After the release of Charlie's Angels, Simon stayed busy in Los Angeles for the weekend. On December 23, the day before Christmas Eve, he returned to the East Coast. On the same day, Daenerys Entertainment Group quietly and swiftly completed the issuance of its last $5 billion long-term bond for 1996 within the Westeros system.
Because this bond issuance was again primarily targeted at overseas capital and kept deliberately low-profile, it did not stir up much commotion.
The $5 billion in 10- and 20-year bonds were fully subscribed by global investors on the day of issuance. After all, Daenerys Entertainment's corporate credit rating now matched that of U.S. Treasury bonds, while offering a higher interest rate. Naturally, this made it a highly attractive option for investors seeking stable returns.
Of course, as the leading company on the New York Stock Exchange in terms of market value, media attention was inevitable.
With Daenerys Entertainment generating over $5 billion in net profit in its latest fiscal year, the company clearly had no shortage of funds. Therefore, to many, this bond issuance seemed unnecessary. Simon Westeros's decision to do so was thus perceived as having other motives.
The reason, of course, had already been extensively discussed by countless media outlets since the beginning of the year.
The Westeros system was stockpiling cash reserves in preparation for an economic downturn after the stock market bubble burst, aiming not only to weather the "economic winter" but also to seize opportunities for expansion during a downturn.
That said, despite a year of speculation, the Nasdaq—widely considered the most inflated—had not only avoided bursting but had continued to rise. This led to a sense of fatigue among many observers. As a result, discussions about this were mostly confined to professional financial media, while the general public focused on the upcoming Christmas festivities.
On another front...
The holiday box office week that spanned Christmas passed quickly amid the cheerful and festive atmosphere.
From December 20 to December 26, the North American box office for the week exceeded the $200 million mark, driven by a lineup of popular films, despite Christmas Eve falling within the period.
Leading the pack was Charlie's Angels, which had premiered the previous week.
In its opening week, Charlie's Angels succeeded in surpassing the popularity and acclaim of Jumanji. It debuted in the top spot, grossing an impressive $72.01 million in its first seven days. This was almost equal to its $75 million production budget, with a per-theater average of $22,900—significantly higher than Jumanji's $17,900 per-theater average during the same period, by a margin of $5,000.
If Charlie's Angels had been released on as many screens as Jumanji, it might have easily surpassed $80 million in its opening week.
The success of Charlie's Angels impacted the performance of Jumanji, which saw a 34% drop in its second week, earning $41.79 million and bringing its two-week total to $105.14 million.
To be fair, breaking $100 million in two weeks would be considered a success for most films of this era, and Jumanji was no exception. However, given that this was the hottest week of the year and that Jumanji was a major CGI-heavy blockbuster, the drop of over 30% was somewhat disappointing.
That said, Jumanji was actually fortunate, as it was not the only film impacted. This week, the highly-anticipated Wonder Woman 2 was unexpectedly surpassed by a drama film.
That drama was, of course, Good Will Hunting.
In its third week of release—and its second week in wide release—Good Will Hunting expanded from 1,746 to 2,125 screens. Among the films in wide release at the time, this $10 million drama was the only one to post a "negative drop," with its box office increasing by 6% to earn $25.31 million for the week. Its three-week total reached $54.66 million, fully recouping its $20 million in production and marketing costs and entering profitability.
In its original timeline, Good Will Hunting grossed over $130 million domestically despite competing against Titanic. Now, even with competition from Wonder Woman 2, Jumanji, and Charlie's Angels, the film's strong performance was a remarkable feat.
Meanwhile, Wonder Woman 2 dropped to fourth place on the weekly box office chart, with its revenue falling by 46% to $20.95 million, bringing its cumulative gross to $374.06 million.
This outcome aligned with industry analysts' predictions following Wonder Woman 2's massive Thanksgiving debut.
During its opening weekend, Wonder Woman 2 smashed records, grossing over $150 million—second only to last year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in Hollywood history. However, industry experts had predicted that while Wonder Woman 2 would comfortably surpass $400 million domestically, its ability to reach $500 million or higher would depend on the performance of the Christmas blockbusters.
Now, with both Jumanji and Charlie's Angels outperforming expectations, Wonder Woman 2's box office had inevitably been affected. While the film was still on track to surpass $400 million, it seemed unlikely to go much higher, making $400–410 million its probable final tally.
Ultimately, the size of the film market is finite, and gains for some inevitably come at the expense of others.
For other Hollywood studios, this so-called "regret" was maddening. The top four films of the week—Charlie's Angels, Jumanji, Good Will Hunting, and Wonder Woman 2—might carry the banners of MGM or Warner Bros., but everyone knew these projects were all spearheaded by Daenerys Entertainment.
In the most competitive week of the year, these four films alone accounted for nearly $160 million of the total $220 million weekly box office, seizing 72% of the market share. Meanwhile, the other 13 films in release, including titles like Jingle All the Way and Guardian Angel, shared the remaining $40 million—a meager 30% of the market.
