In an apartment nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains north of Daenerys Studios, it was already October 3rd, the first Friday of the month.
After a week of non-stop promotional tours following the film's release, Amy Adams and Jessica Chastain had just flown back from Florida the day before and were finally able to get a good night's rest.
However, their excitement kept them awake, and they were up by six in the morning.
Today was the day the full first-week box office numbers for Paranormal Activity would be released.
When Amy Adams, still unbrushed, left the bedroom and entered the living room, she found Jessica Chastain already sitting cross-legged on the couch with the freshly delivered Los Angeles Times in hand, along with a few other newspapers.
Amy rushed over but didn't try to snatch the paper from Jessica. Instead, she grabbed a copy of The Hollywood Reporter, plopped down on a nearby armchair, and eagerly asked, "How much? How much?"
Without looking up, Jessica replied, "See for yourself."
Amy's eyes quickly scanned the headline of The Hollywood Reporter, where the bold figure "59M" caught her attention.
"Wow, $59 million! That's even higher than the $55 million they predicted on Monday!"
Jessica smiled and corrected her, "To be precise, it's $59.63 million, almost $60 million."
"$60 million! That's unbelievable, especially for a film that only cost $300,000 to make."
Jessica chimed in, "Didn't you read that article in Variety a few days ago? It didn't even cost $300,000—more like a few tens of thousands. You know how much we got paid, right?"
Of course, Amy knew.
Since this was an ultra-low-budget project, she hadn't signed for a fixed salary but rather a minimum weekly wage of $1,000. By the time the film wrapped, she had only earned $8,000.
Jessica, with her smaller role, had earned even less.
In fact, just before the Toronto premiere last month, both women had still been working as waitresses in Santa Monica to make ends meet.
Thinking about this, Amy couldn't help but feel a twinge of bitterness.
She had already checked her contract in private—neither she nor Jessica had any profit-sharing clauses.
She had also asked around and found out that Justin Lin, the director, was in the same boat.
Since this was an experimental, ultra-low-budget project, it fell outside the union-mandated profit-sharing requirements. Moreover, none of them had been union members at the time, though their agencies were now working on that.
With Daenerys Entertainment set to net over $100 million from the North American box office alone, wouldn't it be fair to give them at least a million?
But no, not a single penny.
Jessica noticed Amy's expression and guessed what she was thinking. "It's the same for everyone. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger only got $12,000 for his first movie, and he was already a nationally famous bodybuilder back then—way more famous than us."
"I just think, since Daenerys made so much this time, they should give us some kind of bonus, right?"
"Justin might get something, but we probably won't," Jessica said. "Besides, Amy, you should look at the bigger picture. The biggest reward for us is being part of this film. Otherwise, we might never have gotten famous."
Amy nodded but couldn't help adding, "Actually, Justin might not get a bonus either. Even though the media keeps calling him the creator, we all know he wasn't the one who came up with the idea."
"But he executed it really well, so Daenerys will definitely try to keep him happy."
Amy paused, then had to admit Jessica had a point.
Shaking off her thoughts, she turned her attention back to the newspaper.
Jessica, not wanting to dwell on the frustrating topic, changed the subject. "Look at this week's box office chart. I never paid much attention before, but now I see how powerful Daenerys Entertainment really is."
Amy looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Jessica explained, "Out of the top five spots, Daenerys has three films, aside from Paranormal Activity at number one."
Amy quickly skimmed through The Hollywood Reporter's weekly box office summary and soon understood, letting out an impressed whistle.
For the week of September 26 to October 2:
1. Paranormal Activity took the top spot with an unsurprising $59.63 million, breaking the all-time September single-week box office record in Hollywood.
2. DreamWorks' The Peacemaker came in second with an opening week of $13.67 million.
Despite being a big-budget film with a $50 million production cost, The Peacemaker's mediocre reviews and the overwhelming success of Paranormal Activity meant it was unlikely to have legs. Its domestic total was now expected to be around $25 million, a far cry from DreamWorks' initial $40 million projection.
