Simon's early purchase of a mountainside mansion in Palisades overlooking Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean has become a venue for the Westeros system.

This is still true today.

It's Saturday, June 8th.

When night falls, the Malibu line on the west side, and the various affluent districts that are crossed by Sunset Boulevard on the east side, a large number of superstars, celebrities, entertainment executives begin to gather in the center of Palisad.

The main purpose of this party is to celebrate the good results of Daenerys Entertainment's related films since the start of the summer season, not only Daenerys Entertainment's self-released "Romeo and Juliet" and "Black Man", but also "The Mummy" and "Mission Impossible 2", and the relevant crews and co-studio executives have been invited.

In fact, Daenerys Entertainment's practice of including "The Mummy" and "Mission Impossible 2" in the celebration category somewhat displeased Fox and Paramount, because this seems to be tantamount to publicly announcing who is the leader of these two projects.

Although some things are facts, it is inevitable that there will be upsets.

Of course, no one from the two families raised any objections, and they all had to participate in this party very enthusiastically, after all, Hollywood now, frankly speaking, everyone has to live more or less by the face of Daenerys Entertainment.

It's okay if you don't look at it, as long as you have the ability to make a big bombshell on your own.

No one is willing to be subservient, everyone has been silently trying, but unfortunately the results are not too good, just like Warner's "Evaporation Order". Therefore, at the moment, we can only bow low and make small. After all, although Hollywood is a place for dreams, Hollywood people are very realistic.

Just like a box office week just past, from May 31 to June 6, three films related to Daenerys Entertainment directly dominated the top three on the list, and they were the only three films to have grossed more than $10 million in a week.

The first is the much-anticipated "Mission Impossible 2", which topped the weekly box office champion without suspense in the first week of the film.

In the past "Mission Impossible 2", Wu's action movie style was unanimously recognized by the media and the audience, but in terms of plot, it is generally considered to have lost the suspense and reversal essence of the opening work. In the new version of "Mission Impossible 2", although Simon used the white pigeon Wu again, he also tried his best to maintain the style of the opening series in the plot during the script creation stage.

In addition, the careful planning of the supporting cast during the initial development of the project also greatly increased the continuity of the series' story. The success of the two major comic book movie universes in two planes and planes is a testament to the tremendous effect of this continuity in maintaining the popularity of the series.

The end result also proves the correctness of these strategies.

After the premiere of "Mission Impossible 2" last week, the word-of-mouth ban was lifted, and the comprehensive media score reached an excellent score of 8.2 points.

It was more successful at the box office.

Seven days after the opening of the film, "Mission Impossible 2" earned $76.15 million at the box office in one fell swoop, becoming the film with the highest box office performance in 1996 so far.

Such a box office may not be comparable with the phenomenal DC Cinematic Universe blockbuster that broke 100 million in the first week, but it is much better than the first one. The first "Mission Impossible" released three years ago only had a box office of $46.35 million in the first week, and the cumulative amount of the first two weeks was only $75.69 million, while "Mission Impossible 2" earned $76.15 million in a week.

With the change of distribution model, although it is certain that "Mission Impossible 2" will not be able to get out of the smooth long-term line of the final $180 million local box office of the first series, there is not much suspense about the opening of $76.15 million and the film breaking 200 million locally.

On the other hand, compared with the total production and publicity cost of the first part of 100 million US dollars, the production cost of "Mission Impossible 2" is 90 million US dollars, the publicity and distribution expenditure is 40 million US dollars, and the total investment is 130 million. It is estimated that only the box office of more than 200 million US dollars in North America, coupled with the above-55% average revenue share ratio that this strong series can obtain from the theater side, will allow "Mission Impossible 2" to achieve a return on cost.

With such a result, even if it has to share the revenue with Daenerys Entertainment, the IP of "Mission Impossible" has still become a pillar series of Paramount as it did in the original time and space.

The strength of "Mission Impossible 2" has undoubtedly impacted all other movies released at the same time.

"The Mummy", which ranked second on the list, was affected by "Mission Impossible 2" in the third week of release, and the box office fell by as much as 53%, and the single-week income fell from $41.93 million in the second week of release to $19.69 million. In the first three weeks, the fantasy adventure blockbuster co-produced by Fox and Daenerys has grossed $125.16 million.

Although it is expected to be only about $150 million in China, "The Mummy" has already exceeded 100 million in two weeks before the opening of major overseas markets, and the overseas box office is expected to reach twice that of China, and in three weeks of global release, the film has recovered all $105 million of total investment in production and publicity, and has begun to generate profits.

The Mummy was developed as a series from the beginning. The debut was off to a great start, and the series became a natural pillar of Fox as well.

