Chapter 199 Smoke is Filled
On Friday, April 11, "Good Will Hunting" opened in 2,100 theaters across the United States.
Before the summer schedule, the April schedule can smell a bit of the summer schedule, and some small and medium-cost films will choose to be released in this schedule.
Gilbert Jr.'s new film won't be released until the end of May, so "Good Will Hunting," which Gilbert Jr. serves as the producer, has become a movie viewing choice for many Gilbert Jr. fans.
This is the case for Bachel Lutz and Evans in New York. Both are loyal Little Gilbert fans and have joined the New York Little Gilbert Fan Organization.
There just happened to be no good commercial hits in April. I heard there was a feature film directed by Gilbert's friend Sophia, so I planned to watch it.
After watching it, Evans commented: "The finished film is pretty good. Sofia's directorial skills are unexpected, and Matt Damon's performance is also great."
Bacher Lutz smiled and said: "After all, she is the daughter of director Coppola, and she has studied with little Gilbert for several years. It is not surprising that Sofia has such a level."
"Yes, her level as a director is indeed better than her ability as an actor." Evans said.
"It seems that Hollywood is about to produce another outstanding female director."
Hollywood is a man's world, especially in the two positions of director and producer, and it is rare to see women in important positions.
Maybe the two Catherines are more important, one is Katherine Kennedy and the other is Katherine Bilog.
If this were the case in an era when boxingism was on the rise, the fact that Sofia was a director for the first time would have been used to inspire support for independent women and get them into the cinema.
But unfortunately, this is not that era.
Therefore, the early promotion strategy focused on Gilbert Jr. as the producer and Matt Damon writing and starring.
But even so, Sofia's identity as a female director has been noticed by movie fans, especially those female fans.
Therefore, according to the theater chain survey, it can be found that the ratio of male and female movie fans is quite close, and the proportion of female movie fans even exceeds 50%.
Such a ratio only appears in youth movies, or low-budget romantic comedy movies, or chick flicks.
"Good Will Hunting" is a good quality movie, but it is definitely not a popular chick flick on the market now, and it doesn't have much comedy or romance elements.
This ratio is possible because of the support of female fans for Sophia.
After discovering this, Touchstone Pictures' publicity department immediately changed its strategy and focused its promotion on Sophia, thereby attracting more female fans.
According to traditional market concepts, female movie fans’ contribution to the box office is far less than that of male movie fans.
However, with the movie "Good Will Hunting", the situation has changed slightly.
But what the film company didn't expect was that there would be a super blockbuster next, which created a box office miracle by relying on the sensual girls to walk into the cinema to watch it over and over again.
The film received a pretty good response, with "Good Will Hunting" earning $27.3 million in its first weekend.
When she learned about the box office results in the first week, Sofia was very happy and jumped up excitedly.
If this situation continues, making money from the film will not be a problem, and she can repay her friends' trust.
More importantly, this success opened a new world for her. Once a movie is successful, it is natural to get the opportunity to direct next.
The first-week box office performance is not a surprise, "Good Will Hunting" does have excellent quality.
When Robert Iger saw the box office performance of "Good Will Hunting", he regretted why he didn't invest in the movie.
But fortunately, Touchstone Pictures is the distribution agent of the film, and there is still a distribution commission to be collected. Warner is in trouble. They neither invested nor participated in distribution, so they can't make a penny.
But this can't be blamed on Warner for not supporting Gilbert Jr., after all, Gilbert Jr. has never discussed this project with them.
The information revealed also caused discussion among Warner executives.
"Does this mean that little Gilbert has moved on to Disney?" Jeff Robinoff asked.
"I don't think so," Doug Walter said: "I know little Gilbert fairly well. He is waiting for whoever offers the higher price."
"You mean, he is looking at who is more sincere, Disney or Warner?" Jeff Robinoff asked.
"That's right," Doug Walter glanced at the audience and said in a solemn tone: "Everyone, this is a tug-of-war, related to Warner's strategy at the beginning of the next century.
No matter what, Melon Studio Warner must win.
Even if they can't win, they still have to get a part of the equity. Warner can't afford to lose Gilbert Jr. "
Doug Walter’s words were unanimously recognized by the executives. Warner's next focus will be on Little Gilbert and Melon Studios.
Similar meetings are also taking place at the Disney headquarters not far from Warner.
After discussing this summer's work, Robert Iger said: "I talked with Gilbert Jr., and he is determined to put "The Lord of the Rings" on the big screen."
"Lord of the Rings?" A senior executive frowned and asked, "Is this possible? Isn't it a bit rash?"
"I've asked him. He has a detailed plan. I think the probability of success is high. And "Lord of the Rings" will take time. During this period, he will also make other movies." Robert Egger briefly introduced the situation.
Since Michael Ovitz was ousted, Disney appears to be back under the control of Michael Eisner.
But things are not that simple. Now that the crack has occurred, it is not so easy to heal.
Michael Eisner was dissatisfied with the shareholders on the Disney board who opposed him, and those shareholders were dissatisfied with Michael Eisner's strength.
To put it simply, Disney has ended its internal strife on the surface, but there are turbulent waves under the calm sea.
As a close confidant of Michael Eisner, Robert Iger was naturally regarded as Michael Eisner's lackey by those who opposed him.
