"OMG! OMG! Catch me! Catch me!"
Elizabeth screamed as she did a 360-degree flip in the air, finally face-planting on the ground.
Eric and Ashley quickly skated over to help her up.
"Elizabeth, how are you? Are you okay?" Ashley asked with concern.
Ptooey! Ptooey!
Spitting out the snow from her mouth, Elizabeth Olsen patted herself down: "It's nothing, it seems skiing isn't as simple as I imagined."
At this moment, Nicole approached: "You're too fast, Elizabeth, I can barely keep up with you. You'd better stay by my side first."
Elizabeth Olsen made a bitter face: "I don't want to go that fast, but I can't stop!"
"It's nothing, all beginners are like this. We'll take it slow. Do you want to continue?"
"Of course, one fall can't make me give up. Actually, in my spare time, I've also practiced boxing and wrestling, so this little pain is nothing."
Eric brushed the snow from her hair: "Relax, don't hurt yourself. You still have a movie to shoot when we get back."
"That movie, juno?" Nicole asked.
"Yes, the script was carefully selected by me. It's a very novel angle. If Elizabeth performs well, she might even get an Oscar nomination this year."
"Really?"
Hearing this, Elizabeth Olsen's voice instantly went up several octaves.
"Trust your husband's judgment, I'm never wrong!"
"But it should be a nomination at most. However, even a nomination, at your age of 16, would make history."
"So you absolutely must not hurt yourself. Our movie needs to be released in the Christmas slot."
"Otherwise, you'll have to wait until you're 17 to set that record."
Historically, the youngest Oscar Winner nominee was Quvenzhané Wallis, who received an Oscar Winner nomination for Beasts of the Southern Wild in 2012 when she was only 9 years old.
The second youngest was Keisha Castle-Hughes, the lead actress of Whale Rider. The young girl received an Oscar Winner nomination at almost 13 years old.
Eric had bought Whale Rider from the Sundance Film Festival, but that year MGM's focus was entirely on Ashley, Mary, and Theron.
Whale Rider wasn't heavily promoted, so this Oscar Winner nomination naturally didn't happen.
And Beasts of the Southern Wild was still several years away, so as long as juno was successful, Elizabeth would essentially be making history.
In the original timeline, Ellen Page received an Oscar Winner nomination for juno, and Eric believed that with his guidance, Elizabeth Olsen could too.
"Is there a suitable role for me in the movie? I can make a cameo," Nicole said.
"Too late, darling. The roles have all been cast, unless someone suddenly has an accident."
Theron also skated over: "Oh, by the way, didn't you promise me you'd write another script for me so I could win another Oscar Winner?"
"What! You're going to help Theron win another Oscar Winner!" Ashley's eyes widened.
She waved, and Mary and Gadot quickly approached.
"Are you kidding me? Ashley and I only got nominations, Theron already has a trophy. You should compensate us, we're the ones who need an Oscar."
Gadot spread her hands: "Hello? Are you two ignoring me? I'm the one who needs the little golden man the most."
"At least you two have Golden Globe trophies. I don't even have a Golden Globe nomination. Who cares about those popcorn trophies?"
"If that's the case, I also need an Oscar Winner trophy," Nicole pouted.
Theron immediately frowned: "But you already have two."
"Yes, but although I have two, the first one was brought to me by the hours. The director wasn't Eric, and the movie wasn't MGM's."
"Your monster was specially crafted by Eric. If he's going to craft another script for you, then I want one too!"
"No, I'm the one who needs it most."
"But your box office is the highest, isn't that enough?"
"Precisely because I already have box office success, now I want honor even more."
"You're too greedy, Gadot, you can't have both."
Watching the six women start arguing over the little golden man, Eric smiled helplessly.
Then he forcefully took control of the scene. It was time to show his masculine aura.
He pulled Ashley and Mary into an embrace, kissing each of them fiercely on the cheek: "You'll get your Oscar Winner, darlings, but I need you to focus on the company first."
"I just acquired Lucasfilm. We have Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars, do you hear me? That's Star Wars."
"Star Wars, which can sell out worldwide, Star Wars, which has generated tens of billions in merchandising profits. Go and help us make money."
