Before the Harry Potter film series came out, no matter how much the preview box office market in the British film industry was pushed, it was still only at the million-pound level.
For example, Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace, released in 1999, had an opening weekend box office of £7.5 million, including previews.
Toy Story 2, released the same year, had an opening weekend box office of £7.8 million, including previews.
The reason for this was simple: Britain's population was limited. The size of any consumer market was determined by the number of people participating in it. If there weren't enough participants, the market simply couldn't grow that large.
But once 2001 arrived, the preview box office market in the British film industry changed completely—
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, released that year, earned £6.7 million from previews alone, with an opening weekend total of £16.3 million including previews. It directly buried Star Wars and Toy Story in the ground!
After the Harry Potter sequels came out one after another, any film that couldn't take in ten million at the British preview market and sweep away thirty million in its first week could no longer claim to have ever been popular in Britain.
And then—
Now there was a film that had achieved preview box office results in the British film industry comparable to the Harry Potter sequels?
This—
This—
This—
"Okay—"
"Okay."
"Okay!!!"
The secretary's confirmation made a broad smile spread across Robert Iger's face.
"Isabella Haywood really is the beloved daughter of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland!"
"Her animated film earned £14 million from two days of previews in Britain?"
"This is simply—"
"Too exaggerated!"
"Based on the current exchange rate, that's almost 28 million dollars, right?"
"Right now, if a film releases in North America and makes 14 million dollars on its first day, that's already a very good result!"
"And her God of Cookery can earn a single-day preview result of 14 million dollars in the British market?"
"Oh—"
"Damn!"
"Her commercial value—"
"Is fucking insane!!!"
It was no wonder Robert Iger was so unusually excited. The main reason was that the performance of God of Cookery was ridiculously exaggerated, especially in the field of animated films. The results of God of Cookery had become absurd to an unprecedented level.
If it had to be described—
Take Shrek the Third, released this year, as an example. The North American opening-day box office of Shrek the Third was 38.42 million dollars. At first glance, that seemed much better than the single-day preview result of God of Cookery in Britain, right?
But that was the result of simultaneous screenings in 4,122 theaters across North America. If the number of North American theaters for Shrek the Third on its first day were reduced to the same number as the British preview screenings for God of Cookery, its box office would only be 13.98 million dollars.
This result was extremely exaggerated! Because North America's population was several times larger than Britain's!
So! Once this gap appeared! You could even irresponsibly say that God of Cookery, still in its current release, could easily reach the box office results of Shrek the Third! And at this moment! The box office of Shrek the Third was already 750 million!
With just a little more, Shrek the Third could reach 800 million!
So—
God of Cookery could easily reach 800 million?
Did that not mean that if God of Cookery pushed a little harder, it could touch 900 million?
And if God of Cookery could touch 900 million?
Then—
Was it possible for it to become the first animated film in the world to break one billion dollars at the box office?
Yes!
At present, there had not yet been a single animated film in the world with a box office over one billion dollars!
Therefore, if God of Cookery could reach one billion, the previous box office game in the film industry could be declared over. Because in the future, what determined how much box office a film could earn would no longer be the content. It would be who was making the content.
This really wasn't an exaggeration.
For capital, content was something they could turn into an epic as long as they genuinely wanted to make it well. But the influence tied to content — that was something no amount of money could buy.
Of course, it was still a little early to discuss these topics now, because God of Cookery hadn't officially been released yet. Even if it had the potential to break one billion, the public would still need two or three months to verify it. Of course, if it broke one billion in a month, everyone could only start looking forward to it breaking two billion.
Even so, the preview results God of Cookery had achieved in Britain were already enough for Robert Iger. As for the reason?
It was simple—
"What kind of feedback are British moviegoers giving?"
"Everyone thinks the animals in God of Cookery are very cute, especially Api. Based on the current feedback, it seems to be the most popular one, because it looks dumb, but also very reliable."
"Have the toys started selling?"
"Of course. The co-branded dolls that Isabella and Hasbro made have already gone on sale. We don't have the latest data yet, but according to yesterday's news, the first batch of 600,000 dolls in stock will sell out within three days at most. One doll is priced at £30, so that's £18 million in revenue. And if they sell out in three days, the total sales of God of Cookery toys in Britain won't be lower than one million."
