Good news

Looking at the Los Angeles Times singing praises for "Scent of a Woman", was truly an interesting thing.

Ever since the Golden Raspberry Awards, or more accurately, since "Hudson Hawk" premiered in May 1991, the American media has criticized and condemned Hugo. They believed that Hugo had completely ruined his talent with alcohol and drugs. The brilliant actor who had briefly shone in "Dead Poets Society" had fallen into a complete decline. Hugo's tearful speech at the Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony pushed these negative comments to their peak.

In this situation, people almost forgot that Hugo not only had the masterpiece "Dead Poets Society", but also several other strong works such as "Diner", "Quicksilver", and "The Chocolate War". Otherwise, Hugo wouldn't have loyal fans like Alex and Meredith. It's important to note that Hugo didn't rely on his looks to become famous; he carved his own path with his solid skills.

However, amidst the tide of negative reviews, naturally, no one cared about this. It also affected the early promotion of "Scent of a Woman", as evident from the overwhelmingly negative voices in the media.

Now that the movie has been released, the media immediately changed their tune because Hugo once again proved himself with an outstanding performance. It awakened people's memories of Hugo's past and made them exclaim, "Ah, we have forgotten that Hugo was a true actor who entered our sight through his acting skills..." The praises for the movie, for Al, and for Hugo naturally flooded in.

"Scent of a Woman" was like a huge slap in the face, and all the media outlets that once criticized it willingly offered their cheeks, willingly took a slap, and then happily sang praises for the movie.

The first batch of reviews appeared after the premiere, and the second batch of reviews came after the official preview of the movie.

"Scent of a Woman" chose October 16th, Friday, for its official preview in twenty theaters. It lasted from the 17th to the 19th, and professional media reviews gradually emerged, offering their critiques of the movie. This continued the situation after the premiere.

"Scent of a Woman" received one good news after another.

Owen Gilberman, a film critic for Entertainment Weekly, said, "Compared to "Rain Man", the intensity of "Scent of a Woman" falls slightly short in terms of awakening people's reflections. This is a pity. However, Pacino's rough and gentle, cruel and warm mature performance is a masterpiece. Hugo also delivered a long-awaited impressive performance, supporting the entire movie along with Pacino!" In the end, Owen gave it a high score of 80.

Another media outlet, Reel Views, also gave it a score of 80. They commented, "If this movie has anything special, it is Al's believable portrayal and Simms's adherence to principles that transcend mundane but are rooted in reality." Reel Views also believed, "Thanks to Al Pacino's memorable performance that will go down in history, "Scent of a Woman" is a movie worth recommending. Hugo Lancaster's eye-catching performance makes the otherwise lengthy two-and-a-half-hour film bearable. Of course, it would be even better if the movie was shortened to two hours with a more powerful ending."

The praise from professional media came in waves, and two highly regarded Hollywood industry publications, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, did not miss this period. These two magazines were almost a must-read in Hollywood and have unparalleled influence within the industry.

Variety gave a fair evaluation of 75 points, stating, "The entire film is essentially Al Pacino's personal performance. Although he plays a blind man, we see much more in his eyes than in those with normal vision. If we had to add one reason to watch this movie, it might be Hugo Lancaster."

The Hollywood Reporter's evaluation was very similar, stating, "Martin Brest has given the film a whole new meaning, but unfortunately, the film loses half of its charm due to its excessive length and complexity. Fortunately, Al Pacino and Hugo Lancaster make up for this half, with Pacino contributing 70% of the power, which puts the film back on the 'worth watching' list." In terms of ratings, they also gave a decent score of 75.

Furthermore, the professional film magazine The Village Voice, which has its headquarters in New York, also expressed its opinion. They said, "An exceptionally brilliant tango is enough to make this movie a classic. If we need a few more reasons, a car chase and a speech are good choices. And, of course, there's Al Pacino and Hugo Lancaster." An impressive score of 80 could be considered outstanding.

