[Chapter 222: Box Office Hits One Hundred Million]
"Rumor has it that Link excels at guiding actors, and those who have collaborated with him see significant improvements in their performances. Now I completely believe it," Julianne Moore whispered from the sidelines.
"Yes, I didn't know how to act at first, but after working with him a few times, I've really matured as an actress," Renee Zellweger replied with a smile.
"What happened to your voice?" Julianne noted that Renee's voice sounded a bit hoarse.
"It's so hot out, my throat has gotten a little dry," Renee said, her cheeks flushing slightly. She took a sip from her water bottle, allowing the cool spring water to soothe her parched throat.
"Renee, you're now the actress who has worked with Link the most, right? He treats you well," Julianne remarked.
"He truly does," Renee replied cheerfully.
Link had directed six films by that point. Renee had landed two lead roles and one supporting role, and she had made a cameo in Final Destination, which counted as four collaborations in total. She had worked with him more than anyone else, outpacing even Monica and Jennifer Connelly.
Reflecting on this, Renee felt a sense of pride swell within her.
"Link is such a remarkable man. A lot of women are after him, trying to get into his bed. Renee, you should seize the opportunity to hold onto him and not let anyone take him away," Julianne joked as she leaned against Renee.
"Link isn't mine to hold on to. I don't worry about anyone stealing him. Even though he can be a bit of a flirt, he's also a genuinely good man, unlike those shallow playboys who fall in love with every woman they meet."
"I can tell he treats all the women around him well," Julianne said, gazing at Link by the camera, directing the actors with utmost seriousness and charm.
...
Renee turned her attention to Link and suddenly noticed Jennifer Lopez, who played the college student, still lingering on the sidelines. With her long dark brown hair, sun-kissed skin, and a shapely figure, she was a stunning Latina beauty.
Renee waved at Lopez, who quickly approached them, greeting both her and Julianne softly. As major stars of the set, Renee and Julianne were not the kind of actresses that newcomers like Lopez could offend.
Curious, Renee asked which agency Jennifer was with and how she had landed her role.
Lopez mentioned a talent agency that Renee hadn't heard of before. She had gotten the part through auditions, as the film required an exceptionally attractive Latina actress, and she fit the bill.
Renee then asked if Lopez would be interested in switching agencies, offering to recommend her to UTA.
Lopez immediately agreed, excited at the prospect. Even though UTA had only been established for less than two years, it had quickly become one of the top five agencies in the industry, far surpassing her current one.
Renee took Lopez's phone number, promising to reach out after they returned to Los Angeles. Lopez left with a smile on her face.
...
"Renee, why are you inviting her to join UTA?" Julianne asked, intrigued.
"It's a secret!" Renee grinned.
"Don't keep it a secret, spill it!" Julianne teased, poking her side.
Renee giggled, leaning closer to Julianne and whispered that she wanted to introduce Lopez to Link. She thought he would be quite taken with the fiery figure.
"Introduce her to Link? Are you out of your mind?" Julianne replied, bewildered.
Renee shrugged and leaned in to share details in hushed tones, gesturing with her fingers. Julianne's cheeks flushed as she instinctively glanced over at Link.
...
"Cut!"
"That was good."
The scenes featuring the main characters in their dormitory took several days to film, wrapping up after four days. Link then took the crew to the University of British Columbia in Vancouver for more campus scenes.
These scenes also involved the main character attending classes, participating in fraternity events, and going on dates with Kayleigh after the second time travel. The third time travel transformed the mischievous Tommy into a model student, while Kayleigh and the chubby Lenny became a couple, among other developments.
This portion of the script comprised over eighty scenes, and it was projected to take about seven or eight days to complete. If it rained in Vancouver, it might take even longer.
...
During the filming, Monica and Jennifer Connelly, among others, occasionally flew in to visit the set, chatting about work and life, enjoy each other's company.
With Renee Zellweger and the newly added Julianne Moore around, the rainy days in Vancouver felt anything but dull.
While filming, Link kept an eye on the box office performance of his new movie as well as significant happenings in Hollywood.
...
Dumb and Dumber had entered its seventh week in theaters, surpassing $100 million in North America, raking in a total of $103 million. Total Film magazine projected it would surpass $120 million, making it the first film of the year to achieve a $100 million box office.
Its overseas performance was also commendable; after four weeks, it earned $52.31 million across 38 countries and was expected to exceed $100 million internationally.
This was the first film released by Guess Pictures overseas, meaning the box office split could be more profitable.
The success of Dumb and Dumber made many filmmakers envious, causing the media to resurface negative stories about Link.
...
Famed producer Andrew Reiner criticized the industry in an interview, claiming Hollywood would collapse because current hit films were cash grabs like Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project, or mindless comedies like Ace Ventura and Dumb and Dumber.
Such films' success spawned more similar productions rather than classic artistic films like Citizen Kane, Gone with the Wind, or Schindler's List, which he deemed a troubling trend that needed to be addressed.
Andrew's statements resonated with many in the industry, prompting discussions about bad films driving out good ones.
Yet, most who publicly criticized Link lacked stature, while more prominent figures hesitated, fearing backlash similar to that faced by Robert Downey Jr. and Richard Gere.
Counterarguments to Andrew's critique emerged as well.
...
Famed film critic Will Roger wrote that ever since filmmaking began, there've always been fears of its demise. From the silent film era to sound films, and from black and white to color, industry veterans have repeatedly voiced doom, yet the film industry continued to thrive despite past hurdles.
Will argued that even if Hollywood faced decline in the future, it wouldn't stem from popular films but from audiences losing interest, just as they had abandoned silent and black-and-white films.
Thus, the success of innovative films like Paranormal Activity and Dumb and Dumber was proof of the market's vitality and audiences' preferences for new films over outdated ones.
Will believed the industry should learn from Link and Guess Pictures' innovative thinking and create more diverse films. He criticized Andrew and others who labelled such successes as signs of decline, calling it backward thinking.
...
In the seventh week of Dumb and Dumber's release, Pulp Fiction was in its ninth week, accumulating $62.84 million. It was growing steadily at a rate of a couple million each week in over four hundred theaters, showing little drop in attendance.
At this pace, it might reach the $100 million mark by year's end, which was decent but not enough to assuage Quentin's frustration. Even from two thousand kilometers away in Vancouver, Link could feel the discontent radiating from him.
Originally, Quentin had estimated Pulp Fiction's North American box office would surpass $300 million, but the reality was that it would take a year just to cross $100 million -- a significant gap.
Quentin was starting to grasp just how tough it was to break that $100 million barrier, and yet for Link, it seemingly came easy.
This only further soured Quentin's mood; each time he called, he teemed with sarcasm, as if he had grown a lemon tree in his mouth, and that sharp flavor was detectable even from two thousand miles away.
*****
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