Chapter 91: Opening Day Box Office

Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Opening Day Box Office

On her way home, Irene quickly cleaned up after Lucky, tossed the waste into a trash can, and stopped at a newsstand on the corner to pick up copies of the Los Angeles Times, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter.

Before she could flip through them, a headline in the bottom right corner of Variety’s front page caught her eye: "Mean Girls: A New Benchmark for High School Comedies." She stood on the sidewalk and unfolded the paper right there.

The film review section of the Los Angeles Times read: Director Coppola uses sharp observation to capture the subtle relationships among high school girls. Witherspoon’s performance is effortless, playing a teenage girl who is both innocent and clever with real depth.

Variety’s take was even more enthusiastic: Following Legally Blonde*, Irene Coppola has once again proven she’s the new director who best understands the psychology of young women. While keeping the film entertaining,* Mean Girls cleverly explores social issues like school bullying and peer pressure.

The Hollywood Reporter, however, was much harsher: Though well-produced, Mean Girls still follows familiar genre formulas. Director Coppola has improved her visual style, but the script’s focus on wealthy white high school students feels limited in scope. Rather than a reflection of reality, it’s another romanticized version of teenage life.

Irene read the reviews twice, and a knowing smile crossed her lips.

Just as she expected, the media reactions were mixed but mostly positive. What pleased her most was that even the toughest critics recognized the film’s production quality. For a director who was only twenty, that was a solid achievement.

She folded the newspaper carefully, satisfied, and kept walking home with Lucky.

As soon as Irene stepped inside, her phone rang. The caller ID showed Shelly, her agent.

"Have you seen today’s papers?" Shelly’s voice was full of barely contained excitement. "Variety gave us a full page!"

"I just read all the reviews," Irene said, spreading the newspaper on the dining table. "It’s better than I expected."

"Better than good!" Shelly’s voice rose. "AMC Theatres just told us they’re raising our screen share from 25 percent to 35 percent. That’s huge!"

Just then, Irene’s phone buzzed again. She glanced at the screen. It was Adelaide Griffin.

"Hold on, Adelaide’s calling," Irene said, switching lines.

"Irene, congratulations!" Griffin’s voice was full of joy. "The opening day box office numbers are in. Want to guess how much we made?"

"Let me think... eight million?"

"Fourteen million!" Adelaide nearly shouted. "And that’s just North America! Plus, based on pre-sales, today and tomorrow’s numbers will probably keep climbing."

Irene couldn’t help but take a deep breath. That number was far beyond what she expected. The entire opening week for Legally Blonde had only made a little over seventeen million, and now, with just the midnight shows and Friday’s box office, they had already passed that.

When she switched back to Shelly, her agent was impatient. "Is the box office out?"

"Fourteen million dollars," Irene said calmly, and a gasp came from the other end.

"This is unbelievable! Listen, MGM reached out again. They want to talk about a Legally Blonde sequel. Also, Warner Bros. just sent an offer. They want you to direct one of their romantic comedies next year."

Irene gently petted Lucky, who was lying at her feet, and turned both down without hesitation. "Tell MGM I have no plans for a sequel right now. As for Warner Bros., politely tell them I’ll need to finish post-production on The Italian Job before I consider anything else."

According to her plan, once The Italian Job was released, she had to start prep on Pirates of the Caribbean right away. Running an epic with a budget over one hundred million dollars meant pre-production alone would take huge effort. Concept design, location scouting, VFX planning, actor training. Every part needed her attention. She couldn’t afford distractions right now.

"Also, I ran into paparazzi today." She wasn’t sure what impact it might have, but giving it to a professional was always safest.

Shelly’s tone turned serious immediately. "What happened?"

"I just met a neighbor while walking the dog and we talked by the roadside for a few minutes," Irene said, downplaying her chat with Mark.

"It was probably paparazzi staking out other stars in Malibu who happened to get a photo of you," Shelly said quickly. "Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. These reporters have gotten way too aggressive lately."

After hanging up, Irene let out a breath of relief. She didn’t want to end up like Britney, chased by paparazzi into a mall and forced to hide in a dressing room.

Britney’s recent headlines weren’t about her new album. They were about her being photographed shopping alone, then chased by paparazzi into a Fendi store, only getting out safely through the staff exit.

The ironic headline read: "Britney Shops Alone, Looks Lonely, Suspected Relationship Trouble."

Irene couldn’t stop laughing when she saw it and texted her: "Next time you need shelter, I recommend Chanel. Their staff hallway is bigger." Britney sent back an eye-roll emoji, then a string of laughing ones.

This was the world they lived in. A stage where a camera could catch you at any moment, and misunderstand you just as fast.

But Irene knew that compared to these small distractions, she needed to focus on what mattered.

She picked up her car keys, ready to head to The Italian Job studio, where a mountain of work was waiting.

As she drove out of her neighborhood, she noticed the man in the black jacket was gone from the intersection. Shelly was right. These paparazzi were like migratory birds, always heading to the busiest spot.

And what she needed to do was keep moving forward on her own path.

...

Lina paced anxiously at the movie theater entrance, her phone pressed to her ear. "Wood, where are you? We’re all here, just waiting for you!" she shouted into the phone.

"Almost there, almost there! One more block! Why is traffic so bad today?" Wood’s stressed voice came through.

"I don’t care! If you miss the beginning, you’re dead!" Lina hung up, turned around, and shrugged helplessly at Susan and John. "He says he’s one block away."