King of Hollywood
Chapter 655 - 63 A Merry Christmas

Chapter 655: Chapter 63 A Merry Christmas

As previously mentioned, for a romantic film to debut during the highly competitive mid-December period, it certainly must have some exceptional qualities. Indeed, this was proven to be the case—the box office being the best evidence. On the basis of 3,000 cinemas, it garnered 10 million dollars in box office revenue in North America on its opening night. Generally speaking, the box office over the premiere weekend wouldn’t fluctuate too much, so in the end, it was likely to exceed 30 million dollars.

Though the box office results were good, the reception wasn’t quite as flattering. After all, the plot was a bit clichéd, and the only bit that dazzled the audience was Gibson’s brief experimentation with women’s products. Many film critics lavished their praise on this aspect, citing it as an embodiment of feminism or at most, commending Gibson’s acting a few times.

Keira also received a fair share of compliments. After all, she was still just a girl, and the media were quite forgiving towards her, plus she did have some distinctive qualities. As for Sophie, those guys weren’t so kind. Quite a number of critics unanimously dubbed her a perfect "vase," an allusion to her merely decorative role. Sophie was somewhat displeased but helpless.

"This role is just standard fare, without the slightest room for interpretation," Sophie sighed to Adrian.

"Don’t worry about it, dear. People will recognize your worth sooner or later," Adrian consoled her.

It’s no wonder Sophie felt this way. Monica had already secured the Oscar statuette for Best Actress, and she hadn’t even received a nomination—her last two nominations being for Best Supporting Actress. Since the 80s, other than the Caesar Award she won for ’First Kiss 2’ as the Most Promising Young Actress and the Molière Award for theater in ’91, she had no other individual accolades.

Adrian, however, wasn’t too concerned about this. He had already paved the way for Sophie’s career. All that was needed now was to execute the plan step by step. Since he had managed to secure an Oscar for Best Actress for Monica, how could he forget about Sophie? She was Juliet’s mother, wasn’t she? As long as his plans proceeded smoothly...

"Don’t dwell on these things, Sophie. You should know what the reporters are like," Adrian advised, "Look at Nancy Meyers. Even though her plots get criticized for being clichéd, she doesn’t take it to heart."

Well, Nancy Meyers didn’t care about these critiques because she never set out to make an Oscar-bait film in the first place. She and her producer husband had a broad-minded approach. Since the mid-80s, she had been directing films aimed at box office success. Because female directors have a certain flair for romance and comedy, her films almost always turned a profit, so she was able to attract more and more investments.

Now, with the box office success of ’What Women Want,’ why should she care about others’ criticism? But enough about that, and onto another matter—the high box office returns of the movie also afforded Adrian some opportunities.

Click, the door of the study room opened, with Adrian entering first, followed by Keira Knightley, who had grown taller.

Not long after the release of ’What Women Want,’ ’The Bone Collector’ also hit the theaters. The film, which was originally supposed to be released last year, was not outdated by any means. Its well-timed suspense made the entire story very engaging. Washington, despite spending most of his time bedridden and immobile, still added immensely to the film with his outstanding performance. In comparison, Monica seemed quite routine. Moreover, the pairing of an intelligent man and a courageous woman had already been seen in ’Silence of the Lambs.’ Hopkins and Judi were insurmountable peaks, so the film’s reception could only be considered above average.

Coupled with an R rating from the MPAA, it was released in only 2,500 theaters, and its opening weekend box office was just short of 20 million. However, there was no need for concern. After all, the movie had a good story, and a good story, as long as it was marketed properly, was sure to attract viewers. The North American gross of 40 million dollars in its second week said it all.

With the arrival of Christmas and New Year’s Day, the Millennium was finally about to pass, and now Adrian didn’t have to worry about how to spend these holidays at the year’s end. With more children now, such holidays were naturally prioritized for them.

This Christmas, he made a bold move. After bringing Monica, Sophie, Deva, and Juliet to the Beverly Hills mansion, he also brought over the pregnant Blanchett, as well as Gwyneth and Liv. Though somewhat surprised, Kate mostly showed a welcoming demeanor. Liv, Sarah, and Charlize were very well acquainted, and Blanchett maintained a calm attitude even during pregnancy. Gwyneth might have had her thoughts, but she didn’t let them show, and everyone got along reasonably well.

But besides that, Adrian had also brought Jessica and the three-month-old Mary, which instantly shocked everyone. Whether it was Kate, Monica, Sophie, or Blanchett, they were all almost of appropriate age when they were pregnant. But Jessica was just a little too young, wasn’t she?

"Didn’t you think to be a bit more careful at the time?" Kate knew about it but still couldn’t help but scold him.

"I think you’re being a bit too harsh, Ed." Even Sarah wasn’t on his side, and Liv naturally agreed with her.

"She’s too young, it’s not good for her." Monica felt the same way, and Sophie expressed her agreement.

"You weren’t committing a crime or anything..." Blanchett also looked suspicious.

Only Charlize, Gwyneth, and Yukie understood Adrian. Yukie always took Adrian’s word for everything and never expressed her opinion on the matter; Charlize knew the whole story and wasn’t as emotional as Kate and the others; as for Gwyneth... she thought it was normal.

Anyway, Adrian found himself being verbally attacked by the women, but thankfully Ivanka had taken a leave to go back to New York for Christmas. Otherwise, she definitely wouldn’t have missed the chance to join the united front, even if it only lasted for one night.

However, his goal had been achieved, and Jessica was quickly accepted, with her timid manner while holding Mary earning her quite a few points. For a girl dealing with obsessive-compulsive disorder and an inferiority complex, the acceptance, or complete acceptance, of others was very important. Once she became accustomed to this feeling and started coming over often, for Adrian, it couldn’t be any better.

It’s just that, even though he had anticipated most situations, there were still some he hadn’t foreseen.

"I plan on having a chat with Charli tonight, so you should look for someone else." Kate said with a slam as she closed the door.

"Sorry, I want to sleep with Monica tonight." Sophie said with a slam as she closed the door.

"Liv and I want to talk with Jess." Sarah said with a slam as she closed the door.

"Well, you know, Ed, there are some things I just can’t say no to." Gwyneth sneaked a glance at Blanchett behind her and then slammed the door shut.

"I’m sorry, Ed, I don’t dare..." Yukie looked at him with apologetic eyes, Adrian sighed, and slammed the door for her.

"It’s okay, it’s not like I can’t find a place to sleep." Standing in the empty hallway, Adrian muttered to himself, then the corner of his eye caught a small figure peeking out this way.

"Hey, darling, how about I sleep with you tonight?" He said with a grin to his daughter.

Lily tilted her head and looked at her dad for a long time before nodding, "Okay, but you have to tell me clearly why I have another sister now, and why there will be another one in a few months. Don’t try to fob me off with excuses that I wouldn’t understand—I want the truth! The truth! Do you understand, my bad daddy?"

"...Right, it’s late, darling, I need to find a room to rest, good night." (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, your support is my biggest motivation.)