Kazir and Reese had already completed their social duties at the party; they had greeted everyone and exchanged pleasantries.
At the party, several actresses unashamedly flirted with Kazir right in front of Reese.
However, this was not uncommon in the entertainment industry—after all, in the subconscious of most women, there is often a preference for successful men.
Although this may sound cliché, it is undeniably true; after all, who wouldn't be attracted to someone who is powerful, handsome, and successful?
Kazir had no interest in these women who actively showed him affection, and he couldn't be bothered to deal with them.
He knew all too well how much trouble getting entangled with women could bring; the fallout from the false accusation of domestic violence was still ongoing, and those messes hadn't been completely resolved yet!
"Maybe these women know I'm rumored to have committed domestic violence, and they're still deliberately trying to provoke me!" Kazir mused to himself.
Afterward, the two walked towards the exit.
As soon as they reached the door, they ran into a swaying, drunken figure holding a bottle of alcohol.
"...Mel?"
Kazir looked closely and recognized him; it was Mel Gibson.
Lethal Weapon was a film funded by Warner Bros., and Jan de Bont had even served as the cinematographer for Lethal Weapon 3, so it was natural for Mel Gibson to be invited to such a celebratory banquet.
Just a moment ago, Kazir had seen Mel Gibson and Jan de Bont chatting nearby, and Mel Gibson had been quite sober then; he hadn't expected that so soon after... "Yo, isn't that Kazier Gray! Congratulations, *hiccup*... your movie is the box office champion! *Hiccup*!" Mel Gibson leaned against the wall, clearly completely drunk.
Kazir narrowed his eyes slightly, and even Reese, standing beside him, instantly tensed up.
"Since we ran into each other, I have to tell you something serious. I just saw you talking to Jeffrey Epstein... Listen, don't you dare go near him!" Mel Gibson slurred.
Kazir was stunned; he never expected that it would be Mel Gibson warning him to stay away from the Epstein mess.
"Kazir, you're still young in Hollywood, you haven't been tainted by all that filth yet, *hiccup*... I'll tell you something, there are a lot of pedophiles in this industry. You have to stand firm, don't let temptation lead you astray, *retch*—"
Mel Gibson didn't even finish his sentence before suddenly vomiting all over the floor.
Reese frowned, a clear expression of disgust on her face.
"Mel, you need to rest. I'll call someone to take you home."
Kazir, however, didn't feel disgusted; instead, a sense of gratitude welled up inside him.
After all, many people at the party had seen him talking to Epstein, but only this drunk dared to warn him.
"Come to think of it, besides alcoholism, anti-Semitic remarks, and hitting his ex-girlfriend, Mel Gibson doesn't seem to have any other scandals... right?"
Kazir mused to himself, perhaps he was mistaken, but this person was indeed known in the industry for speaking his mind.
There had been reports before that Mel Gibson had warned others about how dirty Hollywood was on the inside.
"Thanks, Mel... I'll remember that," Kazir said sincerely.
Subsequently, the organizers called a driver to take Mel Gibson back to his mansion.
Soon, the party resumed its lively atmosphere.
As for Kazir and Reese... this little interlude didn't affect their plans to go back and "rehearse" the "scream" scene Reese needed for her audition.
According to movie promotion rules, the main cast and crew had to travel around for publicity.
Warner Bros. had arranged a packed schedule: public appearances for the actors, creating eye-catching stunts to attract public attention; organizing actors to visit orphanages to provide help and care for children; holding charity feeding events to spread love and warmth; and even specially hosting a lively party for the elderly at nursing homes.
Ed Helms and Pedro Pascal went to record talk shows, all for the promotion of the film.
Reese even flew to Canada specifically to make an appearance at local cinemas, boosting the film's publicity.
Kazir had already planned to go to New York for promotion, which was a good opportunity to visit home.
He saw his dad and his brother Allen, but everyone was busy with their own things, so he only managed to have dinner together once during his few days in New York.
However, the relationship between the three men was very good, and they didn't mind these things—men, after all, have to work hard for the future, and his dad's face was full of pride when he mentioned Kazir.
As for Cassandra... she was being relentlessly criticized online these days, and Kazir had long since forgotten about her.
The promotional activities continued smoothly, and Monday's box office data was freshly released: the hangover took in 7.65 million at the box office.
Warner Bros. had actually anticipated a box office drop after the weekend, as most people are accustomed to watching movies on weekends, and box office numbers are usually soft from Monday to Thursday.
But the hangover's performance this week was much better than expected; Warner Bros. had originally estimated around 5 million.
By the next day, Tuesday, July 2nd, the box office was 6.58 million;
On Wednesday, the box office was 6.65 million;
On Thursday, the box office was 6.09 million;
On friday, July 5th, the box office soared to 10.31 million;
On Saturday, it reached an even higher 12.60 million;
On Sunday, the box office was 9.88 million. Indeed, once the weekend arrived, the box office shot up like a rocket.
In just ten days, the hangover's box office exceeded 104.76 million—successfully breaking the 100 million mark in its first ten days!
Unfortunately, although it raked in 60 million at the box office this week, it failed to take the weekly championship.
Outperforming the hangover was 20th Century Fox's independence day—this film exploded with 96.10 million in its first week!
The thrilling and imaginative plot of "Americans fighting aliens" was simply too captivating.
Therefore, the hangover could only settle for second place.
However, no one thought the hangover was a flop; instead, more and more film companies flocked to Kazir, wanting to discuss his next project!
Even 20th Century Fox was eagerly pushing for the progress of napoleon dynamite 2, constantly urging Kazir to take on the job.
But Kazir didn't agree... instead, he sent them a new script.
"What the hell is this? An action movie?" Tom Rothman frowned as soon as he got the script.
He never expected Kazir to suddenly venture into the action film genre.
"This bastard... instead of making comedies, he's making action movies?" Tom Rothman was a bit annoyed.
It was well-known that Kazir's previous two blockbuster hits were comedies, and now he actually wanted to make a story about a retired agent saving his daughter who was kidnapped by human traffickers!
This was simply too outrageous.
"He should stick to his strengths..." Tom Rothman grew more and more irritated as he thought about it, muttering to himself.
After independence day became a hit, he was initially quite happy, but the ensuing problem was that Fox had to quickly find its next investment project.
In his opinion, Kazir was clearly the safest choice, but this bastard insisted on making an action movie!