Los Angeles, outside an apartment building in Westside.
After seeing Gal Gadot to her door, Eric didn't linger. Judy, however, followed him out.
"You son of a bitch!"
Arriving at the car, Judy punched Eric in the chest.
"What are you doing? Are you crazy?"
Eric rubbed his chest. This girl had a lot of strength; she was the strongest of the five of them.
Judy, meanwhile, looked excitedly gossipy: "You actually kidnapped Gadot for three days and two nights. If you're not a son of a bitch, who is? She's only 17, still a minor. Quick, tell me, how many times did you do it?"
Eric was speechless: "Don't think everyone is as dirty as you. We just went on vacation to California Disney. You know I've been busy lately, just trying to relax."
"Yes, yes, I understand. So you needed little beauty Gadot to accompany you, right? Seriously, how many times did you do it? Is she still a virgin?"
"OMG! Judy Newhouse, why didn't I realize before that you were such a gossip? Go home! I'm going home."
"I only gossip about beauties, and unless you explain things clearly, I won't let you leave," Judy said, pressing her hand on the hood.
Eric pointed upwards, and there, Gal Gadot and Bar Refaeli stood shoulder to shoulder at the window, smiling at the two of them.
"Alright, stop messing around. We have to work tomorrow, and you don't want your salary deducted, girl."
Judy could only grumble a few words under her breath, reluctantly letting him leave.
That's right, just as Eric had said, he and Gal Gadot really did go on vacation, simply playing for two and a half days.
You ask if Eric didn't want to make any inappropriate moves?
Of course he did, and he was sure that although Gadot would resist, she would eventually succumb to his 'tyranny'.
But Eric couldn't, at least not now, because Gal Gadot was not yet 18. This was a red line, a legal red line, and a very sensitive one at that.
In the eyes of many countries, America is a very open country, especially in terms of sexual behavior, with many high schoolers losing their virginity. In reality, this view is indeed correct.
However, when it comes to the protection of minors from harm, American law is one of the most comprehensive in the world. Reality and law are very contradictory.
For example, in the United States, having relations with a girl under 10 years old is a first-degree felony, with no defense. In states that retain the death penalty, it can be punishable by death; in states without it, it can lead to life imprisonment.
Between 10 and 16 years old, there is only one defense: "I truly didn't know she was a minor." But this reason is very subjective and easily overturned. Once convicted, it's a second-degree felony, with a minimum sentence of 20 years.
Even if the woman is over 16, there are still restrictions on the man, one of which is that his age cannot exceed hers by more than 3 years. He also cannot be a teacher, coach, or other figure who can use power to threaten or coerce. This regulation, of course, considers factors of free love.
Before turning 18, Gal Gadot is considered a minor, whether in Israel or the United States.
Furthermore, Eric is 4 years older than her and theoretically holds her future prospects in his hands, making him a figure who could exert sexual bullying and exploitation. All the conditions were met.
So, if Eric and Gadot had relations, and it was caught by someone with ulterior motives, then even if Gal Gadot was willing to protect him, for example, by claiming she initiated it, Eric would still not escape punishment.
It wouldn't be 20 years, but a few years of imprisonment would be unavoidable. Although he could be bailed out with an exorbitant bail, once his reputation was ruined, his future prospects would also be over.
In this regard, the most famous case should be the Woody Allen case, which ultimately became a messy affair, hurting many people, benefiting many people, and attracting many 'punchers' who went on a frenzy.
So, the time is not yet right to break that window pane. But by April next year, Miss Gadot won't be able to run away… A new week, and The Coopers arrived at the company early, a rare occurrence for them.
However, when the two of them entered the elevator, the previously chattering elevator instantly fell silent. Some employees lowered their heads, others stared straight ahead like robots, appearing exceptionally stiff.
Upon reaching the office, Volvo and Bordeaux quickly came to report on their work.
As the first film he personally handled, Eric was also a little excited: "How is the box office for 'red dragon'?"
Volvo immediately grinned: "It exceeded our original expectations. The company projected between 45 million and 50 million US dollars, but the result was unexpected. We achieved 58.9 million US dollars. If our luck were a little better, the numbers could definitely break the 60 million mark!"
Upon hearing this number, the temperature in the office rose by a few degrees.
Eric quickly pressed: "So who's the champion? Don't tell me there are other competitors."
Volvo first frowned, then spread his hands: "No, not a single one. Whether it was Jackie Chan's 'The Tuxedo' or Roman Polanski's 'the pianist', none of them could compete!"
In his chair, Harry Cooper suddenly stood up and performed a set of Klopp's Farmer's Three Punches into the air, letting out a hearty laugh.
MGM had been so unlucky this year; he hadn't seen what a champion looked like in a long time. Even if it was just a first-week box office champion, this undoubtedly gave MGM a shot in the arm.
He wanted outsiders to see that under the leadership of the Cooper Family, MGM would bid farewell to its past as a sick lion, and a king of the jungle would once again return to this land.
Eric also laughed heartily. A nearly 60 million first-weekend box office proved the correctness of their decision.
The frantic last-minute advertising spending had a very good effect. Although he didn't know what the first-weekend box office of 'red dragon' was in the original timeline, its global total box office was approximately 200 million US dollars.
And given the quality of 'red dragon', it was highly unlikely to see a drastic drop in the second week, which means the first-weekend box office in the original timeline definitely wouldn't have been very high.
Perhaps, as Volvo said, the expectation was 45 million, or it might not even have reached that number, after all, the final results are there.
Of course, the figure of 60 million US dollars is not to say extremely exaggerated, after all, a few months ago, people had just seen a web-slinging neighborhood boy soaring and leaping between tall buildings.
And that boy's first-week box office was 160 million US dollars, double that of 'red dragon'.
This was a record-breaking number, which stunned countless people at the time and made many analysts want to bang their heads against a wall.
Before this, no film's first-weekend box office had ever touched the 100 million mark, and 'spider-man' achieved it.
Looking at the entire year 2002, with only 3 months left, all filmmakers' eyes were on two movies, because only they had hope of breaking 'spider-man's record.
These were 'harry potter and the chamber of secrets', to be released in November, and 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers', to be released in December.
As for 'red dragon', even the most foolish analyst wouldn't believe it could do it. Let alone 'red dragon', even Spielberg's new film 'catch me if you can' was not viewed favorably.
However, 60 million is quite good for a thriller-suspense film, and the word-of-mouth is also good. The IMDB rating is currently 8. This number will certainly decrease with time and the increase in viewers, but it is stable above 7.
With the previous work and good word-of-mouth, it is foreseeable that this week's box office should not drop too badly, and collecting 30 million is not a problem.
The good results brought about a positive impact. The entire MGM seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. While everyone was relaxing, their drive became even stronger, and they were once again full of hope for the future.
The test run has begun. I plan to adjust the update time to midnight, as it is said to be better this way.