On November 13th, the day after the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show aired, the Thanksgiving season officially kicked off. Columbia Pictures launched their high-budget film, "Bram Stoker's Dracula," with a production cost of $40 million, opening on a wide release across 2,491 screens. Simultaneously, Highgate Films began a limited release of their critically-anticipated movie, "Scent of a Woman," on just 20 screens, as part of their awards campaign strategy.
In addition to these two key releases, smaller films also hit the theaters. These included Goodwin Films' "Red Lipstick Blood" and Orion Pictures' "Before Sunrise Ends the Sadness," each opening on fewer than 300 screens. These smaller releases were likely to struggle against the high-profile holiday competition.
Meanwhile, Daenerys Entertainment's Halloween release, "The Ring," continued to perform impressively. After an opening week gross of $28.79 million from October 30th to November 5th, the film saw only a minor 13% drop in its second week, earning another $25.03 million from November 6th to November 12th. This brought the movie's total to $53.82 million after just two weeks.
Considering the upcoming Thanksgiving period, and with no direct competition from similar horror films, New World Pictures' distribution team projected that "The Ring" could reach over $150 million in North American box office revenue. Achieving this milestone would secure the film a spot in the top ten highest-grossing films of 1992 in North America.
Produced in Australia to cut costs, "The Ring" had a modest budget of $13 million, partly due to the lower salary demands of Nicole Kidman and tax incentives. With North American box office projections reaching more than ten times its production budget, Hollywood was abuzz with envy. This estimate didn't even include the additional revenue expected from international box office sales, home video, and TV syndication.
Hollywood's reaction to "The Ring's" success was swift. Studios began snapping up the rights to Japanese horror novels, looking to replicate its unique blend of supernatural horror, which diverged from the traditional Western slasher and gore genres.
Despite the rush to follow in its footsteps, Simon directed New World Pictures' President, Danny Morris, to focus on ghostly tales native to North America, believing that American ghost stories could be just as rich and varied.
As "The Ring" dominated the box office, Highgate Films' previous release, "The Crying Game," reached a cumulative gross of $20.54 million by September 25th. From October 30th to November 12th, it earned an additional $7.22 million and $5.37 million, respectively, bringing its total to $33.13 million. With Thanksgiving around the corner, "The Crying Game's" box office decline was expected to slow, potentially pushing its final North American earnings between $60 and $70 million. This strong box office performance, coupled with critical acclaim, positioned it as a contender for the upcoming awards season, alongside "Scent of a Woman."
In Simon's memory, both films received Oscar nominations for Best Picture. This time, if "Scent of a Woman" performed well in the coming weeks, Highgate Films would prioritize it over "The Crying Game" to avoid splitting votes. Nonetheless, "The Crying Game" would still garner significant nominations to maximize its box office potential.
Daenerys Entertainment had a history of strategic sacrifices during awards seasons due to its abundant high-quality releases. This year, for example, the company had to choose between films like "Howards End," "The Crying Game," and "Scent of a Woman," all of which were Best Picture nominees in Simon's recollection.
Despite the acclaim, "Howards End," released in August and grossing $26.12 million after a nine-week run, would likely take a backseat to the higher-earning "The Crying Game."
Hollywood insiders were keenly aware of this dynamic. For instance, director Jonathan Demme, who had worked with Daenerys Entertainment on "The Silence of the Lambs," felt the sting of the studio's strategic choices. Despite the original timeline's success at the 1992 Oscars, the film only received a few minor nominations due to competition from Daenerys' other hits like "The Piano" and "Thelma & Louise."
Disheartened by this, Demme chose to partner with MGM for his next project, "Philadelphia," rather than working again with Daenerys Entertainment. This film, featuring Tom Hanks as an AIDS-afflicted lawyer, was clearly designed to be an Oscar contender. In the original timeline, Hanks won his first Best Actor Oscar for this role and followed it up with another win for "Forrest Gump" the next year.
With Simon delaying the production of "Forrest Gump," Hanks was able to rejoin "Philadelphia," set to start filming in January 1993 for a late 1993 release, targeting the 1994 awards season. Notably, despite Hanks' potential to repeat his Oscar success, Demme was unlikely to clinch another Academy Award due to the competition from Spielberg's "Schindler's List," also scheduled for a late 1993 release. This was a key reason Simon delayed "Forrest Gump," aiming for Daenerys Entertainment to dominate consecutive Oscar years.
