Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 669 High-IQ Beauty

Released at the same time as Universal was Warner Bros.' disaster blockbuster, "The Perfect Storm," directed by renowned German director Wolfgang Petersen, which grossed $4100 million in its opening weekend in North America.

Like director Wolfgang Petersen's previous works such as Sniper and Air Force One, The Perfect Storm has a strong sense of rhythm, a tense and dangerous atmosphere, and stunning visuals!
However, to Aaron's surprise, Disney released the action-comedy film "Shanghai Noon," starring Jack Cheng and Owen Wilson, in May.

It only grossed $5500 million in North America and $4000 million in overseas markets, for a total global box office of less than $1 million.
Universal Pictures doesn't even mention the phenomenal success of "Spider-Man" and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." "Spider-Man" has already grossed over $700 million worldwide, and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" has grossed $170 million in North America and over $200 million overseas in just one month.
Meanwhile, the horror-comedy film "Scary Movie," released in the spring, grossed $1.6 million in North America and $2.8 million worldwide. Another film, "Erin Brockovich," also achieved good results, grossing $1.2 million in North America and $2.5 million worldwide.
"Shanghai Noon" didn't receive high praise and was much worse than Jack Cheng's previous "Rush Hour" series, but with an investment of only $5500 million, Disney should not lose money when considering the videotape and DVD market.

Moreover, Jack Sing has now returned to Hong Kong to help Golden Harvest film "The Accidental Spy," and Golden Harvest has invested a huge sum of HK$1.7 million.
Since the decline of Hong Kong cinema and the subsequent financial crisis, Golden Harvest has been struggling. Even after selling its film library to Media Asia, it could not continue operating. Hong Kong tycoon Peter Lam entered the entertainment market and attempted to forcibly acquire Golden Harvest. Golden Harvest partnered with Acer Group, an electronics giant in Taipei, which restructured Golden Harvest. "The Accidental Spy" was a major move after the restructuring!

Meanwhile, in July, Dawn Twilight Pictures' comedy horror sequel, Scream 3, will be released in the latter half of the month.

"Honey, you were amazing this summer!"

On the sofa in Kate Beckinsale's Beverly Hills villa, Aaron embraced the woman, unable to suppress his admiration;
This summer, the sequels "The Mummy 2" and "Scream 3," both starring Kate Beckinsale, were released one after another.

Kate Beckinsale kissed Aaron on the cheek. "Well, I heard from the people at Universal that you had them put together a 'Mummy: The Mummy' spin-off.'"

"Is it the villain who appeared for a few minutes at the end of The Mummy 2?"

Aaron nodded. "That's right, that wrestler Dwayne Johnson is quite famous, and his role has attracted a lot of audience interest."

"He was cast as the male lead in 'The Mummy: The Scorpion King'."

In addition, the "Revenge of the Mummy" attraction at Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure has just opened, so this wave of mummy-related perks shouldn't fade away so quickly.

And The Mummy: The Scorpion King is also an attraction in The Mummy Revenge Park!

Moreover, Dwayne Johnson's salary for this film, "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," was a whopping $550 million.
It's a new Guinness World Record for the highest salary ever paid to an actor making their first leading role.

To put this in perspective, Brendan Fraser, the lead actor in "The Mummy," only received $400 million, while "The Mummy 2" saw his salary rise to $1200 million!
Even with the Scream series, Kate Beckinsale's salary for The Mummy 2 was only $700 million.
However, there is a $500 million bonus for the upcoming "Scream 3", so he is estimated to receive $800 million!
"He truly is the son of Hollywood," Kate Beckinsale couldn't help but admire Aaron's insight!
Moreover, the spoof horror comedy film "Scary Movie" released this year was even more successful, performing even better than "Scream".
With the popularity of the "Austin Powers" series and parody works like "Scary Movie," this trend has started to gain traction again.

"By the way, do you have any plans for The Mummy 3?"

Kate Beckinsale inquired, revealing that she was no longer enthusiastic about these sequels;
I've made three Scream movies and two Mummy movies, and I'd love to try other genres.

Aaron shrugged. "Who knows? Director Stephen Sommers is currently preparing 'The Mummy: The Mummy Returns,' he's the producer and screenwriter, he won't be directing it himself."

"The script for the sequels to The Mummy is really hard to adapt; almost everything that could be used has already been used." "Many people have complained that The Mummy 2 lacked creativity."

This is unavoidable; most Hollywood sequels only have two parts these days, and it's very difficult to release a third.

《教父》系列，《教父3》和《教父2》隔了16年，《夺宝奇兵3》和《夺宝奇兵2》隔了5年。

It's much harder for blockbuster movies to get more sequels than for low-budget B-movies like the Scream series!

"What, are you getting bored making sequels all the time?"

Aaron chuckled and stroked the woman's thigh. "If we need to film again, Universal will definitely give you an even higher salary and bonus!"

Kate Beckinsale shook her head. "Dawn's stock price has soared, and my assets have increased significantly. Besides, with you by my side, would I ever lack money?"

"My main focus right now is filming these two series, and I'd like to try filming other types of works as well."

Aaron nodded. "Of course, thanks to the success of the Scream series, the Scary Movie series was born."

"In the next phase, the *Scary Movie* series will be the main focus; *Scream 4* is unlikely to be released anytime soon."

"As for The Mummy 3, we'll have to wait."

Aaron clearly remembered that the previous "The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" turned to Chinese history;
The result was a hodgepodge of styles and overwhelmingly negative reviews. Wasn't it because they couldn't find inspiration for Egyptian mummies and turned their attention to another ancient civilization?

This also completely ended the "Mummy" series. Even with Tom Cruise joining the reboot, it was still a failure!

Kate Beckinsale smiled and said, "If you want me to film something in the future, I definitely won't refuse; at least it would help Universal."

"It's definitely not a good thing to change the lead actor in a sequel like this."

“Mmm,” Aaron said, and kissed Kate Beckinsale on the lips.

A beautiful, well-built, highly educated, and intelligent sexy woman—who wouldn't like her?

(End of this chapter)