Scheming in the shadows

California, at the address 100 Universal City Plaza, nestled between Burbank and Hollywood.

This precise location marked the headquarters of Universal Pictures, the second-oldest bastion of Hollywood's cinematic history.

As a venerable film establishment, fortified by the resources and industry avenues of its parent company, Comcast, they had long held an unassailable position among the Big Six studios.

In the early years of the new century, they collaborated closely with renowned directors like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, releasing global blockbusters such as "Jaws", "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial", and "Jurassic Park".

Entering the 21st century, Universal Pictures became a juggernaut of sequels and comedies, a powerhouse in Hollywood's domain.

Yet, at this moment, within a minimally adorned office, the ambiance was awry.

Ron Meyer, then the Executive Vice President of Film Distribution at Universal Pictures, exhaled tendrils of smoke as he peered at his counterpart across the room—Adam Sunderland, an assistant in the marketing department. Adam, however, kept his gaze lowered, eyes fixed on the floor, avoiding any eye contact.

A silence hung between the two, as Ron resembled a smoldering chimney, his cigarette's ember glowed incessantly, filling the room swiftly with the scent of nicotine and tar.

A resounding "thud".

Ron's hand struck the desk with force, his bulky fingers splayed open, clutching a report. His voice, gravelly and subdued, followed suit, "With these results, how am I to face the board?"

Adam was startled by the sudden surge of intensity, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Slowly, he lifted his head, parted his lips, but ultimately, no words escaped.

What could he say?

As mentioned earlier, due to the meteoric rise of "Miscreant", their own creation, "Bruce Almighty", had found itself in an awkward position. Only three days into its screening, even considering the weekday slump in box office figures, the rapid decline was within normal market patterns. Yet, compared to its initial day's success, the fall seemed swift, unexpected.

"We commissioned a street survey by the company, and it showed that the most promising audience segment of 16 to 35 years old prefers to watch "Miscreant" in groups. This has diverted a significant portion of our audience. If—"

"I don't want to hear excuses. I want to know what strategies we can employ to align our box office numbers with projections."

Adam's sentence was swiftly interrupted by Ron's brusque interjection.

His anger was warranted. The report depicted a harrowing rollercoaster of figures, with a closing box office of $13.23M. If this trajectory persisted, there was a genuine risk that "Bruce Almighty" might not recover its investment.

Consider that just to secure Jim Carrey's involvement in the project, they had already committed to a base fee of $15M, plus a 15% share of North American box office earnings. If this venture faltered, the potential losses to Universal were immeasurable, not even accounting for the promotional costs borne by their in-house media resources.

How could these intricacies be accounted for?

Contemplating the situation, Ron couldn't help but sense the fragility of his position in this corporate behemoth. Companies like Universal were fundamentally driven by profit, eclipsing all notions of sentiment. Despite his twelve years of dedication, not to mention the toil and dedication he had invested, personal rapport held little sway.

And to think, this was a film starring Jim, a comedy at that. To suffer defeat here, what would others think? How would the management view it, let alone the board of directors?

As Adam weathered this barrage of pointed questions, he could discern his superior's palpable discontent, an air of ill-sentiment hanging in the room.

Indeed, it was said that if bosses had it tough, their subordinates had it even tougher. In this moment, cold sweat trickled down Adam's spine. He gritted his teeth and ventured forth, "The market performance of "Miscreant" remains quite strong. Coupled with the continuous praise from film critics in the newspapers, they've had a significant influence on guiding the audience. And there's also the online aspect—"

"Are you suggesting we didn't spend money to get critics to praise us? Hasn't the news media reported on "Bruce Almighty"? What's the use of saying all this?" Ron's tone grew increasingly sour.

"Then, we need to invest more effort in publicity. Since we can't compete with reputation...," Adam's mind raced, brainstorming solutions. With the looming risk of being replaced at any moment, he was backed into a corner. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"We can tarnish the reputation of the lead actor, manipulate the narrative to make the audience subconsciously dislike a certain individual, thus deterring them from entering the theaters. Moreover, we can curtail the fervor of those critics, dampening the enthusiasm."

"That's the way then. Regardless of the approach, bring down "Miscreant"," Ron rekindled his cigarette, and continued, "I'll be reporting to the board later. We'll allocate additional funds for promotional activities. You need to inform Jim Carrey immediately, and Jennifer Aniston should join him in promotional roadshows. I refuse to believe that Rachel from 'Friends' and Jim Carrey, with his comedic acclaim, will lose to the competition."

"Understood, President. I'll take care of it right away," Adam exhaled a sigh of relief. Luckily, his job was temporarily secured.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lehman and his team were in high spirits.

With the continuous accumulation of box office revenue, a significant portion of the risk that came with massive investments was alleviated.

Although their daily schedules for promotional roadshows remained packed, the joy of watching the results climb step by step balanced the strain.

Moreover, due to the sustained healthy performance of "Miscreant", after discussions between Paramount Pictures and EuropaCorp, the decision was made to increase the film's marketing and distribution budget from the initially set $20M to $30M, and now to almost $40M.

Such a substantial investment was clearly fueled by the promising outlook presented by the market.

Indeed, an audience approval rate of over 85% per screening was sufficient reason for their confidence.

After all, the stronger the marketing push, and given a normal conversion rate from buzz to box office earnings, the final revenue of this film could be a staggering figure.

And if "Miscreant" continued to soar at the box office, it was clearly not a scenario that some individuals at Universal Pictures were eager to witness.

After Ron successfully secured the funding, Adam sprang into action.

On a sunny afternoon, he dialed the number of a top-tier public relations firm within Hollywood. On the call, he directed the spotlight squarely onto Tom Cruise.

As for why he singled out Tom, well, it was because he had the most skeletons in his closet.

Though there was a suspicion of reheating old gossip, audiences didn't mind that.

As long as the reheated dish smelled appetizing, they were more than willing to be served...