King of Hollywood
Chapter 443 - 165: A Miraculous Box Office

Chapter 443: Chapter 165: A Miraculous Box Office

Arranging for Ayumi Hamasaki to study in Los Angeles was a trivial matter; her potential scheming—if there was any—was just as insignificant. Adrian had many other things to keep him busy. By mid-August, the prep work for "Shakespeare in Love" had mostly been completed, and after scheduling everything that needed to be done, he embarked for the United Kingdom with Gwyneth and Blanchett.

In theory, these tasks were simple, but really organizing the heap of chores was far from straightforward. For instance, during the summer blockbuster season, various movie studios released many quality productions that reaped considerable box office returns. Among them, "Air Force One," co-produced by DreamWorks and Bossworth with Harrison Ford in the lead role and serving as a not-so-subtle nod to government flattery, ranked in the forefront. To the increasingly confident Americans of those years, the image of a president battling terrorists aboard his own plane was undoubtedly an appealing spectacle.

Since Adrian had approached Spielberg to direct and produce "Jurassic Park," it was inevitable for DreamWorks and AC Media to become allies, as both were ambitious newcomers eager to carve out a significant piece of the film industry pie. Unaware that AC Media was outpacing them, DreamWorks nonetheless shared the considerable box office success of "Air Force One" with Adrian, and chose to partner with them for the sequel to "Jurassic Park." Spielberg was currently rushing production, delayed due to "Saving Private Ryan," but the film was expected to hit screens by next summer at the latest.

"It’s just a bit of profit," Adrian said casually, unconcerned. For someone who had already climbed to the top, how to share the success was the most crucial aspect, "Having ’Titanic’ this summer is more than enough."

Indeed, despite the success of various films presented by movie studios for the summer season along with significant box office earnings, they all seemed minuscule in contrast to the massive "Titanic," akin to the visual comparison when the great ship embarked on its voyage. Except for a slightly lacking promotional effort in the opening week and a dip in the third week after a peak, "Titanic" has been dominating the North American box office charts for nearly two months!

And given the still-raging popularity, this trend might well continue. While it wasn’t impossible to get a ticket after long waiting lines, every weekend saw long queues forming outside major cinemas across the United States. The North American box office promptly rocketed past the 400-million-dollar mark, with overseas receipts performing similarly. Had the international release not been slightly delayed compared to North America, the figures might have been nearing half a billion.

Thus, the global box office had already surpassed 800 million! This number was absolutely staggering. Without accounting for inflation, the highest global box office had barely reached 600 million! "Titanic" effortlessly exceeded this figure and, considering the current craze, might even break the one billion threshold! Good God, what kind of minds do Cameron and Adrian have?

Hollywood studios were either beating their chests, grinding their teeth with envy, or admiring from afar. Cameron was well known to be a madman, a tyrant who could easily spend $100 million on films like "Terminator 2" and "True Lies." It was understandable for him to burn nearly 300 million US dollars on a film production, but Adrian’s success seemed almost magical.

Although the title of Miracle Director was already known, and though everyone acknowledged his unique vision, his time in the industry was relatively short. Cameron, as surprising as he may have been, took years to secure funding for "Terminator," and another decade to establish his current status. Yet Adrian had achieved significant success from the start of his filmmaking career, rarely encountering failure in just seven years, and almost every movie he was associated with performed well. One after another, actors and directors became famous or fulfilled their dreams through his guidance.

In addition, he had joined friends to create his own media company, which had become one of Hollywood’s most promising media groups. Now, he could easily fork out nearly 300 million dollars to finance Cameron’s film without batting an eye; even the esteemed seven major studios would probably not be as generous. What was even more exasperating was that he succeeded again! The big-budget production shattered records, becoming the top-grossing film globally, and its ascent was far from over. This success felt like a slap in the face to those who had hoped to make him the butt of jokes—damn it, how did he do it?!

Among these movie studios, only 20th Century Fox was chuckling, having secured the rights to distribute and manage to snag a PG-13 rating. Merely from the 10% distribution fee, they were raking in tens of millions—an effortless gain. However, they did feel a twinge of regret; if only they could have participated in the investment, their profits would be much greater. But then again, Adrian’s 200-million-dollar investment was upfront, and only 40 million were tacked on later. Even if others wanted to invest, Adrian, who wasn’t short of cash, would likely have declined.

In any case, during the summer of ’97, not a single movie could stand tall before "Titanic." Even the European critics, keen on nitpicking, had to abandon their intentions in the face of such an enormous and still-growing box office. Yet for a certain individual, this was hardly anything noteworthy.

