HOLLYWOOD WHAT IF

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 360

"Congratulations, Director."

"Ah? Yes, thank you."

Kazir nodded confusedly as he entered the Blue Sky Studio building. This was the first time he had been to this place, so he was confused when the security guard congratulated him. He was not even sure what the guard was congratulating him for.

'Is he talking about Pirates of the Caribbean? Or maybe The Equalizer?'

Kazir was not sure.

Both movies were making a lot of money at the box office on September 6.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl has already grossed $280.44 million at the North American box office. Overseas, the film has currently grossed more than $172 million. The worldwide box office for Pirates Of The Caribbean has now reached $452 million.

The movie was still making money internationally and its reception was mostly positive. The pirate theme was not common, but people liked Pirates Of The Caribbean.

As for The Equalizer, it grossed $170.25 million at the North American box office. The movie just had its first week of international release and made $48 million.

As for the other movies released in the same month (August) as The Equalizer, their performances were mediocre.

American Wedding, Freaky Friday, S.W.A.T. and Freddy vs. Jason, their genres and popularity were nothing compared to a CCU movie.

They couldn't compete with The Equalizer in the long run. This shows how much Grey Pictures has struck gold with their franchises. All they had to do was set the movie in the CCU universe and audiences would buy tickets just to see it.

However, Kazir was adamant that the Continental Cinematic Universe should focus solely on the action genre. He had no intention of adding drama, comedy, or romance to CCU. It would lose its appeal, Kazir felt.

'Now that I think about it, my birthday is coming up... Maybe the guard wished me a happy birthday earlier. Probably not. I know I'm famous now, but most people probably don't know when my birthday is or any other information about me.'

He turned 35 this month. He made sure to stay healthy by going to the gym. In fact, he went to the gym just an hour ago before heading to Blue Sky Studio. His physique looked amazing, but Kazir knew he was rarely getting 8 hours of sleep lately. His schedule was so packed and he was busy most of the time.

Blue Sky Studio was an American visual effects and computer animation studio based in Greenwich, Connecticut. Although the company had an office here in Los Angeles, where Kazir was currently.

Blue Sky Studio was a subsidiary of 20th Century Fox. This company was designed to compete with Pixar and DreamWorks Animation in the 3D animation industry. Hollywood knew how much money these 3D animated films made each year.

Toy Story alone, a single franchise, was worth over $1 billion based on the revenue generated, such as merchandise and movies. God knows how many Toy Story toys and merchandise Disney has sold.

Naturally, 20th Century Fox wanted a piece of that delicious pie. So Blue Sky Studio was formed.

'As I recall, Blue Sky Studio produced Rio, Robots, The Peanuts Movie, and other 3D cartoons. But their most successful franchise is Ice Age. This is also their first movie.'

Ice Age was released last year and its performance gave Blue Sky Studio and 20th Century Fox hope. The film grossed $383 million.

But compared to Pixar, the best in the business, Blue Sky Studio's animation was pale and bland. It didn't have much to say in terms of animation.

After Walt Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, Blue Sky Studio closed down miserably because Walt Disney didn't need another animation studio. Walt Disney already had Pixar and Disney Animation.

Blue Sky Studio died in 2019, along with Fox. Of course, one of the reasons for the closure of Blue Sky Studio was the lack of profit.

Only Ice Age and Rio were the famous franchises of Blue Sky Studio, unlike Pixar and DreamWorks Animation films, which had dozens of franchises to make profits.

20th Century Fox believed that Blue Sky Studio could compete with Pixar and DreamWorks Animation, but it needed to excel in other areas.

Blue Sky Studio's 3D animation was not bad, but it was not good either. The technology was improving every year, and their animation would probably catch up as the technology matured.

The reason Kazir came to this place was because of the scripts Tom Rothman wanted him to write. Everyone knew that Kazir was a talented screenwriter and his stories made money.

If Blue Sky Studio couldn't beat Pixar at animation, why not at storytelling?

Finding Nemo was a heartwarming movie... Surely Kazir could cook up something similar, right?

As a veteran of Hollywood, Kazir was also interested in the animation market. Since he had been given the opportunity to participate in Blue Sky Studio, he wanted to make sure that his participation was worthwhile.

He had "come up" with three scripts for different purposes.

The first was Wall-E. In terms of plot, this movie was comparable to Finding Nemo. It won many awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The box office was not bad either, grossing more than $500 million. Kazir liked this movie and he believed that this movie was not only for children but also for adults. No, it was actually meant for adults because of its plot alone.

As for his second script, he decided to write one of the highest grossing franchises in the animation market. Cars!

Cars, starring Lightning McQueen. This franchise grossed more than $21 billion in revenue! It had a simple plot, but the profit it generated was not so simple. Pixar struck gold with Cars.

The third was more in his forte, Kazir wrote the script for Kung Fu Panda. A 3D animated film based on a panda. It focused more on action and fighting, so boys and men would definitely like it.

Between the three, Cars and Kung Fu Panda were successful franchises that had multiple sequels. With Cars being the most profitable.

While Wall-E was more focused on novelty and prestige, it didn't have a sequel and was also the least profitable.

+++++

[Author's note: I almost suffered from a disease called procrastination. Fortunately, I persevered and updated three chapters today].

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 361


Kazir thought about it seriously and he had an idea which of the three movies Blue Sky Studio would accept.

Blue Sky Studio was a business, not a charity. Its priority was to make money. Obviously, Blue Sky Studio would prefer Kung Fu Panda and Cars for their second movie.

Wall-E seemed promising, but its profitability was too low compared to those two.

Kazir stepped into the elevator knowing how the conversation would go. He had been in the business for more than seven decades, adding his past life. At the end of the day, production studios only made movies because they needed money.

Art and passion were just the freebies, but money was the main reason there were thousands of movies being released every year. The reason why many people wanted to become actors and become famous.

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...

Carl Ludwig wiped his forehead for the nth time, quite nervous and excited. Carl Ludwig was one of the founders of Blue Sky Studio, he currently held the position of President/Producer after 20th Century Fox became interested in 3D animated movies and invested in Blue Sky Studio.

After the success of Ice Age last year, the parent company (20th Century Fox) gained confidence in Blue Sky Studio. They were willing to invest more money just to make sure that Blue Sky Studio would compete with Walt Disney and Pixar, the leading companies in the animation industry.

Last year, shocking news was released. 30% of Grey Pictures was acquired by 20th Century Fox and the two companies made sure that this venture would be profitable for both of them.

Carl Ludwig was a big fan of Kazir Grey. He loved action movies and fell in love with Kazir's filmography.

In his opinion, The Matrix, Fight Cl*b, Kill Bill and Charlie's Angels became successful because of the genre that CCU paved for them.

The greatness of realistic action stunts was realized and many studios started to follow the trend. Today, most action movies take advantage of CCU.

Speaking of CCU, it was the first of its genre to make billions at the box office. According to the estimate of Forbes magazine, the net worth of CCU was more than 20 billion dollars as of this year. This net worth would continue to grow as long as CCU continued to do its job well.

There were some rumors that some of the Big Six were planning to create their own Cinematic Universe, but there were no official announcements to support this. Though Carl knew the Big Six were salivating at the idea.

Carl Ludwig was surprised that he would be meeting Kazir today. He even has posters of his movies in his office... He hoped that Kazir would sign them.

Carl had already read the three scripts, but they were incomplete. No one wanted a data leak, much worse if Kazir's scripts were stolen.

Carl liked Wall-E and was amazed at how Kazir wrote it. He was curious how Kazir could write such an amazing plot.

But he knew that this time, Wall-E might have to be put on a pedestal. 20th Century Fox wanted to see what Blue Sky Studio could do, and the best way to show it was to make money.

Heck, they even sent Kazir here just to make sure the future of Blue Sky Studio would be positive.

His phone rang, informing him that Kazir had arrived.

Carl wiped his forehead again and put on his best friendly smile to greet the most sought-after director of the era.

"Good morning, director."

"Good morning."

As always, business meetings began with a handshake.

Kazir and Carl sat down and the director couldn't help but look around. His attention was drawn to some of the posters.

Wanted, Taken, John Wick.

Most of the posters were movies he had directed.

'Is this a way to make a good impression?' he thought to himself.

"Director, I'm actually a fan of yours. I like your movies."

"That's great to hear. Maybe I can sign your posters to show off to your guests."

"That would be nice."

The two began to talk about their plans, and their conversation turned to the scripts.

"I think Wall-E deserves to be animated, but we should wait for the right time. For now, let's focus on stable genres that kids will love. After all, they are the main audience."

Wall-E had a certain seriousness to it, and kids might be confused or not like the movie. Well, Kazir knew that as long as they followed the original version, Wall-E would do well at the box office.

"I think we should make Cars instead. I can imagine how boys would like that movie." Carl added.

"Indeed, although I think Kung Fu Panda has a chance as well." Kazir nodded.

"Director, if you don't mind, we're hoping you'll take the position of executive producer on this project. We need your talent."

"Executive producer, huh..."

Kazir was the Executive Producer of so many projects this year and next year, but he only visited the sets a few times to check on the projects.

