Hollywood: titanic director

Steve Jobs is a sharp businessman—he can't afford to act as recklessly as Dunn. 

It's the 21st century now, and Hollywood's big players are waking up to the potential of animated films. Warner and Sony have started their own animation divisions, while Fox took an early leap, snapping up Blue Sky Studios. They'll soon roll out a fully computer-animated flick too. 

But across all of Hollywood, when it comes to animation, Disney still reigns supreme! 

Sure, their animated movies haven't been as hot lately, but Disney's been at it for decades—they've got experience and resources piled high. 

Especially their reach—Disney's got promo channels galore, from Disneyland to the Disney Channel. The "Disney" name alone often screams "animation" to people. 

So even though Jobs and Michael Eisner can't stand each other, Disney remains a key partner for Pixar. 

It's not just about a contract—it's about Disney's muscle. 

Dunn wanting to buy out Pixar's deal with Disney? That's not in Pixar's best interest, no matter how much cash he throws down! 

Beyond Disney, who else could push Pixar's films worldwide? And those sweet, mature merchandising channels—the more outlets, the bigger the profits. 

Their talk hit a wall there. On Pixar's future, Dunn and Jobs couldn't see eye to eye. 

But no biggie—the Apple shareholders' meeting is at the end of the month. 

That gives Jobs two weeks to circle back and chat with Dunn again. 

Right now, the box office is still buzzing. *Spider-Man* keeps flexing, while Fox's latest has shrunk to just 500 theaters with a measly 2% screening rate. Disney's *Gone in 60 Seconds* is holding up a bit better, but with July's wave of blockbusters coming, its market share's tanking too. 

The movie fans can't get enough of? Still *Spider-Man*. Four weeks in, it's rocking a 35% screening rate. Next up is Warner's disaster epic *The Perfect Storm*, followed by Miramax's *Scary Movie*. 

Especially *Scary Movie*—it's a total win for Disney! 

Made for under $20 million, this horror flick hit theaters July 7. Even with *Spider-Man* dominating, it pulled in $400,000 in its opening week, landing second on the weekly box office chart, right behind Dunn's web-slinger. 

Sure, *Gone in 60 Seconds* bombed, but Miramax's *Scary Movie* saved Disney some face. 

Harvey Weinstein's been strutting lately, almost like he's trying to steal Dunn's spotlight. 

Miramax might be under Disney's umbrella, but it runs independently, free from the production department's leash. So *Scary Movie*'s success has zilch to do with Disney's production chief, Joe Roth! 

If anything, it's more of a jab at him. 

Harvey Weinstein's $19 million horror hit is killing it in the summer slot, while Joe Roth's $90 million action flick flopped hard. 

Joe Roth's under insane pressure now—he could get canned any day. And he's not about to go down without a fight! 

*Gone in 60 Seconds* is dead meat—no saving it. So Roth's pinning his hopes on the next one: M. Night Shyamalan's *Unbreakable*! 

Last year, *The Sixth Sense* blew everyone away, even crushing Dunn's *The Wedding Crashers*. 

Fans love horror and thrills, right? 

Fine—go see *Unbreakable*! 

Starring Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis, this suspense thriller's already wrapped shooting. It's in post-production now, set for November 15. 

Roth's got the weight of the world on him—*Gone in 60 Seconds*' failure up front, Michael Eisner's yelling in his ear. He knows if Eisner's feeling generous enough to give him one last shot at redemption, it's all riding on *Unbreakable*! 

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Natalie's only doing one movie this year—George Lucas' *Star Wars: Episode II*, reprising Queen Amidala. Her role's not huge, and she's pretty much done filming now. 

Her agent, Hilda Queally, tried pushing her into some flick called *Zoolander*, but Dunn shot it down. 

Quality over quantity—he's not letting Natalie waste her time on trash. 

With her scenes wrapped, Hollywood tradition says actors jet off for a vacation. But Natalie's not exactly free for that. 

To make it up to her, Dunn takes her for a stroll along Venice Beach in LA to unwind. 

Natalie pouts, clearly not thrilled. "You never take me on vacation!" 

"Didn't we hit Australia last year? And during Cannes, we bounced around Europe too, right?" Dunn and Natalie kick off their shoes, barefoot on the soft sand, ignoring the bodyguards trailing quietly behind. 

Natalie huffs. "That was work! You just dragged me along for the ride." 

Dunn sighs. "Nat, you know I've been swamped lately. *Spider-Man*'s out, I've got two big films in prep, and now I'm negotiating with Jobs…" 

"That's no excuse! You can't spare a week?" She kicks the sand hard, sending up a golden puff. 

Dunn grabs her hand. "It's mostly a logistics thing. The plane won't be ready 'til September, and the yacht's even further off." 

"Yacht?" 

Natalie's eyes light up, turning to him with a grin. "You bought a yacht? Like, a big one?" 

Dunn smirks at her. Girls always perk up at flashy private yachts. "The Lürssen shipyard in Germany sent over a concept design—it's solid. Next week, they're sending someone to go over the details in person." 

"Whoa! Cool!" 

Natalie's buzzing now, hopping over to hook her arm through his. "Tell me about it!" 

"About what?" 

"The yacht! What kind are you building? It's gotta be impressive, right?" 

She knows Dunn's loaded and young—he doesn't skimp on style. 

Dunn shrugs casually. "Bigger and fancier than old-timers like the *Savaronna* or the *Alexander*, at least." 

The *Savaronna*, built in the 1930s, stretches 124 meters—currently the world's largest private yacht, leased out by a Turkish tycoon. 

The *Alexander*, started in 1965, clocks in at 122 meters. Owned by a Greek shipping dynasty, it's been upgraded twice. Second-biggest yacht out there, also for rent—at a cool $850,000 a day! 

Natalie's eyes sparkle like stars—she's loving this. "Details?" 

Dunn catches her excitement and plants a kiss on her cheek. "What do you think?" 

"I think… it should have a hospital. If something goes wrong at sea, you'd need treatment fast." 

"Smart." 

"And a pool! You can't always swim in salty water." 

"Yep, good call." 

"Hmm… and a home theater! For when we're bored—we could watch movies together." 

"Definitely." 

Natalie's grinning so wide her eyes curve into slits. "Oh, and maybe a submarine! We could check out the underwater world!" 

Dunn waves a hand grandly. "Done! Submarine's in. Plus a few speedboats—tear across the ocean full throttle." 

Natalie snorts, smirking. "Is this your way of making up?" 

"Huh? Making up for what?" 

She tilts her nose up. "You feel guilty for owing me, so you're compensating with this, right?" 

"Cough…" 

Dunn's forehead creases. "Babe, late's better than never. Compensation beats owing nothing any day." 

"Some logic!" 

Natalie rolls her eyes and huffs, but then cracks up with a "pfft." 

They walk along the beach in silence, hand in hand, swaying a bit. The setting sun casts long shadows behind them. 

"If it's not compensation, what're you naming the yacht?" 

"The *Nat*, obviously—I've had it in mind forever!" 

"Liar!" 

Natalie hums skeptically, tilting her head with a teasing grin. "You'd totally call it the *Dunn*." 

"No way!" 

"Bet you would! Look at your stuff—Dunn Films, Dunn Capital, Dunn Tower… ugh, narcissist!"

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