Hollywood Production

The night gradually faded, and the July sun climbed into the West Coast sky. The briefly silent City of Angels resumed its hustle and bustle, and the fiercely competitive film industry plunged back into its silent slaughter. The weekend before the Independence Day holiday had officially arrived, bringing with it one of the heaviest productions of the entire summer season: Independence Day.

Although the midnight screening had opened in the early hours, that was a dedicated showing for sci-fi action fans. For most ordinary moviegoers, Friday daytime marked the real start of their viewing.

As the sun rose, the midnight screening box office tally was finalized. The box office numbers for the films that just opened this weekend reached their respective companies at top speed, and then circulated to many interested parties.

In the Fox Building in Century City, Thomas Rothman had just entered his office when Jon Landau, the executive producer of Independence Day representing Fox, walked in. The fat man held a report in his hand, and the brilliant smile on his face squeezed his ugly fat together, making him look particularly amusing.

"Thomas, good news!" he seemed eager to share his joy.

"Let's hear it, Jon."

Thomas Rothman had already guessed what it was from the fat man's face. "Did the midnight screening box office exceed expectations?"

Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox had projected a midnight screening box office of 4.5 million dollars. This was a performance that only the top-tier blockbusters in North America could achieve.

"It didn't just exceed expectations!" Jon Landau slapped the report in his hand, as if trying hard to suppress his excitement. "7.75 million dollars! Thomas, we broke the record! This is the best midnight box office result in North American history!"