Chapter 148: Just A Toy

Produced by Capet Pictures and distributed by Universal Pictures, the action movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith opened in 3,420 theaters across North America, easily earning $50.5 million in its first weekend to take the top spot at the box office.

The number of positive and negative reviews from newspapers was evenly split. The Hollywood Reporter and The Washington Post gave positive reviews: "Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie demonstrate the fierce energy of a fresh, dynamic couple."

On the other hand, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Seattle Times gave negative reviews: "This is just an overly emotional and brainless action film."

However, Charles didn't care about these reviews; the movie was indeed a popcorn flick, making box office money due to the star power of the two leads.

Moreover, just one week after Mr. & Mrs. Smith was released, Warner Bros.'s Batman Begins was set to hit theaters, creating fierce competition during the summer season. Most movie companies weren't bold enough to release their anticipated films during this period.

In Thousand Oaks, Ventura County, California, Charles lounged by the swimming pool at Britney Spears' estate, sipping a drink and reading the newspaper.

Coming out of the pool somewhat dissatisfied, Britney approached Charles and playfully chided, "What are you looking at? Didn't you say we'd swim together?"

"Uh, look here, Michael Jackson was declared not guilty last weekend at the Santa Barbara court," said Charles, handing the newspaper to Britney.

"Let me see," Britney Spears took the paper and started reading, "Yes, it was announced last weekend!"

Charles got up from his chair, put on his slippers, and fetched Britney a glass of iced juice, shaking his head as he talked, "Such a shame, Michael got totally screwed over by those shameless frauds."

"Sigh, this lawsuit took two years and has really hurt Michael emotionally," Britney, who had worked with Michael Jackson before, remarked. Although there had been a setup at the awards ceremony, she had already been in touch with Michael's side.

"Charles, do you think Michael is a pedophile?" Britney found it hard to believe.

Charles glanced at Britney, who still looked sexy and beautiful, untainted by scandals of marriage, pregnancy, or drinking problems. Life had indeed changed.

"Does it matter?" Charles shrugged, "The least valuable thing in this world is the truth."

"Those people are so evil," Britney couldn't grasp the deeper meaning of Charles' words, but she understood that Michael Jackson had been vindicated.

"There were quite a lot of fans supporting him. After the hearing, many fans celebrated on the mountain roads to show their support for Michael," Britney said, putting down the newspaper.

Charles stood by the pool, wearing only a large pair of beach shorts, hands on hips, soaking in the sunlight.

Responding to Britney's words, he said, "Actually, I like his music too. I heard he's planning to leave the U.S. for a while. After Neverland Ranch was searched in '03, he moved out. He's renting a villa in Beverly Hills now!"

Britney picked up some sunscreen and walked over to apply it on Charles, reminding him, "Aren't you afraid of getting sunburned?"

"A real man isn't afraid of the sun!"

Britney laughed, then forcefully pushed Charles into the pool, continuing, "A real man could swim ten laps!"

After saying that, Britney jumped into the pool too. Charles hugged the incoming girl, tore off Britney's sexy bikini, and started kissing her.

No wonder she was called the pop princess, America's sweetheart wasn't just a title. The scene under the sun by the pool was truly picturesque.

In the summer of 2005, aside from the wrap-up of Michael Jackson's trial and the scandal surrounding Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the biggest incident was Tom Cruise's bizarre behavior and antics.

Firstly, Tom Cruise publicly announced his new relationship with Katie Holmes, the lead actress from Batman Begins this year.

While the two lovebirds frequently displayed their affection in the media, both Tom and Katie often had to attend TV show interviews to promote War of the Worlds and Batman Begins.

Last month, Tom Cruise, during an appearance on the highest-rated talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, suddenly jumped onto the couch to express his joy and love for his new girlfriend, startling Oprah and the audience.

Moreover, at the beginning of the month, Tom Cruise had a heated argument with host Matt Lauer on the Today show, vigorously promoting Scientology and directly criticizing actress Brooke Shields for taking antidepressant medication after her childbirth.

An enraged Tom Cruise called psychiatry a "pseudoscience" and referred to Lauer as a "glib," causing a media uproar.

Cruise, who appeared on these TV shows mostly to promote his new movie War of the Worlds, failed to advertise the movie properly, instead putting on acts like "Jumping the Couch" and "Shouting Match," displeasing producer and director Steven Spielberg.

Currently, Tom Cruise's gossip and erratic behavior had become a laughingstock for many!

On another front, Ike Perlmutter stated in a Rolling Stone interview after Capet Entertainment acquired Marvel: "Charles Capet only considers Marvel as an expensive toy!"

Capet Entertainment directly announced that they would invest no less than $300 million to develop two major films, Iron Man and Thor, fully produced by their subsidiary, Marvel Studios.

Iron Man was scheduled for a summer 2007 release.

Thor was scheduled for a summer 2008 release.

A Capet Entertainment spokesperson declared that the company had a long-term plan for Marvel Studios.

In Thousand Oaks, where Charles was carefree with Britney Spears, he couldn't be bothered with Ike Perlmutter.

"Marvel is quite the pricey toy!" Britney laughed, looking at the newspaper while lying in Charles' arms.

"Just toys, so what? Marvel sells comics and toys anyway!" Charles actually thought Ike Perlmutter wasn't wrong.

Anyway, now that Charles owned Marvel, he was already invincible, regardless of Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, or Universal.

In the future, the Marvel Universe would be an essential part of Capet Entertainment!

*****

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