Ice Age was the dark horse of the year, a problem for all the movie studios. The first weekend they grossed just under 50 million, and to everyone's misfortu was thought to be monopolizing the month's box office.

  The first week of release was 79 million, the sed week 89 million, the third week was still ongoing, but already at 94 million for the third week, and the start of the fourth week was no slouch either, with 23 million in the first three days.

  From November 25 to December 17, the box office successes in America are enough to reevaluate the animation industry for a third time - the adva of animation, the great script, and stly the mohe green bills fluttering in the air.

  -Why haven't you found a suitable outfit? - Billy ented for the umpteenth time, they were running half an hour te.

  -I don't have anything to wear and it's pletely annoying that I'm g clothes, - Mónica responded pleasantly. Billy couldn't believe she had a room full of clothes and shoes.

  -Are you kidding? - Billy asked.

  Mónica's eyebrows furrowed and her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel h its as. - Honey, I've worn most of those clothes already, plus it's winter, it's a new clothing season. I got gifted some outfits, but I didn't like them. -

  He crossed the room to see Mónica still in her pink pajamas.

  -Red has always been lovely when you wear it. No one deny your beauty in red. I remember well that you bought that o long ago and haven't worn it yet, -Billy ented.

  -I'm saving it for the New Year's party, - she said, tapping her foot on the carpet. -Today I wanted something fresher, I don't want a full dress. -

  -A floral print, maybe? - Billy questioned.

  -Over my dead body, flowers for the evening just don't go with me. Plus flowers for a formal party, nooo, I'd better wear the white suit, - Mónica said, taking out a women's outfit - wide bck pants, a shirt, a knee-length white bzer, and a fur coat. Something she had tried on at least three times i hour. 'This is it,' she could be heard humming in the dressing room, shaking her head both outwardly and inwardly.

  ***

  Parties didn't need celebrations or excuses, they were simply celebrated, period. This one in particur was a traditional ballroom dahe theme was formal nothing more or less, but after midnight, small shooting petitions, bets, and generally everything typical of a o took pce. But more discreet and to the taste of those who celebrated the parties. The 1995 Oscars were being pyed for the 1996 ceremony, the proposal is attendance is necessary to see how these retionships are in the field.

  With less than 5,000 people in the academy, it's logical to abdicate that numerous aids or favors are o obtain a certain number of votes necessary for a role. Curiously, certain groups are created that usually have ideas about what to vote for or not.

  -Today we don't need votes, we just came to have fun... I don't have work either, the o opens at noon, maybe I'll chat for a while et lost in some time, but the party is for both of us, - Billy eo Mónica. They were irance foyer of the mansion, which at most surpassed any mansion in sight, it was simply gigantic with many decorations for the holiday season.

  'I didn't know very well who the owners were'

  -Well... -Móniswered calmly. For her, it was a fantasy to attend a party like this. She had attended some, but this was different from the entrao the beginning and end. Her bright but cautious eyes observed everything as she leaned her body against Billy's chest. The insecurity and the factor she showed were slight, only noticed by her panion as he saw her approach subtly as if she wao hide behind his arms.

  They directed the path to frequent greetings from numerous non-Hollywood members who had relevance, such as politis who advocated for ema as a means of tourism, wealth, and cultural development, from important judges, deputies, cilors, and businessmen. They made a long sweep of greetings, security was not allowed inside and everything was rigorously guarded, the waiters wore masks, and a first-css pianist used the piano with a taste that seemed impractiot to hear, but only apahe evening with his melodic skills.

  They talked about the weather, the eles, the situation in the Middle East, and even Italy. The rose of Italy did not go unnoticed when asked something and smiled, captivating the men around her.

  Indisputably, with the issues in the East resolved and the Iran crisis, oil prices will stabilize for at least awo to three years, murmured a mining, metals, and crude ior.

  -Well, it's always a gamble with crude, but these panies gee money without much fear if you know where and with whom to work, - Billy replied. To be precise, he uood the political situation but had no real idea about how the entire oil topic could unfold, apart from some news and expnations he had received from a few members.

  The signal was clear; Mónica extended her hand. -My love, I want to dance for a while. -

  Exg himself and stepping out of the circle of crude iors, he decided to wait on that topic. stru tracts were always bothersome for Billy, especially with the ret efforts to moderhe Golden State Warriors' stadium. But that was a matter for another day.

  -Ha ha ha, who would have thought that the great Billy Carson would run away like a child from his promising iors? -

  -I have my weaknesses, - he replied, giving her a soft kiss on the lips as they headed to the ballroom fentle waltz, typical of school dances raduation parties.

  -They're appreciated, my love. But I don't think I do that repeatedly. It's curious how you Ameris talk about work even at parties; your culture is exhausting, - Móniented.

  -We should practie shooting, although at night it's more plicated. We still have fun; I hate that the shooting range is so enjoyable, - Billy responded.

