Reborn Hollywood socialite

Chapter 111 - 120

Chapter 111: Cooper's dirty tricks.

  Complaining about the plot and director obviously cannot satisfy Cooper. He continued to complain about the actors and props in the rest of the article. However, in order to maintain his authority, after he "bullshit" about the director, he also began to comment fairly on other places, because he needed something real to gain the support of others.

  This is the same as the skill of lying. Nine truths and one falsehood, then the false ones will be regarded as true by others. It's the same now. He only denigrates and criticizes the plot of the movie and Laila, but makes fair evaluations of other aspects. This will make readers think that he is fair and can better identify with what he said before.

  After all, he has been in the media for decades. If he couldn't even do this, his current status as a film critic would have been in vain.

  "Maybe the plot is boring, but I have to admit that Director Moran's vision for selecting actors is amazing. That's where she can really become a witch. Look at the characters who appeared in this SAW, Tobin Bell, Charlie Z Theron, Michael Fassbender, and the most dazzling newcomer Roy Jisung.

  Each of their performances is full of charm, bringing the characters they want to play to life, and making the audience unable to The boring plot is an important reason why I chose to leave.

  In my opinion, Tobin is the soul of this movie. His existence is like the solid foundation and skeleton laid for the building. Without him, I believe the movie would at least be boring. Half.

  The other half is supported by the performances of the other three newcomers. Yes, they are all newcomers to Hollywood. Except for Charlize, who has played a few small roles in several movies, the others are all new and can no longer be new. The newcomer.

  Roy Ji Xing. I want to focus on him. His acting skills are unparalleled, as if he was born for movies. After watching his performance, I can say without hesitation that he is capable A big role in a bigger movie. Yes! He's such a capable young man.

  Now that he's barely twenty years old, he's already got girls screaming for him. It's hard to imagine another one. In ten years, what kind of outstanding performance will he have when his masculinity is honed? It is foreseeable that in the near future, Hollywood will have another popular niche!...
  "

  Cooper spent a lot of space praising Roy's performance. , the words he said made even Laila feel nauseous just looking at them.

  But Laila didn't think this was a good thing, and understood his evil intentions behind it.

  Why is there a malicious intention in making such a big statement? In fact, as long as you know a little about Cooper, you can understand that he is a person who will do anything to make the Phoenix unlucky!
  If he would praise Roy so much, how could he have any good intentions?
  Roy is the first actor signed by the Phoenix Agency. Anyone who has watched his performance can see how superb his acting skills are. As Lila and Cooper both believed, he was a man destined for movies.

  With such outstanding acting skills and impeccable looks, he is simply the most suitable candidate to start a career in Hollywood.

  In Hollywood, women's golden age is very short, while men's is the opposite.

  In movies, you can often see a grandfather-like actor with white hair, a white beard and a ruffled face teaming up with a young and beautiful actress to interpret a romantic love story. But if it were to be reversed, with an actress with white hair and a ruffled face acting out a romance with a handsome young man... the scene would be too beautiful to imagine.

  This is reality, one of the laws of Hollywood.

  Perhaps it is also related to the fact that European and American men become more attractive as they age, and women look very old after they are thirty. In short, it is quite an achievement for a woman to be able to survive until she is forty. Only a small group of capable women have such value, and for those role models, film producers can spend less money to find more beautiful and youthful faces, so why waste it on "old" women who have expired? On your body?
  In other words, if Roy does not leave the Phoenix, it will be enough for the company to make money for decades.

  With Laila's method of earning money by making movies, her popularity, and Roy's excellent conditions as an actor, Cooper believed that Phoenix would be able to train this newcomer into a top-notch star in Hollywood within a few years. Go in.

  If it takes decades to cultivate a talent, and if Laila does not run out of talent soon, Roy will become a pillar of the Phoenix for a long time to come.

  How much of an impact does having a top Hollywood star be represented on a company? First of all, his box office appeal will make him the most sought after by film studios in Hollywood. All kinds of blockbuster film appointments will come to him, and the agency's commission alone will make the company a lot of money.

  It doesn't matter just making money, the most important thing is connections!

  With so many scripts, the agency has a strong say in who to choose or not to choose. While Roy is being loaned out to film, it's okay to give other people in the company a chance, right? As long as it does not affect the normal shooting of the movie, film producers and directors usually will not refuse such small conditions. It's just some small roles, who shouldn't be used?

  In this way, those who appear in small roles in blockbusters will have a solid foundation to audition for other jobs in the future, and can completely crush other newcomers who have no foundation.

  Cooper has been in the film industry and Hollywood for decades, and he knows all the rules very well. The appearance of Roy made him feel deeply threatened, but he was just a film critic. If he was a newcomer with no weight, he might be able to suppress it by saying hello.

  But Roy is no longer a simple newcomer. The promotional photos he took for the luxury brand Burberry have already made him familiar in front of people. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is already famous. In this movie, he took on another very important role, and the most troublesome thing is that he played it very well. For such a person who has acting skills, a good background, and no shortage of roles, Cooper really can't do anything about him.

  So he simply changed his approach, instead of suppressing Roy, he praised him and held him high, preferably to attract the attention of several wealthy companies in Hollywood.

  The result of fancying will turn into poaching, which is exactly the result Cooper wants to see.

  What's the point of spending all your efforts to cultivate a star? As long as he can pay enough interest, he doesn't believe that several major brokerage companies will not be able to win Roy's brokerage contract! Compared with the newly established agency departments of small companies like Phoenix, the major Hollywood agencies are the ones who really want money, power, connections, and connections. They completely crush Phoenix in all aspects. Although Laila is powerful, can she truly become a top director in Hollywood? The connections that a real top brokerage company has are absolutely unimaginable by others. Even Laila, who has the backing of the Moran Group, is completely incomparable.

  As long as Roy leaves Phoenix, his success will have nothing to do with Phoenix Company. No matter how he develops in the future, he will not be able to help the company! That was Cooper's wish.

  Complaining about the plot and director obviously cannot satisfy Cooper. He continued to complain about the actors and props in the rest of the article. However, in order to maintain his authority, after he "bullshit" about the director, he also began to comment fairly on other places, because he needed something real to gain the support of others.

  This is the same as the skill of lying. Nine truths and one falsehood, then the false ones will be regarded as true by others. It's the same now. He only denigrates and criticizes the plot of the movie and Laila, but makes fair evaluations of other aspects. This will make readers think that he is fair and can better identify with what he said before.

  After all, he has been in the media for decades. If he couldn't even do this, his current status as a film critic would have been in vain.

  "Maybe the plot is boring, but I have to admit that Director Moran's vision for selecting actors is amazing. That's where she can really become a witch. Look at the characters who appeared in this SAW, Tobin Bell, Charlie Z Theron, Michael Fassbender, and the most dazzling newcomer Roy Jisung.

  Each of their performances is full of charm, bringing the characters they want to play to life, and making the audience unable to The boring plot is an important reason why I chose to leave.

  In my opinion, Tobin is the soul of this movie. His existence is like the solid foundation and skeleton laid for the building. Without him, I believe the movie would at least be boring. Half.

  The other half is supported by the performances of the other three newcomers. Yes, they are all newcomers to Hollywood. Except for Charlize, who has played a few small roles in several movies, the others are all new and can no longer be new. The newcomer.

  Roy Ji Xing. I want to focus on him. His acting skills are unparalleled, as if he was born for movies. After watching his performance, I can say without hesitation that he is capable A big role in a bigger movie. Yes! He's such a capable young man.

  Now that he's barely twenty years old, he's already got girls screaming for him. It's hard to imagine another one. In ten years, what kind of outstanding performance will he have when his masculinity is honed? It is foreseeable that in the near future, Hollywood will have another popular niche!...
  "

  Cooper spent a lot of space praising Roy's performance. , the words he said made even Laila feel nauseous just looking at them.

  But Laila didn't think this was a good thing, and understood his evil intentions behind it.

