Courteney just stood beside Simon, somewhat reserved, watching him draw, but Kristy unhesitatingly leaned over, pressing close to Simon.
A strand of her beautiful blonde hair dangled and swayed in Simon's peripheral vision as she watched him draw and said, "No, we're going to a party, Simon. Why don't you come with us?"
Simon remained noncommittal, continuing his drawing, and asked, "What kind of party?"
"Matthew's throwing it to celebrate the box office success of 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off', which he starred in. Oh, Matthew Broderick, do you know him?"
Simon nodded.
Although he possessed the memories of twelve other people, he had been diligently reading Hollywood's two leading publications, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, during this period to gain a more thorough understanding of Hollywood in this era.
Therefore, he was well-versed in the popular films currently showing.
During the ongoing summer movie season, the most anticipated film in Hollywood was undoubtedly Tom Cruise's 'Top Gun'.
Released in mid-May, this film had already accumulated 75 million USD at the box office in less than two months.
In 1980s Hollywood, the widespread release model, where films premiered on thousands of screens simultaneously, had not yet emerged.
The mainstream distribution method for major film studios was still a combination of long-term release and multiple rounds of screenings.
The basic characteristics of this traditional distribution model were a small initial release scale and a long screening period.
Even 'Star Wars: Return of the Jedi' three years prior only opened on just over 1,000 screens.
However, on the other hand, popular and best-selling films could generally run in North American cinemas for more than half a year.
'Top Gun' also opened on around 1,000 screens, and in less than two months, it had grossed 75 million USD, temporarily ranking first in the 1986 North American box office.
According to the typical box office curve for long-term releases and the current popularity of "Top Gun," the film was expected to earn at least another 75 million USD during its remaining months of screening.
Last year, only three films in Hollywood broke the 100 million USD mark in domestic box office.
'Top Gun', with an estimated total North American box office of over 150 million USD, had almost certainly secured the title of 1986's annual box office champion.
This was indeed the case; Simon clearly remembered that the final North American box office for 'Top Gun' was 179 million USD, placing it at the top of the 1986 North American box office rankings.
Riding on the success of 'Top Gun', Tom Cruise successfully transitioned from a popular young Hollywood actor to a global movie superstar.
Aside from 'Top Gun', the high school comedy 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off', released in June, had already grossed over 30 million USD in just three weeks with a production budget of 6 million USD, making it another dark horse at the box office this summer.
In the coming months, even if the total box office for 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' couldn't break 100 million USD, it still had a good chance of entering the top ten of this year's North American box office chart.
Simon wasn't very familiar with Matthew Broderick, the male lead of 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'.
Besides the current film, he probably only remembered that Broderick was the male lead in the 1998 Hollywood version of 'Godzilla' in his original timeline, and that film had brought mostly negative effects to its creators, significantly impacting the careers of both the male and female leads.
However, Simon was very interested in 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' at this moment because the film's director and screenwriter was John Hughes, the renowned screenwriter of 'Home Alone'.
Simon certainly didn't want to miss out on a super-hit like 'Home Alone', which grossed nearly 500 million USD worldwide in the early 1990s.
After casually chatting with the two girls beside him and finishing his sketch, Simon intended to bid farewell and return to his hotel.
He wasn't particularly interested in the parties, and besides, it would surely be late at night by the party ended.
Although downtown Santa Monica was relatively safe, Simon didn't have a car, and walking alone late at night, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't encounter any unexpected situations.
However, Kristy didn't let Simon off the hook; she forcibly dragged him and shoved him into Courteney's white car.
Finally, she secretly gave Simon a 'you owe me one' look, clearly convinced that he had feelings for Courteney.
Since he was already in the car, and Courteney didn't show any signs of rejection, Simon resignedly agreed to go along with it.
The party was at the Hindenburg Bar near Santa Monica Beach.
The three of them arrived outside the bar in Courteney's white car as night fell, and a long queue had already formed at the entrance.
Kristy went up and spoke a few words to the tall bouncer.
The bouncer checked the list in his hand, then examined their driver's licenses, and after stamping the backs of Simon's and Kristy's hands (as they were underage for drinking), he let the three of them in.
Simon later learned that Kristy also had a minor, not particularly prevalent role in 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off', and she had received a formal invitation today, unlike the men and women queuing outside hoping to enter Hollywood's social circle.
