Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion-Chapter 688 - 498: The Avengers

Though it had been nearly half a year since that fight, Hopkins's injuries from the match had long healed, but every time he saw Link, his face would darken further, a regression phenomenon, as if the psychological trauma Link had caused was still there.

"Hey Bernard, I heard you joined the WBC championship qualifier, hope you get the title of championship challenger."

Link greeted.

"Hmph, Link, don't get cocky, I'll beat you in the next match and take back what's mine,"

Hopkins said, squeezing his fists tightly.

Link nodded, thinking this guy had a good mental toughness, daring to talk big even after being beaten so badly last time, a tough nut to crack.

After a greeting, Link continued his training.

Hopkins glared at him and prepared to train in the adjacent area.

Looking at him, Hoyle curiously asked, "Bernard, do you really think you can beat that freak next time you meet him?"

"No!"

Hopkins replied irritably, Link was too formidable, better than him in every boxing aspect; even at his peak, he probably wouldn't last six rounds against him.

"Then why do you show your teeth and snarl at him? Aren't you afraid of getting beaten up badly by him next time?"

Hoyle asked.

Hopkins's eyes twitched and he touched his recently healed nose bridge, still vividly remembering the pain. He couldn't help but glare at Link again and said with feigned bravado,

"I'm not afraid, next time I'll twist his nose."

"Very good, Bernard, every light heavyweight boxer apart from you fears Link, I hope you can create a miracle and beat him thoroughly."

Hoyle encouraged.

Beating Link?

Hopkins wasn't very interested, but he couldn't argue with his boss Hoyle. After wrapping his hands, he too began to punch the bag relentlessly.

After half an hour of training, he planned to rest, but found that Link was still going, not having stopped at all; he grimaced, took a deep breath, and continued punching away.

He didn't believe he could lose to Link in training, even if he couldn't beat him in the ring.

Twenty minutes later, Hopkins was drenched in sweat, panting with his mouth open and his arms shaking uncontrollably, almost drained of strength.

He glanced at Link next door and saw that guy was still pounding the bag non-stop, his punches forceful and his footwork still agile, not sweating much or panting heavily.

Hopkins was infuriated; was that bastard a freak?

Not wanting to be outdone by Link, he bit down hard and continued hitting the bag. After more than twenty minutes, his arm veins and muscles felt like they were about to burst, but Link showed no sign of stopping.

Enraged, Hopkins roared and punched the bag, followed by a sharp pain in his wrist. He gasped, clutching his right wrist, which swelled up, turning red and swollen, with severe pain radiating through his forearm muscles.

Fuck! Hopkins cursed, rushing to the medical center with his right arm.

"Oh, Bernard, what happened there?"

Hoyle was coaching another boxer and, surprised by Hopkins's wrist, asked.

Hopkins, sweating profusely and in pain, had no time for him and shouted for a doctor as he rushed into the medical room.

Hoyle was taken aback, looked at Hopkins's training spot, and the persistent Link, and shook his head helplessly; this freak was indeed a menace.

"Link, why don't you train in your own training ground?"

"The atmosphere is better here when practicing boxing,"

Link stopped and said.

"But it's very dangerous for you to train here. It's easy for others to get injured,"

Hoyle said discontentedly.

Due to Link's presence, several of his boxers, newcomers yet to debut in matches, were already counted out, and some veteran boxers got injured training with him and had to end their careers prematurely.

Link was a danger. Without even trying, he could put a group of Hoyle's boxers out of action.

This guy was a big rival in promoting "Gold Boy."

Shrugging his shoulders, Link took his water bottle and towel back to the private training ground to continue his workout.

Compared to the public training ground, the atmosphere here was somewhat lacking, with no sounds of fists hitting sandbags, no overlapping shouts and cheers, felt almost like training at a halfway house's training ground.

After training for a while, Emma Roberts came over in a tank top and shorts, carrying a sports backpack to train.

Having trained with Link more than ten times at the training ground, she had also reached a certain level in boxing and even starred in two action movies, playing a girl who knew boxing, where she gave her ex-boyfriend a thorough beating.

Yet, her figure remained delicate and exquisite, not even reaching 160 centimeters tall, with legs thin as chopsticks, a slim waist, and tender pink cheeks, like a little Lolita who knew how to box.

