Chapter 81: Tipping Point

Although prepared for it, the ensuing media storm turned out to be more intense than anyone had anticipated.

Following the spark ignited by the New York Times article, what had initially been astonishment and praise for "Run Lola Run" quickly morphed into skepticism.

In reality, this skepticism had been present since the film's release. It seemed far-fetched that an 18-year-old with no formal film school training could produce a film as remarkable as "Run Lola Run."

Previously, the atmosphere of admiration for the prodigious young filmmaker had swept along the public opinion. Even if dissenting voices arose, they were often dismissed as jealousy.

Now, with a leading paper like the New York Times initiating the skepticism, and with some behind-the-scenes manipulation, all the suppressed opinions began to surface noisily.

"Puppet or Genius? Unveiling the Complexity of 'Run Lola Run's' Key Roles."

"Dissecting the Film Score Process: Why Simon Westeros Couldn't Possibly Have Completed 'Run Lola Run's' Music."

"Stunning Shots, Fabricated Backstage."

"The Eighteen-Year-Old Scam: A Deception that Fooled the Federation."

"Simon Westeros' High School Classmate: 'He was diligent, but he couldn't possibly be a film director.'"

"The True 'Capital' and 'Craftsmanship' Behind 'Run Lola Run': Magnate's Daughter Janet Johnston and Ivy League Film Prodigy Catherine Bigelow."

"Former Lighting Technician of 'Run Lola Run' Accuses Simon Westeros of Being Superficial."

Everywhere, not just in newspapers but also on radio and TV across North America, there was a rush to find evidence that Simon could not have been capable of creating "Run Lola Run." Reporters from all over the country swarmed to San Jose, where Simon had grown up, and the crowd of journalists around Simon's mansion only grew.

In response, Simon's team also quickly counterattacked.

However, they didn't rush to clarify the facts. Instead, they targeted Mark Hollington, who had penned the dubious article for the New York Times.

The next morning, Daenerys Film Industries issued an official statement through the Los Angeles Times. They criticized Hollington for basing his conclusions solely on Simon's background, calling it a manifestation of arrogance and prejudice born of his own incompetence, or even a shallow sense of superiority from his middle-class roots, discriminating against people from lower social strata.

In America, the accusation of 'discrimination' carries devastating weight.

Mark Hollington quickly responded, claiming his only demand was for Simon to prove his capability to produce "Run Lola Run" and denied any intent of discrimination.

This time, Simon's side did not respond further.

However, an article quickly appeared in News Corporation's New York Post, rebuking Hollington's demand for a person to 'prove their innocence' as a deplorable act of scoundrelism. It argued that if Hollington believed "Run Lola Run" was not directed by Simon, he should present solid evidence himself; otherwise, his baseless queries were a severe infringement of Simon's reputational rights. Simon had every reason to sue him for defamation.

After this exchange, the overwhelmed Mark Hollington suddenly fell silent.

However, once a media storm is unleashed, it's hardly easily contained.

Over the next few days, the flood of skepticism continued through further digging into Simon's past, analyses of "Run Lola Run," and even through spurious claims from 'Hollywood insiders.'

With the help of WMA, Fox Film Corporation, and Orion Pictures, Simon continued to parry each move made against him.

At the same time, Hollywood insiders like Brian De Palma, David Giler, and Robert Redford, who had good relations with Simon, also started vocally supporting him.

Furthermore, after two days of urgent consultations, the president of Fox Film Corporation, Ronald Goldberg, approved Amy Pascal's resignation ahead of schedule.

Daenerys Film Industries then held a press conference announcing that former Fox Film Corporation Vice President Amy Pascal would join them as president.

This announcement reinforced the public's confidence in Simon amid the onslaught of critical news. If Simon were merely a superficial young man, he could not possibly attract a major film company's vice president to work for him.

However, newspapers soon 'revealed' the 'truth' that Amy Pascal's move to Daenerys Film Industries was to personally oversee "Final Destination," produced by Fox and 'produced' by Simon Westeros, suggesting Fox had doubts about Simon's capabilities.