Walking along the corridor into the bar's main hall, Simon noticed that the elliptical layout of the hall indeed resembled its namesake, 'Hindenburg', (the famous German airship that disastrously exploded), and the decor felt very futuristic.
At this time, the hall was already packed with young people, lights flashing, and music blaring.
Kristy didn't immediately join the revelling crowd but first led Simon and Courteney in the direction a waiter pointed, towards another side of the bar, where the host of tonight's party was located.
After circling half of the crowded elliptical hall, the three finally found a group of young men and women sitting around a round table, chatting, in the depths of the bar.
The people at the round table didn't bother to get up when they saw someone approaching.
Kristy extended her hand to a somewhat youthful-looking boy, shook his hand, and said with a smile, "Matthew, congratulations! And these are my friends, Court and Simon."
After Kristy finished speaking, Simon and Courteney also stepped forward and shook his hand.
Matthew Broderick remained seated, and although he smiled while shaking their hands, there was a clear coolness in his demeanour.
After a brief greeting, seeing Matthew Broderick's indifferent attitude, and his lack of interest in even knowing Simon and Courteney's specific names, the three intended to leave.
However, just as they were about to move, a boy sitting opposite Matthew Broderick gave Kristy a look and pulled over a chair from beside him.
"Alright, you two go have fun, I'll chat with Matthew and the others for a bit," Kristy said to Simon and Courteney, her previously somewhat disappointed expression immediately vanishing.
Watching them walk away, she smiled and sat down, saying, "So, what's everyone talking about?"
"Matthew's new movie," the boy beside Kristy replied, handing her a drink, then looked at Matthew Broderick opposite him, asking as if he'd forgotten the title, "What was it called again?"
'The Butterfly Effect', a very cool script" Matthew Broderick's tone became livelier now that there were no outsiders present.
He said, "Do you know what the butterfly effect means?"
Everyone shook their heads in unison.
"Actually, I'm not entirely sure either" Matthew said, amidst everyone's cooperative laughter, "But several senior executives at WMA are very keen on this script, and they're planning to develop it into a WMA package project, just like CAA does".
The girl next to Matthew Broderick, seeing him constantly beating around the bush, feigned dissatisfaction and playfully shook his arm, saying, "Matthew, what kind of story is it, really?"
"Oh, that," Matthew enjoyed the girl's playful affection, but still shook his head and said, "I can't say for now; you'll definitely know in a while. Besides, there are quite a few young roles in the script, so you'll also have a chance to audition. Maybe I can help out then."
Everyone gathered around Matthew Broderick, naturally eager for such an opportunity.
Therefore, upon hearing his last sentence, their expressions showed even more eagerness and flattery.
Kristy also interjected at this point, asking, "Matthew, when will the movie start filming?"
"The project is still being coordinated; it should be pitched to the studios soon" Matthew Broderick glanced at Kristy's beautiful face and said, "Also, Norman thinks my role in the script is too small, and he wants the screenwriter to revise it. Anyway, everyone knows that a good movie isn't that easy to make".
Everyone nodded in agreement, and some also showed envy at a name Matthew had mentioned so casually.
The Norman that Matthew had just mentioned was Norman Brokaw, his agent, and also one of Hollywood's legendary agents.
Many years ago, Norman Brokaw even represented iconic superstars like Marilyn Monroe.
(Though he did also represent Bill Cosby)
Due to the successive deaths of two WMA elders in the first half of the year, Norman Brokaw, who had just turned sixty this year, successfully became the president of this giant talent agency, leveraging his many years of experience at WMA.
The few people present were all active in Hollywood and also had good agents of their own.
However, everyone knew very well that if they could find an agent like Norman Brokaw, their acting careers would undoubtedly be smooth sailing.
Matthew Broderick, coming from an acting family, was able to leverage his network to sign with Norman Brokaw at such a young age.
As everyone was chatting, praising Matthew Broderick and placing him at the centre of their conversation, a commotion suddenly broke out on the dance floor nearby.
Accompanied by lively jeering, a small clear space quickly formed on the dance floor, and it seemed like someone had started a fight.
Someone causing trouble at his own celebration party, Matthew Broderick's face immediately fell dark.
He stood up with a grim expression and walked towards the dance floor, with the others quickly following suit.
As they got closer to the dance floor, Kristy recognized the two figures at the centre of the commotion, and her beautiful face immediately crumpled in dismay.