Chapter 302: No Choice

[Chapter 302: No Choice]

As for the controversy over the award results reported by the media, the Academy, as always, offered no response. After all, everyone knew that no matter who received the awards, there would always be plenty of disputes.

A few days after the Oscars, Firefly Films released its first major project, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, following the earlier turmoil. Many people closely followed the movie with varying emotions.

Although the recent release of Reservoir Dogs did quite well at the box office, the film, despite Eric's influence leading to a significant increase in its release scale, was still considered a modest success.

Eric had high hopes for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, prompting Robert Shea to secure up to 2,000 screens for the film. This was already the limit of what Firefly could handle at the time, while the seven major studios could have easily lined up more than 3,000 screens if necessary.

Moreover, even if Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles performed significantly better than initially expected after its release, it would be difficult to increase the number of screens beyond that point. If ticket sales fell flat, then hundreds of screens could be pulled the following week.

Thus, the release stirred considerable attention from both inside and outside Hollywood. If Firefly ended up facing a "Waterloo," there would surely be many waiting to gloat or take advantage of the situation.

However, thanks to the Box Office results from the previous timeline and the current promotional scale being much larger, Firefly had allocated a hefty $6 million for marketing this movie, excluding the cost of producing 2,000 copies. Therefore, Eric was not as anxious as Robert Shea or Jeffrey.

Although he attended the premiere, Eric took a backseat as a guest, allowing the filmmakers of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to take the spotlight.

At that moment, he was discussing the preparations for Basic Instinct with Jeffrey.

"Jeffrey, if Hollywood can't find suitable actors, I suggest you try Europe. Look at the movie The Unbearable Lightness of Being from a few years back; the director chose European actors because most sought-after Hollywood actors were too conservative to take on the roles."

Jeffrey glanced at Robert Shea, who was passionately giving a speech on stage. He shook his head, saying, "Eric, that's not what I'm worried about. There's still a lot to consider, like the director. The Paul Verhoeven you suggested just signed on for a big film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and is unwilling to listen to Basic Instinct. Plus, the budget is quite a problem. I had someone run a detailed budget based on your script, and the bottom line was that the movie's cost would be at least $30 million, far exceeding your suggested $20 million budget. Most importantly, the rating issue with your designed scenes went a bit too far. They're likely to be labeled NC-17; we have no influence on the rating board. If we get an NC-17 and are limited to specific theaters, it won't just be a money sink."

Eric ran his fingers through his hair, knowing Jeffrey spoke the truth. The American film rating board was entirely controlled by the seven major studios. Many had analyzed that identical scenes in films produced by the seven would receive an R rating, while those from outside would be hit with NC-17. Eric clearly remembered the case of Meg Ryan, who starred in a film aimed at breaking boundaries. Released through a major studio, some of its more daring scenes were deemed R-rated.

If this movie managed to avoid an NC-17 rating, the major studios would collectively lose their minds. While there was always a chance of reworking the script for a different rating, that would drastically alter the plot, making box office outcomes uncertain.

After thinking for a moment, Eric recognized he had no choice but to say, "Let's do this, Jeffrey. Reach out to the big studios, see who might be willing to collaborate, and pick one that offers us better terms."

"And what about your involvement as the screenwriter...?"

"If that's the case, there's no point in hiding it. Just use my real name; I'm not even twenty yet, and writing this script will make me seem youthful and reckless. If I try to conceal it, I bet those guys will leak the truth for whatever motives they have."

Jeffrey shook his head in exasperation, stating, "Eric, I can't understand why you're so determined to make this movie. I don't see what's so extraordinary about it."

"Then just read the script a few more times," Eric joked. "Do you know who really ends up pulling the trigger?"

Jeffrey shook his head, "If you tell me what Beth said after she's shot by the main character, Nick, I'd be able to confirm."

Eric teased, "Maybe she says something like 'I...'."

"I think the least likely phrase is 'I love you,' but the most likely is 'I was wrong,'" Jeffrey quipped back.