If he became the Executive Producer for Blue Sky Studio, he might have to spend one day a week in this place.

"Of course, we will make sure that this will not affect your projects. We just want to hear your thoughts and suggestions."

"We need the approval of 20th Century Fox."

"Oh, they will accept it for sure. We are talking about you."

"You are indeed a fan, you praised me quite highly. Then I have no problem."

"That's great to hear. Then I guess we have to choose Kung Fu Panda. You're a director who specializes in the action genre, I think the chances of Kung Fu Panda being successful will be much higher now that you're going to be involved."

"I don't have a problem."

Cars was good, too, but Kazir was more confident about Kung Fu Panda because action was his forte.

"By the way, we are going to hire Dan Schneider to direct this project."

Carl was thrilled that Kazir would be involved in this project.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Dan Schneider, from Nickelodeon. He produced a lot of shows at Nickelodeon like All That, Kenan & Kel, and The Amanda Show. I'm sure he knows how to get kids' attention."

Kazir was speechless at this shocking news!

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 362


Dan Schneider. Quite a famous person in the industry. Although two decades later, his fame would turn to infamy.

You see, Dan Schneider was facing some allegations. Alleged sexual misconduct and gender discrimination, many of them underage.

Dan Schneider was a bully on set, but because of his high status at Nickelodeon, he was protected for quite some time. Until the #MeToo movement started, which was the beginning of his allegations coming out.

This sick fuck of a guy was forcing young kids to show their feet for his fetish reasons. He had a foot fetish and everyone knows it, but really, why do that to kids? Bruh.

God knows how many foot scenes there were on iCarly alone.

"Has he signed a contract yet?" Kazir inquired. He didn't feel good about Dan Schneider being the director of Kung Fu Panda, the movie might be filled with foot scenes or something.

"No, but he has expressed interest."

"I think Dan has little knowledge of how animation works. His projects at Nickelodeon are mostly live action sitcoms."

"Yeah, you have a point."

"What about Chris Wedge? I know he's responsible for Ice Age 2, but the sequel is probably 4 years away. Maybe he can spend his time on Kung Fu Panda instead."

"Let's see, we will contact Chris about that. He is also interested in meeting with you.

Chris Wedge was the director of Ice Age, and Ice Age was actually his debut as a director. He was also a voice actor, he voiced Scrat in the Ice Age series.

Scrat was the squirrel that almost destroyed the Earth several times in the Ice Age.

"Also, Dan Schneider works for Nickelodeon and Nickelodeon is owned by Paramount. We don't want a data leak."

"I understand."

The two had an agreement. Kung Fu Panda would be the project that Blue Sky Studio would focus on this time. Of course, the project had to be approved by 20th Century Fox, as they were the investors.

But considering that Kung Fu Panda was written by star screenwriter Kazir Grey, 20th Century Fox would surely approve.

Kazir subsequently left Blue Sky Studio.

Sony-Colombia was now pushing him to start production on Spider-Man 2. Most of the cast had already signed on, Kazir was just the missing link.

Spider-Man had been a huge success and Sony-Columbia wanted that again. So yeah, they might have to agree to Kazir's big salary again.

Starting this month, Salvatore raised the base salary to $30 million + 28% worldwide box office + 7% merchandise profits.

Kazir had no intention of wasting any time. He just wanted Salvatore to play a little tug of war, since Salvatore had 3% of that amount. Kazir already had a lot of money to think about. His money was in the stock market, which was just getting bigger.

Wanted 2 will be released in the last week of October, while Game of Thrones will air in November.

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"Heh, don't you believe it? That bitch keeps lying that she's Kazir's sister when she's not. What a fucking liar! Pweh!"

A female spat on the ground, close to Mara's feet.

The group of women laughed, leaving Mara in a deep, seething rage. She wanted to punch the woman and rip her hair from her scalp.

She glared at her ex-friends.

Mara continued to spread the news that her brother was Kazir Grey, and she was not lying. Unfortunately, she couldn't control the news, so then everyone misunderstood she was close to the director. She didn't have the courage to deny it, so she went with the flow instead. It made her popular, so she didn't deny it.

But the result was too bad for her.

Rumors began to circulate that Mara was Kazir's half-sister, but their relationship was non-existent. Her friends started pestering her about it, and Mara had no choice but to admit the truth.

She looked at the ugly Asian woman sitting in the distance. Mara saw the woman smiling at her and Mara felt angry. She couldn't believe that she had come to the point where the ugly flat nose could grin at her... Now everyone made fun of her.

Mara left school to tell her dear mother. She knew her mother would do anything for her. Hell, her mother would bend over backwards for Mara.

"Mom! Mom! They are making fun of me!" Mara screamed loudly, frightening the maid who was polishing Elizabeth's nails.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Elizabeth asked elegantly. She was relaxing on the sofa while the maid did her nails.

"Mom, can you believe it? My friends started to hate me. They said I'm a liar! God, I hate them so much! Mom, do something about it! Please!"

"Okay, honey. I want you to calm down and explain it to me."

Mara started to yap and tell her story.

"Mom, can you please talk to my brother to stop this bullying?"

"Honey, that might be hard. But don't worry, I have another plan. I'll make sure everything works out. I'll also find a suitable role for you."

"Really? Thank you, Mommy. You're the best!"

Mara jumped for joy.

Elizabeth smiled and decided to contact someone at Universal. An important person in Universal Pictures wanted to meet her, the guy promised him a lot. Even bigger than the careers Harold and Salvatore had given them.

"I guess it's time to find another boat, a bigger boat to sail in comfort."

She smiled. She loved(?) Kazir, but she loved her daughter the most. Mara reminded her of your young past, an innocent woman who didn't know the cruelty of the world. As her mother, she wanted to protect that innocence.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 363


"Happy Birthday, Kazir!"

Angelina hugged and kissed her boyfriend. She was happy about the small party she had prepared for him.

Kazir shrugged and sat down. A cake with his age on it, and a candle with the number 35 on it.

He knew damn well that he was getting old. But he was happy for the life he had. He had already experienced being old, and this was basically his 2nd season of turning 35.

In his past life, his 35th birthday was depressing because he spent it alone. He had no one to trust deeply, he had friends but they were more like colleagues to be precise.

His status in the industry was stagnant and there was no hope. He tried his best to contact investors to invest in his movie, knowing that his horror movies never did well at the box office.

The good thing was that he was not in debt.

He was also 35 when his father died.

'If I remember correctly, then next year was the year that Napoleon Dynamite was originally released.'

Napoleon Dynamite was released in 2004, which was the year Kazir heard the news that his father had died. He went to the funeral, but got punched by his brother instead.

This time, Kazir promised himself that tragedy wouldn't happen again. He would live a happy life.

He looked around and saw his friends with whom he had formed a bond. Now he was not alone.

Angelina knew that Kazir never liked lavish parties, so she decided to keep this one small.

However, the people who attended the party were not ordinary.

Tom Cruise was talking to Tom Rothman about a possible collaboration. 20th Century Fox was getting better and Tom's career had gotten a boost after winning the Oscars last year.

Agent Salvatore and cinematographer Rector were also invited. Unfortunately, Producer Harold couldn't make it because he was busy. However, he sent a gift, an expensive bottle of wine.

Palenque Simone and Fremont Smith also attended the party, although they were busy so they didn't stay long. The two directors were now working on their projects.

Palenque with Game of Thrones, while Fremont was looking for scripts to film. If Fremont couldn't find a script, he would write one himself. Although he was not sure he had the talent, he understood that someone like Kazir was hard to find.

It was a small group, but they were friends and acquaintances that Kazir made along the way.

His family was also in the house. Aaron and his father were there.

Kazir couldn't help but be happy to see them. Especially his father. Surely his father would stay healthy this time. Kazir begged his old man to go to the gym and work out at least twice a week.

The chances of his father having a heart attack were slim... Unless a terrible accident happened. Unexpected events like that were impossible to avoid. Perhaps one day someone would run over your car and pulled out an AK-47.

Kazir knew he was doing great. His life now compared to his past life was very different. Like black and white.

The people around him were waiting for him to blow out the candle.

He closed his eyes.

'I hope our life will continue to get better. '

He wished silently and blew out the candle. Everyone clapped and the party continued.

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September passed and the cinemas cooled down as it was not a busy month.

There were no major films released this month, which was understandable.

However, the big summer releases continued to make money despite the weak schedule.

By the end of September, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl had already grossed $296 million at the North American box office. It was on the verge of passing the $300 million mark.

Internationally, the pirate-themed films have already grossed $283 million. Combining the two box offices, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl grossed $576 million.

Everyone was surprised, but not by much. There were a lot of factors why the pirate movie was successful, such as the stunt choreography and the storytelling. Of course, having a star-studded director was also one of the factors.

Now Kazir officially broke the curse that pirate-themed movies would never make money.

"Skill Issue. Get Gud."

Those should be the best answers to Carolco Pictures and Universal Pictures, the two production studios that failed to deliver great pirate-themed movies, Water World and Cutthroat Island.

Even college professors have studied Kazir's formula for breaking the curse.

