Chapter 218: Hollywood's Pressure

With the presidential election results announced, media and public attention quickly shifted elsewhere. However, in Hollywood, Daenerys Entertainment remained a focal point of interest.

On November 10th, "Basic Instinct" ended its 17-week run in North America, accumulating a total box office of $117.12 million.

In its second week, "Scream" experienced only a 19% drop in box office revenue, collecting an additional $18.35 million over seven days, reaching a cumulative total of $39.06 million. In just two weeks of screenings, Daenerys Entertainment had already recouped its entire budget and turned a profit, thanks to a staggered revenue-sharing agreement with theaters.

The limited screening results of "Steel Magnolia" also garnered significant attention, with an astonishing average of over $68,000 per venue across 22 screens in its first week, totaling $1.51 million in box office revenue. This performance was unexpected for a stage play adaptation not initially favored by many.

The week before Thanksgiving saw Hollywood's end-of-year release schedule finally heating up.

On November 11th, including small-scale limited releases, Hollywood saw the debut of 7 new films.

However, from November 11th to 17th, "Scream" maintained its top spot in the weekly box office, despite a larger drop of 23%, by earning another $13.96 million, bringing its three-week total to $53.02 million.

Surprisingly, the film immediately following "Scream" on the leaderboard was MGM's horror film "Child's Play," which earned $9.61 million in its opening week. Having the two most popular films during the typically family-friendly Thanksgiving season both be horror films was definitely not the norm.

Indeed, this was unusual.

Typically, second-tier studios specializing in horror films, like New Line Cinema, would push their releases into popular release windows due to a lack of alternatives.

Clearly, major Hollywood studios didn't have much choice during this period, ultimately due to the aftermath of a previous writers' strike.

According to Simon's memory, if Daenerys Entertainment is excluded, not a single major Hollywood studio release during the Thanksgiving season made it into the top ten of the year's box office.

December's Christmas season had two notable releases: Universal Pictures' "Twins" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Paramount Pictures' "The Naked Gun." Neither had their release dates around the prime December 25th Christmas period. "Twins" was set for December 9th, and "The Naked Gun" for December 2nd.

Both Universal and Paramount did not anticipate these films becoming sleeper hits.

For Simon, this scheduling meant that Daenerys Entertainment's "Rain Man" and "Dead Poets Society" would face no significant competition from other studios during the crucial December 16th and 23rd slots.

Following "Scream" and "Child's Play," "Steel Magnolia" continued to attract attention on the weekly box office chart.

In its second week of limited screenings, "Steel Magnolia" increased its screen count to 35, and although its average per-venue earnings slightly decreased from $68,000 to $66,000, it still managed to earn $2.35 million over seven days.

Just two weeks of limited screenings brought "Steel Magnolia's" cumulative box office to $3.86 million, nearly matching the total North American earnings of Warner Bros.' box office flop "Fletch Lives."

Following "Basic Instinct," on November 17th, "Pulp Fiction" also concluded its 23-week run in North America, accumulating a half-year total of $156.93 million and temporarily holding the top spot in the 1988 North American box office rankings.

The current annual leaderboard placed "Pulp Fiction" ahead of Disney's "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," which was nearing its end with weekly earnings shrinking to the $200,000-$300,000 range and a total of $151.36 million as of November 18th.

Unless Disney intended to artificially inflate "Who Framed Roger Rabbit's" earnings for the sake of claiming the annual box office crown, surpassing "Pulp Fiction" seemed unlikely.

However, being the year's top-grossing film could significantly boost a movie's success in subsequent distributions. With "Pulp Fiction's" box office figures set, Disney might indeed spend to secure the title.

Simon merely observed from the sidelines, looking forward to "Rain Man's" performance rather than "Pulp Fiction," a project under Orion's banner.

As "Pulp Fiction" left theaters, Hollywood once again realized that while Daenerys Entertainment did not distribute "When Harry Met Sally," "Basic Instinct," or "Pulp Fiction," these films were undoubtedly Daenerys projects, championed by Simon Westeros.

Not only did these three films each surpass $100 million in domestic box office, ranking them within the top ten of the year, but their combined $380 million in North American revenue exceeded the annual totals of most Hollywood studios.

With the box office success of "Scream" and "Steel Magnolia," Hollywood finally felt the formidable pressure from Daenerys Entertainment.

Reluctantly, the major studios had to acknowledge a reality they preferred to ignore: Daenerys Entertainment, despite only rising two years ago, had indeed become a significant player in Hollywood.

Hollywood's typical strategies against newcomers involved limiting access to funding and distribution channels or resorting to less savory tactics like litigation and scandals. However, these approaches posed little threat to Daenerys Entertainment at this point.

Simon Westeros's net worth of several billion dollars, ranked third in the U.S., ensured Daenerys Entertainment faced no financial difficulties. Driven by the profits of blockbuster hits, North American theater chains were unlikely to join the majors in restricting Daenerys's distribution channels, opting instead for collaboration.

As for those unsavory tactics, they might work against weaker independent producers in trouble, but targeting Daenerys Entertainment could provoke a strong counterattack.

However, opportunities for 'breakthroughs' always seemed to arise.

While all of Hollywood felt uneasy about Daenerys Entertainment's rise, Paramount Pictures' negotiations with "Scream" director Wes Craven for a new project signaled a wake-up call.

