Note:
Here we start with the problems of numbers. Sometimes it seems to me that the amounts they put are very large and I do not know if they refer to yuan or dollars.
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"Kate, there's something I want to apologize for."
After finishing the call, Ada's tone suddenly softened.
"Hm?"
"The Mr. Horn I gave you actually had something in it from the beginning, and when I was at your house that day, I also put something in it…"
Catherine's mouth formed a small "O."
"I'm sorry… at the time, Homan told me I wasn't suited for movies, but you had so much talent… so I got a little jealous."
"No, Ada. Anyone can make movies."
Catherine smiled at her.
To be honest, Catherine's mind was a mess; she didn't want to think about it too deeply.
It wasn't until Ada left that Catherine regained her composure.
Had she been… drugged?
By a girl?
Honestly, Ada wasn't a bad person—if anything, she was a good girl.
Catherine suddenly remembered the incident.
After meeting Mr. Horn, she couldn't sleep and somehow ended up being affected.
The second time, Catherine had felt completely powerless in front of Ida, letting her do whatever she wanted.
"Ida…"
Catherine didn't know what to say. That night, she tossed and turned in bed.
June 30.
Today was Friday—and also the premiere.
Although it was only being shown in 72 theaters, Catherine believed the future looked bright.
And honestly, even if it were only playing in a single theater, her friends would probably be over the moon.
Yesterday, Catherine went to see Bitman. Since the incident, more than a dozen victims had come forward—all women who had been hypnotized by Bitman. His despicable methods made them realize they might have been sexually assaulted.
Especially after that woman—who weighed barely anything—accused Bitman on television. The doctor, charged with attempted rape, rape, and drug abuse, even contemplated suicide.
He looked at the woman and all he wanted to say was, "No, seriously."
Even so, Catherine felt relieved.
As for Mars, he had been released on bail, and the psychiatric evaluation had been temporarily suspended.
According to Jenny, her grandfather was trying to secure Mars an honorary citizenship for his act of bravery.
Of course, Mars's intense sense of justice made him furious at evil, and combined with his military background, his methods were a bit excessive.
In any case, things were finally moving in the right direction. As for Catherine, she hadn't done much—Jenny had handled everything.
"Kate! Over here!"
When Catherine arrived at the theater, it was already six in the evening, but the girls from the photography club and her friends were already there.
Gathered outside the theater, Catherine realized that quite a crowd had already arrived.
More than half a year of promotion and hype had not disappointed.
In fact, seeing so many people, Columbia Pictures had already started making additional prints, though they never imagined the film's popularity would exceed expectations.
The long wait finally ended, and Catherine and her team entered the theater.
Watching her own movie—especially in such a large theater—was undeniably satisfying.
"Wow, that's a lot of people!" Lily, usually the most energetic, exclaimed, stunned for a moment.
The theater was packed.
The movie began soon after.
Some unsuspecting viewers found it novel and praised the filming techniques.
However, most people had come because of the rumors.
Marketing a fictional story as a documentary was the key to its success.
The theater was overflowing that day.
After the premiere, the story of The Blair Witch Project began circulating throughout New York.
To better match the film, Catherine pushed the original setting back by thirty years, making it feel more realistic.
Suddenly, The Blair Witch Project became the most talked-about topic in New York, even surpassing Hollywood stars.
As a result, sales of Katherine's Harry Potter also doubled.
Columbia Pictures, caught off guard, scrambled to keep up.
By the second week after release, the film had expanded to 2,500 theaters across the United States.
Then, late reviews began to appear.
"A novel filming technique, a miracle created by students." — Los Angeles Times
"The most successful aspect of The Blair Witch Project is that it transformed a low-budget B-movie—and a student film—into a documentary." — The New York Times
"The Blair Witch Project takes us into a fascinating world of terror through an innovative approach. The film flows smoothly, delivering an astonishing sense of realism. It was directed by and starred a girl named Katherine and her friends—can you imagine? She's only 13 years old." — Chicago Tribune
Only then did people realize: this movie was actually a 'trap' set by a group of girls!
But after the truth was revealed, attendance increased instead of dropping; it seemed everyone wanted to see just how incredible this girl's film really was.
That said, it did have one minor flaw: the footage was too shaky. Katherine had tried to avoid this, but some viewers still felt dizzy afterward.
Beyond its North American release, the film quickly spread to Europe.
Over the course of the summer, the movie earned Katherine tens of millions of dollars—twenty million in 1961, far more valuable than a hundred million in the future.
In the end, the total box office reached $24 million.
Although she personally received only $9 million, at the time, $9 million was an astronomical sum.
That amount was after deductions for theaters, distributors, sales taxes, and so on—and, of course, the money still had to be divided among the crew.
Since Katherine was the director—or perhaps because the other girls were stunned by such a figure—Katherine ultimately received $5 million.
In terms of purchasing power, $5 million would be roughly equivalent to about $37 million ten years later.
Adding in what she earned from writing, Catherine's current net worth was around $5.5 million.
Catherine was eager to get started; she was preparing to register her own company.
With the initial capital secured, the hardest part was already solved.
Of course, she still had to convince her parents to accept the idea—and even to serve as the company's legal representatives… after all, Catherine was only 13 years old.
However, before Catherine could even register the company, a journalist came knocking at her door.
And the publication was famous:
Time magazine.