  Why is there a malicious intention in making such a big statement? In fact, as long as you know a little about Cooper, you can understand that he is a person who will do anything to make the Phoenix unlucky!
  If he would praise Roy so much, how could he have any good intentions?
  Roy is the first actor signed by the Phoenix Agency. Anyone who has watched his performance can see how superb his acting skills are. As Lila and Cooper both believed, he was a man destined for movies.

  With such outstanding acting skills and impeccable looks, he is simply the most suitable candidate to start a career in Hollywood.

  In Hollywood, women's golden age is very short, while men's is the opposite.

  In movies, you can often see a grandfather-like actor with white hair, a white beard and a ruffled face teaming up with a young and beautiful actress to interpret a romantic love story. But if it were to be reversed, with an actress with white hair and a ruffled face acting out a romance with a handsome young man... the scene would be too beautiful to imagine.

  This is reality, one of the laws of Hollywood.

  Perhaps it is also related to the fact that European and American men become more attractive as they age, and women look very old after they are thirty. In short, it is quite an achievement for a woman to be able to survive until she is forty. Only a small group of capable women have such value, and for those role models, film producers can spend less money to find more beautiful and youthful faces, so why waste it on "old" women who have expired? On your body?
  In other words, if Roy does not leave the Phoenix, it will be enough for the company to make money for decades.

  With Laila's method of earning money by making movies, her popularity, and Roy's excellent conditions as an actor, Cooper believed that Phoenix would be able to train this newcomer into a top-notch star in Hollywood within a few years. Go in.

  If it takes decades to cultivate a talent, and if Laila does not run out of talent soon, Roy will become a pillar of the Phoenix for a long time to come.

  How much of an impact does having a top Hollywood star be represented on a company? First of all, his box office appeal will make him the most sought after by film studios in Hollywood. All kinds of blockbuster film appointments will come to him, and the agency's commission alone will make the company a lot of money.

  It doesn't matter just making money, the most important thing is connections!

  With so many scripts, the agency has a strong say in who to choose or not to choose. While Roy is being loaned out to film, it's okay to give other people in the company a chance, right? As long as it does not affect the normal shooting of the movie, film producers and directors usually will not refuse such small conditions. It's just some small roles, who shouldn't be used?

  In this way, those who appear in small roles in blockbusters will have a solid foundation to audition for other jobs in the future, and can completely crush other newcomers who have no foundation.

  Cooper has been in the film industry and Hollywood for decades, and he knows all the rules very well. The appearance of Roy made him feel deeply threatened, but he was just a film critic. If he was a newcomer with no weight, he might be able to suppress it by saying hello.

  But Roy is no longer a simple newcomer. The promotional photos he took for the luxury brand Burberry have already made him familiar in front of people. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is already famous. In this movie, he took on another very important role, and the most troublesome thing is that he played it very well. For such a person who has acting skills, a good background, and no shortage of roles, Cooper really can't do anything about him.

  So he simply changed his approach, instead of suppressing Roy, he praised him and held him high, preferably to attract the attention of several wealthy companies in Hollywood.

  The result of fancying will turn into poaching, which is exactly the result Cooper wants to see.

  What's the point of spending all your efforts to cultivate a star? As long as he can pay enough interest, he doesn't believe that several major brokerage companies will not be able to win Roy's brokerage contract! Compared with the newly established agency departments of small companies like Phoenix, the major Hollywood agencies are the ones who really want money, power, connections, and connections. They completely crush Phoenix in all aspects. Although Laila is powerful, can she truly become a top director in Hollywood? The connections that a real top brokerage company has are absolutely unimaginable by others. Even Laila, who has the backing of the Moran Group, is completely incomparable.

  As long as Roy leaves Phoenix, his success will have nothing to do with Phoenix Company. No matter how he develops in the future, he will not be able to help the company! That was Cooper's wish.

Chapter 112: Shaken

  This shows how sinister this veteran who has been in Hollywood for many years is. On the surface, he praised Roy and praised him like a flower, which made people think that he really thought highly of him.

  In fact, he used this to draw the attention of other Hollywood agencies to Roy. One move to kill someone with a borrowed knife could seriously damage the vitality of the Phoenix Company, which had just begun to show some improvement.

  As for Laila, she can also train other people to become stars. Not to mention that he can still use this trick to deal with it when the time comes, is it really that easy to find a talented and good-looking actor?

  The most important thing in Hollywood is handsome men and beautiful women. There are also many good-looking and talented actors, but why are there only a few popular top movie stars?

  Appearance may not be important, and acting skills can be cultivated, but there is one most important thing that must be possessed, and that is the "backstage", or the people who make them famous.

  It can be a company or an individual. In short, if there are people who support it and people are willing to invest resources, then even if you are a cat, a dog or even a mouse, success is not far away.

  Take Roy for example. Before he met Laila, he also had good looks and the acting skills of wandering on the streets, so why didn't he become an actor? It is because he lacks a Bole, and he is also a Bole with a lot of energy.

  If it was not Laila but another young talent scout who took a fancy to Roy, then his life trajectory would probably be to first participate in auditions for small-budget movies and TV series to get acquainted with him. Then if you're lucky, you can get a few characters with lines, or if you're even more lucky, you can get a role that doesn't have much technical content.

  Like Theron, the first impression of a very handsome man cannot be separated from the word vase. Once this mark is attached, it is very difficult to remove it without a discerning director and an excellent opportunity. Don't you see that among the top stars in Hollywood, there are still people who receive huge salaries but can only play role-playing roles?

  For example, Chace Crawford in Gossip Girl, the Elf Prince in Lord of the Rings and Orlando Bloom in Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Walker in The Fast and the Furious, and Captain America Chris Evans, etc. Each one has a beautiful face and charming figure, but the others...

  Of course, no one cares about their other performances after seeing their handsome shots.

  Without Laila, Roy's best outcome would probably be like that. Unless he is really lucky and meets another person who is willing to "praise" him.

  Laila's existence is not only due to the Moran Media Group that she relies on. The support of the media is important, but the most important thing is her own directing ability. If the movie she directs is so bad that it is not worth mentioning, even if the media praises her to the sky, one day she will fall to the ground and fall half to death.

  It was her ability to create excellent films, and the selfless support of her media tycoon grandfather, coupled with her superb ability to control things and the foresight gained from rebirth, that allowed Roy to board a ship. No need to worry about sinking giant ships.

  Cooper is not unclear about these. But he prefers to believe that no one will say "no" to an agency contract that promises a successful future. He was thinking of boys like Roy who had never seen much of the market and would easily get carried away once they achieved success. When the time comes and there are a few people poaching him with huge benefits, there is no reason why he will still stay in such a small and pitiful company.

  By the way, are there any other actors in the so-called agency department of Phoenix Company? It's just a joke, okay!

  In fact, what Cooper didn't know was that there were actually other contracted actors in that department... there were actually them!

  From the moment Laila had the idea, the entire department was running at high speed. Roy was the first person they signed, then Charlize Theron became the second, and Fshark and Tobin also officially joined the family not long ago.

  Laila knew very well what they would achieve in the future, so how could she let them escape her grasp? Although Phoenix Company is a small place supported by her alone, everyone can see clearly that even if she is the only one, she can definitely make the company bigger. Her strength and background are there, and it might not be that easy to fail.

  What makes her regretful is that Kate, who plays the heroine in The Witch, has been signed by another company first, and the other one she cares about, Dwayne Johnson, is still waiting to see, and there is no definite answer yet.

  But she was in no hurry. At only nineteen years old, she has plenty of time to create her own movie empire. She won't be too greedy. There will be more than one or two stars rising in Hollywood in the future. Even if she can't collect them all under her banner, collecting ten or eight will be enough for her to earn a lot of fame.

  So if Roy is really poached by another big agency as Cooper wishes, Laila won't have many other feelings besides feeling a little regretful. Of course, the resources in your hand will not be tilted towards those who betray you.

  Cooper didn't know that the vicious method he came up with after leaving the premiere and tossing and turning most of the night was just a joke in Laila's eyes. His calculations were all correct, and he had clearly calculated human nature from the inside out. The only thing I didn't calculate was that Laila was a reborn existence. His little tricks are not worth mentioning in the eyes of the reborn, they are just for fun.

