*Chapter 207: A New Giant?*

After hanging up the phone, Wayne turned to look at Mia.

Mia had already shifted her attention back to him while he was on the call.

“$185 million to sell to Sony, and you’re insisting they release it by the end of the month, right?”

“Exactly. Before the end of the month—the sooner, the better.”

“But won’t this potentially impact the box office of Taken?”

“It shouldn’t. And even if it does, it’s not a big deal. What’s more important is countering Universal’s Jurassic Park 3. This ties into my next plan.”

“Got it. I’ll contact Sony first thing tomorrow morning.”

Mia took out her work planner from her bag and jotted it down.

“By the way, once this deal is finalized, the company’s cash flow will exceed $440 million. What do you plan to do with it?”

As soon as the figure was mentioned, not only did Jessica and Charlize Theron turn their heads, but even Lydia and Amanda couldn’t help glancing over.

Even with their backgrounds, $440 million in liquid assets was no small amount.

The key point was how quickly Hemera Pictures had made such a fortune. It was becoming increasingly clear why Anne Hurst valued Wayne so highly—enough to send both of them to him.

“We’ll transfer it to the Wayne Group’s account by leasing space in Wayne Tower. I’ll reach out to Li Ying about it later,” Wayne said after a moment’s thought.

For a giant like Sony, even coming up with $185 million in cash wasn’t easy, so the deal wasn’t fully completed until the afternoon of the 19th.

This price undeniably set a new record, breaking the $146 million previously set by The Notebook for single-film distribution rights.

Sony’s marketing department seized this as a promotional opportunity, launching a massive campaign.

Interestingly, this approach proved highly effective.

After all, The Notebook had been a critical and box-office success. Its $760 million global gross was second only to Titanic among romance films, and its IMDb score of 8.7 was even higher than Titanic's.

Now that Sony had shelled out such a hefty price for Resident Evil 1, curiosity about the film’s quality was understandably high.

However, while audiences were intrigued, other distributors were panicking.

Sony, in its bold marketing move, announced a global release date of July 28th—canceling even preview screenings to emphasize confidence and dominance.

The most frustrated by this were Universal and Fox.

Unfortunately, the summer blockbuster season was already fiercely competitive, and they could do little against Sony.

Truth be told, if it weren’t for the packed schedules ahead and the need to maintain their status as members of the Big Seven studios, they might have considered rescheduling their films.

Meanwhile, Wayne finally had a brief respite after selling the distribution rights to Resident Evil 1.

On July 23rd, Supreme’s Los Angeles flagship store officially opened, debuting a new women’s wear line with an outdoor fashion show held on Melrose Avenue.

The event attracted not only the models from Wayne’s “backyard” but also half of Hollywood’s female celebrities upon learning that Wayne would attend.

Combined with tourists visiting Hollywood, Melrose Avenue was completely packed, leaving only the small runway area open.

Such an event naturally made headlines, dominating the entertainment sections with three top stories—all related to Wayne:

1. Taken’s global box office surpassing $300 million.

2. The promotional buzz surrounding Resident Evil 1.

3. The Supreme fashion show.

Anne Hurst didn’t need much prompting to help promote Supreme across her fashion magazines and newspapers.

With so many Hollywood actresses attending the show, her enthusiasm for the brand’s publicity was justified.

Within days, Supreme—once a niche streetwear brand in the U.S.—had skyrocketed to become one of the world’s most recognized fashion labels.

While its menswear maintained its urban streetwear roots, the women’s line introduced by the new team blended trendy street styles with casual chic.

Although these two styles might seem mismatched, they actually complemented each other.

In the U.S., the polished K-pop-inspired look wasn’t as popular as the laid-back streetwear vibe, which resonated more with young women.

Supreme’s U.S. stores catered to local tastes, with plans to adapt for international markets when expanding abroad.

Thanks to the fashion show, the new flagship store’s inventory sold out, raking in $5 million on opening day and $18 million within three days.

Media and magazine coverage further elevated Supreme’s brand value, along with the cachet of Wayne’s “backyard.”

“Wayne’s Backyard” had become synonymous with exclusivity, turning into a dream destination for aspiring models.

The brand’s value had surged tenfold from its $12 million acquisition price, with experts now valuing it at $150 million.

No wonder so many celebrities loved running side businesses!

Amidst this whirlwind of events, Resident Evil 1 officially premiered worldwide on July 28th.

The film opened to a stellar box office, rivaling The Bourne Identity. On its first day, it grossed $26.58 million in North America and $43.31 million overseas.

Meanwhile, Universal, Fox, and the teams behind Jurassic Park 3 and Planet of the Apes were devastated.

With lackluster reviews, Jurassic Park 3—already in its second week—saw its daily earnings plummet to a third of what they had been.

Planet of the Apes, which had opened just a day before Resident Evil 1, also took a massive hit, with its earnings halved overnight.

For a moment, the daily box office rankings were dominated by just two films: Resident Evil 1 and Taken. Together, they accounted for 75% of the total daily box office, crushing the competition.

The most remarkable part? Neither film featured A-list stars.

It was all thanks to Hemera Pictures’ exceptional production quality and Wayne’s keen eye for talent and projects.

Naturally, Charlize Theron, who starred in Resident Evil 1, saw her career soar, moving from a strong second-tier actress to an A-list Hollywood star with mid-tier standing among her peers.

But the biggest winner was undoubtedly Wayne. His influence in Hollywood had reached unprecedented heights.