Well, if anyone was going to bring change to Hollywood, it was probably Kazir. Because he has brought so many changes.

Kazir popularized realistic action stunts.

He also started the first successful cinematic universe.

He was the first director to make two $1 billion movies in a row.

He was out of this world. Truly a director who deserved the respect of many people.

As for The Equalizer, after 60 days in theaters, it has grossed $177 million in North America and $161 million overseas. That puts The Equalizer at $338 million.

Grey Pictures was in a pretty tight spot a few months ago, but now they can breathe a little easier. 20th Century Fox has already sent them $100 million for Pirates Of The Caribbean and $70 million for The Equalizer.

The deal for both movies was that 20th Century Fox would be responsible for distribution in exchange for 25% of the box office.

25% for 20th Century Fox.

40% for Cinema Alliance.

Leaving Grey Pictures with 35% as their share. The good news, as always, was that Grey Pictures owned the copyrights to these movies and they could control how they sold their TV broadcast rights.

The DVD copies were no problem either, Grey Pictures would have the bigger profit. In the long run, DVDs were more profitable than the box office. Because Grey Pictures could sell DVDs for years to come and the profits would increase.

+++++

[See you tomorrow.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 364


"Are you excited for Wanted 2?"

"Hell yeah."

Alexa Nguyen weakly replied as she watched the movie trailer on the television.

The trailer for Wanted 2 seemed extravagant and impressive. It said that Kazir taught Fremont Smith how to make a compelling trailer by showing him his formula.

There was something about Director Grey's trailers that compelled audiences to see the movie. Since then, art professors and other directors have studied his trailers. They wanted to know how to get people excited.

As one of the members of Grey Fans and the lucky one to meet the director in person, Alexa was excited to see the movie.

She was an film art student who wanted to be an actress, so she was quite knowledgeable about movies and TV shows.

In her opinion, Wanted was the movie that paved the way for the success of the Continental Cinematic Universe.

Sure, both Taken and John Wick were released before Wanted, but Wanted was the most significant of the three franchises.

It showed the relevance of each film and made people more interested in the characters. A lot of people would buy or rent DVDs just to keep up with the plot. Especially teenagers who wanted to keep up with the trends.

Alexa dreamed of working with the famous director. She was so happy when she realized that she was one of the lucky fans to meet Kazir in person at the premiere of The Equalizer.

She stayed up all night in the theater waiting for the premiere of The Equalizer to end.

When she met the director, she realized that the guy was down-to-earth and humble... He was also damn handsome, and Alexa admitted that she had a crush on him.

Suddenly, she remembered that Kazir and Mara were supposed to be siblings. Out of curiosity, Alexa told Kazir that she was Mara's classmate.

"Director, I'm your sister's classmate. I also studied at the California Institute of the Arts."

"Sister?"

Kazir frowned slightly at first. Then he seemed to remember something. Instead of smiling, his mood turned sour.

He looked at Alexa and said.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have a sister."

"Huh?"

Alexa was stunned and realized that Kazir was not comfortable talking about it.

Fortunately, the director didn't mind and continued the meet and greet. He even treated them to a fancy dinner.

The fans were happy with the event, they received personal memorabilia, autographs and rare merchandise from Grey Pictures.

In fact, Alexa was lucky enough to get a copy of Kazir's dance.

Yes, Kazir had a clip of him dancing Napoleon Dynamite's dance steps and he nailed it. It was rare footage!

Alexa couldn't help but watch the video every week. It became her way to relax.

She was excited now, she wanted the days to go fast so that the last week of October would come. She was so eager to watch Wanted 2. She even prepared a tuxedo just for the premiere.

Black tuxedo became the uniform of Grey fans, derived from the outfit worn by John Wick.

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There were no big movies released in September, and October had a little competition.

Many studios adopted the style of releasing movies they were not sure about in October. Movies that they weren't sure could make money, but they had already invested a huge amount of money, so they couldn't let them sit on the shelves and rot.

In the first week of October, Paramount released School Of Rock. It made $19 million in its first weekend.

The second week saw the release of Mystic River, produced by Warner Brothers. It made $13 million in its first weekend.

The same week, Kill Bill: Volume 1 was released. Miramax has never been confident in competing with the Big Six in the summer, so they usually release their heavy hitters from October to December. Depending on how the company's schedule works.

Kill Bill was a famous movie, directed by a famous director in his niche, Quentin Tarantino. Obviously, the movie would show at least one foot scene...

Quentin Tarantino's filmography slowly gained popularity because his movies had something unique about them.

However, it could never be denied that his movies would have a hard time facing the mainstream genres and mainstream audiences. A lot of people appreciated his works, but his movies hardly made money at the box office. In fact, the highest grossing movie in his career was Django Unchained, which earned $426 million. To date, this movie has not been made.

Quentin currently had one successful movie at the box office and that was Pulp Fiction (1994). The audience was not sure if this so-called Kill Bill would make any money at all.

But surprisingly Kill Bill: Volume 1 actually made money. 22 million dollars on the first weekend.

Miramax saw the potential and promoted the movie, of course with the help of Walt Disney. The relationship between the two companies was getting better thanks to Harvey Weinstein and Robert Iger.

In the third week, Texas Chainsaw Massacre from New Line Cinema. This franchise had so many movies and New Line Cinema did a good job of cultivating the franchise. The budget for each movie was small, but the profit was sometimes ten times the budget.

Also, the profit from the DVD market was huge because horror movies have always been part of the movie culture. God knows how many people love to watch horror movies in their houses.

The fourth week and a lot of people were excited, to be precise, the people who were fans of CCU were excited to see Wanted 2. The movie was to be released on October 24th. But it was not that easy, Wanted had two opponents that could prevent its domination.

Scary Movie 3 was a famous parody franchise created by Miramax.

Bear Brother had a serious theme, although it was a cartoon meant for children. And yes, it was made by Walt Disney.

It was ironic that Wanted 2 was going up against Miramax and Walt Disney, two companies Grey Pictures never liked.

Everyone in Hollywood was eager to see the outcome of this competition.

++++

[I lost to procrastination yesterday after doing laundry and decided to lie on my bed all night, so yeah, you'll get three chapters tomorrow to make up for it.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 365


Miramax and Walt Disney were not stupid. The two companies knew that the fourth week of October was not a good time to release their movies, but it was something they had to do.

In the first place, the movies they were releasing were not heavy hitters. Sure, they were putting money into the movies. They were also confident that the movies would make any money at all despite the odds.

So the best thing to do was to put them in a not-so-famous schedule, or else they would just let the movies rot and waste more money.

They have to release the movies in theaters first before selling them to the DVD market, this method gave them good profits. Since people had the mentality that if a movie was released in theaters first, it meant that the movie (DVD) was worth buying.

Miramax and Walt Disney couldn't release the movies in November and December because The Matrix Revolution, The Last Samurai, and Lord of the Rings: The Return Of The King would dominate the theaters during those two months.

Unfortunately, they also understood that Wanted 2 would do the same.

Wanted was one of four films to cross the $1 billion mark at the box office.

These Brother Bear and Scary Movie 3 would be buried by Wanted 2. Walt Disney and Miramax had no choice but to accept the fact.

It was the last three months of the year and Hollywood was investing in their respective big movies like Lord Of The Rings and The Matrix to make sure they would make more money before the end of the year.

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After Wesley Gibson destroyed the Fraternity along with John Wick and the others, his name slowly gained popularity in the underground society. However, this popularity was never a good thing.

Wesley was now a criminal, he left normal society and decided to live in the world of assassins and killers.

But it was not that easy... Because he didn't know where to start and what to do.

At first it was easy because Sloan and the Fraternity were there to show him the way. He took the path of being a hitman and killing people to find and kill the "man" who killed his "father".

Everything came to nothing when he realized the truth. He avenged his real father, but now he was lost.

He didn't know what to do after everything that had happened.

John Wick suggested that he quit before he succumbed to the abyss of the underground society.

But it was too late, because Wesley Gibson was officially a wanted man. In the first, he killed a lot of people while working for the Fraternity.

Now Wesley was on the run.

But things didn't get any better.

The other members of the Fraternity who survived the destruction of the organization were now hunting Wesley for revenge.

In addition, Luke Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), a Diplomatic Security Service agent/bounty hunter, was also after him.

Luke Hobbs was a character from Fast and The Furious, played by Dwayne Johnson.

Wesley's plight was true to the title of the movie. He became a wanted man and was hunted by the authorities and criminals.

He survived the ordeal and killed his enemies. He fought Hobbs and escaped the battle with some injuries, but manageable. He successfully escaped the United States by crossing the Mexican border.

In the final chapter of the movie, Wesley's final opponent was a ninja. The ninja was looking for Raizo and knew that Wesley had information about Raizo, so he wanted to torture him to find the answer.

Despite being overpowered, Wesley won the battle. The film ended with Wesley holding his bleeding stomach as he walked forward. Unaware of his destination.

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The movie ended with that, but of course the audience never left their seats. They still waited for the post-credit scenes.

This became a standard procedure, as the post-credit scenes were usually about the sequels and the next movies that CCU would be making.

