The Box Office King of Hollywood

As the sun moved towards the sea and the sky was yet to darken, five people from Red Penguin Service Company began their work. A chef set up a barbecue grill in the corner of the yard, his assistant handling various foods from meats to vegetables and fruits. The other three were busy decorating the yard, placing a wooden round table in the center of the lawn with various drinks and beverages on it.

Lister, who personally led the team, came to the door and asked Matthew, "How do you like it?"

Matthew, putting down his phone, stepped out of the house and surveyed the setup, giving Lister a thumbs-up, "Red Penguin is still as professional as ever."

Lister, standing next to Matthew, smiled and said, "You know, we always provide the best service."

"Yeah." Matthew, having worked at this company, knew it well, "So, for hosting a party, Red Penguin was my first thought."

Lister glanced at Matthew, noting the huge change in him compared to a year ago. He seemed leaner but more robust, radiating confidence and the aura of a successful person.

Who would have thought that a small driver could actually make it in Hollywood?

Since reconnecting with Matthew, Lister had collected news and data. Being the male lead in a Universal Studios production with a $40 million investment, this was already quite an achievement in Hollywood. If the film could just break even, or not lose too much, Matthew Horna would have made a name for himself and become a minor star.

Unlike the bystanders, Red Penguin mainly served the wealthy and Hollywood, and Lister had a fair understanding of this circle. Even a minor star implied a huge income surge, let alone a male lead who rose to fame from a $40 million production.

Consider their former major client, Johnny-Lee Miller. His most memorable work was 'Trainspotting', where he was just a supporting actor, yet he's been living comfortably and lavishly to this day, spending around a hundred thousand dollars a year at Red Penguin.

The employee who developed him as a client used to earn over ten thousand dollars a year in commissions from Johnny-Lee Miller.

With this in mind, Lister looked at Matthew with eagerness. He had asked around in the circle and learned that the male lead of 'The Scorpion King' had a salary of $500,000, an amount that could cover more than ten years of his salary!

Matthew walked around the yard, with Lister accompanying him. Compared to the beginning, their positions had completely reversed.

However, Matthew didn't bring up the past. Those days were behind him, and Lister hadn't done anything too excessive to him. In someone else's shoes at that time, they probably would have been just another onlooker.

It was just a portrait of an ordinary person struggling in the Los Angeles job market.

"I saw the trailer for 'The Scorpion King', and so did my son," Lister suddenly said, his tone clearly ingratiating, "It's really good! I'll definitely take my son to the cinema to support you!"

"Thank you!" Matthew thought of something and said, "If you really want to go, I can get you two premiere tickets."

Besides a few guests for the premiere, as the male lead, he also had ten tickets for the first screening of the film.

But Matthew didn't have that many non-Hollywood friends. Apart from giving some to Nie Bo and his swordsmanship coach, he still had five left.

Lister immediately said, "I'd love to go!" He himself didn't care much, but his son really liked the trailer, "The kid would be thrilled!"

As they reached the house door, Matthew asked Lister to wait a moment, then went inside to get two premiere tickets for 'The Scorpion King' for him.

It was a way of returning the favor; after all, Lister had helped him when he left Red Penguin.

With the tickets in hand, Lister chatted with Matthew for a while. As it approached 5 PM, Lister looked at his watch and tentatively asked, "Do you need female models to liven up the party?"

Hearing this, Matthew immediately remembered the scenes of driving those female models. It wasn't just about livening up the atmosphere!

He was tempted, but still shook his head, "No need, this is a party with partners."

"Hmm." Hearing the mention of partners, Lister didn't bring it up again and said, "It's getting late, I'll take my team and leave. If you need anything, just call me."

Matthew smiled and politely responded, "I will, thanks, Lister."

At 5 PM, Lister and his team, including the chef, left.

Matthew went to the barbecue grill, checked the prepared food, and the grill. There wasn't much left for him to do; he just had to light the fire and start grilling once the guests arrived.

