novellhall Chapter 264 Hollywood Photo Scandal [5000]
Chapter 264 Hollywood Photo Scandal [5000]
Chapter 263 Hollywood Photo Scandal [5000] (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The situation escalated the following morning.
The German magazine Der Spiegel first published an in-depth report with the sharp headline: "Hollywood's Ghost Screenings: How Warner Bros. Creates Box Office Miracles with Empty Seats?"
The article details the data anomalies of twelve cinemas in Germany, and includes screenshots of parking lot surveillance footage and infrared thermal imaging comparisons, providing irrefutable evidence.
Following suit, France's Le Monde and the UK's Guardian reported on similar venue-locking practices in other countries.
It seems like Marvel and Disney have made their move!
Wow, that was quick!
They said they'd consider it, but they'd already taken action behind the scenes!
Chen Xun was amazed by Marvel's speed.
Warner's statement appeared weak and powerless in the face of irrefutable evidence.
At 10:00 AM, AMC Theatres issued an official statement: "In light of recent questions regarding the box office data of 'San Andreas,' to ensure fairness to all partners, AMC will temporarily freeze adjustments to the film's screening schedule and await the results of the official investigation. We promise that all box office data is accurate and transparent, and thank our audience for their trust."
Regal issued a similar statement half an hour later.
With the two major cinema chains making their statements, other small and medium-sized cinema chains followed suit.
The screening rate of "Collapse" plummeted from 30% to 25%, and it is still declining.
Even more fatal was the audience's reaction.
Boycott topics began to emerge on social media: #Don't watch movies with fake box office numbers#.
Some netizens launched an initiative: "If you bought a ticket for 'Collapse' but haven't seen it yet, please get a refund or watch another movie instead, and show Hollywood that we're not stupid."
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The refund rate peaked at noon, the highest for the same period.
Meanwhile, the box office curve for "The Ancient One" bucked the trend and rose on Friday of the third week.
At noon, BoOfficeMojo updated its real-time data:
The Ancient One's estimated box office on Friday (North America): $1800 million.
The estimated box office for "Collapse" on Friday (North America): $700 million.
The gap has widened to more than double.
Warner Bros. headquarters conference room.
Michael sat at the end of the long table, with a newly delivered preliminary internal audit report in front of him.
The report circled a line in red: "Approximately eight million US dollars of the marketing budget have unaccounted for, and corresponding invoices are missing."
The head of the audit team sat opposite him, speaking in a businesslike tone: "Michael, we need to explain where these funds went."
Michael gripped the edge of the report with his fingers, his knuckles turning white.
What could he say?
So, they're saying the money was used to secure the venue?
Is this an unspoken rule in the industry?
"This part is handled by an outsourced team, and I need time to retrieve the complete documentation."
"The board expects an explanation within 24 hours."
The audit manager closed the folder: "The MPAA investigation team has requested that we provide revenue sharing details and ticketing system backend data for all overseas markets over the past two weeks."
Michael's heart sank.
Providing backend data is tantamount to handing over all traces of the lock-up operation.
"What if you refuse?"
Michael clung to his last shred of hope.
"They will apply for a court injunction and publicly question our sincerity in cooperating."
The audit manager stood up and said, "I suggest you cooperate. Stopping the loss now will result in less damage than stubbornly holding on."
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Michael was the only one left in the conference room.
He stared at the report, then suddenly grabbed the coffee cup on the table and smashed it against the wall.
The porcelain cup shattered, and coffee stains splattered on the beige wallpaper, resembling a pool of blood.
This is the scene that Sarah saw when she pushed open the door.
She silently closed the door, walked to the table, and placed a tablet down: "The media is breaking news again."
The latest article on the tablet reads: "Warner Bros. is in turmoil; several mid-level managers on the 'Collapse' project have been suspended, suspected of being related to data fabrication."
The comments section has been flooded with comments: "Is suspending a few mid-level managers enough? What about the person in charge?"
"Michael Carter should resign!"
"Warner has embarrassed itself on a global scale this time."
"So 'The Ancient One' is the rightful champion?"
Michael closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "The hackers have stopped, right?"
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Sarah paused, then said, "It's already stopped, but they said the final payment hasn't been settled yet and they demand the remaining amount be settled today, or else what?"
