Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 252 Conspiracy
As Glazer stated, both the male and female leads of the "Chicago" production team expressed their dissatisfaction with Harvey Weinstein.

“Hey, Harvey, I came to this movie aiming for Best Actress, and now you want me to change my nomination to Best Supporting Actress?” Catherine Zeta-Jones said angrily, spreading her hands.

“My dear Catherine, I think you should ask Glass about this. He will explain to you that I did this entirely for your own good!”

Harvey replied confidently that he was actually quite envious of Katharine, but her husband was Michael Douglas, a very influential figure in the industry. He had won an Oscar for Best Actor as an actor and then won an Oscar for Best Picture as a producer. The reason why Katharine was chosen for "Chicago" was also due to Douglas's connections.

"Harvey, you adjusted the PR resources for the Best Actor award, right?" Richard Gere asked.

Faced with questions from the male and female leads, Harvey Weinstein could only explain again:
"I've already told you that this year's Oscars for Best Actor and Best Actress will be influenced by other forces, and your chances of winning will be much lower than in the past. So you might as well focus your energy on other awards."

But Richard Gere said, "Harvey, I don't expect to win an award. For me, an Oscar nomination is a victory. Is that not even a request?"

Richard Gere is actually an idol, so if he can get a nomination this time, it will already be a success for him.

But Harvey saw it differently, and he advised Richard Gere:

"Richard, there will be two or three Black nominees for Best Actor this year, your chances are too slim. Believe me, an Oscar for Best Picture is far more valuable than an Oscar nomination!"

Richard Gere glared at Harvey, cursing inwardly. "All that high-sounding talk, why don't you cut Renée Zellweger's PR resources for the Oscar? It's all because you two have a shady deal!"

Harvey inwardly cursed Richard Gere for being ungrateful. He had already given him the opportunity to be the lead in "Chicago," which was more than enough. Otherwise, with his acting skills? Humph!

……

While the impact of 9/11 was significant, only a minority experienced it firsthand. As time passed, people couldn't suppress their restless hearts, especially Americans who were accustomed to everyday entertainment. By the end of the year, streets, shopping malls, and cinemas had returned to their previous crowds.

"The Pirate King" has now grossed over $8 million worldwide, an undeniably dazzling achievement from any perspective, and almost everyone believes it will be the box office champion of the year. And just then, two more films were released at the end of the year: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "The Lord of the Rings."

First up is *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone*, which everyone knows will be a high-grossing film, given that its novels have become a global cultural phenomenon. However, most people think that as a fan film, a global box office of around 500-600 million should be about right, and it shouldn't threaten *The Pirate King*.

But when the box office figures for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" came out for its opening weekend, Hollywood was stunned: $9029 million in its first three days!
To put this in perspective, the current opening weekend record is still held by "Jurassic Park 2" at $7213 million, set a few years ago. Magic Boy not only broke the record but also surpassed the $8000 million and $9000 million marks, pushing the box office to a level that was previously unimaginable! Its astonishing explosive power shocked the entire Hollywood.

Wu Yuchen was filled with envy, not for its high box office, which he already knew, but for the earning power of *Harry Potter*. He hadn't known before, but now that he understood, it seemed outrageous. Just consider this: while *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone* was still filming, they had already secured a $1.5 million advertising deal with Coca-Cola!
1.5 million! The film's production cost was only 1.2 million, meaning it's already making money before it's even released. And the profits from its merchandise, frankly, are definitely more than, if not more than, those of *Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales*, perhaps even several times more. Magic Boy is amazing!
Wu Yuchen echoed the sentiments of everyone in Hollywood: Warner Bros. is incredibly lucky; one Harry Potter series is enough to guarantee their prosperity for the next decade.

Compared to *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone*, the performance of *The Lord of the Rings* was rather unremarkable, earning 4721 million in its opening weekend. This is actually a decent result, but it falls far short of *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone*. However, its strong word-of-mouth and sustained popularity are undeniable!

