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Chapter - 178
🕑 Added 2025-07-09 17:27:25 +0000 UTC[Title : Undercurrents]
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…..
…..
[Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone] is a classic.
It’s going to be watched, rewatched, and passed down, it will live with kids, teens, adults, families - for years to come.
And it absolutely deserves to.
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Stephen Jr. had just finished reading the article for the third time.
The words were still fresh in his head - praise so generous it almost felt fictional.
Yet the tone wasn’t exaggerated. If anything, it felt honest and earned.
The writer hadn’t tried to dramatize what the film was; they simply reflected what the audience had already decided.
He slowly closed the tab, his hand hovering over the mouse for a second longer than needed.
Then, almost like a reflex, he opened the studio dashboard.
The box office reports were updating live.
And the numbers?
They told the exact same story - but louder.
He stared at the numbers on his laptop screen like they might shift if he blinked too hard, they didn’t, they only kept rising.
In the United States and Canada alone, the film had made $32.3 million on its first day, it shattered the previous single-day record, and then, unbelievably, did it again on the second day, pulling in $33.5 million.
That was unheard of.
At this point, Stephen wasn't even reacting anymore - just scrolling, absorbing, nodding slowly like the stats were part of a script he had read a dozen times, only now realizing it was real.
By the end of the weekend, the numbers were even more impossible - $90.3 million in just three days.
It had officially claimed the highest-opening weekend of all time.
Not one of, or among the top - the highest, period.
And it wasn’t just local domination.
In Taiwan, the film quietly pocketed $2.3 million in the first two days alone, which, when combined with the global rollout, brought the opening weekend total to a staggering $107 million.
He exhaled, dragging a hand down his face.
Five days.
That’s all it took to approach the $100 million milestone.
Five days.
It had set the Thanksgiving weekend record too - $82.4 million over five days.
Stephen's phone buzzed, but he didn’t pick it up, right now, he just wanted to take this in.
Because he had ‘seen’ it happen from the sidelines, he had watched Regal lead a team with more instinct than experience, and somehow turn pressure into art.
But now the numbers were speaking a different kind of truth.
…..
As Stephen Jr. had been backing is Regal’s success as his own, Alexander had a complicated expression -
For the past three months, Alexander had been the busiest he had ever been in his life. Busier than he thought was humanly possible - the kind made him forget what rest and sleep were supposed to feel like.
He hadn’t known he was capable of this much intensity, of this kind of drive - to push himself this far.
He worked like someone who didn’t have family, friends, distractions, or even basic needs - like the only thing that existed in his world was [Whiplash] and the stubborn belief that it deserved to live.
At first, he thought it was just the adrenaline of getting his first job as a director - that once the novelty wore off, or the exhaustion kicked in, the fire would die out.
But it didn’t. If anything, it burned hotter.
He remembered the early days, when he was just an assistant director under Regal - confused how things worked, but slowly learning by watching, absorbing every correction and every decision-making.
Back then, he admired the process.
Now, he is going to experience it.
He loved writing the script, hated it, and rewrote it again.
He loved the meetings, even the frustrating ones.
The pre-production chaos, the scheduling headaches, the endless casting conversations - he welcomed it all.
Because somehow, even when it was hard, it was still his.
But in the quiet moments, when no one else was around and the adrenaline dipped, questions started to creep in.
Was this enough?
Was he enough?
Could he actually bring this story to life the way it deserved?
Could he translate Regal’s writing into something that felt just as sharp, just as alive on screen?
Would he disappoint Stephen Jr. and Regal for believing in him?
He hated how those doubts clung to him.
It felt unfair, almost cruel.
Why did the audience get to decide everything?
Why did their two hours in a theater outweigh his ten months of sweat, panic, hope, and labor?
Wasn't it brutal - that one bad review, one poorly cut trailer, one single mistake - could undo everything?
Would all this vanish if the film didn’t succeed?
Would he vanish?
The thought of failure sat in his chest like a stone.
And yet, in those moments of quiet, when he felt like he was standing too close to the edge, one thing always came back to him.
Something Regal used to say:
“Don't overthink things. But don’t shut them off completely, either. Just do it in moderation. Just enough to not let it eat your common sense away. Remember, a filmmaker’s biggest gift is reality and common sense.”
Alexander still didn’t really understand what that meant, not fully.
Maybe one day he would.
But strangely enough, whenever he remembered it - he stopped spiraling.
True - He didn’t need to have all the answers.
He just had to keep moving.
So it doesn't matter.
….
[Red Studio's HQ]
….
Deonte Maravich - the President of Red Pictures Distribution… leaned back in his office chair.
The screening had gone well.
Too well, if he was being honest.
[Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone] wasn’t just a good movie, it was extraordinary.
And that, ironically, was the problem.
He let out a slow breath, eyes resting on the muted TV mounted on the opposite wall. It showed the live feed from one of the premiere venues, kids cheering, parents smiling, journalists tweeting real-time reactions with glowing words.
It should’ve been a win.
And it was…. Technically.
But deep down, Deonte knew this wasn’t going to make Regal’s journey easier.
Quite the opposite.
