Hollywood What If

Chapter 386

A new year had arrived, and production studios were once again busy preparing for their upcoming releases. Many were already promoting their films in hopes of earning more at the box office.

January, being the first month of the year, was relatively quiet in terms of blockbuster releases, except for one. Universal Pictures had released a romantic comedy titled Along Came Polly, which was expected to surpass $150 million at the worldwide box office.

Other than Along Came Polly, January remained uneventful for new films. However, this lull only applied to recent releases.

Meanwhile, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was continuing to dominate the box office. The number of people watching the film every day was astounding.

Some moviegoers even attended screenings dressed as characters from the film, wearing elaborate costumes of Dwarves and Elves. The Lord of the Rings had become more than just a film franchise. It was now an integral part of Western pop culture. Many fans engaged in live-action role-playing (LARPing) and played Dungeons & Dragons using LOTR as a core influence.

Merchandise sales for The Lord of the Rings had already surpassed a billion dollars. Every time a new movie in the franchise was released, merchandise sales skyrocketed.

It was undeniable that The Lord of the Rings had a stronger consumer base than the Continental Cinematic Universe (CCU). LOTR offered a vast range of products, including wigs, toy swords, toy bows, and detailed costumes, while CCU primarily relied on action figures.

Taking into account the officially licensed video games, merchandise, and box office earnings, Forbes estimated that The Lord of the Rings franchise had generated between $3 billion and $7 billion in total revenue.

It was obvious why Warner Brothers was determined to hold onto the franchise. They had no intention of letting it go, especially with the possibility of The Hobbit adaptation.

Although this was $200 million lower than its predecessor, Wanted 2 was still recognized as a box office success, especially considering its production cost of just $100 million (plus marketing expenses). Unfortunately, Wanted 2 failed to surpass Finding Nemo, which had grossed $871 million worldwide.

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"Hey, did you hear the rumors?"

"Hm? Are you talking about that?"

"Yes, that! That's right!"

At the reception desk of Grey Pictures, two receptionists whispered to each other while idly waiting for visitors. With little to do at the moment, they passed the time by gossiping.

People loved to gossip, especially when the topic was juicy.

Recently, rumors had been circulating about Kazir Grey and Brianna Evans. The two had been spotted leaving a restaurant together, looking rather close, as if they were more than just friends.

Naturally, the two receptionists were eager to discuss their boss's supposed romantic entanglement.

Kazir Grey was known throughout the company as a serious, hardworking man. Everyone was also well aware that he was deeply in love with his girlfriend, Angelina Jolie.

However, some tabloids had begun publishing stories suggesting that Kazir and Brianna were having an affair.

Of course, tabloids were notorious for fabricating stories. In some ways, they were even worse than fanfiction. At least fanfiction openly admitted to being fictional, whereas tabloids often pushed misleading narratives, making people believe they were true.

This time, their target was Kazir and Brianna.

"What do you think? Are the rumors true? I thought Mr. Grey was devoted to his girlfriend."

"In my opinion, he should leave Angelina. That woman has already been through a divorce and a failed relationship. Her past romantic history isn't great either."

"I actually agree with you. Kazir Grey is the best thing that's happened to Angelina… I'd be really sad if they broke up."

"For me, Brianna Evans is the better choice. She has a stronger career, and she's never been involved in any scandals, except for this one. I also heard she's been single since 1997, which shows how serious she is about her career."

"Your opinion sucks. Just shut up and do your job. Don't spread baseless gossip unless you want to get sued."

A new voice interrupted their conversation.

"Who said that?!"

One of the receptionists turned around, only for her face to go pale.

Standing there with a cold stare was Erica Mendez.

"M- Ma'am, it's nice to meet you," one of the receptionists stammered, her confidence crumbling.

"I don't feel the same."

Without another glance at them, Erica walked past the reception desk, clearly unimpressed. It was unprofessional and outright disrespectful for company employees to gossip about their boss's private life.

She made a mental note to contact Human Resources. These two didn't deserve to work at Grey Pictures with such an unprofessional attitude.

'If they wanted to gossip, they should've done it somewhere I couldn't hear them.'

Erica sighed.

The truth was, Kazir had already spoken to Angelina about the situation to clear things up. Their conversation had gone well, but afterward, Angelina had started acting a little strange.

Erica could sense it.

She had worked with Kazir long enough to want the best for him, both professionally and personally.

Kazir and Angelina were still in a relationship and remained affectionate toward each other. But for some reason, Erica had a gut feeling that their relationship wouldn't last much longer.

It certainly didn't help that tabloids kept flooding the media with claims that Kazir was cheating on Angelina.

Frustrated, Erica had already contacted their legal team to file lawsuits against these tabloids. Most of them were small publishers, so the legal battle wouldn't take long.

However, the damage had already been done. The smear campaign against Kazir's reputation was clearly deliberate.