Hollywood Director 1992

[Chapter 118: End-of-Year Arrangements]

After filming The Blair Witch Project, Link handed over the promotional duties to Jon Gordon, assigned the task of acquiring other companies to Michael Leeson, and delegated the production of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective to Danny DeVito.

He continued to hold book signings across the United States.

The reason for this was that Interstellar was selling like hotcakes and gaining immense popularity. It wasn't just regular sci-fi fans who loved it; many university professors openly recommended the book, claiming that while Link's movies could be skipped, Interstellar was a must-read. The book provided insights into the future and the universe.

By the third week, Interstellar sold 690,000 copies in the U.S., and even during a pause after book signings, it managed to sell 413,000 copies in the fourth week. In the fifth week, it officially surpassed 500,000 copies.

Currently, total sales in the U.S. crossed 1.6 million copies, comfortably outpacing titles like The Bridges of Madison County and Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, topping the bestseller list.

Starting in the sixth week, Link rejoined the promotional team, continuing to travel to various cities in the U.S. for promotions and book signings. Thanks to his good physical stamina, he sometimes signed over 5,000 books in just one day.

During these book signings, he encountered many celebrities, including Steve Jobs, Yahoo founder Jerry Yang, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and even Elon Musk, who was studying at the University of Pennsylvania. They praised the future technologies he described in his book and requested his contact information for further discussions.

Link was quite busy at the moment and didn't have time for lengthy chats, so he gave them his email, asking them to reach out if they needed anything.

After three continuous weeks on the road, Link nearly covered all the major cities in the U.S. By December, with the first round of promotions for Interstellar completed, Link and the promotional team returned to Los Angeles to regroup and prepare for the international release of Interstellar planned for the following year.

----

As the end of the year approached, the company had a lot on its plate, including annual work reviews, box office statistics, planning for next year's projects, and distributing bonuses to employees. There was an endless pile of materials to review and documents to sign each day.

"Link, hasn't the company closed for the holidays yet?" Jennifer Connelly asked over the phone.

"Not yet. I'm working on the budget for the new movie projects. Originally, we planned to invest in three films, but now it looks like there will be four, doubling the workload for next year," Link replied while multitasking, with the phone wedged between his shoulder and ear, jotting down notes.

"Four movies? You're investing in four films next year? That's too much! Big Seven only releases a dozen or so films each year. Do you think Guess Pictures can handle four projects at once?"

"It might be a bit much. Want to come help out?"

"Do you really want me to?" Jennifer chuckled.

"Absolutely. Every time I hear you speak, no matter how tired I am, it makes me feel lighter. If you were around during late nights, I could work for three straight days without stopping. You're my best remedy for stress."

"That's what you said. I'll come by Guess Pictures tomorrow to keep you company, but don't complain if I annoy you."

"Not a chance."

Link set down his pen and switched the phone to the other shoulder, continuing to chat with Jennifer, asking her what she had been up to and where she planned to spend Christmas.

As they spoke, Lily entered the room, carrying a stack of documents. Hearing their conversation, her eye roll could have swallowed him whole.

"Jen, I've got work to do. Let's chat later, muma."

...

Link hung up, stretching his neck, which was starting to cramp. He sighed, "Today has been incredibly busy. I doubt even the President has as much to handle as I do. What do you have there, Lily?"

"Paperwork! You're in trouble! With Monica around, you're still trying to flirt with Jennifer Connelly? Don't you think that's a bit too much?" Lily shot back, not giving him any sympathy.

"Lily, it's not that I want to be a jerk; I have my reasons."

"What reasons?"

"Not a sickness, but if you ask from a traditional standpoint, it's kind of like one. It's called hypersexuality, you know..."

"Hypersexuality?"

Lily suddenly realized what he meant, a blush creeping up her cheeks as she embarrassedly spat at him, "That's disgusting! I don't want to hear about your private life!"

Link wasn't lying. After multiple enhancements, he was not only physically stronger but also full of vigor. Where it used to be once or twice a day, now it could happen anywhere, anytime. Luckily, he could control it; otherwise, he'd need to wear metal underwear to work every day.

"Who wants to know about that stuff?"

Lily waved her documents at him, almost ready to swat him, but conceding to give her boss a bit of respect, she held back.

"What's all this?"

Link took the documents from her hands.

"Work."

Lily opened the folder, introducing each item.

Guess Pictures had four planned movie projects for the upcoming year, three of which were in preparation, leading to a busy end-of-year workload. The films slated to start shooting early next year were Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Final Destination, Pulp Fiction, and an undecided project, Se7en.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective had a budget of $12 million, with Columbia Pictures investing $8 million and Guess Pictures putting in $4 million. Revenue would be split evenly post-break-even.

The film was ready to start filming in January.

Final Destination had a budget of $15 million and was being produced exclusively by Guess Pictures, currently casting actors, with plans to shoot in March or April.

Pulp Fiction had a production cost of $10 million, with Guess Pictures and Miramax sharing the cost equally. Joint marketing would be followed by a 50-50 split of box office returns.

Se7en was still waiting in line.

In addition to these four films, The Blair Witch Project had a fixed release date for February.

"And there's this: Vanity Fair wants to shoot some cover photos for you for their January issue. The editor from Forbes called too, hoping to set up a time for an interview."

Lily pointed to the documents.

"Forbes? Can I be listed in Forbes with my net worth?"

"Word has it you made $400 million this year. Last year, the threshold to make the Forbes 400 list was $350 million, so Forbes probably thinks you're eligible too."

"Where did I make four hundred million? I still have to pay taxes."

Thinking of taxes made Link cringe. The corporate and personal income taxes seemed to be scraping off a layer of skin from him. But not paying couldn't be an option. He had to find ways to hedge, investing in stocks and philanthropy to make it work.

"Also, Aaron Kutz, the deputy editor of The Hollywood Reporter, wants to interview you and take your photo. Given the current box office performance, Paranormal Activity is sure to be the top earner of the year.

Traditionally, The Hollywood Reporter dedicates an interview to the director of the highest-grossing film when announcing the annual box office rankings."

"Aaron is an old friend; we can set it up early."

Link took a look at the notes, grabbed the phone from his desk, and called Aaron Kutz to arrange an interview for Thursday.

"Oh, and I know about the premiere of Bram Stoker's Dracula; Columbia Pictures invited you to attend."

"Yeah, Monica mentioned it."

*****

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