The next day, just as Zane had hoped, the excitement from the "Spartan" flash mobs was everywhere. All the newspapers and TV shows were talking about it, which made even more people curious.
The name "300 Spartan Warriors" spread like wildfire!
All the other Hollywood studios couldn't help but feel jealous.
At Miramax Films, the boss, Harvey Weinstein, was not happy.
"Good grief," he grumbled. "Those guys at Wald Pictures... they might not be the best at winning Oscars, but when it comes to promoting a movie, they're truly amazing!"
"Who's saying otherwise?" his assistant said. "They spent less than $3 million and got an effect that would have cost us $20 million! It's a genius idea."
Hearing this only made Harvey Weinstein's jealousy and anger worse!
He thought about his own company. He was a master at playing the Oscar game. He had connections. He had an alliance with Disney. He had helped his movies win 83 Oscar statues!
But... even with all that, he couldn't say he was doing better than Wald Pictures.
Static, Juno, The Human Purge Project, Memories...
Zane's company was making hit after hit. They weren't just a small, empty shell. They were a real player in Hollywood, one of the top ten best new studios. They were doing way better than his own company, Miramax.
"Darn Wald Pictures!" Harvey thought, his jealousy making him crazy. "Darn that Zane Blackwood! Why doesn't that bastard just drop dead?!"
At the same time, at Paramount Pictures, the CEO, Ms. Shirley Lansing, was furious.
"So, you're telling me," she said to her employee, Jordan, "that all five of our deals to show Wald Pictures' movies in other countries have expired? And your team hasn't made a new deal?"
"Yes, that's correct," Jordan said, taking a deep breath.
BANG!
Shirley slammed her hand on the desk, her eyes cold as ice. "You fools! What are you doing? Are you all useless? Haven't you seen how that '300 Spartans' flash mob has the entire country buzzing?!"
Jordan looked like he was in pain. "Boss, our people have visited Wald Pictures several times. That new president, Bill McNick, is an old fox. He's too smart. And Kevin Fitch won't budge, either. Our team can't get a read on what they're planning."
"Aren't you and their boss, Zane Blackwood, supposed to be good friends?" Shirley demanded. "Why don't you go talk to him?"
Go see Zane?
Me and Zane are "good friends?"
Jordan's face turned awkward. He had known Zane for a few years, but...
"Boss, Zane is a great guy," Jordan explained, "but he's also a very smart businessman. He knows his company is worth a lot now. He's not going to be pushed around or give us a special deal just because we're 'friends'. He's way too sharp for that."
Shirley Lansing was speechless for a second. She knew what this meant. Wald Pictures wasn't going to just follow their lead anymore.
She snorted, her voice cold. "Fine. You will personally visit Wald Pictures one more time. Try to make a deal. If we can no longer be friends... then we become enemies!"
Back at Wald Pictures, Kevin Fitch (the Vice President) was very nervous.
"Old Bill," he asked the new president, Bill McNick, "what do you think about all this? What if Paramount becomes our enemy?"
"Hehe," Bill, the "old fox," just smiled. "Young man, be patient."
"Patient? How can I be patient? Man, this is Paramount! One of the 'Big Six' giant studios!" Kevin said, pacing. "The only reason we've done so well is because Paramount was protecting us. They helped us with a lot of trouble."
"Just think about the movie ratings!" Kevin said. "Without their help, our scary movies would get a 'bad rating,' and almost no one could go see them. We'd lose so much money!"
Kevin was worried. He didn't want his company to be crushed by the big studios.
"Young man, you're missing the big picture!" Bill said. "You need to understand why Paramount helped us in the first place. It was because we were strong! It was because our movies made them money!"
On the set of 300, the director, Zack Snyder, was also feeling worried. He walked over to Zane during a break.
"Mr. Blackwood," Zack said, "you need to be careful. Paramount is one of the 'Big Six'. They're not people you want to make angry."
Zane nodded, his face calm and kind. He knew Zack was just worried about their company.
"Zack, I know what you mean," Zane said. "But you have to understand this. If we want to build our own roads to show our movies in other countries, we will have to fight with Paramount. They own those roads right now. They will never just sit back and watch a new company rise up and challenge them!"
Zane's voice was serious, but also full of passion. "This is all a struggle for our survival!"
"The six big studios are the kings of the world," he explained. "They will never let new challengers join their club. When a new company appears, what do they do? They try to crush it."
"Just look at what they did to DreamWorks! That's Spielberg's company, and even he had to suffer!"
Zane put a strong, friendly hand on Zack's shoulder.
"But don't you worry," Zane said with a confident, charming smile. "I have a plan. I'm not some little kid they can just push around anymore. Even if it is Paramount, one of the 'Big Six'... if they try to take a bite out of me, I'll make sure they break their teeth!"
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