America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

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"I finally feel better, even though the media is still bombarding Paris Hilton continuously, I am now in a different world from her."

It was that female host from Warner Television Network who, after sparking controversy last time, jumped out again to publicly discuss the scandalous heiress caught in the media storm, "The movie I watched sealed Paris Hilton alive inside the wax figure."

She took out the wax figure poster, "'House of Wax' showed the entire creation process. The stuffiness that built up in my chest finally dispersed after I watched it."

The program caused a strong response, with some media echoing it and others condemning it.

Paris's lawyers sent another cease and desist letter.

Subsequently, the Los Angeles Times reported that several wax museums in Los Angeles introduced similar miniature commemorative figures for the public to vent their feelings, and they were about to be sued for copyright infringement by the production crew.

Madame Tussauds saw a business opportunity and issued a statement through several media outlets, indicating they were in contact with Paris Hilton, hoping to obtain authorization for her wax figure.

The hot topic is like rotten flesh, and the media are like vultures.

Another media outlet offered one million US dollars to buy photos of Paris Hilton using the toilet in jail.

More and more people wanted to see how Paris Hilton was turned into a wax figure.

With the support of the production team, Mene popped up again, openly declaring his love through the TV station, stating that if Paris was willing, they could get married immediately after her release from jail.

Uncle Mene grabbed a wave of gossip headlines.

Atop the North Hollywood Apartment Building, sitting under the parasol, Bruce handed Mene a can of beer and said, "Brother, you've really figured out how to live."

Martin expressed his admiration, "You did what I wanted to do but didn't dare to."

Mene said, "Boss, I came to Los Angeles to strive for a prosperous life. If Paris marries me, I'll gain a beauty and a rich life. My life would be perfect all at once. Isn't that the meaning of struggle?"

Bruce held up two fingers toward Martin, "You don't have to envy him, you have two rich ladies."

Having met Louise, Mene praised, "Boss, teach me a couple of moves."

But Martin shook his head, "This is innate talent, it can't be taught."

Mene paused for a moment, then realized, "I get it." He changed the subject, "A couple of days ago, two production teams called my agent, wanting me to audition."

Martin asked, "Riding the wave of hot topics?"

"Probably." Mene asked, "Boss, should I go?"

Bruce pointed out a key question, "Aren't you going to ask if the casting director is male or female? How old?"

Martin seriously suggested, "Whichever production team has a middle-aged female casting director, pay special attention to that one."

Mene, knowing his strengths, said, "I'll have my agent get the details."

Actually, everyone was clear that Paris would never accept Mene's public proposal.

Martin glanced at the time, picked up the binoculars on the table, went to the edge of the building, and observed a cinema in the distance.

Mene came over and asked, "Are they lining up?"

Martin said, "What are you thinking? Only for hot sequels like Star Wars, Spider-Man, and The Lord of the Rings would you see cinemas packed and lines for tickets."

On the afternoon of October 14th at 18:00, 'House of Wax' would have an early showing in 2,000 theaters across North America.

They would run three consecutive shows, ending at midnight, which some also called the midnight screening.

Waiting was the hardest part.

Martin received a call from Zomi, inviting him for drinks.

Mene followed along.

This media sensation set out, followed by a dozen paparazzi.

They arrived at Avalon and took a private room. Zomi, a bit anxious and not wanting to be alone, kept Martin drinking until the early hours.

After one in the morning, he started checking his phone frequently.

Martin said, "Even if we can estimate the last session's box office, it won't come out this soon."

Zomi lifted his glass and drank it down, "I'm more nervous than when I took my college entrance exams."

Since Martin wasn't the main character, and he had 'The Hills Have Eyes' as a fallback, he was more relaxed than Zomi.

If Zomi messed up this movie, it would be hard for him to get a second chance, and he didn't have a billion-dollar inheritance to fall back on.

Even the usually lively Mene was silent now.

Half an hour later, Martin's phone suddenly rang. He took a look and answered, "You're not asleep yet?"

"Waiting to add a new debt to your name," Louise spoke directly, "The North American Theatre Alliance's latest statistics. The House of Wax's early screenings made 2.65 million US dollars."

Martin, familiar with opening weekend figures, realized that early screenings were a fraction of the total and asked, "Is that number big or small?"

Louise, clearly in a good mood, said, "Usually the opening weekend reaches about seven times that of the early screenings, but it depends on the concurrent competition." She added cheerfully, "Alright, I'm off to sleep. Remember, you now owe me another debt."

Martin, no stranger to accumulating debts, replied, "I'll save up a bit more so I can pay you all at once."

He put down his phone and told Zomi, "2.65 million US dollars."

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Zomi let out a long sigh of relief, "The first weekend should hit 15 million US dollars!"

He wanted to laugh, but after being so tense, he just couldn't find it in him to do so.

