The Berlin Film Festival's dedicated Film Palace will not be completed until after 2000. For now, the festival's main venue is set in the Zoo Cinema, located on the south side of Berlin's central zoo.
Though the name Zoo Cinema seems out of place with the festival's tone, the screening rooms are luxurious, and the spacious hall can accommodate more than seven hundred spectators.
Simon walked across the red carpet and was guided into the hall by the festival staff.
With just over ten minutes until the opening ceremony, the hall was already more than half full of guests.
Simon's seat was in the ninth row, separated from the first eight rows by an aisle and a step up, placing him in the prime viewing spot of the large screening hall, which also made it the most camera-visible location.
Understanding the rarity of a chance to interact with Simon Westeros, many guests set aside their reservations to approach and engage him in conversation.
This continued until 7:30 PM when the opening ceremony began, and the hubbub in the hall finally quieted down.
Indeed, much like the weather in Berlin in February, the Berlin Film Festival exudes a chill that sets it apart from other festivals. The opening ceremony was scheduled for 7:30 PM, a time when the night had fully settled in.
In Los Angeles or Cannes, this timing might not be an issue. However, this is Berlin, and it's February, the coldest time of the year. When Simon arrived in the morning, he noted the weather forecast, and Berlin's night temperatures were reaching as low as minus 9 degrees Celsius.
The red carpet that Simon walked on was only introduced in recent years due to the festival's decline. The Berlin Film Festival didn't always have a red carpet.
Fortunately, the atmosphere of the opening ceremony was lively, unlike the serious tone of the Cannes ceremony, and it even felt somewhat like the Oscars. A blonde female host from a local German TV station was on stage, delivering jokes and banter, and at one point, she left the stage to interact with Simon, further enlivening the atmosphere.
The opening included the usual retrospectives, previews of the competing films, and several performances.
Considering the audience's comfort, the opening ceremony lasted only about 45 minutes, ending at 8:15 PM.
The opening film was set to start at 8:30 PM.
As the ceremony concluded, many guests began to leave early, heading either to parties or back to their accommodations.
Though the lead actress of the opening film "Arizona Dream," Faye Dunaway, sat next to Simon during the ceremony and they chatted quite a bit, Simon did not stay to watch the movie.
He had other plans.
Although the Berlin Film Festival doesn't have an official opening reception, there's no shortage of parties.
To promote their two films, "Hoffa" and "Toys," which were competing in the main competition, Fox had arranged a reception at a hotel near the Zoo Cinema after the ceremony.
With Jack Nicholson starring in "Hoffa," which had a budget of $35 million, and Robin Williams in "Toys," with a budget of $43 million, both films had only grossed just over $20 million each in North America since their December release. Fox was hoping the international market would help recoup some of the losses.
However, breaking even or making a profit seemed unlikely.
The international film market's attention had been largely captured by "Jurassic Park," which was released late last year.
Produced by Daenerys Entertainment, this sci-fi dinosaur blockbuster had already smashed through $380 million in overseas box office as of last week. Combined with its $330 million in North America, the global box office total reached $710 million. According to Daenerys Entertainment's marketing department, "Jurassic Park" was expected to bring in at least another $200 million overseas, with a final global total reaching $900 million.
Given "Jurassic Park's" dominance, international markets were instinctively allocating more resources to this blockbuster, making it even less likely for "Hoffa" and "Toys" to make an impact overseas after their lackluster performance in North America.
Nevertheless, the show must go on.
Daenerys Entertainment and News Corporation (Fox's parent company) still had a very close working relationship.
Rupert Murdoch personally called from New York several times to invite Simon, so since he was in Berlin, he decided to attend the reception.
The reception was hosted by Nicholas Walsh, Fox's Vice President in charge of international distribution. Upon Simon's arrival at the hotel, Walsh came out to greet him.
It was a rather resigned gesture.
It was evident that the timing of this promotional reception was not ideal. A more suitable time would have been the following weekend.
However, the Hollywood stars of "Hoffa" and "Toys," Jack Nicholson and Robin Williams, had not given Fox much time. Both agreed to stay in Berlin for just one day. This left Nicholas Walsh, who was in charge of organizing the reception, very frustrated.
Daenerys Entertainment could firmly manage its collaboration stars, ensuring even the top-tier ones cooperated fully with various promotional activities.
Fox, however, lacked such leverage and had to accommodate all sorts of demands from stars like Jack Nicholson and Robin Williams.
Moreover, Fox's budget for the international promotion of the two films was quite limited.
Lacking funds, they had to save wherever they could.
The main purpose of this reception was to generate media coverage, and Fox had handled such situations before. By crafting a suitable media strategy, they could avoid the opening ceremony's highlights when releasing promotional articles.
Although not as bustling as the opening ceremony, the media turnout at the Fox reception was significant.
Simon posed for photos in front of a backdrop with posters of the two films, enduring a barrage of flashbulbs before entering the reception hall with Nicholas Walsh.
Jack Nicholson, Robin Williams, and others had already arrived.
After the usual greetings, there was a brief exchange of pleasantries.
Traditional Hollywood studios often had to lower themselves to accommodate the demanding conditions of big stars. In contrast, Daenerys Entertainment had never done so since its inception.
With the rise of special effects blockbusters, 3D animated films, and the DC Cinematic Universe, Daenerys Entertainment now had even less need to do so.