  It's just that Laila will not tell anyone about her rebirth in this life. Even if Cooper wants to break his head, he will not think about where he lost.

  And when Laila was enjoying the vacation she gave herself, Cooper took possession of the box office results that she didn't care about.

  This year Halloween is on a Saturday, and the premiere starts at midnight on Saturday, which means that SAW's first week results are actually only two days.

  20.14 million, this is the box office result of SAW in its first week. Perhaps in a popular season this can only be a pretty good start. But the current off-season is enough for SAW to win the box office championship in the last week of October.

  After receiving the news, Cooper pressed his hand on the broken coffee cup in anger. Even though it was bleeding, he had to ask a family doctor to treat the wound.

  He didn't want to believe the fact that he had already received 20 million in just two days of screening, leaving only a "mere" 80 million left before their bet! It was screened for two days, with an average of 10 million a day, and the attendance rate was 98% and 95% respectively. Although there will definitely be a decline in the future, it is obviously full of stamina!

  How can this be? How could a low-budget R-rated horror film achieve such amazing results?

  Can't miracles happen twice? Cooper suddenly felt that what he once believed in was beginning to shake.

Chapter 113 "Dead of Serious Injury"

  The paparazzi in Hollywood are very powerful. Not only do they stick to valuable news like leeches, they are also very imaginative and have a pervasive and omniscient pursuit spirit.

  Wherever hot topics appear, their presence is indispensable. Take the bet between Laila and Cooper as an example. The paparazzi did not dare to stare at Laila's eyes under the warning of Mr. Moran, but they did not have so many scruples about Cooper. In the past month or two, paparazzi have been "stationed" outside his house almost every day, watching his every move.

  After SAW was released, the original paparazzi team of three or two kittens suddenly grew nearly ten times. Looking out the window of Cooper's house, you can see cameras and paparazzi everywhere across the street. There is even an OB truck parked. It's really dumbfounding.

  Therefore, when the box office results for the week in North America were released, the Cooper family had just invited the family doctor in when they were discovered by the paparazzi waiting outside the Cooper family house for news.

  Who is that man?

  The paparazzi thought they had dug up something important. So when the man came out of the house, he immediately surrounded him and asked various questions. The man was very cooperative and told me that he was a family doctor.

  family doctor! The paparazzi suddenly became excited when they heard this word.

  Cooper found a doctor? When it comes out at the box office! The paparazzi with extremely rich imagination immediately "guessed" the "truth" of the matter.

  About one-fifth of the box office was won in two days. Cooper must have been very angry after learning the news! Otherwise, why would you invite a family doctor to your home?
  Unfortunately, due to doctor-patient confidentiality regulations, doctors cannot disclose patient information, so paparazzi can only use their imagination to choose a "revealing" direction for their latest news.

  "The genius director made 20 million in two days, and the film critic vomited blood, or may have died of a serious illness."

  "The witch's magic appeared again, and it topped the North American weekly box office rankings in two days. The film critic urgently recruited a family doctor, but he pretended to be sick and failed to fulfill his bet? "

  The famous film critic Cooper suffered from insomnia due to the stress of his gambling contract and could only rely on prescription drugs from his family doctor." The

  front pages of all media broke the news as quickly as possible and with the most eye-catching headlines. The TV station even used a news break to report the footage of the family doctor in front of Cooper's house being surrounded by reporters and paparazzi. It can be said that in a short period of time, people all over the United States have focused their attention on the bet of kissing the donkey's butt.

  The response to this situation is that SAW's box office continued to rise with terrifying momentum in its second week. Even movie fans in some foreign countries are urging for the movie to be released as soon as possible to see what this controversial movie is like.

  Cooper saw the news in the newspaper that he was about to be pissed off because of the appearance of his family doctor. At that time, his vision went dark, and he almost turned the fake news into true news.

  He only had a few small wounds on his hands from porcelain slag, but why did he "succumb to his injuries" in the paparazzi's mouth? But he still couldn't explain this kind of thing. He couldn't tell people that he slapped the table in the wrong place and hit the broken coffee cup with his hand, right?
  If he really wants to say that, the damn paparazzi will definitely make a fuss out of the fragments, and who knows what kind of nonsense they will make up for him! I guess he smashed his coffee cup after seeing the box office results for the week, and that's why there were all those pieces. But that was the fact, and that was what made him the most angry.

  While Cooper was exhausted from being chased by the paparazzi, SAW continued to dominate the box office with exaggerated numbers in the new week.

  At that time, in order to compete for the Halloween schedule, in addition to SAW, there were four movies released at the same time. Louise and the Phoenix employees were very angry when they found out. They obviously discovered this time, but they were snatched away by so many shameless people.

  Even the media was not optimistic about Laila's new film because there were many films of the same type competing for the time slot. However, the expected Five Kingdoms War did not happen at all. SAW took 73% of the box office of horror movies on Halloween day, and the rest was shared by other movies.

  If you don't count the few summer blockbusters that are still reaping the remaining box office, it can be said that SAW rules Halloween.

  Of the four films released at the same time, the one that worries Louise the most is "An American Werewolf in Paris." This movie is very strong from the director to the cast, and the plot continues the Oscar-winning "An American Werewolf in London".

  In the predictions of various media, this movie is also the biggest opponent SAW will face on Halloween.

  Then when the results came out, countless people's glasses were shattered, because this supposedly exciting sequel didn't get much attention at all, and the box office on Halloween day was only a pitiful 700,000 yuan. As for the other films, it's even worse. Together, they don't exceed 1 million.

  You must know that SAW took in more than 10 million that day, which was several times more than the box office of all of them combined. This result was something that no one had expected before.

  For this, various media outlets are looking for reasons. Especially those film producers who are also planning to get involved in the newly developed Halloween schedule, and they hope to find out the reasons for the failure of those movies. In their opinion, there should be a lot of profit and success during this period. Didn't you see that Laila has made a lot of money during this period for two consecutive years?
  Some say that sequels have lost their appeal to movie fans, especially sequels to less popular movies. Some people say that werewolves have lost their novelty for young people. Do you want to know what horror movies young people really want to watch now? Go watch Leila's films, she's the one who knows what young people really want in movies.

  No matter how you argue, the result is that in the second week after Halloween, SAW still moved forward boldly, winning the championship in the first four days with unstoppable momentum.

  But Phoenix Company did not relax because of such good results, because a bigger rival will premiere on Friday, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" adapted from the best-selling novel for five years, which has already received a lot of attention before it was released. 》. It's also the same genre, and the cast is even more powerful. It can be said that everything from the script to the crew to the cast and members is crushing SAW.

  This movie is also one that Cooper is very confident about. He believes that as long as this movie comes out, fans will see what a truly good movie is. In this film that is both thrilling and thrilling, and connotative, I believe that good movies and bad movies will be clearly distinguished like black and white. Compared with it, SAW is just a piece of **** that was discarded on the road. Cooper had no time to see Lila and her damn video being beaten to a bloody pulp and unable to recover!

  But at this time, Laila had long been away from Hollywood and the film industry. She was driving an inconspicuous second-hand station wagon leisurely on the highways of the United States with a camera and a bag on her back.

Chapter 114 An Unexpected Companion

  Lila took Route 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, known as the "All-American Road".

  This road from Los Angeles to San Francisco is more than 600 miles long, with beautiful scenery everywhere along the way. For example, Monterey's cobblestone beaches, mangroves, and the Big Sur coast are just some of the fascinating scenery you can capture with just a camera.

  She is dressed in street clothes that can be seen everywhere, wearing a baseball cap, and the car she drives is also a second-hand station wagon. Not only fans will recognize this image, but even the paparazzi, who are known for their all-pervasive appearance, may not be able to recognize her. Come.

  Laila did not set a time limit for her vacation. She walked along the road casually, stopping to take a few photos when she saw the beautiful scenery. She also stopped when she encountered cute shops to have a unique meal. A meal or a cup of fragrant coffee can be said to be a very happy and comfortable journey.

  Originally, Claire wouldn't agree to let her go on the road alone because of her temper, but under Laila's strong request, she could only agree, but she also made a promise to call every day to report that she was safe.

