Chapitre 979: Chapter 981: Silly Girl
[Chapter 981: Silly Girl]
Lone Pine was nestled in a wide valley within the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, embodying the quintessential American Western town, surrounded by barren land, hills, deserts, and towering mountains. The natural scenery was breathtaking. Since the emergence of Hollywood in the early 20th century, Lone Pine had served as a backdrop for many films, particularly Westerns. As a result, there was a small movie museum in Lone Pine dedicated to documenting the films shot in the area.
The opening of Iron Man featured scenes in which Tony Stark was attacked, the dramatic escape from a cave, and the test firing of the Jericho missile, all filmed around Lone Pine.
On a gentle slope in the Alabama Hills to the west of Lone Pine, Caroline and Melanie stood on the outskirts of the crew, watching as Eric faced the snow-capped mountains in the distance, delivering an impromptu pitch for the Jericho missile.
After Eric confidently delivered his lines, he spread his arms wide, and a loud thud rang out from the high-pressure wind cannon positioned not far behind him, sending up a cloud of dust that pushed Eric forward a step.
This was already the fifth take. The crew intended to create a scene where Tony Stark stood immovably in the missile's shockwave, embodying confidence. Naturally, they couldn't actually fire any missiles; the shockwave effect was purely artificial.
However, the effect was proving to be a bit too intense. After several attempts, Eric couldn't maintain his balance. Moving the wind cannon back would diminish the "explosion" effect of the Jericho missile.
"Looks like it won't work like this," Caroline commented with a smile, "you can't stand still at all."
"I think this effect is actually pretty good," Melanie responded, grinning as well. "Did you see Eric just now? He stumbled from the shockwave, and even though it was embarrassing, he acted like nothing happened. That's way better than just standing there."
"It is kind of funny," Caroline nodded, her tone slightly corrective, "Eric is really something else."
Hearing this, Melanie rolled her eyes slightly.
...
In the filming area, Eric and Joss Whedon reviewed the footage from that particular shot several times. After discussing it, they agreed that the effect was good and decided against retaking it.
This marked the second week of the crew's filming in Lone Pine. Only one scene remained, where Eric escapes from the cave and is rescued in the desert. Once that was completed, the crew's outdoor filming would be largely finished, leaving only a series of smaller interior scenes that would all be shot back in Los Angeles.
Noticing that it was past 4:30 PM, Joss Whedon announced that shooting was wrapped for the day. The crew began methodically organizing their equipment, preparing to return to their lodgings in Lone Pine.
...
Eric, of course, didn't have to concern himself with such details. After taking a bottle of water from Caroline and finishing it in one breath, he led the two women into an SUV, setting off for Lone Pine first.
In the front seats of the SUV were two bodyguards. Caroline and Melanie squeezed into the backseat next to Eric. As Caroline pulled out a thick stack of folders from her satchel, Eric chuckled and asked, "Any good news today?"
Caroline nodded and, without opening the folders, answered adeptly, "This morning, we received the box office data for the new week from Los Angeles. The box office drop for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me in its third week has narrowed to 36%, bringing in $26.67 million, with a total of $141.9 million over three weeks. The Wedding Singer saw a 41% drop in its second week, earning $26.71 million, totaling $71.99 million over two weeks. Species dropped 39% in its second week, with earnings of $18.91 million, accumulating $50.01 million. In three weeks, the total box office for these three films reached $260 million, meaning we have already recouped all production and distribution costs, based on a 55% average revenue share."
The production budgets were $30 million for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, $18 million for The Wedding Singer, and $35 million for Species, with another $50 million for marketing. Adding about $3 million to $5 million for distribution expenses across the three companies, they cumulatively spent just over $140 million.
With a total Easter box office of $260 million, based on a 55% average revenue share, the three companies would collectively recover about $143 million in box office shares, meaning Firefly, Fox, and MGM had indeed recouped all costs.
However, breaking it down to individual films, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me was a large profit earner, while Species needed a few more weeks to break even, and The Wedding Singer had the highest return on investment.
From the specific data, all three films' weekly box office figures had dropped to around $20 million, and in the coming weeks, as the Easter atmosphere faded, recovering an additional $100 million in box office would be considered good.
After Caroline spoke, Eric pondered for a moment before nodding in satisfaction. She blinked but didn't elaborate further.
Eric had been so engrossed in the filming of Iron Man over the past half month in Lone Pine that he had no idea how significant the box office results of the three films had been in Hollywood.