Eric paused; in fact, the original line was 'I love you.' However, he figured it would be hard for someone on the brink of death from being shot by their beloved to utter such words. So, while writing the script, Eric made a little modification, leaving only 'I...' for the audience to guess, akin to how suspense was built in movies like The Others; leaving a mystery tends to help box office outcomes.

...

After several of the filmmakers of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles gave speeches on stage, the film began screening.

As Eric watched the images on screen, he couldn't help but frown slightly. It had such a strong B-movie, Hong Kong flair. Though with a total budget of $13 million, it was a massive production by Hong Kong standards, it barely held up as a mid-budget film in Hollywood, particularly as it also needed a few special effects.

One scene showed a group brawling, and a knife-wielding thug accidentally cut through some wires. Even if they couldn't achieve glowing effects, there should at least be some zapping electrical sounds, but the reality was... there was nothing. The thug merely twitched a bit, as if shocked. It looked pretty silly.

Of course, Eric's expectations had been spoiled by his experience with special effects-laden blockbusters. Despite Eric's repeated frowning, the audience in the theater intermittently laughed at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' antics or gasped in surprise.

Initially tense, the filmmakers loosened up upon hearing the laughter and cheers from the audience.

Perhaps due to budget reasons or simply the nature of Hong Kong films, the movie's runtime was only 90 minutes, and it wrapped up quickly without the lights even turning on before enthusiastic applause rang out through the cinema.

...

"A fantastic sci-fi action film! While there were shortcomings in several areas, with a $13 million investment, it's undeniably a noteworthy film."

"The movie's references to Renaissance figures had the audience in stitches, and the action choreography offered plenty of memorable moments worth watching."

"..."

Following the premiere, all sorts of reviews came pouring in. Thanks to Firefly's vigorous promotion and public relations, the overall reception for the film was quite positive. Many newspapers gave it high ratings, and while a few fiercely critical articles appeared, they didn't make much of a splash. Despite the seven major studios' desire for the film to flop, not a single one would shell out hundreds of thousands or even millions to discredit it, faced with Firefly's relentless money-spending on publicity.

Moreover, internally, the seven were not particularly optimistic about the film. Otherwise, Fox wouldn't have originally refused to distribute Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles after seeing the finished product.

...

Amidst widespread attention, three days later, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles grossed an astonishing $25 million on its opening weekend across 2,000 theaters in North America, shocking many.

Fox, having misjudged the potential, dismissed several executives within a short period, and following the incident with An Affair to Remember, they became the target of mockery from numerous media outlets.

In this situation, Fox had no way to voice their concerns.

A week later, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' first-week box office hit $32 million.

Upon seeing these figures, many naysayers in the media fell silent.

...

Hollywood insiders also realized that Firefly had emerged unscathed after earlier troubles, and word spread that Eric had been the first to bet on this movie, igniting more discussions in Hollywood. Excluding the few films Eric himself was involved in, including Steel Magnolias, this marked the second time a film Eric championed against the odds turned out to be a major success.

Suddenly, many began inquiring about which films Eric considered promising.

Thus, the series of rights acquisitions that Eric had Drew undertake earlier that year regained considerable public interest.

Since Drew wasn't particularly rushed, Eric had managed to get a little more than half of the twenty-plus copyrights he had listed.

Upon discovering the two rights currently under negotiation, every major studio in Hollywood joined the bidding frenzy, with rights holders playing their cards close to the vest.

In this climate, Eric had no choice but to halt Drew's acquisitions. Although there were still some rights yet to procure, any further attempts would lead to fierce competition with a low chance of success.

Moreover, several key adaptations Eric valued, including Charlie's Angels, Mission: Impossible, and The Bourne Identity, were already secured.

But that was a matter for later. In the wake of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' massive success, the person with the most mixed feelings was undoubtedly Robert Shea.

After all, if Robert Shea had waited just six more months for the release, New Line Cinema would have been in a completely different situation.

*****

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