There was something unsettling about a movie working this well, especially when it came from someone like Regal.
An outsider, a man who hadn’t gone through the ‘proper’ channels, hadn’t climbed the usual ladders, hadn’t kissed the expected rings.
And now he had something that worked, not just financially or technically, but emotionally and culturally.
A hit.
And the industry hated that.
They were ready for the film to stumble.
Deonte had seen the signs weeks before the premiere - the articles being pre-written, influencers posting cryptic ‘heard some things about Harry Potter…’ tweets, even subtle whispers among distributors asking about ‘alternative fall titles’, just in case it bombed.
He wasn’t stupid, these were old tricks.
Leaks timed just before a release, claims of unsafe work environments.
‘Concerns’ over child actors.
Legal ambiguity over source material, underground bot networks prepped to tank ratings before the embargo lifted.
He had seen every angle - smear pieces polished and ready, just waiting for a reason to go live.
Red Studios had barely managed to outrun it all.
Tight PR, A silent, relentless cleanup crew, private screenings to gatekeepers, a long string of calls - some favors, some threats of lawsuits.
Everything timed down to the hour.
They made it, but just barely.
And now?
Now the knives weren’t being put away.
They were being hidden behind backs - sharpened, patient.
Because if this film succeeded…
If by some miracle, it actually crossed a billion dollars at the box office, a number so sacred even seasoned legends whispered it like a myth - then Regal wouldn’t just be a rising director.
He would be a disruptor.
And disruptors didn’t last long in this town unless they played by the rules.
Deonte pinched the bridge of his nose.
They would smile to his face, applaud publicly, shake his hand and call him a genius.
But behind the scenes?
They were already waiting for his next film, not to support it.
To sabotage it.
Because now it wasn’t just eyes on Regal.
It was ears, whispers and shadows.
And if Harry Potter actually reached that mythical billion?
No one, no one, knew what was coming next.
Not even Regal.
Deonte sighed, sat forward, and reached for his phone.
There was still time.
But not much.
….
[Hawking’s Residence]
….
Stephen Sr. sat alone in his study… like most of the days.
His eyes rested on the flickering news ticker at the bottom of the muted TV.
“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone opens to thunderous acclaim - early projections skyrocket.”
Stephen Sr. didn’t flinch, he simply exhaled, fingers steepled under his chin.
He had known.
From the beginning, he had known Regal was going to stir the water.
Back when no one in the system had even learned the name, back when the kid had shown him a scrappy little indie movie called [The Following].
All he had done, really, was pass the name along to Red Studios, a soft nudge, a quiet introduction.
That was it.
And yet, he had kept watching.
He didn't make calls.
Except for the brief moment when Regal ended up working with his grandson, Stephen Jr., on a short collaboration during the [Death Note] pre-production.
After that, nothing.
But he kept watching.
Because he saw it in his eyes during that first conversation - that kind of dangerous clarity.
That quiet certainty.
And now look at him.
[The Following], [The Hangover], [Death Note], and now this.
[Harry Potter]
Stephen ran a hand slowly across his weathered jawline.
Honestly, even he hadn’t expected this level of disruption - not this so soon and this fast.
He chuckled dryly, almost amused at his own miscalculation. “Troublesome bastard.”
But there was no anger in his voice, just curiosity - the kind old wolves feel when a new predator enters the forest.
He didn't speak to Regal anymore, there was no mentorship here.
But he kept watching because he wanted to see what the boy would do next.
That… and he knew the system would come for him soon, like it always did.
….
[Oakley Residence]
….
Meanwhile, on the 19th floor of the flat, Ross stared out through the glass-paneled wall of his office, jaw tight.
The [Harry Potter] numbers were early, yes.
But outstanding.
Which might turn out to be a problem but definitely not his….
He didn’t know whether he hated the kids or not, the franchise itself didn’t bother him all that much - kids' fantasy films had always done well enough to stay out of his crosshairs.
But Regal?
He hated Regal’s guts.
That smug little aura, that sharp tongue, that frustrating confidence of someone who knew they were better than the rest - and had the skills to prove it.
It wasn’t just arrogance.
It was earned.
…and that made it worse.
Ross had worked with him on two projects now - [Death Note] and [The Hangover].
Two entirely different genres, budgets and casts.
And both times, Regal delivered.
The worst part?
He didn’t act cocky.
Not openly.
With the crew, with the cast, even with executives - he was humble, thoughtful, methodical.
But with Ross?
It always felt like he was intentionally being too cocky for the sake of it.
Like he knew exactly which strings to pull to keep Ross invested.
It wasn’t that Regal didn’t respect him.
It was worse.
It was calculated.
And Ross hated being handled.
Still… even in his frustration, a part of him couldn’t stop watching.
He didn’t like him.
But he wanted to see what the boy would do next.
Not out of hope.
Out of wariness.
Because if Harry Potter did what people were beginning to whisper it might do, if it hit the billion mark and changed the landscape, then Regal wouldn’t just be a nuisance.
He would be a threat to many.
And Hollywood had never let threats survive for long.
.
….
[To be continued…]
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Comments
Anderson
Thanks for the chapter
