Following Thanksgiving, the week of November 18th to November 24th concluded with a significant surge at the box office. The pent-up demand that had been stifled by the snowstorms on the East Coast during the first week of the Thanksgiving season was finally unleashed. As a result, the extended holiday period saw a dramatic increase in ticket sales, with the total weekly box office reaching $192 million, a substantial rise of nearly $70 million from the previous week's $123 million.
The standout performer was Danijel Entertainment's 3D animated film *Toy Story 2*.
In its opening week, *Toy Story 2* secured an impressive $87.31 million over seven days, thanks to its massive release across 3,216 screens. Even with such a wide release, the film maintained a strong per-theater average of over $27,000, easily claiming the top spot at the box office.
In contrast, Paramount's classic sci-fi series installment *Star Trek: Generations*, which opened the same week as *Toy Story 2*, fell short, earning just $23.11 million. With 2,659 screens, its per-theater average barely exceeded $8,000.
Third place on the chart went not to last week's new release *Junior* but to *The Mask*, which had debuted during the Halloween season on November 11th.
In its second week, *The Mask* experienced a 38% drop in box office revenue, earning $22.91 million, trailing *Star Trek: Generations* by just $200,000. After two weeks, the Jim Carrey fantasy comedy had accumulated $60.01 million.
Geffen Pictures' $60 million production *Interview with the Vampire* took fourth place, with a significant 52% drop in its second week, earning $17.43 million and bringing its two-week total to $53.81 million. Given this steep decline, it seemed increasingly unlikely that the film would reach the blockbuster status of its predecessor.
MGM's *The Horror Zone*, starring Sam Neill and Jessica Lange, ranked fifth. The virus-crisis thriller saw a similar 49% drop in its second week, earning $14.39 million. After two weeks, the film's total gross stood at $42.50 million.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's comedy *Junior* placed sixth. This film, a collaboration between Schwarzenegger and director Ivan Reitman after the successful *Twins* and *Kindergarten Cop*, failed to replicate their previous successes. With a $60 million production budget and 1,749 screens, *Junior* managed only $9.80 million in its first seven days.
Interestingly, both *Twins* and *Kindergarten Cop* had been Universal Pictures projects. Simon once considered intervening to take over *Kindergarten Cop*, but since Reitman was already contracted with Universal, he decided against it.
After Danijel Entertainment acquired MCA, Reitman initially expressed interest in continuing to work with the studio. However, Simon declined, not because Danijel Entertainment lacked projects, but because he knew that *Junior* was destined to fail at the box office. He wasn't about to jump into that sinking ship.
With Danijel Entertainment passing on *Junior*, Sony Pictures, known for its repeated failures in Hollywood, ended up taking the hit.
A $9.80 million opening week suggested that the $60 million film would struggle to surpass even $30 million domestically, ensuring a significant loss.
As for why *Junior* failed to replicate the success of *Twins* and *Kindergarten Cop*, Simon believed it was due to both the film's mediocre story and the fact that Hollywood had entered a new era. The rise of 3D animated films and CGI blockbusters had raised audience expectations, diminishing the appeal of Schwarzenegger's star power and the old-school comedy genre.
Danijel Entertainment's Halloween release, *The Haunting in Connecticut*, held onto the sixth spot. It was the only Halloween release still performing well. In its fourth week, *The Haunting in Connecticut* saw a 35% drop in revenue, earning $9.53 million and bringing its total to $93.22 million, on the brink of crossing the $100 million mark.
November 25th marked the beginning of a new box office week.
With the holiday spirit still in the air, the only new release was Disney's African American comedy *Cool Runnings*, which had a modest $10 million budget and opened on 1,379 screens. The film received mixed reviews and posed little threat to major releases like *Toy Story 2*.
As a result, the week of November 25th provided an additional seven days for older films to perform. Whether *The Mask* and *Interview with the Vampire* would join the $100 million club would depend on their performance this week.
After Thanksgiving, although many media outlets continued to call for federal intervention, the White House and Congress remained silent, and the acquisition of Disney by France's Vivendi Group moved into the final stages.