Special effects, 3D, and superhero IPs were Daenerys Entertainment's "A-list stars," who neither demanded high salaries nor insisted on conditions like only working five hours a day, not memorizing lines, or refusing to shoot on location.
Though Daenerys Entertainment didn't shy away from collaborating with traditional stars, such partnerships had to be on equal terms or with Daenerys Entertainment maintaining a leading position. Stars who wanted hefty paychecks without committing enough effort had no chance with Daenerys Entertainment.
Jack Nicholson and the others were similarly lukewarm towards Simon.
This young man had significantly altered Hollywood's power dynamics in recent years. With Daenerys Entertainment's dominance and the rapid rise of many new stars under its wing, the status of these veteran A-listers was under serious threat.
If Simon didn't have such overwhelming power and wealth that could crush any ill-willed thoughts, his life wouldn't be easy now.
While Jack Nicholson and the veteran stars could maintain their aloofness, other guests at the reception were eager to seize the opportunity.
In fact, many had come specifically for Simon.
Fox welcomed the idea of more stars attending to boost the films' media coverage.
At the reception hall.
After chatting with Denzel Washington about the ongoing filming of "Philadelphia," Simon was approached by Michelle Pfeiffer, dressed in a black evening gown.
"Good evening, Simon."
"Hi, Michelle," Simon said, eyeing her outfit and smiling. "I still think red suits your style better."
Michelle Pfeiffer raised an eyebrow slightly. She had worn a red dress at the opening ceremony before changing into this one, and she hadn't had the chance to greet Simon earlier. She didn't expect him to notice: "But that dress was too thin, and it's really cold now."
"Oh, indeed," Simon nodded, adding, "But black looks great too."
"Thank you," Michelle Pfeiffer said, sipping her wine while still gazing at Simon. Noticing something, she asked, "Is your wife not with you this time?"
Simon smiled and shook his head: "No, she also dislikes the cold."
"So," Michelle Pfeiffer's expression turned slightly more seductive, "You're alone?"
"Obviously," Simon shrugged and then asked, "What about you?"
"I'm alone too."
The implication was clear.
Simon suddenly remembered a long time ago when he had just arrived in Los Angeles and met Courteney Cox by chance. Courteney had expressed her desire to become a star like Michelle Pfeiffer, and Simon had said he hoped to invite Michelle Pfeiffer to star in his movies someday.
At that time, Michelle Pfeiffer was just at the peak of the second tier, not quite breaking into the first tier.
In the original timeline, Michelle Pfeiffer gained prominence through Brian De Palma's "Scarface" and reached her peak after starring as Catwoman in "Batman Returns."
Simon's presence had altered many events.
The role of Catwoman went to Valeria Golino.
In recent years, Michelle Pfeiffer had reached A-list status with films like "The Witches of Eastwick," "Dangerous Liaisons," "Tequila Sunrise," and "The Fabulous Baker Boys." However, the most commercially successful of these, "Tequila Sunrise," only grossed a bit over $100 million, far from the success of Catwoman.
With the rise of many new female stars in Hollywood, Michelle Pfeiffer's current A-list status was not very secure.
For Hollywood stars, maintaining their status required either box office success or accolades. Take Meryl Streep, for instance. Though not many of her films were huge box office hits, her string of Best
Actress awards ensured she was one of the few A-list actresses who could consistently command a $5 million paycheck.
In an instant, Simon realized why Michelle Pfeiffer was being so forward.
Michelle Pfeiffer was in Berlin because of her role in the main competition film "Love Field."
"Love Field" is a drama produced by Orion Pictures, telling the story of a housewife who insists on traveling to Washington for President Kennedy's funeral after his assassination. The film intertwines themes of politics, race, and murder. Michelle Pfeiffer played the lead role.
Unlike "Toys" and "Hoffa," which had already been widely released, "Love Field" had only a limited release late last year to qualify for the awards season.
However, its reception was mediocre, and earlier this month, it received only one Oscar nomination for Best Actress for Michelle Pfeiffer.
Counting "Dangerous Liaisons" and "The Fabulous Baker Boys," this was Michelle Pfeiffer's third Best Actress nomination.
With two previous nominations already, this year seemed to be Michelle Pfeiffer's best shot at winning the Oscar, given that the other nominees' films and performances didn't seem overwhelmingly favored.
Winning the Best Actress Oscar in the 90s still held significant prestige.
If she could win the award, Michelle Pfeiffer could secure her status for several more years, and even longer-term, having the Oscar title would ensure a steady stream of roles.
However, winning the award was not going to be easy.
Michelle Pfeiffer realized that without additional support, her chances of winning Best Actress this year were slim compared to Emma Thompson for "Howards End."
"Howards End" was produced by Highgate Films under Daenerys Entertainment. Emma Thompson had already won the Best Actress in a Drama award at the Golden Globes earlier. Daenerys Entertainment had been very aggressive in the awards season, far beyond what the declining Orion Pictures could match.
With the Oscar nominations already announced, the key to securing the award lay in this month's campaigns.
Sensing Simon's understanding look, Michelle Pfeiffer didn't beat around the bush. She stepped closer, slightly raising her head to look at Simon, and placed a hand on his arm. "Simon, the hotel I'm staying at is quite terrible. You must have a place to stay in Berlin. How about we go there and talk?"
Simon looked into her eyes, held her delicate hand for a moment before letting go, smiled playfully, and shook his head: "Sorry, Michelle, but I can't help you with the Best Actress Oscar this time. So, do you still want to come to my place?"
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