Immediately afterwards, the dark horse of the modern version of "Romeo and Juliet" followed "Mission Impossible 2" and "The Mummy", ranking third on the list.

In the fourth week of painting, this modern romance film adapted from a famous book loved by teenagers fell by only 29% this week when other films were hit by "Mission Impossible 2", and collected another $13.37 million, and within a month of release, the cumulative box office of this low-cost film with a production cost of only $15 million reached $89.11 million.

It is expected to enter the box office club of 100 million yuan this week.

In addition to the top three, all the other films that were still being released in the same period failed to break the 10 million box office mark in a single week.

In fourth place, Disney produced the black comedy "Eddie", a new film starring Whoopi Goldberg about a black woman who unexpectedly becomes the coach of an NBA team, which opened at the same time as "Mission: Impossible 2", with a production cost of $30 million and a box office of only $8.01 million in the first week.

With such a start, the domestic box office is at most $20 million, and black comedies obviously do not have overseas markets, and the end of the loss can be imagined.

With an investment of $40 million in "Ace Spy" and a $30 million cost in "Eddie", Disney has already planted two projects this summer, and the next look forward is only the 2D animated film "Clock Tower Stranger" on June 21 and the blockbuster "Brave Island" on July 4.

Needless to say, "The Stranger of the Clock Tower" is adapted from "Notre Dame de Paris".

"Death Island" is a project left over from Jerry Bruckheimer's brief collaboration with Disney.

The famous Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer and his partner Don Simpson signed a studio affiliation contract with Disney a few years ago, but the good times did not last long, after Vivendi acquired Disney, the French strengthened the supervision of Disney in order to avoid following in the footsteps of the Japanese to buy Colombia, and the two sides had a discord and soon parted ways.

However, "Brave Island", which was incubated during the cooperation, stayed, and Vivendi did not cut the project, but continued to work on it and served as a major hit in the summer of 1996.

"Brave Island of Death" in the original time and space is not a big hit, but it is also very successful.

This time, at least the main creative lineup of the film has changed beyond recognition. Director Michael Bay has long been recruited by Simon under Daenerys, and Nicolas Cage, one of the leading actors, has also become the leading actor in the "Mission Impossible" series, and even the producer Jerry Bruckheimer has left it, and the only original creator is left with another actor, Sean Connery.

Under such changes, it can basically be said to be another movie.

Simon didn't bother to find out more about the project, and how the market will perform in the future can only wait for the solo day holiday in early July.

At No. 5 on the list is Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Evaporation Order," which grossed $6.1 million in a single week, and the film has already left the producer, Warner Bros., without any discouragement. The cumulative box office in the four weeks of release was 73.29 million US dollars, which is not as good as the revenue of "Mission Impossible 2" in one week.

After the top five, only "Black Man" is worth mentioning.

This is another batch of small dark horses in this year's summer file, after unexpectedly exceeding 10 million in the first week, the next week under the impact of "Mission Impossible 2", it still fell by more than half, reaching 51%, and collected another $5.03 million.

The film has grossed $15.41 million at the box office in two weeks after its release in North America.

$15.41 million, compared with those box office blockbusters, it seems a bit unbeatable, but compared with "Eddie", which Disney invested $30 million but only had a box office of 8.01 million in the first week, you can understand how rare the box office results of "Black Man" are, after all, the total production and publicity cost invested by Daenerys Entertainment for "Black Man" is only $5 million. Not to mention the various comparisons between "Black Man" and "Evaporation Secret", which the media has been hyping recently, at least in terms of profits, the 'little man' from across the ocean has completely beaten the local 'big guy' in Hollywood.

When the night on the West Coast was completely overcast, Jett Lee and his Chinese-American agent, Jeremy Zhao, drove to a mansion somewhere halfway up the hill in Palisad. Noticing the reporters gathered around the gate of the mansion not far ahead, Jett Lee asked curiously, "Can they get anything like this?"

"Of course," Jeremy, who was a little nervous about being able to participate in the party, explained the joint: "If you want to be in the entertainment newspaper tomorrow, you can get off the bus in front of the gate, so that they will come up to take pictures and interviews, and both sides will take what they need, for some small stars, being able to participate in such a party is not only worth showing off, but also an opportunity to increase exposure." So, Jett, are you going to get off?"

Jett Lee quickly shook his head and said with a smile, "No. ”

Saying this, the car came to the front gate, the surrounding reporters surrounded a little, saw that the car did not stop, did not entangle, and took the initiative to retreat on both sides, the driver showed the invitation to the door, the car drove into the mansion, and soon stopped in front of another checkpoint.

This time it's much more restrictive.

The hotel dispatcher and driver were no longer allowed to enter, and the two were carefully checked by the security guard behind the reception desk through the computer, and passed through a security gate, before entering the party site along the corridor under the guidance of the welcome waiter on another floor.