  Laila will not complain about this. In her previous life, she lived alone for half her life. There are so many people caring about her in this life, so why bother?

  She originally thought she would enjoy this vacation alone, but she didn't expect to be joined by two unexpected visitors.

  They were two men, one in his 20s and the other in his 30s. They were unlucky, and the poor car broke down on a rainy night. If Laila hadn't been kind enough to give them a ride, there's no telling how long they would have waited on that sparsely populated road.

  In fact, Laila herself was worried about whether to help them or not. She has watched some horror movies and read about some cases in the newspaper of people randomly picking up people. A girl taking two grown men into a car is a dangerous and mindless thing no matter how you think about it.

  At first, Laila wanted to pretend not to see it and drove directly past. But the moment they drove past, she saw the SAW logo on them...

  Yes, those two people were wearing one of SAW's peripherals, T-shirts with doll images printed on them. This is obviously her own movie fan. Laila really can't leave her movie fans in such a place, even if the other party has no idea that their favorite movie director just passed them by.

  It was a coincidence that if they hadn't taken off the coat to prevent it from getting wet while repairing the car outside, Laila wouldn't have been able to see the SAWT shirt underneath. Because of the existence of the T-shirt, Laila couldn't harden her heart, and finally let them hang the car behind her car and drove the two of them to the nearest motel.

  The younger of the two men, Allen B. McElroy, was a student at a certain university and claimed to be out collecting ideas for inspiration for writing scripts. The older one is named Rob Schmidt. The reason for the self-driving trip was to shoot a short film.

  They didn't know each other at first, but coincidentally they met in a fast food restaurant on the way because they were both wearing SAW T-shirts, and finally embarked on the journey together because of the same interests.

  "Laila, although you saved us, we still have to remind you that it is dangerous for you to do so!" After thanking her for her help, Rob couldn't help but remind her.

  Laila smiled: "If I really thought that way, you would still be out there in the rain." "That's

  what I said." Rob probably felt that it was a bit strange for him to say this, and he touched his nose awkwardly: " I still think it's better to pay attention to safety, after all, you are a girl." It's also very cute. He didn't have the nerve to say the last sentence.

  His companion Allen also nodded: "Yes, not everyone is as harmless as us. Do you know how many terrible highway cases have happened before?" He began to tell the story.

  "Okay." Laila interrupted his more "case description" speechlessly.

  She really wanted to tell them that she was not as defenseless as they thought. At this time, she had a GPS tracker on her body. As long as she pressed a button, the police would rush to her side in the shortest possible time. Moreover, she also carries a lady's gun for self-defense. It is small and cute. The caliber may not be very large, but it can kill someone if it hits a vital point at close range.

  Allen is very talkative. In his own words, he wants to be a screenwriter and write the most terrifying stories. How can he do it if he can't even speak?
  Laila found this strange. She doesn't understand what talkativeness has to do with writing scripts. At least she doesn't like to talk much, but isn't the script still written?

  "Have you seen this T-shirt?" Allen pulled on the shirt and looked at the strange-looking doll on it with longing. "SAW is the best horror movie I've ever seen. I really don't know what the director's brain is like. Both The Witch and SAW couldn't be better." The corners of Laila's lips raised: "It's really that Okay?"

  "Of course!" Allen sat up straight and shouted as if he had been stabbed: "You don't know! I have watched the movie three times, and I will buy the CD when it comes out. You You know? I really love those mechanisms. It was such a genius idea, and the most terrifying thing is that it came true!"

  Rob nodded from behind: "Yes, that is a good movie, with great ideas. Very good shooting techniques, those mechanisms challenge the imagination."

  "Right!" Allen laughed proudly: "Rob and I met because we both wore this T-shirt, and then we decided to complete this piece together. Journey!"

  "Okay." Laila found it very interesting and laughed: "You are really two strange and interesting guys." "Is it

  weird? NO, NO!" Alan shook his index finger twice: "You women always think that people who like to watch horror movies are weird. In fact, it is not like that. Everyone needs horror movies to relieve stress. If too much stress accumulates, psychological problems will occur. If something goes wrong mentally, Bad things will happen, which will cause a lot of trouble and trauma to you and your family. But if you watch a horror movie, the stress can be dissipated by fear. A movie ticket is equivalent to hiring a psychologist for you. Doctor, it's cheap and cost-effective, isn't it?"

  This was the first time Laila heard such strange logic, and even she couldn't help but be a little stunned. She knew that the surge of adrenaline caused by fear would produce a pleasant feeling in the human body, but she did not expect that in Allen's mouth it would become a prop that could make the psychiatrist lose his job.

  She glanced at Allen's face weirdly, and after realizing that he was not joking, she sighed with emotion after a while: "Your power of association is amazing." It's not even the most amazing thing to make others believe that what you say is nothing. I also believed my own words, he was really an incredible guy.

Chapter 115 Fatal Curve (1)

  Rob covered his head, feeling like he wanted to pretend that he didn't know him.

  On the contrary, Allen took Lila's words as an affirmation for himself, and he was very happy: "Of course, I will rely on this brain to make a living in the future. One day I will also write an excellent horror movie like Lila. Script!"

  Laila was so amused that she couldn't stop laughing, because their presence made her journey more unexpectedly interesting.

  After walking for more than an hour, the highway suddenly became congested. Allen jumped out of the car and went to the front to ask, only to find out that a transport truck had overturned in front and could only stay here until it was dealt with.

  The transport truck is very large and heavy, and special machines are needed to tow it away. It is not known how long the delay will be. Seeing that it was getting late, if I wanted to find a car repair shop before dinner, I had to look for other routes.

  Laila took out the map and took a look at it, pointed to a fork in the road and suggested: "Otherwise, let's go from here. It's a little further away. It's better than being stuck here and not knowing when we can leave." The two Allens

  also Looking at the map, Rob hesitated: "The road over there is relatively remote. I don't know what the road conditions are like. Our car is still pulling behind us. If the road conditions are not good, I'm afraid it will be very troublesome." Laila thought about it and felt that he There is no reason to worry.

  "Alan, what's your opinion?"

  "Go here! Just go here!" Allen pointed to the fork in the road that Lila mentioned, with a somewhat excited expression.

  His eagerness to try made Laila and Laila wonder: "Which road have you walked on?" The only thing they can think of is that there is something on that road that attracts him. Otherwise, how could he be so happy?

  Allen chuckled twice: "I have never walked that road, but don't you think it's interesting? Because of an unexpected incident, I took a side road and then encountered something even more terrifying." Laila's The corner of his eye twitched: "Can I ask what is the more terrifying thing?" "For example, monsters, murderers, criminals hidden in the dense forest, or landslides."

  Allen opened the fingers enthusiastically . Using the finger as an example, Laila had the urge to throw a map at his face: "Can't you think of something good?" With that in mind, would she still dare to drive the car onto a side road? But why does this plot look familiar?

  Allen didn't see the weird expressions of the other two people, and kept talking: "A great idea popped up in my mind just now. What do you think of a script like this? The protagonist needs to be in a limited space. He went to work somewhere within the time limit, but encountered a similar situation like ours on the road. In order to rush for time, he had to take a detour. But it didn't matter that he took a detour, and he was killed!" Laila was stunned, and this The plot... is really familiar. Isn't it...

  She didn't speak, but Rob behind him was intrigued: "This is really a good idea. But what do you plan to let him encounter? Those monsters and criminals you mentioned?" "Otherwise. How about aliens? Capture people and conduct various horrific experiments."

  "Aliens..." Rob touched his chin: "It's okay, but unless it's a B-level movie, the cost will be too high. "Yeah."

  Allen scratched his hair: "That's right, I don't want to make a B-level movie. Without a talented director like Moran, I guess no one can make a low-cost B-level movie like Blair Witch, right?" As a director, As an ideal screenwriter, he doesn't really want his script to be positioned as a B-level movie from the beginning. Even the so-called script is basically just an idea.

  Laila was dumbfounded, why did this involve her again?

  "What do you think of werewolves?" Allen said another choice.