Indeed, even if direct confrontation with Daenerys Entertainment was impossible, poaching talent was always an option.

With "Steel Magnolia" demonstrating its box office potential, few in Hollywood doubted Simon's ability to select hits.

The competition for projects and scripts eyed by Daenerys Entertainment became a matter of capability.

Boosted by positive reviews from its limited screenings, "Steel Magnolia" had its wide release in North America on November 18th, with its screen count increased from the initial 922 to 1,135.

Inspired by "Scream's" success, Daenerys Entertainment's marketing team took a bold approach with "Steel Magnolia," even advertising during the popular ABC show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."

While "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" faced competition from "Survivor" in ratings, it appealed to a broader audience, aligning with "Steel Magnolia's" market positioning.

As one of North America's most expensive advertising spots, Daenerys Entertainment had not previously advertised "Scream" during "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." With the upcoming winter break, neither "Rain Man" nor "Dead Poets Society" would have this opportunity.

Spending $1.5 million on advertising during "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," Daenerys Entertainment aired two 30-second trailers per episode, three times a week.

From November 18th to 24th, during Thanksgiving week, "Steel Magnolia" unexpectedly and predictably replaced "Scream" as the new weekly box office champion, earning a total of $12.81 million in its first week.

While the $12.81 million first-week earnings seemed far from "Scream's" $20.71 million in the same period, "Steel Magnolia" achieved an average per-screen revenue of $11,286 on 1,135 screens, slightly surpassing "Scream's" average of $11,232 on 1,755 screens.

Comparatively, "Steel Magnolia" actually outperformed "Scream" in average per-screen earnings.

Despite some media speculation about "Steel Magnolia's" 'box office failure' and doubts about Daenerys Entertainment's ability to continue its 'billion-dollar box office relay,' it was clear to discerning observers that "Steel Magnolia" was another hit for Daenerys Entertainment.

A first-week average of over $10,000 per venue and $12.81 million in seven days signified success by any Hollywood standard.

Moreover, "Steel Magnolia's" performance in its second weekend effectively silenced critics predicting its 'box office failure.'

From November 25th to 27th, during the Thanksgiving weekend, "Steel Magnolia" experienced a mere 5% drop in its second weekend, earning an additional $7.86 million for a total of $23.53 million. This negligible 5% drop suggested the film's earnings were nearly consistent with its opening week, mirroring the summer hit "Forrest Gump's" box office trajectory.

With "Forrest Gump" and "Pulp Fiction" released on the same day and "Forrest Gump" eventually grossing $114 million, second only to "Pulp Fiction's" $156 million, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit's" $151 million, "National Lampoon's Vacation's" $128 million, and "Basic Instinct's" $117 million in the annual rankings, "Steel Magnolia's" success during the advantageous Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons seemed assured.

Malibu, November 29th, Tuesday.

Simon didn't head to the office in the morning as he had a series of real estate transfer and bank loan documents to sign.

After Janet personally visited Europe and further negotiations, Simon's property acquisitions across major European cities were finalized.

Following several discussions, Lyon Credit Bank agreed to provide Simon with a housing loan. Considering subsequent renovation and maintenance costs, Simon borrowed $200 million from Lyon Credit Bank in one go.

To facilitate potential future cooperation, Lyon Credit Bank offered Simon a highly favorable loan package: a five-year contract with an annual interest rate of only 4.3%.

The morning was consumed with paperwork and formalities, but Simon didn't overlook Lyon Credit Bank's goodwill in this partnership, hosting a luncheon to entertain everyone involved.

After the luncheon ended at 2 p.m., Simon discussed some Westeros Company affairs with James Lebenthal, who had come from New York specifically for this meeting. After seeing him off, the villa quieted down.

After a busy morning, Simon relaxed with a shower and changed clothes. Seeing Janet and Sofia Fesi discussing renovation plans for the newly acquired properties on the living room couch, Simon felt somewhat helpless; Janet had once again involved Sofia.

Tying his tie independently, Simon informed Janet, "You two take your time. I'm heading to the office now; I have some work arrangements at 4 p.m."

Janet approached with a smile, took Simon's tie to adjust it, and then accompanied him outside, asking, "When can we stay in one of the new houses after buying so many?"

Simon pondered, "Next year, perhaps. After another year of work and finishing 'Batman's' production, the company will have stabilized, and we can take a good break."

"Sure," Janet leaned on Simon's shoulder, "That's a promise."

"Of course," Simon assured, "I never planned to be a workaholic forever. Enjoying life is essential."

Janet pouted, "Many workaholics think that way, but they can never stop."

Laughing, Simon replied, "Isn't that what you're for? If I can't stop, you'll have to pull me back."

"I've said it before; I won't hold you back," Janet affirmed as she walked Simon to the car, "Never will."

Neil Bennett opened the car door, and after a kiss on Janet's forehead, Simon remarked, "Sometimes, you need to hold back."

After bidding farewell, Simon hurried to the Daenerys Entertainment headquarters in Santa Monica.

With limited work time left, Simon only arranged meetings with several Wonder Woman candidates.

Lately, Hollywood agencies had sent multiple batches of Superman and Wonder Woman candidates. While Clark Kent's a

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