Chapter 89: A Strange Interview

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: A Strange Interview

Reese wasn’t the only one who got the midnight box office numbers right away. Adelaide, sitting in the Fox Building, had also received the report first thing in the morning.

Baird Fergus had barely stepped into his office when Adelaide followed right behind him, unable to wait.

Seeing the smile on her face, Baird raised an eyebrow and asked, "Looks like the midnight box office did well last night?"

Fox had hoped the midnight numbers would be three times what Legally Blonde earned. Even though the number of theaters wasn’t triple, if they hit that goal, it meant the new film could match Legally Blonde’s success.

"It’s more than good!" Adelaide handed the report to Baird. "2.89 million dollars! That’s the best midnight result in years for a movie with a budget under fifty million!"

"Really?" Baird took the report, still a little surprised.

"Absolutely true! And we did it with only a twenty-million-dollar budget. Hahaha, Irene is truly a great find." Adelaide laughed out loud. After all, he had signed Irene and pushed her project. This success was part of his win too.

"Excellent. We need to keep watching the numbers and put pressure on the theater chains. With results like this, they should give us more screens."

Normally, a film’s opening day box office is about five times its midnight total. If that held true, the opening day could pass fifteen million dollars.

Wouldn’t that mean the opening weekend could hit forty-five million?

Thinking about the modest twenty-million-dollar production cost, even the usually calm Baird couldn’t help but smile.

From the moment Irene woke up that morning, her phone hadn’t stopped ringing. Congratulations poured in from every direction.

Executives from 20th Century Fox, her agent Shelly Ovitz and everyone at CAA, the leads and agents from her films, and even PR firms who somehow got her number. All of them.

For the entire morning, the words she said most were "Thank you."

During a short break between calls, Irene walked to the window. Warm sunlight fell on her face, and she looked a little tired but excited.

The phone rang again, stubborn as ever. Irene looked at the unfamiliar number on the screen, took a deep breath, and answered in a slightly hoarse voice. "Hello, this is Irene speaking."

"Director Irene! Congratulations, congratulations! We’re Starlight PR Company!" A fast-talking, overly cheerful male voice blasted in her ear. "We saw your phenomenal success! At a moment like this, you really need professional image management and media strategy! We have a ’New Director Supreme Promotion Package,’ and if you book now, we’ll even include..."

Irene patiently listened as he spent a full minute listing ridiculous services, including billboards on the moon, and finally found a chance to jump in. "Thank you, but I’m currently—"

"I understand! I understand!" he cut her off, his tone suddenly secretive. "You must be comparing packages! How about this? With our plan, we’ll add three chances for you to ’accidentally run into’ famous talk show hosts. How’s that? We guarantee it’ll look natural and definitely won’t end up in the gossip pages!"

Irene fought the urge to rub her forehead and was about to turn him down firmly when the call-waiting beep sounded. She felt relieved. "Sorry, I have an important call coming in. I’ll consider your proposal. Goodbye!"

She switched lines quickly, and before she could speak, she heard her agent Shelly Ovitz’s voice, amused but a little helpless. "Irene, I’m guessing you’ve already taken at least five calls from PR companies. Next time, just forward unknown numbers to me. Also, I have some good news for you."

"What good news?" Irene sighed with relief and leaned back on the sofa.

"The Hollywood Reporter wants an exclusive interview with you, scheduled for three this afternoon."

Irene paused for a second. She had expected interviews, but she didn’t think one would come this fast.

"Tell The Hollywood Reporter I’ll be there."

That afternoon, Irene drove herself to the agreed location in West Hollywood.

The exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter took place outside a stylish café.

Sunlight filtered through the umbrella, casting soft light and shadows on Irene’s face.

Just as the female reporter asked her first question about the challenges female directors face, Irene’s phone vibrated again.

She wanted to ignore it, but when she saw "Shelly Ovitz" on the screen, she gave the reporter an apologetic smile and answered.

"Irene, sorry to interrupt," Shelly’s voice was full of suppressed laughter, "but there’s an urgent request. I just got a formal partnership offer from a nail salon called ’Plastic Sisters.’ They saw your movie and want to launch a ’Burn Book’ themed manicure line. I need your approval."

Irene was confused. What was that?

Shelly raised his eyebrows on the other end, holding back a laugh. "I suggest you say yes. It’s free promotion, after all."

Irene shook her head, not wanting to hold up the interview any longer. She trusted Shelly not to steer her wrong, so she agreed.

She lowered her voice. "You can handle small things like that."

After hanging up, she explained to the curious reporter, "That was my agent. He said a nail salon called ’Plastic Sisters’ wants my permission."

The reporter immediately caught the great detail and smiled as she wrote it down. The interview continued, and when they got to the famous "Pink Wednesday" scene in the movie, Irene’s phone rang again at the worst time. This time it was Vera.

"Irene, I’m so sorry to bother you," Vera said, sounding confused. "There’s a woman downstairs at our studio who says she’s the West Coast representative of the ’North America High School Queen Bee Alliance.’ She really wants to invite you in person to be their honorary advisor, to help them... um... manage social hierarchies more systematically."

This time, even the reporter from The Hollywood Reporter couldn’t hold back a laugh. Irene put a hand to her forehead, feeling like she had turned into Cady, the girl who stumbled into the high school jungle in her own movie.

"Please tell that representative," Irene said, trying hard to sound serious, "that according to the rules of Mean Girls, a true queen bee never asks for advice. She only sets the rules. So, have her submit a proposal from their alliance for me to review first."

Vera was clearly caught off guard on the other end of the line, but she agreed to pass the message along.