[Chapter 197: The English Rose, Linton's American Dream]
After the premiere, Linton took Catherine back to the estate. After all, Speed was still showing in theaters, and their romance rumors hadn't died down yet.
Winnie also knew that other women would be staying overnight at the estate tonight. Being shy and reserved, she wasn't comfortable partying wildly with the others, so she didn't show up.
Before long, Madonna, Sophie Marceau, Cameron Diaz, Winona Ryder, Naomi Watts, and Jennifer quietly arrived at the estate, avoiding the paparazzi.
What followed was naturally another wild, crazy, and joyous party.
Joyful and sweet songs echoed through the night without pause.
But the most excited and best performers were naturally Catherine and Jennifer.
...
Catherine was riding high off Speed's huge success, her popularity soaring and her star power rising rapidly.
Besides, she had just returned from a promotional tour in her home country, England, where she was being adored on all fronts -- she was utterly enchanted by the experience.
The media couldn't stop praising her, calling her the most beautiful "English Rose."
Even the catty girlfriends she had once performed stage plays with -- those who often backstabbed and schemed against each other behind the scenes -- all changed their tune. They scrambled to appear in front of her, genuinely complimenting her and trying to win her favor, even Rachel Weisz, the one she got along with the least.
Their single goal was to see if Catherine could help them break into Hollywood.
'Sorry, ladies, I'm happy to accept all your compliments,' she thought, 'but no way am I going to get people into Hollywood through me.'
In short, it felt fantastic.
More importantly, her agent told her that she had already received tons of invitations for appearances and commercial endorsements. Starting tomorrow, she would be flying all over America for promotions, not only to earn a hefty appearance fee but also to maintain and cement her current popularity.
...
Jennifer, because of today's premiere, from the audience's and guests' reactions -- especially Linton's public praise and box office predictions -- she felt in her gut that Step Up 2 was going to be a massive hit, and she was going to be a huge star.
Overcome with excitement, naturally, she displayed incredible energy and enthusiasm during their intimate moments.
---
After the party, during breakfast, the butler Amy delivered the day's newspapers.
As expected, the headlines were dominated by Step Up 2's premiere, Linton's box office predictions, and glowing praise for Jennifer and Leo.
Hollywood Report's front page headline read: "Step Up 2 Premiere: A Star-Studded Event, Acclaimed by Superstar Director."
Hollywood Entertainment Review's bold headline: "Stunning! How Much Will Linton Make from Investing in Step Up 2?"
Hollywood Gossip Weekly's scoop: "Breaking: Linton's Billionaire Journey."
Entertainment Weekly's feature: "Step Up 2: Leo and Jennifer's Stunning Beauty."
They hadn't expected that while promoting Step Up 2 was one thing, the media's real interest was in Linton becoming a multi-millionaire and his money-making abilities.
Hollywood Entertainment Review and Hollywood Gossip Weekly each released eye-opening articles analyzing Linton's achievements from his debut until now in music and film, highlighting his earnings in detail.
Both concluded the same: within less than three years, Linton had earned more than $400 million through music and movies, second only to Madonna among all entertainment superstars, proving he was a true prodigy, a young billionaire in making, and the embodiment of the American Dream.
...
Seeing these glowing articles about Linton, the ladies felt proud and all showered him with kisses in congratulations. If they didn't all have work commitments, the happy party might have started all over again.
What they didn't realize was that Linton's true strength was in his investment strategies. A few years down the road, around the new millennium, when he cashed out his stocks, he would shock the world.
It was worth mentioning that Cameron Diaz had successfully landed the lead female role in The Mask and was to report to the set today.
She was the only actress invited to audition for the role, and her salary was a whopping $3 million, showing how much The Shallows's success had boosted her career.
...
After breakfast, Linton returned to the set to continue shooting the music video. He noticed the crew viewing him differently now, their eyes sparkling with admiration.
Especially the female lead in the video -- she looked at him as if he were a rare treat, using every trick to get close, brush up against, lean on, touch, and hold him -- all kinds of obvious moves trying to win him over.
Unfortunately for them, Linton's standards had been raised by the top-tier beauties surrounding him; ordinary charms rarely caught his eye anymore, so their efforts were in vain.
Looks like the multi-millionaire status had its downsides, but he was used to it, and it didn't affect his focus or filming.
...
That evening, after a busy day, Jennifer quietly arrived at the estate again to wait with Linton for the midnight box office results.
At noon on August 13, Step Up 2's midnight premiere officially began.
Thanks to a huge fan base established by the first movie, the film launched its midnight screening in 2,800 theaters across North America, with 3,500 giant screens -- an impressively massive scale.
All officially releasing theaters participated in the midnight screenings, some with two screening rooms each, reflecting the theaters' strong confidence in the film.
Moreover, since it was late in the summer movie season, most blockbuster films had already premiered, reducing competition. The initial screening count even surpassed Speed's.
The movie's soundtrack CD was now available in all music stores, its posters prominently displayed.
In collaboration with Universal Pictures, merchandise shops had put up clothing and hats worn by Leo in the film for sale.
Spurred by the hot sales of Speed's action figure toys, and thanks to the handsome Leo and beautiful Jennifer, Universal prepared $20 million worth of figures representing the two stars from the movie.
Jennifer, confident in the film's box office success and with press tours scheduled with Anne and Leo, chose not to attend the theater screening herself.
...
At the Beverly Hills Theater, two screening rooms showed Step Up 2 simultaneously, showing the theater's confidence.
The results did not disappoint. By 11:30 PM, the lobby was already packed with waiting audience members, mostly under 20 years old. Outside, a long queue for tickets stretched endlessly.
On the large lobby screen, trailers for recently released movies played, and every time the Step Up 2 trailer appeared, the crowd erupted in screams and cheers.
The CinemaScore company's investigator, Jimmy, was assigned to this theater to survey audience reactions post-viewing.
He was amazed by the large turnout; he estimated nearly 200 people were there just to see Step Up 2 at this single theater.
*****
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