Amidst the turmoil, the box office figures for the tenth movie week of 1987 were released on Friday, March 13.

Despite the media frenzy, which inevitably caused many to doubt the authenticity behind "Run Lola Run," the film's box office performance was hardly affected over those few days.

In the new week, "Run Lola Run" reached a total of $25.62 million, bringing its cumulative box office to $57

.71 million.

Clearly, its nationwide release in just the first week had almost doubled "Run Lola Run's" North American earnings. If there were no significant drops in the next two to three weeks, the film was set to comfortably cross the $100 million mark.

Still trailing "Run Lola Run" was "Lethal Weapon."

This big-budget film, costing $15 million, earned $8.82 million in its opening week.

Although it had more screens than "Run Lola Run" and received decent reviews, "Lethal Weapon's" box office draw was clearly nowhere near the 'event movie' status of "Run Lola Run," with only a third of its ticket sales.

Even combined, the week's box office for the next four top films—"Platoon," "Nightmare on Elm Street 3," "Angel Heart," and others—totaling $27.63 million, was merely comparable to "Run Lola Run" alone.

In the afternoon, at the cliffside mansion in Palisades, Los Angeles.

Catherine Bigelow accepted a cup of coffee from Janet, who playfully settled next to her. Trying to dodge as Janet leaned into her, Catherine smiled and shifted away before turning to Simon, "Have you not left the house these past few days?"

Moved by Catherine's effort to rush back from Arizona amidst his turmoil, Simon appreciated the support he received from many acquaintances like Brian De Palma, David Giler, Sandra Bullock, Jonathan Friedman, and others during these trying times. Their care helped stabilize his morale under the media's relentless scrutiny.

Responding to her question, Simon nodded, "Yes, there's really nothing I could do outside, so I just stayed home."

Reporters continued to swarm outside his house.

To avoid trouble, Simon communicated with the outside world via phone, or had Mike Medavoy, Patrice Kingsley, and others come over, completely avoiding stepping out himself.

This approach indeed gave him much-needed peace. However, many of his plans had ground to a halt.

Although Ronald Goldberg had expedited Amy's resignation due to his own interests, Fox was delaying the signing of the "Final Destination" contract.

Fox was supporting "The Butterfly Effect" scheduled for the next month and had not sabotaged it like some others might, opting instead to wait and see how the situation unfolded.

Frankly, no matter the outcome, Simon knew it would be a long time before he could fully escape scrutiny. Some allegations, even if unfounded, when repeated enough times, could never be completely cleared.

Catherine, holding her coffee cup, noticed Simon's gaze and slightly averted her eyes before asking, "So, what are you planning to do next?"

"This needs to end," Simon replied. "I'm going to New York tomorrow. I've arranged to appear on NBC's 'Tonight Show' on Monday, where I'll make some explanations and statements."

Catherine, unfamiliar with such situations, felt such a resolution might be too simplistic and asked, "Is that enough?"

"There will definitely be follow-up media efforts," Simon reassured her with a confident look before turning the conversation to her, "What about you? I remember your schedule said this week was the wrap, right?"

Catherine nodded, adding, "But next week, we need to shoot some exteriors in Oklahoma, then I'll be back in Los Angeles for post-production."

The story of "Blood Night" was set in Oklahoma, but due to climate and tax incentives, they shot in Arizona. To avoid inconsistencies, they indeed needed some additional location shots.

Simon offered, "I'll come help with the post-production."

Catherine smiled shyly, "Someday, people will probably say my films weren't directed by Catherine Bigelow either."

Simon laughed, "That would be just right; I happen to have the same problem."

After chatting for a while, Jonathan Friedman, Mike Medavoy, Patrice Kingsley, and Amy Pascal gradually arrived at Simon's place. With the trip to New York scheduled for tomorrow, not everyone could accompany him, so they used the afternoon to finalize their strategy.