This time, Hobbs was with his team when he received important information about the missing military weapons. A small group of criminals were stealing and selling these military weapons and the authorities had no idea where to find them. These criminals disappeared, but new information surfaced. Dom Torero was found in the Middle East stealing oil tanks.

The scene ended with Hobbs smirking and the credits rolled.

Ben Affleck was the first to stand and received a standing ovation from the audience. His fame had waned after the failure of Daredevil, but Wanted 2 gave him a chance to prove himself.

Now he realized how important a stable franchise is to keep his fame. He understood how Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford and Arnold Schwarzenegger kept their popularity despite the passing of time.

These actors had franchises to star in whenever they felt they were washed up.

Ben Affleck waved his hands and walked on stage with the cast of the movie.

The audience kept clapping. They knew this movie would not disappoint them. They were looking for an action-packed movie and Wanted 2 delivered it as expected.

There have been cases where a movie has crossed $100 million in three days, but those movies were usually sequels to famous franchises... Like Wanted.

The first weekend (October 24-26) of Wanted 2 was a whopping $187.42 million.

The Big Six were not even surprised. They were expecting this amount since the last box office was over $1 billion.

Now the biggest question was does Wanted 2 have the power to surpass $1 billion?

In history, no franchise has ever made $1 billion with every movie... Unless CCU begged to differ.

As for Grey Pictures and Kazir Grey. They were not looking for anything big, as long as the movie was commercially successful, everything was fine. They were happy if the movie made over $700 million worldwide.

After all, Wanted 2 didn't have big characters like John Wick and Bryan Mills to drive ticket sales.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 366


Wanted was the Avengers of CCU, but Wanted 2 was not Avengers: Age Of Ultron.

So even if Wanted 2 was commercially successful, it would be hard for the movie to top $1 billion.

The movie didn't have any heavy characters and most of the cast was new.

Despite this fact, the second week of Wanted 2 did well at the box office. Ten days of screening made $292.62 million. An expected amount since Wanted 2's predecessor was a $1 billion movie.

As for Wanted 2's two competitors, their box office did well despite the competition. The difference in genre made up for Scary Movie 3 and Brother Bear to make money.

Walt Disney's Brother Bear earned $49.52 million.

Miramax's Scary Movie 3 grossed $77.54 million.

The winner was clear and the difference between the three movies was huge in terms of box office.

This gap would continue to grow as the days went by.

Scary Movie 3 and Brother Bear only had around 3000 theaters showing the movie while Wanted 2 surely had over 4000 theaters.

This was also one of the factors why Wanted 2 did better.

The Cinema Alliance was not stupid. The CCU movies were proven, so of course they would put more resources into Wanted 2. It is safe to say that 65% of theaters in the United States and Canada were currently showing these three movies, since the United States and Canada had the most theaters in North America.

Walt Disney and Miramax were already happy with the results and hoped that the box office would continue to grow...

However, their hopes would be dashed after ten days of steady profit.

Cinema Alliance and the Big Six had a contract that allowed Cinema Alliance to reduce the number of theaters if the movie was not doing well... They used this clause to reduce the theaters for Brother Bear and Scary Movie 3 to 2800 theaters.

Walt Disney and Miramax didn't like this one bit, but Cinema Alliance's decision was firm.

As for Wanted 2, it certainly didn't get the cut.

Instead, Cinema Alliance added the subtracted theaters to the newest movie on the market, which was The Matrix Revolutions. The final installment of the Matrix trilogy.

The movie opened in 3800 theaters in its first week.

Warner Brothers realized that they had messed up the Matrix trilogy by putting too much trust in the directors and letting them put too many philosophical views into the trilogy.

These confusing philosophical views were the clear reasons why the movie didn't live up to Warner Brothers expectations.

So in order to correct the mistakes, or at least to mitigate them, the studio decided to release the last installment in November of the same year, so that they wouldn't lose money.

On November 5th, despite its terrible reviews on IMDb, The Matrix Revolutions grossed $24.31 million on its first day.

This showed that audiences were willing to consume any content as long as it filled their time and imagination.

However, the audience who watched the movie also had the same confused faces as when they finished watching The Matrix Reloaded.

Neo running into an endless loop in a train station.

Neo goes blind.

Trinity dies.

Flying robot squids attack the last stronghold of humanity.

Neo meets some kind of machine with a big face.

Neo defeated Agent Smith.

Neo was kidnapped by the Big Face robot.

And then the world was at peace again... That was it.

The aftertaste of The Matrix Revolutions was bitter. People liked the first movie because the plot was better and there was no confusing stuff. Honestly, what the audience wanted was action and meaningless fights that brought the plot to its well-deserved conclusion. Not Neo going blind and then disappearing... Maybe Warner Brothers wanted a possible sequel? Oh surprise surprise, after almost two decades, the fourth part of The Matrix actually happened.

Anyway, the first week (November 9th) of The Matrix Revolutions grossed $83.79 million.

On the same day, Brother Bear grossed $44.02 million.

Scary Movie 3 grossed $93.05 million.

Wanted 2 also grossed $342.78 million.

.........
......
...

Wanted 2 was released in October and all the movies that Grey Pictures produced this year were released. All of them made a lot of money.

The Equalizer grossed over $450 million. Cinema Alliance has already stopped showing this movie while some overseas countries are still showing it.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl defied many people's expectations and grossed more than $600 million. The pirate-themed movie was praised by everyone and even Johnny Depp's amazing acting was recognized.

And now, Wanted 2 is also doing well at the box office.

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Palenque Simone happily raised his beer and started the party.

Game of Thrones was to be released in the last week of November, and the promotion was already underway. Fox TV kept promoting the show by saying that it was directed by Kazir Grey.

When people heard that the director was Kazir Grey, they were immediately interested. Of course they wanted to see the show.

There were only three episodes left for the crew to film. If a problem arose, they might have to reshoot some of the scenes they had already filmed.

Sometimes, if the audience didn't like the storyline, the writers and crew would have to reshoot the next episode to appease the audience.

So even though there were three episodes to shoot, the crew understood that the project was not finished until the entire season aired.

Unlike movies, which had no chance of being edited after the theatrical release, TV shows could change the plot of the next episodes depending on how the audience would react... Of course, the studio had to spend more money.

Kazir was invited to the party because his location was near the Game of Thrones set.

He missed the taste of beer, so he decided to relax a bit. The cast greeted him with the usual respect.

"This year seems kind of smooth."

He said to himself as he surveyed the party.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 367


The negotiation between Sony-Colombia and Kazir was done before November came and now he was officially the director of the Spider-Man franchise again.

Of course, he had to work with Marvel executives such as Stan Lee and Avi Arad.

Kazir already knew the two. In fact, they already formed the Marvel Studio. Intending to start a Cinematic Universe. Kazir and the others were serious about this project. Marvel Comics wanted to rise from the grave.

They were given a chance to prove themselves. Even News Corporation bled a little and bought the company, believing that Marvel Comics had a great future... Everything depends on this Cinematic Universe. They trusted that Kazir Grey would prove himself again.

Making one Cinematic Universe was already tough, but Kazir did. Making another one was also possible.

After the tug of war between Sony-Colombia and Salvatore Barlowe, Kazir's salary became $31 million + 28% worldwide box office + 7% peripheral profit.

Sony-Colombia understood that it would be hard to copy the achievements that Spider-Man created if they didn't hire Kazir Grey.

In their opinion, the biggest reason why the movie became successful was because of Kazir. His filmography was always profitable.

Kazir's movie means profitability. A director who focused more on making money than following the passion for art. That was the image that Kazir built in the industry after so many years.

"This year is smooth sailing."

Kazir couldn't help but say it. Even the negotiation regarding Spider-Man 2 ended fast. Probably because both sides wanted to start the project as soon as possible.

The audition would happen next week, the third week of November.

Most cast were already filled since the movie was a sequel, but the crew still had to look for other actors and actresses for the new role such as the villain Dr. Octopus.

While taking a mouthful of beer, Kazir's cell phone started vibrating. Indicating that someone was calling him.

It was from an unknown caller.

"Yes? That's right, this is Kazir Grey. Hm, what did you say your name again, Zack? I'm free tomorrow, you can meet me at the Grey Pictures building. I will set up a meeting for you."

The call ended and Kazir put his phone back in his pocket.

"... I guess I have to secure this contract."

Kazir knew that this director had a different filming style compared to him, this director preferred noir film... Well, Kazir also used a noir filming style when he was just starting his career but it didn't benefit him at all.

Noir films can be defined in many ways such as their serious theme, darkish lighting effects, and pessimism.

In this regard, the noir film that Kazir was talking about was the use of darkish lighting effects that made the movie depressing.

'But to be fair, some movies in the CCU can be considered noir films. Taken can be considered one, although its depressing theme was overshadowed by action, John Wick also. The upcoming projects such as Ninja Assassin surely fit the description...'

That bloody movie was really bloody. That movie would surely be R-rated.

Kazir was just waiting for the right time to start phase 2 of CCU and perhaps this upcoming director would have a chance to work with him.

So Kazir decided to contact him.

.........

......

...

Zack Snyder was sitting at the table, his shoulders were a bit tensed. He was a music director, just like Michael Bay... It was not that simple at all.