"Once Warner Bros. is acquired by the end of this month, there will be a whole host of copyrights to develop. I think you won't have time to make movies for a year or two."
"Tens of billions of dollars versus an Oscar trophy, what do you choose?"
He then softened his tone: "You know, Oscar Winners are produced every year."
The two sisters looked at each other, then nodded: "OK! We'll manage the company, but remember, you owe us a trophy!"
"Of course. Go enjoy this holiday. You won't have time once we're home. Take Elizabeth with you. The two of you protect her together, and I don't think anything will go wrong."
Having sent the three sisters away, Eric looked at Theron with sincere eyes: "My dear, you just heard. I have too much on my shoulders right now."
"After filming Dragon Ball, I really won't be able to start a new movie in the latter half of the year."
"This holiday was hard-won, squeezed in. If I weren't discussing work with Peter Jackson, I definitely wouldn't have come."
"And what am I doing all this for? Of course, for our family. Can you understand?"
Stared at by him so intently, Theron quickly surrendered: "Alright, but remember, you owe me an Oscar Winner too."
After saying that, she kissed Eric on the cheek and lightly chased after the three sisters.
Having dealt with Theron, Eric opened his arms and embraced Gadot, gently stroking her hair as if grooming a dog.
"Look at you, look at you, little one."
"Just an Oscar Winner trophy, what does that prove? Box office is the proof of popularity."
"How many people, even after winning an Oscar Winner, do audiences still not remember their names?"
"And what does an actor truly need? Do you know, darling?"
Gadot looked up, her big eyes fixed on him.
"I'll tell you, it's being remembered by the audience, being stored in their memory, being able to recall your face just by hearing your name."
"Oscars happen every year, but a movie that sells globally doesn't necessarily happen every year."
"You envy them for their trophies, but in fact, they envy you more for your box office."
"But… but I still want a trophy," Gadot whispered, pouting.
"My dear, you just haven't understood what I mean."
"Listen, I will make you the highest-grossing actress in the world."
"What does 'highest' represent? It represents being the only one in the world, it represents the peak."
"Whereas at least one Oscar Winner is produced every year. So, which of these two honors do you want more?"
"Once the Warner Bros. matter is settled, I'm going to develop the DC cinematic universe. Do you remember what I once promised you? On the plane when I brought you back to America."
Gadot recalled: "You mean that role!"
"That's right, I said every actor has their fated role, and yours will be wonder woman."
"So why did I insist on acquiring Warner Bros.? Because I want to give it to you as a gift."
"Oh."
Hearing this, Gadot felt her heart melt. She immediately hugged Eric, touched: "Thank you! You're so thoughtful, my dear."
"Alright, go play."
Having dealt with another one, he turned to Nicole, who was watching him with an amused expression.
"Your tactics are getting more and more sophisticated, you scoundrel. They're all being fooled by you."
"But I'm not so easily handled by you. You actually said an Oscar Winner is nothing, so what are my two trophies?!"
Listening to Nicole's grumbling, Eric said nothing, then suddenly reached out and pulled her.
"Come with me!"
"What! Wait, where are you taking me?"
"The woods. I'm going to make your belly big!"
She paused for a moment, then Nicole quickly looked at the retreating figures of the others: "Hurry, we need to hurry."
As July began, in movie theaters, the tide of Jedi Knights slowly receded.
But audiences wouldn't be bored, because new blockbusters would fill the void.
Following the disastrous failure of mulan 2, Disney once again released another animated blockbuster, chicken little, a work into which they poured all their efforts.
This movie cost even more, with a production budget of $150 million, and had undergone extensive promotion over the past month.
It was clear that Mickey Mouse desperately needed a spectacular comeback.
But the more anxious Disney became, the more MGM would suppress him.
Eric sent twilight to intercept.
Also choosing this slot was DreamWorks' new film, The Island, a big-budget production from Michael Bay, Ivan McGregor, and Scarlett Johansson, with an investment of $120 million.
On the big screen, on one side, a 3D chick was experiencing his own adolescence, looking at his heroic father, his deceased mother, and his weak self, searching for a way to become stronger.
