Chapter 23: New Film (I)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Adrian felt disheartened. The girl was very beautiful, and she had a fine figure despite being so young, so she would definitely become a stunner in a few years. He should have signed her under his company to guide and train her, then… After all that, he enjoyed the refreshed feeling after his vent that he forgot about it.
Indeed, he vented his frustrations to her. As soon as he started explaining, he was filled with anger and his mind was full of scenes from the past. There were memories from the past Adrian’s life, as well as Zhang Haoxuan’s life experience—from a certain aspect, both of them were on the same boat.
The emotions were hidden in Adrian’s heart for a long time but were suppressed in a corner due to various reasons. As his story developed earlier, his emotions slowly released. Even though he still had a lot of pent-up frustrations, he would let go of those emotions one day.
Adrian had set plans for his first goal, but every time he reevaluated his goals, there was an inexplicable attraction that was making him prioritize his second goal as much as he did for his first. He was certain that he could achieve them, but before he did, he still had to smile at his old-fashioned uncle apologetically. As such, the contrast, and the words from the girl, triggered his explosion just now.
Nonetheless, venting was better than releasing them slowly. For all he knew, more problems would arise in the future. Besides, the fact that the girl was a stranger to him made it easier for him to talk about anything, which truly soothed his mood. He thought to himself, ‘I wonder what will happen to her. After all, I only have such a heroic spirit because I have a cheating machine. If… Forget it, I shouldn’t think about it. Who knows? She might live a better life from now on.’
The world was a very interesting place. Sometimes, one might not be able to change anything after putting in one’s utmost effort, and even when one knew what was going to happen; sometimes, a few words were enough to change one’s life.
After sighing deeply on the bench, Adrian finally collected himself. ‘In any case, my aim is Hollywood. It doesn’t matter if I missed her, besides…’ He subconsciously thought about Kate’s sexy body.
‘It’s best to savor what I have now,’ Adrian said to himself.
After his two day stay in New York, he returned to his villa in Los Angeles, where his room remained clean and neat because of Mrs. Galen’s help. He spoke to Laverne, Dennis, and Claude separately through the phone, then began working in his study.
Of course, he continued his plagiarizing work. Apart from the novel versions of ‘Resident Evil’, ‘Tomb Raider’, and ‘The Matrix’, he was also busy with his new film’s script. According to his plan, he would begin shooting it by the end of October or the beginning of November. The shooting and the post-production would take roughly 3 months, then he would send it to the Berlin Film Festival.
Anyhow, it was unquestionable that ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ would profit, and it was only natural for him to continue his victorious pursuit. Obviously, Adrian was progressing too fast, but he had no choice as he did not have much time. At times, he would complain—it would be great if he was reborn a few years earlier.
Time passed very quickly, and it was the middle of October in the blink of an eye. Adrian’s prediction of the two main viewing areas for ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ was right, whereby the box office sales in Northern America was 39 million dollars for the time being, and was over 20 million pounds in England!
The remarkable results were no doubt because he portrayed the film’s authenticity very well, and because of Laverne’s outstanding work. Although Adrian won the Best First Work award at the Venice Film Festival—it was a decent award for a new director—most Americans were uninterested in the film festival. The fact that a new American director produced a pure British-styled dark humor film could attract a big group of cut film fans, but it was simply beyond one’s power to make most Americans pay to watch it in a cinema.
Despite all that, Laverne pulled it off. He basically did everything he could. Other than focusing on the two points stated in the advertisement, he also promoted the complicated multi-narrative method used in the film. It was a useful trick as it did not cost much but was unusually effective. In the end, though only a few more than a hundred cinemas screened it in the first week, the weekend box office sales amounted to 7 million dollars! It was worth noting that the shooting cost and the miscellaneous expenses were a total of roughly 1 million dollars. Even if the final box office sales were only 7 million dollars, it would still be a profit for Adrian.
That being said, it was just the beginning. The sales for the second week was 5 million dollars, and it doubled to 16 million dollars during the weekend! By the middle third of October, there were 1500 cinemas that were screening the film, and the box office sales rose to 30 million dollars. Many directors and producers were amazed.
“It’s simple, a good film never lacks an audience.” A famous movie critic, Ronnie Gross, concluded.