"…"
"Based on this ratio—"
The secretary thought for a moment and said, "The annual global sales of God of Cookery dolls should reach 10 million units."
"Total revenue should be around 600 million dollars."
"As far as we know, Isabella can take 40% of total revenue, which is 240 million dollars."
"Of course, this is only the revenue from dolls and toys. If we look at the full product line—"
"The value of the God of Cookery brand can at least reach around three to five billion."
"Okay! Then we'll spread the news of God of Cookery's preview results in Britain!"
Robert Iger struck his left palm with his right fist. As if making the final call, he said loudly, "I want the entire American public — no, I want the whole world to know! God of Cookery has a chance to become the first animated film in the world to break one billion dollars at the box office!"
"As long as God of Cookery can break one billion during its initial release, I can become Disney's chairman next year!"
"As long as God of Cookery can break one billion during its initial release, I can kick Roy E. Disney out of Disney!"
"Okay???"
"Okay."
"…"
The secretary, understanding what his boss meant, smiled and nodded. Without saying anything more, he turned and left.
That was right.
In other people's eyes, God of Cookery might only be an animated film. But in Robert Iger's eyes, God of Cookery was a weapon for attacking the Disney family.
There was no helping it. Who told the Disney family to keep such firm control over Disney's core animation division? When Disney's own animation business had shown little improvement, and after entering the new millennium had become like a dead dog — run over in turn by Pixar, DreamWorks, Blue Sky, and Beaver Animation —
Stepping aside for someone more capable was the only thing the Disney family could do now.
And this—
"So God of Cookery really might become the first animated film in the world to break one billion at the box office?"
While Robert Iger was shouting excitedly, Roy E. Disney was entertaining an old friend at home. That person was Stanley Gold, the chairman of the Disney family's Shamrock Holdings.
His old friend's question made Stanley Gold sigh. He shook his head and said, "I don't know."
"What? You don't even dare make a prediction?"
Roy E. Disney narrowed his eyes.
"No — because I've already finished making my prediction, and the future I saw was—"
"Dick Cook leaving Disney."
Stanley Gold smiled at Roy E. Disney and said, "The director of God of Cookery came out of our own Disney animation division. If our Disney division can't even keep talent..."
"Then we can no longer control Disney's animation division either."
When the wind rises, even a pig standing in the right place can fly. But after the wind passes, if the pig from back then still hasn't transformed into Marshal Tianpeng, it will fall and become a dead pig.
Since Roy E. Disney had still managed to control part of Disney Group's management rights for decades after the deaths of his uncle and father, his ability was beyond doubt. So the things Robert Iger could see, he could see as well. It was precisely because he could see his own future clearly that he was worried now.
Because once God of Cookery succeeded, he would have to say goodbye to Disney Group completely. But Disney Group was his family's ancestral property! If he couldn't even protect the inheritance his father had left him, how was he supposed to face his father in heaven in the future?
"Sigh—"
Thinking of this, Roy E. Disney let out a heavy sigh. But in Stanley Gold's eyes, his melancholy was the horn signaling retreat.
Picking up the glass of water in front of him and swirling it once or twice, Stanley Gold said, "Roy, stop holding on. No one can live forever. Everyone leaves the stage eventually. So—"
"While there's still time, leave more wealth for your descendants."
"And create fewer enemies for them."
"Maybe you still have the energy to keep fighting Robert Iger now, but — how long can you fight him? One year? Two years? Or three?"
"Yes, continuing to tear at each other for another thousand days could indeed prove to the world that you, Roy Disney, are not useless. But after that, what about your sons and daughters?"
"Robert Iger is not a kind man."
Stanley Gold's words made Roy E. Disney fall silent. He understood what his old friend meant. His old friend was advising him to stop while he still could, because he didn't have much time left.
Mm.
During his premarital medical examination this year, he'd discovered he had stomach cancer. And there were already signs of metastasis. There was no longer any possibility of a cure. Living with cancer was his final outcome.
And when he didn't have much time left, to continue going head-to-head with Robert Iger at this point? That would be pushing his entire family's future toward a cliff.
