Chapter 217: A Few Good Men Premiere

In Culver City, Los Angeles, Peter Guber and Jon Peters, co-CEOs of Sony Pictures Entertainment, sat in their office smoking cigars.

"The galaxy's already abandoned Carolco. It seems we miscalculated this time," Peter Guber laughed.

Jon Peters didn't mind much but sighed, "What a pity. Spider-Man is Marvel's ace character. Look at the dazzling box office of Batman Returns!"

Peter Guber and Jon Peters had helped Warner Bros. develop Batman a few years ago; Now seeing the success of Batman Returns, it's no wonder Sony is interested in Spider-Man.

"Arthur acted quite early," Peter Guber was somewhat displeased with Carolco's late action; After cooperating with James Cameron on Terminator 2: Judgment Day, it would have been great if they had acquired the rights to adapt Spider-Man. It's a real shame that before James Cameron approached Stan Lee, Stan Lee had already contacted Arthur Smith and sold the adaptation rights!

"Has James Cameron's Spider-Man script been completed?" Jon Peters asked.

Peter Guber shook his head, "No, there's only a script outline and a story summary of about forty pages, which belongs to the galaxy. Now, James Cameron has signed a collaboration agreement with 20th Century Fox. Carolco has become irrelevant, perhaps it will be useful when Cameron decides to shoot Terminator 3!"

Carolco's release of Basic Instinct this year was quite a hit, and with last year's success of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, their fame has been growing over the past two years.

At the end of June, the galaxy's A Few Good Men held its premiere at Hollywood's Chinese Theatre, a grand event filled with stars; Director Rob Reiner, main actors Tom Cruise, Sophie Marceau, Anthony Hopkins, and others attended!

The always dashing Tom Cruise looked as charming as ever under the lights, "When I first saw this script, I was immediately drawn to this challenging character. Before signing the contract, I even went to see the Broadway play A Few Good Men. This is a new attempt for me!"

The radiant "French Kiss," Sophie Marceau, praised the crew highly, "This is my first Hollywood film, and it gives me a different feeling. Compared to the slow pace in France, Hollywood is much faster. Here, they have the best directors, actors, and behind-the-scenes workers in the world. I'm honored to be a part of this!"

A reporter directly asked, "Sophie, are you dating our Hollywood golden boy?"

Sophie Marceau remained composed, "Oh, we are friends, good friends..."

Anthony Hopkins: "With one of the best producers, one of the best directors, and one of the best lead actors, A Few Good Men is an energetic film!"

Meanwhile, on the other end of the studio, Arthur chatted happily with director Rob Reiner.

"Arthur, is the galaxy really going to develop a live-action Spider-Man? Abandoning 20th Century Fox, Carolco, and Columbia TriStar altogether is quite bold," Rob Reiner from Castle Rock Entertainment couldn't muster such courage. They still maintained collaborations with New Line and had Columbia TriStar as their film distributor.

Arthur smiled, watching the stars' interviews on stage, "Well, we need someone to write the script first. Since James Cameron can't direct, we'll have to pick another director. Let's take our time, there's no rush!"

Arthur now understood why the future copyright issues regarding Spider-Man were so complex in the original timeline, leading MGM and Sony to court.

If it weren't for the galaxy, Menahem Golan's 21st Century Film Corporation would have the script for the eight-armed Spider-Man, and Carolco would smoothly take over the Spider-Man adaptation rights from 21st Century Film Corporation.

Later, when Carolco and 21st Century went bankrupt and were acquired by MGM, Columbia TriStar and Carolco had already signed a distribution agreement for the Spider-Man film.

Eventually, even the rights related to James Bond got involved, leading MGM and Sony into fierce litigation. In the end, Sony paid an unknown price to obtain the Spider-Man adaptation rights from Marvel, while MGM acquired the James Bond rights!

"Arthur, I must congratulate you on The Bodyguard grossing over a hundred million in North America!" After more than a month of release, it hit one hundred million dollars, and now it had just entered the international market.

Rob Reiner couldn't hide his envy. The highest-grossing work from Castle Rock was Sleepless in Seattle, for which Arthur was a screenwriter!

Arthur modestly replied, "There are so many big releases during the summer. Basic Instinct also grossed over a hundred million, with overseas earnings already at a hundred million dollars. Lethal Weapon 3 grossed a hundred million in North America alone, not counting overseas yet. Look at Batman Returns, it broke a hundred million in just ten days!"

Compared to action blockbusters, comedies and dramas don't hit their box office strides until about a month in. Without huge stars or significant influence, the box office progresses slowly. Basic Instinct took more than two months to break a hundred million!

"And there's Disney's comedy film Sister Act. Although its North American box office has only surpassed fifty million dollars after a month, its word of mouth is excellent. I bet Sister Act will break a hundred million in North America too!"

Arthur was particularly interested in Sister Act because it was a black comedy produced by Scott Rudin. 

Having almost cost Orion The Addams Family, it was hard to forget. After all, Galaxy-Orion was gearing up for The Addams Family 2.

"Alright, it's our turn," Rob Reiner was very pleased with A Few Good Men, saying so as he and Arthur stepped up for media interviews!

"Mr. Smith, I'm a reporter from the Los Angeles Times. What's your take on the military malpractices revealed in A Few Good Men?"

Arthur smiled, "Borrowing a line from the movie's promotion, 'You can't handle the truth!' That's my take..."

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