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32.23% My Hollywood System / Chapter 78: Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Chapter 78

Larry Davies was a Briton who was staying in America due to his job. Although the job was tiring and made him exhausted every day, he had only one reason to bear with it every day. It was the books and novels that he had piled up at his apartment.

He was an avid reader of books and classic novels and was working just for the sake of earning enough to buy these books and feed himself to continue living and reading such masterpieces.

One of such books was the story of the famous detective that appeared in the books of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Detective Sherlock Holmes. Larry was a fan of Sherlock Holmes since his childhood and always loved the quirky yet chivalrous tales of the genius detective.

He had long since wished to watch the character of Sherlock Holmes come to life via movies or television shows, but his wish was brutally played with as no one in the film industry wanted to take on this wonderful franchise due to a previous flop movie.

That's why, the moment Larry heard about Foxstar's announcement of the release of a new movie based on the Legendary Sherlock Holmes, he didn't even have to think twice before booking the tickets to watch the movie.

After all, all he ever wished for was a good portrayal of the movie, and as it was being distributed by Foxtar and had such a big budget, he thought that it would at least be much better than the previous one.

***

6th June 2011

The bulk of people who had come to watch the first-day first show was surprisingly massive for an average cineplex. Or so, Larry thought as he had come for the first-day first show for many movies, but it wasn't so crowded most of the time.

There were many people who had Sherlock Holmes posters in their hands as if they were a cheerleading squad for the movie. All the people were waiting for the signal from the security there to enter the cineplex. And as soon as they got the signal, everyone raided the canteen to buy popcorn and cold drinks to eat and drink during the movie.

The prices were inflated like Pinnochio's nose as usual, but no one bothered as they burnt the hard-earned money for the momentary satisfaction and joy of watching one of their favourite characters come to life, and hopefully, much better than its existing counterparts.

After standing in the line for a while, Larry finally got his turn to burn his money– buy some popcorn. After that, he entered the theatre too and found himself a seat.

Soon, the theatre lights turned off, and the huge screen in front lit up. After some commercials and the names of the distribution company, actors, team, producer and the director were shown, the movie finally started.

And as soon as it started, Larry couldn't help but feel shivers of joy continuously speeding from his body due to the sheer excitement he felt at the start of the movie.

The entrance of Sherlock and how he thought of each and every one of his moves before knocking down one guard after the other, and then Watson's entry at the exact point where Sherlock was about to get hit, and Watson came and saved him.

'This is it. This is Sherlock…This is exactly how I imagined Sherlock to be.'

Larry thought inside his head as the movie progressed. Sherlock saved Watson from Lord Blackwood's invisible needle-like weapon in just the nick of time as Watson had let down his guard.

Larry could hear hushed and excited whispers all around him, then the surrounding calmed down again when the scene where Sherlock met with Lord Blackwood in the prison cell.

Everyone couldn't help but be terrified at Blackwood's crazy portrayal and how his face was given the VFX of a ghastly creature when he threatened Sherlock about the unpredictable and helpless future he awaits.

Even the people who had read the book started doubting if Blackwood could really use magic. The movie was just that engaging and thrilling to even fool the experienced readers.

The expressions of people in the theatre kept on changing from all smiles, to feeling excited and to feeling anxious throughout the movie. It was the same for Larry.

As the movie came to its climax and finally at its end, Larry's blood couldn't help but pump furiously when the ending hinted at the existence of Moriarty.

Everyone in the theatre felt their ears and eyes go hot as the movie ended. They had never felt so thrilled in their entire lives, and it took some time before the loud clapping finally died down inside the theatre.

Larry couldn't help but think how it was the most fantastic and fun day of his life today. He came here looking for copper and found the most valuable of gems that will stay in his heart forever.

***

"The fuck, man, I nearly died from the continuous adrenaline rush, fuck!"

"I know, right! Damn bro, I swear I didn't expect this movie to be such a banger when I got its ticket."

"Honey, I can't believe it! I never thought I would get to see such a fantastic movie based on my favourite book."

"I don't know. Like, for real, fantastic seems like an understatement to me now. The movie was otherworldly."

"I am damn sure I can never accept any other actor as Sherlock after this. Both this Sherlock and Watson duo felt so natural. Like hell, man. I'm still getting goosebumps, look."

"Imma come and watch the movie again with ma girlfriend. Bruh, she didn't come just due to the previous Sherlock movie was bad, but hell, she missed out on the first show, she'll forever regret it, I tell ya."

"Dude, not gonna lie. This movie deserves to get famous. I'm gonna make a post on Sparrow ASAP. This awesomeness needs to be shared with everyone."

***

Larry couldn't hear the continuous commotion just beside him because he was still enjoying the after-effects of the movie. The thrill inside him was like a bubbling solution begging to break free from a beaker.

'Damn, this… this is gonna take some time.'

Larry thought inwardly as he still couldn't believe he had just watched such a masterpiece.

After calming down for a while, he immediately rushed out and reached his home. Taking out his laptop, he opened his personal blog. It had thousands of followers due to the fact that Larry was a famous movie and novel enthusiast and gave accurate reviews about movies and such that helped people decide if they wanted to watch it or not.

