Chapter 98: The Second Weekend Box Office

April 20th, Monday.

Having just spent Easter with his family, Peter Sanders received a call before eight in the morning, hurrying to Fox Studios.

Ronald Goldberg's assistant was rushed on the phone, hanging up before going into detail. However, Peter was acutely aware that the matter had to do with "The Butterfly Effect's" second weekend box office numbers.

Entering a conference room within the studio's administration building, Peter found that several executives, mostly from the marketing department, were already there, but Ronald Goldberg had yet to arrive.

Before even sitting down, Peter sharply caught snippets of a conversation including a particular figure.

"...11.86 million..."

11.86 million?!

Feeling a strong sense that he might have misheard, Peter snatched a folder from the conference secretary and flipped it open right there.

The first page was the latest weekend box office report.

"The Butterfly Effect," $11.86 million, -17%.

Indeed, it was $11.86 million! Moreover, compared to the first weekend's $14.31 million, "The Butterfly Effect" had a surprisingly small drop of only 17%.

Peter quickly did the mental math.

A second-weekend drop of only 17% suggested that if this trend continued, surpassing $100 million in North American box office receipts was very feasible.

What exactly had happened?

While Peter stood there, slightly stunned, Ronald Goldberg entered the room briskly with a few people, taking his place at the head of the conference table. Noting Peter's state, Goldberg kindly said, "Peter, what are you standing there for? Come, sit."

Peter snapped back to reality, nodded with a smile at Goldberg, and took his seat at the table.

The conference secretary began distributing another document.

Once everyone was seated, Goldberg began, "As you've all seen, yes, $11.86 million, and the drop is only 17%. What exactly happened? I had the marketing department compile a summary of recent audience research that might explain the reason. But more importantly, the real issue now is how we can sustain this trend and push 'The Butterfly Effect's' revenue past the $100 million threshold."

In his years at Fox, Goldberg was exhilarated to finally have a potential blockbuster that could break the $100 million mark in North America.

Peter listened as Goldberg discussed strategies to increase the screening scale of "The Butterfly Effect" and adjust its marketing approach. Meanwhile, he opened the other document he had just received, dividing his attention as he read Fox's analysis on the factors behind the film's second-weekend box office performance.

Several statistics from audience surveys across North America stood out in the report's summary.

"Age group 18-26 audience proportion: 43%."

"10-point scale audience rating: 7.7."

"Proportion of audience influenced by 'Run Lola Run' to see the movie: 81%."

"Proportion of audience unaffected by reviews: 33%."

"Proportion of audience who believe the film was unfairly reviewed by the media: 76%."

"Proportion of viewers planning to recommend the film to friends after watching: 69%."

In the conference room.

Just by reading these data points, Peter understood why "The Butterfly Effect's" second-weekend box office performance was so unexpectedly strong.

The report concluded that despite the media's overwhelming negative reviews, "The Butterfly Effect" enjoyed much better reception among its audience, with a viewer rating of 7.7 indicating a very good film.

Additionally, because "The Butterfly Effect's" audience skewed younger—a demographic that typically doesn't read newspapers and prefers peer recommendations—the media's negative impact on box office was far less than anticipated by Fox.

The report also suggested that the popularity of "Run Lola Run" had created a large potential audience base for "The Butterfly Effect." Some viewers who initially skipped the movie due to bad reviews changed their minds after hearing positive word of mouth, contributing significantly to the minimal drop of only 17% in the second weekend.

Big Hollywood studios always conduct similar audience research for major releases. This data existed before the second weekend box office numbers for "The Butterfly Effect" were released.

However, the barrage of negative media coverage was so overwhelming that nobody at Fox felt reassured by these statistics until the box office results were confirmed.

Ultimately, filmmaking is a high-risk business as unpredictable as the weather.

Having read the report, Peter looked up as a senior marketing executive shared his thoughts.

"Ronald, besides these points, I think we could emphasize the stark contrast between the media's negative reviews and the box office performance to suggest that 'The Butterfly Effect' has been treated very unfairly. We might even hint that someone is deliberately undermining the film. This could maximize viewer sympathy and contrarian responses, encouraging more people to see the movie."

Goldberg nodded in agreement, "Nick, put together a detailed action plan as soon as possible, and I'll coordinate with our New York office. That's

 all for now, everyone. Remember, by this Friday I want to see the number of screens showing 'The Butterfly Effect' increase to over 1700."

The meeting was primarily about adjusting marketing strategies, and Peter, responsible for overseeing "The Butterfly Effect" as the vice president of production, had not voiced much.

As Ronald announced the adjournment, Peter stood to leave with the others but was stopped by Goldberg.

"Peter, we'll need Simon Westeros's cooperation for the upcoming promotions of 'The Butterfly Effect.' Handle that. Also, I remember Daenerys Studios is preparing a romance film. Have someone redo the assessment report for me."

Peter nodded, agreeing as Goldberg walked away. He glanced at his watch—it was just past nine in the morning.

Meanwhile, as the new work week began, "The Butterfly Effect's" second-weekend box office data quickly spread throughout Hollywood. The performance was much more surprising than the predictable results of "Run Lola Run," and only after Fox's internal report circulated did many begin to believe it.

First weekend: $21.69 million. Second weekend: $11.85 million.

In just ten days, "The Butterfly Effect" had reached a total of $33.55 million. Undoubtedly, even if it didn't reach $100 million, this film was sure to be among the top ten in annual box office rankings.

This realization hit many who remembered that Simon Westeros, a newcomer in Hollywood for less than a year, had now produced two films potentially making the top ten in North America's annual box office—a feat not even Steven Spielberg had achieved.

With this realization, Daenerys Studios in Santa Monica once again became a focal point of intense Hollywood interest.

In Hollywood, one success might be a fluke, but two establish credibility. Now that Simon Westeros had created two such miracles, his streak of good fortune might not end anytime soon.

At Daenerys Studios headquarters.

It was now the afternoon.

Simon's office was hosting a significant visitor, CAA President Michael Ovitz.

Due to last year's upheaval within WMA, CAA had opportunistically poached a slew of top stars, and with the firm's sophisticated packaging operations, Michael Ovitz was undoubtedly one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood.

However, Ovitz was also exceptionally low-key.

Not until the late '80s, as CAA's influence grew and the media diligently uncovered details, did Michael Ovitz, the "great white shark" lurking within Hollywood, rise to prominence, topping Premiere magazine's list of the most powerful people in Hollywood several times.

Sitting across from each other in the reception area, Ovitz's approachable demeanor made him easy to talk to, yet his conversation was straightforward. "Simon, these days, you've extended invitations to CAA clients like John Travolta, Robert Redford, and Meg Ryan for collaborations. So, to make our cooperation smoother, how about joining CAA?"

Simon immediately sensed the strong influence from the CAA leader but simply shook his head, smiling, "Sorry, Michael, I already have an agent. And even if I joined CAA, I wouldn't sign a revenue-sharing contract."

"Of course, we're quite flexible in that regard. Spielberg is also our client, and we have a fixed salary contract with him, just like you had at WMA," Ovitz replied with a smile, subtly hinting.

"In that case," Simon shrugged, "Michael, you should know I wouldn't easily break my contract with Joe. If it weren't for him, I might still be a cashier at some supermarket. So, let's discuss Bob's salary issue."

Ovitz nodded, not pressing as rumors suggested, or perhaps not yet showing that side. He smoothly changed the topic, "Bob called me; he wants a cameo in your new movie. I've read the script, and honestly, I don't think it's a great fit. But you know, we always try to meet all our clients' requests. So, Simon, $1 million, Bob is definitely worth that price."