Chasing Stars in Hollywood

The second week of the summer box office season passed quickly.

From May 20 to May 26, the new release "Speed" debuted with a strong showing, driven by its star-studded cast and positive media reviews, taking the top spot on the weekly box office chart with $32.17 million in its first week. Although it didn't surpass the $36.61 million debut of "Stargate," it still achieved a healthy per-theater average of $11,000, meeting MGM's expectations.

"Speed" faced stiff competition, particularly from the big-budget "Maverick," which, despite its $75 million budget, couldn't secure the second spot on the chart. Michael Bay's "Stargate," in its second week, experienced a 31% drop, earning $25.26 million, just behind "Speed."

In two weeks, "Stargate," a sci-fi adventure about wormholes, had grossed $61.87 million. Even with "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" looming on June 3, it was poised to surpass the $100 million mark domestically. Considering the potential for sequels, TV adaptations, and merchandise, Danerys Entertainment was already exploring these possibilities.

Richard Donner and Mel Gibson's "Maverick" failed to replicate the success of the "Lethal Weapon" series. Despite its $75 million budget and $30 million marketing campaign, it only managed $20.72 million in its opening week, averaging just over $8,000 per theater and ranking third.

With "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" set to dominate theaters on June 3, Warner Bros. was facing significant losses on this project.

Simon believed that like wuxia films in the post-2000 era in China, Westerns had lost their appeal to the core young audience in the era of big-budget blockbusters.

The fourth spot was occupied by the romantic drama "When a Man Loves a Woman," starring Meg Ryan. Its box office fell 32% in its second week, earning just $7.67 million, bringing its total to $18.96 million over two weeks, which was less than the opening weekend of any of the top three films.

Fifth place didn't go to Spike Lee's new film "Crooklyn," released on May 13, but to "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," now in its seventh week. The comedy, starring Jim Carrey, saw a 25% decline, earning $4.51 million, bringing its total to $87.73 million. Despite being close to the $100 million mark, its chances of reaching that milestone seemed slim, especially with "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" on the horizon.

This week, 16 mainstream films were playing in North America, with the top five grossing $90.33 million combined. The remaining 11 films, despite earning under $5 million each, contributed $22.79 million, making the week of May 20-26 the first in 1994 to surpass $100 million in total box office, reaching $113 million.

With "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" set to release on June 3, many films opted to avoid competing with this anticipated blockbuster, leading to a quieter release week with only a few non-mainstream films opening.

Highgate Pictures released "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues," directed by acclaimed indie filmmaker Gus Van Sant and starring Uma Thurman. The film, which tells the story of a girl with a deformed thumb, opened on 327 screens.

This marked the second collaboration between Highgate Pictures and Van Sant, following the critically acclaimed "My Own Private Idaho," which starred Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix. Despite a modest $3 million budget, "My Own Private Idaho" grossed $7.28 million in North America and performed even better in Europe, thanks to its arthouse appeal and Phoenix's Best Actor win at the Venice Film Festival.

The budget for "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" increased to $8 million. Completed last year, the film received lukewarm responses at various film festivals, prompting a May 27 release.

The summer blockbuster season is generally favorable for commercial films, but not for arthouse films, especially niche ones with limited appeal. Highgate Pictures chose this release date, hoping for a surprise hit, though Simon didn't have high hopes for "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues." He viewed it as a minor loss before the major gains expected from "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises," a necessary offering, as constant profit can be taxing.

Another release this week was "The Princess and the Goblin," an animated film from Hemdale Film Corporation, an independent British distributor.

Hemdale is not widely known, but it produced the 1980s sci-fi classic "The Terminator," directed by James Cameron. While Orion Pictures handled the U.S. distribution, Hemdale originally owned the rights. For "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," Fox paid $3 million plus 5% of net profits to acquire the rights from Hemdale.

Under the agreement, after "Terminator 2," the rights were shared between Fox and Danerys. With "Terminator 2" grossing over $500 million worldwide, the franchise's rights were valued in the millions, though neither Fox nor Danerys had plans to sell.

"The Princess and the Goblin," however, did not carry the same pedigree as "The Terminator." It was self-produced and distributed by Hemdale, opening on 769 screens.

In addition to these two relatively wide releases, three other niche films opened on a handful of screens, with little impact. This week was largely seen as a calm before the storm, giving films from the previous two weeks a last chance to shine before the juggernaut "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises."

On Friday, May 27, Simon returned to Los Angeles with Janet, spending the weekend with their family. They stayed on the West Coast for the premiere of "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises," set for Wednesday, June 1.