Jett Lee, who has been to a lot of Hollywood parties recently, was a little surprised by this, and Jeremy, who noticed the other party's expression, took the initiative to explain, but only whispered a name: "Simon." ”

Jett Lee immediately understood.

Thinking about the young tycoon's position of power at this time is far more than just the boss of Daenerys Entertainment Group, it seems normal to do so.

The waiter took the two to the cliffside open-air party on the other side of the mansion's main villa, where many guests had already arrived and the party had already begun. Under the soft but not dim lighting, the air is filled with retro and literary jazz music, which complements this Mediterranean-style mansion.

Most people obviously don't want to miss out on such social opportunities, gathering in groups to chat, of course, there are people dancing, some people enjoying food, and there are sexy girls swimming in the pool like mermaids in the pool not far away.

Jeremy Zhao glanced over and found a bunch of faces that he wanted to get acquainted.

However, he also knew that Jett Lee had planned to bring his girlfriend this time, but he changed his mind in order to help him expand his network. The client is so righteous, he naturally will not leave the other party and only care about his own communication, after all, Jett Lee's English ability is not too fluent, and he needs a translator.

After the two big men stood outside the crowd for a short time, Jeremy spoke first, signaling to a couple of men and women who were talking not far away: "Lee, the lady over there, Linda Vargas, let's go say hello first, she is Simon's royal casting director, you will understand in the future how powerful this woman who doesn't seem to be famous outside the circle is, even the heads of the three major Hollywood agencies have to be very polite to her now." ”

Jett Lee nodded and said, "Jerry, I still need you to bother with someone to know, I don't know much about this." ”

"Of course, I'll do my best. ”

As they spoke, they took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and walked over to a man and a woman who were chatting.

Probably came to the front, because the other party was talking, the two waited for a while, and at the same time roughly heard the content of the other party's conversation.

"Jim, you know Simon doesn't like thick-lipped girls, and he takes 'Soul Shifter' very seriously, and I hope you don't think about her daughter because of Jon Walter. ”

"I promise there's nothing personal, Linda, I'll send you the audition video next week, you really deserve to see it, I think Julie has a good chance of getting at least one Oscar nomination for this role, her performance is amazing. ”

"Not next week, someone will send me the tape tomorrow, and if she's really good, I'll submit it to Simon. ”

"No problem. ”

"Another point, it's my personal reminder, Jim, don't forget, Mia is the heroine of this movie, I don't think Simon should want to see the heroine being too suppressed by the female supporting role, which is not a good thing for a movie, I hope you can put more thought on Mia. ”

"Of course I understand that Linda and Mia's self-contained gloom and wandering temperament on the verge of collapse are also very outstanding, but one thing we should all understand is that outgoing performances are more likely to attract the attention of the audience and the Oscar judges, so ......"

"You just have to put your heart into it, I'm sure Simon has thought about it, and Mia is still young enough to have enough time. ”

Taking advantage of the conversation between the two, Jeremy took the initiative to whisper to Jett Lee about the black-haired man who talked to Linda Vargas: "James Mangold, a cutting-edge director that Daenerys Entertainment has been very interested in in recent years. ”

After saying this, he noticed that the conversation between the two stopped, and Jeremy also stepped forward with Jett Lee.

Linda Vargas, apparently noticing the two, took the initiative to smile and extend her hand to Jet Lee: "Hello, Jet, nice to meet you." ”

Being able to occupy a special assistant position by Simon's side for so many years, Linda Vargas is naturally impeccable in dealing with people, from the "Black Man" project and some recent film matters that Simon has explained, Linda Vargas can feel the importance of her boss to this oriental kung fu star, so she will not be dismissive at all.

In addition, in her opinion, Jack Cheng, another person who relied on "Rush Hour" to make a name for himself in Hollywood, has recently made an almost stupid choice to work with Disney on his next new film, which is likely to lead to more resources for the Jett Lee in front of her.

After all, during this period of time, Rwanda once again challenged the French government, and some things behind the scenes are not difficult to guess at all.

There must have been some dispute between the owner and the French government.

In this case, Jack Cheng ran to cooperate with Disney, which is controlled by French capital, which is a slap in the face. Maybe the other party thinks that this is purely a business cooperation, but where there are people, there is politics, and a position is needed, and many times the ass is crooked, even if it is not intentional at all, or even contrary to my wishes, it is difficult to avoid the results that should be borne in the end.

The two sides chatted for a while and exchanged business cards, and Linda Vargas did not forget to help introduce a few words about James Mangold.

