Chasing Stars in Hollywood

As of this past weekend, the new "007: GoldenEye" has grossed a cumulative box office of $71.86 million over four and a half weeks.

Considering that the holiday season will end next weekend and the film's weekend box office has already dropped to a low of $5.06 million, the North American total box office for this classic spy series sequel is expected to be between $80 million and $90 million.

A North American box office exceeding $80 million is more than sufficient compared to the previous "007: Licence to Kill."

However, in light of the film's $50 million production budget and $20 million marketing costs, the North American box office performance of "007: GoldenEye" is disappointing. Even accounting for international markets, with a global box office of $200 million, the project is only breaking even.

For a classic IP with greater potential, this result is certainly not what Simon wants.

The reboot of the 007 series was a plan Simon had set before "007: GoldenEye."

However, back then, Simon had not yet fully controlled MGM, so he did not push this matter.

After Johnston became MGM's largest shareholder, it essentially meant Simon controlled the company. After all, Australia had no energy to manage Hollywood business, and agreeing to buy MGM shares was mainly at Simon's request.

If not for antitrust considerations, Simon would have been very willing to take over this batch of shares.

After buying a 30% stake in MGM, the old man had spoken, leaving the affairs here to Simon. Therefore, Simon now has enough authority to adjust the 007 series according to his ideas.

On the other hand, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the 007 series, which had always taken the Soviet Union as the imaginary enemy for thirty years, also had to change its storyline.

During the Cold War, the US-Soviet confrontation was always a popular theme in Hollywood.

Besides the 007 series, last year's box office hit "The Hunt for Red October" was similar.

However, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the US becoming the only superpower in the world, continuing to confront the Soviet Union on the big screen could hardly resonate with American audiences and those in other major overseas markets.

In Simon's memory, supermodel Cindy Crawford tried to break into Hollywood with a big-screen work "Fair Game," which told the story of a KGB agent. However, it was already 1995, and the Soviet Union no longer existed. Therefore, the untimely film ultimately failed at the box office.

The current version of "007: GoldenEye," due to being four years ahead of schedule, has a significantly different storyline, but its core still revolves around the fight against the evil Soviet Union.

Additionally, as the earliest blockbuster series, the 007 series has always attracted audiences with its many fixed tropes and grand scenes.

With the emergence of more blockbusters in recent years, especially with the rise of CGI effects, continuing to use traditional old-school production routes for the 007 series is destined to make it difficult to achieve commercial breakthroughs.

In the original timeline, the 007 films starring Pierce Brosnan inherited the old-school 007 style with fast cars, beautiful women, and suave global escapades. As a result, the four films Brosnan starred in had global box office revenues of only between $300 million and $400 million. Given the massive costs of over $100 million, such box office returns barely exceeded the cost line, making a slight profit.

It wasn't until Daniel Craig took over as 007, and the film style underwent a bold transformation, that this classic spy series achieved a global box office breakthrough of $1 billion.

In summary, change is necessary.

Since he secured the rights to SPECTRE before "007: GoldenEye," Simon plans to create a reboot series centered around SPECTRE, following the storyline of Daniel Craig's version from his memory.

To achieve this, the first step is to gain control of the 007 series.

Since its inception, the rights to 007 have changed hands several times and are now jointly owned by MGM's United Artists and the British Broccoli family. Unless both parties agree, no one can initiate the film's production independently.

In the original timeline, because of MGM's decline, the 007 series essentially became a lifeline for MGM. Even if each film couldn't make a lot of money, the cash flow it brought was enough to keep MGM afloat. Due to this, MGM had to give up too much control, allowing the Broccoli family to fully handle the series.

Now that Simon has control of MGM, he certainly won't let this situation continue.

At worst, he'll just shelve it.

Simon has enough IP resources in his hands to support MGM's revival, even without 007.

In comparison, the Broccoli family only has the 007 card. Without 007, Hollywood won't have any place for them.

C-Girl rushed to Los Angeles to attend tonight's Westeros system New Year's Eve party at Daenerys Studios.

