Chapter 53: Camille

On the bed of the Hilton Ocean Resort, Charles woke up from a hangover and looked at Camille lying beside him. Beneath her brown hair was a hint of blonde.

"What's up?" Camille also woke up and noticed Charles looking at her hair with a puzzled expression.

"Did you dye your hair blonde?" Charles asked as he gently played with Camille's short hair. Blonde didn't look bad either.

Camille sat up, unconcerned about her bare body, and laughed, "I don't want to be called a dumb blonde!"

Charles glanced at his watch; it was already noon! He had drunk too much the night before and then had a rather intense time with Camille.

The clothes scattered on the floor silently testified to their owner's lack of care.

"Let's get up and eat," Charles said, rubbing his face. Falling into decadence!

After lunch, Charles drove Camille back to her home in Long Beach.

"Thanks, Charles!" Camille kissed him for a moment and then got out of the car.

"Call me later!"

Charles waved goodbye and drove to Burbank Carpe Productions.

After James Wan re-edited and cut down some scenes from Saw, the MPAA finally rated the movie as R.

"Releasing it on Halloween gives us two to three months to promote it. Focus Features wants to screen Saw at the Toronto International Film Festival in September to build some buzz," Henry Winston was discussing in Charles' office.

Charles nodded, "The Toronto International Film Festival is a significant international indie film festival now, attracting many visitors and media!"

The Toronto International Film Festival didn't grant awards because it didn't have a jury, only screenings, and a single Audience Award.

It's an excellent platform for film trades, where many independent filmmakers and studios exchange insights and seek distribution deals.

There are so many film festivals, and there are a dozen international A-grade ones, plus numerous national and city film festivals. It's countless.

Charles handed Henry Winston the script for Wedding Crashers, saying, "This is my idea turned into a script, a romantic comedy project. Universal is still reserved about Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The budget for Wedding Crashers is less than half of Mr. & Mrs. Smith."

"I will look into it seriously!"

Charles nodded, "No hurry, the most crucial thing now is filming Brokeback Mountain."

"I understand!" Henry Winston chatted a bit more with Charles before leaving the office.

Last July, the EU announced that the Euro was the sole legal currency in the Eurozone, and with the addition of Greece, the Eurozone now had 13 members.

The Euro started appreciating this year, and Charles knew that the Euro-to-Dollar rate had room to increase.

It might go up a lot, and one could invest heavily in Europe!

Charles shook his head, thinking too much. After all, he had no money now. Besides, there was significant news in California at the moment: the first-ever gubernatorial recall election in history.

The current governor of California was Gray Davis, a Democrat, and the state's $30+ billion fiscal deficit was alarming.

"Arnold Schwarzenegger's performance is coming!" Charles smirked. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines opened in over 3,500 theaters in North America and grossed $44 million despite poor reviews. After nearly 20 days, it had just crossed $100 million at the box office.

Schwarzenegger's future political career in California was headed for a significant leap. After all, he had been preparing for the gubernatorial run for two to three years.

A week after Terminator 3 was released, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl opened in 3,300 theaters and grossed $46 million in North America. It had better reviews and ratings, and the box office had already crossed $100 million in North America.

The budget for Terminator 3 was $200 million, with Schwarzenegger's salary alone reaching a record $29 million.

The budget for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was $100 million, and including marketing expenses, it barely matched the cost of Terminator 3.

In the evening, Evelyn Carpe arrived at the Sunset Tower Hotel where Keira Knightley was staying.

"How is the promotion going? After this, there will be more promotions in Europe and other cities. No need to go to Australia, but focus on the UK," Evelyn discussed work with Keira, who was promoting Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

"In September, you'll need to start filming the historical war film King Arthur. The shooting location will be primarily in the UK, so at least it's closer to home for you!"

Wearing a simple long dress, Keira sat on the sofa, exhausted, and smiled, "It's not that tiring, I just need to adjust."

Pirates of the Caribbean catapulted her to fame, and she needed some time to adapt.

"You'll get used to it. King Arthur is also a Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer film. They must be already preparing for the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean," Evelyn said, smiling at Keira. "It looks like you'll be busy!"

"This film just released, and they're already working on the sequel?" Keira asked.

"Never underestimate a film studio's speed in developing sequels for high-grossing movies! Neither Jerry Bruckheimer nor Disney would pass up such a profitable IP," Evelyn sighed with envy. "Since the film came out, the pirate ship ride attendance at Disneyland has skyrocketed."

Charles' My Big Fat Greek Wedding was successful too, but its impact was far less compared to the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean.

"Don't worry, the sequel won't come out that quickly. The first film had a complete story, so they will need time to develop the scripts," Evelyn explained.

"Charles also mentioned that Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer would likely prepare scripts for both the second and third films for back-to-back shooting! The filming duration will be extensive!"

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was a pirate movie, and few expected much from it at the time. Disney never planned for sequels.

Many of the set pieces were already dismantled, which wasn't cheap to reassemble. The actors had signed contracts for just one film.

Developing sequels meant increased actor salaries, but shooting the next two films back-to-back could save money by reusing many set pieces and reducing actor salary increments. However, it required a longer filming commitment.

"Got it. I'll return to the UK to shoot King Arthur first. We'll deal with future matters as they come!" Keira said.

*****

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