America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

The premiere ended, and the snow continued to fall, providing each audience member with an umbrella and a warm hat upon exit; the latter had been specially designed for markets in Europe and the northern part of North America as movie merchandise.

Richard Son put on a hat emblazoned with the crew's logo, boarded a van with his assistant, and hurriedly started the engine to blast the heat, as the weather was just too cold.

The assistant glanced towards the side door of the Metropolitan Theater and saw Martin Davis being immediately surrounded by a throng of reporters as he stepped out.

"Just three years," he muttered, "Boss, don't you think the protagonist in the movie is a sort of alternative portrayal of Martin's past three years in Hollywood? His life is like using a game cheat, going from a poor kid to a big star."

Richard Son took off his hat, looked at the logo, and said, "For the lead actor, one successful movie can change their destiny."

After waiting for a while, the rest of the crew gradually returned.

Richard Son ordered his assistant to drive and instructed the others to promptly enter the audience scores collected after the movie screening into the system.

Two IBM laptops circulated among the crew, and the system quickly calculated the average score.

"A+!" Richard Son, with his experience, declared, "After the first week of 'Limitless,' audience scores on site cannot possibly drop below an A. With the drawing power of Martin Davis and the scale of the release, the box office looks promising."

The assistant asked, "Another hundred million in North America?"

Richard Son nodded, "Very likely."

The snow was still coming down, endlessly.

The morning after the premiere, Martin awoke from sleep, disentangling himself from Aniston's embrace, and immediately grabbed his phone after freshening up.

There was a text from Warner Bros. reporting an "A+" average score from the premiere audience!

Warner Bros. also lifted the embargo on all reviews and audience scores.

Martin powered up his laptop and logged into two websites: 'Limitless' had an 88% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 78 average score on MTC.

Aniston came out of the bathroom, brushing her teeth, and asked, "How's the movie doing?"

Martin replied directly, "Audience reception is through the roof, and media reviews are good."

Aniston was completely relieved and went back into the bathroom to rinse her mouth. A moment later, she suggested, "Let's go out for breakfast to celebrate."

"Let's invite the other crew members. It's on me," Martin said.

Aniston quickly went off to get ready.

Martin started making phone calls.

Everyone in the crew was in good spirits; positive audience feedback meant the box office wouldn't disappoint.

Beyond the standard pay and union dividends, there was a bonus to look forward to.

......

Los Angeles, Brentwood.

The freshly showered Leonardo woke up unusually early today and was particularly energetic.

Now, running a hundred meters would certainly take him no more than 15 seconds.

Bar Refaeli brought over breakfast and poured him milk.

Leonardo asked with a smile, "Do you have today's newspapers?"

Bar Refaeli brought over a large stack, saying, "I've flipped to the section about 'Limitless' in every newspaper and magazine."

"You're so thoughtful." Leonardo was very pleased with his temporary companion and decided to give her more exposure.

As he ate breakfast, he read through the newspaper reviews.

Because 'Limitless' had just premiered and hadn't been widely released yet, most reviews were quick takes.

"A peculiar and interesting pseudo-sci-fi thriller."

"Extremely entertaining, a mainstream hit."

"It allows every audience member to live out their daydreams in the cinema."

Leonardo couldn't help but laugh; he'd seen the film in a preview and had fantasized about some of its scenes before he became famous.

Continuing to read, he found some comments about the male lead—that bastard Martin.

"Martin's performance is memorable; he proves once again that his talent is as remarkable as his looks."

"Most of the film's plot relies on the performance of Martin Davis to engage, quickly pulling the audience into a daydream; his character is as intoxicating as a Sect Leader of the Cola Cult."

Leonardo thought back to before he took on 'Titanic,' when his reputation in the critic's realm was excellent and many reviewers praised his acting skills.

But 'Titanic' was a huge hit, and everything changed.

An unprecedented box office sensation in Hollywood, for some reason, whether out of jealousy or some other confounded mentality, he was labeled an idiot who could not act and only sold his looks.

Leonardo had a feeling that Martin was walking the same path.

Maybe one day, the critics would wield their pens like knives, ready to carve up the idiot Martin.

That would certainly be quite the spectacle.

After breakfast, Leonardo stopped reading the newspaper and called Martin, who was far away in New York.

"Hey, Martin, is your new movie on track to be a huge hit?"

"It hasn't opened widely yet, who knows," responded Martin amidst some commotion, "There's been heavy snow in the northeastern part of the US, and it's so cold it could freeze someone to death, which will definitely impact the box office."

Weather is uncontrollable, and by Thursday, snow still fluttered in the New York sky. Although the snowflakes were much smaller, the roads were piled high with thick snow.

The weather became even colder.

"Limitless" was released across North America as planned.