On the other side, McGregor, who bore a striking resemblance to Jude Law, and Scarlett Johansson were unraveling the mystery of clones, putting on a show of fancy cars, beautiful women, and explosions.
And there was a cheesy teen romance story about a handsome vampire and a sweet schoolgirl.
The three movies seemed to have their own strengths and weaknesses, belonging to entirely different genres.
Traditionally, all-ages animation is clearly more likely to gain recognition, and coupled with a theme exploring youthful confusion, it was definitely the first choice for family viewing.
Fancy cars, beautiful women, and explosions, though old-fashioned, were timeless.
Especially for men, Scarlett Johansson, though she hadn't yet played Black Widow, was already the dream goddess for many.
This was her first foray into a commercial blockbuster, also a highly hyped promotional point. Everyone wanted to see how the indie goddess would perform commercially.
As for the love between a vampire and a human, please, it's even more cliché than Michael Bay. This genre has been filmed for almost a hundred years.
Except for Interview with the Vampire, there hasn't been a truly globally successful one.
And why was Interview with the Vampire both good and a box office hit?
That's a no-brainer. If you can get peak Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, you'll also have a huge hit.
But the problem is you can only get Henry Cavill and Blake Lively. Please, I've never even heard of the actors' names. Who are these nobodies jumping out from some forgotten corner?
So, before the release of the three blockbusters, various analytical agencies generally believed that twilight would be the first to flop, and the battle would revolve around The Island and chicken little.
However, as the first week's box office results were released and audience and critic reviews were unembargoed, an astonishing scene unfolded.
The first to flop was not twilight, but The Island.
Audiences and media were in rare agreement, collectively condemning the movie as truly boring and terrible.
Not to mention the harsh, expletive-laden reviews, even the more moderate review from the San Francisco Daily stated, "This is a mediocre story."
Michael Bay seemed to have lost his former spark. People missed his The Rock.
But since Pearl Harbor, he had been resting on his laurels and going downhill, squandering Black Widow's beauty for nothing.
The first week's box office was a humiliating $12.1 million. DreamWorks made a lot of money last year, but this time they misjudged.
With box office failure to this extent, all subsequent promotions were halted.
Scarlett Johansson also stayed indoors. Although not many people blamed her, this was, after all, her first attempt at a commercial blockbuster.
Her first shot misfired, making her future path difficult. Just having acting skills but no box office wasn't enough either.
Finally, on Friday, she was caught by reporters. She awkwardly gave a few perfunctory answers, then shifted the topic.
"Although the movie has had some impact on me, it's okay. I will dedicate all my energy to the role of Black Widow next, and I hope the audience will give me another chance."
After The Island flopped, chicken little, which was most favored by the market, also couldn't escape.
The box office was decent, taking in over $40 million, but the reviews were poor.
Audiences heavily criticized the plot as being too cliché and having too many cringe-worthy comedic bits that didn't achieve the desired effect.
The children weren't amused, let alone the adults.
Fortunately, the media reviews were quite good, but unfortunately, media cannot bring high box office.
And the biggest winner was surprisingly twilight, which no one had favored.
Its treatment was the exact opposite of chicken little.
Media and critics were almost unanimously critical.
Melodramatic, cliché, derivative, stiff and unnatural acting, crude cinematography—in short, all these labels were attached to twilight.
But audiences, especially young female audiences, loved it.
The reasons given by those who loved it were consistent: Henry Cavill was damn handsome.
Look at his charming face, the melancholic aura that occasionally appeared when he frowned, the noble air of his British heritage, the emotions in his eyes, and his perfect physique.
Every single point struck the hearts of young girls.
Handsome!
Drop-dead gorgeous!
Countless girls fantasized about kicking the female lead, Bella, aside and lying on Edward's chest at night.
Even if he was a vampire and might bite them.
But who cared when he was both handsome and good at sucking?
Thus, with the help of these crazy teenage girls, twilight won the weekly championship, raking in $65.5 million at the box office.
The movie's cost was only $30 million, astonishing everyone.
And just as major agencies and media were analyzing why twilight was a hit, another major event that shook the world film industry was born.
Warner Bros. Pictures officially changed hands, and Hollywood entered The Big Six era.