C 16

In the afternoon following the trial meeting, relevant people from 20th Century Fox gathered in a small meeting room to discuss the film they had watched that morning. The film exceeded everyone's highest expectations. For these professionals in the industry, it may be difficult to predict whether the film will truly be accepted by the market, but it's not hard to distinguish a poorly made film from a well-made one.

Perhaps it was the initial recognition of Speed or perhaps it was due to George Lucas, but CEO Jim Gianopoulos was also present in the room.

"Collett, let's hear your opinion first," said Tom Rothman, waiting for the secretary to serve everyone coffee. "I can tell you have some thoughts about this film."

"This is a very thrilling action film, but not in the traditional sense," Collett Singher began after organizing his thoughts. "The young director, Luke, did better than I expected. Every detail of the film was polished brilliantly. It looks so perfect."

As Fox's most senior film selection expert, Collett Singher's attitude was clear.

"Tom, what about you?" CEO Jim Gianopoulos asked Tom Rothman. As the head of distribution, Rothman's opinion carried significant weight. "What do you think our strategy should be for this movie?"

"Most of Speed is excellent. Although there are some flaws in plot logic and certain scenes, Luke Rosenberg used a lot of short shots, and the fast pace brought a sense of urgency that matches top-tier productions," Rothman replied, placing his coffee cup down. "Generally, trailers feature the best shots, visual effects, and exciting moments, but in Speed, such moments are everywhere, like a series of adrenaline-inducing labels."

"This is an excellent action-entertainment movie," he concluded.

As a true professional, Rothman wasn't the type to assess commercial films from a purely literary perspective.

"But we can't ignore the risks associated with this film," Tim Fisher, who had been observing the discussion, finally spoke. It was clear that Fox would sign this film, and he couldn't change that. He also admitted the movie was thrilling and had several selling points, but he didn't want to see it become a massive hit.

First, this film was introduced by his rival for the future CEO position. Second, if someone looked closely, they'd discover that the script had once been given to him. If the film succeeded, it would mean his judgment had been wrong, which could cause negative repercussions.

"Although North American action films have been popular in recent years, we shouldn't forget that audience tastes are fickle. No one knows when they'll tire of this genre. Plus, this film lacks star power, which is unfavorable for promotion. We'll need to allocate more resources to marketing..."

None of the executives at Fox were fools. Tim Fisher presented legitimate concerns.

"Let's introduce the film as a Category B release, and plan the distribution accordingly," said CEO Jim Gianopoulos, making the final decision after hearing everyone's input. "Set up the rating, trial screenings, and release as soon as possible."

This was the safest approach, and no one disagreed.

Following the preview, Luke cut two trailers at the request of 20th Century Fox. The film's production was almost complete, but instead of taking a break, Luke stayed in close contact with the Speed studio. He understood that the film's promotional strategy was crucial to its success.

In this industry, distribution companies hold the most power. Despite Lucasfilm's support, Luke, as a new director, had no say in negotiations. He left those to the professionals.

In less than a week, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox reached a distribution agreement. 20th Century Fox would serve as the North American distributor for Speed, taking 15% of the North American box office and 50% of the television and video rights revenue as distribution fees. They also secured the right of first refusal for overseas distribution. Marketing, promotion, and production costs would be deducted from the North American box office revenue.

At the same time, 20th Century Fox laid out a North American release strategy. Over the next two weeks, the studio would hold screenings for fans and critics. Based on the response, they would invest the appropriate amount of marketing funds to build momentum. The film would be released in mid-April, a traditionally slow period, using a platform release strategy with 20 theaters.

The schedule was quickly sent to Luke. Though he was dissatisfied with Fox's conservative distribution strategy, he knew he didn't have the leverage to contest it.

Fox opted for the safest and most profitable approach for the distributor. Luke may have dreamed of opening in 1,000 or even 3,000 theaters across North America, but that was unrealistic. Large-scale releases come with high marketing costs, and the cost of making copies alone was daunting.

A 35mm copy cost around $600. For 3,000 screens, that's $1.8 million. Fox would never risk that without certainty about the film's market potential.

Hollywood's major studios are far from charitable. Fox's platform release would allow them to gauge audience response. If the film performed well, they could easily expand the release by printing more copies. If the movie flopped, Fox wouldn't suffer major losses. This is one of the basic rules in Hollywood — those without capital must follow the rules.

Luke knew that until Speed showed market potential, 20th Century Fox would never invest heavily in its promotion. Even so, Lucasfilm's involvement likely helped secure the initial push.

By late February, the media had yet to report any advertisements or news for Speed. Luke's insomnia worsened. Though he knew he should remain calm, the dry climate in Los Angeles made him irritable. Luckily, the recent light rain brought some relief.

Although the future was unclear, Luke had already started working on a second script, which served as a distraction. It would be another action film filled with explosions, gunfights, and betrayal.

On the last day of February, Luke put aside all his work and rushed to Los Angeles International Airport to see off the only friend he'd made on the Speed crew.

"This is my father, this is my mother…" Sofia Coppola introduced her family to Luke. Although they didn't know him, Luke certainly knew them.

Francis Coppola and his wife greeted Luke, then stepped aside to give the young people some space, clearly misunderstanding the situation.

"This is my cousin..." Sofia led him to a man with a strange and eccentric appearance. Luke quickly extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Nicholas."

"Nice to meet you too," replied Nicholas. He was now a borderline B-list actor, and his personality wasn't as odd as his appearance.

"You two might have a lot in common," Sofia added, standing between them. "Luke just made a movie and signed a distribution deal with 20th Century Fox."

"Director?" Cage asked.

"Yes," Luke said modestly. "An action film."

"Oh."

Cage immediately lost interest. At that time, he was a literary type and had little interest in action films.

The boarding announcement echoed through the terminal. After hugging her parents, Sofia walked over to Luke, tilted her head, and smiled. "I hope your movie sells well, great director!"

"I hope you can get rid of that assistant title soon," Luke replied in the same tone. "Maybe the next time I see you, you'll be a top fashion designer."

"Of course!" Sofia said confidently.

As she turned to leave, Luke added, "If you get fired by Chanel, you can always come back and be my assistant again!"

Without giving her a chance to retort, he turned and left.

After bidding farewell to the Coppola's and declining their dinner invitation, Luke drove his Chevrolet back to his Santa Monica home. He parked in the garage, walked to the front gate, and retrieved a pile of mail from the mailbox.

Inside the living room, Luke placed his mother's mail on the newspaper rack, opened several letters of his own, and sat on the couch.

One was a credit card bill. He had recently received another $20,000 from his $120,000 director's fee, so paying off the card wasn't a problem. His financial burden had been temporarily eased.

Another was an invitation from 20th Century Fox, inviting him to the early March screening.