Chapter 222: Against the Trend

Chicago.

At nine o'clock in the evening, Central Time, after watching the latest screening of "Rain Man," renowned North American film critic Roger Ebert and his friend Gene Siskel came out of the cinema. Since 1975, Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel had been hosting the film review talk show "Siskel and Ebert" on a local Chicago TV station.

Recalling the recent undercurrents in their circle, Roger Ebert wore a bitter smile and asked his friend, "Gene, what should we do?"

Gene Siskel also looked hesitant.

Recently, some people had tried to take shots at "Dead Poets Society," but the force behind it wasn't very decisive. The quality of "Dead Poets Society" itself was indisputable, and with Daenerys Entertainment's strong PR, after a week of previews, "Dead Poets Society" still maintained a very solid reputation.

This time, however, CAA's president Michael Ovitz personally called, asking if they were interested in hosting an exclusive interview with Robert Redford on their TV program, focusing on the Sundance Film Festival coming up in January.

Having a superstar like Robert Redford on "Siskel and Ebert" was naturally a golden opportunity for them.

Then, Ovitz brought up "Rain Man."

Everyone understood the implications.

Though Michael Ovitz didn't specify certain things over the phone and it was unlikely he would outright say he hoped they would give "Rain Man" a negative review, Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel understood the message.

However, after watching the film, they both realized that "Rain Man" was an exceptionally good movie, far from the mediocrity some media had portrayed.

Now, Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel felt they were in a difficult position.

Though Michael Ovitz only promised benefits, they didn't believe ignoring his wishes would result in losing just an interview with Redford.

With CAA accumulating more and more A-list stars over the years, its influence in Hollywood had even surpassed any of the big seven studios.

Giving "Rain Man" a positive review could mean losing many opportunities for first-hand screenings of movies starring CAA clients for a while.

But, giving "Rain Man" a negative review against the facts could damage their credibility. Film critics thrive on reputation, and with no shortage of competitors, such blatant disregard for the truth would definitely attract criticism.

While discussing, they decided to find a coffee shop to carefully consider their next move. Roger Ebert eventually decided to delay publishing the "Rain Man" review. If the film's reputation continued to be overwhelmingly positive, going against the trend wasn't an option. If the reaction was lukewarm, which he deemed unlikely, they could still play along.

Often, people's behavior patterns are strikingly similar.

When Roger Ebert decided to postpone the "Rain Man" review, many media outlets across North America, having been influenced by CAA, cleverly did the same. None wanted to oppose CAA or offend Daenerys Entertainment.

Thus, on Saturday morning, many major newspapers across North America remained silent about "Rain Man."

Malibu.

Simon woke up to see the first-day box office data for "Rain Man."

$2.1 million.

Though it was a preliminary estimate, the number was expected to be accurate.

However, this figure was less than half of "Scream's" first day. "Scream" had a relatively quiet release period but still managed $4.5 million on its opening day, while "Rain Man" only made $2.1 million.

Despite facing a lot of criticism early on, Daenerys Entertainment had also invested sufficient marketing resources.

Simon had estimated that "Rain Man's" opening day should at least be around $2.5 million to ensure a first-week box office of no less than $10 million. In this era, a film's first-week box office falling below $10 million meant a low starting point, making significant subsequent earnings unlikely.

Now, with an opening day box office of $2.1 million, "Rain Man's" first week might only reach around $8 million.

An $8 million start, even with Simon's confidence in "Rain Man," seemed insufficient for the film to achieve the over $170 million North American box office of its original timeline.

Had they failed after all?

After breakfast, as usual, Simon headed to the company, spending most workdays on "Batman" and using the weekend to handle company affairs as much as possible.

Sitting in his office, Burbank quickly sent over the media feedback report for "Rain Man" and news of many mainstream media's collective silence today. After Susan Landis, his diligently attentive secretary these past days, left, Simon opened the media feedback report.

When Jennifer walked in, Simon had just finished reviewing the report.

Although newspapers like "Variety" and "The Hollywood Reporter" surprisingly didn't publish reviews immediately, with over two thousand newspapers in North America, it was impossible to completely silence news about "Rain Man."

Overall, "Rain Man's" media reviews were even stronger than "Dead Poets Society's" previous ones, with "Los Angeles Times," which had good relations with Daenerys Entertainment, praising the movie as 'a deeply touching masterpiece of warmth.'

Putting aside the report, Simon noticed Jennifer carefully placing a stack of scripts in front of him, relaxing his expression and joking, "Why so cautious? Afraid I'll suddenly transform and eat you?"

Jennifer pushed the scripts towards Simon and looked at him seriously, "I went to the cinema last night to see 'Rain Man.' The audience around me loved it."

Simon didn't pick up on Jennifer's topic, noticing her still-placed pale hand on the scripts. He reached out to place his hand over hers, but Jennifer quickly withdrew, her face turning slightly red as she looked at his empty gesture, "That's not appropriate."

Simon turned his palm upwards, smiling, "I'm about to lose a lot of money, comfort me a bit."

"It shouldn't be that much," Jennifer said, hesitating for a moment before extending her hand to pat Simon's. Expecting Simon to seize the opportunity to playfully grasp and knead her hand, he didn't, and she casually withdrew her hand, looking at the scripts she had just delivered, "You seemed to have rejected 'The Rocketeer' project earlier, along with a few other scripts. Why do you need these materials again now?"