Although Robert Iger tried his best to persuade the board of directors, Disney chose to wait and see for a while due to opposition from a group of shareholders. Robert Egger was very tired and complained to his wife when he got home: "These short-sighted people have never known what unity is.
What are they still hesitating about? Don’t you know the cost of losing little Gilbert? "
The wife consoled her: "Don't worry, Bob, they will figure it out sooner or later."
"Hopefully!" Robert Egger suddenly remembered what little Gilbert said to him.
Gilbert Jr. said he hoped he would serve as Disney's president. At this moment, Robert Iger wishes he were the president of Disney.
But then again, the biggest problem at Disney right now is the feud between Michael Eisner and the board of directors.
What if... I kicked Michael Eisner out?
As soon as Robert Egger came up with this idea, he was immediately thrown away by himself. How could he do this when Mr. Eisner had been kind to him?
However, like a poison flower, this idea took root and sprouted in Robert Egger's mind.
The generation of an idea will stay in the mind for a long time. As time goes by, it will continue to absorb nutrients and eventually grow and become a reality.
Deep down, Robert Iger felt that Disney would be better off if he led it.
Of the two giants that are cooperating with Little Gilbert, one is determined and the other is still hesitant, but this does not affect the current pace of cooperation.
After "Good Will Hunting", the focus of work came to "The Sixth Sense".
Starting from the end of April, "The Sixth Sense" has started a publicity and distribution mode, and has also held film critic media previews and theater previews.
Compared to "Good Will Hunting", the film directed by Gilbert Jr. is undoubtedly more popular with film critics and the media.
Before watching the movie, the media and film critics were still discussing that it was probably a popular commercial blockbuster, with explosions and car chases.
You should know it by looking at the cast of the film, Gilbert Jr. and Bruce Willis.
In fact, the trailer has already told everyone what kind of movie this is. But without seeing the full picture of the film, everyone still maintained a skeptical attitude.
But after watching the film, the media and critics fell silent.
We all know that little Gilbert has changed his style since "Saving Private Ryan", but we didn't expect that his style has changed so much.
This "The Sixth Sense" was unexpected and quite exciting. The twist in the last five minutes surprised even media and film critics who are experienced in watching movies.
After attending the preview screening, Little Gilbert's official reporter, Sarah, a reporter from the Los Angeles Business Journal, stopped writing for a long time and thought about it all night.
Finally, taking advantage of the dawn, she wrote a long film review.
“‘The Sixth Sense’ not only has the frightening images and thrilling dubbing of traditional horror and suspense films, but also has a complete and attractive story.
This story contains suspense, thriller, love and tenderness.
The unexpected ending of the story is the most exciting moment of the entire film, and the actors' performances are also very exciting. Haley Joel Osment's performance in the film is called the best among child actors..."
Because she couldn't spoil the story, Sarah mainly praised Gilbert Jr.'s writing and directing techniques, and even praised Haley's performance.
Many film critics have done the same thing. Film critic Kenneth Turan, who has always been unfavorable to Little Gilbert, even said: "Gilbert Little's best work in his career has been born. This "The Sixth Sense" is emotionally sincere and full of twists and turns." It's jaw-dropping enough.
In short, this is a movie that everyone deserves to go to the cinema. If you miss it, you will regret it. "
Seasoned movie fans all know that Kenneth Turan has always criticized Gilbert Jr.'s movies, and this time he was a little surprised to see him give a rare positive review.
What kind of movie is this? Can he actually conquer the tough-talking Kenneth Turan?
Although movie fans are itching and eager to see the movie, they still have to wait for a while.
However, there is no shortage of blockbusters in the summer. The first one to appear is "Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World" directed by Spielberg and produced and distributed by Universal Pictures.
Spielberg snatched Gilbert's schedule, causing "The Sixth Sense" to be moved to the end of May.
However, not many people laughed at little Gilbert. Instead, many media praised little Gilbert for being smart and not choosing to compete head-on with "Jurassic Park 2."
This is a choice a mature, rational person would make.
It would be a fool's errand to choose to release it at the same time as "Jurassic Park" just for the sake of a momentary dispute.
In addition to test screenings, Gilbert Jr. also began to take the main actors such as Bruce Willis and Haley to appear on major programs to promote the film.
Let’s take a look at the box office performance of “Good Will Hunting”. As of the weekend when “Jurassic Park” was released, “Good Will Hunting” had already grossed US$103 million at the box office in North America.
Sophia became famous, and her first independently directed film exceeded 100 million US dollars in North American box office, attracting the pursuit of many film companies.
Sophia now has several books in her hand, all waiting for her to make a choice.
Because this film is solely owned by Muskmelon Studios, excluding the distribution commission, it is almost the pure profit of Muskmelon Studios.
Disney has arranged for "Good Will Hunting" to be released in overseas markets one after another. The several markets where it has been released have performed well, and the film's prospects are quite optimistic.
Both Disney and Warner regretted it. Why didn't they ask to invest with Little Gilbert? As a result, I missed a profitable project.
But no one expected that movies are inherently gambling.
Now that the movie is a success, everyone is praising little Gilbert for his good vision. If the film fails, everyone should accuse Little Gilbert of being brainless. Do you dare to invest in such a film?
A movie inherently has multiple possibilities. If little Gilbert wins the bet, he deserves to make money.
(End of chapter)