บท 323: Chapter 323
Although Charles Capet didn't worry about DC, he did think DC's upcoming movies Wonder Woman and Aquaman would do well in the future.
As for DC's Aquaman Arthur, Marvel also had their own Aquaman, Namor, both born to human fathers and queens or princesses of Atlantis.
After all, Marvel and DC were always counterpart comic companies, and their heroes had corresponding characters.
Not long after, Phyllis Jones and Dona Williams came to Charles' office.
Phyllis came to report that Transformers had grossed 319 million dollars in North American box office sales, and 392 million more internationally, with a total global box office of 711 million dollars.
Transformers had earned 711 million dollars from its box office, with the combined cost and marketing being $200 million.
There was also revenue from DVDs, TV stations, the internet, and toy sales from Hasbro.
"Cash cows are the best," Charles never underestimated Transformers. Even though its North American box office was slightly less than Marvel's Iron Man at 321 million dollars, Iron Man's international box office was only 268 million dollars!
"Dona, do you have something too?" Charles looked at Dona Williams, who had been handling AC Capital.
"Boss, I got an investment of $5 million! Now, Lululemon's stock price has risen to $43 per share, but Lily Ying suggested I shouldn't hold it long-term, saying this subprime mortgage crisis in the U.S. is no joke!" Dona Williams' eyes sparkled, thinking back to when she bought the stock at only $23 or $24 a share.
"Hurry and sell it, I've already said this is a global financial tsunami, the real economy will definitely be affected. The stock price might drop like a roller coaster," Charles reminded her, pointing out that after real estate, banks, and resources like energy and gold would also be impacted.
It was already September, and though central banks around the world were intervening to save the market, could they really succeed?
"Do we really need to sell? It's still going up, and our investment was only $35 million, it shouldn't affect us that much," Dona Williams was reluctant.
"Trust me, this was a short-term investment to make quick money. You have to make choices, otherwise, it will be painful if you get stuck," Charles shook his head.
"When the financial storm hits, the stock market will be like a hurricane passing through, and there will be opportunities to buy low!"
It was like a game of hot potato, no one knew who would be left holding the bag. Since they knew there would be a crash, greed was their worst enemy.
"Better to earn a bit less and keep your money safe!"
Dona Williams nodded, "I'll sell the stock as soon as possible."
Since Lululemon's stock price was still climbing, there were plenty of buyers.
"That's right, and then you can short-sell some of the major banks' stocks. With your investment amount, someone is bound to take a bet against you."
Now, with signs pointing to an economic crisis, they might just find someone willing to take the risks. With so many large banks, AC Capital's investment of a few million wouldn't make much of a difference.
...
Meanwhile, at MGM Studios, the head of Danjaq Productions responsible for Quantum of Solace, Michael Wilson, who was also one of the producers, had just reviewed auditions for several Bond girls with director Marc Forster.
As everyone knew, every James Bond film would have at least two Bond girls. Quantum of Solace had both a main and a supporting Bond girl.
This time, they were casting the main Bond girl. From the UK to the US, numerous beautiful actresses had auditioned.
"Both are suitable: young, beautiful, and sexy, and neither are Americans, which gives them an exotic appeal," Michael Wilson said, handing two files to Marc Forster.
One was Olga Kurylenko, a Ukrainian-French sexy actress and model, with works like The Ring Finger. This year, she also had Hitman and The Mist.
The other was Gal Gadot, an Israeli model with a tall and beautiful figure, crowned Miss Israel in 2004. She recently entered the entertainment industry through TV series Bubot and had military experience.
"Each has strengths and weaknesses. Olga Kurylenko has more fame and acting experience, while Gal Gadot is better at action scenes," Marc Forster wasn't too concerned about the choice, as it depended on who had more influence over the producers.
Michael Wilson thought for a moment, "I still think Olga Kurylenko is more suitable. It's traditional for 007 to pair with European actresses, and she is more famous than Gal Gadot."
Marc Forster nodded, knowing the choice of a Bond girl wouldn't significantly impact the film, "What I'm worried about now is the script. There's a lot of unrest in the Writers Guild of America!"
"I just hope Paul Haggis can complete the script as soon as possible," Michael Wilson also worried. Paul Haggis had previously created the script for Million Dollar Baby and wrote and directed Crash.
He had served as the main writer for Casino Royale and initially wasn't interested in adapting Quantum of Solace. This month, his anti-war movie In the Valley of Elah was released.
However, Danjaq Productions offered a hefty fee for script adaptation, convincing Paul Haggis to agree to adapt Quantum of Solace.
"There's a high chance of a writers' strike. If the script isn't finished before the strike, the 22nd James Bond movie will have trouble meeting its release schedule next year," Marc Forster was anxious about the tight schedule for the James Bond series.
After all, Casino Royale, released last year, only started filming at the end of 2005 and released at the end of 2006.
"Don't worry, with Paul Haggis leading the writing team, they'll complete the script before the strike. We just need to arrange the actors, locations, and other details," Quantum of Solace required many international locations, which had to be planned in advance.
Meanwhile, another producer, Barbara Broccoli, was preparing in the UK. The 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios was being set up after filming Mamma Mia!
Marc Forster nodded, "Hope we make it in time!"
With the script on track, Marc Forster was confident they could meet the deadline for the film.
*****
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