The Benefits of Success

"Irene, this is Adelaide Griffin, the head of distribution management at 20th Century Fox."

"Mr. Griffin, it is a pleasure to meet you." Irene stepped forward to shake his hand.

"Mr. Griffin happened to be in the area for business and specifically reached out to me because he wanted to meet you."

"Ms. Coppola, I've heard so much about you. Please, just call me Adelaide. May I call you Irene? Seeing you in person makes the reputation of a genius feel even more real. If I had married earlier, I'd have a granddaughter your age, haha." Adelaide Griffin smiled warmly, his tone sounding exceptionally sincere.

"Of course, Adelaide. I imagine your granddaughter is at a lovely, well-behaved age."

"No, no, she's quite the handful. Just yesterday, she was at home declaring that she wants to attend Harvard in the future. Irene, you made an excellent film, one that has even had a very positive influence on our younger generation."

Receiving such high praise from a distribution executive at a major Hollywood studio was undoubtedly a huge affirmation, one that felt far more satisfying than any flowery talk in the newspapers.

"I am truly flattered to hear you say that," Irene said earnestly.

"This isn't flattery; it's a judgment based on market experience." Adelaide leaned forward, his eyes becoming eager and focused. "If the film had been handed to us for distribution, given our channels and resources, I imagine the results wouldn't have been limited to what they are now."

Anyone can talk in hindsight. If MGM hadn't been desperate to pivot, they wouldn't have released it wide without even holding a test screening. She still had to be grateful for MGM's full support, so under normal circumstances, as long as MGM maintained the status quo, she would likely hand her next film to them as well.

But she certainly wouldn't state that so directly in front of 20th Century Fox.

"Perhaps the timing wasn't right, Adelaide. Thank you very much for your interest, but there are some things I have to leave to the arrangements of others. However, I believe we will have the opportunity to work together in the future." Irene wore a look of helplessness common in business circles, as if she were deeply regretful that she hadn't been able to collaborate with 20th Century Fox.

Shelly Ovitz, standing to the side, raised his left eyebrow slightly upon hearing this. If he hadn't been there to hear Irene hand the film over to MGM without a second thought, he would have believed that Irene, as a director, was just a puppet with no decision-making power over film distribution.

"I understand. Young directors all go through this; I don't blame you. So, let's talk about the 'next time.' Shelly tells me you are already conceiving a new project?" Adelaide stared at Irene without blinking, his voice dropping in volume unconsciously.

Shelly seized the moment to take over the conversation: "Yes, Irene has some fantastic new ideas. I believe that will be a much better starting point for our two parties to collaborate."

"I am very much looking forward to it," Adelaide said firmly, his smile spreading once again. "Irene, please make sure you put Fox at the top of your priority list. Missing out on one brilliant collaboration is a regret, but missing out on two would be a dereliction of my duty. I truly look forward to us bringing an outstanding work to the world together next time."

"I certainly will, Adelaide! I look forward to our collaboration."

Back in the lounge, Irene rubbed her face, which had gone stiff from smiling, and said to Shelly Ovitz with a slightly serious tone: "I thought you would at least give me a heads-up, rather than suddenly bringing someone from Fox to see me. Are you testing me?"

Shelly replied with his usual cheeky grin: "Although it was a bit sudden, your performance was excellent. I couldn't tell you were acting at all from the sidelines. I imagine it won't be long before rumors spread that our Irene Coppola is a sincere person who is unfortunately controlled by her father."

"Why would you want people on the outside to think I'm at odds with my father?" Irene didn't quite understand the benefit of such a maneuver.

"You have to know that the vast majority of people out there want to see other people's scandals, not their happy news. There is an old Chinese saying: 'Good news doesn't leave the house, but bad news travels a thousand miles.' That's the logic. You shouldn't appear too perfect right now; having a few flaws will actually attract the attention of those big shots."

"What a hassle."

"Who's to say it isn't? Managing yourself is a great science. Don't worry about these things; I'll handle them for you. Your main task now is to get the next film ready and strike while the iron is hot."

Irene heard a familiar term again and said thoughtfully, "I couldn't tell you knew something about Chinese culture?" Who is the one with the white skin and yellow heart here, anyway?

"Didn't I tell you? I studied abroad in China for two years and can even speak quite a bit of Mandarin."

"Fine, for the sake of your experience studying in China, I won't hold this unauthorized decision against you this time. Regardless of what plans you have, you must inform me in advance. Don't let it happen again."

With the wide release of Runaway Bride, the opening weekend box office raked in $28.61 million, making everyone green with envy.

Meanwhile, the box office growth for Legally Blonde was no longer as fierce as before, but for the new weekend, it still brought in $22.06 million, following closely behind.

At this very moment, having just entered August, the North American box office for Legally Blonde had already reached $84.49 million. It was a result many directors couldn't achieve in a lifetime, yet it was easily obtained by Irene Coppola, and this number would continue to grow over time until it crossed the $100 million mark.

Regarding this, some were ecstatic, some were burning with jealousy, and others were filled with resentment.

But everything on the outside had nothing to do with Irene. Right now, she had a more urgent matter to attend to: choosing a gown for the MTV Awards.

The American MTV Awards is an awards ceremony determined by fan voting, centered on entertainment and popularity, and is full of pop culture and mass entertainment appeal. It is more like a pop culture celebration than a serious professional jury.

The awards are mainly divided into two major categories: the MTV Video Music Awards and the MTV Movie & TV Awards.

She had been invited to attend the MTV Video Music Awards this year, and the entry was the music video she had filmed for Britney.

This music video was originally intended to decorate her resume so that when she looked for investors for her film, she wouldn't look unreliable for having no portfolio.

But from the moment her father decided to invest in her film, the purpose of this music video became dispensable, and she had almost forgotten about it.

When she answered the phone and the person on the other end said she had been nominated for Best Director, she thought it was a scam call—the kind from the future where they say you've won a prize but need to send money in advance to verify your identity. After all, her film was still in theaters; how could she be winning an award?

It wasn't until the other party contacted her agent, Shelly Ovitz, that she realized she had truly been nominated for the Best Director selection. It was a genuine, pleasant surprise.

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