Simon gave Robert Rehme some instructions, sending him off to chair the marketing meeting for 'Steel Magnolias', while he found a small conference room to wait for the discussion to conclude and talk to a few executives.
Just as Simon sat down at the conference table, flipping through a media feedback report for 'Steel Magnolias', there was a knock on the door. A tall woman peeked in, it was Julia Roberts.
Bored in the waiting room, Julia went to the restroom to touch up her makeup. When she came out, she happened to notice Simon and Rehme talking in the hallway. Once they separated, she quietly followed Simon to this room.
Simon didn't care why Julia knew he was there. He just smiled at her, noting her long hair, and chuckled, "Your hair grew so fast?"
In 'Steel Magnolias', Julia's character, Shelby, cut her hair short in the later part of the film due to kidney disease. Simon had always thought Julia looked better with short hair than with long.
Julia immediately understood what Simon was referring to and explained, "That was a wig. If I really cut my hair, it would be a hassle; it takes a long time to grow back".
As she spoke, Julia pushed the door open and walked in.
However, after closing the door and turning to face the man at the conference table, Julia felt a little constrained and wasn't sure what to do for a moment.
This was Simon Westeros, after all.
Simon noticed her hesitation and smiled again, pointing to the seat next to him. "Come, sit here".
Julia then walked over and sat sideways in the chair next to Simon. She glanced at the documents in his hand and asked, "Simon, what are you looking at?"
"Media feedback for 'Steel Magnolias'. Many critics say you performed well".
Simon answered casually. They were sitting very close, and he didn't hesitate to openly admire the big-mouthed beauty, who was at the peak of her looks. Julia was wearing a black turtleneck sweater and white casual trousers today. Sitting sideways, her natural charm and taut long legs looked quite alluring.
Feeling Simon's gaze, Julia subtly adjusted her posture and said, "Everyone performed wonderfully, Simon. Do you think this movie can make $100 million at the box office?"
Simon replied, "I'm not sure. It depends on whether the audience buys into it".
In the original timeline, 'Steel Magnolias' was a standard box office dark horse. Few people had high expectations for the film, but it inexplicably exploded. Although it didn't break $100 million, its domestic box office of over $80 million was enough to make many films look up to it in that era.
Now, Daenerys Entertainment has invested far more effort into this film than TriStar Pictures once did. The film's reputation has also been confirmed by yesterday's preview screening. In this year-end slot with little competition, Simon is very confident in the film's box office performance.
"'When Harry Met Sally', 'Pulp Fiction', 'Basic Instinct', and the recent 'Scream'", Julia listed, counting on her fingers, "This is already four in a row. It would be a shame if the streak ended with 'Steel Magnolias'".
"There's nothing to be ashamed of; we have to give others a chance to live", Simon said, then, remembering Julia's purpose for coming today, he added, "The meeting over there is about to start. Aren't you going?"
"My agent can listen for me. Anyway, I'll do whatever Daenerys Entertainment arranges".
Simon chuckled, "You're very eloquent".
Julia noticed Simon's left hand subtly lifting as he spoke. Combined with his gaze, she realized that he had probably just intended to reach out and playfully cup her chin or something. It was a very flirtatious gesture, and if it were anyone else, Julia would have been annoyed, but at this moment, she felt a faint regret that the man hadn't acted on it.
Leaning slightly towards the man, Julia continued, "Simon, I still have four film contracts with Daenerys Entertainment. Can you personally write a script for my next movie?"
Simon said, "Your next movie is already set, but the script is still being revised. Preparations will probably begin early next year, and it's scheduled for Valentine's Day the year after".
Julia immediately became curious: "What's the story? Can I read the script first?"
"A romance film similar to 'La Traviata'", Simon explained casually. "The script will be given to you once it's finished, no need to rush".
Julia nodded, then suddenly realized something else.
Preparations would start in the first half of next year, so filming would likely begin at least by mid-year, with a release date for Valentine's Day the year after. So, what about next year? Would she really have no films released for the entire next year?
