Chapter 21: System Showing Its Might
Aaron brought Quentin Tarantino to meet with director Tony Scott and sold the script "Fatal Romance" to the other party for $65,000, however, it is unknown when Tony Scott will adapt it.
Because now Tony Scott and Tom Cruise are going to cooperate on a racing action blockbuster "Days of Thunder"!
"The producers are Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, the director is Tony Scott, the male lead is Tom Cruise, and the production and distribution company is also Paramount."
Aaron Anderson looked at the information of "Days of Thunder". Isn't this just trying to copy "Top Gun" a few years ago?
Paula Wagner nodded, "It's the original crew of "Top Gun", and Paramount has also given a shooting budget of 60 million US dollars!"
"60 million US dollars," Aaron was shocked.
You know, the cost of the sci-fi action blockbuster "Total Recall" starring actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, which is currently being filmed by Carlock Pictures, is 65 million US dollars, it surpassed Stallone's previous work "Rambo: First Blood 3" with a cost of 63 million US dollars and is currently the most expensive movie.
Tom Cruise is definitely behind Stallone and Schwarzenegger now. The budget of 60 million US dollars is definitely a top-notch production!
Paula Wagner smiled, "Recently, Carlock spent 5 million US dollars to buy the filming rights of the sequel of "Terminator" from Hemdale Films;"
"Prepare to let James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger cooperate in "Terminator 2", and the budget is even higher."
The copyright of "Terminator" was first sold by James Cameron to the production company of independent producer Gale Hurd, Western Pacific Films, for $1 in exchange for directing by himself, Gale Hurd exchanged half of the copyright for filming funds from Hemdale Films, and after the filming, she also became James Cameron's wife!
When Terminator 1 was released, Hemdale also asked Orion to co-distribute the film. Now, the budget of Terminator 2 is definitely not something that a small film company like Hemdale can afford, therefore, Hemdale Films sold half of its copyright to Carlock Films, which was jointly developed by Cameron's ex-wife Gail Hurd and Carlock.
"Carlock Films, has become very famous recently. They are very generous in making movies. A lot of funds come from Europe, and the two founders have close ties in Europe."
Just look at Total Recall to know that Paul Verhoeven, the director of RoboCop, was poached from Orion Films to direct the film.
"It's just that this company only invests and produces movies, and does not participate in distribution. It's a bit interesting!"
Aaron didn't quite understand. After all, small distributors nowadays are mainly engaged in movie distribution, but they are all low-cost works.
Paula Wagner glanced at Aaron and said, "Carlock is engaged in commercial blockbusters. If the investment and distribution are combined, the expenses will be too high."
"That's right," Aaron nodded. After all, Carlock's size is not as big as the six major studios, and they don't have only one work a year.
"I heard that the heroine of Days of Thunder will use a newcomer, right?"
Aaron seemed to remember that if it weren't for him, Nicole Kidman met Tom Cruise because of this movie and then got married.
However, now Nicole Kidman is his woman, I don't know if she will have the opportunity to be the heroine of Tom Cruise's movie?
Paula Wagner smiled, "For this, you have to pay attention to the crew, the producer of the movie, the director, etc."
Aaron smiled slightly. For this kind of movie, isn't it Tom Cruise who decides how to shoot and who to use?
"But the actress you have seems a little high," Paula Wagner reminded.
Paula Wagner had certainly met Nicole Kidman. After all, Aaron Anderson was the most outstanding young agent in her department.
Aaron Anderson had brought Nicole Kidman to several banquets and events, so he introduced Nicole to Paula Wagner.
"You have new people under you, so you should try some low-cost projects!"
Paula Wagner's meaning was obvious. For a blockbuster like this with high attention, the competition was too fierce and it was not easy to get a role.
"Don't worry, I understand..."
May 24, 1989 – The Day Hollywood Shuddered
Aaron stood on the rooftop of an old theater in Los Angeles, the city buzzing with anticipation. Below him, crowds lined up outside cinemas for the grand release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It was going to be the summer's biggest blockbuster—at least, it was supposed to be.
He checked his watch: 7:00 PM. Showtime.
> "System," he whispered, "activate **Box Office Swallowing:. Target – Indiana Jones and theLastCrusade."
[Confirmed. Swallowing 50% box office projection. Triggering diversion protocol.]
Like a ripple in the fabric of reality, something shifted.
Families suddenly changed their minds at the ticket window—some felt an odd urge to watch a different film, others decided to go home, many just doesn't want to go.
A strange fog of forgetfulness settled over city billboards. Inexplicably, dozens of print ads and local promos were misprinted or delayed. Some theaters reported last-minute projection issues.
By midnight, the damage was clear.
Instead of its expected $8.6 million opening day, the film grossed only $4.3 million.
Industry insiders were stunned. Analysts scrambled for explanations. Rumors of a marketing failure began to circulate, and studio execs blamed each other behind closed doors.
Aaron grinned, watching the chaos unfold from his small apartment, a glowing screen listing the "swallowed revenue" in golden digits:
> Box Office Energy Absorbed: $237.1 million equivalent. System credits converted.
> "That's just the beginning," he said. "Let's see what happens when Spielberg's legacy bends to me."