When a pair of good-looking young men and women approached, Jett Lee recognized the man as Brad Pitt, the actor of Superman Clark Kent, and the two politely nodded to each other, and both Jett Lee and James Mangold took the initiative to walk away.

Brad Boot and his girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow hugged Linda Vargus affectionately, and also opened their arms, and was glared at, so they could only reach out and shake each other, with a cynical grin on their faces: "Linda, I heard that Paul will be 15th birthday next month, do you need me to bring a few friends with me?"

Linda Vargas didn't mean to give Pete face, and refused: "No, I'll keep Paul away from you bad boys." ”

"Oh, I didn't expect me to be like this in your heart," Brad Pitt immediately covered his heart, made a few fluttering heartbeat movements, and then held it in front of Linda: "Look, it's all broken." ”

Gwyneth couldn't stand the hammer on her boyfriend, but there was a smile on her face.

Linda Vargers also smiled and gave him a blank look: "Pete, you should be more steady." ”

"I'm very steady all the time, and I only look like a little boy in front of my sister, Linda, you give me the feeling that I am my own sister. ”

"Alright, Pete, you know it's not going to work for me. ”

"Okay, okay," Brad Pitt gave up playing tricks and changed his pitiful expression in a blink of an eye: "Linda, can you give me a message, about the character in "Changing Face"." ”

Of course, Linda Vargas understood what Brad Pitt was doing just now, and shook her head without hesitation at this time: "Pete, be patient, there will be news soon." ”

Brad Pitt changed his tune: "I heard that Ed is also fighting for the role of Liam Neeson, Linda, tell me, I'm the more competitive one, right?"

Linda Vargas didn't answer, but said: "You are all artists under ICM, whether Ed Limator is fighting for the role of Liam Neeson, you should know better than me." ”

Seeing that Linda Wagers still didn't let go, Brad Pitt made a gesture of closing and bowed, "Please, Linda, or can you just let me die?"

Men lack resistance to beautiful women, and women do the same to beautiful men.

Being so entangled by Pete, after all, some things are not too top secret, Linda Vargas finally showed a helpless expression and said softly: "Pete, you should be very aware of your disadvantages, the role of Superman is too serious for your screen image, so everyone is hesitant, because of hesitation, so procrastination, this is good news for you, understand?"

Brad Pitt's eyes lit up: "Understood." ”

"So, have fun tonight. ”

After Linda Vargas finished speaking, she ignored Gwyneth Paltrow, who obviously wanted to explore something, and turned to walk towards Michael Ovitz, the head of CAA, who was not far away.

Brad Pitt put his arm around his girlfriend who subconsciously wanted to go with him, and said, "Forget it, Gwen, you won't get any useful news from Linda unless she wants to." ”

"I just wanted to ask when casting for 'Shakespeare in Love' began," said Gwyneth Paltrow, who could only give up and instead said, "Brad, did you notice the look in Linda's eyes when she just said, 'You should be more steady,' I don't think she said it casually." ”

"What do you mean?"

Gwyneth Paltrow was not so reserved after all, and could only hint: "Think again, think about it." ”

Brad Pitt decisively pretended to be stupid, and raised his hand to one place: "Over there, Stephen Sommers, we went over to say hello, maybe there will be a chance to work together in the future." ”

Gwyneth Paltrow had no choice but to follow her boyfriend's strength to the other side of the party.

With the success of "The Mummy", Stephen Sommers rose to the top of Hollywood in one fell swoop. At this time, in addition to Stephen Sommers, the heroes and heroines of "The Mummy" Fang Kilmer and Rachel Weisz are there, and there is also Kate Beckinsale, who came from the East Coast to attend the party on the weekend, and the two women are very affectionate with each other.

Brad Pitt came here with his girlfriend and noticed two scorching English roses at first sight.

But you can only see.

There are some actresses in the circle that must not be touched.

Noticing that the two approached, one of them was Brad Pitt, who was still the actor of Superman, Stephen Sommers gestured slightly, and continued to introduce his new script ideas to David Giler, the creator of the "Alien" series who was also a great help to Simon at Daenerys Entertainment.

"Imagine, David, a large cruise ship full of tourists is suddenly attacked, and countless huge tentacles reach into the cabin and swallow hundreds of tourists one by one, leaving only a few survivors. Then, another group of kidnappers who tried to hijack the ship appeared, and the two groups met and gradually discovered the truth of the matter, and they had to take the initiative to cooperate and escape from the cruise ship that had been reduced to hell under the attack of countless murderous tentacles. That's right, the story resembles a maritime version of Alien, so I think it's fitting for you to be the producer. Also, I hope Harrison Ford will play the leading role, and Ford's screen presence in recent years is a good fit for this PUBG style of film. Well...... By the way, this story, I named it "Extreme Cold". ”