The combined expenditure of $140 million for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The Wedding Singer, and Species was roughly equivalent to the budget of a major blockbuster.
However, with their current box office trajectory, these three films might recover as much as $360 million in North America alone, which would indeed be miraculous.
To put it in perspective, last year's North American box office champion, Casino Royale, which Eric directed, brought in $370 million. If the $360 million from the three films was considered as a single movie, it had a 90% chance of being booked as this year's North American box office champion.
This Easter season had seen a surge in box office performance due to the successful marketing by the three companies. In just three weeks, all weekly box office figures had surpassed $100 million, compared to the previous years when weekly box office totals barely reached $70-80 million.
As a result, nearly all film companies in Hollywood were studying the "Easter Movie Package" strategy employed by the three companies to seize the opportunity and replicate this box office miracle.
Caroline remained silent, leaning against the opposite door while Melanie noted Eric's relaxed demeanor and said, "Eric, the projected North American total for the three films could reach $360 million. If that were for one movie, it might win the North American box office champion."
Eric understood Melanie's meaning and chuckled, "But they are, after all, lower to mid-budget productions. Though they can succeed in North America, they aren't eligible for large-scale global distribution. Even if they achieve $360 million in North America, their combined overseas box office will be lucky to reach $200 million, totaling around $500-600 million globally. In contrast, big-budget productions, like the Jurassic Park series, Men in Black series, or MGM's spy movie universe, can easily reach $700 million or more globally, with the profitability of their merchandise far outstripping that of these lower-budget productions."
Melanie countered, "But big productions are more prone to losses; one flop could lead to bankruptcy for a company."
"That's undeniable, but Hollywood's future is dominated by blockbusters, and that's an irreversible trend. If we keep thinking we can achieve big things with small investments, it's like trying to win a battle with fewer troops -- it's a very low probability."
Melanie nodded slightly, pretending to be convinced, and stopped arguing with Eric, knowing she wouldn't win against him.
Caroline, sandwiched between the two, listened to their conversation. After glancing at Melanie's expression, she knew what her friend was thinking.
She blinked again, intending to say something, but the vehicle had already entered Lone Pine and quickly arrived at the hotel where the crew was staying.
...
Watching Eric get out and walk toward his room, both women were aware of his habits. They knew Eric would likely head straight to shower. To avoid interrupting him, they would usually back off at this point, but this time, Melanie insisted on following Eric into his suite.
Although Eric was vehemently against staying in hotel-like places, Lone Pine, with only 2,000 residents, obviously couldn't offer him anything better. He didn't want his cleanliness to turn into something pathological, so he opted to stay in a hotel with the crew, just swapping out the bedding for new ones.
As they walked into the room and noticed Melanie unexpectedly dragging Caroline along, Eric asked in confusion, "Is there something else?"
"Of course -- work," Melanie replied with feigned conviction. "Eric, there are a few documents that need your personal signature today."
"Sure, but can it wait until after I shower?"
"You can shower again before going to bed."
As she said this, Melanie pulled Caroline into the room, sitting on the couch and seriously flipping through the stack of documents Caroline had just taken out.
However, no matter how clever one might be, they couldn't escape the negative influences of unhelpful allies.
Seeing Caroline sitting next to Melanie with a guilty look, Eric realized something was wrong. Chuckling as he sat across from them, he said, "Now, don't use work as an excuse. Is there something you need my help with?"
Melanie shook her head seriously, "No."
Eric turned to Caroline, "Carly, you say something."
Caroline quickly blinked a few times and shook her head, "No, nothing."
Melanie had already given up hoping for any help from Caroline, as long as she didn't accidentally expose anything.
Seeing that Caroline managed to hold up in a critical moment, Melanie felt relieved. She had figured out Eric's personality by now -- if they didn't confess, he wouldn't kick them out of the room.
Handing a folder to Eric, Melanie said, "Eric, this is a copy of Firefly's acquisition contract for Virgin Records. You need to read and sign it; we need to send it back to Los Angeles tomorrow."
Eric grinned at the two women and decided not to press further. Accepting the file, he flipped through it casually and asked, "How are sales for Fireflyer2 this week?"
Today was already April 24, and Fireflyer2 had launched for sales on the Easter weekend of April 11. Its first week had seen sales of 670,000 units in North America and Europe. If it maintained this momentum, Fireflyer2's global sales could exceed 22 million units over the remaining eight months of the year.
