King of Hollywood

Chapter 59: Chapter 59 “Terminator 2” Released

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

With the arrival of July, London’s temperature began climbing to its yearly peak. However, even then, the highest it reached was a pleasantly cool 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Apart from the chilly mornings and evenings requiring jackets, people dressed casually the rest of the time, as long as they remembered to carry an umbrella to ward off sudden showers.

Moreover, entering July also marked the beginning of various peak seasons—tourism, fashion, entertainment, and so on. Businessmen diligently promoted their ventures, hoping to attract more attention. Yet, in the movie market, many films initially set for release on the first day of July quietly changed their schedules because another movie was releasing on that day too: “Terminator 2”!

Before this, the distributors used various promotional strategies to stir up curiosity about this film with an investment exceeding one billion. The liquid metal android, T-1000, appearing in the trailers, astonished many visual effects enthusiasts. Besides, Cameron’s previous film, “Terminator,” had cultivated numerous fans. It grossed over 30 million in North America within its first week, with the total weekly box office reaching 60 million!

Many critics were astounded by the film, whether it was the plot or the visual effects. Some even claimed that the scene where T-1000 walked slowly out of an explosion was as impactful on the film industry as “Star Wars” in 1977. Regardless of whether this claim was exaggerated, the release of “Terminator 2” indeed captured the eyes of countless people within a short period.

“In this movie, you can see a lot—the subtle mockery of industrial civilization, the gravitas imparted by its religious undertones, and its unconventional father-son relationship. The director impressively managed the film’s pacing, neither hurried nor sluggish, constantly drawing the audience’s attention. The actors’ performances were equally brilliant. Linda displayed feminist traits, Edward, at only fourteen, was perfect, and congrats to Arnold, who finally found a fitting role. Of course, there’s Robert, whose scene as T-1000 emerging from the flames will surely be etched deeply in cinematic history!”

This was part of a review by a critic in a “New York Times” column, illustrating just how shocking “Terminator 2” was. Consequently, by the second week after its release, the total North American box office barely surpassed 100 million!

“Remember what I told you, Laverne? This movie is going to create a global frenzy.” Adrian spoke on the phone while sitting cross-legged on the sofa. Although he was in London and “Terminator 2” had yet to release in the United Kingdom, he still kept tabs on this film’s progress.

“It is indeed an outstanding movie, but it doesn’t necessarily prove much,” Laverne replied calmly and steadily, embodying a trait and advantage of maintaining a good mindset under any circumstances.

Indeed, for any film, crossing 100 million in box office within two weeks was worth celebrating—except for “Terminator 2.” This movie’s investment, unprecedented at the time, meant a loss was inevitable if the box office didn’t exceed 200 million under the revenue-sharing rules.

Adrian didn’t argue, and after exchanging a few more words, he hung up. Honestly, he was eager to be the first to see the movie in theaters. The extra 10 million investment wasn’t wasted. Before arriving in London, he had seen the enhanced CG of T-1000 in Cameron’s studio, which differed from his memory. Adrian was curious whether seeing it on the big screen would make it even more perfect and breathtaking.

But that’s alright; in about two weeks, the film would release in the United Kingdom. It wasn’t too late to watch it then. Speaking of which, Cameron was quite the spender. Although he seemed quite satisfied after obtaining the 10 million investment, Adrian knew the guy privately schemed to secure more investments.

A crazy fellow, yet it was this same crazy fellow who dared to spend 240 million US Dollars in the mid-’90s to create “Titanic.” Although “Terminator 2” opened the era of movie CG, and “Jurassic Park” expanded on it, the trend of high-investment productions began with “Titanic.”

“So, this guy should also be kept close,” Adrian mumbled to himself.

Then, his ear hurt, and he saw Little Emma looking at him, puffing her cheeks in a mix of anger and grievance.

“Alright, what is it this time?” Adrian asked helplessly. It’s been over a month since that disaster-like incident, and Little Emma seemed to have emerged from the shadows. Not only did she smile more, but she also communicated more smoothly with others, sometimes acting just like an ordinary one-year-old child.

The reason for saying “sometimes” is that she still clung to Adrian’s side. Even though she no longer needed him to accompany her to the bath or bathroom, she still felt anxious and panicky when away from him for too long. Moreover, her perception of Kate remained unchanged; she continued to reject her, no matter how hard Kate tried to win her over.

“Paper frog!” The little girl lifted the item in her hand and unhurriedly uttered a few simple words, “Frog.”