February has arrived, and after a month in theaters, The Lord of the Rings has grossed $280 million, and is poised to reach $300 million, showing no signs of slowing down.

Looking at the success of "The Lord of the Rings," Harvey Weinstein felt a pang of sadness again. The film was practically in his hands; a contract was almost signed. But that idiot Eisner thought the budget was too high and refused to approve the funding. Now, this coveted opportunity had gone to New Line Cinema. He was heartbroken!

Thinking of this, he called Eisner again and immediately started yelling:
"Eisner, did you see that? I personally took a liking to 'The Lord of the Rings,' which was about to break 3 million, and because of your stinginess, it slipped through my fingers!"

Eisner was also displeased upon hearing this and said:
"Hey Harvey, everyone can be smart in hindsight. You never intended to make a trilogy, and it might have ended up being a loss-making project in your hands!"

“Eisner, are you questioning my abilities and judgment?” Harvey shouted again.

Eisner realized that Harvey was actually useful to him, and suppressing his temper, he said in a deep voice:

"OK, OK! Let's stop arguing about the past. Now, your focus is on the Oscars! Win Best Picture this year, be the big winner, and I'll give you the money to make your next Lord of the Rings movie!"

Hearing Eisner's promise, Harvey finally hung up the phone, satisfied. As the saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but being good at doing things isn't enough. He knew that Eisner was having a hard time right now, so he had to take advantage of the situation to extract as much benefit as possible from him.

Harvey then presented the newly released list of nominations for the 74th Academy Awards, with his film "Chicago" undoubtedly taking the lead with 13 nominations!
Just then, he saw his biggest rival at this year's Oscars, "A Beautiful Mind," which had received eight nominations. Harvey recalled the time when Wu Yuchen rejected him, and a contemptuous smile appeared on his face. This time, on his home turf, he would teach the other guy a lesson and show him what an Oscar promoter really was!
……

Just as Harvey Weinstein was once again making his mark, lobbying various old men for the Oscars, a newly published article attracted considerable attention:
"The King of Oscars - Harvey Weinstein".

"It's Oscar season again. Everyone is familiar with the Oscar statuette, but the origin of its name, Oscar, is very vague. There are four different legends, and no definitive conclusion has been reached to this day."

But now, the surname Oscar has been assigned to someone else. In Hollywood, there's a long-standing and widely accepted explanation: Oscar Weinstein!

As the name suggests, the Oscars are now owned by Weinstein, and many actors even firmly believe it. This may seem ridiculous, but if you've followed the Oscars over the past decade, you'll understand why.

Looking back over the past 10 years, Harvey Weinstein's films have consistently been among the nominees for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

93年《哭泣游戏》；94年《钢琴课》；95年《低俗小说》；96年《邮差》；97年《英国病人》；98年《心灵捕手》；99年《莎翁情史》；00年《总有骄阳》；01年《浓情巧克力》，02年《芝加哥》。

Yes, ever since Harvey Weinstein joined the Oscars game, he has never been out of the game. He has come to regard the Oscars as his own home, and every year the Oscars are like a routine homecoming.

In recent years, Harvey has produced a string of blockbusters. "The English Patient" won nine awards, including Best Picture. Even a bad film like "Shakespeare in Love" beat "Saving Private Ryan" to win Best Picture and Best Actress.

It's clear that this year's Oscars will be predictable, with "Chicago," nominated for 13 awards, emerging victorious. Because behind it stands the true king of the Oscars—Harvey Weinstein!

The entire article is a eulogy to Harvey Weinstein, listing his achievements and praising his Oscar lobbying skills. However, anyone with good reading comprehension can see the underlying mockery of the Oscars' fairness and the questioning of the Academy's integrity.

Actually, Harvey's story isn't exactly a secret, but it's mostly confined to Hollywood, and how many ordinary movie fans pay attention to it?

