America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

The European premiere of the film was held in the city of romance, Paris.

On the day of the premiere, not only were Martin and Nolan, as well as other main creators of the crew, in full attendance, but the supporting actor Mene also specially invited Sophie Marceau and Isabel Huppert to boost the event.

During the photo op, Mene stood between the two prominent French actresses, an arm around each of their waists, the epitome of suaveness and charm.

He alone stole all the spotlight.

Even the French media praised him, "After Morgan Freeman, Hollywood's best African-descent supporting actor who can act!"

Of course, Martin wasn't lacking in attention either.

On both sides of the red carpet at the premiere, a vast swath of fans, numbering in the hundreds and dressed in the red shirts of the Cola Cult, raised their cola cans high to salute Martin.

They shouted loudly, "Long live the Sect Hierarch!"

Some even yelled, "Sect Hierarch, lead us to overthrow the useless Paris city hall and establish the kingdom of the Cola Cult!"

The romantic Parisians were not only skilled at striking but also fancied stirring up another grand wave of song.

Martin opened a can of cola and drank a toast with them.

The Cola Cult followers in Paris were overjoyed, clamoring and shouting about going on strike to celebrate the arrival of their hierarch.

However, nobody took them seriously, mainly because nobody cared.

After all, when they weren't striking, they were on their way to a strike.

Compared with Martin and Mene, the British actors in the crew received a cold reception—neither the fans nor the media showed much interest in them.

The British actors themselves seemed to be just going through the motions, quickly passing by.

The premiere went very smoothly, and as the event ended, Martin and Ellen Page accepted Yuper's invitation to go have a drink at her place.

It was just plain drinking, as Leonardo and Nicholson had already arrived in Paris.

Martin needed to conserve his energy for the upcoming battle with the blonde girls.

When the crew returned to the hotel, Tom Hardy, upon entering, encountered Leonardo and Nicholson, who had also just returned from outside.

The two were acquainted with Nolan and chatted for a bit.

Tom Hardy, following behind Nolan, eavesdropped for a while and heard Leonardo mention organizing a party of some sort, even extending an invitation to Nolan, which Nolan tactfully declined.

Taking the elevator upstairs and returning to his room, Tom Hardy pondered over Leonardo's words.

The infamous Trio of Scoundrels from Hollywood had a notorious reputation, and if Leonardo was throwing a party in Paris, Martin would surely attend.

Having been mingling in Hollywood for some time, Tom Hardy had heard rumors, such as about an American Fashion Supermodel Group that often messed around with Martin, taking turns in the fray.@@novelbin@@

It was said the Trio of Scoundrels often held seedy parties, gathering a big crowd for wild antics.

After thinking for a few minutes, Tom Hardy called his lackey Rogers and said, "Sneak around and find out who Leonardo and Nicholson, staying at this hotel, have been mingling with recently. I heard they're organizing a big party."

Rogers didn't understand what his boss was up to and said, "Those two are very high-profile, often seen with company in and out. It shouldn't be hard to ask around."

Tom Hardy patted his shoulder and said, "Go on, ask in detail."

Rogers said with a smile, "Slip a tip, and the bellhops and waitstaff will spill everything."

Tom Hardy nodded and said, "Don't draw attention."

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Rogers left the room, went downstairs, chatted with the bellhop for a bit, and quietly passed a few euros. He soon learned quite a bit.

Fearing that the bellhop might not be telling the whole truth, he also asked two other lobby attendants before returning upstairs.

"Boss, I've pretty much got it clear," said Rogers as he entered Tom Hardy's room and closed the door. "Leonardo and Nicholson checked into the hotel a day before the crew, they've had a few encounters with the Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova, who just got divorced, and chatted for a long time in the lobby lounge this afternoon."

Tom Hardy was aware of this supermodel, who had previously married into a traditional English noble family before getting divorced.

He contemplated and said, "It doesn't add up; Natalia is 27 now, not within Leonardo's hunting range."

Rogers reminded, "Didn't you say they were organizing a big party? Natalia has a lot of influence in Russia and Ukraine, as well as the rest of the former Soviet Union member countries. Could Leonardo be using her to invite guests? After all, the young female models from Eastern Europe are of exceptionally high quality."

Tom Hardy thought it was very likely; he had been to some of the entertainment industry's large parties, many of which were initiated by a well-connected middleman.

For instance, Yuper's well-known makeup parties in the Paris entertainment scene were organized by Yuper using her own fame.

Tom Hardy asked, "Do you know who's attending?"

"Didn't find out." Rogers whispered, "They only saw Leonardo and Natalia interacting, no one else."

