I am Hollywood

Chapter 89: High Luck Attribute



[Chapter 89: High Luck Attribute]

Virginia completely failed to grasp what Eric was talking about and curiously replied, "Malibu 10880?"

Eric nodded but didn't bother to offer any detailed explanation; it would have been impossible to clarify things for her anyway. In his past life, he had been struck by Tony Stark's Malibu mansion in Iron Man 3. Like many film buffs, he had searched for information about that house online, only to discover that it was a fully CGI model created by the film company based on the Malibu site.

There were later claims that a real house existed, but it turned out to be in San Diego, California, and the owner had listed it for sale. However, savvy internet users quickly debunked it as a publicity stunt; while the San Diego property was indeed a lovely oceanfront villa, it was nothing compared to the cinematic grandeur of the movie house.

As for the flashier Stark Tower in New York, that seemed unlikely to happen -- New York was already filled to the brim with its own set of problems. But Eric felt the Malibu mansion was within his reach. It was really just a matter of money, and for Eric, that was hardly an issue anymore. With expectations that his film, Pretty Woman, would rake in over a hundred million dollars, building a hundred villas in Malibu wouldn't pose any challenge at all.

Turning to glance at the lovely girl still nestled on his shoulder, Eric smiled, running his hand over Virginia's soft curves, feeling the smooth warmth beneath his palm. "Vicki, why don't you whip up some breakfast? I was busy all night, and now I'm starving."

Virginia shot him a playful glance. "With me around, do you even need breakfast?"

"Come on, prepare some toast and eggs. And don't forget to balance an apple on your head while you're at it. I'll be there to 'dine' on you later."

"As you wish, Your Highness." Virginia giggled, leaning in to plant a kiss at the corner of Eric's mouth. But just as she moved in, Eric suddenly thought of something and jerked to the side. "No!"

With a thud, he tipped over, chair and all, sending a pile of papers held together by a paperclip scattering everywhere.

Virginia quickly helped Eric back up, brushing the dust from his clothes. "What's got you all worked up?"

Eric pointed at Virginia's lips. "You swallowed last night, and you haven't brushed your teeth, right?"

Realization dawned on her, and she gave Eric an annoyed look. "You horrible man! You made me swallow such disgusting stuff, and now you're being picky?"

Eric chuckled as he and Virginia bent down together to pick up the scattered papers, reattaching them with the paperclip. After giving her a gentle nudge to get started on breakfast, Eric settled back into his seat.

The order of the ten pages of script was clearly out of whack, and as Eric fiddled with it, he inadvertently glanced at a page that boldly displayed the words Steel Magnolias.

Steel Magnolias!

Eric quickly rearranged the script and started reading from the first page. Although it was just an audition segment and not the full script, it lacked any information on the writers or directors. Still, he recognized these scenes as exactly what he had been looking for -- those of the timid hairstylist Annelle Dupuy-DeSoto.

"Man, my luck attribute is really high. Maybe I should try my luck in Las Vegas!" Eric mused with a grin. Since the script appeared in Virginia's bedroom, the audition must've been a recent occurrence, and he hoped the role hadn't been finalized yet.

...

Walking downstairs with the script in hand, he found Virginia in a fresh set of comfy clothes, tied up in an apron, busy in the kitchen.

Upon noticing Eric standing behind her, Virginia turned to smile. "Eric, it'll be ready soon." Eric raised the script and asked, "Vicki, when did you audition for this movie?"

Virginia flipped the sizzling eggs in the pan, glancing back quickly. "Are you talking about Steel Magnolias? I auditioned Friday, just two days ago."

"Can you tell me more about this film? What do you know?"

Virginia plated the eggs, turned off the stove, and replied, "Sure, Eric. Let's chat over breakfast in the dining room."

Nodding, Eric helped her carry breakfast into the dining area. Virginia poured him a glass of milk and said, "My agent recommended me this script. It's directed by Herbert Ross. I heard that originally, Tristar intended to invest, but with Sony form Japan launching negotiations to acquire them, they are afraid that the film's poor box office performance might negatively impact their stock -- so a lot of Columbia TriStar's less favorable projects got shelved. Herbert Ross ended up having to pull together some investors to produce it independently, which meant the budget wasn't large. That's how I got my audition chance."

Thanks to Eric's reassurances from the previous night, Virginia no longer felt upset about not landing Annelle's role. Her voice was casual, as if she were just having a chat. "Unfortunately, Herbert Ross thought I, um, was too old for that part, so I didn't get to audition successfully."

The mention of her age immediately sparked a hint of worry in Virginia as she looked at Eric; she was almost thirty, and time wasn't on her side anymore.

Across the table, Eric's eating slowed considerably as he mentally calculated that since TriStar had pulled out, perhaps he could snag the project. Firefly couldn't just keep making films for Eric alone; investing in more projects was essential, and Steel Magnolias might be an excellent

opportunity.

Of course, Firefly would eventually need to establish its distribution channel. In his past life, DreamWorks struggled because it lacked a solid distribution plan and had to hand films over to the Big Six, resulting in most profits being siphoned away by the studios. Even when DreamWorks released massive hits, the bottom line reflected losses, ultimately leading to its sale to Viacom.

In reality, DreamWorks had some distribution capabilities, but many of Spielberg's films were large investments with major productions. Their minimal promotion could often yield only a fraction of the revenue on films that might otherwise gross two hundred million worldwide. That was why Eric hadn't yet considered distributing his own films.

He willingly turned almost half of his profits over to Fox because only a major player like Fox had the promotional power to fully unleash the potential of a highly sellable film. If he tried to distribute on his own, even with the same number of screens as Fox, he wouldn't see the same box office success. So many variables were at play that it was hard to summarize.

Gradually, Eric began to solidify his vision for Firefly's path: producing films to gather funding from the studios while also investing heavily in small-budget films with budgets in the millions, using those films to gain resources and experience. Once they reached a certain level of success, distributing his own films would make perfect sense.

It seemed that the Weinstein brothers had successfully taken the small-budget route; while DreamWorks fluctuated with highs and lows, the Weinsteins thrived, even after losing Miramax, and their new venture, The Weinstein Company, still held a place of prestige in

Hollywood.

*****

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