"Otherwise, they will release all the information they have collected before."
Sarah lowered her voice: "Including the conversation records where you asked them to find dirt on Chen Xun."
Michael's eyes snapped open: "They dare?"
"They are hackers."
Sarah gave a wry smile: "There's no professional ethics whatsoever."
Michael felt a throbbing sensation in his temples.
He hired hackers to bring down Chen Xun, but now he's the one being threatened by them.
What an irony.
"Give them money."
He squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "Use a private account, go through overseas channels, and do it cleanly."
"But now the audit team is investigating all fund flows. Such a large sum of money moving through a private account will be discovered—"
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
Michael growled, "Should we make them release the chat logs? That would mean not only losing my job, but I could go to jail!"
Sarah didn't dare to speak.
"Go and do it!"
Michael waved his hand and leaned back wearily in his chair: "Think of something."
Sarah turned and left.
Michael sat alone in the conference room, staring at the coffee stain on the wall.
He knew he was finished.
Regardless of the audit results or how the board of directors ultimately handles the situation, the "Collapse" project is already tainted, and as the project leader, this stain will follow him for life.
Hollywood doesn't believe in tears, and it certainly doesn't believe in losers.
At the same time, Chen Xun was having a video call with Peter Freitz.
This is a previously agreed-upon live stream segment, scheduled for the ALS Association's official channel.
Pitt sat in a wheelchair with the living room behind him bathed in sunlight.
He seemed to be in good spirits, although the sound of the ventilator was faintly audible in the background.
Chen Xun was in his study, and the two were chatting through a screen.
"Thank you for the Ice Bucket Challenge."
Pete laughed and said, "Part of my current medical bills were paid with money raised from that campaign."
"That was an activity you started yourself; I just continued it."
Chen Xun said.
"But you turned the relay into a global event."
Peter paused for a moment, then said, "I went for my follow-up appointment yesterday, and the doctor said my recent emotional state has been very good, which is helping to slow down the progression of the disease, so thank you so much."
The live stream comments scrolled by rapidly: "I cried —"
"Chen Xun did a good deed."
"So what do all those messy things in the film industry matter? This is what's truly meaningful."
"Warner Music should take note!"
The live stream ended after twenty minutes of chatting.
Chen Xun turned off the camera, sat in the chair, and remained quiet for a few minutes.
My phone is vibrating.
Kevin: "Michael has submitted his resignation, and the board is holding an emergency meeting, but there's some bad news."
"What news?"
"I don't know, but there are rumors in the industry that someone has dirty secrets about Warner's top executives that they're going to release."
Kevin paused for a moment: "Hopefully, it won't affect us."
Chen Xun frowned.
He had a bad feeling.
Michael received an encrypted email in his personal email account at 3 a.m.
The sender's address was a string of gibberish, and the subject was a single word: "Quote!"
He sat in his study, with the sleeping Beverly Hills visible outside the window.
-
The light from the computer screen shone on his face, making the bruises under his eyes look like he had been punched twice.
He opened the email.
The text is simple: "We have all of your communication records requesting an investigation into Chen Xun, the recording of your instructions to Sarah Wilson to contact us, and the initial $50,000 deposit transfer receipt you provided."
"In addition, we also collected some other Hollywood-related data during the process, which you might find interesting."
The following are the options:
A. Pay a one-time fee of $200 million, and we will destroy all information related to you.
B. Pay $50, and we will only destroy the communication records and recordings; we will handle the other materials ourselves.
C. If no payment is made, all information will be released after 24 hours.
Bitcoin address: [a string of characters]
Deadline: 5 PM today.
Michael stared at the screen, his breathing gradually becoming rapid.
200?
He can't even withdraw 20 yuan in cash from his account right now.
Warner has suspended all his authority and salary, and the board is discussing whether to pursue his personal legal responsibility.
The audit team is monitoring every single one of his funds.
He gritted his teeth and thought he might be able to scrape together 50.
He mortgaged the vacation apartment under his wife's name and borrowed some money from his younger brother.
But what does it mean that we will handle the other data ourselves?
He replied to the email: "What other information?"
Five minutes later, a new email arrived.
There is no text, only three thumbnails.