So—
"Okay. As long as God of Cookery becomes a massive hit, I'll have Dick Cook resign voluntarily."
After thinking it over repeatedly, Roy E. Disney finally chose to give up. With a smile on his face, he murmured to himself, "After that — I'll nominate Robert Iger to become Disney's chairman."
"At that time, the whole of Disney will fall under Robert Iger's control."
"I believe he'll be very happy."
"No—"
His old friend's clarity satisfied Stanley Gold, but he didn't agree with Roy E. Disney's words.
"Actually, after you leave the stage, the person who will truly control Disney will be Isabella Haywood."
"Because 70% of Robert Iger's personal achievements were contributed by her."
"And — Steve Jobs has no time to manage Disney."
"So even if Isabella doesn't hold a single share of Disney stock, Disney will still follow her will."
"Robert Iger—"
"He's nothing more than a puppet."
"Hm? Hahahahahaha—"
The moment the word puppet appeared, Roy E. Disney immediately burst into laughter. But as he laughed, tears began to seep from the corners of his eyes, because he suddenly realized that perhaps he'd never been able to protect Disney from the very beginning. From the moment his father passed away, he'd never been able to protect Disney.
After thinking it over again and again at the crossroads of fate, Roy E. Disney ultimately chose to accept his destiny.
And at this moment, there was another person like him, also wandering before the crossroads of fate. That person was Paramount's boss, Sumner Redstone.
At this moment, he was reading through the report on God of Cookery.
The wildly exaggerated preview results made him shake his head with emotion.
Then he picked up the Transformers proposal beside him.
He had already received DreamWorks' plan to shoot Parts 2 and 3 back-to-back. Since he only owned part of DreamWorks' shares, he had no authority over DreamWorks' actual operations and could only obediently handle publicity and distribution.
But the back-to-back production plan for Transformers wasn't the key factor that had pushed him into this crossroads of fate.
What truly made him feel pained was Steven Spielberg's decision.
That guy wanted to continue inviting Tom Cruise to star in the Transformers sequels.
And then, just now, along with the God of Cookery report, there was also the development proposal for Mission: Impossible.
"So, Tom Cruise wants to make Mission: Impossible 4?"
"And, just like before, he wants to continue leading the development of the Mission: Impossible series?"
Sumner Redstone had no interest at all in reading the proposal Tom Cruise had submitted. He directly pointed at the document on the table and asked.
"Yes." Brad Grey, the chairman of Paramount who had come to report to him, nodded and said, "Tom believes the Mission: Impossible series belongs to him. He thinks he has the right to decide the direction of the entire franchise."
"But what if I say no?"
"Uh, then he wants to buy the Mission: Impossible IP."
"What? Buy the Mission: Impossible IP? Where would he get that kind of money?"
Sumner Redstone frowned and said, "The Mission: Impossible IP is worth at least several billion dollars. Don't tell me he's—"
"Planning to use money from his church to buy the IP?"
The whole world knew about Tom Cruise's religion, so Brad Grey understood what his boss meant. Because of that, he shook his head decisively. "No. As far as I know, he has no intention of using church money to buy the IP."
"Hm?" Sumner Redstone narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Because he's connected with David Ellison."
Brad Grey said, "David Ellison, the son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison."
"David Ellison really loves film. He even studied in USC's film school in college. In 2006, last year, he founded a film company called Skydance because he wanted to enter Hollywood."
"And the shareholders of that company include his father, Larry Ellison, and Apple founder Steve Jobs."
"Also, Steve Jobs advised him that if he wanted to play in film, he should play big."
"Because no matter how many independent films you make, they can't compare to the fame brought by one commercial blockbuster."
"So he set his sights on the troubled Mission: Impossible."
"And this—"
"Boss, to be honest, we don't have a choice."
"…"
Sumner Redstone clenched both hands tightly. Although he was already eighty-four years old, he still wanted to punch Tom Cruise hard, just as he would have done when he was twenty-four.
But he couldn't. Because he knew Larry Ellison's true background.
Like Marvel's current chairman, Isaac Perlmutter, this guy was also an Israeli Jew. And a far-right Israeli Jew. His allies even included the current prime minister of Israel.