Michael Bay and Zack Snyder were actually classmates at Art Center College Of Design. It was a subject related to filmmaking.

Yet despite their same status a few years ago, Zack Snyder was left behind and decided to film music videos instead.

He was satisfied with his job but he knew that being a movie director was his biggest dream. After all, directing a movie was the highest status a director could have.

Being a music video director was the lowest.

Being a TV Show director was the middle.

While being a movie director was the most respected.

Of course Zack Snyder wanted to become one. However, he knew that it would be hard for him to do so.

Filming a movie cost a lot of money.

Even someone like Kazir Grey had to spend half a million to create Napoleon Dynamite.

Three days ago, he was contacted by someone, introducing himself as a manager at the Grey Pictures.

Zack thought that it was a scam, the manager even gave him Kazir's contact number, telling him that Kazir was interested in him.

He thought it was a scam. But he decided to call the number anyway, he was shocked when he realized that the manager was not lying.

The person on the call was indeed Kazir Grey!

That was the moment he knew that he had to take this opportunity or else he might regret it.

"Hello."

"H- Hello."

Zack stood up and shook Kazir's hand. The famous director was in front of him, in person. Something that he didn't expect to happen to him.

"You look nervous."

"Yes, yes I am."

The two started talking, there was no clear intention at first.

"What I love to do in my past time is watch horror movies or read comics."

This may look like an interview.

As for Kazir, he was not surprised that Zack loved horror movies and comics.

'I don't care what the other says, the best Zack Snyder movie is the Watchmen. Not Man Of Steel, not Justice League, and also not 300. His best movie is Watchmen.'

Kazir didn't waste any time and decided to give Zack a job. His first movie.

"It seems that I didn't make a mistake finding you. Here, take a look at this."

Kazir gave him a comic book, with the title of 300.

"300? I read this book."

Zack suddenly had an idea where this conversation could go.

"I know a company that uses blue screen. You probably heard of green and blue screen technology so I won't explain it to you. What I want is to see if you're capable of making use of this technology to your advantage."

"..."

Zack Snyder gulped hard. The fact that he was too nervous to order a drink didn't help.

"You have a month to decide. You can contact Grey Pictures if you have more to ask--"

Before Kazir could finish his sentence, Zack Snyder's phone started ringing.

Zack was surprised and apologized to Kazir.

"E-excuse me, let me take this call for a minute."

"It's fine, our meeting is done anyway. You can contact Grey Pictures if you are interested."

Kazir stood up. What he didn't know was that the person who called Zack was from Universal Pictures.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 368


Universal Pictures was looking for a director for their zombie movie titled Dawn Of The Dead.

Zombie movies were known as a staple in the movie industry. The list could reach more than one hundred once counted.

Dawn Of The Dead, was actually a remake of 1978's version with the same name.

See, since the 70s, zombie movies have been thriving. This genre might not be highly regarded in the industry but a lot of people would happily consume this content for their worth.

In the 2004's version, Universal Pictures decided to hire a new talent Zack Snyder to be the director of this movie.

This was Zack's debut movie and it was a box-office hit. The budget was only $26 million but the box office was $102 million.

The movie grossed around 4 times the production cost. That was obviously a profit. This was Zack Snyder's first success in the industry and his filmography became better after that.

Dawn Of The Dead

300

The Watchmen

Man Of Steel

Batman Vs Superman

Justice League

Of course, Zack Snyder also had flopped movies such as Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole and Sucker Punch. Overall, Zack Snyder was a talented director.

But because of Kazir's interference and his interest in Zack's filming style, the trajectory of Zack's life might have changed, for better or worse.

Zack was unresponsive when he realized that Universal Pictures and Grey Pictures were interested in him.

He was confused as to why these two famous studios were interested in him. He was just a nobody... He suddenly thought to himself if he did something that caught their attention. He was asking himself what it was exactly.

Did he do something that made them attracted to him? He didn't know.

.........

......

...

Nepo baby/babies.

To be precise, Nepotism babies. A term that was used to describe celebrities whose parents have succeeded in the same careers.

In this industry, connection was undeniably one of the biggest factors to be successful.

What was the easiest way to acquire that connection? How about being born into the family of celebrities?

There were a lot of celebrities who made it big in Hollywood because of their parents and no matter what justification they might say, people would still call them Nepo babies. Because that was the truth.

So who are these Nepo Babies anyway?

Emma Roberts. She was Julia Roberts' niece.

Nicolas Cage. His real name was actually Nicolas Coppola. His uncle was Francis Ford Coppola, the director of The Godfather.

George Clooney. His father was a famous anchorman while his aunt was also an old Hollywood star, Rosemary Clooney.

Jennifer Aniston. Her father was a famous actor.

And surprisingly, Angelina Jolie was also a Nepo baby.

Angelina's father was Jon Voight. A very famous actor in the 80s and 90s.

Mission Impossible, The Rainmaker, Enemy of the State, Zoolander, and funny enough, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. These were just some of the movies that Jon Voight participated in.

His usual roles were about an old and mature guy.

It is impossible to deny that Angelina Jolie's career was paved by her father. Angelina easily got roles in the industry because her father was a famous actor.

Kazir stepped out of the car. Yesterday's meeting with Zack Snyder had no clear ending because Zack still hasn't given him a clear answer.

Kazir and Jon Voight were not that close. Sure they met at some parties and greeted each other but their relationship remained just like that.

Angelina took Kazir to meet her parents and their opinion on the director was stale at best. Well, Kazir was better than Angelina's past relationships so that was good.

However, Kazir and Jon were not that close. Jon Voight never auditioned for his movies while Kazir never invited him to his projects.

But today, Kazir decided to take things seriously. His relationship with Angelina was getting better and he knew that having a good relationship with Angelina's father was the right decision to make.

So Kazir invited Jon Voight to play golf with him.

Kazir went in and found Jon already swinging his golf club.

"Jon, how's your day?"

"I'm doing better. How about you?"

"Well, haha, busy as always."

The two decided to not make things harder and just greeted each other with positive vibes.

Jon was doing this for his daughter while Kazir was also doing this for Angelina.

Kazir and Jon started having fun, swinging their golf clubs and walking around the golf course. They used the golf cart when traveling.

"You know Nicolas Cage, right?"

"Of course I know him, who doesn't know Nicolas Cage."

"I worked with the guy this year and he told me once that he's a fan of yours. He is interested in working with you."

"Nicolas is a nice guy."

"Oh, come on. Just tell me your opinion."

Kazir shrugged. Nicolas Cage was indeed a famous actor but his career took a nose dive in the next decades. He never had a profitable movie since Ghost Rider.

Being a director, Kazir didn't want to hire an actor that could possibly affect his win streak...

Besides, he knew that Nicolas was scammed by his financial advisor and lost a lot of money.

'... Now I suddenly felt terrible. Perhaps if I have a chance, I can work with Nicolas. He is a great guy after all.'

Now that Kazir confirmed that Nicolas and Jon had a movie together, he realized that the movie they were working on was National Treasure.

A movie invested by Walt Disney.

The two spent the day playing golf like it was the best sport in the world.

When time hit 4 pm, it was time to say their goodbye.

"Kazir, take care of Angelina. I know she's a bit childish sometimes but she's a good girl."

"I will, sir. I'll take care of her."

Kazir smiled and promised.

One of the reasons why he wanted to form a bond with Jon Voight was that he wanted to propose to Angelina.

It was still a plan and nothing tangible, he still hadn't even bought an engagement ring to propose.

This was all for the assurance that Jon Voight would agree and give him the blessing to marry Angelina.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 369


Late October to December was the second most busy time for Hollywood. If the summer season was the best schedule to release big movies, then November and December were usually the second choice.

However, it didn't mean that the movies released these months were mediocre. No matter what people say, it is true that Hollywood produces the best movies all around the year.

In November, seven movies surpassed $100 million, showing that this month was a profitable schedule to release movies.

The number one spot this month was naturally taken by The Matrix Revolutions, which at the end of the month, grossed more than $133 million. Many expect that this movie will surpass $400 million, at least.

With the right decision that Warner Brothers did to recoup possible losses, the Matrix trilogy made money.

Other movies were also released this month such as Elf, starring Will Ferrell. Love Actually, starring Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, and Keira Knightley.

Overall, the results of movies released in November were within the expectations. The cost of movie tickets went up to 7 dollars, compared to 5 dollars a few years ago. This amount was still acceptable and the number of people who watched movies in theaters just kept increasing. Added the fact that theaters were also increasing.

This year, a 3D theater first screened James Cameron's documentary of Titanic. A tour of the ship's wreckage. James also used this technology to improve his upcoming project which was Avatar.

There was also news that IMAX's technology would open its door to Hollywood.

The history of Cinema was getting better since the technology was evolving.

Knowing the future it brought, Kazir contacted 3D and IMAX regarding a possible collaboration. 20th Century Fox was also interested in participating in this endeavor, but their stance was normal.

Hollywood still doesn't understand the power of 3D and IMAX technology.

