System in Hollywood

Just as the original version of *Gifted* made McKenna Grace famous, this version has catapulted Dakota Fanning into the spotlight.

Looking at the newspapers, six out of ten reports on *Gifted* mention Dakota Fanning, making everyone, including Liu Shishi, Megan, Annie, and even Naomi, green with envy.

However, Wayne had expected this and didn't pay much attention to it.

He made this movie purely to earn system funds, and later, it also helped him successfully raise the funds to acquire Marvel, which already exceeded his original goal.

Who gets famous and who doesn't—what does that matter to him as a capitalist?

"How are the preparations for *The Dark Side* and *Buried* coming along?" Wayne calmly asked about the progress of these two projects after hearing Cera's report.

"Both Matt Damon and Nicolas Cage have no issues with the pay or shooting schedules."

"As for the director, James Wan is still working on the script. It might take another day or two."

"David Lynch, on the other hand, is very interested in *Buried* and is willing to take on the role of both director and writer. But his pace isn't as fast as the younger James Wan. According to him, it'll take at least half a month to refine the script."

Wayne couldn't help but feel a bit speechless.

"Is writing the script for *Buried* really that hard? Isn't this movie just about showcasing the lead actor's explosive acting skills?"

But then he realized that he was taking things for granted.

He had seen the original film, so it didn't seem difficult to him. But David Lynch had to create everything from scratch—how to create a tense, suspenseful rhythm, and every detail needed careful thought and polishing.

Naturally, this would take a lot of time.

"Maybe I should write the script myself?"

The thought crossed Wayne's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Writing a script isn't as easy as it looks. Even with the original to reference, restoring every detail would take at least a day or two.

He was already exhausted from filming during the day.

Spending three to four nights writing the script instead of enjoying himself in the evenings—he might agree to it, but Mia and the others definitely wouldn't!

"Sigh, too many women, too many problems," Wayne muttered to himself before saying, "Let's put *Buried* on hold for now and focus on getting *The Dark Side* filmed first."

"Alright, I'll notify you as soon as James Wan finishes the script."

After hanging up, Wayne immediately called Eva Green.

That's right—he had chosen Eva Green as the second female lead for *The Dark Side*, not just because she was a woman he intended to keep long-term, but also because Eva Green, with her smoky eye makeup, looked like a bad girl.

Having her play the second female lead trapped behind the mirror in the hidden room would make the plot twist at the end even more stunning.

"Thank you, darling! When will you be back in Los Angeles? I can't wait to thank you properly."

Eva Green was thrilled to learn that Wayne had given her the second female lead role in a mid-budget film with a $14 million production cost.

But this put her in a bit of a bind—how to extend her holiday?

Originally, she planned to fly back to London as an exchange student two days later, after her *Resident Evil* audition on December 27th.

Then, she'd return around late January when it was time to shoot her scenes.

But if she was to play the second female lead in *The Dark Side*, she might have to stay in Los Angeles.

Of course, in the face of such an opportunity, things like exchange programs and prestigious drama schools had to take a back seat. Even if she got expelled, she wouldn't miss out on a chance like this.

As soon as she hung up, Eva Green got busy arranging her leave.

If possible, she still wanted to keep her spot at Weber Drama Academy. After all, you can never have too much education—only too little.

Meanwhile, Wayne quickly headed to the bedroom.

No joke, he had worked hard to use the Christmas excuse, and after playing up Martina's 'pitiful' story of struggling overseas alone, Mia and the others had finally agreed to spend the night together. Not a second of that time could be wasted!

Soon, the four women in the room were hit with a new wave of stormy passion.

As for Harvey, after sleeping in until afternoon, he received the overseas box office data for *Gifted* from his secretary.

"$5.1 million? Alright, got it."

Harvey was quite pleased with the $5.1 million figure. Although it didn't match the North American opening day box office for *Gifted*, it was still impressive given that the film had only been released in a dozen or so countries and regions overseas, not globally.

Considering that *Cast Away* and *What Women Want* had also grabbed a large chunk of the box office, these numbers were pretty good.

To be honest, if he wanted to, he could have found more 'middlemen' to release *Gifted* in more countries.

But in those places, he wouldn't be able to effectively monitor the box office, or ensure its accuracy.

If those companies deliberately reported low box office numbers, wouldn't Miramax end up getting short-changed?

So instead of releasing the film there, it made more sense to wait for the DVD release and earn revenue from those places through DVD sales.

After all, most countries have fairly strict copyright protection.

In the blink of an eye, it was December 27th.

After earning $6.43 million in North America and $11.53 million globally on its first day, *Gifted* brought in $12.47 million and $13.08 million worldwide on the 25th and 26th, respectively.

Including pre-screening revenue, the North American box office had reached $25.94 million, and the cumulative global total had hit $42.46 million, already surpassing the original film's final gross.

Moreover, based on data analysis, the likelihood of *Gifted* surpassing $130 million at the global box office had significantly increased.

Thanks to positive audience feedback, *Gifted* was receiving excellent word-of-mouth.

Although Dakota Fanning's fame had risen the most among the cast—no exaggeration, she was now one of the most famous child stars under 10—the film's success was a collective achievement.

(End of this chapter)