Of course, due to the various companies being spread across the East and West coasts, tonight's event will mainly be attended by the West Coast executives.

Unlike other professional managers within the system, Claire can visit Simon in advance due to her previous identity.

After Sherry Lansing left, Claire took out the latest iCam prototype being developed by Tinkobel Company from her bag.

Handing the little guy to Deborah, Simon took the second-generation prototype, which was significantly smaller than the first-generation. Judging by its appearance, this prototype could only use smaller 2.5-inch floppy disks.

Claire watched Simon play with the prototype and said, "This is just an alternative plan for the second generation. Neil and I haven't decided whether to replace the 3.5-inch floppy disk with the 2.5-inch."

"I suggest you do it. Miniaturization is an inevitable trend. The smaller the camera, the easier it is to promote," Simon said, casually taking a photo with the camera while Deborah held the little one. "Actually, if you can make a digital camera as small as a 'card,' then you've achieved the ultimate goal."

The current card camera isn't actually the size of a card; it's just a concept compared to more professional SLR cameras.

The first-generation iCam was roughly the size of a small dictionary.

Even the second-generation prototype in Simon's hand, approximately 15cm x 10cm x 5cm, still seemed bulky compared to the card cameras Simon remembered.

Claire, having accumulated enough professional knowledge, thought for a moment and said, "To make it as small as a real card, floppy disk storage won't work. We'd need to use the latest flash memory. Additionally, the sensor and battery are big issues, and the operation too. If it really becomes a card, the existing physical buttons will need to be replaced."

Simon listened to C-Girl's random thoughts and smiled, saying, "According to Moore's Law, electronic components will become more integrated in the future, with smaller and more powerful parts. Therefore, it is possible to make electronic products extremely small. Didn't I have you apply for many 'i' series trademarks? They will definitely be useful in the future."

Claire remembered that Tinkobel also held trademarks like iPlayer and iPhone in addition to iCam. It seemed her boss had foreseen much further.

However, her current focus was on getting iCam right. Since the product was launched a few months ago, it had proven to have enough market capacity, and the explosive growth of the internet industry continued to enhance iCam's commercial prospects. In the short term, as long as the product is done well, standing firm in this increasingly competitive market with more old manufacturers joining in, she would be satisfied.

Simon indeed had a big plan, but he had no intention of rushing things.

After discussing some details with Claire, it was already lunchtime.

Although invited to lunch by Simon, Claire couldn't bring herself to sit with Simon and his wife, watching the usual hustle and bustle of the sisters in the kitchen and dining room.

Doing so would be too hated.

After diligently helping to set up lunch, Claire found an excuse to head to the maids' small dining room.

The New Year's Eve party started at 7 PM, still held on the second floor of Daenerys Studios' event center.

Besides the senior executives of the Westeros system, many politicians and celebrities from Los Angeles were invited. By 6 PM, the north and south entrances of Daenerys Studios were bustling with traffic.

Many people unconsciously realized that only Daenerys Entertainment had the strength and influence to host such a grand New Year's Eve event in Hollywood now.

Although Hollywood seemed to thrive in 1991, with record-breaking annual box office and booming ancillary industries like video tapes, a close look reveals that most of the glory was created by Daenerys Entertainment.

This is evident from the 1991 North American box office chart.

Based on last weekend's latest box office data, the top ten films of 1991 in North America were temporarily as follows:

1. "Batman: The Dark Knight," $373 million

2. "Terminator 2," $204 million

3. "The Fugitive," $183 million

4. "Toy Story," $154 million (still in theaters, expected $200 million)

5. "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," $151 million

6. "The Silence of the Lambs," $131 million

7. "City Slickers," $123 million

8. "The Addams Family," $121 million

9. "A Few Good Men," $117 million

10. "The Flash," $108 million (still in theaters, expected $250 million)

Clearly, among the top ten, only Warner Bros.' "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" and Columbia Pictures' "City Slickers" had nothing to do with Daenerys Entertainment.

The other eight were either

 co-productions between Daenerys Entertainment and other studios, films produced solely by Daenerys Entertainment, or in the case of "The Flash," a project Simon controlled and received 10% of the North American box office gross as the first producer.

