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Chapter 183: Caught Red-Handed
🕑 Added 2025-05-18 22:15:41 +0000 UTCThe movie is rated PG-13, which means kids under 13 need to be accompanied by their parents to watch it.
Taylor Swift is 11 this year, not quite old enough yet. If she wants to get into the theater, she’ll have to talk it over with her parents. Her dad’s in New York, managing Dunn Capital, so her only hope is her mom.
Lately, Andrea Swift has been picking Shirley Hershler’s brain—Natalie’s mom—about raising daughters. Natalie’s just too impressive: great acting, stunning looks, and she even got into Harvard. She’s basically a genius in the entertainment world.
Andrea doesn’t expect little Taylor to be that exceptional or go to the world’s top university, but she at least wants to raise her to be a bit more well-behaved. Right now, Taylor’s personality is way too wild.
For an ordinary family, that might not be a big deal, but Taylor’s definitely headed for a future in the entertainment industry. With a temperament like hers… it’s a recipe for trouble!
The recent reports about Drew Barrymore’s dark past have really freaked Andrea out. So, she’s set on steering her daughter toward being more ladylike and has no intention of taking her to see this movie.
Naturally, Taylor’s not thrilled. She pestered and pleaded, sweet-talked and whined, and when that didn’t work, she pulled out her trump card: “If you don’t let me go, I’ll call Dunn myself! Hmph! You’re still an employee at Dunn Films—don’t you want to support the boss’s movie with a ticket?”
Andrea was equal parts furious and exasperated, but in the end, she caved and took her to the theater.
Movie theaters in the morning are usually pretty empty, lacking that lively viewing vibe. So, the mother-daughter duo headed to a nearby cinema at 3 p.m. instead.
It was Friday, and the crowd was noticeably bigger than usual. A long line had already formed at the ticket counter.
“Mom, there’s no one over there—let’s buy tickets at that window!” Taylor pointed to a quieter spot and tugged her mom along.
Andrea held her back. “That’s for a different movie. Didn’t you see the sign above the window? It’s for… This one’s over here.”
Taylor’s gem-like eyes sparkled. “So everyone’s here to see it! Dunn’s amazing!”
Andrea frowned. “Sweetie, how many times have I told you to be polite? You can’t just call him by his first name. It’s Mr. Walker or Uncle Dunn.”
Taylor pouted. “He’s my friend, not my uncle.”
Andrea gritted her teeth. “Your dad works with Dunn, so of course he’s nice to you. Do you really think you’re buddies?”
“We are friends!” Taylor shot back defiantly, tilting her chin up. “If you don’t believe me, ask him yourself. He told me we’re good friends!”
Andrea was at her wit’s end with this little troublemaker and had no idea how to handle her anymore.
Just then, a theater staff member noticed a kid was involved and eagerly came over, guiding them to a special ticket window for children.
The thoughtful service caught Andrea off guard in a good way. She struck up a chat with the ticket seller. “Weekends must keep you busy, huh?”
The clerk, busy printing tickets, didn’t even look up. “It’s not just the weekend. We’ve got a blockbuster on our hands.”
Taylor, standing on her tiptoes and leaning on the counter, piped up, “Yeah, it’s that one!”
The clerk finally glanced up and saw an adorable little girl, all dolled up like a porcelain doll. She couldn’t help but smile warmly. “Yep, it’s that one. But it’s more of a boys’ movie—lots of fighting in there.”
Taylor huffed. “I’m not scared of fighting!”
Andrea yanked her daughter back, forcing a laugh. “Looks like you’ll be working late with this crowd, huh?”
The clerk sighed. “No choice—it’s the job. But it’s not too bad. Director Walker only makes one movie a year, so we manage.”
Andrea was a bit shocked. Was it really that big a deal?
One guy, Dunn, could make the entire theater chain this busy?
