[Chapter 339: The Falling Helicopter]
On December 21, under Robert's hosting, the company held a premiere for Pulp Fiction. Although Winona really wanted Linton to attend, with the fierce competition and promotion for The Man from Nowhere at its most critical stage, Linton just couldn't make it back to Los Angeles.
Then on the 23rd, limited previews were opened in 50 theaters across Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. This was a strategic move to attack the Oscars, following the traditional Oscar campaign strategy: first a limited release, controlling the number of theaters and targeting more precise audience demographics, to earn better word-of-mouth and critic scores.
Once the film achieved Golden Globe and Oscar nominations, it would leverage the media buzz and audience interest in nominated films to expand to a wider release.
The marketing was simple; Quentin took Winona and a few other actors on several variety shows, highlighting the film's Palme d'Or win. Additionally, posters were displayed prominently in preview theaters, clearly stating the film had won the Palme d'Or.
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By December 24, the day before Christmas, Linton and his team wrapped up their North American promotional tour and returned to Los Angeles.
The Man from Nowhere had been in theaters for two weeks, grossing an astonishing $165 million domestically. Merchandise sales exceeded $60 million, mostly from Linton's movie-themed action figures.
Universal Pictures had already started pushing the film overseas from December 16, with premiers in 20 countries and regions in the first wave. Given the film's popularity in America, overseas box office soared to $75 million within a week.
However, Linton couldn't join the subsequent overseas promotions as the filming for Independence Day officially started on December 20, and his third single I Know was set for release on the 28th. Director Michael Bay and Universal Records president Daniel were eagerly awaiting their leading man.
Fortunately, after hits like Happy Death Day and Get Out, Monica and Will Smith were already recognized as rising Hollywood stars globally. Scarlett Johansson, with her pure and adorable image combined with solid acting skills, had won widespread acclaim and audience love.
During the tour, Scarlett became Linton's little shadow, and the entire promotional team adored the cute young starlet. However, Scarlett sometimes lacked subtlety; she often lingered in Linton's hotel room after returning, seriously disrupting his sexy games with Monica.
Thankfully, Scarlett's mother was with her the whole time and was quite sensible, always promptly dragging the reluctant Scarlett away from Linton's room.
In Independence Day, Linton gave Scarlett a role as the president's daughter, though her screen time was minimal and scheduled for after she returned from overseas promotion.
Both Scarlett and her mother hoped the film's promotion would bring her more stardom, so Linton decided Monica, Will Smith, and Scarlett would take the lead in overseas promotion, expecting good results.
After discussions, everyone returned to Los Angeles to enjoy Christmas at home. From December 26, Monica would take Scarlett to promote in Europe and Asia, while Will Smith would cover Australia and South America.
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It was Christmas again. Knowing Linton would return on December 24, his girlfriends all gathered at the estate to celebrate the main holiday and the massive success of The Man from Nowhere.
The estate was beautifully decorated with lights and banners, especially joyous since Madonna was now pregnant with Linton's child.
Butler Amy creatively arranged tall Christmas trees on the main square of the estate and in the living room of the mansion, creating a festive atmosphere.
On this special day, Charlize Theron, who seemed a bit indecisive, kept inviting Linton to spend the holiday with her over the phone, which Linton naturally declined. Charlize, playing the spoiled child card, said she would visit Linton's set at the end of the month to make up for Christmas.
Others like Winnie, Madonna, Nicole Kidman, Sophie Marceau, Monica, Cristiana, Jennifer, Catherine, Winona, Naomi, Cameron, Shania Twain, Heidi Klum, and Kate Winslet were all present. Also attending were Izumi Sakai and Noriko Sakai from Japan, Vivian Chow and Michelle Reis from Hong Kong -- all top stars, revolving around Linton.
Reflecting on the incredible achievements he had made in just three years since time traveling, Linton was filled with pride.
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The lavish dinner featured Linton's treasured Romanee-Conti wine. During the lively gathering, Linton's assistant rushed in, quickly turning on the TV and shouting, "Boss, look at the news."
"Breaking news: A helicopter crash occurred over the Hudson River in New York. Authorities are rushing to the scene for rescue. The helicopter is reported to have carried Delmont Douglas, chairman of The New York Times, and passenger lists are being confirmed."
Linton was impressed; Hillary was truly effective. Less than a month after the task was assigned to her, she already delivered surprising results for the first phase of the task.
All the women in the dining room were shocked by the images on TV, exclaiming.
"Oh my God, helicopters are so unsafe!"
"How tragic. Will there be any survivors?"
Several women who had accompanied Linton on his private plane to the Montana farm turned pale and asked, "Darling, is our private plane safe?"
Linton took the opportunity to remind them not to neglect their personal safety and always prioritize security.
He also clearly stated that this was definitely a murder case, not an accident caused by the helicopter itself. The aircraft must have been tampered with.
The smaller the plane, especially helicopters, the easier it was to sabotage and the less secure they were.
However, large commercial jets were extremely safe, with very low accident rates, so there was no need to worry about their safety -- including the Gulfstream 4SP model he owned. But small helicopters were another matter; he warned them to avoid using such transport in the future.
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With The Man from Nowhere's massive success, the film company's profits soared. Considering that Bill Clinton had promised to provide two years of tax exemption for Linton's film company, Linton planned to spend more money at the end of the year to lower this year's tax base.
On the way back, he instructed Robert to negotiate with Gulfstream to purchase two of the latest Gulfstream V business jets, an upgraded version of the 4SP model which just launched in November. The biggest upgrade was a maximum range of 12,000 kilometers, enough to fly nonstop across the Pacific.
Once the three jets arrived, one would be for personal use, one for the film company, and one for the estate, for his girlfriends to use.
Hearing this news, all the women cheered and eagerly competed to toast with him to celebrate.
*****
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