After a series of limited screenings and promotions, the word-of-mouth for Chicago had already spread far and wide.
The film's premiere wasn't anything particularly complicated—just a standard movie premiere. However, due to the first-time collaboration between Gilbert and Tom Cruise, this premiere carried an extraordinary significance.
When Tom Cruise arrived at the event with his visibly pregnant wife, Nicole Kidman, the atmosphere at the venue reached its peak.
There was no denying it—Tom Cruise's charm in this era was simply unstoppable.
Gilbert had finally achieved his goal of collaborating with both of the "Toms" of the '90s.
Recently, Cruise had been actively involved in promotional activities, working hard with the film crew to generate Oscar buzz. He was determined to win the first Best Actor award of his career.
Because of the Academy Awards, he had always felt that he was a step behind Tom Hanks. This sense of rivalry made Cruise even more eager to prove himself.
The good news was that this year, his chances were very high.
Naomi Watts was also highly motivated. Winning the Best Actress Oscar was her stepping stone to the top tier of Hollywood's leading actresses.
With that golden statue in hand and her strong performances in commercial films, Naomi Watts believed she could surpass Julia Roberts and become the number one actress in Hollywood.
Everyone had their own ambitions, but ultimately, they all served the larger goal—Chicago.
Following the premiere, Chicago officially launched across the United States, without waiting for the Oscars. The enthusiasm of moviegoers was already at a boiling point, and there was no need to hold back any longer.
On Friday, December 25th—Christmas Day—a new tradition had emerged: celebrating the holiday by going to the movies.
Chicago transitioned from a limited release to a nationwide premiere. Thanks to the momentum built from earlier screenings, audiences were fired up, leading to a massive Christmas movie-going frenzy.
"What's Chicago's opening-day box office on Christmas?" Harvey Weinstein asked.
Although Shakespeare in Love and Chicago were direct competitors in the same release window, no matter what tactics Shakespeare in Love employed, it simply couldn't generate the same level of excitement as Chicago.
If Chicago had been a terrible film, that would have been one thing. But Gilbert had an uncanny ability to craft a musical film with strong commercial appeal.
From audience reactions alone, it was clear—Chicago didn't even need the Oscars to become a major box office success.
That's why Harvey was so eager to know the numbers. If Chicago had a weak box office performance, he might at least feel some relief.
However, Bob's response ruthlessly shattered his hopes.
"The numbers are in. Chicago grossed $11.35 million on its opening day—a very impressive figure."
Harvey closed his eyes. He could feel his hands trembling.
A nationwide opening day surpassing $10 million—what did that mean? That was a performance usually seen in summer blockbusters.
And this was a musical! When had musicals ever performed like this at the box office? Even someone as experienced as Harvey had never seen anything like it.
Could it be that Gilbert was truly unbeatable in the film market?
And what about Shakespeare in Love? From its limited release until now, its total box office earnings hadn't even hit $1 million.
Of course, Harvey could argue that Shakespeare in Love was aiming for the Oscars. But if a film could make money through ticket sales alone, he wouldn't have to work so hard behind the scenes.
In the end, what was the purpose of winning an Oscar? Aside from prestige, wasn't it ultimately about making money?
Harvey's hands trembled prematurely.
On the following Saturday and Sunday after Christmas, Chicago expanded to 2,950 theaters.
The box office continued to soar, pulling in $15.51 million on Saturday and $12.15 million on Sunday.
In its first wide-release weekend, Chicago raked in a staggering $39.01 million—an astonishing achievement for the holiday season of 1998.
Such an exceptional opening weekend box office led the media to proclaim that Chicago had ushered in a new golden age for musicals.
A survey of theater audiences revealed that over 35% of Chicago's viewers were 50 years old or older.
These were the nostalgic filmgoers—the remnants of Hollywood's golden era.
Now, they were returning to theaters, seeking to relive the magic of the past.
But beyond nostalgia, Chicago's success was also driven by the star power of Gilbert and Tom Cruise, as well as the film's two leading ladies.
Younger audiences, rather than rejecting musicals as outdated, actually found themselves captivated by Chicago.
The reason? Chicago wasn't just any musical—it provided a fresh and exhilarating experience. It combined the thrill of a commercial blockbuster with genuine depth and substance.
Thanks to strong pre-release marketing and outstanding word-of-mouth, Chicago's box office explosion was hardly surprising.
As time entered 1999, Chicago's success turned the late-1998-to-early-1999 box office landscape red-hot.
By the end of its second wide-release week on January 3rd, Chicago had amassed a domestic total of $74.51 million.
This number thrilled the film's distributors. Based on these figures, Chicago reaching the $100 million mark in North America was practically guaranteed.
A musical surpassing $100 million at the North American box office at the turn of the century—this was nothing short of a miracle.
Beyond box office success, Chicago was also dominating the awards season.
At the Sundance Film Festival, Chicago won Best Dramatic Feature, Best Director, and the Audience Award.
And that was just the beginning.
On January 25th, at the 56th Golden Globe Awards, Chicago achieved a perfect six nominations and six wins.
The film took home the award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, as well as Best Original Score. Gilbert once again won the Golden Globe for Best Director.
Tom Cruise finally achieved his long-awaited goal, winning Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. Naomi Watts secured the award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, while Catherine also took home Best Supporting Actress.
As for Shakespeare in Love, Chicago's main competitor, it managed to win only the Best Screenplay award—one of the few categories where Chicago wasn't nominated.
All of this seemed to indicate that Chicago was poised for major success throughout the awards season, especially at the Academy Awards.
By the night of the Golden Globe Awards, Chicago had already grossed $113 million in North America, setting a new box office record for musicals at the turn of the century.
As Chicago's international distributor, Warner Bros. planned to launch the film's overseas release immediately after the Oscars.
Given that musicals often struggled to find success outside the North American market, Warner Bros. wanted to wait and see how Chicago performed at the Academy Awards before proceeding with its global release.
Even in North America, where musicals had a relatively stronger fan base, Chicago had faced skepticism at first. In hindsight, Warner Bros.' cautious release strategy appeared to be the right move.
Shortly after the Golden Globes, the 1999 Academy Award nominations were announced.
Chicago received twelve nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay—covering all the major categories.
Given the immense impact Chicago had made, the Academy Awards ceremony on March 21st had already become the most highly anticipated event in Hollywood.
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