On the Westeros front.
After successfully diverting public attention from the midterm elections with a series of major news stories, one of Simon's lingering concerns finally materialized.
On Monday, November 28th, the start of a new week, Pennsylvania's Republican congressman Kevin Morehouse, who lost his seat in the midterms, suddenly launched an attack, calling for an investigation into his opponent Jocelyn Byrne's alleged acceptance of illegal campaign contributions from the Westeros system.
Morehouse's evidence centered on Byrne's unusually large "volunteer" team during the campaign.
Campaign volunteers, like White House interns, serve as prestigious platforms for America's elite to gain experience.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, the former president of Disney and now one of the three heads of DreamWorks, had once served as a volunteer in both a New York mayoral campaign and a U.S. presidential campaign. He even came close to pursuing a political career.
The massive volunteer team organized by the Westeros system wasn't composed of young people looking to gain experience, but Simon had been careful not to make any obvious rookie mistakes.
During the midterm elections, the volunteers who worked for Jocelyn Byrne had no direct financial ties to the Westeros system before November 8th.
However, after the election results were finalized, the volunteer team had recently and naturally formed a political consulting firm in Pennsylvania, which quickly secured a $1 million contract from the Westeros system for conducting voter research in the state.
Morehouse seized on this point.
He also tried to implicate Joseph Schrapp, a key figure in the Westeros system's political affairs, by publicly releasing photos of Schrapp meeting with John Hockenwell, the head of the newly formed political consulting firm based in Pittsburgh.
Moreover, Morehouse brought up Byrne's previous role as a Pennsylvania state legislator and her perceived lack of action in addressing the rising crime rate in the state, implicitly accusing Byrne of obstructing efforts to pass stricter crime control laws.
The implications were clear.
It seemed likely that Morehouse wanted to reopen the investigation into the Woodfield Manor explosion, which had gradually faded from public attention.
After months of investigation, the Woodfield explosion case had been closed, with the FBI concluding that the tragedy was caused by a former Monroeville Machinery employee seeking revenge against the Woodfield family. As for how the perpetrator obtained as much as 5 kilograms of C4 explosives, a clear red flag, the lack of sufficient evidence meant the case was left unresolved.
Just like the Kennedy assassination.
Moreover, in a country like the United States, obtaining explosives isn't all that difficult.
Locally, there were various rumors about the truth behind the incident, most of which pointed to other shareholders of Monroeville Machinery and investors who had lost significant funds in the Glorav Foundation. There were even rumors that some of Monroeville Machinery's management had orchestrated the attack.
In any case, none of the rumors implicated the Westeros family.
After the explosion, with most of the key members of the Woodfield family either dead or injured, and with Monroeville Machinery undergoing bankruptcy liquidation, the few remaining members of the Woodfield family were left penniless, reduced from wealthy old money to ordinary people, with no ability to pursue the matter further.
Some truths could only circulate among a small circle of Washington insiders.
Despite the case being officially closed, Simon had never let his guard down regarding the matter.
Kevin Morehouse bringing up crime control in a press conference originally intended to expose election fraud was something Simon took very seriously, whether it was intentional or not.
On November 29th, Simon once again headed to the East Coast.
Greenwich, in the northern suburbs of the estate.
In the study, Joseph Schrapp was briefing Simon on Schrapp Consulting's assessment of the situation.
"At first glance, this seems more like a warning, and an attempt to draft stricter, targeted election laws. Simon, while the public might easily see through the connection, we technically didn't break any rules. If the Republicans want to escalate the situation, they should be focusing on more substantial evidence, not this borderline tactic."
Simon, leaning back on the sofa in the reception area, nodded slightly as Joseph spoke.
He understood that.
However, many things often unfold beyond human control.
Just like the Epstein case in Simon's memory: years after the fact, the Democrats reopened Jeffrey Epstein's scandals, initially just to tarnish the president's reputation. But as the situation escalated, it dragged in everyone, whether they were involved or not, and Epstein ultimately had to "commit suicide."
The current situation was similar.
