Hollywood What If Chapter 595
Harold tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he thought about the meeting. Stella brought up concerns about 2012, the apocalyptic disaster movie scheduled for November 13. It had a massive budget and global appeal.
People loved disaster movies. It had been proven so many times, such as Armageddon and Independence Day. Even Godzilla and Jurassic Park were considered disaster movies... Perhaps people loved to see the world burn.
It was not surprising that Stella would be concerned. Even the executives from the Big Six were thinking about 2012 seriously.
On top of that, Stella was also thinking about The Twilight Saga: New Moon. This romance movie would hit theaters just a week later on November 20, targeting the teen demographic. This movie was about a love triangle between a werewolf, a vampire, and a woman...
For some reason, females loved this genre. So much so that they became addicted to reading smut stories about werewolves... Something something Alpha, something something Beta, something something knotting. Twilight might be one of the biggest factors why this genre became so famous with young female demographics. Heck, even adult women loved reading this genre.
Anyway, both 2012 and The Twilight Saga: New Moon were two of the toughest opponents of Ninja Assassin in November.
Both could threaten Ninja Assassin's performance. However, Harold remained optimistic.
"We're offering something different," he said during the meeting. He trusted Kazir. His friend never let him down.
"Raw, bloody martial arts. Pure adrenaline." Stella nodded in agreement, adding that Kazir's name alone would bring in curious viewers. They had strong marketing.
Ninja Assassin was part of the Continental Cinematic Universe. That alone was enough to attract more people. CCU was now a household name that even kids knew about. Grey Pictures even created trading game cards, and it was a success that made a lot of money.
"Instead of 2012 and Twilight, we should think about fighting The Princess and the Frog. Walt Disney probably has the same thoughts as us," Stella added, and the people in the meeting room nodded.
They started thinking about the plan.
Ninja Assassin was set to be released on November 25, the same day as The Princess and the Frog. This Disney animated movie was the direct opponent of Ninja Assassin in the same week.
Harold stopped thinking about the meeting. They still had three months to think of a contingency plan in case Walt Disney attacked them or something.
After all, Walt Disney had been holding a grudge against Grey Pictures for quite a while now. Their 3D animation department was having trouble competing with Blue Sky Studio, and Kazir Grey was one of the reasons why that was happening.
Walt Disney felt threatened and might do something.
'If we can't find a solution, perhaps Kazir has one. That guy might not have the motivation for managing a company, but he knows what to do.'
Harold parked the Lexus in the driveway. The engine hummed, dying as he pulled the key out. The sun was already dipping low, casting a golden hue over the suburban neighborhood.
He sat in the car for a moment, staring at his house. Despite his wealth and status in Hollywood, it was this, his family, his home, that gave him true peace.
He was thankful and happy that he didn't throw away his family in exchange for having sex with Elizabeth. He acknowledged that Elizabeth was a bombshell of a sex woman, and he was proud of himself for overcoming his lust.
As soon as he opened the door, two boys came charging toward him.
"Dad!" his oldest son shouted, a toothy grin spreading across his face.
"Dad's home!" the younger one echoed, clinging to Harold's leg with his tiny arms.
Behind them, his daughter showed up. She smiled warmly.
"Hi, Dad. Mom made chicken parmesan."
"Nice."
Harold chuckled, ruffling his two sons' hair.
"You guys miss me already? I was only gone for a few hours."
The kids nodded vigorously.
Harold laughed. This was what mattered. The stress of studio meetings, the mind games of Hollywood politics, none of that could compare to this feeling... His job was absolutely stressful.
He entered the living room, the kids trailing behind. His wife was on the couch with a book. She looked up as he entered, and a smile lit up her face.
"Welcome home," she said, setting the book down.
Harold walked over and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Thanks. Smells like heaven in here. Chicken parmesan, right?"
She nodded, patting the seat next to her. He sat, letting out a long breath.
"Rough day?"
"Not really. Just a lot of strategizing. The executives and I went over the November schedule. You know, trying to predict the future like we're prophets or something."
"Is everything going to be alright?" she asked, resting her head on his shoulder.
"It will be fine. I believe in my boss. Ah, Kazir actually has twins now."
Harold smiled gently.
"Twins, huh? That's amazing."
"I saw him the other day. He looked… different," Harold said, his voice soft.
"He was smiling. Genuinely happy. It was like the weight of the world had lifted off of him."
"You think fatherhood changed him?"
"No doubt," Harold replied.
"I never thought I would see Kazir Grey willingly change diapers, but he did. The guy was up all night feeding them so Scarlett could rest. You could see the exhaustion in his eyes. It's crazy. The guy who was once afraid of love is now loving a family wholeheartedly."
"Sounds like someone else I know." Harold's wife teased.
Harold laughed.
"Maybe. I guess seeing him like that just reminded me of how lucky I am to have this… to have you and the kids."
"You don't have to. You show it every day." She squeezed his hand.
Harold kissed her again. For a while, the two simply sat in silence, grateful for everything they had.