Adrian was surprised when he found out. From what he remembered, the England box office sales for ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ was roughly 20 million pounds, yet his production yielded a 20 million pounds sales after it was only screened for a month. He did a conservative estimation that the sales in North America would likely exceed 40 million dollars in the end!
“I must say, dear Lave, that I gained a treasure.” In his film company’s meeting room, Adrian who sat in his armchair with his arms crossed smiled at the general manager.
“Thank you, Eddie.” Laverne nodded. “It’s the same for me too.”
“Really?” Adrian raised his brows.
“At least throughout my experiences, only one person produced a film that costs 200,000 dollars in 2 months, won the Best First Work award at the Venice Film Festival, and hit a box office sales of 30 million dollars in North America,” Laverne explained calmly.
“Ha, Lave, I didn’t know that you’re good at flattering.” Adrian laughed.
“I speak the truth.” Laverne remained his composure.
“Alright, let’s not talk about this. What do you think about my new script?” Adrian changed the topic.
“The plot is decent,” Laverne commented straightforwardly, but he added, “but the storyboard is interesting. If both are combined, I can’t make a specific judgment.”
“That’s right, the main point is the editing part. A plot is important, but the method used to portray it is equally important,” Adrian responded casually.
A knock was heard on the door, then an employee entered. “Mr. Adrian, Mr. Dennis is here.”
“Perfect, bring him in,” Adrian quickly replied.
“I’m sorry, I’m late.” Dennis appeared right away.
“It’s alright, you just moved to Westwood…” Before Adrian finished his sentence, he burst out laughing.
“Jesus, Dan, what is this?” He stood up to look at Dennis funnily.
“Is this inappropriate?” Dennis raised his hands, then pulled his tie. Even though he looked quite handsome in a suit, it gave off an awkward feeling that even Laverne who usually kept a straight face shook his head and covered his mouth.
“I was thinking to dress more formally since we’re discussing something important today,” Dennis was somewhat laughing at himself when he spoke, but he sounded helpless.
“Looks like you need to find a girlfriend.” When Dennis pulled his tie again, Adrian chuckled. “Alright, undo your tie, open your collar, and unbutton your shirt.”
“Thank you.” Dennis did not decline. He did exactly what Adrian told him to. With that, he looked more pleasing to the eye.
“I’ll introduce a few tailors to you when I’m free, and I’m sure a tailored suit will fit you much better,” Adrian mentioned.
A glimpse of a bitter smile could be seen on Dennis’ face, who then nodded. “Thank you, Eddy.”
Of course, Adrian noticed the expression. He called him over to sit down.
“Two things. The first is this.” He retrieved something from his pocket, then handed it to Dennis.
“Is this…” Dennis trembled a little when he received it.
“Is this for me?” Though he tried to sound calm, his trembling voice could still be heard.
“Relax, it’s just 500,000 dollars.” Adrian understood what Dennis felt because he obviously never received such a lump sum before. Even for ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’, he only received a remuneration of 10,000 dollars.
“But…” Dennis was puzzled.
“This is a bonus for you. Everyone has one because credits should be rewarded, right?” Adrian added, “I initially wanted to give you a million dollars, but I considered the fact that it can’t be a lot more than the others, so I reduced it to half. Alright, relax, I dare say that you’ll definitely receive more than this in the future. Think about what the movie critics said. Very outstanding! Fella, you’re famous!”
In Adrian’s version of ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’, the most praised actor was Dennis who played Eddy. Especially the part when he was dispirited after being schemed by “Hatchet” Harry in the gamble, he was remarkable.
“I understand.” Dennis took a deep breath. “Let’s talk about the second thing then, is it about the new film?”
“That’s right, I believe that you read part of the script yesterday. I need you to lose weight to around a hundred pounds in a week’s time, and Laverne will find you someone who will guide you,” Adrian replied.
“No problem.” Dennis agreed right away.
They talked about it during the Venice Film Festival, where Dennis agreed without any hesitation. After steeling himself for years, he knew what he should do at different times, thus he would not let go of this golden opportunity now. Even when many people asked to be his agent after the first film, he immediately rejected them after inquiring with Adrian. It was proven that he made the right decision!
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