As usual, Link gave her a few pointers, taught her some techniques for hitting people, then continued his training.

After the afternoon training session, Link went into the changing room to change clothes. Emma Roberts came over blushing, holding a bottle of essential oil, and asked him shyly if he wanted a massage, her bright eyes filled with eager anticipation.

Link did not refuse her kindness.

After venting on Emma, Link felt like all the tiredness from training had gone away. Afterward, he kindly drove Emma home as she was not in a position to drive.

Originally, Link thought that after this incident, Emma would be as scared of him as Scarlett Johansson was, but she wasn't.

After resting for a few days, Emma came back to the training ground to accompany him in his workouts, helping him massage and relax his muscles, which also gave him an interesting activity to look forward to after each training session.

When May arrived, "The Avengers" was about to be released. In addition to taking care of his kids and training, dealing with matters from several companies, Link also participated in some movie promotional events.

On May 4th, "The Avengers" opened in 4,349 theaters across North America, earning a record-breaking $80.81 million on its first day and grossing $207 million over the weekend, making it the fastest film to cross the $200 million mark in North America.

In the 42 other countries and regions where it was released simultaneously, it grossed an additional $317 million over three days.

With a production cost of $220 million, "The Avengers" broke even in three days, a result that shocked industry insiders.

In recent years, aside from the "Iron Man" series, only "Captain America" could be considered a big seller among the Marvel movie series, with others like "The Incredible Hulk" and "Thor" performing moderately well at the box office.

This movie broke several North American box office records, astonishing countless people and provoking envy toward its distributor, Walt Disney.

"The Avengers" was well-suited to become a movie franchise. As long as Disney put effort into its production, it could make a lot of money from the series, much like Lionsgate Films' "The Hunger Games."

By the summer, "The Hunger Games" was still playing in over 400 theaters, earning millions of dollars in weekly revenue, and ranking in the top twenty during the same period.

"The Hunger Games" had accumulated $462 million in North America, and $346 million overseas, for a global total just breaking $800 million.

In terms of return on investment, "The Hunger Games" was more profitable than "The Avengers," causing even more envy among peers.

In April and May, Lionsgate also released two more movies, "The Cabin in the Woods" and "Complete Pregnancy Guide."

The first was one of Lionsgate's main horror movies of the year, released in mid-April.

To date, it had grossed $40.81 million in North America, with foreign sales of $35.57 million. The film cost $35 million to produce, with an estimated profit of over $20 million at the box office and additional revenue of not less than $20 million from video rentals, Netflix, cable TV, and other channels.

The second film, "Complete Pregnancy Guide," starred Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Amy Adams, and other older actresses, covering the disparities five families face dealing with pregnancy and children.

Initially shelved due to high investment costs, the project was revived when Ivanka got pregnant and found the script very interesting.

With a production budget of $40 million, it had earned $36.4 million in the North American market in two weeks and over $30 million overseas, which suggested the movie would just about break even at the box office and earn millions more elsewhere.

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Counting these two releases and other films like "The Help," released at the end of last year, Lionsgate's box office gross from films released in the North American market totaled $660 million that year, a figure higher than that of 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures.

It ranked fifth among Hollywood movie studios in the first quarter.

This achievement brought a lot of praise for Lionsgate from the media. The 'Big Six' film studios had been established for over a hundred years, whereas Lionsgate, established in 1997, was only 15 years old, a mere teenager by comparison.

Nevertheless, in terms of box office revenue, Lionsgate managed to surpass two major studios and enter the top five, something unprecedented in the past.

The Los Angeles Times and other media referred to Lionsgate's success as a "box office miracle" and were full of admiration for Link and Eva's management of the company.

Those who envied Link were grinding their teeth in anger, cursing him for his dumb luck and hoping for his downfall.

In response, Link instructed his employees in a company meeting not to be complacent. Temporary success meant nothing, and only long-term stability in the top five constituted a real victory. Everyone should continue to strive for this goal.

He also proposed a series of reward measures to motivate the staff, including about ten million in bonuses, which boosted the working atmosphere within the company to be more spirited and upward-driven.