But now, when this guy's achievements over the past decade are listed, many readers are truly astonished. You don't know until you count them, and once you do, it's shocking! Although many people have known that Hollywood allows public relations, who can achieve such an impressive record? It's hard not to suspect that Harvey and the Academy had some kind of backroom deal!
And soon after this article, several similar articles followed:
"The Academy's Oscars? Harvey's Oscars!"

"The man who dictates the Oscars—Harvey Weinstein!"

"Harvey Weinstein, the man who wields immense influence at the Oscars!"

The article's general meaning is similar, all questioning Harvey's manipulation of the Oscar results and his years of relying on public relations skills to win Oscars. It also expresses the same idea: if things continue like this, not only will the prestige of the Oscars continue to decline, but it will also become Harvey's game, and who will play with him anymore?
At this moment, Spielberg, the victim of the controversy, also gave an interview: "I don't want to mention the loss of 'Saving Private Ryan' to Best Picture again, because it's not a pleasant memory. What bothers me is that it didn't lose to art. Harvey's behavior needs to be addressed!"

Spielberg's words were like adding fuel to the fire, instantly escalating the topic to a new level of heated debate. Suddenly, Harvey, the Oscars, and the Academy were all thrust into the spotlight.

At this moment, Wu Yuchen held the newspapers and looked them over. Sure enough, Hollywood had been suffering from Harvey for a long time. After he had someone write an article and publish it, people immediately followed suit. It was likely that other film crews nominated for Best Picture would also be involved. If they could get rid of Harvey as their opponent, everyone's chances of winning would be much higher.

Of course, Spielberg's side also spoke up, which was at Spielberg's request. But it was something he was supposed to do anyway, since DreamWorks had invested the majority of the money in "A Beautiful Mind."

Wu Yuchen chuckled as he looked at the newspaper. Everyone was playing their cards open now, and he wanted to see how Harvey would respond.

“Slander! These are blatant slanders! The Oscars have always been the Academy’s Oscars, not my Oscars, Harvey’s!” Harvey angrily rebuked the reporter.

The reporter immediately asked, "But Harvey, just two days ago in an interview you firmly stated that 'Chicago' would win this year. Does this prove that you have a secret weapon that makes you so confident and invincible at the Oscars?"

Harvey pounded his chest and roared:
"My confidence is based on the excellence of 'Chicago,' just like all the films in the past, each of which is a work of art and deserves an Oscar!"

"My past achievements and my journey to where I am today are all thanks to my producing skills and exceptional vision!"

"Harvey, so you're saying you don't deny your title as the King of Oscars?" the reporter persisted.

To be honest, Harvey really appreciated the title, but he knew he couldn't admit it in public.

"I want to emphasize again that the Oscar results are selected by thousands of judges, adhering to the principles of fairness, impartiality, and transparency. I trust the judgment of these judges!"

Why is Tom Hanks' consecutive Best Actor win unchallenged? Because of his superb acting skills. My films are the same; they are all excellent works that have stood the test of time!

"And what about Shakespeare in Love?" the reporter asked, directly poking at Harvey's weak points.

Harvey countered, "If Titanic won the Oscar for Best Picture, why can't Shakespeare in Love? Isn't Shakespeare great enough?"

"But Spielberg..."

Harvey waved his hand dismissively and said, "That's just the resentment of a loser!"

After saying that, Harvey turned and left. However, after returning home, Harvey realized that this was an open conspiracy against him, and the mastermind behind it was definitely his competitor, who might also have been involved.

This, however, ignited his fierce determination. He knew these judges; they might verbally proclaim fairness, but who could control the private voting? Wasn't it all just a matter of effective public relations? This time, his PR team wasn't just Miramax; they also had Disney's support. He refused to believe he couldn't handle them. He was determined to weather this storm of public opinion and solidify his position as the King of the Oscars!
(End of this chapter)