However, no one could quite predict Fireflyer2's sales outlook. Some believed the initial 670,000 units sold were a result of the buzz surrounding its launch and promotions, potentially leading to a sales decline later on. Others felt that with the further expansion of the Internet, Fireflyer's market capacity would continue to grow, with sales possibly reaching 30 million by the end of the year.
Thus, to understand the demand for Fireflyer2 following its first week, the sales data over the next few weeks remained crucial.
"The figures aren't tallied yet," Melanie shook her head. "It's just the second week of Fireflyer2's sales, so we still need a few more days to get a sense of the numbers. However, feedback from San Francisco suggests sales should stay above 600,000 units this week, as users have responded positively to the new product."
Compared to the first generation, Fireflyer2 didn't just enhance storage capacity; Firefly Electronics had made significant improvements in battery life, usability, and design. Though the price had risen considerably, it still offered excellent value compared to its predecessor.
Eric flipped a page in the folder and continued, "What about the Nokia M-100?"
Melanie didn't have the same photographic memory as Caroline. Hearing Eric's question, she shuffled through the materials before finding a data report. After a moment, she glanced at it and said, "Data from AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint haven't come in yet, but sales of the unlocked phone on Amazon have exceeded 11,000 units in these two weeks."
Since the beginning of the analog signal era, North America's mobile phone market had been dominated by major telecom operators, with carrier-subsidized phones accounting for over 90% of mobile sales. This trend slightly shifted only after the emergence of the iPhone.
Due to consumer habits, North American mobile users seldom purchased unlocked phones.
The Nokia M-100 was being sold exclusively on Amazon's online platform without arrangements for its sale in physical stores outside of the carriers.
Using a nine-to-one sales ratio, if Amazon's music phone sold 11,000 units, the total sales of the Nokia M-100 could be estimated at around 110,000 units -- less than a tenth of Fireflyer2's two-week sales.
Eric remembered that Nokia had only prepared 50,000 units initially. The only thing he was satisfied with was not hearing any reports of shortages, a testament to Nokia's incredibly strong supply chain compared to Firefly Electronics. However, an average weekly sales figure of around 50,000 units was far from meeting Eric's expectations; if Nokia had tried a bit harder, the M-100's sales would surely have exceeded this number.
Still, Eric had no time to dwell on that. After reviewing the contract for Firefly's acquisition of Virgin Records and signing his name, he dealt with several other documents due to Melanie's persistence. It wasn't until nightfall that Melanie dragged Eric out for dinner.
It was only past nine when Eric returned to his room again.
After closing the door and lightly shrugging, Eric walked to the bathroom, planning to shower before hitting the sack.
...
Melanie and Caroline were in the room next door. Inside, Melanie quietly pressed her ear against the wall for a moment, detecting the sound of running water, before dragging Caroline out of the room. Using the spare keycard for Eric's suite, she stealthily opened the door and tiptoed into his bedroom with a reluctant Caroline in tow.
Caroline's face turned apple-red, and she tried to free herself from Melanie's grip, quietly saying, "Mel, I think, I think maybe we shouldn't do this?"
"I knew you'd say that," Melanie shot her a look, no longer bothering with pleasantries. She pushed Caroline down onto Eric's bed and, in a few swift movements, removed all but the girl's inner clothing. Pulling the blanket over Caroline, Melanie leaned down and kissed her on the blushing girl's cheek, saying, "This is all I can help you with."
With that, she picked up Caroline's clothes and, on tiptoe, slipped out of the room.
Seeing her friend take her clothes away, Caroline lost her motivation to escape and curled up in the blankets. With a little sniffle, she felt Eric's commanding presence, and her cheeks blushed even deeper.
After a comfortable hot shower, Eric emerged in a robe, towel drying his hair, when he froze at the sight of Caroline curled up on the bed.
She looked like a little kitten, and when their eyes met, she gasped and ducked back under the covers.
Eric blinked in surprise for a moment, finally understanding why the two girls had acted so strangely today. Perhaps Caroline had been acting this way for a while.
Chuckling to himself, Eric sat at the edge of the bed and gently tugged at the blanket. Caroline's little hands clutched the covers tightly for a moment but soon let go, revealing her flushed face, her eyes squeezed tightly shut.
Gently pinching Caroline's delicate cheek, Eric sighed softly, "Silly girl."
*****
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
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