Sumner Redstone couldn't defeat someone like that. So, when Larry Ellison doted on his son—
"Steve Jobs is also an investor in Skydance?"
"Yes. Jobs and Ellison are friends. So after Ellison learned that his son wanted to force his way into Hollywood, he contacted Jobs and hoped he could offer some advice. Then Jobs invested in Skydance."
"How much equity does he hold?"
"That, I'm not sure about."
"Okay. So that means the final line in Transformers was actually premeditated?"
"Uh, boss, that kind of thing is no longer important now, is it?"
Brad Grey sighed.
"No matter who Tom Cruise is relying on now, whether it's David Ellison, Steven Spielberg, or Isabella Haywood, we can no longer take him down, can we?"
"So my personal view is that we should follow Tom Cruise's wishes and put the development of Mission: Impossible on the agenda."
"…"
"Also, I want to say that this decision is beneficial to us."
"Because Tom Cruise won't be able to shoot Mission: Impossible in the short term. He has to shoot Transformers."
"So we can use this time gap to keep the Mission: Impossible series in our company."
"…"
"For example, after God of Cookery is released, we can put out news saying we want to invite actors under Isabella Haywood to appear in Mission: Impossible. Someone like Kat Dennings, for instance. Or Elizabeth Olsen."
"If God of Cookery explodes."
Brad Grey's words made Sumner Redstone narrow his eyes. In the end, he still nodded.
He understood what Brad Grey meant. Right now, as long as they pulled Isabella Haywood into the Mission: Impossible plan, even if Tom Cruise intended to rob them, it would no longer be easy for him to act. Because once they actively sought out Isabella to do business with her and gave her a share of the profits, if Tom Cruise inserted himself halfway, it would give Isabella the feeling that he was "damaging my interests." Even if Tom Cruise had no such intention.
And the reason for announcing the partnership after God of Cookery released was simple. They wanted to use the influence of God of Cookery to let more people know about Paramount's friendly relationship with Isabella.
To put it more plainly—
They wanted to push Isabella into a position of moral legitimacy, making it difficult for her to ally with Tom Cruise.
But once Paramount actively embraced Isabella Haywood, it would mean they had bowed their heads and submitted.
And this—
After thinking for a moment, Sumner Redstone shook his head with a bitter smile.
In the eyes of the world, he might currently be a high and mighty capitalist. But in the true world of capital, he was only someone walking at the very lowest level, on the very edge. Because he had never entered the circle of old-money clans. And in this life, he had no chance of becoming a true member of the uppermost class, because as early as sixty years ago, Henry Stimson had shut him outside the door.
"All right. Handle these matters according to what you said."
"But—"
"What if God of Cookery doesn't explode?"
"It's impossible for God of Cookery not to explode."
Brad Grey smiled and said, "I went to Britain to watch the film. It was excellent."
"And it explained to the world why British food tastes bad."
"It was a beautified explanation. We all know what that means."
"So unless Britain disappears, it's impossible for it not to explode."
"Of course, if God of Cookery doesn't explode, we also have backup options."
"For example, Anne Hathaway?"
"Isn't she going to star in James Cameron's project?"
Brad Grey winked at his boss.
The eighty-four-year-old man froze for a moment. A few seconds later, he revealed a helpless smile and nodded.
In the eyes of Roy E. Disney and Sumner Redstone, acknowledging Isabella Haywood's strength meant embracing their own weakness. This was something they couldn't accept, yet had no choice but to accept.
But for other people—
Sony, which had long since acknowledged its own weakness, was already celebrating wildly!
"God of Cookery might reach one billion???"
"Judging from the current situation, yes."
"OMG, Disney really got this cheap! So do we still have a chance to do business with Isabella? I heard that after swallowing Blue Sky Studios, she continued to let them work on Ice Age?"
"Yes, but we can't get the distribution rights for Ice Age."
"Why? Because of Disney?"
"Yeah, because of Disney."
"Then is it possible for us to get her other projects? For example, James Cameron?"
"Who in the industry right now doesn't want Isabella's new projects? So—"
"Try!!! How would you know if you don't try!!!"
"…"
"…"
The roars echoing through Sony's conference room were actually the main tone of the current market. It was still the same thing: who told God of Cookery's preview results to be so exaggerated?