Looking at the man in front of her who seemed completely oblivious, Julia made a small gesture in the air with her hand and said, "Simon, before that movie starts filming, can I take on another film?"
Simon's gaze returned to the documents in his hand, and he said casually, "If there's something suitable, I'll arrange it for you".
Julia tentatively asked, "What if, Simon, what if there isn't anything suitable? Can I accept scripts from other film companies?"
Simon shook his head: "No".
Previously, for Meg Ryan and Nicole Kidman, Daenerys Entertainment had priority contracts. Because the company temporarily had no suitable projects, Simon generously allowed the two actresses to participate in other films first. However, this generosity didn't seem to have the desired effect.
For example, with 'Flying Over Innocence' this time, CAA directly quoted a high price of $5 million for Meg Ryan's lead role, double the company's expected budget for the female lead's salary, completely on par with Mel Gibson.
Equal pay for male and female stars in Hollywood has always been a joke.
Just like Julia in the original timeline, after a globally successful romance film like 'Pretty Woman', Julia participated in 'Hook'. Spielberg, Dustin Hoffman, and Robin Williams, the three main creators, would take 40% of the film's net profit in addition to their high base salaries, while Julia's salary for playing the fairy Tinkerbell was only $2.5 million.
Now, since CAA was making exorbitant demands, Daenerys Entertainment directly pushed Meg Ryan's salary down to $2 million, and both sides are currently at a stalemate.
Because of these lessons, Simon had no intention of doing anything superfluous again.
Feeling Simon's unyielding tone, Julia instinctively recoiled. However, she wasn't about to give up. A small hand boldly reached out, her index finger tracing a few lines on the man's arm, and she said, "Simon, perhaps we can find time to talk privately. How about tonight?"
Simon shook his head, a slight smile on his lips, and said, "Tonight won't work. How about now?"
"Huh?"
This time it was Julia's turn to be surprised. She looked left and right, then glanced at the door, which she seemed to have forgotten to lock from the inside.
Simon seemed completely oblivious to her hesitation, and even appeared to have momentarily forgotten his own words, calmly returning his gaze to the documents in his hand.
Julia hesitated for a moment, then finally made up her mind. She got up, walked to the door, locked it from the inside, and returned. Then, standing beside Simon, her gaze began to wander, looking at the table, the chairs, and the floor.
Finally, it landed on the man.
That hateful man.
With a silent complaint, Julia lifted the hem of her sweater, about to take off her clothes, when the conference room door knocked.
Simon remained unmoved, but Julia was startled, and all the courage she had just mustered instantly drained away.
The door knocked a few more times before Simon gestured for the stunned Julia to open it. Julia, with a complicated feeling, opened the door, to find Simon's female assistant, who habitually wore a ponytail, standing outside.
Jennifer's eyes held a hint of evasiveness as she held a thick stack of documents and casually greeted, "Hello, Miss Roberts, is the boss in?"
Julia hadn't yet recovered from her fright and naturally didn't notice the strangeness in Jennifer's eyes. She stepped aside to let the assistant in, then, after a moment's thought, said her goodbyes: "Well, Simon, I'm going to the meeting now. You, um, can call me anytime".
Julia finished speaking and left.
Jennifer seemed to have completely ignored Julia's words. She walked to the conference table, her back to Simon, and silently placed a pencil on the table, then spread out several documents one by one. Her movements were as slow as possible, as if in a huff, not intending to turn and face a certain someone.
Then, a voice sounded behind her: "Were you eavesdropping outside?"
Jennifer's movements paused.
Something seemed wrong?
Why did she feel guilty every time a certain someone wanted to do something bad?
Earlier, when she learned the meeting was over, she rushed over with some documents Simon had instructed her to bring, and happened to see Julia Roberts sneaking into this conference room. She originally intended to leave, but couldn't resist walking over and 'waiting' outside the door for a while, vaguely hearing that hateful person's words, and thus couldn't help but knock on the door to spoil his fun.