Simon withdrew his hand, "To give away."

Jennifer puzzled, "Give away? To whom?"

"Whoever wants them," Simon didn't hide much, "Perhaps I'm being overly suspicious, but let's see."

Jennifer realized, "You mean, corporate espionage?"

Simon nodded, "Right, don't worry about these things, just focus on your own work."

Understanding Simon didn't want her involved in the dark side of business but didn't distrust her, Jennifer said, "I can help you."

"Of course," Simon affirmed, "But some things don't need your involvement. Now, go back to your office."

This patronizing tone sweetened Jennifer's heart but also left her somewhat dissatisfied. As she obediently turned to leave, she couldn't help but say, "I'm not a little girl."

After Jennifer left, Simon picked up the stack of scripts, selecting two.

One was "The Rocketeer," a project Simon had considered acquiring last year, and the other was a military-themed movie "Firebirds," inspired by "Top Gun."

Both films were high-budget failures in his memory.

The original "The Rocketeer," produced by Disney, burned through over $60 million in production and marketing, with a North American box office of just over $40 million. While not an absolute failure, such a significant investment in a project that didn't meet box office expectations was a severe blow to Disney.

"Firebirds," telling the story of an Apache helicopter squadron, was remembered by Simon for attempting to replicate "Top Gun's" success. Although he didn't recall the exact budget and box office figures, he clearly remembered the project's box office failure.

If someone was indeed meddling, giving away these projects and seeing them fail could at least cause a major film company to replace several executives.

Simon seriously added misleading annotations to both scripts. Half an hour later, when Amy knocked and entered, Simon casually tucked the scripts into a file cabinet by his feet before leaving the company headquarters with her.

After recent efforts, Daenerys Entertainment had successfully acquired the hillside plot in Malibu, and Simon and Amy had arranged to inspect it personally today.

Heading to the parking lot, Amy didn't take her car but joined Simon in his Land Rover.

Inevitably discussing "Rain Man," perhaps feeling the project was doomed, Amy didn't dwell on it, quickly changing the subject, "Yesterday was the final deadline for the contract, and Orion hasn't made the payment for 'Pulp Fiction's' share to us."

For tax avoidance and other reasons, Simon's cooperation with Orion on "Pulp Fiction" was entirely through Daenerys Entertainment's corporate channels, not personal collaboration.

According to the contract, Orion had to settle Daenerys Entertainment's share within a month of "Pulp Fiction's" withdrawal from theaters. "Pulp Fiction" was pulled on November 17th, making yesterday, December 16th, the deadline, the last working day, when Orion should have paid the 10% box office share to Daenerys Entertainment.

From "Run Lola Run" to subsequent projects like "Final Destination" and "When Harry Met Sally," it was clear, considering future cooperation, that several film companies hadn't delayed payments owed to Daenerys Entertainment.

Simon was well aware of Hollywood film companies' habitual delays in paying independent producers, sometimes even using this tactic to pressure them, but he hadn't expected his company to face this situation so suddenly.

However, he wasn't surprised.

Including "Heartbreakers," which premiered alongside "Rain Man," Orion had released 17 movies this year.

According to the morning's data, "Heartbreakers" only earned $1.2 million on its opening day, marking another failure. Before this, besides "Pulp Fiction," the best-performing film was Kevin Costner's baseball biopic "For Love of the Game," with a North American box office of $50.88 million.

Moreover, only 5 of Orion's projects this year had North American box offices over $20 million.

Considering the rapidly rising average movie production costs in recent years, Orion could only ensure cost recovery through subsequent all-channel operations for movies exceeding $20 million in the North American box office. For films below $20 million, even if they could break even, it would take a significantly long time.

Overall, of Orion's 17 films this year, only 5 could guarantee a return on investment, with the other 12 likely incurring short-term losses.

Fulfilling "Pulp Fiction's" contract meant Daenerys Entertainment's future collaboration with Orion was virtually non-existent. With most projects losing money this year, Orion had no choice but to delay Daenerys Entertainment's payment to avoid a cash flow crisis.

Thinking this, Simon asked Amy, "Did Mike Medavoy call you?"

Amy nodded, "He said Orion can't afford this payment now and hopes we can delay by a month."

Simon laughed, knowing that even after a month, Daenerys Entertainment likely wouldn't receive the payment, "Are there any issues with other projects' shares?"

"No, Fox has already settled 'Basic Instinct's' box office share, totaling $32.29 million, and most TV networks will also settle their dues by the end of the month."

Simon thought for a moment, "Keep an eye on it. It's okay if Orion delays a few months; everyone understands their situation. But if they continue to maliciously default, we'll sue."

Busy as the weekend flew by, "Rain Man's" opening day earnings of $2.1 million, with an expected first-week box office of only $8 million, seemed to confirm Daenerys Entertainment's loss as inevitable.

However, in the following two days, "Rain Man's" daily box office unexpectedly rose against the market trend.

After $2.5 million on Saturday, to everyone's surprise, Sunday's box office, which should have dropped compared to Saturday, actually rose, earning $2.6 million.

When the precise data for the first weekend was tallied, many were astonished to find that "Rain Man" had earned $7.28 million in just three days, nearing the media's general first-week estimate of $8 million.

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