  Rob thought for a moment but still shook his head: "I feel that this subject is not hot enough recently. Haven't you seen the movie "An American Werewolf in Paris" that is still in theaters? It only made more than 3 million US dollars at the box office in its first week. It is estimated that it can only be obtained from CDs. I made my money back."

  Allen curled his lips: "That's not because their publishing company is too stupid. They can't fight with anyone, so they have to play against the witch. I think it's a miracle that I can get more than 3 million. Originally, I also expected that they wouldn't even get 1 million."

  "Indeed." Rob laughed twice and made another suggestion: "The criminals you just mentioned are not bad, such as the brutal murderer who escaped from prison. . He hijacked the protagonist, robbed his wallet and car, and tried to escape from the police."

  Allen pinched his chin and screwed up his face: "I always feel that there is something missing. Laila, what do you think? If it were you. , what do you hope to meet?"

  "..." Laila was speechless for a while: "I don't want to meet anyone!" She was crazy to want to meet that damn scene, has she not lived well enough?
  After hearing her answer, Allen realized what an ambiguous question he had asked, and he and Rob immediately burst into laughter.

  They burst out laughing, but they didn't know that Laila's heart was already turned upside down. Because the plot they were talking about she had seen in later generations, it was also a very famous series of horror movies - "The Turn".

  Laila doesn't particularly like this series because it's too bloody and just killing without any technical content. In her opinion, it was simply killing for the sake of killing, killing to arouse fear in the audience, and it couldn't be compared with a horror film like SAW, which can also give others some thoughts.

  But just because she doesn't like it doesn't mean others don't like it. In fact, there are quite a few people who like this movie, otherwise they wouldn't have filmed it one after another. It has even become a classic among some people who like this type of movie.

  Rob Schmidt, Alan B. McElroy... Leila thought with a slight twitch in her mouth. Aren't these two the directors and screenwriters of Fatal Bend? Unexpectedly, they met on the road, and he never expected that it was himself who inspired Allen.

  Laila shook her head in amusement, incredulous at the wonderful arrangement of fate. If she had not appeared on the road and taken them for a part of the way, there might have been another person who had given them a lift, and had also encountered a traffic jam here, and then taken a side road, giving Allen the inspiration for a fatal turn. ?

  "Laila, I'm serious. If you were going through something like this, what would scare you?" After Allen finished laughing, he asked her again seriously.

  Laila shrugged: "Probably scary-looking cannibals, or deformed people or something. A family of deformed people living in a dense forest. They enjoy hunting humans and feeding on the humans they hunt."

  She After saying that, both Allen and Rob's eyes were widened. Especially Allen, he just has the word "awesome" written in his eyes. "God! You are such a genius. When you say that, I feel terrible!"  　　

Chapter 116 Fatal Curve (2)

  Rob nodded repeatedly: "Yes, that's really scary! Think about it, the protagonist chose a fork in the road, and ended up encountering such a group of scary-looking deformed people, being chased by them, and then being killed. Eat it. I think it would be a good horror movie if it could be made."

  Laila laughed dryly. Wouldn't it be scary? That's exactly the kind of scene you'll be shooting in the future. When she watched The Turn, she also felt sick to her stomach at all the killings, but she didn't know why. The more she felt like this, the more she wanted to watch it, and she even borrowed several other movies to read.

  Maybe that's the charm of horror movies? An irresistible charm.

  Allen happily took out a notebook and wrote down his thoughts. As he wrote, he thought of another point: "Would it be too little if it was just one person? It doesn't seem interesting for a group of cannibals to round up one person." "Then

  . Let him take a few with him? How about driving a station wagon like this?"

  "Alright." Alan thought for a while and added what Rob said in his notebook.

  Laila couldn't help but speak: "If there was an accident on the highway, he should not be the only one who would choose the fork in the road, right? Or there might be other people passing by on the fork in the road." "That's right!" Alan slapped his head

  excitedly : "Why didn't I think of that? Laila, you are such a genius. It would be a pity not to become a screenwriter."

  Laila chuckled: "You will become a real screenwriter when you write this script."

  Allen said dejectedly Put down the notebook: "Even if I write the script, it will be of no use. Those film production companies will never use the notebook of a newcomer like me. Even if I am lucky enough to find someone to invest, I don't know what director will get it, and then they will revise it randomly. I can only watch."

  Laila nodded thoughtfully.

  This is the rule of Hollywood. No one is willing to hand over a large amount of money to a newbie to operate. After all, investors' money does not come with strong winds. They have only one purpose of investing, which is to make money! If they can't see the prospect of making money, how can they spend money to make movies? Did you really think it was a charity meeting?

  "It doesn't matter!" Rob suddenly patted Allen on the shoulder: "When you finish writing this script, I will be the director, and we will find someone to invest together! Your idea is so good, I believe there will always be someone willing to invest in it. It invests!"

  Allen already knew that he wanted to be a director, and they met this time because he came out to make a self-made short film.

  "Would this really be good to write?"

  Rob nodded vigorously: "Yes, trust my intuition, I think it may have great potential! If you don't believe it, you can ask Laila." "

  Really?" Alan stupidly asked Lila.

  What else could Laila say? She smiled and patted his other shoulder: "Yes, this is a good idea. I believe you will be able to find someone willing to invest." She said with a narrow wink: " There are a lot of smart people in Hollywood, and there are also a lot of people who have too much money to spend. If you search carefully, you can always find it. Ideals are a good thing, so you have to set them higher. What if you succeed?" For some reason, Allen always

  said I feel that her words are more trustworthy than Rob's. Since she said that, maybe he can really use this script to embark on the path he has longed for.

  "Laila, thank you! When I write the script, I must write your name on it!"

  Laila blinked in surprise: "I didn't do anything, how can I write my name on it?" Regardless of just adding a name, if the script is sold, the copyright will also be given to her. If she wins another award, she has every chance to win it back.

  Of course, at this time, Allen did not know how famous Fatal Turn would become in the future, nor did he know that he might lose a lot of money by saying this. But Laila knew it, and it was precisely because of her knowledge that she couldn't accept his kindness.

  "The idea you gave is such a great idea. Of course I have to write your name on it. Although it hasn't been written yet." Allen scratched his head awkwardly. Having said this, he glanced out of the car window doubtfully: "Why are we still waiting here? Do we really have to wait until the processing is completed? If we have to wait for a few hours, we should be able to get there by taking a detour, right?" "

  Laila glared at him angrily: "After you said what you just said, do you think I am still in the mood to drive the car into the side road?"

  Alan and Rob looked at each other blankly, and then Quan hugged his belly and laughed. After laughing, they gave up their intention to go to the forked road, and excitedly discussed how the protagonist would be "killed" after entering the forked road. Their cheerful look made Laila break into a cold sweat. Fortunately, no police were passing by here. Otherwise, if you heard what they said, you would probably think that they were planning a horrific murder, right?
  Fortunately, the highway was processed fairly quickly, and the road was restored to traffic that afternoon, allowing them to successfully find a car repair shop on the roadside soon after.

  "I really want to thank you for your help this time, otherwise we wouldn't know where we are now." Rob thanked Laila again and again outside the car. You must know that they stopped several cars at that time, but no car was willing to stop and give them a lift.

  "Okay." Laila waved her hand helplessly: "This is the hundred and first time you have said thank you. We are destined to meet each other. I think this is God's will." "No matter what, I still want to thank you

  . "After talking to the car repairman, Allen also came over.

  Laila smiled and was about to wave goodbye to them, but before the car started, she thought about it and took out a business card and handed it to them: "If you want to find someone to invest after you finish writing the script, just make this call. .Goodbye, my friends."

  He waved his hands sharply, and the station wagon roared away. Only two people were left holding their business cards, like two human sticks suddenly frozen in ice.

  "Hey, Rob, do you remember the witch's name?" Allen's voice was dry.

  "...Your name is Moran, right?"

  The two looked at the name on the business card and looked up at each other at the same time, as if they could know from the other person whether they were dreaming or not.

  "Laila Moran!" This name was printed on the business card, so clear that it was impossible to misread it.