Tom Hardy could infer, "The Trio of Scoundrels are definitely going to organize a party, but we don't know when or where."

Rogers chimed in, "And they didn't invite us, those bastards!"

Tom Hardy scratched his head, thought for a while, and said, "Go back down there, tip a little more, and have the bellhops pay attention. If Martin, Leonardo, and Nicholson leave together, they must notify us immediately."

However, Rogers said, "Boss, you're not thinking of stirring up trouble, are you?" He reminded, "I heard Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck both went after Martin and ended up in the hospital."

Tom Hardy became annoyed, "Since when did you become so timid?"

"Hollywood selectively forgot these guys, but I saw something about Ben Affleck in the corner of the newspaper." No wonder Rogers was timid, "Ben Affleck just got out of jail to see a proctologist, you know!"

Hearing this, Tom Hardy's legs involuntarily tightened, but he was still somewhat confident, mainly because he didn't plan to do anything too outrageous. He said, "We won't do anything risky, we're just going to find out when and where their party is, then make a phone call to the media."

Rogers' raised heart sank back to his stomach.

Tom Hardy added, "Paparazzi are always crazy, hearing about their wild behavior, it'd be exciting if someone daring enough sneaked in and snapped some photos."

"You really have a way, Boss!" Now reassured, Rogers left the room and went downstairs.

Tom Hardy went to the window and looked out over the brightly lit Paris, feeling a bit more at ease.

He pondered the situation carefully and the following morning, he had Rogers rent a car and buy new mobile phones, which they could dispose of immediately after making calls.

The crew was still involved in a variety of promotional activities in Paris, with Martin, Nolan, and Mene being the busiest, attending at least two events daily.

From an exclusive interview with "Figaro Newspaper" to the prime-time show on France's Channel One, they were everywhere.

"Inception," already a huge success in North America and rich with French elements, along with the pulling power of Martin and Nolan, garnered $8.89 million in box office in France on its opening weekend.

Across the English Channel in the British market, the film also made an impressive debut, earning $9.66 million on its opening weekend.

"Inception," primarily released across Europe and Latin American countries, brought in $62.2 million overseas in its first week.

In North America, the film, with good word-of-mouth, had an exceptionally stable trend, dropping only 39% in its second weekend to rake in another $45.92 million.

With the prior four days' earnings included, the North American box office total exceeded $150 million!

"Good reviews, high box office, not many can achieve that,"

In the hotel room, Nicholson put down the newspaper he was holding and said to Martin, "And you, you bastard, got both."

Martin chuckled, "Do you know what having an eye for talent means? This is it!"

Leonardo, unimpressed, asked, "Since you have such an eye, tell me, when will I win Best Actor?"

Nicholson replied, "Wait another ten years!"

"Maybe there's a chance this year." Martin had just recently given Natalie Portman some rotten advice, and facing the old pal Leonardo, inspiration spouted like a fountain.

First, he analyzed seriously, "Look, Harvey Weinstein has been taken down by us. Although the trial hasn't started yet, he'll be locked up for at least ten years. Award season has a big void now. If someone moves fast, they might actually snag an Oscar."

Nicholson nodded slightly, "You make some sense."

Martin carefully recalled, who won Best Actor the same year as Natalie Portman? He just couldn't remember; it seems that, in the past, after 2010, Harvey had one last wave of dominance at the Oscars, fueled by fierce public relations that made everyone loathe him.

Now that Harvey was gone, the status of the films and people he had championed remained an unknown.

Listening to his two buddies, Leonardo suddenly gained confidence, "My performance in 'Shutter Island' was outstanding, and the film received good reviews. I've been aiming for an Oscar for ten years; the Academy should consider me by now, right?"

Nicholson said, "That's hard to say."

"These past few years, the Oscar campaign has become increasingly blatant; it's hard to win an award just based on the role and normal publicity," Martin analyzed seriously and then began to blather, "Leo, you angered the old timers back in the day, you need to show an attitude, to prove the return of the prodigal son is worth more than gold!"

Leonardo frowned, "Haven't my past ten years been enough?"

Martin said, "I have a method. If you do as I say, there's a ninety percent chance you'll win Best Actor next year!"

Leonardo felt that Martin's advice would definitely be another bad idea, but after years of fruitlessly chasing an Oscar, whilst Martin, that bastard, managed to win one before him, he still couldn't help asking, "What's your great idea?"

Martin suggested earnestly, "To prove to all the Oscar judges that Leonardo has turned over a new leaf, it's quite simple. Get married at the start of the award season. It will definitely change their perception of you, proving that Leonardo has matured and is no longer that headstrong young brat."