At this point, even the executives of the Big Seven studios were starting to take notice.

While Sony hadn’t disclosed that Wayne had insisted on Resident Evil 1’s swift release, the film’s success, combined with Taken’s dominance, was undeniable.

Universal and Fox had been dealt a crushing blow, and Disney’s The Princess Diaries, set to release on August 3rd, seemed poised to underperform as well.

Adding to the pressure, The Ring was also slated for release on August 3rd.

Although the two films targeted different audiences, the crowded market—dominated by Resident Evil 1, Taken, and The Ring—left little room for others.

Paramount and MGM, fortunately, had no films releasing during this period. Otherwise, their fates would likely have been no different.

---

---

This means that a film produced by Hemera Pictures directly outperformed five of the seven major studios, with the only two spared being those that had "aligned" themselves with Hemera Pictures.

So, what level does Hemera Pictures hold in Hollywood?

The eighth major studio? Or perhaps even above the Big Seven?

There’s no denying it—Hemera Pictures' achievements have been extraordinary.

If it were any other production company, it would have faced coordinated suppression from the Big Seven by now.

But Hemera Pictures is different from studios like DreamWorks.

Hemera Pictures rarely handles its own distribution, opting instead to share the profits with the Big Seven—a share that’s often substantial.

Take The Notebook and Taken, for example. Even conservatively, each film generated over $200 million in profit.

Not even the Big Seven can resist such lucrative opportunities!

Everyone is counting on Hemera Pictures to boost their earnings and help them make money. Since no one has the capacity to take them down entirely, it’s better not to offend them.

Moreover, Wayne is no longer without powerful connections. Backing him is Anne Hearst, representing the Hearst family.

Though the Hearsts lack influence in the film industry, they’re a solid third in the U.S. media landscape and the third-largest global media giant.

In the film industry, the Big Seven may not be able to deal with Wayne, and in the media industry, their respective parent companies can’t take on the Hearst Corporation either.

So, in terms of overall influence, Hemera Pictures is truly on par with the Big Seven.

In fact, among the Big Seven, only a few can rival Hemera Pictures.

That said, Hemera Pictures avoids involvement in overseas distribution, a privilege exclusive to the Big Seven. Even in North America, they’ve only handled distribution once, despite having the capability.

As a result, it’s hard to definitively label Hemera Pictures as a new "major studio."

But as of today, if you ask Hollywood actors which production company they most want to work with, Hemera Pictures would likely be the top choice.

Even the Big Seven can’t compare in this regard.

Perhaps only Marvel Studios during the peak of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame could rival it.

At that time, any Marvel movie could generate at least several hundred million dollars in box office revenue. Landing a role in a Marvel film was a surefire way for an actor to achieve a massive boost in fame.

However, Marvel eventually became complacent, focusing increasingly on cash grabs.

This is something that won’t happen with Wayne. After all, he doesn’t fund his films out of his own pocket, and the higher the production budget, the better.

With actor salaries relatively fixed, the extra budget naturally flows into refining scripts and creating stunning visual effects.

Even if the story falls short, the visual effects alone ensure audiences feel they’ve gotten their money’s worth.

Unlike Marvel in later years, whose stories worsened alongside its declining visual effects, leaving audiences questioning where their $200–300 million budgets were actually spent.

---

On July 31st, Leo used the opportunity of inviting Wayne and Tobey Maguire for a yacht outing to bring up the screenplay again.

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist asking,” Wayne chuckled, sipping champagne. “The script is ready, but I haven’t decided on the director or the other key supporting roles yet.”

Wayne’s other hand rested casually on Vlada Roslyakova, a fairy-like supermodel from Russia who had recently made it through the latest round of "Wayne’s Secret Garden" auditions.

At this point, Vlada had just entered the industry and could only be considered a promising newcomer—not yet a supermodel.

She had initially planned to head to Tokyo, but after reading magazine coverage about "Wayne’s Secret Garden," she changed her plans and came to Los Angeles instead.

Of course, just one Vlada wasn’t enough. Figuring that bringing one or several made no difference, Wayne also invited the swimsuit-perfect Clara, Anri Sugihara, Karolína Kurková, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Adriana Lima.

With the six of them sitting together, the models Leo had brought paled in comparison, leaving both him and Tobey feeling a bit insecure.

“So, what roles are available? What kind of actors are you looking for?” Leo asked curiously.

“The main role is a warmhearted professor. There are plenty of options—Tom Hanks, Kevin Spacey, Dustin Hoffman, Russell Crowe, Sean Penn. All of them fit the bill in terms of appearance, acting skills, and reputation. But I’m worried they might overshadow you in terms of performance. It wouldn’t look great if you just got a nomination while they walked away with Best Supporting Actor,” Wayne teased with a laugh.

He wasn’t entirely joking—this was a genuine concern.

Across from him, Leo predictably widened his eyes at the comment.

Outperform him? Who did Wayne think he was underestimating?

Leo had been honing his craft over the past few years!

But then again, the names Wayne had mentioned—actors like Sean Penn, the "least accomplished" of the lot—had already received two Oscar nominations for Best Actor.

And based on his previous life’s trajectory, Penn would earn another nomination for I Am Sam in 2002 and go on to win twice, in 2004 and 2009, becoming a double Oscar winner with five total nominations.

His acting skills were undoubtedly in a different league.

(End of Chapter)