Zane Blackwood accepted an invitation from John, Keanu Reeves, and Charlize Theron to go to a nightclub in Los Angeles.
"Why the sudden interest in going out for a drink today?" Zane asked, swirling his glass.
"To celebrate Keanu's new movie coming out soon, of course," John said, raising his glass.
"Oh? Is it The Matrix?" Zane asked, his interest piqued.
"Yes!" Keanu smiled, looking proud. "It's The Matrix. I trained for six months just to get ready for it. Look at my muscles! Don't you think I'm much stronger than before?"
"Indeed," Zane said, but inside, his heart was full of regret.
The Matrix... what a classic!
Back in early 1997, Zane had tried to buy the script and rights for The Matrix before the big studios could get it. As a time traveler, he knew exactly how huge it would be.
The trilogy would make $1.64 billion worldwide! And the merchandise—the sunglasses, the trench coats—would sell millions and make hundreds of millions more. It was a gold mine. How could Zane let it go?
However... the creators, the Wachowski siblings, had looked down on Zane and his small studio back then. They had rejected him without a second thought!
"Your studio is too small," they had said. "It isn't worthy of our reputation. We will only choose a major Hollywood company."
Zane had been furious. Who did they think they were?! But the truth was, back in 1997, his studio was small.
"Zane," Charlize laughed suddenly, "are you still thinking about how the Wachowskis rejected you?"
John and Keanu looked surprised.
"Keanu," Charlize said, "did you know Zane tried to buy The Matrix? If they hadn't said no, it would belong to him right now!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Zane said, giving Charlize a grim look. "Could you keep that to yourself? Must you say it out loud?"
"Okay, okay! My mistake," Charlize waved her hand, laughing.
Keanu and John laughed, too. The Matrix was definitely a sore spot for Zane!
A missed fortune! For a shrewd businessman like Zane, missing out on a billion dollars was worse than death. He had been so close.
"Keanu, don't laugh," Zane grumbled. "Even if I missed The Matrix, I still have 300 Spartans."
Keanu stopped laughing and smiled. "Zane, do you really think 300 can beat The Matrix at the box office?"
"Of course!" Charlize shouted before Zane could answer. She was the female lead in 300, and she was fully confident.
"Then I'll wait and see," Keanu smiled.
The Matrix was coming out on March 31, 1999. 300 Spartans was coming out on April 7, 1999.
They were releasing less than a week apart. It was going to be a direct battle.
After this "heated" talk, they went back to drinking. That night, Zane was the first one to get completely drunk. When it came to alcohol, Zane was a real lightweight.
The next day. January 12, 1999.
That afternoon, Zane was in New York with representatives from tons of internet companies. Today was the day to bid on ads for the Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl was the biggest TV event in America. It was like an unofficial holiday! Hundreds of millions of people watched it.
It was the perfect chance for companies to show off their products. Zane wasn't going to miss it.
His movie 300 was coming out in April. But another movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, was coming out on Valentine's Day (February 14th). Zane wanted to use the Super Bowl to promote it.
"What?" Zane said as he walked in. "Isn't this Jeff, you old fox? You're here for a Super Bowl ad, too?"
It was his friend Jeff Bezos.
"Who are you calling an old fox?" Bezos retorted. "You're allowed to come, but I can't advertise for Amazon.com?"
"Sure, of course you can!" Zane rolled his eyes playfully.
"Hi, Zane! It really is you!"
Another man greeted Zane. It was the Chairman and CEO of ICQ.
"Old friend, long time no see," the man said. He looked smug. "Have you missed me? Or have you missed ICQ? After all, its success is thanks to you."
ICQ was doing great, with nearly 100 million users worldwide. But Zane knew that Microsoft was about to release its own chat program, MSN, which would be huge competition.
"Zane, old pal," the man continued, "do you regret selling all your ICQ shares now?"
"Haha!" Zane sneered. This wasn't a friendly greeting; it was pure sarcasm.
"If I regret selling my ICQ shares," Zane said with a smirk, "I'll be your grandson."
"Oh? Then we'll see!" The man sneered back and walked away.
"Tsk tsk!" Bezos laughed. "Zane, that isn't like you. He mocked you right to your face."
"Nonsense!" Zane said irritably. "What does he think he is? He's just a petty man having a moment. Just wait until Microsoft enters the market. We'll see how arrogant he is then."
Zane didn't regret selling his shares, and neither did Bezos. They both knew the CEO was good at technology, but terrible at running a business.
"Right," Bezos nodded. "He's too arrogant. Besides, Zane, you traded your shares to make deals with the big media groups. Weren't you planning something? I heard the big groups are about to push him out as chairman."
Zane chuckled. Although he was young, he could be quite clever when he needed to be.
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