She didn't intend to answer his question; she wasn't guilty. So she planned to leave without saying a word.
But her heart was aching.
He wouldn't really let her leave, would he?
Just as she took a step, an arm wrapped around her from behind. She struggled lightly, then stopped resisting, but still kept her back to him, her mind quickly racing: should her expression be cold, or angry, or should she scold him first?
After Saturday's meeting, under Simon's personal supervision, Daenerys Entertainment began to adjust quickly.
Simon had always wanted to be a hands-off boss, but he also understood that he could only truly let go once Daenerys Entertainment had established a specific corporate culture and style. By then, the company would be like a machine that had completed its break-in period, able to operate according to established rules even without him as the operator.
In the new week, the most watched event in the entire country was undoubtedly the official voting for the presidential election, which was about to begin on Tuesday. After six months of fierce campaigning, the two presidential candidates, George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis, were set for their final showdown.
Most things hadn't changed much due to Simon's appearance, so he was pretty sure of the outcome of this presidential election.
In Hollywood, although the presidential election had captured a lot of attention, the box office data from the past weekend was still highly anticipated.
From November 4th to November 6th, over three days, 'Scream', in its second week of release, still firmly held the top spot for weekly box office. It earned another $12.66 million in its second weekend, bringing its cumulative box office to $33.37 million after ten days of release.
In comparison, Universal Pictures' new film 'They Live', released this week, though ranking second, only earned $4.63 million in its opening three days.
The second-place film was already far behind 'Scream', and most of the other films on the list were even less noteworthy.
Of course, 'Steel Magnolias' was an exception.
This new film, which opened its limited release in North America with only 22 screens, earned $1.13 million in its first three days, thanks to Daenerys Entertainment's relentless promotional campaign and consistent media praise. Although it only ranked 11th on the weekly box office chart, it was evident that no one could ignore the fact that this film only had 22 screens.
Moreover, the average per-theatre gross of over $51,000 in three days also surprised many people.
Hollywood film companies began to study the highlights of this film, trying to unearth similar themes to follow suit, but the result was that most people were very puzzled as to why a female-centric film like 'Steel Magnolias' would be so popular. In the end, the industry could only attribute the credit to Daenerys Entertainment's marketing offensive, which spared no expense.
During the initial discussions about the marketing plan, everyone's first impression was that the female-centric genre would largely limit the box office potential of 'Steel Magnolias'.
But in the end, after repeated discussions by the team, Daenerys Entertainment ultimately decided to downplay the female-centric characteristics of 'Steel Magnolias' as much as possible, and market the film as a family-friendly film suitable for family viewing during the holiday season.
Although Thanksgiving and Easter had not yet arrived, the first weekend's limited release box office data confirmed the correctness of this distribution strategy for the company.
November 8th, Tuesday.
The 41st U.S. presidential election officially began. Voting was Simon was pretty unfamiliar with. So, he simply didn't vote and spent the entire day working as usual.
North American media, which had always paid close attention to Simon Westeros's personal political leanings, began to follow him closely from early morning. As a result, more than a dozen reporters staked out Daenerys Entertainment headquarters all day, but found no signs of Simon going out to vote. CNN specifically mentioned this in its live broadcast that day, and even invited political experts to analyse it in all seriousness, concluding that Simon Westeros was a person who didn't care about politics.
Subsequently, although the voting results from many states were still being tallied, by that afternoon, major North American television networks broadcasting live had already announced that George H.W. Bush had secured more than half of all 538 electoral votes in the United States, making him the next President of the United States without a doubt.
The next day, the election was completely settled. George H.W. Bush ultimately received a staggering 428 electoral votes, demonstrating an overwhelming advantage. In comparison, Michael Dukakis only received 111 electoral votes.
Since George H.W. Bush won the election, many things in Simon's memory were destined to happen, and he therefore began to make more private preparations for future events.