Chapter 223: Word of Mouth

In San Jose, San Francisco Bay.

The date was December 20th. In the Willow Glen area, south of San Jose city, the filming of "The Sixth Sense of the Supernatural" officially began on December 12th.

Originally set in Philadelphia on the East Coast, Simon Westeros had not visited there in this body but had many memories of San Jose. Therefore, he decided to set the story there.

Simon arrived from Los Angeles the previous morning to visit the set and also to meet with several tech companies in which Daenerys Entertainment had stakes.

His return to his childhood home, for the first time since his rise to fame, excited both the Bay Area media and local government. However, Simon didn't arrange the kind of visits many expected, choosing to focus mostly on work.

In December, the media was abuzz discussing how much money Daenerys Entertainment made this year, even the most conservative estimates being enough to make many Hollywood studios envious.

Simon, now in this body, couldn't escape his past.

Before leaving San Jose, Pat Kingsley announced that the Simon & Janet Westeros Foundation would donate one million dollars to several schools and welfare institutions in San Jose. Though a drop in the bucket compared to Simon's fortune, it was enough to stave off criticisms of him being indifferent to his upbringing, which, in reality, he was.

Back in Los Angeles, Simon started finalizing the plot for the upcoming "Batman" movie.

Over months, Simon and hired storyboard artists had accumulated over two thousand concept sketches and storyboards, with some crucial scenes even having short reference animations. With such extensive preparation, the entire movie was virtually in Simon's mind, ready to be translated onto film.

"Batman" was set to release next year, but currently, Hollywood's focus was on "Rain Man", which was defying expectations.

After a modest opening of 2.1 million dollars, "Rain Man" surprisingly grossed 7.28 million dollars in its opening weekend. Its nearly one million daily gross during weekdays was unexpected.

Sensing something unusual, Daenerys Entertainment conducted direct surveys with the audience. Out of 1,000 surveyed in major North American cities, 36% watched the movie following recommendations from friends and family, and a whopping 91% said they would recommend it to others.

These figures led experienced industry veterans like Amy Pascal and Robert Lamm to conclude that "Rain Man" was experiencing a rare word-of-mouth effect.

Last year's "Run Lola Run" became an 'event film' mainly due to Simon's age, media hype, and audience curiosity. In contrast, "Rain Man" drew audiences solely based on its content.

Although it was unclear whether "Rain Man" would evolve into a nationwide 'event film', one thing was certain: it was not going to be the flop everyone predicted.

As its reputation grew, many media initially influenced by CAA began publishing positive reviews of "Rain Man".

In a mix of anticipation, doubt, and jealousy, the new weekly box office numbers were released on December 23rd.

Universal Pictures' surprise hit "Dragon Brother, Rat Brother" continued to top the weekly box office, earning 12.17 million dollars in its second week.

Following closely was "Rain Man".

In its first week, "Rain Man" grossed 11.65 million dollars, nearly 50% over the expected 8 million. This strong start, combined with the spreading word-of-mouth, made it conceivable that "Rain Man" could hit the 100-million-dollar mark.

Besides "Rain Man", Daenerys Entertainment's "Mulan" and "Scream" continued to do well, ranking fourth and fifth in the box office.

"Dead Poets Society", in its second week of limited release, earned an additional 2.08 million dollars, bringing its total to 3.71 million.

With 1,693 screens, "Dead Poets Society" was set for a wide release, surpassing Universal's "Dragon Brother, Rat Brother" in screen count. With two weeks of positive word-of-mouth, it was a strong contender for the Christmas week box office crown.

Other major releases included Disney's "Oliver & Company", Fox's "Working Girl", and MGM's "My Stepmother is an Alien".

Despite the competition, "Mulan" expanded its release to 1,613 screens, becoming the third film this Christmas season to exceed 1,600 screens.

Simon and Janet Westeros spent Christmas Eve together. After Christmas, the "Batman" crew would start heading to Melbourne, with Simon joining after New Year's.

Perhaps due to the relatively quiet months earlier in the year, the box office exploded with growth during Christmas week.

Despite four major new releases, many films that had been out for weeks saw a strong rebound in ticket sales.

However, not everyone was happy.

Since "Rain Man's" success, MGM executives had been in a state of unease.