"Let’s talk when it doubles," Adrian casually remarked upon learning that "Titanic’s" global box office had broken the 800-million-dollar mark. Claude, drinking water to his left, nearly spat it out, while Laverne, to his right, nearly dropped her eyeballs to the floor. Even Charlize, accustomed to his mannerisms while taking notes for the meeting, couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

However, no one questioned his statement. After the unprecedented success of "Titanic," they were likely to believe anything Adrian might say—at least regarding this movie. Hence, the company continued intensively promoting the film under his direction.

"It’s still early; I deliberately chose the summer season," Adrian mumbled to himself as he looked over the numbers.

Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that up to now, he had issued Cameron ten checks, each for 5 million US dollars. Initially, he had intended to wait until the post-production stage to write a single check for 100 million and then slowly enjoy Cameron’s shocked expression, wondering if it would indeed be like what’s described in literature, his mouth agape like that of a goose egg.

However, since the morale in Cameron’s studio was currently low, Adrian decided to write a 5 million dollar check to boost his staff’s spirits, and thereafter, he simply continued issuing checks in increments of 5 million dollars.

"I really appreciate your sentiment, Ed, but if possible, can you just give it all at once?" Cameron was exasperated yet amused by the continuous flow of checks, but he couldn’t show his frustration. After all, he had voluntarily given up his own salary and bonuses, and Adrian’s willingness to pay out bonuses was already extremely generous. So, he could only say in a low and humble voice on the phone.

"Why don’t you guess whether I can drown you with checks," Adrian replied with a hearty laugh.

"...Well then, can I pay with a card? It would come with many advantages," Cameron said after a moment’s silence, causing Adrian to burst out laughing.

Apart from that, there were plenty of matters to attend to with the record company, like producing Britney’s debut album and overseeing Christina’s theme song performance. He had been preparing for years, and success was not optional. With Claude’s acquisition and consolidation, coupled with Adrian’s facilitation, the company was launching new songs and new groups with fairly good results. AC Media’s record company had managed to establish itself in the industry.

Even so, it was still only considered between a top-tier and second-tier record company, far behind the leading record labels. Although Adrian had strategic arrangements in place, his familiarity with music wasn’t as strong as with film, television, or the internet, so music plans were set last and would take a few more years to implement. If there were to be any progression in the meantime, it would depend on other means, such as the sensational debuts of Britney and Christina.

Although the newcomers or new groups launched previously weren’t hugely popular, they still had good appeal among teens, and the company had accumulated considerable experience. With the full force of Eric Norton’s efforts and Adrian’s tips from memory, there was at least an 80% chance to "recreate" Britney’s glory.

Another matter to consider, upon his arrival in the United Kingdom for simultaneous filming of two movies, was that even with the convenience of a private jet, his time in Los Angeles would be greatly reduced. Therefore, arranging dates with the ladies was important, which he couldn’t afford to neglect and had to manage as fairly as possible. Thankfully, with Charlize’s help, it seemed troublesome, but was actually quite simple to address.

"It’s because I feel this will give me a deeper understanding of their personalities," Charlize replied when Adrian asked why she showed such enthusiasm, and then she smiled slightly, "This way, I can devise targeted strategies to chase each of them away and monopolize you."

Adrian couldn’t help but respond with dry laughter, expressing himself by fiercely pressing Charlize against the thick glass windows of his office.

But none of these were the most important affairs. After entering August, Adrian had been waiting for a piece of news, and he had put off traveling until he heard it—Steve Jobs had returned to Apple and announced that he would once again ascend to the throne of Apple CEO!

However, this time was different from the last. When Jobs had been CEO of Apple previously, the company that pioneered personal computing was thriving. Now, Apple was teetering on the brink, having recently seen its stock plummet by another 30% due to strategic missteps. It was this drop that finally led to Gil Amelio’s resigned departure, and Jobs, serving as an advisor to the board, took over. As for the intricacies involved...

Many were skeptical of this genius or madman who had founded and then been ousted from Apple, with some IT magazines even mocking, "Even Jobs can’t save Apple." But Adrian knew that the share he had gotten from Jobs, along with his private investments which amounted to a total of 20% of Apple, would start appreciating within a year at most, and despite inevitable dilutions, having even 10% in five years would be an immense fortune.

From Jobs, they had acquired about 18% of Apple, which was certainly not held by Jobs himself, but rather came in exchange for AC Media’s investment of $150 million.