On Thursday afternoon, many people wearing red knit caps arrived on the snow-white ground in front of the AMC Theater in Times Square. Unfazed by the snow and cold, they entered the still-operating theater, purchasing tickets for "Limitless" and supporting Martin with their actions.

In Brooklyn, queues even formed in front of a cinema near a fan base residence of Martin in New York.

The heavy snow and biting cold dissuaded some from venturing out to the movies, yet it couldn't stop the enthusiasm of the Cola Cult and Martin's fan clubs.

Because red T-shirts were inconvenient to wear this season, red hats became the dominant audience attire in cinemas across North America on Thursday night.

That evening, cola red was the most common color seen in major cinemas across North America.

......

In an office on Peachtree Street, Atlanta.

Robert put on a red Cola Cult baseball cap, and because his head was particularly big, he found the cap a tight fit. He took it off, adjusted it, and put it on again.

Putting on a red coat, he took out a can of Coca-Cola from 2003, solemnly smeared it with olive oil, and placed it on an old-fashioned desk facing west.

Robert had a serious expression, like a Cardinal conducting a mass, muttering under his breath.

In this country infested with cults, the Cola Cult, despite its extremely loose organizational structure, still had a vast number of supporters.

If it weren't for his role as a partner in the company, Robert had even considered quitting his job to devote himself full-time to his role as the High Priest of the Cola Cult.

After completing the ritual, he thought of something as he was about to leave.

From the Sect Leader Martin to the Vice Sect Hierarch Bruce, and the Saintess Elena, all were part-time.

"I'll continue to be part-time," Robert muttered as he went downstairs with the cap on. "It's not like the High Priest can be the only one full-time."

Driving home, Robert passed the Metropolitan Theater on Peachtree Street and noticed that the area in front of the cinema had turned into a sea of red.

No need to ask, judging by the color, it was clear these were the crowds headed to see "Limitless."

......

Thursday passed and on Friday morning, the latest box office report was released, featured in the entertainment sections of many newspapers.

With 2800 advance screenings, "Limitless" easily earned $4.68 million US Dollars.

Accompanying this were the film's glowing reviews.

By Friday, its release day, the number of theaters screening the film expanded to 3285.

The severe weather conditions in the Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada were still ongoing, and everyone, including Martin, reduced their box office expectations for the film.

But "Limitless," still relying on its favorable reviews and immersive experience, attracted a large audience.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Its North American opening day grossed $12.45 million US Dollars, beating out "Catch and Release" starring Jennifer Garner, to become the day's box office champion.

It was on this very day that the favorable audience reviews for "Limitless," spread like a virus across North America via the internet.

"A life and desires on cheat mode, absolutely exhilarating to watch!"

"Martin's protagonist, that's literally my life dream."

"The plot is quite captivating, I don't know why, but I felt like the main character was another me, giving me a thrill in the theater!"

"The plot and character setup is quite innovative, making people immersed and unable to extricate themselves."

Boosted by audience acclaim, a lot of passersby were attracted to the cinema, and the film's box office increased on Saturday, tallying a total of $14.44 million US Dollars.

The adverse weather conditions indeed affected the film, but not as much as some had hoped.

On Monday morning, Christian Bale invited Heath Ledger for coffee.

He wanted to help his friend get out of trouble and back on track as soon as possible.

The snow had stopped completely yesterday, the main roads were cleared, and with a newspaper in hand, Heath Ledger entered the coffee shop, ordered a hot coffee, and sat opposite Bale.

Bale looked at his face reddened by the cold and asked, "What happened? You don't seem to be in a good mood?"

Heath took off his scarf, sliding the newspaper across to Bale, "The heavy snow couldn't stop that bastard Martin Davis and his movie."

Bale picked up the newspaper, and there on the front page of the entertainment section of the "New York Times," was the weekend box office report.

In just three days, "Limitless" made a whopping $38.97 million US Dollars in North America, topping "Catch and Release" to sit at the top of the weekend box office chart.

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Bale put the newspaper down and said, "The snowstorm in the Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada has had an impact on the box office for this film."

Those two areas are densely populated, and Heath appeared restless, "In its first weekend in North America, its box office has already exceeded the production cost. That bastard Martin's new movie has succeeded once again."

He added, "CS gave it an 'A' grade and predicts over a hundred million for the North American box office."

"Calm down." Bale, being more composed than him, said, "If you want him to have bad luck, you can't rely on the weather."

Heath took a sip of coffee, the bitterness spreading in his mouth, and his emotions steadied considerably, "I was fantasizing, hoping he'd take a nasty fall, but a fantasy is just a fantasy. The momentum of Martin Davis, it can't be stopped."

Bale said, "There's plenty of time. We can only crush them if we stand on higher ground."

Heath nodded, "You're right."