Unhappy Harvey

Beverly Hills, Hilton Hotel.

As one of the most upscale luxury venues in all of Hollywood, today, the banquet hall in the backyard had been exclusively reserved by Harvey Weinstein for hosting a celebration party for the movie "Kill Bill" and its director Quentin Tarantino.

With a successful opening performance and positive audience reviews, Miramax's management was quite pleased.

According to the market forecast provided by the research department, with a first-day box office of $3,126,200, assuming at least a month of screening time, "Kill Bill" was set to break the $100M mark in North America alone.

On a global scale, it was expected to surpass $200M.

Considering the production and marketing expenses totaled $65M, the net profit was estimated to be no less than $40M after deducting those costs.

Furthermore, besides the revenue from the box office and the longer-term benefits offline, the increased industry reputation and influence were even more significant. The Miramax brand was securing its position within the ranks of top-tier second-line distributors.

Given all the favorable news, how could one not be satisfied?

So this time, Harvey spared no expense in inviting those to the celebration party. Apart from Miramax's top management and the cast of "Kill Bill", many cooperative partners who had a good relationship with Miramax and the owners of several overseas distributor companies were also invited.

Harvey, accompanied by his brother Bob, put his arm around Quentin Tarantino and raised his glass, toasting, "Quentin, your performance this time is as outstanding as ever. On behalf of Miramax, I propose a toast to you."

Quentin Tarantino felt both flattered and surprised. He quickly lifted his glass and bowed slightly, responding, "I dare not, I dare not. It should be me toasting you. Thank you, Mr. Weinstein, for your continuous support. If it weren't for your backing, I wouldn't have achieved these results."

"That's right, thank you for your support, Mr. Weinstein." Quentin's agent on the side chimed in.

Following suit, the rest of the cast and crew as well as the production team stood up and raised their glasses in a toast to the Weinstein brothers.

"Haha, great! I'll down this glass, everyone, feel free." Harvey's eyes disappeared in laughter. For a moment, he enjoyed the sensation of Hollywood's market yielding to his demands.

After everyone had toasted, they sat back down.

Owners of smaller film companies and a few overseas distributor bosses, who relied on Miramax for their livelihoods, also frequently approached, offering toasts and saying kind words.

In short, from the very beginning of the party, Harvey and Quentin Tarantino were the focal points, the ones everyone was praising.

Those trying to please Harvey naturally coveted Miramax's distribution channels and connections within the industry, hoping for a bit of advancement. On the other hand, those trying to please Quentin Tarantino were testing the waters to see if they could collaborate with him on a film.

With a series of consecutive successes and the radiant halo of a highly acclaimed director, who wouldn't want to be associated with it?

The box office allure behind all this was piles upon piles of Benjamins.

As the group chatted and flattered each other, the atmosphere was at its peak when suddenly a white man holding several newspapers and magazines hastily walked over to Harvey's side and whispered something in his ear.

Harvey continued to smile unchanged, but when the time was right, he followed the white man out of the banquet hall and into the hotel's lounge.

Sitting down on a chair, he accepted the newspaper and opened the first entertainment section of the Los Angeles Times. The front-page headline was striking: "Saw: Reinvigorating Horror Storm, Striking with Strength."

Turning to the New York Times, the entertainment section's headline was still about "Saw", and in the dedicated film critic column, the evaluation, while not particularly high, was still reasonable. It mentioned that if one liked the thriller genre, it was recommended to watch the film, noting the imaginative setting.

In the next publication, it wasn't another article praising a movie. Instead, it reported an amusing incident.

Looking at the clear photo printed in the article, Harvey's anger surged. He quickly summoned Quentin.

Quentin was enjoying his drink. Upon hearing the summons, he came over with a puzzled expression, about to say something.

However, before Quentin could say a word, Harvey slammed the newspaper he was holding onto the ground and angrily exclaimed, "What are you doing? At this critical juncture, you're still doing such foolish things?"

The news headline and content on the newspaper were about Quentin Tarantino secretly buying a ticket to watch "Saw" during lunchtime.

Quentin was at a loss for words. He explained with a frustrated look, "I was just curious about what "Saw" was like, especially with its impressive box office performance. So, I went to the movie theater to see it. Who could have guessed it would be so coincidental to run into paparazzi reporters?"

Harvey was equally frustrated. "Quentin, remember, you are the center of attention right now. Your movie has just been released, and there's plenty of topics to talk about. You're not just an ordinary person with no significant news value. So, anything you do must consider the potential impact. Going to watch a movie itself isn't wrong, but the problem is that they are your competitors. Both your films are still in competition. How will the audience perceive this? Will they think you're admitting inferiority?"

"It's my fault, I didn't think it through," Quentin Tarantino said humbly. He had been nurtured by Harvey to reach this point, and their relationship was more than just a simple business partnership. Therefore, he didn't dare argue back in front of Harvey.

Harvey waved his hand helplessly, and Quentin silently left the scene.

Originally, the good news was that the first-day box office for "Kill Bill" was impressive. It was a great start. "Saw" had sold even better, which was somewhat irksome, but at least he wasn't lagging behind.

As for why he was angry, it was mainly due to the media operation and placement. Paramount Pictures had simply overshadowed Miramax.

The two were not on the same level. Even with the significant investment in advertising in four or five major newspapers and magazines, Miramax had still secured no more than some space for their film. "Saw" had taken all the major headlines.

In terms of box office, was the gap between the two films really that large? Not really, it wasn't a crushing difference. In terms of reputation, Quentin Tarantino's directing and an unknown newcomer director were incomparable.

However, in terms of media resources, the results were completely flipped.

"Kill Bill couldn't even secure a major headline, let alone the front page.

Similarly, when facing opponents of different levels, Hollywood's Big Six fully demonstrated their dominance in the industry.