  Allen covered his forehead: "What on earth am I putting in my head? I keep yelling at Laila, and I obviously admire that talented director, but I don't even recognize him when he is in front of me for so long?" "It's not you."Rob smiled bitterly: "Isn't that the same for me? Now that I think about it, when she gave those comments to your script, she was just like a genius." "Isn't that true?" Allen smashed his fists in frustration: "I should have guessed who she was when she said that. I'm afraid she is the only genius horror film director in the world!" The two of them sighed at one moment and kept talking excitedly at the other. The people in the car repair shop almost thought they were crazy. But little did they know that the two of them, who were holding their business cards tightly, had just boarded a ladder called "Laila" and were only waiting for a blockbuster success in the near future!

Chapter 117 Who can stop the witch's magic?

  Perhaps for Laila, the two future directors and screenwriters were just an encounter during her journey, but for those two people, it was undoubtedly a God-given opportunity. And their appearance also gave Laila an inspiration, an inspiration that can grow the Phoenix Company in a shorter period of time!

  Even if she had the memory of being reborn, she would never be able to mass-produce a movie no matter how hard she worked. But now the company can only rely on her. It can be said that apart from her, the company has no other way to increase its income. It's too early to expect Roy's contracted actors to bring profits to the company. At least they have to make them famous through movies first.

  Therefore, Laila felt that she could delegate the work to others. With a writer-director duo like Allen and Rob, she only had to invest a portion of the money. Anyway, she has the memory of future generations and knows which ones will lose money and which ones can make her a lot of money.

  At the same time, she still has countless excellent scripts in her mind, such as "The Grudge" and "The Ring" that Louise acquired before but never found the time to make into movies. If she can find a suitable As a director, she can find a producer or simply become a producer herself, so that the film can be released as soon as possible under her control. Produced and distributed by the company, this will allow the company to develop faster.

  You must know that she not only knows which movie can make money, but also knows which director, which screenwriter, and which actor can show off in the future!

  Using foresight to guide the company to grow is not the benefit of her rebirth!
  Just as I was thinking about it, the billboard with movie posters on the roadside passed by the car window. Laila saw that it was the poster for "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" released this week, and it was also the biggest opponent SAW would face this week.

  She said she didn't care about the box office, but how could she really not care at all? The reason she wasn't worried about this one was that she already knew it wouldn't be a hindrance.

  That's right, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is adapted from a best-selling novel for five years, and it has a first-class cast and crew. No matter where you look at it, it cannot be compared to a mere low-budget horror film.

  But is this really the case? Don't forget that Hollywood has invested heavily but lost its original capital. Just because the cast is great doesn't mean the movie is really that great, and even if the movie is great, it doesn't mean the audience will buy it.

  Speaking of which, movies are actually a gamble. You can exchange tens of thousands for a box office of more than 300 million like "Blair Witch", or you can exchange a failure of hundreds of millions of dollars for the bankruptcy of the company. It is precisely because of the coexistence of danger and the possibility of huge profits that when a genre becomes popular, there will be immediate follow-up works.

  "Give me a copy of today's Entertainer and a copy of the New York Post." Passing through a small town, Laila stopped the car and bought two copies of today's newspapers.

  I don't know if it was because of her appearance that the Entertainment Newspaper changed its historical trajectory. The influence of this newspaper today is much greater than what she knew in her previous life. The New York Post, while praising Cooper, also brought about an increase in sales. This is really incredible.

  Laila bought some food and returned to the station wagon. She first opened the Entertainment Newspaper and briefly browsed through other contents, then slowly opened the entertainment section to check out the parts she was interested in.

  "Who else can stop the witch from working her magic?" "

  Today's entertainment section headline is still very eye-catching, and it is still related to her. It seems that those guys at the Entertainment News will not stop until they squeeze out all the news value in her.

  "When we focus from SAW to Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, many people think that SAW's box office will be hit hard." "

  This movie, adapted from the best-selling novel of the same name, has already received a lot of attention before it was even released. Director Clint Eastwood won four Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director for "Unforgiven" in 1992, and also received five nominations." "Among the actors, Kevin Spai West is also an out-and-out Oscar-level figure. "Seven" and "The Usual Suspects" have made all movie fans remember this great actor. And..." The article lists

  out all the noteworthy things in the film one by one. , expresses only one meaning, and that is that the cast of this movie is too strong. It was really unlucky for SAW and Laila to encounter such a terrible opponent despite their bet.

  Laila looked at the review with a smile. She could already guess the content below without reading further. If this movie really becomes a threat to SAW, The Entertainer, as a subsidiary of the Moran Group, will only speak for SAW and try to weaken the existence of Midnight Garden of Good and Evil.

  But here they are praising the Midnight Garden of Good and Evil, which obviously shows that the war situation has stabilized and is still developing in her favor.

  Sure enough, after praising the Midnight Garden of Good and Evil, the article suddenly changed its tone.

  "Unfortunately, the 155-minute film gave us a tasteless and tasteless viewing experience." "The director's technique is too old-school, and the whole film has a dull and loose rhythm. It seems to be telling a story. But after watching it for a long time, I still don't know what it is talking about and what it is revealing. Think about "Unforgiven" which shocked us a few years ago and then look at this "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". The two are really different. Is it the work of the same director?"

  "Although the film shows a wonderful southern style and uses some real people from the incident to play the characters, the dinners again, the parties again, the chats again and again In addition to making the audience drowsy, what effect can it have?" "

  It is true that the actors in the film are impeccable, and each one plays their own role well. It is a pity that the too dull rhythm makes their performances It has become an outdated stage play."

  "This is a regrettable adaptation and a disappointing film. If anyone will be happy, maybe it is the director and fans of SAW? At least they don't have to I'm worried that SAW's box office will be hindered by this movie."

  "Is Eastwood already old, or has Hollywood become a world of young people? I really want to know, who can stop the witch? Magic? Who can stop SAW in front of a box office of 100 million?"

  The article was very provocative and heart-warming. I believe that whether you are a SAW fan or a Midnight fan, you will only feel a sense of approval after seeing it, and will not feel that the newspaper is deliberately belittling.

  Laila did not regard Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil as her opponent simply because this movie in her previous life was also marked by a dull pace. People who go to the cinema are usually young people, and these people have the least patience. Do you expect them to spend two and a half hours watching a boring movie in the cinema? hehe. It's better to wash up and go to sleep.

Chapter 118 Dumbfounded

  Midnight Garden of Good and Evil, which rushed forward with great momentum, withered under the overwhelming negative reviews from movie fans. Even the director himself did not expect to be so "criticized".

  It's not like there were no praises, at least Cooper praised this film hard for his little thoughts. It is said that it tells a profound story with pictures full of southern style. The film combines homosexuality, crime, thriller, suspense and other elements to present the complexity and humanity of love-hate entanglement to the audience.

  He also said that director Eastwood is worthy of winning the Oscar for Best Director, and the depth of the film cannot be compared to that of a small director who has made two low-budget horror films.

  And I believe no one can fail to figure out who the young director he is implicitly hinting at is. Laila put down the New York Post and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel in thought.

  According to her original plan, she would not care about awards or awards before the age of 30, and would just focus on making money first. When your wallet is bulging, you can make some award-winning films to hit the Hollywood awards season.

  Because she knew very well that her age was destined to not win any awards like Best Director. It had nothing to do with the movies she made, and it was entirely caused by the judges' outdated ideas. Among the thousands of Oscar judges, the average age is over 60 years old, and only 14% are younger than 50 years old. You can imagine what these people think of young people.

  But after seeing Cooper blindly praise Eastwood based on awards and devaluing himself as worthless, Laila felt really unhappy.

  After thinking for a while, she felt that she might have overstepped her mark. Why did she set her sights on the best director in the first place? Without the benefits of rebirth, in her previous life, even if she was daydreaming, she would not have dared to dream that she would win the Oscar for Best Director.

  The reason why she dared to express her confidence that she was bound to win the award at the age of only nineteen was because she was relying on the fact that she was a reborn person?