Before 6 PM, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender arrived together, both bringing gifts for Matthew – a bottle of champagne from McAvoy, and a delicate porcelain ornament from Fassbender.

Matthew didn't stand on ceremony and accepted them all.

"Why suddenly throw a party?"

Sitting at the round table in the yard, McAvoy curiously asked Matthew, "Don't we always go to bars for drinks?"

Fassbender, like McAvoy, knew a bit about Matthew, "You don't have some ulterior motive, do you?"

"I was planning to use this opportunity to pick up girls," Matthew joked, "Would you believe me?"

"Cut it out…" Fassbender looked at him disdainfully, "Don't you have a girlfriend? Though it's almost like you don't…"

McAvoy seriously said, "Isn't your girlfriend coming?"

Matthew shrugged, "She's not in the U.S., she went to Europe on a business trip." He changed the subject, seriously saying, "Listen, if I talk about movies at the party, just pretend you didn't hear it. It's all lies."

Fassbender asked curiously, "What are you up to?"

McAvoy chimed in, "Definitely nothing good."

"It's indeed not good," Matthew seriously said, "James, Michael, tonight you are my guests, just keep it simple and pure."

"Did someone offend you?" Fassbender asked earnestly, "Don't forget, we're comrades who fought side by side."

Matthew smiled, "No one offended me. If I need your help, I'll definitely say. Just enjoy eating and drinking tonight and don't take my words seriously."

He didn't want to drag his two friends into this.

Seeing Matthew repeatedly emphasizing this point, both Fassbender and McAvoy nodded seriously.

McAvoy changed the subject, asking, "Matthew, what do you estimate for 'The Scorpion King's' North American box office?"

Matthew shrugged, "Of course, I'd like it to exceed a hundred million in North America!"

In Hollywood, a male lead in a film with a hundred million dollars box office in North America is on a completely different level from one with tens of millions, even if the difference is only a few million dollars in revenue.

"Is it possible?" Fassbender asked.

"It's difficult!"

Matthew once thought the hundred-million-dollar opening weekends of Hollywood blockbusters were common, but now in this circle, he knew the hardships, "I think it would be enough if it exceeds the production and promotional costs."

He had discussed this with Helen-Herman. According to Hollywood norms, if 'The Scorpion King' could make fifty to sixty million dollars in North America, plus the international market, TV broadcasting, DVD, and tape sales and rentals, Universal Studios could easily recoup its costs. The rest was just a matter of how much profit it made.

Universal Studios had direct distribution companies in many countries and regions in the Western world. These markets had a lower box office split than North America, but not by much. The real low box office splits were in markets that relied on third-party companies for distribution, like across the Pacific, where Hollywood films only get thirteen percent of the box office.

Of course, Matthew speculated that 'The Scorpion King' might not enter the Pacific markets as a revenue-sharing film. It was unclear whether Universal could sell the broadcasting rights outright.

Actually, Matthew hoped his first film as a male lead would enter the theaters across the Pacific, a sentiment hard for others to understand.

The three sat in the yard, chatting about work. Matthew learned that McAvoy had signed with the 'Dune' series and would be the lead actor in this TV series, while Fassbender was preparing for the British TV series 'Witch' and would soon return to London.

Both were booked for the next two years, leaving no time for anything else.

At 6:30 PM, Ben Foster arrived, and Matthew introduced him to Fassbender. As for McAvoy, they were old acquaintances, having worked together in the 'Black Hawk Down' crew.

Ten minutes later, Orlando Bloom arrived, unlike the first three, with a female companion.

"Legolas and the beautiful Arwen leave Middle-earth to come hand in hand..."

Greeting Orlando Bloom and his companion, Matthew imitated the British accent from 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring', "I am...honored."

"Get out of here!" Bloom slapped Matthew's arm and then introduced, "This is Liv Tyler, a good friend I met on the 'Lord of the Rings' set."

Matthew shook hands with Liv Tyler politely and introduced James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Ben Foster to her and Orlando Bloom.

The barbecue party thus began.

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