Soon, he typed the post title.

| [Sherlock Holmes] - You know what? This movie fucking discombobulated everyone! |

***

Outside a famous theatre in LA, a couple were bickering over something.

"Jude, I am telling you. I saw the trailer of [Sleepless in LA], and I absolutely loved it! Let's go watch that."

The guy, Jude, disagreed immediately.

"No can do. Babe, I swear I really want to watch [Sherlock Holmes], and you haven't watched the trailer, but it was absolutely epic!"

Be it coincidence or deliberate competition, both [Sherlock Holmes] and [Sleepless in LA] were released on the same day. That's why the current bickering was taking place. The girl, Rose, replied in annoyance.

"Really? Now I know why you had so many past relationships that didn't work out. Like you're asking your girlfriend to go watch some detective smarty pants movie with you instead of a romantic movie?"

"No, I-"

Before Jude could come up with a counterargument, a rush of people started to come out from the cineplex. Both movies had ended, and the people who had gone for the first-day first show were coming out.

"How was the movie, babe?"

A couple came out from the theatre that had screened [Sleepless in LA]. The guy asked with slight disappointment on his face to his girlfriend.

"Uh... I guess it was okay-ish? I don't know, haha."

The girl replied awkwardly and failed to hide her disappointment too. Behind them, many such people came out, and most of them had disappointed expressions on their faces.

Just beside them was the theatre which had screened [Sherlock Holmes]. And it didn't take a genius to figure out the expressions on the faces of people that came out of the theatre.

Most of the expressions were excitement and thrill, and people didn't even hide it as they were furiously conversing with their friends and partner about the movie.

"Oh boy, oh boy. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined such a thriller, and this is the movie I had been waiting for my whole life without realising it."

"Now, we have a firm grasp of the obvious."

"Hahahaha!"

A boy joked with his friends as they all kept talking about the movie and repeating some of the dialogues of Sherlock and laughed amongst themselves.

Seeing all this, Rose, who was scolding Jude just a minute ago, put her hands in Jude's and smiled.

"Let's go watch the movie my baby wants."

Jude just smiled helplessly as they went inside the theatre, which was going to play the second show of [Sherlock Holmes] for the day.

***

After the movie was over, Jude and Rose came out, and Rose immediately jumped on Jude and kissed him.

"Thank you so much, darling. I would have missed out on my latest crush if you didn't insist on watching this movie. I swear the bitches that left you must have been blind; you have got a great taste."

Jude didn't say anything else as he was planning a rewatch of the movie inside his head. This time with his homies.

...

//DreamNote//

Bonus chapter soon, don't forget to vote!

:)


Chapter 79: [Bonus Chapter] Chapter 79

The next day, Will directly went to Foxstar's office in the morning. He wanted to see the box office data for [Sherlock Holmes] for himself.

Reaching the building, he directly went up to Spencer's office. The old man had told his secretary to call Will directly to his office.

It seemed like he had already taken a look at the box office numbers.

Either it was a failure, or it was a big hit. There was no scenario where Spencer would call Will to talk to him, and he was sure that it would be the latter.

"Hahaha, Will. Come in."

When he entered his office, the old man was laughing.

Will guessed the results from his tone and walked up to him. Sitting in front of him, he said.

"It seems like the box office numbers are not bad?"

"They are certainly not bad. In fact, they are way over our estimates."

"How much are they?"

As he asked, Spencer just put forward a document. It was the sheet of a file containing various data of the collections in theatres all around the North American box office.

Taking a peek at them, Will's mouth couldn't help but curve up.

"15 million dollars on the first day itself."

That number was far above the estimates made by Foxstar, which were 10 million dollars for the first day.

"Yeah, and the foreign box office numbers are great too."

As Spencer said that, Will turned over the page and was stunned to see that [Sherlock Holmes] had made over 9 million dollars in the foreign box office.

Particularly in England where more than 6 million dollars business had been done.

"If it continues like this, the movie will recover the marketing and production cost just this week."

"Yes." Spencer nodded his head. "The box office figures are just going to improve with word of mouth, and I am sure the box office numbers will cross 300 million dollars."

Will just smiled hearing that. Three hundred million dollars might be the estimation of Spencer, but he knew that the movie would earn more than 500 million.

Maybe even more thanks to the lack of good [Sherlock Holmes] movies in this world.

"Anyway, I called you here not just because of the box office numbers. But also, I wanted to talk about signing the sequel rights. I think we should announce the sequel two or three weeks from now when the box office numbers are dying to create interest again. After all, the first film hinted at a sequel."

Will shook his head hearing those words. Spencer might be right, but a sequel deal now would happen, keeping the estimated box office of the first movie in mind.

If that happened, Will would lose out since the estimation wasn't as much as what the real box office turn out will be.

"No, I think we should wait a while. I think the box office numbers won't be below in just a few weeks."

"But a contract won't hurt." Spencer said, "I am just saying it to fuel the hype the audience has for this franchise, and with the announcement of the sequel, I am sure more viewers will be interested."

Will shook his head, "No, now is not the time to sign a contract. And the hype that you're talking about won't turn out as it did just now in your head."