Because Simon's involvement in "The Flash" wasn't too high, some factions within Time Warner had raised objections before its release, arguing that Simon was doing too little and taking too much, hoping to change this unfair revenue-sharing contract in future sequels of "The Flash" and projects like "Cyborg."

When "The Flash" opened with the year's second-highest box office and is expected to break $250 million domestically, meaning Simon could easily take $25 million, there were no more objections.

After all, no one in Hollywood can ensure a project grosses $250 million domestically.

Moreover, from the feedback of already released overseas markets, "The Flash" is expected to gross $400 million internationally, ensuring a global box office of $600 million.

Even if it can't compare to the "Batman" series and despite its $120 million investment, a global box office of $600 million, combined with concurrent merchandise sales and various post-release revenues, is enough for Time Warner to earn a substantial profit.

Who else in Hollywood has such a Midas touch?

Even if they sense that Daenerys Entertainment's continued expansion threatens the traditional power structure in Hollywood, faced with such lucrative opportunities, no one really stands in the way of Daenerys Entertainment's expansion.

Most people hope to cooperate with Daenerys Entertainment.

Moreover, Daenerys Entertainment has shown enough willingness to cooperate, not greedily taking all the benefits for itself.

When Simon and his wife arrived at the event center of the studio, the hall was already bustling.

At 7 PM, the party officially began.

Under the gaze of hundreds, Simon took the stage to deliver a New Year speech, reflecting on the past year.

1991, the beginning of the last decade of the 20th century, was a year of significant events for the Westeros system and the world.

This year began with the overwhelming Gulf War and ended with the dramatic collapse of an empire, fundamentally changing the global landscape.

This year, the Westeros system acquired MCA and Bell Atlantic, becoming a giant in Hollywood and successfully entering the traditional telecommunications industry.

This year, the first heir of the Westeros family was born.

This year, due to Simon's influence and promotion, the internet industry began its explosive growth ahead of schedule.

This year, other DC movie universe projects like "Batman: The Dark Knight" and "The Flash" succeeded again, firmly establishing a new commercial model for movies.

This year, Simon Westeros' personal wealth reached $35 billion, far surpassing anyone on the wealth list.

This year, Simon Westeros, 23 years old.

In the event hall, watching the handsome, steady yet sharp young man giving his New Year's speech, all the guests were filled with various emotions.

Many people never believe in miracles because they have never encountered them.

However, at this moment, everyone had to admit that miracles happen right beside them, embodied by the young man who began rising rapidly at the age of 18.

In this atmosphere, Simon smoothly concluded his speech: "Finally, I wish everyone a wonderful evening and a successful, healthy, and happy New Year. Thank you."

Amidst enthusiastic applause, Simon stepped down from the stage.

The celebration officially began.

The festivities continued late into the night, and at midnight, everyone began the countdown.

When the New Year bell rang, 1992 officially arrived.

After New Year's Day, while many were still enjoying the holiday, Simon, who had taken a whole month off due to Janet's childbirth, began working again.

At the beginning of the new year, the Westeros system had numerous tasks requiring Simon's attention.

Apart from the various film projects under Daenerys Entertainment needing Simon's personal oversight, the long-prepared Westeros Tower in New York would commence after the New Year. The first step was demolishing six buildings on the entire block. Many details needed Simon's personal finalization before the construction began.

This is one.

During Simon's December break, Daenerys Entertainment successfully completed the acquisition of EA for a total transaction price of $1.25 billion.

The video game industry will be a crucial business segment for Daenerys Entertainment. Even though most of the work is handled by Nancy Breal, Simon cannot completely ignore it.

This is the second.

After a year of sorting and integration, according to the initial plan, Daenerys Entertainment will undergo a second round of layoffs to reduce some departmental redundancies following the MCA merger.

This is the third.

Lastly, there's the Universal Studios Osaka project in Japan.

After prolonged negotiations with the Japanese government, the location of Universal Studios Osaka is basically confirmed, and Simon needs to personally visit Japan soon.

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