The first image is a folder directory labeled (Celebrity Private Collection).
Subfolders are arranged alphabetically, from A to Z.
The second image is a screenshot of the folder being opened.
Several nude photos appeared before his eyes.
Michael's pupils suddenly contracted.
The third image shows the statistics: "Total: 127 female public figures, number of photos and video files: 2348, data size: 4.7TB."
Postscript: "This is just a sample. We could certainly delete only your part, but this data still needs to go somewhere."
"Hollywood loves deals, doesn't it?"
Michael felt a chill down his back.
He originally thought these hackers were just tech geeks who were paid to do things.
But now he realizes that he has opened a Pandora's box.
If all of this is attributed to him!
He dared not think.
We must sever all ties!
Michael replied with trembling hands: "I just want to delete the parts related to me, I'll transfer the 50 right now."
The other party replied instantly: "A wise choice. You will receive a deletion confirmation after the money is credited to your account."
"As for the other data—we will find a good home for them."
Michael stared at the Bitcoin address.
He knew that once he transferred the 50 yuan, it would be tantamount to admitting that the other party could dispose of the private information of those 127 women at will.
But he had no choice.
He logged into a cryptocurrency exchange and began the emergency loan process for his mortgaged property.
The sky outside the window is gradually brightening.
At 10:00 AM, Warner's board of directors held an emergency meeting.
Michael was not present.
He has been barred from entering the headquarters building.
Inside the meeting room, the twelve directors looked solemn.
The audit team leader stood in front of the projector and presented the final report: "—In summary, during the 'Collapse' project, Michael Carter misappropriated a total of $8.4 million of the marketing budget for illegal screening operations and falsified box office data, which seriously violated the company's compliance regulations and securities regulations."
"The relevant evidence has been transferred to the Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Attorney's Office."
One director asked, "His personal responsibility?"
"He could face up to ten years in prison and millions of dollars in fines."
The lawyer replied, "The cinema alliance is preparing a class-action lawsuit, demanding compensation for lost screen time and reputational damage caused by the false data. The preliminary estimate of the claim may exceed 20 million."
A collective gasp filled the conference room.
"Cut it as soon as possible!"
The chairman tapped the table: "Issue a statement, fire Michael, and cooperate with all investigations. We need to minimize the damage to the company."
"That 'Collapse of Doomsday' project—"
"Take the film off the screen to cut losses."
The chairman said expressionlessly, "Every extra day we release it now is another day of negative publicity. We should give the screenings to other films and leave the rest to streaming media."
"So who will take over the film division next?"
Everyone fell silent.
When the previous person in charge resigned, at least they held a farewell banquet in a dignified manner.
Michael is now directly involved in legal proceedings, and the position has become a hot potato.
"Let Sarah take over for now."
The chairman said, "She has been cooperative with the investigation, and we need a female executive to calm public sentiment."
The resolution was passed.
At noon, Warner Music issued three statements in quick succession:
Michael Carter is fired, effective immediately.
Cooperate with the SEC and federal investigations and proactively provide all evidence.
The company apologized to the affected cinemas and audiences and promised to make rectifications.
The media went wild!
"Former Warner executive faces criminal charges" made headlines everywhere.
The box office figures for "Collapse" were finalized at 2 PM.
After excluding all locked screenings and abnormal ticket purchases, the total global box office was $3.2 million.
The film's production cost was 1.8 million, marketing cost was 1.2 million, and total investment was 3 million.
Including revenue sharing with theaters and distribution costs, the actual loss may exceed 50 million.
At the same time, The Ancient One's global box office surpassed the $10 billion mark.
Marvel released a celebratory poster with the caption: "Thank you to audiences worldwide for loving the Ancient One. Magic extends beyond the screen."
.
The comments section erupted in jubilation: "Well deserved!"
"From the Ice Bucket Challenge to becoming a box office champion, Chen Xun's actions are textbook examples."
"So doing charity really does bring good fortune? (doge)"
"Warner should take note: this is how you do business properly."
Chen Xun sat in the Marvel conference room, looking at the final data report handed to him by Kevin.
"10.18 million."
Kevin beamed: "It ranks third among solo origin movies, only behind Iron Man and Black Panther, and its momentum is still going strong—"
""
"What about Warner?" Chen asked.