It was staggering.
Looking at the year as a whole, Daenerys Entertainment had firmly established itself as Hollywood's dominant player. Unlike in past years, when other studios could still claim a few spots in the year-end top ten, this time Daenerys had effectively locked up the list.
While casual observers might marvel at the spectacle, those in the industry—especially those aware of the gamble inherent in filmmaking—could truly grasp how terrifying Daenerys Entertainment's dominance was.
Due to the inherent unpredictability of the film industry, even a successful studio would struggle to prevent other companies from releasing blockbuster hits that divided market share. This dynamic had long prevented monopolies in Hollywood, even as other industries leaned toward oligopolies.
But now, Daenerys Entertainment had miraculously overturned this long-standing industry rule.
"So, how do you manage it?"
In the Greenwich estate on the afternoon of December 31, Catherine Bigelow sat with Simon on a sofa in the living room. They sipped red wine together, preparing for the New Year's Eve party. Catherine smiled as she asked about Daenerys Entertainment's near-monopoly over Hollywood.
The reason, of course, wasn't complicated.
First, Simon's "System" as someone reborn gave him a unique edge, allowing Daenerys Entertainment to avoid pitfalls and navigate directly toward success. This was the most critical factor—an advantage no one else could replicate.
Second, Simon had ushered Hollywood into the next stage of its industry evolution ahead of time.
Many admired Hollywood's formidable film industry, but prior to the 1990s, the "industrial" aspect of it was far from complete. True transformation began with the rise of blockbusters in the 1990s, which cemented Hollywood's global dominance.
Simon not only accelerated Hollywood's entry into the blockbuster era but also controlled the core CG technology that underpinned this new age. Furthermore, through the DC cinematic universe and The Conjuring universe, Simon mitigated much of the industry's inherent unpredictability, enabling Daenerys to consistently produce box-office hits.
In summary, if Disney at its peak could dominate the annual top ten with six or seven films, it was only natural for Daenerys Entertainment to do even better, given Simon's unique advantages.
Simon leaned against the sofa across from Catherine, wine glass in hand, but did not answer her question directly.
Being alone with a woman and discussing work too much was hardly romantic.
Instead, he playfully toyed with a strand of her hair, feigning a hurt expression. "If anyone else asked, it wouldn't bother me, but Catherine, I thought you recognized my brilliance the first time we met."
Catherine rolled her eyes at him, though her expression softened as memories surfaced.
She suddenly recalled an evening years ago when a young man, wearing an innocent smile, had introduced himself as being from "Watsonville Psychiatric Hospital."
And then, he had stunned the world, rising to heights where everyone else could only look up in awe—all within just ten years.
"Are you finding yourself admiring me more and more?"
His voice interrupted her thoughts. Snapping out of it, she gave him another playful eye-roll before asking, "After achieving so much, don't you feel like you've lost your sense of purpose?"
Simon considered this and said, "My original goal was to win an Oscar Grand Slam—Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and Score. You know, except for Best Actress, which would've been tricky for obvious reasons
, everything else was doable. But once I reached $1 trillion, goals like that seemed trivial. It's like someone with a PhD caring about earning a gold star in kindergarten. Your position shapes your perspective and goals. At least I know what I'm doing and what I want."
Catherine let him play with her hair as she listened. Though he hadn't shared his true goals, she didn't press. Instead, she couldn't help but comment, "Janet once told me that she could sense you sometimes felt lost."
"That's inevitable," Simon replied with a faint smile. "Everyone feels that way at times."
"You like to act out when you're lost," Catherine teased, quoting Janet.
"That's slander," Simon replied, feigning indignation. "You know Janet took me from you back then. To keep you from trying to take me back, she has to defame me whenever she gets the chance."
Catherine laughed lightly and shook her head, dismissing his playful complaint.
The conversation flowed from topic to topic as the afternoon faded into evening.
The New Year's Eve party that night was lively, with hundreds of guests in attendance. The event featured various performances, and at midnight, a spectacular fireworks display lit up the sky, creating a dazzling spectacle.
And so, 1996 came to an end in a swirl of celebration.
For Simon, this year felt even longer than the eventful 1994. Overall, it marked a major turning point for the Westeros system.
In 1996, Simon's personal wealth surpassed $1 trillion—a historic milestone.
Daenerys Entertainment solidified its dominance over Hollywood. Companies like Eaglet, Daenerys Entertainment Group, and Cisco joined the $500 billion market cap club and continued to climb, shining brightly on the U.S. stock market.
The Westeros system's influence in North America became increasingly entrenched, while its global expansion gathered momentum, making it an unstoppable force.
Ultimately, all these changes signified one thing.
Unlike in 1994, when he was merely a participant in this world, Simon had, by the end of 1996, ascended to the position of a chess player.
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