Hollywood What If
Chapter 499

Chapter 499

Universal Pictures didn't expect this outcome. Even the other big studios didn't expect this outcome... They had an inkling about the marketing strategy that Grey Pictures and Universal Pictures implemented, but they didn't know it would become this big.

Videos, documents, and posts started spreading on social media about the cruelty of mental asylums. Because of this, other countries also followed the trend, and curious people began searching for the dark secrets of mental asylums in their respective countries, which led to TV networks and newspapers covering the topic.

Subjects such as mental health, mental hospitals, and cruel experiments on patients became the most searched topics on the internet, and people also discussed them in real life.

The mental hospital that Shadows Beneath's production crew used as a set for the majority of their filming became a hotspot and tourist attraction. Grey Pictures also confirmed that some diabolical experimentations had occurred in the abandoned hospital.

The curious visitors who came to the abandoned hospital believed the souls of the patients were still trapped there. These visitors offered food and other items to appease the spirits. There was no clear explanation, people simply believed that the souls lingered within the mental hospital.

The public was also heavily influenced by the movie, so they were emotionally affected by the supernatural themes. It didn't help that Grey Pictures spread pictures of real patients, and the cast members bore a resemblance to them.

Obviously, Shadows Beneath was having a blast. The Big Six were flabbergasted, and even second-tier studios were amazed by what had transpired... The fact that they once had a chance to acquire Shadows Beneath made it a bitter pill to swallow.

Why? Because after six weeks of screening, Shadows Beneath had grossed $583 million worldwide.

North America contributed $386 million to the box office, while the international box office reached $197 million. The response from other countries had been quiet, yet Shadows Beneath managed to pull in $197 million in just two weeks.

The numbers didn't lie. This year, the topic of mental hospitals as horror hotspots had become the trend. Young people began visiting abandoned mental hospitals just for the thrill. They were influenced by the film Shadows Beneath and its extremely effective marketing strategy.

Universal Pictures was elated, even Ronald Meyer received congratulations from General Electric's headquarters. Comcast was even considering retaining Ronald as the CEO of Universal Pictures.

Overall, the situation at Universal Pictures was going very well... Of course, they had to pay a 5% box office share to Kazir Grey, but who cared? Based on current statistics, Shadows Beneath would likely gross between $750 and $800 million.

After all, horror movies typically couldn't surpass $1 billion... Unless Kazir made the impossible possible. And if there was one director who could, it was Kazir Grey.

Well, Shadows Beneath was going well, so it didn't really matter.

......

...

...

"Fuck, I forgot about this fact. The Mishimas are ruthless once they put you on the wall."

Pause. That statement could have had another meaning.

"You're talking about their endless combos, right?"

"Huh? Do I look like I'm talking about something else? Of course I'm talking about their combos," Christian Bale replied, unaware of what Kazir was implying.

Kazir and Christian were playing Tekken. Christian specifically requested that his trailer be equipped with a PlayStation.

Christian Bale was the lead actor in the project, and people obviously respected him.

Christian invited Kazir over to discuss the project, but they ended up playing Tekken instead. They forgot all about work once they picked up the controllers.

After half an hour of spamming a single button, Kazir ended up winning most of the matches.

Christian was actually irritated but held it in since he couldn't lash out at the director. He suddenly regretted inviting Kazir in the first place.

When they were done, Christian finally brought up the main reason he called Kazir.

"Kazir, don't you think we need to change something in the filming?"

When Kazir heard that, he smiled knowingly, already anticipating where the conversation was headed.

This wasn't the first time someone brought this up. Even the producer, Enrico Pusi, had asked the same question.

The highlights of the movie were mostly centered around the Joker. Kazir and nearly every Dark Knight Trilogy fan agreed on that.

The Joker was the biggest reason The Dark Knight was a success... Erm, Heath Ledger's death was also a significant contributing factor.

Kazir wanted to maintain the same energy, so the script naturally emphasized the Joker's scenes.

Since Christian was the star and protagonist of the movie, it was understandable that he felt uncomfortable with another actor seemingly taking the spotlight.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure this movie will be a success."

Kazir patted Christian on the shoulder before leaving his trailer... He didn't want to discuss the script any further, he was tired of hearing the same concerns over and over. Kazir was the highest authority on set, and not even Warner Brothers could stop him from doing what he wanted.

Christian was left speechless as he watched the director walk away.

"There's probably a misunderstanding... I wanted to talk about my costume. It's so suffocating wearing it all the time. It's so uncomfortable and hot, my sweat can't even dry while I'm wearing it."

Christian sighed. He would probably have to bring it up to Kazir again later.

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