The impact of "Jurassic Park" rippled through the North American box office during the first week of the Christmas season, causing other films to underperform.
Typically, with the arrival of the holidays, movies often see an uptick or stabilization in ticket sales. However, this phenomenon did not occur this time, even for "Home Alone 2," a film perfectly aligned with the holiday spirit. From December 18th to December 24th, "Home Alone 2" experienced a significant 17% drop in its box office earnings.
In its fifth week, "Home Alone 2" grossed $10.29 million, bringing its cumulative total to $132.05 million.
Due to this unexpected downturn, Daenerys Entertainment's distribution team had to revise their domestic box office forecast for "Home Alone 2." Initially aiming for a high of $200 million, they now anticipated a more realistic total around $170 million, in line with the film's performance in the original timeline.
Released concurrently with "Jurassic Park," the fantasy comedy "Toys," starring Robin Williams, flopped badly, earning only $5.31 million in its first week.
On December 21st, Monday, the 50th Golden Globe Awards nominations were officially announced.
Daenerys Entertainment's "The Crying Game" garnered three nominations for Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Screenplay. Their other significant contender for the 1993 awards season, "Scent of a Woman," received six nominations, including Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Screenplay.
With these nominations, both films received renewed media and public attention.
Having opened on September 25th, "The Crying Game" had reached a cumulative North American gross of $51.63 million by December 24th, after 13 weeks in theaters. Its weekly earnings had fallen below $4 million, with only $3.13 million in ticket sales from December 18th to December 24th.
With their focus shifting to promoting "Scent of a Woman" during the awards season, Gaumont International, Daenerys' distributor, planned to slightly expand the film's screening during this awards buzz. "The Crying Game" was projected to add another $15 million in revenue, potentially reaching a final domestic box office total between $65 million and $70 million—a remarkable feat for a film with a $3 million budget.
Meanwhile, "Scent of a Woman," which opened on November 13th with a limited release and expanded widely on November 27th, had accumulated $30.11 million by December 24th, after four weeks of wide release.
Given its prominence during the awards season, "Scent of a Woman" was poised to match the box office performance of "The Crying Game" domestically.
On December 25th, as the second week of the Christmas season began, three new films hit North American theaters.
Warner Bros. released "Forever Young," starring Mel Gibson, across 1,710 screens.
In Simon's memory, the original lead actress was Jamie Lee Curtis, but this time, the role went to Meg Ryan, likely influenced by Simon's ripple effects.
Although Simon had no direct involvement, he mused that Curtis's more tomboyish persona wouldn't have generated much chemistry with Gibson. Since it wasn't a Daenerys film, he figured the worse it did, the better.
However, even with Meg Ryan, a more popular lead, "Forever Young" was bound to be overshadowed by "Jurassic Park" this holiday season.
The other two new releases included:
- Paramount Pictures' "Leap of Faith," starring Steve Martin, a story about a conman who tours the country putting on fake faith-healing shows. It opened on 1,554 screens.
- Fox's "Hoffa," a biographical crime drama starring Jack Nicholson, targeting the awards season, opened on 1,066 screens.
In New York, Long Island.
At a Jewish synagogue in East Hampton.
The date was December 27th.
At 10 a.m., Steve Ross's funeral service was held.
After a rabbi recounted Ross's life, family, friends, and colleagues took turns giving eulogies. The service lasted until noon, followed by a reception at the Ross family estate in East Hampton.
The luncheon was a somber affair with a buffet setup.
"Simon, I've been contemplating something recently. I'd like to dedicate 'Schindler's List' to Steve," Steven Spielberg remarked as he and Simon, along with their wives, paid their respects to Ross's widow, Courtney Ross, in the estate's grand hall.
In the original timeline, "Schindler's List" was a Universal Pictures release, with a dedication to Steve Ross at the end of the film.
Simon nodded, "Of course, Steven. You have full control over 'Schindler's List'."
Spielberg, who had been prepared to elaborate on his plans, simply thanked Simon with a grateful look.
Courtney Ross, visibly moved, added, "Oh, Steven, and Simon, thank you both so much."
"It's the least we can do, Mrs. Ross," Simon replied.
"Well," Courtney continued, looking at Simon, "Next month, I'm planning a memorial for Steve. Could you attend if you can make time?"
Simon paused, noticing Courtney's hopeful gaze, and nodded, "Sure, just let me know the details."
Janet, who had been quietly holding a tray beside Simon, subtly rolled her eyes at the exchange.
Courtney Ross was Steve Ross's third wife, over twenty years younger than him—a typical May-December marriage. Unlike Steve Ross, who was known for his charm and emotional intelligence, Courtney wasn't well-liked in social circles.
For instance, her recent invitation to Simon was tactless.
Given Simon and Steve's not-so-deep relationship, flying back from Australia for the funeral was already a significant gesture. Asking him publicly to attend the memorial put Simon in a position where he couldn't easily decline without seeming rude.
Moreover, making the request in front of Spielberg, who had a nearly father-son relationship with Steve, seemed overly enthusiastic and somewhat opportunistic.
Courtney seemed oblivious to these nuances.
She likely saw Simon's attendance as a way to enhance the event's prestige, while assuming Spielberg's participation was a given.
A moment later, Robert Daly and Terry Semel, two of Ross's closest confidants, approached to greet Simon.
As they exchanged quiet words, Spielberg tactfully excused himself.
Janet, observing that Courtney was still lingering, stepped forward, "Courtney, would you mind introducing me to a few more people?"