Even though movies were the main theme of Hollywood, TV Shows and other programs meant for Television were also striving. Hollywood and Showbiz were two words that would always be together.

Showbiz, or to be precise, Show business perfectly describes the entertainment industry. At the end of the day, the entertainment industry was blossoming because it produced huge profits.

If movies rely more on tickets, DVDs, and broadcast rights to make money. Then TV Shows were mostly dependent on advertisement and broadcast rights, especially if it was on a free channel.

30-second Ads could cost $100 thousand on a television network. This was just the minimum, if the commercial was aired in prime time schedule(8 pm to 10 pm), this amount could be doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled.

Let's not forget that a Superbowl Ad cost more than $2 million as of 2003. ABC got the broadcasting rights this year and they were making money out of it.

These were just the free network channels.

As for subscription basis/services such as Netflix, HBO, and Cables, the TV Shows would get money from subscription fees and commercials, of course.

This month, Fox TV announced a new TV Show and the network clearly put importance on this project because the network was promoting it almost every hour.

This show was produced by Grey Pictures, a studio that getting recognized more by each day. Also, Fox TV promoted that the first five episodes of this TV Show were directed by the famous director Kazir Grey.

Billboards of Game Of Thrones were almost everywhere. Despite having a clause that Game Of Thrones would have two pilot episodes, it seemed that Fox TV was confident that the show wouldn't be axed... For at least a season.

Gail Berman, the current president of FOX/Fox Broadcasting Company, already watched the first five episodes and the guy was intrigued. The president was confident that the show would do well in their network.

Even Tom Rothman watched the show and he didn't have anything bad to say. He also read the script for season one so he decided to trust Grey Pictures regarding their first step in making TV shows.

After many meetings and suggestions, FOX agreed to give the best time slot for Game Of Thrones, which was 9 PM Friday.

Fox TV was still a new network compared to ABC and CBS so the management was more direct. Both Tom Rothman and Gail Berman agreed to give this time slot to Game Of Thrones to test the water.

.........

......

...

November 28, 2003. Friday.

Jane and Wallace cuddled up on the sofa, with a blanket on them. They were holding a can of beer, cozying up against each other's skin.

Jane looked at the clock and knew that their show was starting at any moment.

"After this commercial, Game Of Thrones will officially start." She smiled with a hint of excitement.

Being the head of the makeup team, Jane spent time on the cast's appearance to make sure that they were genuine characters/people in a medieval period.

She took pride in her job and watching her creation on the screen was something she would be always proud about.

Wallace was next to her, patiently waiting. The couple promised to watch the show together... He actually asked Jane about the plot but his girlfriend just gave her a mischievous smile, telling him to read the novels instead if he was curious.

Well, this TV Show was also a method to advertise the books that George R. R. Martin wrote, A Song Of Ice And Fire.

"Oh, it's starting!"

[A group of people slowly entered the cave on their horses. They reached the snowy forest. One of the horse riders found something gory, it was corpses set in the ground that formed a unique symbol.]

The opening scene of Game Of Thrones caught Wallace's attention and glanced at his girlfriend. Jane just smirked... She also didn't know what the symbol meant.

Actually, nobody knows what it meant. Not even in the books because the story was still incomplete even after two decades.

Nobody knows what the White Walkers and this unique symbol implied... Sad. George R.R. Martin is also suffering from procrastination, just like the author of Hollywood What If.

+++++

[Three chapters today.]

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 370


Viewership rating was a way to determine how the TV Shows performed. Nielsen Media Research was the company responsible for rating TV Shows. It was called Nielsen ratings for a reason.

Nielsen Media Research used Statistical Sampling to rate shows. Around 20 thousand households were part of the sample for the national rating estimates. Although this number was small compared to the overall 120 million homes with TVs in the US, it was enough to determine what TV Shows families wanted to watch.

Fox TV contacted Nielsen Media Research to keep an eye on the statistics regarding Game Of Thrones.

A room filled with executives and important people in the company was all waiting for the results. Palenque Simone was also staying and waiting for the results. He was the representative of the Game Of Thrones in the room.

If the rating was promising, Palenque understood that his career would officially start as a director. TV Directors might be a level lower than film directors but a respectable job nonetheless. Besides, being a TV Director also had a great salary. Sometimes even better than film directors who were tight on production budgets.

Kazir Grey and Tom Rothman didn't attend the waiting game because they were busy. Of course, with one call they could easily know the performance of Game Of Thrones.

The first episode was still ongoing and Palenque Simone was squeezing his hands hard, praying to every deity he knew.

In his opinion, Game Of Thrones would do well, but his opinion didn't matter. Numbers does.

If numbers didn't work in their favor, then Game Of Thrones would be affected badly. Perhaps Fox TV might not give them the chance to broadcast the third episode which would be scheduled next week, Friday.

A few minutes after some talking with Nielsen Media Research, the rating for the first 20 minutes of the first episode was sent.

Palenque gulped and waited for the results. Now he realized why Fremont was losing hair... This job was not that easy at all, Palenque felt like he wanted to pull his hair because the intense pressure was killing him.

The peak rating was 19.16 viewership, which meant that around 23 million houses were watching the first episode at the same time!

Then it steadied at 16.62. It showed that around 20 million televisions were on Fox TV!

Hearing the results, Palenque sighed in relief. He felt like the heavy boulder on his shoulder shattered to pieces.

People started congratulating him for obvious reasons. Even though this was just the start of the show and this rating might go for a nosedive it was still better than what they expected.

This showed that Game Of Thrones had what it takes to be one of the best shows this year. As long as the show could maintain this rating, money would come their way to their pockets.

.........

......

...

"That's great to hear. Yes, I'm also watching it right now. I have popcorn on my side. Thanks, keep up the good work. We'll see each other tomorrow."

Kazir talked to Palenque who kept thanking him. He shared the good news with Kazir and the famous director kinda expected the results. After all, he knew that Game Of Thrones was one of the best TV Shows of all time... Except for the last season.

Anyway, Kazir was sitting alone on his sofa. Watching the show on a 50-inch flat screen. Angelina had a commercial shooting tonight so she couldn't watch the show live. Although she promised that she would watch it later.

TV Shows might not be profitable compared to movies but it was still good money. There were a lot of ways to make money with TV Shows. Commercials, selling Broadcasting Rights to foreign countries, and even selling DVDs were making heaps of profits. And this was a steady income that the company could enjoy. TV Shows had a longer run so the money would keep coming.

NCIS had more than 20 seasons and makes money up to date. And this TV Franchise even had other versions such as NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, and a lot more. Obviously, these shows won't keep producing episodes if they are not making profits.

Another example was Friends, a famous TV Show. The show has generated an estimated $1.4 billion in earnings for its cast and creators since its 1994 debut and $4.8 billion for its production company, Warner Brothers. I repeat, these were earnings.

Nobody hates steady income, not Kazir, and surely not Grey Pictures. As long as everyone was making money and the amount was huge, then everyone was happy.

Then, unexpectedly, Kazir received another call. It was from Emilia Clarke...

Kazir raised his brow and answered the call. He already had an idea why the actress wanted to call him.

"Um, director, I want to say thank you for hiring me. I'm just a young actress with no credentials but you still cast me in this show. Thank you. I'm indebted to you."

"Well, don't ask for a huge salary increase next season. That's the best way to settle your debt to me."

"..."

"Haha, of course I'm just joking. We will never agree to unreasonable requests anyway."

"..."

The two talked for a few minutes before they ended their conversation.

Kazir returned his focus to the show. The first episode ended, and the second episode premiered a few minutes later.

Tomorrow, he would receive a copy of the data regarding Game Of Thrones. The viewership rating never went down to 19 million, it was a huge success that even Fox TV gave the show the go-signal to make a full season.

The network promised that the show would be broadcast on a prime-time schedule and the network would promote the show at full capacity.

The cast and the crew of the show were obviously happy by this fact and worked hard for a better future. Especially the newbie actors and actresses that were cast in this show. They understood that this was the chance they have to acquire.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 371


"The show last night was amazing. I already watched it twice but it still gives me chills. I feel like I'm watching a movie!"

"Of course, we are talking about Director Grey. He is the best director of all time!"

Film students had conversations in the cafeteria while having their lunch. Game Of Thrones had a replay last night and the rating was positive, ranging to 15.27 viewership.

"I heard that the viewership rating was high."

"What's the rating?"

"I think 15.27 or something."

"... So what does that mean?"

"It means that more than 15% of the houses that have televisions are watching Game Of Thrones."

"Only 15%? Isn't that too small?"

"There are local channels, national networks, and even cable channels that air shows within the same hour. It's already amazing that Game Of Thrones dominated more than 15% of that population. You can't expect all of the houses to watch one show, unless it's the moon landing or Superbowl."

After that, one of the girls sighed.

"I hope the next episode will come... When will Friday arrive!?"

Amber, the young beautiful student begrudgingly muttered. She was a student at California Institute Of Arts, her dream was to be a famous actress. She participated in some projects but so far no luck in getting recognition.

Being film students, they were more into movie-related subjects.

"Hey, I also watched Kazir Grey's movie this year. I feel like Pirates Of The Caribbean has the chance to be a successful franchise. At least better than The Matrix, in my opinion."