"Michael was taken away by federal agents this afternoon, and reporters took photos."
Kevin pushed the tablet over.
In the footage, Michael is wearing a suit and handcuffs on his wrists, being escorted by two detectives towards a police car.
He had his head down, his hair was disheveled, and he had completely lost his usual spirit.
In the comments section, someone sarcastically remarked: "The casting for the Hollywood version of 'Prison on Fire' has begun."
"How long will he be sentenced to?" Chen asked.
"The lawyer said that if we cooperate with the investigation, it could take three to five years; if we resist, it could take at least seven years."
Kevin paused for a moment: "It seems like he's raising money privately, mortgaging his property, I don't know what he's planning to do with it."
Chen Xun frowned.
My bad feeling is getting stronger.
At 10 p.m. that night, a post suddenly appeared on an anonymous forum.
Title: "The Real Face of Hollywood: A Private Image Library of 127 Actresses".
The poster claimed, "We are a group of moral hackers who can't stand the hypocrisy of Hollywood."
"These so-called glamorous female celebrities are just ordinary people in private, or even worse."
"The following is a partial sample; the full 4.7TB of data will be released in 24 hours."
The post included nine blurred photos, but some faces were still clearly recognizable:
A young actress who just received an Oscar nomination, a pop singer known for her pure image, and a veteran television queen —
Although the key parts were blurred, the filming location was clearly a private space:
Bedroom, bathroom, hotel room.
The post was deleted by the moderator within ten minutes, but screenshots had already spread wildly on platforms such as Twitter, Reddit, and Discord.
#HollywoodPhotosLeaked# instantly became the number one trending topic.
"Is this for real???"
"My God—Jennifer Lawrence seems to be in there too?"
"So hackers broke into their phones and computers?"
"Isn't this illegal?!"
"But the photos have already been leaked—"
An earthquake has struck the entertainment industry.
The actresses' teams worked through the night, issuing statements, contacting the platform to delete posts, and reporting the incidents to the police.
However, the speed of information dissemination on the internet is much faster than that of legal procedures.
At 1 a.m., the first batch of high-definition, uncensored photos began circulating on some dark web forums and Telegram channels.
The photo of Jennifer Lawrence in a hotel bed has been shared tens of thousands of times.
Despite the platform's continuous deletion, new links keep popping up.
Chen Xun was awakened by his phone vibrating.
It was Kevin's urgent call: "Something's happened!"
"A large-scale privacy breach has affected at least a hundred female celebrities, including Jennifer Lawrence. We need to prepare in advance."
"What are you preparing?"
"This kind of incident will cause panic throughout the industry, and there will definitely be a crackdown on cybersecurity, with all celebrities' electronic devices being examined."
Kevin spoke quickly: "I'm worried that the hackers have other things in their hands. If they can get these photos, they could also get emails, chat logs, draft contracts—Hollywood has no secrets anymore."
Chen Xun sat up and turned on his computer.
Social media is in complete chaos.
Female celebrities are issuing statements condemning the actions, fans are furious, netizens are frantically sharing screenshots, and platforms are frantically deleting posts.
Some netizens unearthed the original archive of the deleted post on the hacker forum, which contained the sentence: "We were initially hired by a Warner executive to investigate a Chinese actor, but this executive was so stingy that he was only willing to pay to delete his own part."
"In that case, let's show the world what Hollywood is really like."
The finger was subtly pointing at Michael.
But Michael is now unable to respond.
While Hollywood was still reeling from the leak, a second batch of photos was released online by hackers.
Chen Xun was sleeping at the time.
I was suddenly awakened by the incessant vibration of my phone.
He squinted as he reached for his phone, the screen's light stinging his brow in the darkness.
Unlocking the phone, dozens of missed calls, Kevin, lawyer, PR team —
Almost everyone he knew called.
Then came the social media pushes, each headline more sensational than the last: "Chen Xun's private photos leaked! Kissing Jennifer Lawrence!"
"Cheating on multiple women? Intimate photos of Chinese male star with three Hollywood actresses exposed!"
"Kristen Stewart cheated on? 'Ancient One' lead actor embroiled in sex scandal!"
Chen Xun's mind went blank.
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