---
The first day had gone perfectly. My system devoured half the opening day revenue like a black hole beneath the glitz of Hollywood. The world didn't know what hit them—but I did.
> [System Alert: Target revenue suppression successful. Box Office absorption ongoing.]
May 25th – Thursday:
Studio execs woke up to bad news.
"Why are walk-in numbers flatlining?"
"Why are people leaving before the previews finish?"
Nobody knew the answer.
But I did.
Across America, people overslept, cars broke down, some folks even got random "flu-like symptoms". My system's Diversion Protocol wasn't just economic—it was subconscious. That's why it worked so well.
May 26th – Friday:
Word of mouth usually gave a movie like this a boost. Not this time.
There were whispers on talk shows, "It's good, but not Temple of Doom good," — planted comments by the system's algorithm through seeded broadcast interference. Even critics who were hyped suddenly wrote lukewarm reviews, their excitement dulled.
The Friday total? Just over $4.2 million, when it should've soared past $8 million.
I felt it humming beneath my skin—Box Office Power made tangible. It was more than money. It was influence. Attention. Cultural weight. I was swallowing history itself.
May 27th – Saturday (The Big Day):
This was the real test. The day the original timeline recorded Indiana Jones breaking the $10 million day barrier—the first film ever to do so.
But now?
Instead of full theaters, half the seats remained cold. Tickets went "missing" in box offices, power outages hit select theaters, and two major multiplexes had mysterious projector malfunctions that forced cancellations in Chicago and Dallas.
Saturday actuals: $5.3 million.
Not even close to breaking records.
Spielberg was reportedly furious. Harrison Ford stayed quiet. The studio invested another 10 million on the advertisement and also released a generic PR statement blaming "unexpected holiday competition."
May 28th – Sunday:
By now, analysts were panicking. Last Crusade was still #1, but only by a thin margin. Its 5-day Memorial Day total was barely $18.5 million, instead of the expected $37 million.
I didn't just ruin their numbers. I weakened the myth. The movie didn't feel as epic. Fans debated whether Indiana Jones was getting stale. The collective imagination dimmed—like I'd stolen a bit of magic from the world.
And maybe I had.
When it was June, Aaron first helped Adam Sandler return to the "Saturday Night Live" program, then, he helped Nicole Kidman get an independent film script.
"Wild at Heart, directed by David Lynch!"
In an apartment in West Hollywood, Nicole Kidman lay on the bed, flipping through the script in her hand.
"Well, David Lynch is a representative figure in independent films, focusing on dark and surrealist styles. He lacks commercial appeal, but has a lot of prestige among film critics."
Aaron supported his head and lay next to Nicole Kidman. "The surrealist works he directed before, "The Elephant Man" and "Blue Velvet", have a good reputation;"
"The leading actor is newcomer Nicolas Cage. This guy's background is not simple. His original name is Nicolas Coppola, and he changed his last name to his own;"
"Francis Coppola is his uncle!"
"I believe in your vision," Nicole Kidman leaned into Aaron's arms and kissed him, wondering, "Don't you like to pay attention to commercial movies?"
"Wild at Heart" is a black comedy crime drama. Although it is a normal work of David Lynch, it has not been invested heavily and there are no big stars. Its commercial appeal is definitely not very good!
Aaron smiled, hugged the sexy and beautiful Nicole Kidman in his arms and kissed her for a while, "Now Tony Scott and Tom Cruise are going to cooperate in a racing action blockbuster "Days of Thunder"; "
The investment is 60 million US dollars, and the heroine in it needs a beautiful vase. I was going to let you try, but unfortunately, the competition is too fierce."
"Tom Cruise?"
Nicole Kidman also shook her head, "His height is about the same as Mr. Al Pacino, it is probably difficult for me to cooperate!"
Before, when auditioning for "Pretty Woman", Nicole Kidman felt this kind of trouble very intuitively.
"That's not necessarily true. If you can charm Tom Cruise at that time, the heroine can be appointed by him at will."
The selling point of "Days of Thunder" is Tom Cruise. Who in the crew would not listen to him?
"There are so many beauties in Hollywood, how could Tom Cruise fall for me?"
Nicole Kidman said, pointing to the script on the bed, "This one is pretty good."
"Yeah," Aaron said, and he turned over and pressed on Nicole, kissing her red lips!
On June 2, 1989, Another fat sheep(movie) released "Dead Poets Society".
Well, it's my time to silence the Poets.
The moment Dead Poets Society hit theaters, Aaron was already in position—this time, in his house. No chaos, no noise. Just a whisper:
> "System, initiate partial swallow. 50% suppression. Let the inspiration fade."
Robin Williams' passionate monologues, the thunder of "Carpe Diem"—they still played on screen. But half the people who were meant to see it? Never arrived.
> [System diversion activated: sudden rainstorms, family emergencies, lack of interest, minor projector faults, etc.]
Opening weekend numbers came in at $8.3 million. In the original timeline? It should've nearly doubled that.
> [Box Office Energy absorbed: $118 million equivalent.]
For many, it was just another drama. For Aaron?
It was a stolen spark.
A revolution in thought that never quite caught fire.
> "Let them seize the day some other time," he said, vanishing into the crowd.
END OF THE CHAPTER.....
[ Box Office Energy Absorbed: $237.1 million+ $118million =$355.1 million.]