RBCT Chapter 157 Reactions from All Parties
Chapter 157 Reactions from All Parties
Chapter 157 Reactions from All Parties
Just as Ernst suspected, James Cameron was currently cursing him in circles.
The London night sky, like splashed ink, was heavily scattered over the Thames.
As the female lead of "Titanic" is British, the film's first overseas promotional tour was naturally held in the UK.
Inside the Grosvenor Hotel near Knightsbridge, a vintage copper chandelier cast a dim, yellowish glow, elongating James Cameron's weary figure.
He slumped onto the velvet sofa, pressing his knuckles hard against his throbbing temples, his Adam's apple bobbing as he let out a suppressed groan.
The windowpane reflected the bloodshot veins in his eyes, proof that he had only slept three hours a day for a week straight.
Just a few days ago, when "Titanic" was released in North America, he was standing on the red carpet at the Chinese Theatre, full of vigor. But now, the first-week box office report in his hand is like a red-hot iron, burning his palms.
$3387 million might be acceptable for a regular commercial film, but compared to an epic production costing $2 million, it's practically a public execution.
A dozen or so newspapers were scattered on the coffee table. The Mirror had written in bold "Cameron's Ice Sea Nightmare," while The Sun sarcastically remarked that the Titanic hadn't sunk fast enough.
"What do these bastards know? They just saw the North American box office numbers and criticized the movie as worthless. Do they even deserve to be columnists?"
He has been under tremendous pressure over the past week.
Poor box office performance and a deluge of negative reports from North America have reached England. London journalists have directly exposed his wounds, filling him with anger and helplessness.
This film can be said to be the culmination of his countless efforts; every shot and every scene reflects his unwavering pursuit of cinematic art.
Although it's a commercial film, he firmly believes that he has pushed the boundaries of art within the realm of commercial films.
He couldn't believe that such a deeply affectionate work would end up like this.
He recalled the details of the filming process, how he auditioned almost every actor in Hollywood who was the right age in order to find the right actors, and finally selected Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
During filming, a single scene often had to be filmed dozens of times until he was satisfied.
Cameron firmly believed that the film had the power to move people, but the current result is not satisfactory.
There are many reasons for this outcome, such as the declining appeal of the subject matter to the audience and previous negative news.
However, that man's decision was also crucial.
With Ernst's image flashing through his mind, James Cameron wondered if his decision had been right or wrong.
The pressure exerted on 20th Century Fogg for this film has created a slight rift in the current relationship between the two companies.
On the other hand, without this man, it's uncertain whether 2000 Century Fox would have invested further in this film.
Even additional investment could not provide the same level of support as MGM and Ernst.
If the promotion hadn't kept up, would this movie have done better at the box office even in 20th Century Fox?
But Ernst’s dictatorial behavior still displeased him. Why release it during the summer season, especially such a terrible time slot?
In his opinion, the most suitable release date for "Titanic" is the Christmas season, when there is less competition from other big-budget films and it is more in line with the theme.
If James Cameron was resigned to waiting for a miracle to happen, then other Hollywood giants like 20th Century Fox and Paramount were practically celebrating with champagne.
Inside the 20th Century Fox headquarters building in Century City, Los Angeles, the top-floor conference room is undergoing final setup in preparation for the upcoming summer movie season.
Although 20th Century Fox did not have any films released in May, from mid-June onwards, it will be 20th Century Fox's real battleground, with multiple films to be released.
The promotional plans for these films have already been finalized, and some have even begun to be promoted.
Bill McNick tapped his fingers lightly on the mahogany table as his gaze swept over the executives present.
"There shouldn't be any problems with the publicity, right?" he asked in a deep voice.
"Everything is proceeding smoothly, and all the coordination work has been completed."
Nodding, the CEO, hailed as one of 20th Century Fox's greatest CEOs, continued, "What about the theaters?"
The head of the distribution department immediately chimed in, "The theater alliance has promised to provide at least 2400 screens on opening day."
Although the promises from cinemas are meaningless, if a movie's box office is high, they will increase the number of screenings without you even having to ask.
If no one buys a movie, even if you kneel down to the theaters, it won't help.
With over 2400 screens used for the initial setup, it still has some effect.
At least subconsciously, the audience will perceive this as a blockbuster rather than a low-budget production, increasing their desire to go to the theater.
After all the topics were discussed, everyone relaxed. One of the executives glanced at Mary Jenny Harrison and laughed.
"Have you heard? Titanic only grossed $3387 million in its opening weekend."
He gave a mocking look. "I told you long ago, Cameron is too arrogant. How can you possibly make a movie about a shipwreck? Throwing so much money into this kind of subject matter is simply insane."
"Now MGM is in for a headache. It's questionable whether this film will even gross over $100 million in North America, and its global box office won't exceed $250 million."
After glancing at Harrison, the executive flattered him, saying, "President Harrison's decision to sell this project to MGM was absolutely brilliant; otherwise, the tragedy that MGM is in today would be the same as what 20th Century Fox is going through."
The atmosphere in the entire conference room at 2000 Century Fox became strange because of these words.
Everyone knows that Titanic was a project strongly supported by Bill McNick.
Harrison bypassed him and sold the project to MGM without his consent, which was a serious provocation to Bill McNichol.
So during this time, even though he knew Harrison was Murdoch's spokesperson, Bill McNick deliberately targeted her, making her time at 20th Century Fox very difficult.
Now that the box office results for "Titanic" are in, Harrison feels it's time to stage a brilliant comeback and let the other side know how shrewd his initial decision was.
But Bill McNichols merely glanced at the other person indifferently, his face showing no emotion, before getting up and leaving the conference room.
Harrison saw the other person's back and a victor's smile appeared on his face.
She didn't care what Bill McNichols's attitude was; what mattered was that this matter would reach Murdoch's ears, and that was enough.
If 20th Century Fox was a power struggle at the top, then Paramount was all about one-sided hype.
At Paramount Pictures headquarters, Tom Jacobson stood in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, delivering a passionate speech to a group of upright subordinates behind him.
He wore a custom-made suit today, and the Paramount logo on his tie clip gleamed gold under the lights.
The Los Angeles Times spread out on his desk, the box office success of "Titanic" acting like the best stimulant, filled his voice with a savior-like excitement.
"Last year, that idiot Dorgon insisted on investing $6500 million in Titanic, and I slammed my fist on the table in opposition."
"What era are we living in that we're still making movies about shipwrecks? Audiences want the thrill of Mission: Impossible and the passion of Braveheart."
"This is the consequence of blindly pursuing big productions. Audiences are becoming more and more discerning, and you can't just fool them with a lavish set."
The subordinates all lowered their heads, and the marketing manager even secretly rolled his eyes, recalling how Tom had boasted to Disney's Eisner at the Titanic dinner last week.
"Fortunately, I had the foresight to withdraw from this doomed project early on."
At this moment, the CEO is summarizing with great enthusiasm, "This is the art of decision-making. Knowing when to cut your losses is more important than knowing when to invest."
For a full thirty minutes, Tom Jacobson boasted about himself, and all the executives listened helplessly, some even fawning over him.
Meanwhile, in the Universal Pictures screening room, Frank was watching the final cut of Jurassic Park 2 over and over again.
On the giant screen, the scene of dinosaurs chasing a jeep was breathtaking.
"I want the audience to know what a real summer blockbuster is."
Frank sneered at the empty screening room. "In the film industry, only the box office doesn't lie. This guy thinks he can challenge the authority of 'Jurassic Park'? This time, I'm going to show you that Hollywood isn't so fun."