[Chapter 219: The Transformation of Hollywood Gossip Daily]
Afterward, Linton imdiately departed on a whirlwind promotional tour across seven countries: South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Brazil.
The stop in South Korea was relatively uneventful. Though the fans were enthusiastic, nothing particularly unexpected occurred. South Korea's entertainnt and costic surgery industries hadn't yet fully developed, and Linton didn't encounter any natural beauties that caught his interest. As a result, his attention there was minimal.
...
In the United Kingdom, Naomi took a few days off early and accompanied Linton for the entire three-day promotion.
Catherine, on the other hand, was swamped with interviews, comrcial campaigns, and endorsent deals following her massive success with Speed. Her overloaded schedule prevented her from joining, but she had privately warned Naomi to be cautious of their old colleagues -- especially the won -- and to make sure none got close to Linton.
"Breaking: The English Rose Naomi Conquers Bad Hollywood's Playboy Director Linton; the Two Explore England Hand in Hand."
Although Naomi had moved her family to Australia years ago, the British dia still hailed her as the "English Rose."
While enjoying Naomi's company, Linton quietly advanced his Starlight Spark technique to the second stage, ninth level.
...
Thanks to Naomi's presence, the charming British actresses who tried to approach Linton had no real opportunity. Most were forr colleagues of Catherine, dancers from West End theaters. They fantasized that if Linton had once chosen Catherine, he might choose one of them too.
But despite their good looks, they didn't reach the level of top-tier beauties, and they lacked the fa to capture Linton's interest -- especially with Naomi by his side.
Still, one actress after another tried her luck. Rachel Weisz even managed to obtain Linton's hotel room number. She boldly slipped past hotel security and rang his doorbell, assuming Naomi would be inside. She was confident she could seduce Linton and get into his bed -- but ultimately, her efforts were in vain. She left, frustrated and empty-handed.
...
One evening in his hotel suite, Linton happened to see MBC broadcasting Jackie Chan's Police Story 3: Supercop, which sparked a business idea.
He imdiately instructed his assistant to buy videotapes of all Jackie Chan and Jet Li movies from a nearby video store. His plan: bring them back to Los Angeles, acquire the North Arican distribution rights for select titles, and release them in the booming ho video market.
These action-packed films could beco hits in the U.S. ho video space. If successful, they could later be licensed to TV stations. Once these martial arts stars gained North Arican recognition, the next step would be inviting Jackie Chan to film movies in the U.S.
...
In the anti, under Linton's direction, many newspapers had signed a promotional deal with Linton Films to support Happy Death Day. They had started hyping the legendary beauty of Cristiana and Monica, generating buzz for the film's female leads.
This strategic dia pivot had cooled so of the frenzy surrounding Linton and his Flying album, slightly slowing its montum. Still, album sales continued to climb steadily.
...
In France, Cristiana accompanied Linton throughout the entire promotion. At the sa ti, back in North Arica, publicity about Linton and Cristiana's rumored romance was heating up.
"Exclusive: Bad Hollywood's Playboy Director Linton Falls for the French Rose Cristiana."
When the tour moved to Germany, with Heidi Klum occupied with filming, Cristiana continued as Linton's companion there as well.
...
After Germany, Linton arrived in Italy with Monica, and the dia narrative shifted again. This ti, they coordinated a new wave of romance rumors between Linton and Monica.
"Shocking: Bad Hollywood's Playboy Director Loves Italy's Flower Monica."
Monica remained by Linton's side throughout the Italy trip and continued to accompany him in Spain and Brazil, where no mbers of Linton's original harem group were present.
...
Wherever Linton traveled without a beautiful companion, the crew suffered through a miserable promotional tour. Even Duke, the Universal promotions assistant, constantly grumbled with envy and jealousy.
Yet the results were undeniable. In countries where Linton promoted in person -- Japan, South Korea, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil -- sales more than doubled after the promotional campaigns launched. The marketing impact was phenonal.
By the ti Linton returned to Los Angeles on October 5, Flying had sold over 12.5 million copies in North Arica alone. Overseas sales had surpassed 16.8 million. Total sales reached a staggering 29.3 million copies -- surpassing his debut album Grow Up.
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anwhile, Step Up 2 had been running for seven weeks in North Arican theaters, grossing $128.5 million. Though it hadn't surpassed the original film's box office, its daily earnings remained steady above $300,000. With one week left in theaters, it was expected to finish with around $132 million in North Arica. Overseas box office hadn't yet hit $150 million, and the final global gross was unlikely to exceed $200 million.
Still, it was another strong comrcial sequel.
What thrilled Linton even more was the success of the film's rchandise.
In North Arica alone, Universal had prepared $80 million worth of rchandise: $20 million in clothing and accessories worn by Leonardo, and $20 million in character dolls of both leads. All of it sold out.
Data from overseas markets wasn't fully available yet, but early signs indicated North Arican sales were far superior.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connelly had both risen to A-list status, thanks to the film's popularity and explosive rchandise sales.
Their comrcial value soared even higher than when Linton and Naomi had starred in the first movie. The skyrocketing sales of character dolls attracted countless brand endorsents, interviews, and business opportunities.
Seeing the saturation of the youth musical trend in North Arica, Linton planned to halt the next sequel. He predicted the genre would lose its appeal by the following year, and upcoming musicals might flop.
Instead, he intended to wait a few years for the trend to cool off. Once audiences regained interest, he would consider launching a new installnt.
...
On September 17, The Age of Innocence, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Winona Ryder, debuted in 2,100 theaters with 3,800 screens. The premiere had taken place on September 14. Winona had invited Linton to attend, but he had been supervising the Lightning Protection Project at his farm.
The film, a male-centric romantic art drama set in 1870s New York, featured a love triangle and a sowhat sluggish plot. It grossed only $4 million during its opening weekend and ended promotional activities within a week.
As of yesterday, 19 days after release, the film had only earned $9.73 million in North Arica. Final estimates suggested a $15 million gross against a hefty $34 million production budget.
Even after factoring in limited rchandise and box office revenue, losses seed inevitable. The only hope for recovery lay in awards season.
Critical reception was strong, though. Winona's performance was praised, and she was considered a frontrunner for awards recognition.
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anwhile, Sharon, editor-in-chief of Hollywood Gossip Daily, had proven herself highly capable. After Linton acquired the newspaper and injected $2 million alongside a performance-based incentive plan, the paper began to thrive.
Sharon worked tirelessly, expanding sales channels while also maintaining content quality. With Linton's permission, the paper began running gossip stories about him, which added to its appeal.
Daily circulation exceeded 10,000 copies -- surpassing Linton's original goal of doubling sales to 8,000 within three months. The paper had successfully transford from a local rag into a small entertainnt newspaper in Los Angeles.
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