Chapter 198 "Good Will Hunting" highlights
"Hey! Sophia, Matt..."
A medium-sized theater in Los Angeles, where "Good Will Hunting" held a preview. Little Gilbert came here early and transformed into a host to receive film critics from various media.
Sofia looked a little nervous as this was her first time directing a film.
The previous criticisms of her by film critics are still fresh in her mind. What if this film is messed up and the critics don't like it?
Little Gilbert saw his friend's worry and comforted him: "Don't be nervous, Sofia, you did a good job. We have already watched the film and it turned out well."
Sophia was still nervous: "Thank you, I'm just worried that the film critics won't say anything good."
"Calm down, you see Matt isn't nervous." Little Gilbert pointed to Matt Damon beside him.
"Well," Matt Damon came back to his senses and said, "Actually, I'm also very nervous and can't speak."
Little Gilbert was helpless, and after a while he said: "Cheer up, you are the masters today."
Having said that, nervousness cannot be eliminated casually.
Sofia asked little Gilbert for advice: "How do you eliminate tension?"
"It's very simple," Little Gilbert raised his eyebrows and said, "Just treat those reporters and film critics as cabbage, and treat what they say as a bunch of shit."
"Your method is not suitable for me. I can't do it." Sophia was desperate.
In this case, little Gilbert can't help Sophia, it's up to her to adjust herself.
"Good Will Hunting" is solely owned by Melon Studios and is distributed by Touchstone Pictures, so Touchstone Pictures also sent people to attend the preview.
This preview screening was arranged by the publicity department of Touchstone Pictures, otherwise the scale would not be so large.
Although Sofia is the daughter of a great director and has been Gilbert's deputy for several years, she obviously does not have such appeal.
All film critics, reporters, and representatives from theaters are basically here for little Gilbert.
In order to show enough attention, Touchstone Pictures CEO Robert Iger personally came to the preview and gave little Gilbert a lot of face.
Before the preview, Robert Egger and Gilbert Jr. had a conversation: "I heard that you are planning to let Kane go to New Zealand?"
"Yes," Little Gilbert didn't hide it. He couldn't handle this project alone and had to provide support to his partners.
Little Gilbert whispered in Robert Egger's ear: "I plan to put "The Lord of the Rings" on the big screen."
"The Lord of the Rings?" Robert Egger was a little surprised: "This novel is called the most difficult masterpiece to adapt. Isn't it a bit risky?"
"There's no way to make a movie without taking risks, Bob." Little Gilbert looked confident: "The reason why no one dares to adapt it is because the other people are not me.
As long as I am here, the adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings" will definitely be successful. "
Gilbert Jr. had acquired the rights to adapt "The Lord of the Rings" for several years. At that time, he was not well-known and received little media attention.
A few media outlets casually mentioned it in newspapers, and the matter passed away.
If you weren't paying special attention, you wouldn't have noticed at all that little Gilbert holds the rights to adapt "The Lord of the Rings".
Robert Egger had his doubts about adapting "The Lord of the Rings," but the director's track record reminded him that the project would be a success.
So Robert Iger said cruelly: "Little Gilbert, I will fully promote Disney. Don't worry, I will support you as firmly as ever."
Little Gilbert smiled: "Very good, Bob, we have always been happy to cooperate. I believe you can convince Disney. Let's watch, we will work together to create a great movie series."
The two reached a verbal cooperation, but the project was too large and complex for the two of them to push forward. They had to convince Disney executives.
At Warner, Gilbert Jr. had already discussed the project with Doug Walter, who immediately communicated with Warner executives.
However, due to the difficulty of adapting "The Lord of the Rings", despite Doug Walter's efforts to persuade, everyone, including CEO Jeff Robinzoff, was full of doubts.
Marketing director Tim Solomon even said: "If Gilbert Jr. was working on any other project, Warner would support it without hesitation, but 'Lord of the Rings', with all due respect, will not be successful."
Doug Walter retorted: "This is little Gilbert. Ladies and gentlemen, look at his past achievements! Do you think he will fail? Will he start preparing for this magnificent masterpiece without being sure?"
Both of them had their own reasons, and Warner executives were in a tangle.
Little Gilbert also heard about Warner's internal hesitation, but it doesn't matter. Melon Studio has money and can do a large part of the preparatory work himself.
The reason why a giant company needs to join is not complicated. Xianggua Studio has no publicity channels at all and needs the help of a giant company.
Some people may say, wouldn’t it be great if you just turn Melon Studio into a Melon Film Company, control your own publicity and distribution channels, and become a giant yourself?
That’s what you say, but it’s hard to do.
Sometimes, it doesn't mean that you can build a giant company if you have money. Especially the Hollywood film industry is so complex that even if you have money, you can't get around it.
Hollywood giants compete and cooperate with each other, but they have reached a tacit agreement that new giants are not allowed to join.