But then she thought about it. In all of Hollywood history, only two movies have ever crossed the $1 billion mark at the box office—and Dunn directed both.
The clerk noticed her surprised look and shrugged. “Haven’t you seen the fans buying tickets? Nine out of ten are here for it. The manager was worried kids would get antsy waiting, so they opened a special line just for them.”
Andrea blurted out, “So the theater’s whole day of earnings comes from this?”
“Isn’t that obvious?” The clerk grinned like it was the most natural thing in the world. “It’s a Walker film! If it were up to me, I’d pick his movie too. Our manager gave it 73% of the screens, but honestly, I think that’s too low—it should be all of them!”
Taylor clapped her hands. “Yes, I agree! Get rid of the trash movies—we only want Dunn’s films!”
The clerk smirked. “You like Dunn’s movies?”
The implication was clear: Dunn’s films weren’t exactly kid-friendly. Aside from one exception, they were all rated PG-13.
At her age, Taylor didn’t catch the subtext. She lifted her chin proudly. “Yeah, I love them! Especially that one—I’ve watched it a bunch of times!”
“That one?”
The clerk froze, staring at Andrea, unsure what to say.
That one had plenty of scenes that weren’t exactly suitable for kids.
Andrea clearly realized something too. She fixed her daughter with a cold stare. “Taylor, when did you watch that? Did you sneak a DVD?”
Taylor knew she’d slipped up. She stuck out her tongue, then quickly switched gears, her eyes welling up as she gave her mom a pitiful, pleading look.
Oh no, she was in deep trouble now!
---
That afternoon, Dunn got the latest word-of-mouth feedback from audiences.
After yesterday’s preview screenings, the approval rating was a staggering 99%!
Of course, the people who snagged preview tickets were Dunn’s die-hard fans and comic book loyalists—they were bound to give it higher-than-average praise.
By the official release day, the rating would naturally dip a bit.
“Our approval rating’s still strong at 96%,” Ella Fisher said. “The market trends and audience reactions are looking really solid. As for Disney’s movie…”
She shook her head, a hint of mockery tugging at her lips. “Their audience score’s dropped to 67%. We don’t even need to crush them—word of mouth alone will sink them eventually.”
Dunn sighed and shook his head.
The internet was just taking off, and the number of users was still tiny. Rating sites like Rotten Tomatoes were probably still holed up in some obscure workshop somewhere, years away from making an impact.
In this era, what really swayed moviegoers were traditional critic reviews.
The audience feedback Dunn had in hand came from post-screening surveys filled out at the distributor’s request. It wasn’t public-facing or particularly persuasive.
In short, at this stage, audience word of mouth didn’t have much sway. Distributors had plenty of tricks to lure people into theaters.
Why would movie studios struggle more a decade or so later, with bankruptcies piling up and surviving companies churning out sequel after sequel?
Simple: the internet age made everything transparent. Bad movies had nowhere to hide. The days of studios and distributors hyping up a film with big stars and media buzz to trick fans into buying tickets were long gone.
If everything were transparent now, Dunn was confident this movie would have an even bigger impact and rake in more at the box office!
“Oh, one more thing,” Ella Fisher said, pausing cautiously. “The distributor—Universal Pictures—and Endeavor Agency are working on a new marketing plan. I thought you should know.”
“What’s that?”
Ella explained, “Things are going great right now, but based on normal market trends, the buzz will fade in about a month. The distributor wants to set up a fake romance between the movie’s lead actor and actress, announce it a month from now, and use their chemistry to reignite the hype.”
Dunn gave a casual “Oh.” “If it’s a marketing move, that’s on the distributor. It’s good for us, so let them handle it.”
Ella let out a quiet breath of relief. That confirmed it—Dunn really had lost interest in Jessica Alba. Otherwise, he’d never let his girlfriend, even for show, “date” another guy!
It was the same deal with her and Reese right now: while they were seeing him, no contact with other guys—unless the relationship was already over.
