[Chapter 448: End of the Summer Blockbuster Season]
"Godfather, what are you doing?"
"Reading the newspaper!"
"What's so interesting about the newspaper? It's not as fun as cartoons."
Cici bounced over, grabbed a grape from the bunch, and bit into it. She wore a SpongeBob cartoon one-piece tee, sitting with her short legs crossed, swinging her bare little feet restlessly.
"Cici, I was busy before and didn't ask about your grades. How did you do last semester? How many A's did you get?" Link flipped through the newspaper and asked.
Cici scrunched up her little nose and said, "Godfather, you should be asking how many B's I got."
"How many?"
"Haha, none! I got straight A's in all subjects."
Cici said proudly.
"Impressive, I didn't expect you to be such a little scholar. That's in the family, we're all smart."
Link ruffled the little girl's hair.
"Of course!" Cici lifted her chin proudly.
"Godfather! Some of my classmates have made movies. It sounds really cool. Can I make a movie?" Cici grabbed his sleeve and asked.
"You want to be an actress?" Link put down the newspaper and smiled.
"I mean make a movie, not act. Mom says I'm too young to be an actress yet."
Cici glanced at the next room and whispered.
"Just a cameo is okay for sure. Whenever you want to shoot something, just tell me. I'll arrange it and make sure you look fabulous."
"Okay, Godfather, you're so nice."
Cici happily tugged his arm.
...
Lily came over carrying a rosy-cheeked little baby. Cici immediately jumped up to poke the baby's nose but Lily slapped her hand away, saying she was too rough.
"Godfather, look, since Mom has a little sister, she doesn't love me anymore."
Cici pouted, feeling very wronged.
"Your mom hits you because she loves you. You can ask her to hit you a few more times to really feel that motherly love."
"No way, I'm not dumb."
Cici rolled her eyes, then leaned over to stare at the still-sleeping baby. Seeing how cute it was, she giggled softly.
...
After a while, Monica and Julianne Moore arrived with their kids to visit.
The villa grew livelier, filled with adult chatter, children crying, and Cici running around making noise.
Link sat calmly among the women and kids, surprisingly feeling peaceful like the eye of a storm.
"Link, I've been working out for over a month. Do you think I've lost weight?" Monica put her hands on her hips and twirled in front of him, showing off her beautiful long dress and sexy S-shaped silhouette.
Monica had gained some weight after pregnancy, with larger bust and hips, and some flesh on her belly and thighs, making her look a bit plump.
But she was very active with fitness, starting right after giving birth. After two months of effort, her figure recovered well -- full where it should be, slim where needed, even sexier and curvier than before, like a ladle that could squeeze out water.
"You've lost weight, and you're hotter than before. When you hold the baby, you look like the Madonna from the Sistine Chapel ceiling -- beautiful, holy, and kind. Every time I see you, my heart races."
Link kissed the back of her hand.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Monica smiled contentedly.
"I've been trying to lose weight too, but it's not working well. Maybe I should be more active," Julianne Moore pinched the fat on her belly.
"No need to rush. We are new moms and need to focus on recovery. Once we're fully healed, then we can lose weight. We'll have more energy for workouts then, and it won't hurt our health," Lily gently patted the sleeping baby and started sharing some women's health tips.
"Alright, I'll listen to you and wait a bit before dieting. Link, you don't mind if I'm a bit chubby, do you?" Julianne joked.
"Not at all. A little fuller is better. You've even kept it up longer than before."
"Julianne, Link likes big girls. You should gain a bit more and see if he complains," Monica teased with an arm around Julianne's shoulder.
"No way. If you gain and then lose weight, your skin will sag. This weight is my limit. I dare not gain more."
The three laughed and talked about healthy eating and skin care products that prevent pigmentation.
...
Soon, the kids started crying. Seeing the moms hadn't moved to soothe them, Link got up to care for the little ones.