"That's right! I also watched that movie. And I tell you, I fell in love with Johnny Depp's acting. Jack Sparrow is entertaining to watch. Gosh, if I ever had a chance to marry someone like Johnny Depp, I promise that I will love him dearly. Never hurt or cheat on him, and I'll never take a dump in his bed."

Amber said like a young girl who was dreaming about her crush.

"Hey guys! What are you talking about?"

Suddenly, Mara showed up with a forced smile and greeted them.

She sat down at the table and the atmosphere immediately became awkward.

"Um, excuse me but who said you can sit next to us?"

"Come on guys, we are friends. Right?"

"Said by the liar. We all know that you're not Kazir's sister... You're his half-sister, the bastard daughter of your mom." Amber giggled mockingly and the others laughed at Mara.

"Don't talk bad about my Mom!"

"And what are you going to do? Lie to us again? I guess I know why you kept evading our request to meet Kazir. You are a fake friend! Now get out of our table before we throw our drinks on you."

"Amber Heard, you dare!"

Mara pounced on the woman and grabbed her hair, pulling her strands. Amber screamed and also fought back. The two started tearing each other's scalp like crazy.

Alexa Nguyen who was watching in the corner was dumbfounded. The cafeteria turned messy and many students circled around the two women, watching the spectacle.

Alexa knew that she was the one who spread the news that Mara was not Kazir's sister. Yet she didn't expect that the outcome would be like this...

She didn't feel anything at all.

She just hoped that these bitches would never bother her again.

The commotion ended when the Professors showed up to stop the quarrel. Both Mara Cohen and Amber Heard looked like ravaged bird's-nest, their hair was messy.

The two were sent to the Dean's office to solve the problem but the two clearly had deep animosity after this incident.

Both parents were called and Elizabeth showed up... She confronted Amber Heard and her mother, slapping their faces to red. It made the matter worse.

"Mom! I can't accept this! That bitch deserves to be publicly humiliated!"

Mara screamed at the top of her lungs as they returned to the house. She was seething in anger. Disrespecting her was bad, but disrespecting her mother was too much.

Mara loved her mother, that was true. Elizabeth showered Mara with love and the daughter naturally loved her mother. So when Amber Heard started saying bad things about Elizabeth, Mara decided to teach her a lesson.

Mara looked in the mirror and sighed in relief when she confirmed that her face looked fine. There were red marks but no clear scratches.

"Mom... When will we meet brother again? I want to talk to him. I'm tired of modeling. I want to become an actress!"

"..."

Elizabeth just smiled and brushed Mara's messy hair.

"Honey, you said that you want to be a star, right? Don't worry, Mom found a role for you. It's from a huge project, invested by Universal Pictures."

"Really, that Universal Pictures? One of the Big Six?"

Mara was surprised.

"That's right, honey. It's a horror movie, but don't frown, this movie had a huge budget and your role has lines! So instead of thinking about your brother, how about we study your role and how you will act?"

"That's amazing! Mom, you are really the best Mom in the world. I love you! Can I read the script?"

"Of course honey."

Elizabeth smiled, hiding the fact that this business could affect her youngest son. Universal Pictures wanted her to destroy Kazir. As for how Elizabeth would do that? Universal had no idea.

They just knew that Elizabeth and Kazir were blood-related and Elizabeth could find Kazir's weakness.

Elizabeth was now starting to come up with plans.

'Universal just wants me to make a problem with my son, and frankly, I have always caused a problem with him. So it's never that hard.'

She thought.

She had no intention of destroying her son. Kazir was her biological son after all.

She just wanted to play games...

+++++

[If you're interested in reading more, you can check out my Patreon or Ko-fi.]

P@treon link: https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

Ko-fi link: https://ko-fi.com/pujimaki

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 372


"Is it possible for our website to be on top of the search list? I want people to quickly see our website as soon as they type related words?"

"Yes, sir. That's possible."

Victor Grey replied and the client seemed very happy with his response.

After the tragedy three years ago, Victor and Aaron decided to expand their business and explore the booming internet industry.

Kazir gave them some ideas such as promoting products on the internet. Victor decided to hire more people who had relevant knowledge regarding how the Internet works. He was actually surprised by the potential of this new industry.

The clients started hiring them and business was getting better.

In fact, Grey Pictures also hired their company to help them promote their movies on the internet... The company also helped Grey Pictures to make sure that their movies would have a high rating on IMDb. IMDb was a famous movie review site but the ratings of movies could be manipulated.

"That's great to hear. More companies are adapting to the changes and I'm afraid we might lose customers if I don't follow the trend... Hm."

The client looked at his watch and decided to end the meeting today.

"Let's talk again tomorrow. My son is nagging me to buy the deluxe DVD edition of Pirates Of The Caribbean."

"Pirates Of The Caribbean? My son actually worked on that movie!" Victor laughed.

"Really? That's unexpected. Is he one of the actors?"

"No, he is the director."

"I see, the director huh... Wait what?"

The client was surprised at first before remembering that Victor's surname was Grey.

The director of Pirates Of The Caribbean was Kazir Grey!

They have the same surname!

"Yeah, haha, my son is Kazir Grey."

"... Let's extend the contract."

The client uttered.

"Huh? But I thought we were just in the preliminary meeting?"

"No, I'll sign the contract... Just give me an autograph of your son. Even better if I can have a chance to take a picture with him."

"..."

.........

......

...

The third and fourth episodes of Game Of Thrones were released on December 5 and December 12 respectively.

Because of the hype and success Game Of Thrones achieved, the third and fourth episodes jumped up in ratings. Even going high with a 22.16 rating!

The show that had the highest ratings this year was CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, with 25.48 viewership rates. This show was from CBS and the network was known for producing good TV Shows such as Friends, E.R., and Law And Order.

As Fox TV... This network was more known for its Fox News. It only had a few successful TV Shows such as The X-Files. Prison Break was still not existing so Fox TV was not doing well compared to other national channels.

However, Game Of Thrones could be their chance to change the status quo. Game Of Thrones broke through the charts.

The more people watch the Show, the better it would be for the network. Some of these people could become their potential loyal audience.

Knowing the power that they acquired, the management of Fox TV decided to promote the show more. They wanted more people to watch it.

Another thing was that they were hoping for Kazir to make another show...

Kazir Grey just proved that he was not just for cinemas, he was also for TVs. His talent was immense.

Now, they further realized that buying shares of Grey Pictures was the best decision they ever made in this decade.

Because of that, the management of Fox TV couldn't help but be greedy. They really couldn't help it, they admitted that they were being greedy.

If Kazir decided to make another Show, then it would be a huge help to Fox TV. It gives them a better status in the industry.

So yeah... 20th Century Fox, Blue Sky Studio, Sony-Colombia, and Fox TV were currently hunting Kazir right now. His name further solidified as the most talented director of the current era.

His works might not be super artistic and filled with emotions, but the money he could bring to the table was endless.

For the companies, he was the best person they could ever have. The Big Six sometimes hated him, but they could never deny that they were amazed by his talent. If possible, they wanted to work with him.

.........

......

...

While Game Of Thrones was getting famous every episode, Kazir Grey on the other hand already started the Spider-Man 2 project.

He knew that the president of Fox TV wanted to meet him but Kazir decided to take his time and never promised to meet him personally.

Kazir and Gail Berman, the president of Fox TV, were not equal. At this point, Kazir had a higher status than Fox TV's president. Kazir had a share of 20th Century Fox, basically a co-owner of a billion-worth company. While Fox TV was just a subsidiary.

Kazir understood that he was going to be busy from now on since Spider-Man 2 officially started. He didn't have the time to facilitate or direct another TV Show.

He might be known for having a fast style of filming but he knew his limits.

Besides, if he indeed wanted to start another TV Show, that would be after season 1 of Game Of Thrones ended. Grey Pictures would have free resources to make another show once Game Of Thrones season 1 was done.

'But that show would probably be smaller compared to Game Of Thrones, because we can't afford another huge expense...'

Kazir muttered to himself while looking for a cup of noodles to eat. He was at a 7-Eleven store, near the shooting location of Spider-Man 2.

He was so busy that he didn't know that the cashier was giving him a strange look.

After a few seconds of internal monologue, Kazir decided to buy a Doritos and Pepsi instead.

He went to the counter and paid for his food.

"... So you're going to act like you don't know me, is that it?"

"Hm?"

Kazir was confused at first. He then looked at the cashier who was glaring at him.

"Excuse me?"

Kazir tilted his head.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 373


Kazir looked at the woman who was staring at him. The woman seemed pretty but her job was clearly tiring because of dark eye bags under her eyes.

She was a bit chubby. Grumpy from the moment she set her eyes on Kazir.

The cup noodles, Doritos, and Pepsi were still not getting scanned by the glaring cashier.

"Um... Excuse me miss, but do I even know you? Can you please scan my order because I have something to do?"

Kazir said to the woman. Truthfully, he had no idea why this cashier was acting like this.

"Humph! Don't act like you don't know me. I know that the reason why you're here is that you want to meet me. Tell me, you're still not over me, right? Well... If you court me, maybe I can give you a chance this time."