  In her previous life, she had endured and struggled for so long in order to be able to make movies, and she achieved her goal bit by bit in order to attract sponsorship. Although the ending was very disappointing to her, she still did it after all, right?

  So why can't she do it again in this life? It's no longer as simple as making a movie, but the ideal of winning the title of world's number one director! She has many more advantages in this life than in her previous life, so there is nothing wrong with raising her ideals to a higher level. Since Cooper is irritating her by not getting the award, let her use the trophy to smash him in the face!

  Laila balled up the newspaper and threw it aside, her ice-blue eyes flashing with unknown meaning. Just let him dance for a while. No matter how much you say to such a person, it is better to slap him in the face with actual results.

  Smiling silently, she started the car and set off again to complete her journey. While she was enjoying her happy time, SAW's second week box office results came out, once again taking the top spot in the North American weekly box office rankings with $30.54 million.

  This is an amazing result. You must know that this is already the second week, and there is a (pseudo) strong enemy Midnight Garden of Good and Evil competing for the box office. To be able to achieve such a result can be said to be a surprise to countless people. Even some film critics who were not optimistic about SAW honestly kept their mouths shut.

  Although compared to the more than 20 million in the first two days of release, the box office of 30 million is a bit sharp. But that's not entirely a problem with the quality of SAW, but Midnight Garden of Good and Evil still has some bad effects on it.

  It has an Oscar-winning director and actor, and a movie adapted from a best-selling novel for five consecutive years. These alone are enough to make many movie fans interested in watching it. Even the bosses of theaters are very optimistic about it.

  To them, SAW is just a low-budget horror film made by a nineteen-year-old girl. Perhaps Blair Witch indeed caused a movie-going craze and took over 300 million in global box office as a dark horse, but no one can guarantee that the success of the first film will be equally successful in the second film.

  Therefore, many theater owners who think they are very smart have chosen to reduce the number of SAW screens in the second week and move them to Midnight Garden of Good and Evil. Some simply signed up for only one week, preparing to keep all the screens. To Midnight, who has a lot of potential to sell.

  So SAW, which had more than 1,800 screenings when it opened, was reduced to more than 1,300 in the second week, but it still achieved an excellent result of more than 30 million US dollars.

  Theater bosses who had only signed contracts for a week were also surprised when they saw the results of the first four days. Some people couldn't help but regret it, but they still pinned their last hope on Midnight, hoping that it could inherit the impact of SAW. Earn a lot of money for them.

  The premiere of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil did earn a good 7 million. Although it is not as fierce as SAW, it is still a very impressive result in this off-season. But no one expected that the box office of the second film would drop by 50% and only take over 3.5 million, which would be accompanied by negative reviews from the audience and movie fans.

  Theater bosses were dumbfounded. Where was the promised Oscar-winning film? Why did it collapse just the next day?

  This was only the second day, and on the third day there were only a pitiful number of more than 1 million. It can be expected that this movie will only be able to earn back its cost through CDs in the future, and the box office it won may not even be enough to pay the actors and director.

  Now the theater bosses were vomiting blood, and they all cursed Midnight Garden of Good and Evil as a cheat. If they had known it was such a scam, they would have signed SAW for a few more weeks and added a few more screens even if they begged grandpa to sue grandma! But they didn't know if they were squeezed by the door, so they just changed the screen that was supposed to be reserved for SAW to midnight.

  Seeing that there were only three or two kittens in the theater at home, half of which were napping, and seeing that the theater opposite showing SAW was packed, the owners of some theater chains were really in tears.

  Unfortunately, even if they want to regret it, they are restricted by the contract they signed. They have to drink the bitter wine they brewed with their eyes closed.

  Knowing these things, Phoenix Company laughed happily for a long time. We should tell you not to sign with us!

  In just a few days, Louise received calls from many theaters, hoping to sign SAW's screening rights again. Of course she was happy to accept this. Business is business. Even if the other party had rejected them at the beginning, they would not refuse their cooperation again.

  When you can make money, work hard to make it. No one will have a grudge against money, right? But Louise didn't agree so simply. She took the opportunity to not only negotiate a good price, but also negotiated the screening of Leila's third film "The God of Death". It's a pity that there is another "Alien 4" about to be released. This movie is destined to be a hit, making theater owners more cautious when negotiating with Phoenix, otherwise Louise can win more screens.

Chapter 119 Alien 4 is coming.

  According to the trajectory of history, the big ship that crashed into the world and made the world boil with excitement will be released in North America on December 14. Although no one is optimistic about the power of that movie now, Laila is prepared not to confront it head-on and plans to release Death Comes in May 1998.

  In this way, with a few months of buffering, I believe that Titanic will not have an impact on the film. As for those who collided with it, Laila could only light a candle for them silently in her heart.

  SAW can only be regarded as average in the eyes of film critics. Horror movies have never caught their eyes anyway, and Laila doesn't care about those people's opinions at all. In the eyes of movie fans who have watched it, this movie is fully worthy of the title of classic.

  "This is the best horror movie I've ever seen!" - by Thomas

  "I've watched it three times, and I'm about to watch it for the fourth time now. Do you want to watch it with me?" - by Pudding

  "I didn't expect that I would. I will love watching horror movies so much one day, but can I see other horror movies that are as good as this?" - by Annie

  In various large and small forums, the topic surrounding SAW has never stopped. Some people who had not originally planned to go to the movie couldn't help but want to take a look after seeing the overwhelmingly positive reviews.

  In the first week, it scored 20 million in two days, and in the second week, it still scored 30 million even though the number of screens was reduced by nearly one-third. What an outstanding result!

  A horror movie with a cost of only more than 2 million has already earned more than 50 million at the box office in less than ten days. If this is not a miracle, then what can become a miracle? Blair Witch like that?

  Oh, by the way, that was also directed by Moran. Now that I think about it, she is an incredible person!

  It cannot be denied that among the one-sided praise, there are trolls sent by Laila to guide public opinion. But a good movie is a good movie, and it doesn't make it good because someone says it's good. If SAW is really a bad movie, even if a bunch of people are advocating its excellence, it will only be criticized by fans and they will be unable to hold their heads up.

  The quality of SAW makes it worthy of the praise of those trolls. When fans see the praising reviews, they will only think, "Yes, he is right" or "Yes, that movie is that great." Instead of thinking, "Are these people blind? A bad movie can make a flower come out."

  So Laila really had no shame at all when using her navy.

  While Lila continues her road trip, Alien 4 arrives!

  With the success of the previous film, many people, especially Alien fans, hope that this movie will bring something that will make them happy. Therefore, since its release date was announced, countless people who are concerned about SAW and Lila's gamble have regarded it as the biggest obstacle.

  Lila knew that although the failure of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil allowed SAW to recover some lost screens, the arrival of the aliens would cause it to lose even more. Maybe theater owners can see that SAW still has some stamina, but they would rather move more screens to Alien. After all, one has been in theaters for more than ten days, and the other is a promising debut. Everyone knows how to choose.

  Sure enough, after the second week of November passed, Alien 4 ranked first in the North American box office rankings for the new week with a box office of more than 26 million. Based on their three-day release time, this is a good result, but if you compare it with SAW, you will find something shocking in it.

  In the first week, SAW earned more than 20 million in two days, and Alien 4 earned more than 26 million in three days. But what about the cost? There are more than 2 million SAWs, and Alien 4... 70 million!
  The people who were waiting to see SAW and Lila's jokes disappeared. Those who clamored that once Alien came out, other movies would be bombed into rubbish. Those who thought that SAW and Alien were not in the same dimension at all, and there was no need to compare them at all. He honestly kept his mouth shut.

  Facts are facts. Although SAW lost the championship in the third week, it still ranked second with a box office of more than 23 million. After 20 million in the first week, 30 million in the second week and now more than 23 million in the third week, SAW's total North American box office has reached nearly 74 million, only a short distance away from the promised 100 million.

  According to the trajectory of SAW, maybe it can be won after another two weeks of screening. Even if the next two weeks are not enough, in those three weeks and four weeks, everyone can see that unless this film is suddenly and unreasonably banned, it will definitely win a box office of 100 million.