  -I wao go see the o, - Mónica replied, her rge doe-like eyes ready for any request.

  -Then the o it is. Let's try not to lose too much; I don't have skills for betting or those games, - Billy said, thinking about how little he knew about poker and the various o games. For now, he preferred roulette, dice, or bckjack, which seemed the simplest to py, even if they carried certain traps or required specific calcutions or reading skills. Ohing was certain: Mónica was a woman with a lot of luck.

  They dahree extra songs until… both rushed to the gambling hall, joking and colliding with a gentleman he knew perfectly well—Gee Lucas.

  -I didn't expect to see you here, - Lucas ented. Billy wasn't much of a socialite; his circle was so small that he rarely received invitations, a situation that seemed to have ged with the woman at his side—three parties in two months, more than he had attended in all his years in Hollywood, even if he was still young.

  -Well, I didn't expect it either, - Billy tered.

  -It's for Star Wars; it's always good to make es before the premiere. Some might even be enced to i a bit in Lucasfilm for some bes. gratutions on your new success, Ice Age. Although I haven't seen it, it's been quite troversial. They say it will be one of the highest-grossing animated films; the record is at 400 million. Do you think you surpass it? I don't know, -Gee Lucas said as they made their way to the o with due attention.

  - This is Mónica, - Billy introduced, while the Italian smiled. - By the way, it won't be the only film; we have more in different formats. We retly won an Annie for a television series called Train Souls. We want to do the same at the audiovisual level with a project called The Musi, the life of a deaf person during the Cold War… it's not just 3D. Because I say, 400 million is very little; I'm aiming for 1 billion. -

  -Oh, what a bold young man! If you had been born in my time, Star Wars would surely have been yours, - Lucas remarked.

  Both were fident that the Star Wars film would be a great success. Three sharks joined in to shape a project that would surely be great on its own. Gee's retionship structure involved cheg the publication status for May, talking to some leaders, discussing the return, advang funds, and signals, and perhaps improving their position as a produ pany; the opportuo win were in the air.

  -I don't think that's true, - Billy ented.

  -Oh, young man, h you are! You have a lot of power… too much for some people's taste, even if you don't use it, and that's not bad. You're focused on what you imagine; you see it. I don't see it, Steve see it, and no one uands it. In animation, you have a corporatier than Disney, but you keep expanding. It's almost as if you want to create thousands and thousands of works nonstop, but you . Why do you keep expanding? I don't know. -

  -I have a few animation panies. -

  -You were retly testing the waters in Frand Spain. I know, and everyone knows. Your war with Warner is the biggest gossip i years. Why did it start? - Lucas asked curiously as they took their seats at the designated roulette table with Mónica.

  -I suppose the o pays for the party, - Mónica said, all the expehe champagne fountain with ice sculptures was another unique feature that she couldn't help but notice, as everything seemed to be an absurd amount of waste. The maximum price per chip was five dolrs; there was no way she would pay for the party. The pnners uood that it was more exg when people bet real money.

  They pyed ten chips on red, and ten chips on the numbers 3, 21, and 39.

  -It started with a tract. At that moment, we reviewed the entire tract. I agreed; even in the initial reading, there were no vague terms. But when bined with specific cuses like subsequent payments, royalties, and breements, it tahe tra a way that made it difficult for the legal team to debate. Lawsuits followed because our cuses for purchasing pleted series were abusive and the lises were very costly. They fought for everything because I don't know… in my free time, I think it's because they wao acquire Lux Animation, - Billy whispered.

  -Business is strange... you're attag Disney,- Lucas questioned.

  -Nooo! What are you talking about? - Billy replied, his surprised white eyes wide open.

  -I see, Michael has some enemies; it's not surprising, - Lucas ented, downpying the situation. They both pyed at the o for a while until, at 2:00 AM, people headed off to the shooting petition.

  ***

  The following week, Ice Age grossed 300 million at the box office, skyrocketing from 0 to 100, with a 34% increase. This figure only ated for North America; worldwide sales were even more promising, with its release on December 14, 1995, and first-weekend global sales reag 100 million.

  -This year we only had successes, - responded Armand Millester, director of distribution at Lux Animation. The timely success of each distributed film brought a healthy bao the small distribution pany, enhang popurity and improviionships with theaters. It could be said that there wasn't a ema Armand Millester hadn't visited i years.

  -We o improve our projects in some states that still haven't peed strongly enough against the big film panies, - eaan, king champagne gsses with all the members. She was the grounding ford administrator, while Armand was the lone cowboy, going bad forth.

  By December 31, Ice Age had grossed a total of 700 million at the box office, breaking the animated film record by a signifit margin. It left theaters on January 25, with a global box office of 980 million, of which 432 million came from the Uates. Billy took home 310 million after paying the exhibitors due to his tract.

  The rest aid in installments, but the coffers received 290 million, plus some additional distribution.

  ...