Even though both sides had reached a tacit understanding during their last meeting at the White House, some people clearly weren't satisfied and felt the need to stir up trouble to send Simon a warning.
However, those people seemed to forget that they shouldn't try to lift the lid on the
machinations behind this year's midterm elections.
One wrong move, and if things spiraled out of control, it would lead to a widespread political upheaval.
If that happened, the Westeros system wouldn't escape unscathed, nor would the NRA, and neither would the numerous elected members of Congress involved. In the end, many people would end up in prison, many would be disgraced, and many would be forced to resign and leave politics altogether—an outcome that no one wanted.
The reason Craig Ames of Wisconsin, after losing the election, quietly accepted the result and even voluntarily announced that he would no longer pursue a political career, was not only due to the Westeros system's leverage but also because this politically mature left-leaning politician understood just how far-reaching the implications of the situation were.
To avoid being crushed by the tide, he wisely chose to step aside.
In contrast, Kevin Morehouse of Pennsylvania had much less political experience.
And he might have been used as a pawn.
With these thoughts in mind, Simon picked up a document from the coffee table in front of him, flipped to a blank page, and casually began sketching on it with a pencil, while asking Joseph, "How do you plan to handle this?"
Joseph, seated across from Simon, glanced at the cartoonish bomb Simon was quickly drawing on the paper and said, "I've already spoken with John. We'll cancel the contract that was just signed last week, which will undermine Kevin Morehouse's basis for accusing us."
Simon continued sketching. "Doing that, people will accuse us of trying to cover things up."
"That's unavoidable, but as long as there's no evidence, it'll be easier to suppress the public narrative," Joseph replied. "Additionally, I think we should slow down similar operations in other federal areas."
Simon nodded. "Go ahead and handle it."
Joseph paused before asking, "What about Paul?"
To avoid putting all their eggs in one basket, Simon had also cultivated Paul Spates over the past year.
Hearing Joseph mention Paul, Simon smiled and looked up at him. "Joseph, I won't have Paul report to you. The Westeros system is big enough and will only get bigger. There's room for both of you. I hope you can work well together. If you can't, then stay out of each other's way. But under no circumstances do I want to see you undermining each other. If I find out, I won't tolerate it."
Faced with Simon's blunt warning, Joseph didn't argue and simply nodded. "I understand."
"Good. I'll talk to Paul. You just focus on your work. Anything else?"
"I've already had people contact some local media in Pennsylvania to counter Kevin Morehouse's accusations. Also, Simon, since we're postponing our operations in other areas, we'll still need to pay the promised compensation, which means we'll need resources from you."
Simon understood what Joseph meant and nodded. "Draft a list for me, and I'll have it arranged."
Unable to proceed with the planned post-election contracts for compensation, Simon would have to find other ways to deliver the promised rewards. Otherwise, no one would be willing to work for the Westeros system in the future.
This was likely the real aim of those stirring up trouble.
In any case, if the Westeros system couldn't build its political network as planned, Simon's ability to influence future federal elections would undoubtedly be compromised.
Given the size of the Westeros system, finding well-paid, albeit marginal positions was easy—this was the common path for many politicians after leaving office.
If anyone caused more trouble, it would affect the interests of the entire federal political scene.
The two men spent another half-hour discussing various details before Simon handed the cartoon he had been drawing to Joseph. "Make a few copies and send them to the White House and key people in Congress. Tell them I drew it."
Joseph Schrapp took the cartoon.
The A4 page was filled with cartoonish bombs, with one in the center having a lit fuse.
There were no captions or labels.
But Joseph instantly grasped the meaning: the bomb with the lit fuse represented Kevin Morehouse, who had sparked the recent controversy, while the surrounding bombs symbolized not just the Westeros system but all the forces involved.
The message behind the cartoon was clear.
Some people had ignited this issue, believing that only one bomb was lit and thinking they wouldn't be affected. However, it could potentially trigger a chain reaction, leading to an uncontrollable explosion.
Simon was issuing a warning to some restless forces in Washington: everyone is in the same circle, and if things get out of hand, no one will escape unscathed.
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