  Moreover, when the bet was made, it was not specified whether it was the North American box office or the global box office. It seems that only the North American box office is already certain to win 100 million, so what if the global box office is added? Will it set another astonishing record for a low-budget horror film with a total box office of 300 million?

  Many people suddenly remembered what Cooper repeatedly emphasized - "Miracles never happen twice."

  But now it seems that the second miracle is happening.

  As speculated by the outside world, SAW's box office performance in North America has led to distributors from other countries coming to ask for cooperation. With the experience of the last overseas release of Witch, Louise personally negotiated for some relatively large ticket warehouses, such as Europe, Japan and South Korea. Some smaller and scattered countries have been handed over to a few large companies with good issuance experience.

  If you eat meat yourself, you have to give others some soup. Phoenix is ​​still just a baby in its infancy. If several major companies join forces to suppress it, even Laila will feel a headache.

  Compared to the popularity of SAW, Alien 4 on the other side is a different situation.

  It cannot be denied that Alien 1 and 2 are both very classic movies, but in fact, starting from Alien 3, this series can already be seen going downhill. Especially in the second part, the battle part was very exciting, but the third part suddenly changed direction and returned to the state of the first part, which disappointed many fans who had hopes for Alien.

  So when Alien 3 had a production cost of 50 million and took in 56 million in North America and 159 million in the global box office, the decadence of this series was clearly visible. It is precisely because the third part has a bad look that it will be released after a lapse of 5 years.

  But no matter what, Alien is a classic series, and many fans still buy tickets and go to the theater even if they curse it.

  As usual, Laila bought two newspapers from the newsstand she passed by, wanting to see what all parties said about the aliens. Unlike the overwhelming hymn before the screening of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Alien 4 had a lot of controversy before its release. Most of these controversies come from Alien fans, who hope that the fourth film can be more exciting, but are also worried about the director's choice of the film.

  Unfortunately, their fears have come true. You may not see sharp criticism in newspapers, but if you go to relevant website forums, you will see the anger of movie fans.

  Is that director treating them like fools? Just taking a bunch of stuff that seems to be borrowed here and there, crumpled into a ball, and then forced on them and calling it a movie, aren't you really being underestimated?

Chapter 120: Chasing

  Fans and moviegoers are angry. You've been looking forward to this movie for so long and you made such a damn thing to cheat money?

  Their anger was reflected in the box office. It still managed to earn 26 million in the three-day premiere over the weekend, but it plummeted in the second week. The term "horrible" can't be more appropriate. Even though the producers had thought about the possibility of a commercial failure before, they were still devastated by the fierce and violent influx of negative reviews. In the end, they even decided to seal the series. If there is no good script and creativity, they would rather not let the series appear again.

  And this is indeed the case. It was not until 6 or 7 years later that "Aliens vs. Predator" was filmed. And that time, it wasn't very optimistic. It was released in a hurry after only four weeks of release. Although I still struggled to make a sequel, the result was only to squeeze out the residual value of Alien, and nothing particularly eye-catching came out.

  Under the obvious decline of Alien 4, SAW once again scored more than 15 million in its fourth week of release, not only firmly occupying the runner-up position at the box office for the week, but also pushing Alien 4 to third place. This achievement shocked countless people, and also made Laila's reputation as a witch spread far and wide again. Many people believe that she does have incredible magic. Otherwise, how could she repeatedly make small-budget movies exert such magical energy?

  Laila felt dumbfounded when she saw those words, but when she thought about it carefully, she seemed to have magic, a magic called rebirth. But if she was just reborn, she wouldn't be able to achieve her current achievements. The experience accumulated in her previous life and the help she received in this life finally allowed her to complete such an incredible feat.

  Hollywood is always so lively. Even during the time when Laila disappeared from Hollywood, there were so many topics about her that it almost made people feel tired.

  She has always kept a low profile, and both the media and movie fans have become accustomed to her "invisibility" behavior in hot topics. Unexpectedly, Cooper, who is exactly the opposite of her and loves to appear in the media, has actually become quiet in the past week.

  Since the last time a tabloid broke the rumor that he was "severely injured and died", although he later quickly clarified that he accidentally cut his hand and called the family doctor, many people still linked the injury to him and Laila The bet got in touch.

  When Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Alien 4 were released, Cooper used various methods to cheer them up, but when the box office of Alien 4 came out and SAW's box office reached 92 million, he...disappeared.

  His fiercely worded opinion pieces were missing from the New York Post, which appeared most often, and his impassioned voice was missing from some cooperative media outlets. Miraculously, even the paparazzi who had been guarding his door did not notice until they had been observing for several days. It was established that he had left home without knowing when.

  Being able to slip away under the noses of the paparazzi is such an admirable escape technique! When Laila saw the tabloid reports, she couldn't help but praise his skills. Those are the paparazzi, a special group with the most unique characteristics of brown sugar. Cooper can escape under their surveillance. This is simply a wonderful spy game.

  Just as Laila was sitting in the car, laughing at the news about Cooper in the tabloids, the car door was suddenly knocked twice.

  "Who's outside?" Laila alertly took out a self-defense pistol from the hidden compartment of the car.

  "It's me, Roy! Let me in quickly!"

  A familiar voice came from outside that surprised her.

  "Roy?" Laila poked her head out and saw Roy standing outside, wearing big black-framed sunglasses and an impatient look on his face. "Why are you here?"

  "You can give yourself a holiday, can't I?" Roy got into the car, threw the travel bag he was carrying into the car behind him angrily, and then sat in the passenger seat. She stretched out on the driver's seat: "This car is not bad, you really enjoy it."

  Of course Laila agreed. Can it be good? Although it was a second-hand car, Claire found someone to modify the car when she went out. From the outside, it was absolutely impossible to tell that the interior was equipped like a star-rated hotel.

  "But how did you find me?" Except for Claire, no one should know her exact location. Even if the family wanted to know, they could only ask Claire. She didn't think that anyone who knew would tell him the information.

  "Is it hard to find it? I just took the train along the road for a while, and when I got off the train I saw your car." Roy said calmly, as if he didn't care about such a trivial matter at all, but as long as he looked You can see how proud he is at this moment by looking at the corners of his mouth that can't help but turn up.

  "Okay." Laila didn't bother to ask. If she could know which road she was taking, chasing her all the way by faster means of transportation would indeed be able to catch up to her speed. "I don't care if you're on vacation, but what's the matter with you chasing me here?"

  Roy slapped his cheeks that were slightly red from running over, walked to the trunk, opened the refrigerator, and skillfully took out a Cans of chilled drinks.

  "I'm poor. I have to spend a lot of money on vacation. I don't have to spend money if I follow you." After saying that, he opened the drink and downed it in one go.

  Laila was furious. Was he taking her for granted? "I want to enjoy a road trip by myself. You can find a place to play by yourself! If you don't have money, go back and continue to complete the training tasks. By the way, how are you doing with the new projects I added for you?" Roy didn't seem to hear him.

  As she spoke, she held the bag of potato chips and snacks that she had turned out, and took the newspaper she was reading just now: "I heard you laughing like a witch outside, so you were looking at him." Laila reached out and picked up the newspaper. Take it back: "You haven't answered me yet!"

  "What? Oh, you asked me about practice." Roy stuffed a handful of potato chips into his mouth and shrugged boredly: "Don't doubt my talent, you can find it The few people who came here said that I am the most improved person they have ever seen."

  Laila raised her eyebrows and looked at him, obviously not believing it: "Are you sure?"

  "No matter how sure I am, I would lie to you for such a small thing. "?" Roy rolled his eyes at her lazily.

  Laila still stared at him like a liar. This kid's lies are more truthful than the truth. The result of superimposing his acting talent on his lying skills is that it is difficult for anyone not to be deceived by him.

  "Shall I take you to the station, or do you want to fly back?"

  "Why should I go back?" Roy gave her a wicked smile that said, "Just give up, I won't leave." "Let me tell you first, all the money I brought out this time has been used to buy tickets here. , if you don't take me in..." His eyes rolled twice, and he looked out the car window pointedly: "Do you think I can make money by begging outside with my hat in hand?"