Martin joined the conversation, "The widely released 'Team America: World Police' and 'Shall We Dance?' this weekend are of different genres from the wax museum, so there isn't much of an audience conflict. I think it should be higher than 15 million dollars."

Bruce popped a champagne bottle with a bang and poured a glass for everyone.

Martin grabbed his glass, tapped the coffee table and said loudly, "Anyway, this is good news, cheers!"

As the male lead, he was equally excited, "Guys, we've had a really good start to our careers in Hollywood!"

Mene was the first to clink glasses with Martin, "Cheers."

Zomi managed a slight adjustment and finally let out a laugh, joking, "I don't have to go back to Barcelona to inherit that old house."

Martin laughed heartily and clinked glasses with Zomi, Mene, and Bruce, "I guess I won't have to go back to Atlanta and be a kept man."

The four of them were in high spirits and didn't part ways until after three in the morning.

On Friday, the wax museum was fully released in North America, opening in an impressive 3,220 theaters.

Thomas made a special call to Martin, "Go to the cinemas, go to public places, I don't care where you go, just increase your exposure and let people know that you are the male lead of this movie!"

Martin immediately contacted the film crew, requesting an evening screening and signing event for himself!

Susan agreed, the crew would arrange the venue and notify some media.

Martin also said to Bruce, "What about those entertainment media contacts you have? It's time for them to step in."

In recent times, Bruce had been firmly controlling Kim Kardashian, using Kardashian and Paris, the two buzz-making machines, to network with many gossip media reporters.

Including famous outlets like "US Rumors" and "Hollywood Kaleidoscope," among others.

And some freelance paparazzi too.

Martin, not one to overestimate himself, asked, "Old Cloth, just featuring me alone might not be attractive enough, right?"

Bruce spoke the truth, "There will be reporters and paparazzi coming, but not as many as we expect."

Shameless Martin then asked, "What about spontaneously getting back together with Eliza? Three days without meat, I'm totally fine with that."

"Be a human being!" Bruce reminded him, "She had you declare in front of countless media reporters that you'd become a vegetarian in the future, didn't she?"

A terrifying cloud immediately overshadowed Martin, and he shivered, "Forget it, I'd rather have no reporters show up."

Bruce suddenly had a great idea, "I'll bring Kim over, and you guys can put on a show. As a fan of the movie, she'll publicly declare her love for you, and you'll reject her. She's quite a draw at the moment and could be used to add to your halo."

Martin asked earnestly, "You don't mind?"

Bruce was puzzled, "Isn't making use of her and Paris what we're practicing for, to profit from it?"

Martin exclaimed, "Old Cloth, you're a genius, being a janitor was such a waste for you." He pondered, "We don't need the whole declaration of love routine, just have her act like a fan girl."

"That works too." Bruce was getting more into the entertainment industry pace, "We'll proceed separately, let's not associate with each other and make it look like a coincidence."

He took out his phone and called Kim Kardashian, informing her to come to North Hollywood's IU Cinema to watch a movie that night and briefly explained the situation.

"I'll do as you say," Kardashian, seeing a chance to ride on the media wave, replied without any hesitation, "Old Cloth, whatever you tell me, I'll do."

Bruce then called the entertainment reporters and paparazzi he had been in frequent contact with lately, informing them that Kardashian would be going to see a movie in North Hollywood that night.

That evening, Martin arrived at the pre-arranged cinema and started signing autographs for fans in the lobby.

Being the male lead, he attracted quite a crowd.

But there were only a pitiful three media outlets that sent reporters for interviews.

Martin didn't mind the small number and cooperated with the reporters, taking frequent photos with fans.

Suddenly, the number of entertainment reporters and paparazzi inside the cinema surged, as Kim Kardashian, who had skyrocketed to fame by riding on Paris Hilton's coattails, entered the theater.

As soon as she saw Martin in the lobby, she instantly turned into a little fan girl, buying a poster to get his autograph.

Kardashian also took an interview with reporters, and as if by habit, started by throwing Paris under the bus, "When we were filming, I was Paris's assistant, often cursed out by her, and Martin helped me many times. I admired him so much back then."

Martin signed the poster swiftly, casually adding, "Everyone deserves to be treated fairly."

Kardashian's media instincts were continuously awakening; she improvised during the interview, "To be honest, I had a crush on Martin back then. He was so impressive, but he had a girlfriend at the time, and I was heartbroken for a long time."

One reporter interjected, "Martin's single now, right?"

Martin took back control of the conversation, "Kim and I have been friends since the film set, and I didn't expect to bump into her here tonight."

Kardashian didn't say more and stood next to Martin for the reporters to take photos of them together.

Initially, there were only three reporters, but now there were more than a dozen.

Martin always felt it was a bit odd, he and Old Cloth had created a social hotshot and then started leeching off her popularity.

That night, the internet was flooded with entertainment news about Martin and Kardashian.