Almost three weeks before, Jobs visited Adrian’s office, exchanged pleasantries for a moment, and then got straight to the point, seeking investment. Initially, at a routine dinner at the White House, Adrian had expressed his optimism about Jobs returning to Apple and hinted that he might invest if the terms were appealing enough. So, Jobs came knocking.

However, it wasn’t long before Adrian’s mind began to wander. The speeches Jobs made were things Adrian had heard many times before, and repetitive listening was bound to induce fatigue. This disengagement became apparent, and Jobs instantly became slightly displeased.

"Are you listening, Ed?" he asked abruptly.

"More or less," Adrian replied with a somewhat lazy nod, but with a smile and no hint of disrespect, "Alright then, tell me, how much funding do you need, Steve?"

"Though the financial statements show $3 billion in assets, there’s not much in the way of liquid funds, about a $150 million shortfall," Jobs replied, rigidly. For a person as proud and egotistical as him, Adrian’s demeanor was hardly friendly, so he left no room to backtrack.

"$150 million?" Adrian tilted his head, thought for a moment, and without waiting for a response, agreed on the spot, "Alright, no problem, I can provide that funding."

"Really?" Jobs raised an eyebrow, somewhat incredulous.

"Really," Adrian nodded, "but it’s not my personal investment, it’s my company’s, and there’s a condition."

Jobs’ brow furrowed at once, but he gestured for Adrian to continue.

"It’s simple," Adrian said with a slight smile, "I want you to be Apple’s CEO!"

"Me?!" Jobs was slightly startled; his eyes behind the glasses lit up, "How could that be possible, you know that Amelio is now..."

"Then depose him, and get rid of anyone who might obstruct you," Adrian said unapologetically, "The Apple worth my investment is not just Apple, but a Steve Jobs who is second to none within it."

Jobs finally showed emotion. He’d heard plenty of flattery before, but this kind of flattery was new to him, and he had to admit, the feeling was quite gratifying.

"Should I say I’m honored?" he asked after moving his fingers that were clasped together.

"No, the honor is mine. Not everyone gets to witness miracles happen," Adrian’s smile remained unchanged, "Get rid of those enemies, then lead Apple out of the trough to climb higher mountains. Where you stumble, there you shall rise, right?"

He paused before adding, "To this day, the people at Pixar still miss you. Although you forced them to give up their options, John always says, despite the tight funds, you never failed to support their need for animation production funds. Although I discovered them, without your support, Pixar would not be where it is today. So, I know, I believe, you’re worth my investment."

"Ha, that’s...really exciting," Jobs couldn’t help but take a deep breath, excited despite his arrogant nature.

"And you can be assured," Adrian continued, "that we will not contest your control over Apple. As long as you are in that position, we will support you."

"So," Jobs took another deep breath, straightforwardly peeling away the pretense, "what exactly do you want?"

"Money, and collaboration," Adrian said with a small smile, "As I said, Apple will soar again in your hands. I have this premonition, and I do believe you see the future trends. It won’t take many years before our paths cross, and then we will have an even broader future."

Although Adrian had maintained a calm expression, he had been observing Jobs closely from the beginning and detected a brief contraction of Jobs’ pupils.

"Thank you for the proposal, I will seriously consider it. Please give me some time," Jobs eventually said.

Jobs agreed in the following days, especially after the contract was placed before him. Although the written word could also be overturned, it was more reliable than a verbal agreement. Of course, the contract would only be finalized once he became CEO of Apple again.

"Wait and see, Claude." After learning of Amelio’s dismissal, Adrian spoke so to Claude, who simply shrugged his shoulders without saying a word.

As before, Claude initially opposed investing in Apple, for the company’s plight was clear for all to see. But Adrian had his own unique persuasion: "Fine, then I’ll invest on my own, especially since ’Titanic’ has earned me plenty of money."

It was a response frustrating enough to make Claude roll his eyes. After hesitation and reflecting on Adrian’s previous successes, he finally agreed.

Thus, the Apple deal was essentially settled, and with all the planning Adrian had done, how could he allow any mistake? In his previous life, he had a certain understanding of Jobs, and now, with capital at hand and focus on Apple, he gathered plenty of data on that madman, then laid out several plans. His disinterest during the office conversation with Jobs was a ruse.

Still, Adrian had underestimated Steve Jobs—not that he was outmaneuvered, because his objective was indeed achieved. But on another front, Jobs’ actions took him by surprise. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)