“Is it done? Wow, Emma, you’re so smart.” Adrian took the paper frog from her and waved it in his hand towards Kate, who was curled up on the other sofa.

Kate, observing them, gave Adrian a sidelong glance and lowered her head back to her book without saying anything.

“Is it really that good?” Adrian couldn’t help but ask.

“Of course, it’s ‘Resident Evil’!” Kate half-smirked, half-teased.

The novel “Resident Evil” officially hit the shelves in late June. Because it was written in the same language, the UK edition quickly became available in London, aside from the Japanese version enjoying a similar treatment. After all, Adrian’s initial motive for writing the novel was to mildly annoy the Japanese.

Of course, Adrian explained it as such: The Japanese were interested in zombie novels too, so why not release a small batch to test the waters? Although the publisher found it odd, they followed through with it.

But the book’s sales… were rather disappointing. The first print run sold decently, with about 20,000 of the 30,000 copies sold. Yet, after the publisher reprinted an additional 10,000 copies, sales stagnated. Despite being profitable, it wasn’t substantial. It’s worth knowing that Adrian blended the stories of “Resident Evil 1” and “Resident Evil 0” into one book, creating a more refined and compelling narrative, but never expected such mediocre sales. Of course, this wasn’t unrelated to Adrian’s decision to use a pseudonym; otherwise, the allure of “the debut sci-fi novel by a newly crowned ‘genius director'” would have drawn sufficient attention.

Regardless of his dissatisfaction, Adrian didn’t dwell on it. He knew that the success of “Resident Evil” was rooted in the game. The adapted novel achieving such sales was already satisfactory, plus he wasn’t hard-pressed for money. Ben Arnt, the co-author or rather the ghostwriter, didn’t mind either. Despite his limited input, his royalties were no less than before. The publishing company had no complaints either. Their operations were precarious when acquired, and while “Resident Evil” didn’t make a huge profit, it stabilized the situation. With the new inflow of funds, a revival was in sight.@@novelbin@@

“But there’s another book I want to read more,” Kate’s tone shifted suddenly, and a hint of a smile played at her lips, “I wonder when that will be available.”

“That one? It won’t take long, and I promise it’ll be even more exciting than ‘Resident Evil.'” Adrian chuckled and then felt Emma tugging at his shirt.

“Ed!” The little girl in his arms raised her hands and pouted, “Bath!”

“Time for a bath, is it? Alright…” Adrian glanced down the hallway, “Mrs. Marson, the little one needs a bath.”

“No! You!” urgently shouted Emma, casting a disgruntled glance at Kate.

“Hey, be good, Emma. We’ve talked about this.” Adrian didn’t give in and, when Mrs. Marson approached, handed the little girl over to her.

“Alright, Emma, it won’t take long,” Mrs. Marson reassured the little one. “You’ll see Ed soon.”

Despite her reluctance and the puppy-dog eyes she aimed at Adrian, Emma was eventually taken away.

“How does it feel to be adored, Ed?” Kate sighed softly.

“Pretty good.” Adrian, watching the little one leave, finally turned to her with a faintly amused look.

Kate snorted slightly, stood up, and walked to the other end of the corridor. Adrian shrugged and followed her. Pushing open the study door, they entered one after the other. Without uttering a word, they embraced passionately, their lips locked in a fiery kiss.

Their tongues danced heatedly, their hands roved over each other’s bodies. The sound of their movements echoed — creaking here and there. Ultimately, sitting on the desk, Kate wrapped her long legs around Adrian’s waist. In response, Adrian thrust forward, beginning a vigorous rhythm.

Unrestrained sounds reverberated through the study, releasing pent-up passion in that moment. It wasn’t until the continuous shuddering of their bodies subsided that they drifted into calmness in the aftermath.

“Damn, these days we must seize every little opportunity, like we’re afraid of being caught.” Wrapped around Adrian, Kate murmured in a sultry voice.

“No helping it, Emma can be very clingy, and I can’t ignore her,” Adrian murmured, planting tender kisses on her cheeks. “Alright, the situation will improve soon—speaking of, you said the California Institute of the Arts already approved the application, right? Once we wrap things up here, we’ll go back to Los Angeles together, and you can do whatever you want by then.”

“Just those things!” chided Kate, teasingly spitting at him slightly before squeezing tightly with her legs again. “How about one more time, if we can?”

Adrian raised an eyebrow. “As you wish.”

Then, all the previous sounds quickly began again.

(Tickets! I want tickets! Lots and lots of tickets!)

CREATORS’ THOUGHTS

Riise

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