HWI 561

Hollywood What If Chapter 561

4.) The Equalizer 2. $653 million. The second movie released by Grey Pictures in 2008 and also part of the huge franchise of the Continental Cinematic Universe.

5.) Hancock. $629 million. Starring Will Smith. This was a unique take on the superhero genre, featuring a reckless, alcoholic hero struggling with his identity. The superhero genre was dominating Hollywood, and Hancock's uniqueness caught the attention of the audience, together with Will Smith's strong box office appeal. Despite mixed reviews, the movie generated a strong $629 million at the box office. Fans appreciated its fresh premise, though some criticized its bland plot.

6.) Mamma Mia! $610 million. Mamma Mia! was a surprise box office hit, earning $610 million worldwide. The movie was distributed by Universal Pictures. Based on the hit Broadway show and featuring the music of ABBA, the movie gained a strong reputation.

7.) Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. $603 million. Madagascar 2 was a successful animated sequel about a talking lion, zebra, giraffe, hippopotamus, and a group of stupid penguins. The animated movie was produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures internationally. The characters were voiced by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, and others... It was kind of ironic that Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith had a collaboration once.

8.) Quantum of Solace. $589 million. This 007 movie was the 22nd James Bond film and a direct sequel to Casino Royale. Produced by EON Productions and distributed by MGM and Columbia Pictures, the film starred Daniel Craig as James Bond.

9.) Iron Man. $585 million. Being the introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the performance of Iron Man was already highly respected. This movie started one of the most profitable movie franchises in the history of cinema. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox, it starred Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.

10.) The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. $419 million. This was the second installment in the Narnia film series, based on C.S. Lewis's novels. Despite its stunning visuals and epic battles, the movie underperformed compared to its predecessor, earning $419 million worldwide. Even though The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was in the top 10 of the highest-grossing movies in 2008, because of its expensive budget, which was $225 million,.it hardly generated a profit for Walt Disney. The distributor of this movie was Walt Disney. Still, Walt Disney was adamant about filming the third installment, which was also the last movie of the Chronicles of Narnia franchise. After the third movie, Walt Disney decided to abandon the franchise.

Overall, the top 10 highest-grossing movies of 2008 were dominated by the big studios. However, Grey Pictures/20th Century Fox had the upper hand.

In fact, whenever the article about the highest-grossing movies was released yearly, the stock price of 20th Century Fox saw a considerable increase. Even News Corporation gained a stock price increase because of it.

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Kazir sipped his champagne glass before putting it on the table. He was in a mansion in Miami, sitting on the balcony. He could see the beach just a hundred meters away.

People were playing on the beach. Women were in sexy swimsuits... Even Kazir admitted that Miami was a dangerous place for him to stay because almost every woman on the beach was gorgeous as fuck.

Thankfully, he was only here for a day. He also had strong control over his lower body, so he was confident that he wouldn't do something stupid.

'I'm going to return to Los Angeles after this.'

Because of the continuous success of 20th Century Fox, a private party was announced on the third day of January. The New Year celebration had just ended, and work would start two days from now.

Together with the executives of 20th Century Fox, Kazir had to attend this party.

In fact, many of the executives invited a few women into a private room to have some fun. Of course, Kazir never joined them.

He was just looking at the view while sipping champagne in the middle of the day... He had to be conscious of his alcohol tolerance.

"Are you enjoying the party, Kazir?"

An old man who was in his 70s approached him and found a chair to sit on. Despite his old age, it seemed that the old man was having fun. Well, his conglomerate was doing great, so he had no reason to be sad.

Yes, conglomerate, for the old man who sat across the table was none other than Rupert Murdoch. Rupert Murdoch was the biggest shareholder of News Corporation, and he basically controlled the company.

This 77-year-old man controlled the media industry, a huge portion of it. In this era, the power of the media was unstoppable. He could destroy a person's public image if he wanted to. Heck, he could destroy a U.S. president's reputation whenever he wanted to. His influence alone showed how powerful he was.

And now, Rupert Murdoch was having a conversation with Kazir Grey.

Can you imagine that?

One of the most powerful people in the media industry was having a conversation with Kazir.

Kazir smiled as he placed his champagne glass down.

"I can't complain. A private party at a beachside mansion? That's a good way to start the year."

Rupert chuckled, nodding approvingly.

"You deserve it. Grey Pictures has been making waves. Every studio is trying to copy your formula, but they can't replicate success."

Cinematic Universe. A fictional world where multiple movies exist, where a standalone movie contributes to a larger and whole narrative.

Many studios were salivating over this genre, yet they couldn't make one.

So far, Kazir had created two Cinematic Universes, and these two Cinematic Universes had a strong collaboration with 20th Century Fox.

Kazir leaned back in his chair.

"Maybe I'm just lucky. I just focus on making great movies."

"And making billions in the process," Rupert smirked.

He paused, looking at Kazir intently.

"Tell me, Kazir. Are you a time traveler or something?"