Chapter 89: High Luck Attribute


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    [Chapter 89: High Luck Attribute]


    Virginiapletely failed to grasp what Eric was talking about and curiously replied, "Malibu 10880?"


    Eric nodded but didn''t bother to offer any detailed exnation; it would have been impossible to rify things for her anyway. In his past life, he had been struck by Tony Stark''s Malibu mansion in Iron Man 3. Like many film buffs, he had searched for information about that house online, only to discover that it was a fully CGI model created by the filmpany based on the Malibu site.


    There wereter ims that a real house existed, but it turned out to be in San Diego, California, and the owner had listed it for sale. However, savvy inte users quickly debunked it as a publicity stunt; while the San Diego property was indeed a lovely oceanfront vi, it was nothingpared to the cinematic grandeur of the movie house.


    As for the shier Stark Tower in New York, that seemed unlikely to happen -- New York was already filled to the brim with its own set of problems. But Eric felt the Malibu mansion was within his reach. It was really just a matter of money, and for Eric, that was hardly an issue anymore. With expectations that his film, Pretty Woman, would rake in over a hundred million dors, building a hundred vis in Malibu wouldn''t pose any challenge at all.


    Turning to nce at the lovely girl still nestled on his shoulder, Eric smiled, running his hand over Virginia''s soft curves, feeling the smooth warmth beneath his palm. "Vicki, why don''t you whip up some breakfast? I was busy all night, and now I''m starving."


    Virginia shot him a yful nce. "With me around, do you even need breakfast?"


    "Come on, prepare some toast and eggs. And don''t forget to bnce an apple on your head while you''re at it. I''ll be there to ''dine'' on youter."


    "As you wish, Your Highness." Virginia giggled, leaning in to nt a kiss at the corner of Eric''s mouth. But just as she moved in, Eric suddenly thought of something and jerked to the side. "No!"


    With a thud, he tipped over, chair and all, sending a pile of papers held together by a paperclip scattering everywhere.


    Virginia quickly helped Eric back up, brushing the dust from his clothes. "What''s got you all worked up?"


    Eric pointed at Virginia''s lips. "You swallowedst night, and you haven''t brushed your teeth, right?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Realization dawned on her, and she gave Eric an annoyed look. "You horrible man! You made me swallow such disgusting stuff, and now you''re being picky?"


    Eric chuckled as he and Virginia bent down together to pick up the scattered papers, reattaching them with the paperclip. After giving her a gentle nudge to get started on breakfast, Eric settled back into his seat.


    The order of the ten pages of script was clearly out of whack, and as Eric fiddled with it, he inadvertently nced at a page that boldly disyed the words Steel Magnolias.


    Steel Magnolias!


    Eric quickly rearranged the script and started reading from the first page. Although it was just an audition segment and not the full script, itcked any information on the writers or directors. Still, he recognized these scenes as exactly what he had been looking for -- those of the timid hairstylist Annelle Dupuy-DeSoto.


    "Man, my luck attribute is really high. Maybe I should try my luck in Las Vegas!" Eric mused with a grin. Since the script appeared in Virginia''s bedroom, the audition must''ve been a recent urrence, and he hoped the role hadn''t been finalized yet.


    ...


    Walking downstairs with the script in hand, he found Virginia in a fresh set offy clothes, tied up in an apron, busy in the kitchen.


    Upon noticing Eric standing behind her, Virginia turned to smile. "Eric, it''ll be ready soon." Eric raised the script and asked, "Vicki, when did you audition for this movie?"


    Virginia flipped the sizzling eggs in the pan, ncing back quickly. "Are you talking about Steel Magnolias? I auditioned Friday, just two days ago."


    "Can you tell me more about this film? What do you know?"


    Virginia ted the eggs, turned off the stove, and replied, "Sure, Eric. Let''s chat over breakfast in the dining room."


    Nodding, Eric helped her carry breakfast into the dining area. Virginia poured him a ss of milk and said, "My agent rmended me this script. It''s directed by Herbert Ross. I heard that originally, Tristar intended to invest, but with Sony form Japanunching negotiations to acquire them, they are afraid that the film''s poor box office performance might negatively impact their stock -- so a lot of Columbia TriStar''s less favorable projects got shelved. Herbert Ross ended up having to pull together some investors to produce it independently, which meant the budget wasn''trge. That''s how I got my audition chance."


    Thanks to Eric''s reassurances from the previous night, Virginia no longer felt upset about notnding Annelle''s role. Her voice was casual, as if she were just having a chat. "Unfortunately, Herbert Ross thought I, um, was too old for that part, so I didn''t get to audition sessfully."


    The mention of her age immediately sparked a hint of worry in Virginia as she looked at Eric; she was almost thirty, and time wasn''t on her side anymore.


    Across the table, Eric''s eating slowed considerably as he mentally calcted that since TriStar had pulled out, perhaps he could snag the project. Firefly couldn''t just keep making films for Eric alone; investing in more projects was essential, and Steel Magnolias might be an excellent


    opportunity.


    Of course, Firefly would eventually need to establish its distribution channel. In his past life, DreamWorks struggled because itcked a solid distribution n and had to hand films over to the Big Six, resulting in most profits being siphoned away by the studios. Even when DreamWorks released massive hits, the bottom line reflected losses, ultimately leading to its sale to Vi.


    In reality, DreamWorks had some distribution capabilities, but many of Spielberg''s films wererge investments with major productions. Their minimal promotion could often yield only a fraction of the revenue on films that might otherwise gross two hundred million worldwide. That was why Eric hadn''t yet considered distributing his own films.


    He willingly turned almost half of his profits over to Fox because only a major yer like Fox had the promotional power to fully unleash the potential of a highly seble film. If he tried to distribute on his own, even with the same number of screens as Fox, he wouldn''t see the same box office sess. So many variables were at y that it was hard to summarize.


    Gradually, Eric began to solidify his vision for Firefly''s path: producing films to gather funding from the studios while also investing heavily in small-budget films with budgets in the millions, using those films to gain resources and experience. Once they reached a certain level of sess, distributing his own films would make perfect sense.


    It seemed that the Weinstein brothers had sessfully taken the small-budget route; while DreamWorks fluctuated with highs and lows, the Weinsteins thrived, even after losing Miramax, and their new venture, The Weinstein Company, still held a ce of prestige in


    Hollywood.


    *****


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