was probably during those days in Singapore. conceived.

Link was stunned for a moment, feeling a little dizzy.

It was just confirmed through Monica Bellucci that Marion's child seemed to be hers, Amy Adams's child was suspected to be hers, and Taylor's child was given away. Now Jennifer Shu is pregnant again, several times at once. A child.

 “Link, you. Don’t you like children?”

Chris Liu asked in a low voice.

 “No, I like children very much, I’m just too happy.”

“As long as you like children, don’t worry, I will take good care of Shu Shu.”

Chrissy Liu said.

Link smiled softly and asked her if she had her period.

Chris Liu said in a low mood that she was not pregnant. She asked him when he would come to the capital and said that he would also be pregnant with his baby.

Link thought for a while and said he would go there next month to compete in the WBA light heavyweight competition.

 Chris Liu said yes and asked him to come over early.

Link chatted with Jennifer for a while again, asking her to pay attention not to go out to work recently and to protect the fetus.

Jennifer Shu obediently agreed.

 Hang up the phone, Link looked up into the distance, seeing the blue sea, blue sky, and bright sunshine.

 (End of this chapter)