The previous week, Janet traveled to Washington to discuss the acquisition of State Street Bank's asset management division, but progress was slow. Some insiders hinted that for the deal to proceed, the Westeros system would need to cease interfering in the upcoming midterm elections.

It was clear that many were feeling the pressure from the Westeros system's political influence, with rumors of congressional investigations into its alleged interference in elections.

Simon wasn't worried about investigations.

At his age, Simon had plenty of time to build the Westeros system's political power. There was no immediate crisis forcing him to resort to illegal election interference. The system's lobbying activities were closely monitored by a compliance team, and while there might be some grey areas, they were no different from the tax avoidance schemes widely practiced in the country.

The main reason for the perceived threat was the sheer financial power of the Westeros system. In a time when most top-tier wealthy individuals had net worths in the tens of billions, Simon's personal wealth had reached a staggering $200 billion, with the Westeros system being even larger. This meant that while other top political donors could only contribute a few million dollars annually, the Westeros system could easily mobilize hundreds of millions.

Realizing this fundamental issue, Simon and Janet decided against pursuing legal action to resolve the matter.

A lawsuit involving a transaction worth hundreds of billions of dollars would only drag on for years, making it more prudent to wait patiently for the midterm elections in November. Just as the National Rifle Association's influence became undeniable after the 1994 midterm elections, the Westeros system's "Sniper Plan" would likely lead many in Congress to reconsider the consequences of opposing the Westeros system.

The six-month wait was not without its risks.

The couple and the Cersei Capital team decided to start collaborating with State Street Bank as soon as possible, preemptively preparing for the merger to prevent the acquisition from falling through within the next six months.

Lobbying efforts would continue during this period.

While not ideal, this was the best solution available.

Meanwhile, the Hearst Corporation, after a week of silence, reached out to Simon again, attempting to renegotiate the terms he had previously offered.

Simon ignored them.

Under intense public pressure, the French government issued an expulsion order for William Hearst III, requiring him to leave France by May 31. The former Hearst family head, now stripped of control over the family business and most of his personal assets, had to flee to Morocco as no other major European country was willing to take him in.

Public attention, however, is fickle.

After a month of intense media coverage, the scandal surrounding Doris Fisher's murder was gradually fading from public consciousness. Even if the outcome mirrored the fallout of News Corporation's phone hacking scandal, with one newspaper being shut down, the real damage to the Hearst Corporation came from the ongoing official investigations, lawsuits, and the desertion of business partners.

Simultaneously, two journalists from the News-Times of Danbury, Connecticut, who had been interested in the Woodfield Manor explosion, quietly left Pittsburgh after the paper's management faced certain pressures. Other media outlets that had been following the story also began to lose interest.

This cooling of media interest was not solely due to the Westeros system's behind-the-scenes efforts; it was also what officials wanted. Many key leads in the explosion investigation had reached dead ends. Forcing the investigation to continue would waste government resources and likely yield no results. High-ranking officials in Washington, aware of some vague details, were hesitant to confront the Westeros system without solid evidence, fearing the political fallout.

Such accusations were serious.

Unfounded allegations could tarnish the Westeros system's reputation but would likely end the careers of those making them. Even leaking the truth through tabloids was risky.

Tabloids are primarily profit-driven.

Exposing conspiracy theories is about creating sensationalism to boost

 sales. Typically, these theories target the federal government, including the President, Congress, and various government agencies. While such gossip is popular with the public, Washington usually doesn't take it seriously.

However, targeting a financial giant like the Westeros system, worth hundreds of billions, is a different matter.

Publishing such a story could lead to severe consequences, not just for the paper but also for those behind the scenes. Powerful entities like the Westeros system can dig deep and retaliate, and they don't need evidence.

Consider the recent string of retributions following an assassination attempt that barely made headlines.

Exposing such a matter might slightly tarnish Westeros' reputation, but it could cost the lives of those involved and their families. Those aware of the details of the Woodfield Manor explosion know that Simon Westeros wouldn't shy away from such actions. With so much at stake, it wasn't worth risking lives for an unachievable goal.

As time passed and more evidence was erased, the true story would likely never emerge.

As the new week began, June arrived quickly.

On Wednesday, June 1, International Children's Day, the much-anticipated premiere of "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" was set to take place at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles at 6 PM Pacific Time.

However, earlier that day on the East Coast, a different major news story emerged, as former music mogul David Geffen, legendary Hollywood director Steven Spielberg, and former Disney production head Jeffrey Katzenberg announced in Washington, D.C., that they were launching a new major Hollywood film company: DreamWorks.

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