But the better God of Cookery performed, and the more the industry praised Isabella, the more unhappy one person became. And that person was Marvel's current chairman, Isaac Perlmutter.
When he learned that God of Cookery had earned £14 million from two days of previews in Britain, he almost exploded! Because this result made him understand that his alliance with Microsoft wouldn't be easy to pull off.
After God of Cookery officially released, Isaac Perlmutter felt even more as though his entire body was about to shatter, because the box office of God of Cookery was heaven-defying. On Friday, July 27, 2007, God of Cookery was released worldwide. Then, on its very first day, it cut down 44.8 million dollars at the North American box office.
On Saturday, July 28, 2007, the second day of God of Cookery's global release, the miracle continued, with North America taking in another 54.88 million dollars.
On Sunday, July 29, 2007, the third day of God of Cookery's global release, the approaching workweek caused the box office of God of Cookery to decline, but North America still reported 42.09 million dollars.
When these numbers appeared, God of Cookery had been released for only three days, yet it had already swept up 141.77 million dollars in North America. Even in 2026, this result was still terrifying, because this result was 52.6 million higher than the opening weekend box office of Avatar: Fire and Ash.
But the most terrifying thing about God of Cookery wasn't that it had unparalleled influence in North America. As a world-class superstar, Isabella's influence was global. So, in its opening weekend, God of Cookery reported a worldwide box office of 269.1 million dollars. This result ranked fifth on the global all-time opening weekend box office chart.
As for who the top four were?
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Part 2
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Part 1
Transformers
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
"So—"
"In the entire global film industry, there's already no one left who can snipe her?"
The report card for God of Cookery left Isaac Perlmutter speechless.
"Right now, it's the entire global entertainment industry that no longer has anyone who can snipe her."
Isaac Perlmutter's secretary said, "Boss, what's selling even more fiercely than the movie tickets is her toys. The capybara and beaver from God of Cookery sold out within two days of the film's release."
"The marmot was a little slower, but it only took three days."
"You have to know that Hasbro stocked a total of four million units of these three toys worldwide."
"In just three days, those toys earned her 240 million."
"…"
Isaac Perlmutter fell silent. To be honest, he was starting to feel like he didn't want to snipe Isabella anymore. Because in his eyes, Isabella was terrifyingly strong. So strong that he might not be able to defeat her.
If he had to describe it—
The feeling Isabella gave him right now was that of a monster with three heads, eight legs, one tail, and sixteen mouths.
Unfortunately, once the gambling table had opened, who could leave halfway through?
Just as Isaac Perlmutter was thinking about what method he could use to reach a settlement with Isabella—
Knock, knock, knock—
A burst of urgent knocking suddenly entered his ears. After he said, "Come in," his assistant immediately rushed into the office and shouted, "Boss, bad news!"
"Isabella Haywood has acquired a game company!"
"???"
Deep furrows rose across Isaac Perlmutter's forehead. He didn't understand what his subordinate meant. And his subordinate didn't waste words either. He directly pushed the laptop in his hands in front of his boss.
On the glowing screen, the following was displayed—
[British investment company Robin has issued an acquisition offer to the board of Take-Two, a well-known company in the gaming industry. It is willing to acquire Take-Two in an all-cash deal at $32 per share, for a total price of $2.5 billion.]
[It is reported that Robin is a wholly owned company of Isabella Haywood, recently named by Forbes as the third-richest person in the world.]
[Take-Two's board is very satisfied with Robin's offer. After the news was released, Take-Two's stock price immediately surged by 200%. As of publication, Take-Two's share price has already reached $20 per share.]
[Judging from the current situation, Take-Two's stock still has room to rise. Its previous decline was caused by a fire at its headquarters building, which led to a significant impairment of fixed assets, but Isabella Haywood clearly doesn't care about these things.]
Bang!
Isaac Perlmutter slammed both hands hard onto his desk. The next second, he slowly raised his head, trembling. He stared at his own people in front of him with eyes that looked as though they were about to split open. His Adam's apple moved. He struggled for a long while.
Only then did he let out a creaking sound, like wooden boards rubbing against each other—
"She's trying to kill me?"
"Hah?"
"Isabella Haywood is trying to kill me???"