Chapter 221: The Release of "Rain Man"

In the southern part of Los Angeles, at the Port of Long Beach, Simon spent the entire day personally supervising the packing and shipping of various props needed for the filming of "Batman." It wasn't until six large containers were securely placed on a cargo ship owned by Johnston Holdings' shipping company that he left the dock to return to Santa Monica.

The Johnston family and the Australian stationed team of the "Batman" crew would take over the following work. Due to the high media attention on the preparation details of "Batman," to prevent leaks, the Australian customs had specially organized a work group, under a confidentiality agreement, to handle the customs clearance of these props.

Entering December, Simon began to spend most of his time on "Batman," only staying at Daenerys Entertainment for an hour each day before rushing to the Fox Studios where the "Batman" crew had rented a sound stage to discuss shooting details with the main creative team.

After work hours, Simon returned to the headquarters of Daenerys Entertainment in Santa Monica, where Amy and Deutschman were waiting for him.

Sitting down in Simon's office, Amy said, "Regarding the lead actress for 'Stand By Me,' Simon, CAA is still not budging. I think it's best we recast. Forcing Meg Ryan to honor the contract could end badly if she adopts a negative attitude during filming."

"Then let's recast," Simon nodded. "As for our option contract with Meg Ryan, we'll drag it out for a year and then make her pay."

Hollywood's option contracts are quite common. However, once stars rise to fame, to maintain good relations for future collaborations, film companies usually concede. Following Simon's approach, Daenerys Entertainment and Meg Ryan likely won't collaborate again, and the company's relationship with CAA would worsen.

However, since Simon had made his decision, Amy didn't try to persuade him further, equally displeased with CAA's exorbitant demands.

After speaking, Simon took a sip of the coffee his secretary Susan had brought in and noticed her tidying up at a shelf corner. "Susan, is there a problem over there?" he asked.

Susan Landis turned around, showing Simon several folders. One seemed to slip and fell to the ground. She quickly picked it up, saying, "Mr. Westeros, I noticed some clutter here and decided to tidy up."

Observing Susan, who had been with the company since the establishment of Daenerys Film, Simon suggested, "Once you're done, you can leave."

With the secretary gone, Simon continued, "From now on, we'll continue to send out offers to CAA's artists, but we won't hire any of them. Ella, you too, understood?"

Amy and Deutschman exchanged glances, finding the strategy harsh.

If Daenerys Entertainment continued its box office success, CAA's stars would miss out on opportunities. Frequent occurrences could lead to doubts about CAA agents' capabilities, potentially causing stars to leave CAA.

But Amy and Deutschman also understood why the usually mild-mannered Simon was uncompromising.

Today was December 8th, with only eight days left until the release of "Rain Man."

The promotion of "Rain Man" had been fraught with difficulties.

Despite low expectations for the main cast's promotional participation, Dustin Hoffman left for a vacation in the UK last month, Tom Cruise stayed in Mexico for Oliver Stone's new film "Born on the Fourth of July," and director Barry Levinson had been absent from the media for a long time.

Only Valeria Golino, with a smaller role in the film, was left to promote it.

Recently, Dustin Hoffman openly criticized the filming experience of "Rain Man" as being as bad as "Ishtar." Last year's "Ishtar," starring Hoffman and Warren Beatty, had a $55 million budget but only made over $10 million in North America, causing Columbia Pictures to lose money.

Hoffman's statement, even before "Rain Man"'s release, led media to speculate it would be a flop like "Ishtar."

"Rain Man"'s budget and Daenerys Entertainment's efforts to buy back North American distribution rights from MGM for $5 million, along with over $5 million in promotional costs, brought the total investment to $40 million.

To break even with a 55% box office share, "Rain Man" needed to gross over $70 million, a target many doubted it could achieve despite Daenerys Entertainment's past successes.

With "Dead Poets Society" targeting a younger audience and opening for previews tomorrow, to avoid diluting the promotional impact, "Rain Man" didn't have a preview and would directly premiere on December 16th.

Daenerys Entertainment's distribution strategy for "Rain Man" was perceived by the media as a sign of lack of confidence.

Pondering these issues, Simon turned to Ella Deutschman.

Deutschman reported that Robert Newmeyer had decided not to sell the distribution rights for "Sex, Lies, and Videotape."

Simon wasn't surprised, understanding that Universal and Columbia's joint venture, MCA/Columbia Home Entertainment, influenced by Daenerys Entertainment's success, showed interest in their films.

Simon had hoped to acquire "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" to counteract Miramax's rise but knew it would be difficult without significant impact from a single film.

He then inquired about "Short Cuts," learning that a contract with Robert Altman for writing and directing had been signed.

Deutschman also mentioned that the Sundance Film Festival chairman, Tony Safford, stated Daenerys Entertainment could only choose one of three films for the main competition, urging a decision.

Simon, aware of the traditional Hollywood forces' subtle pressures, wasn't surprised by the limitation at Sundance. He asked which film Deutschman thought was most suitable, agreeing with her choice of "Metropolitan" for its fit with Sundance and media tastes.

The following Friday marked another week. Paramount's "White Men Can't Jump" dethroned "Magnolia" from the box office top, with "Magnolia" maintaining a 15% drop in its third week of wide release, accumulating $36.6 million in total.

"Scream" fell to fourth place behind Warner Bros.' "Tequila Sunrise," starring Mel Gibson and Michelle Pfeiffer, which opened with $8.23 million.

With new releases including Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Twins," only Daenerys Entertainment's "Dead Poets Society" and Orion Pictures' "Mississippi Burning" opened for previews, with the latter being a contender for the Oscars.

Despite "Twins" achieving surprising first-day box office success, media focus was on "Dead Poets Society."

Robert De Niro's passionate portrayal of a teacher in "Dead Poets Society" received acclaim, hinting at another Oscar nomination. However, the film's message sparked controversy, with some critics challenging its approach to teaching and freedom.

With the Golden Globe nominations focusing on "Dead Poets Society" and ignoring "Rain Man," Simon realized Daenerys Entertainment might struggle in the awards season against traditional Hollywood powers.

As "Rain Man" premiered on December 16th amid controversy and skepticism, its opening across North American theaters was closely watched.

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