Courtney, somewhat surprised but eager, nodded and led Janet away.
With the two women gone, Robert Daly spoke first, "Simon, I've reviewed some of Fashion TV's plans. I must say, the cable TV industry really does need a specialized fashion channel. This initiative has a lot of potential, and Warner will do its best to support its launch."
As one of Ross's top lieutenants, Terry Semel managed Warner Bros.' film division, while Robert Daly oversaw the cable TV operations through Warner Cable. HBO, however, was under the Time Inc. umbrella.
Daenerys Entertainment's planned launch of Fashion TV would require collaboration with cable operators.
Understanding Daly's intent to curry favor, Simon smiled, "Fashion TV is mainly to promote brands like Gucci. I'm not entirely sure how successful it will be. By the way, how have things been on your end recently?"
The two men exchanged glances, and Semel replied, "The board plans to hold an extraordinary shareholders' meeting on January 5th to finalize the company's leadership."
Today was December 27th, leaving a little over a week until January 5th.
Simon did a quick mental calculation before continuing, "Earlier this year, Steve discussed this with me. He probably mentioned it to you as well. I want to maintain the strong cooperation between Daenerys Entertainment and Time Warner. Therefore, I will support both of you as co-CEOs of Time Warner. If you need any assistance, feel free to reach out."
Since Gerald Levin's remarks at the internal meeting were leaked, he had faced considerable backlash. The success of "Jurassic Park," which prompted him to propose renegotiating with Daenerys Entertainment, only weakened his position further.
Coupled with the recent stock drop due to internal strife and Ross's death, both the board and shareholders had grown wary of Levin.
If Simon were to fully back Daly and Semel now, they stood a good chance of seizing control of Time Warner.
And the method was straightforward: leveraging Daenerys Entertainment's partnership with Time Warner in the DC cinematic universe to pressure the board and shareholders.
Since Time Warner's merger, the DC cinematic universe had been the company's brightest project, representing not just substantial profits but also driving market confidence in Time Warner.
Any disruption in the DC cinematic universe would surely lead to a sharp decline in Time Warner's stock.
For Daenerys Entertainment, with the Marvel universe in waiting and the recent success of "Jurassic Park," their reliance on the DC cinematic universe was far less than Time Warner's, giving Daenerys significant leverage.
Yet, hearing Simon's support, Daly and Semel sensed that he wasn't eager to interfere deeply in Time Warner's internal transitions.
They understood the nuances.
Daenerys and Time Warner were ultimately competitors. A rival in chaos was far preferable to a well-oiled adversary.
Moreover, there was another consideration.
They didn't have enough leverage to secure Simon's full support for their ascent.
To ensure a stable partnership, Westeros could publicly endorse their co-CEO positions, but without additional incentives, he was unlikely to go further.
In the broader context, even if they did secure complete control of
Time Warner, neither Daly nor Semel had any intention of directly confronting Daenerys Entertainment.
After all, Time Warner was a publicly held company, and they were merely professional managers.
As professional managers, their goal was to optimize company performance and secure their compensation during their tenure. Long-term planning wasn't their responsibility. For a company as fractious as Time Warner, it was doubtful they could take on such obligations even if they wanted to.
Time Warner wasn't like Daenerys, where factions vied for their own interests within the company.
Simon had already communicated with Gerald Levin while in Australia, clearly stating his position.
The three briefly discussed the matter, and Simon agreed that Daenerys Entertainment would issue some public statements to ensure a smooth shareholders' meeting on January 5th. Beyond that, Simon wasn't inclined to do much more.
After a simple lunch and exchanging pleasantries with the necessary people, Simon and Janet returned to Manhattan.
That evening, they were scheduled to have dinner with the Rebold family, with Robert Iger and his family also attending.
Despite returning early from Australia, they didn't plan to head back to Los Angeles immediately. Instead, they intended to stay in New York for New Year's, with various activities lined up for the following days.
As the final week of 1992 slipped by unnoticed, from December 25th to December 31st, "Jurassic Park" continued to dominate the box office. In its second week, the film dropped only 21% from its massive first-week gross. This modest drop, relative to the initial $91.38 million, was impressive. The film added another $72.17 million in its second week, bringing its cumulative total to $163.55 million.
"Forever Young," starring Mel Gibson, took second place for the week. But compared to "Jurassic Park's" $72.17 million, this new release managed only $15.18 million in its opening week, far below Warner's expectations.
With the Christmas season ending soon, "Forever Young," which cost $30 million to produce, was likely to end its North American run with only $30 to $40 million in total box office revenue.
"Home Alone 2" landed in third place. Boosted by the Christmas festivities, it managed to drop just 3%, earning $9.98 million in its sixth week and bringing its cumulative total to $142.03 million.
Fox's "Hoffa," debuting at fourth place with $8.71 million, failed to impress critics, receiving a mediocre score of 5.4. Its chances for awards season success seemed slim.
Paramount's "Leap of Faith," starring Steve Martin, rounded out the top five with $7.37 million, also underperforming.
Remarkably, the combined box office of the top four films—"Forever Young," "Home Alone 2," "Hoffa," and "Leap of Faith"—didn't match the earnings of "Jurassic Park" alone.
The momentum generated by "Jurassic Park" also bolstered Daenerys Entertainment's statements about the need for stable leadership at Time Warner, quickly garnering positive responses from various factions within the company.
This episode highlighted Daenerys Entertainment's growing influence within Hollywood and the broader American media industry.
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