Thursday, April 4th, 1996.
Tonight was the big night. Static, the very first movie from Wald Pictures, was being shown in a theater for the first time.
There was no glitzy premiere, no red carpet, and no flashing cameras. A small horror movie from a brand-new studio just didn't get that kind of party.
Instead, Zane had rented out one movie screen for a private show. He invited the actors, the crew, and his small circle of friends. The room was buzzing with nervous, happy energy.
"I can't believe reporters are actually here," Charlize Theron whispered to James McAvoy. Her eyes were wide with excitement. It was her first-ever movie, and it felt like the center of the universe.
"Stay calm, Charlize," James whispered back, acting older than he was. "You're the star, remember?"
Across the room, Zane shared a secret, knowing smile with his CEO, Victor. Those five reporters near the door weren't there by accident. Victor had paid them to come. In Hollywood, if you can't get people to talk about your movie, you buy the talk.
"Zane, my friend! Congratulations!" a loud, happy voice boomed.
It was John Lasseter from Pixar! He looked amazing, like the new multi-millionaire he was. "Your first film as a producer! I'm sure it will be just as wonderful as Toy Story."
"Thank you for coming, John," Zane said, his smile full of real thanks. "And thank you for your help. We wouldn't have half these movie screens without your phone calls."
John had been a huge help. He'd called theaters and convinced them to give Zane's little movie a chance.
"Nonsense!" John laughed. "What are friends for?"
Getting 355 screens for a new movie was a really big deal. But Zane knew they only got them because it was April, a "dead" time for movies. If this were the big summer season, he'd be lucky to get a hundred.
The lights went down. The movie began.
The first thing on the screen wasn't the Wald Pictures logo. It was the famous, bouncing lamp from Pixar.
...
At the same time, in another theater in Los Angeles, two college-aged guys sat down in their seats. The theater was almost empty.
"Dude, why are we here?" a young man named Tom grumbled. "It's Thursday night. We could be at a club. But no, we're watching a movie called Static? I've never even heard of it."
"Patience, my friend," the other guy said, pointing at the screen. "You're not looking close enough."
As the movie's opening names rolled, Tom's eyes went wide. "Wait a second... 'Produced by John Lasseter'? The director of Toy Story?!"
Suddenly, he was very interested in the movie.
This, of course, was another one of Zane's smart, charming moves. He knew his own name meant nothing. So, he'd asked John Lasseter for a favor.
"John," he'd said, "what if you let me put your name on the movie as an executive producer? It would help us so much." In return, Zane offered him 1% of the movie's profits.
It was a classic move. He used a famous, respected name to make his unknown movie seem important. It was a simple, friendly deal that would help everyone.
...
The next morning, everyone at Wald Pictures was very nervous. They were all crowded together, waiting for the first box office numbers.
At ten o'clock, Victor walked out of his office. He was holding a piece of paper and had a huge, happy look of relief on his face.
"Boss," he said, "the numbers are in. From the first showings last night, we made a total of $92,000."
The whole office exploded in cheers and applause!
It was a solid, respectable opening for a tiny movie with no big stars.
"It's a success," Victor said, smiling proudly at Zane. "If people keep talking about how good it is, we can get it into even more theaters. This movie could easily make over three million dollars."
While his team celebrated, Zane felt a quiet, calm wave of satisfaction. He wasn't surprised. He wasn't even that excited. He just felt... right.
He had already seen the "future data" (his system's tips). He knew that all the other movies opening this weekend were going to be duds.
In a market full of boring movies, his well-made, actually scary horror film was always going to be a hit.
His first big bet as a Hollywood producer wasn't a gamble at all. It was a sure thing. The only question left was just how much money it would make.
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