After the broadcast of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, the follow-up tasks were handled by dedicated teams, allowing Simon and Janet to head to Melbourne for David Johnston and Lesley Wickett's November 21st wedding, with plans to stay in Australia until the New Year.
With Daenerys Entertainment's major holiday releases, "Home Alone 2" on November 20th and "Jurassic Park" on December 18th, the company's marketing and distribution teams were fully engaged.
### Melbourne, Australia
As David Johnston's wedding approached, the Johnston residence by the Yarra River in Melbourne's northern suburbs became a hub of activity. Both Anthony Johnston and Norman Johnston's families moved into the house, and despite their initial plans to stay in their nearby villa, Simon and Janet also joined due to the insistence of the family patriarch.
Veronica also moved in with her young ones, bringing the entire extended family together. With Lesley Wickett's wedding, her family members added to the bustling household.
Arriving in Melbourne on November 15th, Simon and Janet spent a week in a whirlwind of social engagements leading up to the wedding on the 21st. After the couple left for their honeymoon, the atmosphere in Melbourne finally quieted down.
Simon and Janet spent a few more days in Melbourne before heading across the Bass Strait to Tasmania. Over the years, Simon had been steadily acquiring land on the island, pushing up local land prices due to his consistent purchases. Despite some opportunistic locals looking to sell at inflated prices, Tasmania's remote location meant that few were willing to invest heavily there.
Simon's holdings now covered 13,000 square kilometers (3.2 million acres), making up more than a fifth of Tasmania's total area. Although most of this land was unproductive wilderness, Simon had no intention of exploiting it commercially, such as logging the ancient forests. Instead, he saw himself as a steward of the environment, going so far as to buy and close down a copper mine on his property, funding reforestation efforts to repair the damage from past mining.
While Janet had suggested developing the area into a film set, given its untouched natural beauty comparable to New Zealand, Simon preferred to keep it as a private sanctuary away from the public eye. The secluded retreat also included a newly completed doomsday bunker, a military-grade facility hidden deep in the forest. Even though many knew of its existence, the exact location remained elusive without precise coordinates.
Simon and Janet spent over a week in late November in a cabin near the bunker, enjoying activities like horseback riding, hiking, rafting, and hunting during the day, and resting in the bunker at night. They filled the bunker with supplies, living a secluded life in the Tasmanian wilderness while the Thanksgiving season continued back in North America.
### Thanksgiving Box Office
From November 13th to November 19th, Francis Ford Coppola's vampire thriller "Bram Stoker's Dracula" topped the box office, earning $38.7 million in its first week, averaging over $15,000 per theater.
"The Ring" maintained its strong performance, dropping just 17% in its third week to earn $20.77 million, bringing its cumulative total to $74.59 million.
Highgate Films' "Scent of a Woman," with an impressive 8.8 critic score, grossed $630,000 from 20 screens, averaging $31,000 per theater in its opening week.
On November 20th, the highly anticipated "Home Alone 2" premiered on 2,673 screens. Competing against it was Warner Bros.' biographical drama "Malcolm X," directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington. "Malcolm X," focusing on racial issues, opened on 1,124 screens, far fewer than "Home Alone 2," and posed little threat due to its niche subject matter.
Despite similar themes to its predecessor, "Home Alone 2" benefited from its holiday timing and strong franchise following. It debuted with a robust $53.13 million over its first seven days, easily securing the top spot at the box office.
"Bram Stoker's Dracula" dropped 45% in its second week, earning $21.5 million for a total of $60.21 million. Columbia Pictures anticipated profitability despite its hefty $40 million budget.
"Malcolm X" exceeded industry expectations, achieving critical and commercial success with an 8.8 score and $18.31 million from 1,124 screens, averaging over $
16,000 per theater and placing third for the week.
Following "Malcolm X," "The Ring" held the fourth spot, with a 24% decline in its fourth week, adding $15.79 million for a cumulative $90.38 million, on track to cross the $100 million mark soon.
In fifth place, "Passenger 57" earned around $6 million, indicating a significant drop-off in comparison to the top films.
"Scent of a Woman" maintained its 20-screen release for another week, increasing its per-screen average to $37,000 and earning an additional $740,000.
With strong initial performance, "Scent of a Woman" expanded to 1,083 screens for the following week, setting the stage for a wider audience and potentially greater success as the Thanksgiving season continued.
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