Chapter 462: The Disastrous Failure of Water Movies

[Chapter 524: The Disastrous Failure of Water Movies]

In downtown Manhattan, at the Stonewall Inn on Seventh Avenue South, Arthur and Jennifer Aniston sat on the couch enjoying the performance on stage. The Stonewall Inn, a historic bar in New York, had many LGBTQ patrons.

"Hmm," Jennifer Aniston wrapped her arms around Arthur's neck and loosened her lips. "You've been in the news a lot lately; people are saying you don't know how to run a TV station."

"What do you think?"

"I think nothing much," Arthur replied, running his hand on the woman's thigh. "When Rupert Murdoch set up the FOX Broadcasting Network, didn't he face a lot of mockery from journalists? And look where it ended up. In just ten years, FOX became a national network that rivaled the big three broadcasting networks. With CBS's solid foundation, even if I can't manage the news department well, CBS will definitely have the most popular television series in the future!"

But Arthur couldn't help but think about what would happen to Viacom without CBS's support.

Viacom had originally been a distribution company under CBS before it went independent and grew, only to be acquired by Sumner Redstone.

Suddenly, the sound of a breaking bottle echoed from the stage area, quickly followed by security rushing in to intervene.

Without a doubt, someone was causing trouble. LGBTQ bars were more prone to incidents than regular bars, especially the Stonewall, which had so many stories.

"Let's head out," Arthur thought it was better to leave, even though he wasn't worried.

Jennifer Aniston nodded. "The crime rate in New York has improved a lot over the last couple of years, especially around Times Square!"

Arthur knew this was all thanks to the newly elected mayor, Rudy Giuliani.

...

With the release of Cutthroat Island, the movie brought in $3.2 million at the box office over its opening weekend, shocking everyone. The poor reviews left the studios with no delusions about the film's performance.

Summer release Waterworld grossed $88 million in North America and performed somewhat decently overseas with $170 million, bringing the global total to $260 million. However, considering Waterworld's costs, including a $175 million production budget and over $30 million in marketing, the losses were substantial.

Now, the failure of Cutthroat Island made Hollywood wary of water-based movies, while 20th Century Fox purchased land in Mexico to construct a complete water tank filming base. Even in preparation for filming Titanic, at director James Cameron's request, 20th Century Fox had already spent $60 million before shooting even began.

Arthur could imagine the executives at 20th Century Fox were probably shaking in their boots.

...

With the New York gubernatorial election wrapped up, Republican George Pataki replaced Mario Cuomo as the new governor of New York.

The Galaxy Building near Times Square also held a topping-out ceremony. Next year, most of Galaxy and CBS's operations would move into this skyscraper, which would become Galaxy's New York headquarters.

...

In downtown Manhattan, MGM Tower, in Arthur's office, filmmaker Saul Zaentz visited him. He recommended a movie adapted from the acclaimed Canadian author Michael Ondaatje's novel, The English Patient.

"This is a drama directed by the new British director Anthony Minghella," Arthur said as he flipped through the proposal.

"Why did 20th Century Fox suddenly pull out just as the movie was about to start shooting?"

A few years back, Galaxy had acquired the Saul Zaentz Company, which held the rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. It turned out that Arthur had some rapport with Saul Zaentz.

In response to Arthur's inquiry, Saul Zaentz expressed his frustrations. "The film has two leading ladies. One is French actress Juliette Binoche, who's already confirmed. The other is British star Kristin Scott Thomas, but she's been busy shooting in the UK and France, so her popularity is limited. 20th Century Fox wanted Demi Moore for the part, but Anthony Minghella insists on Kristin Scott Thomas. So now, 20th Century Fox has chosen to pull out."

Arthur wasn't very familiar with Kristin Scott Thomas, but she was a well-known supporting actress, having appeared in Roman Polanski's drama Bitter Moon and Galaxy's British romance Four Weddings and a Funeral.

He heard about The English Patient and knew it was a successful film.

Looking at Saul Zaentz, Arthur reassured him, "United Artists will support this film. The $27 million funding will come through shortly, so let's get this movie rolling. As for the actors, we can go with what the director wants!"

If Demi Moore were cast, it would likely add over ten million dollars to the budget, meaning cuts would have to be made elsewhere.

Hearing Arthur's approval, Saul Zaentz let out a sigh of relief. They had been preparing The English Patient for so long. With just over a month left before filming was set to begin, losing 20th Century Fox's funding could have been a huge setback. For United Artists to step in was a big help!

...

Once Saul Zaentz left, Arthur called his assistant, Anna Walker. "Is Kate Beckinsale still in the UK filming Mr. Bean?"

"Yeah, at least until February next year!"

Anna Walker smiled.

Arthur shrugged and handed her a script. "This is a specifically prepared action-comedy script featuring two male leads. It's designed with the image of Jackie Chan and Will Smith in mind. Let's get the production department to prepare it. We should gather some opinions from Jackie Chan; adding more Eastern elements wouldn't hurt!"

"A buddy cop action-comedy?" Anna Walker nodded. "Kind of like Bad Boys!"

"Yeah, pretty much, but the action elements with Jackie Chan will be more pronounced." Arthur got up.

"Notify Ms. Yang Yanzi for the Asia-Pacific region; our focus now is Rush Hour. Jackie Chan's popularity in Asia is unmatched, and Rumble in the Bronx introduced him to many Americans. I'm sure Rush Hour will make him shine in Hollywood!"

"Got it," Anna Walker nodded.

"By the way, boss, Twister has wrapped filming, and the rough cut is in the screening room!"

"Understood," Arthur was about to leave when he remembered something. "Make sure Tom Rothman keeps an eye on the progress of 20th Century Fox's new film Titanic..."

*****

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