After DreamWorks was established, it was immediately strangled by the major giants. Every step was extremely difficult, and little Gilbert saw it.
According to traditional methods, DreamWorks has no hope of replacing the giants. If you want to defeat the giants, you must wait for the opportunity. Only when the Internet develops again and the era of smart phones and mobile Internet comes, will it be feasible.
But that was too far away. Little Gilbert chose an easier path and turned himself into a member of a giant company.
This is why Disney and Warner want to acquire Melon Studios, but Gilbert Jr. has no objections.
If you want to win over Cantaloupe Studio, you must pay a certain price, a price that is enough to get Little Gilbert on the board of directors.
Once he enters the board of directors, the room for maneuver will be much larger. When the time comes, Little Gilbert will directly turn against the guest, occupying the magpie's nest, and the civet cat will replace the prince.
This method is much simpler than setting up a film company by yourself and then fighting with the giants every day.
The preview screening of "Good Will Hunting" went smoothly, beyond the expectations of many film critics. This film, which was produced by Gilbert Jr. and directed by Sofia for the first time, showed good quality.
In the post-screening reviews, many film critics gave positive reviews, which made Sofia relieved.
Afterwards, theater chain representatives attended the preview screening. Compared with film critics, theater chain representatives valued the film's commercial potential more.
Taken together, "Good Will Hunting" received an A- theater rating, which is considered a qualified evaluation.
However, considering that the film will not be released in the summer, the competition will not be too fierce, so the theater chain promises that once the theater chain performs well in the screening process, it will expand the scale of screening according to the contract.
After the preview, the head of publicity at Touchstone Pictures asked Gilbert Jr.: "Does this film have any intention of competing for an Oscar?"
Little Gilbert remembered that "Good Will Hunting" did receive several Oscar nominations and won one or two awards, so he nodded: "Of course..."
If Miramax's strategy is followed, "Good Will Hunting" will inevitably be moved to the end of December and will not be released on a large scale until before the Oscars.
Although "The English Patient" did not win the Best Picture trophy, several important awards still boosted the film's box office.
Released before the Oscars, "The English Patient" has currently accumulated US$32.256 million in box office in North America. For a low-budget film, this box office result is quite good.
According to estimates, the North American box office of "The English Patient" will exceed 40 million, and the global box office will reach about 80 million.
Although it did not exceed 100 million, Miramax not only recouped the investment in the film and the public relations expenses spent on the Oscars, but also made a fortune.
It can be said that it was the Weinstein brothers who made everyone see through the Oscars for what they really are, which is actually a business.
However, Gilbert Jr. decided to let "Good Will Hunting" hit theaters in April instead of adopting Miramax's strategy. It was not necessary.
Moreover, the big ship is coming in December this year, so there is no need to get into trouble.
After the preview screening, "Good Will Hunting" went on the fast track, and the film immediately started small-scale screenings.
During the promotion, it will be emphasized that this is a work produced by Gilbert Jr., thereby attracting some movie fans to the cinema.
The screening effect is very good, and the reviews from movie fans are good.
The leading actors Sofia and Matt Damon visited several theaters where screenings were held to interact with fans offline and promote the film.
As the screening progressed, the comments from media critics were gradually lifted.
"Good Will Hunting is a rare breath of fresh air in Hollywood, a film with intelligence, sincerity and the right goals." - Roger Ebert.
Roger Ebert, Little Gilbert's number one fan, was the first to comment.
Although he did not attend the premiere, he still went to see the screenings himself and immediately gave positive reviews.
Film critic Kenneth Turan, who has never appreciated Gilbert Jr., said: "The entire film "Good Will Hunting" is basically a high-quality Hollywood film dominated by life-like acting skills and an inspirational and touching script.
The director's technique is smooth and sensational, deeply capturing the hearts of the general audience, but he lacks criticism of society's rigid values. "
The praise is exaggerated, but he also did not forget to criticize the shortcomings of the film. It seems that even if Gilbert Jr. served as the producer, Kenneth Turan still did not let him go.
But surprisingly, he praised Sophia.
You know, he was one of the film critics who criticized Sophia the most.
Sofia herself privately complained to little Gilbert: "I finally understand that the film critic is indeed Shet, a dog who can only wag his tail.
Give him a little benefit, and he will wag his tail and cheer for you. "
Little Gilbert laughed and said: "So, don't care too much about what the critics think. If you make a movie according to their ideas, you will be fooled."
Sophia nodded in approval: "Indeed, if they knew movies, they would have come by themselves, so why bother to rack their brains to write movie reviews.
Making movies makes much more money than writing movie reviews. "
The screening effect is quite good. Thanks to the accumulation of word-of-mouth and the praise of film critics, Touchstone Pictures' publicity is also very strong.
The premiere prospects of "Good Will Hunting" are bright, and it will finally hit theaters on a large scale on April 11th.
(End of chapter)