"..."

'Delusional. This woman is a big delulu.'

Kazir thought to himself.

He just wanted to buy a cup of noodles for God's sake!

'If I knew this would happen, I would have asked someone to buy me food instead. I want to walk to relax my mind since I've been in the studio for the whole day...'

"I don't know you, I repeat, I don't know you. Just please scan my order so I can leave." He was serious.

"Tch, acting like a clueless guy. Okay fine, I'll play with you. My name is Wendy Mandeville. I'm sure you know me now."

The cashier grumbled and scanned the noodles, Doritos, and Pepsi. It was 7 dollars and 26 cents.

"Wendy... Wendy Mandeville..."

He narrowed his gaze, staring at the woman. He was trying to remember the name.

"Are you Wendy? From my middle school?"

"That's right, although I know that you recognized me in the first place. Anyway, what you said when we were young, I think I'll give it a chance. How about it, do you want to date me?"

She smiled, a bit playful.

However, Kazir was thinking of the past so he didn't hear Wendy's statement.

Back in middle school, Kazir's family suffered financially after the divorce of his parents. His father was depressed and the business was affected because of that.

So Kazir studied in a public school and his school life was as normal as it could be. He had some friends. He also had a hobby, which was watching movies.

As for Wendy Mandeville, she was Kazir's first crush. She was the prom queen of their campus, basically the hottest girl in the school.

'That's a bit odd way of describing someone considering that were just 13 at that time...'

Kazir was still young and quite innocent at that time. He decided to confess his feelings and got turned down instead.

Wendy Mandeville didn't like a nobody like Kazir. So Kazir's first love ended after that. He was depressed for a month before returning to his usual lifestyle.

'I'm technically in my 70s now, so my memories of my middle school and high school are blurry.'

He then looked at Wendy who was waiting for his response.

"Nope. Besides, now that I'm looking at you, you're not even that hot." Kazir smirked. He paid the cashier 8 dollars in cash.

"What did you say?" Wendy was stunned and didn't expect his answer. She thought Kazir was still in love with her... She was truly delusional if she thought she was right. They were just kids back then and feelings could change.

Kazir was happy with his life now.

"Keep the change."

He waved his hand and walked away, holding his cup of noodles, Doritos, and Pepsi... He forgot to get hot water for his noodles. He only remembered it when he returned to the studio.

.........

......

...

2003 was going to end and Hollywood already compiled the top 10 biggest movies this year.

But of course, this ranking was still not concluded since some movies were still going to be released in the last two weeks of December. For example, The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The Kings.

This movie was one of the most anticipated movies this year. This was the last movie of the trilogy and everyone was excited to watch it!

While that was happening, Forbes already published the list of the top 10 highest-grossing movies this year.

1.) Finding Nemo. A movie produced by Pixar. A subsidiary of Walt Disney. This movie grossed more than $871 million worldwide. Because of the continuous success of 3D animation in Hollywood, other studios also adapted their own 3D animation studios to get some slices of this golden cake called the animation industry.

2.) Wanted 2. A sequel to a $1 billion movie. Wanted 2 was produced by Grey Pictures and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Fans admitted that Wanted 2 was lackluster compared to its prequel but it was still entertaining in the end. The movie already grossed more than $745 million worldwide after four months of screening, and this amount was still increasing. Some speculate that Wanted 2 could surpass Nemo. But the idea of exceeding $1 billion might be difficult for Wanted 2.

3.) The Matrix Reloaded. The second installment of The Matrix franchise... It was disappointing overall. The box office was saved by the hype. Unfortunately, its third movie which was the last movie of the trilogy had a lower box office and the reason was obvious.

4.) Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl. Directed by none other than Kazir Grey. A new franchise that had a possibility to be profitable, especially in the hands of Kazir Grey and Johnny Depp. This movie grossed $654 million at the worldwide box office. Proving that Kazir's had the Midas's touch.

5.) The Equalizer. Another movie from Grey Pictures, and a new franchise from Continental Cinematic Universe. Starring Denzel Washington, this movie caught the interest of CCU fans. Giving it $481 million at the box office.

The top 5 this year, 3 of the spots were acquired by Grey Pictures. This showed how powerful this studio was getting by.

 

[Pujimaki]

Hollywood What If Chapter 374


The fact that three movies of Grey Pictures' were in the top 5 made a lot of people shrugged their shoulders. As if they had already expected this result.

But even though they knew this could happen, deep down they were still jealous and angry.

A decade ago, most movies were dominated by Warner Brothers, Walt Disney and Universal Pictures. These three were recognized as the top 3 of the Big Six. Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox and Paramount battled it out for fourth place, and sometimes their rankings changed.

As for Sony-Columbia, this studio already accepted the bottom of the rankings. Although the times were changing and it seemed that Sony-Columbia acquired a powerful franchise to keep them relevant, which was Spider-Man.

However, when the 2000s came, things started to change and more films from Grey Pictures dominated the box office. That meant less money for the Big Six.

Had it not been for Kazir's intention to work with others, he might already be suffering from a pronounced attack by the big studios.

It was indeed painful to accept that a new studio was dominating the industry. It didn't change the fact that DreamWorks and the newly formed Lionsgate were showing their fangs at the Big Six.

This industry could produce billions every year, but it made the Big Six more serious about maintaining their market share.

After The Equalizer, Tom Cruise's new movie made it into the top 6.

6.) The Last Samurai. Starring Tom Cruise, this movie based on an actual event in history made a huge amount of money at the box office. Originally, this movie was a contender for the Oscars, and Tom was actually interested in the script. It was his plan B if The Revenant didn't win him the Best Actor award last year. But since The Revenant helped him do so, Tom Cruise decided to treat The Last Samurai as a normal movie project... In fact, he didn't expect the movie to do well, at least not to the tune of $454 million. The Last Samurai even had the chance to compete at the Academy Awards.

7.) Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Spoiler alert, this 3rd installment of the franchise was the part where the nuclear catastrophe happened, basically the beginning of Skynet's reign. The movie was still starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, of course. He was the face of the franchise. The movie grossed $433 million worldwide.

8.) The Matrix Revolutions. What can I say about this trilogy? The first movie was amazing, the second was confusing, and the third was a huge disappointment. Which gives us the result of $427 million. Not a bad amount, but The Matrix had more potential than that. Because even after two decades, the concept of The Matrix was still relevant.

9.) X-Men 2. More people realized that Marvel Comics had huge potential. The fact that three of their comics were successful at the box office proved it. Spider-Man, Blade and X-Men were recognized as the beginning of the Marvel empire. X-Men 2 grossed over $407 million.

10.) Bad Boys II. This film was directed by Michael Bay. A director known for filming explosions and bigger explosions. But unlike the others, this movie only made $273 million.

This list was not concluded and Forbes expected that the last movie of the Lord of the Rings trilogy would obviously be part of the list.

.........
......
...

December 17th had arrived and probably millions of people were super excited... Maybe 10 million? Or maybe 15 million people?

Anyway, countless people lined up just to see the last movie of the trilogy. This was the conclusion and the end of the Lord of the Rings story. It was obvious why a lot of people were excited to see it.

Every theater in the United States and Canada was packed with people. These people were basically saying the same thing.

"One ticket for The Lord of the Rings, please!"

"Five tickets for The Return of the King, please!"

"I want to buy twenty tickets for The Lord Of The Rings! I'm a fucking scalper and I will sell the tickets twice the price!"

They all bought tickets! They wanted to see The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

That night was very busy for the theaters, comparable to the hype of Wanted 2 that was released a few months ago.

Not surprisingly, the first day (December 17) of the movie grossed $34.45 million. Cinema Alliance agreed to give Lord Of The Rings 3700 theaters in its first week.

Obviously, this amount just kept growing. This franchise was already a culture at this point, just as Star Wars and Harry Potter had become.

Day two, December 18, Thursday. The movie just went up to $51 million.

The box office didn't stop as more and more people bought tickets to see the movie. By Sunday, Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King had already grossed $124.10 million! This was only five days after its release.

The information reach the news stations and most of the programs were talking about Lord Of The Rings and related aspects of it like elves, dwarves and others.

In fact, Lord Of The Rings was the reason why dwarves and elves became popular in the mainstream media.

Before the 2000s, when people heard about elves, they thought of Santa's little helpers.

But now elves represent handsome and beautiful creatures with long life spans.

Hollywood understood the impact this franchise had on people's consciousness. The media was indeed a powerful weapon because it could change a person's perspective and opinion.

In fact, the Academy Awards received backlash for snubbing Lord of the Rings from major awards.

In the opinion of ordinary people, Lord Of The Rings deserves to win at least one major award.

Lord Of The Rings may not be a realistic movie, but it was an adaptation of old literature. This was a valid reason for the Academy members to accept the truth that Lord Of The Rings was a masterpiece.

Unfortunately, the Academy had a strong bias against non-realistic movies. They clearly hated the genre and always stuck to the "artistic reasoning".

+++++


[If you're interested in reading more, you can check out my Patreon or Ko-fi.]

P@treon link: https://www.patreon.com/Puji_maki

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