3. Daenerys Entertainment claimed the third spot with The Full Monty.
After breaking the 15+ rating box office record in the UK in August, The Full Monty had opened in North America on September 12 with a $22.96 million debut. In its second week, it added $16.30 million.
Despite a 36% drop in its third week due to Paranormal Activity's dominance, the film still managed to pull in $10.43 million, securing third place.
With a three-week total of $49.69 million, The Full Monty was now expected to reach around $70 million domestically. While not as impressive as its $95 million haul in the UK, it was still a solid hit given its modest $2 million budget.
4. Another Daenerys Entertainment film, Soul Food, took fourth place.
A remake of Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman with an all-Black cast, Soul Food told the story of a Black family's weekend gathering, exploring Black culture. Directed by George Tillman Jr. and starring Halle Berry, the film was produced by Highgate Pictures.
Released a week before Paranormal Activity on 1,336 screens, Soul Food had earned critical acclaim with an 8.1 average score. Thanks to Ang Lee's promotional support following Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the film opened with a strong $14.32 million, well above expectations.
With a $7.5 million budget, Highgate had initially hoped for a $20 million total. However, the film's $14.32 million debut not only recouped its costs but also doubled expectations. With strong word-of-mouth, it was now aiming for $50 million.
Unfortunately, Soul Food's second week coincided with Paranormal Activity's release.
Instead of the predicted 20% drop, the film saw a 37% decline, earning $9.02 million in its second week.
After two weeks, Soul Food had grossed $23.34 million.
While still impressive, the pressure from Paranormal Activity meant the film's domestic total would likely fall short of $40 million.
5. The fifth spot went to Paramount's coming-out comedy, In & Out.
Starring Kevin Kline and Tom Selleck, the film told the story of a high school teacher whose life is turned upside down when a former student outs him as gay during a public event.
With strong reviews and Hollywood's support, In & Out had opened on September 12 alongside The Full Monty, earning $19.15 million and $13.94 million in its first two weeks.
However, like Soul Food, it suffered a significant drop in its third week due to Paranormal Activity, plummeting 46% to $7.53 million.
With a three-week total of $40.62 million, In & Out's initial $60 million domestic projection was now revised to around $50 million.
In the end, it was a case of one film's gain being another's loss.
However, given Paranormal Activity's phenomenal success, the "gain" far outweighed the "loss."
While the two Hollywood newcomers in their Santa Monica apartment were merely amazed by the box office results, elsewhere in Los Angeles, countless industry professionals outside the Daenerys camp were feeling a mix of envy and frustration.
Was there any room left for anyone else?
Since the start of 1997, Daenerys Entertainment had dominated every season—from Valentine's Day with Bridget Jones's Diary and its British counterparts, to Easter with Species 2, The Cable Guy, The Frighteners, and Taken. Then came the summer blockbusters: Face/Off, Twister, American Pie, Independence Day, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Just when everyone thought the summer slowdown would give others a chance, September brought The Full Monty, followed by Paranormal Activity at the end of the month, effectively locking down October.
It was as if Daenerys Entertainment was the only studio left in Hollywood!
But given Daenerys' current dominance, all the resentment was ultimately just impotent rage.
In fact, after venting their frustrations, many industry executives, directors, and stars couldn't help but start considering whether they should jump ship or collaborate with Daenerys.
After all, everyone needed to make a living, and it didn't matter whose table you ate at.
As for the few studio bosses still standing, they could only hope to survive.
Even if they hired a hitman to take out Simon Westeros, not only would they likely face the same fate as the rumored Italian mafia family he had wiped out, but Daenerys Entertainment would still remain.
The empire was already built.
As for trying to use political means, like antitrust lawsuits, no studio in Hollywood had closer ties to Washington than Daenerys. Any such attempt would likely backfire.
So, all they could do was fantasize.
Like going back ten years and pooling some money to bribe a doctor to keep a certain madman locked up in the Watsonville Mental Hospital forever.
Wouldn't that have been nice?
Back in the Santa Monica apartment, the two girls quickly finished their breakfast and got ready for another busy day.
After a hearty meal and some careful grooming, they headed out, deftly navigating the paparazzi flashes, and got into a car bound for Daenerys Studios.
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