If a first-week gross of 11.65 million dollars was bearable, the new week's figures were a nightmare for Tony Thomopoulos, the chairman of United Artists, who decided to let go of "Rain Man". He feared for his job.

On December 30th, the Christmas week box office was announced.

Compared to the previous week's 73.19 million dollars, the total gross skyrocketed 68% to 122.36 million dollars.

With the largest screen count, "Dead Poets Society" grossed 19.01 million dollars in its first week, claiming the Christmas week crown with a cumulative gross of 22.72 million.

Unsurprisingly, another Daenerys Entertainment film joined the 100-million-dollar club.

However, more astonishing was "Rain Man".

In its second week, with the same 1,136 screens, "Rain Man" saw a 45% increase in ticket sales, grossing 16.67 million dollars.

Even with films like "Dragon Brother, Rat Brother" and "Mulan" showing increases, "Rain Man's" 45% jump was remarkable.

"Rain Man's" cumulative gross reached 28.32 million dollars in two weeks, far exceeding initial predictions.

Consequently, Daenerys Entertainment's seven films this year all broke the 100-million-dollar mark in North America.

In contrast, MGM's "My Stepmother is an Alien", which they had chosen over "Rain Man", flopped with a mere 3.81 million dollars in its opening week.

The media mocked MGM for dropping "Rain Man" for a movie that failed to make a splash during a booming box office week.

MGM's decision to replace "Rain Man" with "My Stepmother is an Alien" seemed perfect initially. The family comedy with a sci-fi twist was more in line with the Christmas spirit than a road movie about two men.

However, reality was harsh. "My Stepmother is an Alien" earned only 3.81 million dollars in its first week. Even with a 55% share from theaters, MGM could only recoup 2.09 million dollars.

In contrast, with "Rain Man's" two-week gross of 28.32 million dollars and a 15% distribution commission, MGM would have earned 4.25 million dollars.

The difference between 2.09 and 4.25 million dollars was stark, and the projected earnings for these two weeks alone nearly matched the 5 million dollars MGM sold "Rain Man" for.

Rumors circulated that right after Christmas, MGM's major backer, Kirk Kerkorian, flew from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to berate MGM executives over "Rain Man".

There were reports of MGM planning to sue Daenerys Entertainment over contractual loopholes for compensation, but this was unlikely to lead anywhere.

Given Daenerys Entertainment's strength and MGM's current state, a legal battle seemed out of reach.

With "Rain Man's" unexpected success, CAA's top clients were in a dilemma.

As "Rain Man" continued to defy expectations, Barry Levinson, Dustin Hoffman, and Tom Cruise became prime targets for the paparazzi.

Their previous disdain for "Rain Man" was well-known, and now the paparazzi hounded them for their opinions on the film's success.

Levinson tried to disappear but was found in Tokyo just two days later.

Hoffman, who had been 'vacationing' in England, attempted to claim some credit for "Rain Man's" success, only to face harsher ridicule.

On the other hand, media harassment affected Cruise's shooting of "Born on the Fourth of July". Director Oliver Stone, frustrated, chose to halt production, with Cruise mostly hiding in his Los Angeles mansion.

Cruise's agent, Paula Wagner, graciously congratulated "Rain Man's" success. Since Cruise hadn't directly conflicted with Daenerys Entertainment like Levinson or spoken out like Hoffman, he fared better in this public relations crisis.

With "Rain Man" and "Dead Poets Society" settling their box office fate, Hollywood was shocked to realize that among the seven films Daenerys Entertainment released this year, three - "When Harry Met Sally", "Rain Man", and "Dead Poets Society" - were not written by Simon himself. Even "Scream", rumored to be Simon's idea, didn't bear his name.

Since "Run Lola Run", films like "The Butterfly Effect", "Final Destination", and "Pulp Fiction" created the impression that Daenerys Entertainment was solely Simon's endeavor.

This belief made it easier for Daenerys Entertainment to acquire projects like "The Bodyguard" and "Back to the Future" even with successful summer releases.

Now, Hollywood awoke from its misconceptions.

Clearly, Simon Westeros's script selection was as exceptional as his creative talent.

Daenerys Entertainment's hoarding of rights was well-known, with many initially mocking Simon's spending.

Now, with those projects firmly in Daenerys Entertainment's grip, getting them would be difficult. However, projects Daenerys showed interest in but hadn't secured became the focus of the entire industry.

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