It could be seen that the industry's opinions were generally consistent—Al's brilliance, Hugo's comeback, the excessive length of the film—these comments were repeated over and over again. However, besides the praises, there were also a fair number of criticisms. Apart from USA Today, several other media outlets also didn't hold a positive view of "Scent of a Woman".

The Austin Chronicle gave a rating of only 50 points, stating, "Undeniably, Pacino's performance is memorable, but other than that, the whole movie is a collection of dull and meaningless scenes put together."

On the other hand, Rolling Stone, a music-based magazine that has grown into a comprehensive publication, expressed their disgust with the film with a single negative comment, "Indulgent crockery." A terrible score of 38 is truly disappointing.

The Globe and Mail, a newspaper from Toronto, Canada, also gave it a deficit score of 38. They said, "In this movie, all you can see is a study symbolizing 'sex', meaningless brilliant performances, and beautiful scenes without referents. There is a narrative void concerning sex and the scenes, as if it were a hollow and empty work shot during the Ice Age."

Regardless of whether it was praise or criticism, the attention from various media outlets to "Scent of a Woman" was surprising. Originally, it was thought that this would be an art film that would go unnoticed, but now it seemed that everyone had cast their eyes on it.

In this era without the internet, comprehensive ratings from the media had become the most direct standard for judging the quality of a movie. In the end, "Scent of a Woman" received ratings from 18 media outlets, with a comprehensive score of 72, which was not extremely high but still quite respectable.

Corresponding to the media ratings are the audience ratings. CinemaScore, which originated in 1978, is the public rating system that differentiates itself from professional film critics. Generally, professional film critics often dominate public opinion about movies, and their reviews tend to emphasize the significance of the film rather than the audience's viewing experience. Many blockbuster films struggle to please professional film critics but still attract audiences. Film reviews offer only a single perspective to evaluate a movie, which is unreasonable. That's why CinemaScore emerged. This rating is entirely based on the ratings given by audiences after watching the movie, independent of professional film critics, and represents the personal feelings of the audience.

Currently, CinemaScore was the only audience rating quoted by professional magazines such as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter. The Cinema Score was not on a percentage scale but followed the format of a school report card, starting from "A+" and descending. Anything below a "C" could be considered a terribly bad film.

In terms of CinemaScore, "Scent of a Woman" received a "B+". This score could be considered higher than the media's comprehensive rating, indicating that the audience liked the film more.

From the media's praise to the audience's support, "Scent of a Woman" swept away the previous gloomy atmosphere and won full recognition after its release. The good news didn't end there. Along with the film's release, it was inevitable to focus on its box office performance.

Although "Scent of a Woman" was only screened in 20 theaters and was not a highly competitive film in terms of box office potential, recovering costs and achieving profitability are the ultimate goals of every film company once the movie is released. Art films may lack strong box office appeal, but exceptional performance in individual theaters is still noteworthy, not to mention the vast prospects in the home video rental market after winning outstanding word-of-mouth.

After the release of "Scent of a Woman" on October 16, the continuous stream of people at the 20 theaters surprised Universal Pictures. After the first weekend of the premiere, the single-theater box office reaching as high as $25,000 was truly impressive. It tripled the $8,000 per-theater box office that was widely predicted by the media before the film's release, completely surpassing all expectations. This meant that "Scent of a Woman" achieved a box office revenue of $500,000 during its first weekend.

Although $400,000 in weekend box office revenue was not enough to place "Scent of a Woman" in the top ten of the box office rankings in the third week of October, achieving the first place in the single-theater box office was still met with a lot of praise from the media, and Universal Pictures was overjoyed. It's worth noting that the final investment cost of this film was only $8 million. Achieving such outstanding results in the first week of limited release was truly worth celebrating.

Professional film critics, audience ratings, box office performance... After "Scent of a Woman" was released, it received one triumphant report after another, making an exceptional start on the big stage of the fall film market in 1992. This was an unexpected turn of events for everyone, and even more interestingly, the previously much-anticipated art film "A River Runs Through It" immediately became the subject of comparison, and the young supporting actors, Hugo and Brad, became the focus of attention.