Spencer pursed his lips; suddenly, a thought flashed in his mind, which made him change his expression.

Without any hesitation, he asked Will, "Are you… looking for any other studio?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said," Spencer cleared his throat, "Are you looking for a different partner for the sequel…?"

Will shook his head, "No, no, it's not like that. It's just not the right time yet to sign the contract. Don't worry about it."

"Oh…" Spencer reluctantly nodded. Though he couldn't quite understand what Will meant 'the right time.'

'Shouldn't he make the best use of the moment and secure a deal…?'

***

It was the next day, and once again, Will was in the office to see the box office data updates.

By now, things were looking much better, and the hype for Sherlock Holmes had begun even more.

'19 Million Dollars in Northern America'

'11 Million Dollars in International.'

About 30 Million in total.

"Nice." Will smiled. The hype was beginning to increase; with just two days, they had crossed the 60 Million mark.

'If this goes on, we might touch 150 Million in the first week.'

Will thought. 150 Million was his first-week goal, to begin with. After removing the cuts of the other distributor and other shares, 150 million would bring back all of the initial investment he had given in his movie.

And after that, the rest was going to be pure profit.

And to make this possible, Will didn't leave any stone unturned.

He had taken the help of the keyboard warriors once again and had begun to influence the online trends.

The Sherlock memes had taken over the internet, putting the online trend in Will's favor.

In fact, even some of the quotes of the movie were now famous, like the one between Sherlock and Watson that happened in a carriage near the climax of the movie.

"You have a weird gift of silence, Watson. It makes you quite invaluable as a companion."

Even more infamous than this was the scene when Lord Blackwood faked his death, and there was someone else's corpse in Lord Blackwood's casket.

"That's not Lord Blackwood." Said Police Officer Lestrade.

Sherlock Holmes nodded while replying in a semi-monotonous response, "Well, now we have the firm grasp of the obvious."

Such marketable dialogues were used to pique people's interests, and these worked like a charm.

On the fourth day after the worldwide release of the movie, the movie crossed the eighty million mark - three times more than the expected figure for the Opening week - and this didn't even include the foreign box office, which added about 47 Million, more than half of which was from Europe alone.

By the fifth day, grossing 27 Million domestically and 12 Million internationally, the movie had reached break-even from the profits and gotten back the millions of invested money back from the box office. Not to forget that this movie had crossed the box office mark of Will's last movie [The Blair Witch Project] of the initial 165 Million by the fifth day.

The initial expectations of 300 Million dollars by Foxstar, which seemed quite preposterous to many, now seemed like an underestimation.

But this just felt like the calm before the storm because the next two days were even more intense on the box office numbers.

And on the morning of the eighth day when Will woke up after a good night's sleep, he saw the text message from Spencer about the opening week's box office earnings.

The total box office hit reached 252 Million - 173 Million in North America and 79 Million worldwide!

Now, many believe that at this rate, by the end of the box office run, Sherlock Holmes will become this year's first movie to hit the $500 Million mark - a seemingly impossible number to many.

It was an insane figure. With hundreds of movies releasing yearly in Hollywood and thousands worldwide, [Sherlock Holmes] had received the biggest opening week turnover for the year.

The Sherlock Holmes movie had officially kickstarted the start of a franchise and made everyone expectant of this new storm that had taken the world by surprise.

Robert's fame had skyrocketed, and he was instantly among the B rank celebs from being a nobody in the industry.

The fans loved his quirky acting, and his live-show appearance and fan meetings made it seem like he was literally the exact person of how he acted in the movie.

There were two other people in the spotlight, one of them being Levi Richards, who had played Dr Watson. His role as the famous detective's sidekick received critical acclaim, and it was said, and I quote, "Levi Richard's Dr Watson was a breath of fresh air, and the chemistry he held with his partner, Sherlock Holmes, played by Micheal Robert Elrod, put the movie on a whole new pedestal. It won't be wrong to say that without this Watson, this movie wouldn't have felt 'complete.'"

The last person who was under the limelight was the Director and Producer of the movie - Will Evans, now nicknamed, The Biggest Gambler and Hollywood's New Face!

It was no secret that he had gambled everything he had to create this movie, and he had won this gamble.

Will Evans, the young director, had now solidified his position in the ruthless industry of showbiz and was now the centre of attention.

Even his role in the movie [17 Again], though simple, was praised by many fans - however, it was hard to say whether it was because of his acting or the current hype he had around him.

There were many baseless rumours about him sprouting every day.

Some articles said that he was a playboy and would give actresses roles if they slept with him, while others said he was already done writing down the script for his next movie.

There were even rumours about him and Robert.

After all, it was strange as to why Will had cast an unknown face in a multi-million dollar movie. Many people thought that Robert had actually given him money to cast him, and others thought that he was gay and Robert had slept with him.

Obviously, Robert had clarified his first meeting with Will in talk shows, but that still didn't stop people from thinking about weird things.

In the end, even Dream Vision had to post a statement talking about the reasons behind Robert's casting as Holmes.

...

//DreamNote//

This was this week's bonus chapter :)

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