At first, there was only one crying, which he barely managed to handle. Then, all four kids woken by Cici started bawling loudly. He soothed the noisy group, wishing he could grab Cici and make her cry like that too.
...
During his stay in Seattle, Link had fully relaxed, working little, mainly acting as a full-time boyfriend and dad.
His girlfriends became very indulgent after childbirth, hungry for more. Link almost daily rotated to satisfy their cravings, giving them as much happiness as he could.
He was new to childcare, but after days with several kids, he got better. Handling five or six kids at once was no problem anymore.
When not playing dad, he occasionally checked the box office.
...
This summer, Guess Pictures released six movies. The action flick The Rock had been out 19 weeks with $248 million in North American box office, beating Men in Black, Jurassic Park II, Twister, and others to top the summer charts.
Out of Sight performed modestly, grossing $43.81 million after over four months in North America. Though it broke even, it paled compared to blockbuster hits.
The Devil's Advocate played 11 weeks, making $72.02 million against a $57 million budget. The numbers were average, maybe international markets could push it into profit.
Despite average box office, lead actress Charlize Theron's sultry image made her a breakout star post-release, becoming a well-known Hollywood "eye candy."
My Best Friend's Wedding was a summer surprise hit, made on a $38 million budget. After nine weeks, it earned $116 million domestically, becoming Guess Pictures' third film this year to cross $100 million in North America.
After this success, Julia Roberts' career surged up again after a slump.
Primal Fear opened early August and after six weeks earned $135 million, becoming Guess Pictures' fourth $100 million domestic hit this year.
The Legend of 1900 released end of August, making $21.93 million in three weeks. While box office was modest, critics praised it as one of the best art-house films of the year in North America.
It competed at the Venice Film Festival where director Giuseppe Tornatore won Best Director again.
...
By early September, the summer ended with Hollywood Reporter summarizing box office rankings.
First: The Rock - $248 million.
Second: Columbia's Men in Black - $231 million.
Third: Warner Bros.' Twister - $225 million.
Fourth: Universal's Jurassic Park II - $213 million. Though less than the original, still strong.
Fifth: Columbia's Air Force One, a July release, with $138 million.
Sixth and Seventh: Guess Pictures' Primal Fear and My Best Friend's Wedding with $135 million and $112 million respectively.
Eighth and Ninth: Paramount's Face/Off and Disney's comedy George of the Jungle, $106 million and $101 million respectively.
Guess Pictures had three movies in the summer box office top ten. Including Liar Liar from March, they had four films crossing $100 million domestically this year, earning media praise again.
Besides box-office hits, The Legend of 1900, Girl, Interrupted, Fight Club, and Boogie Nights all gained critical acclaim and were deemed classics or fine art films by many media outlets.
Guess Pictures stood out for both box office and reviews, outshining the Big Seven Studios' offerings.
...
"Link, I heard your new movie just wrapped. When will you start shooting Armageddon?" Michael Ovitz called during his vacation, urging him to speed up the project. Disney planned to release it next summer.
"Don't push! I can't rush. I'm resting at home now. Once I'm ready, I'll film."
"You used to be so active with filming. What made you decide to rest now?"
Before Link could reply, the babies in their cribs started crying loudly, one after another. He had to soothe them, asking the little ones to quiet down and go back to sleep.
"Link, there's news you're a stay-at-home dad, it's true then," Ovitz teased.
"It is. Watching kids is fun. Whenever I have time, I'm at home with them."
"Ha, sounds interesting. When my kids were newborns, I took care of them too. But they were noisy and communicating was difficult. Watching them was exhausting -- more tiring than work. I bet you'll feel the same soon enough."
They chatted about family life a while before Ovitz reminded Link to keep the film project in mind, urging him to start filming soon since the budget was large and an early release would boost Disney's profits.
Link told him not to worry. The main cast for Armageddon was chosen, the set was being built, and they planned to start filming soon, finishing within two months.
Ovitz laughed and said that sounded great.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.