Hollywood What If Chapter 513
On July 31, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End grossed over $361 million at the North American box office after 70 days of screening. The movie also grossed $423 million internationally.
The franchise achieved massive success internationally following the outstanding performance of the second movie last year. Since then, the franchise has gained millions of fans all over the world.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl grossed $650 million when it was released in 2003. At that time, it was considered a miracle since pirate movies were typically regarded as box office failures.
Last year, in 2006, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest grossed over $1.06 billion. It was a worldwide success that launched an amazing franchise beloved by people everywhere.
And now, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End has grossed $784 million... No one would deny that the third installment of the franchise would gross over $1 billion. Because from the looks of it, the movie would indeed surpass the $1 billion mark.
So far, Kazir has made four movies that grossed $1 billion at the box office. They were Wanted, Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and Shadows Beneath... No one could replicate what he did. Perhaps only people like Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, and Michael Bay could follow in his footsteps, as these four directors had strong selling factors in their filmographies.
Anyway, despite this good news, Kazir had complicated thoughts regarding the success of Pirates of the Caribbean... He was unsure if he should sell the franchise or perhaps milk it until it was dry and dirty.
At first, Kazir wanted to keep the copyrights since it was a successful franchise. But the tragedy he experienced left him traumatized.
The police concluded that Aquino held a grudge against Kazir because he didn't include his performance in the final cut, which was sort of useless, by the way. After all, Aquino only had a 2-second scene where he was walking and carrying a box. That was it. Fucking not relevant at all.
Because of what he suffered, Kazir felt like Pirates of the Caribbean would always remind him of that terrible experience, and for the sake of his mental health, he considered selling it. By doing that, they would lose most rights regarding merchandise sales and other peripherals.
"I gotta talk to Stella and the management regarding this... But they will probably be against selling such a gold mine."
The best compromise they could reach was that Kazir wouldn't direct the sequels, and Pirates of the Caribbean would be shelved for a few years. They wouldn't film another installment until perhaps 2011.
"What are you thinking?" Scarlett sensed that Kazir was deep in thought and worried it was about the incident a month ago.
Kazir chuckled and shook his head.
"It's nothing. I'm thinking of Pirates of the Caribbean. I wonder what the next step should be."
"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're the best director in Hollywood, after all."
Hearing his girlfriend's praise, Kazir couldn't help but laugh. Indeed, everyone recognized him as the best director. Not even the newcomer Christopher Nolan, the once-a-decade James Cameron, nor the explosion addict Michael Bay could be compared to him. Kazir was at the top of the filmmaking industry.
Even if Kazir suffered a career-ending scandal and lost everything, studios would still hire him because of his profitability. His name alone was enough to attract audiences to buy tickets.
"Thanks."
Kazir held Scarlett's hand.
The two were in a limousine, on their way to the red carpet for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.
Tonight was a busy night for them as the premiere would be filled with avid fans ready to watch another action-packed movie.
Then, the two reached their destination. They already saw people lining up and reporters snapping pictures at the limousine, waiting for the next celebrities to show up.
Kazir was the first to open his door and extended his hand to Scarlett, who followed after grabbing his hand.
Another deafening cheer echoed as the two walked the red carpet, quite literally.
The scene was spectacular. Fans lined the streets, screaming and waving posters and pictures of the cast, particularly Viggo Mortensen with his iconic long hair and beard.
Kazir and Scarlett, fresh from their vacation in Italy, stood at the center of this applause. They were calm and composed as they followed standard procedure. They had attended movie premieres so many times that they were accustomed to what to do. Still, they had to admit that every CCU red carpet was always hype and energetic.
After posing for pictures, the couple reached the next stage, interviews.
"Director, does the assassination attempt make you think of how to respect your employees better?"
A very bold question, but not surprising. Of course, interviewers loved asking scandalous questions that could trigger celebrities. At this point, this was the career path of most reporters and paparazzi. They loved making celebrities mad so they could make money off it.
Kazir smiled at the reporter who asked the question. He nodded.
"Yes."
One word, but it could imply many things.
"What do you mean, yes?"
Kazir didn't bother answering because Scarlett pulled him away from the scene. She glared at the reporter before walking off.
Kazir was still suffering mentally from the incident, and that low-class reporter decided to remind him of that terrible experience. Of course, anyone close to Kazir would be angry.