[Chapter 237: "Hey, Godfather, Shh!"]
"Link, do you want to try some delicious chocolate sauce?"
"No thanks! You eat more of it."
Link glanced at the pile of gooey chocolate sauce, declining Chris Barnes' offer as he continued editing.
This was the set of The Shawshank Redemption in Mansfield, Ohio. After more than two months of shooting, the film was nearing completion.
Today, they were filming the scenes where the main character, Andy Dufresne, escaped from prison. Andy had been digging a tunnel for over twenty years at Shawshank Prison and finally decided to make his escape during a thunderstorm.
In the prison, Andy changed into his outfit, packed his suit and other belongings, and strapped them to his leg as he prepared to break free.
...
"Cut!"
"Andy, you need to be more excited! You outsmarted the warden with your clever brain and are ready to embark on a new life. You're facing two outcomes now: death or freedom. You should be a bit more exhilarated!"
Director Frank Darabont reminded him.
"Okay, I will," Tim Robbins nodded and started performing again.
...
Reaching the underground sewage area, he lifted a large rock. When a thunder sound echoed from the crew, he swung the rock down hard on the pipe, creating a loud bang.
After hitting it three times, a hole formed in the cement pipe, and murky waste spilled out. Andy crawled into the pipe, slowly clawing his way through the sewage, almost overcoming by the fumes.
In truth, all that sewage was just chocolate sauce -- half a ton of it was used for the scene. As they shot, the air was filled with the sweet aroma.
After emerging from the pipe, Andy fell into a pond as heavy rain poured down. He stood in the rain, tore off his prison uniform, and raised his arms to the sky.
During discussions about this scene, the director's team debated whether Andy should scream in relief after escaping -- it could resonate with the audience. However, they ultimately decided against it, believing it would undermine the professionalism of the escape and make Andy seem too frivolous rather than composed.
To emotionally impact the viewers, Tim Robbins had to put in a lot of effort to express emotional tension. This was a crucial scene; it was the heart of the film, and Tim performed it six times before Darabont announced they had what they needed.
...
"Cut!"
Having finished this pivotal part, the main shooting of The Shawshank Redemption wrapped up, leaving only a few scattered shots to complete.
...
Once Link wrapped up his work, he returned to Los Angeles to kick off promotions for Se7en before its release. This summer, the North American film market was extraordinarily competitive.
Beginning in May, both The Flintstones and Maverick had incredible box office successes, followed by the June hits Speed and The Lion King, culminating in the July blockbuster Forrest Gump.
After Forrest Gump, there was Link's new film, Se7en, starring the Kevin Costner in the western action movie Wyatt Earp, as well as James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger teaming up for the action epic True Lies and Joel Schumacher's psychological thriller The Client featuring Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones.
These films all benefited from well-known directors, star-studded casts, and high budgets. Currently, Forrest Gump received incredible critical acclaim and maintained a high box office take.
Under such circumstances, other films struggled to earn solid returns, especially Se7en. The film was sandwiched between Forrest Gump and Wyatt Earp and True Lies -- any minor drop in quality could leave it overshadowed.
...
On July 15, amidst an incredibly negative media atmosphere, Se7en opened in 2,441 theaters in North America and raked in $26.96 million during its first week.
That was a decent number, yet it failed to secure the top spot. The reigning box office champion was still Forrest Gump, which earned $31.28 million in its third week, accumulating over $109 million overall, making it the fourth film this year to surpass the $100 million mark in North America.
...
Se7en didn't grab the box office crown on its opening week and faced mockery from the media. After Buried, Link had seen every one of his films debut at number one, but this Se7en, with a production cost of $30 million - -previous films' budgets combined -- was the only one that hadn't secured first place.
What did this indicate?
It suggested that Link had failed.
The media published scathing articles mocking him, claiming that Link was on a downward spiral, that his films were being abandoned by viewers and it was becoming hard to replicate his past successes.
Michael Ovitz and others seized upon this opportunity to kick him while he was down, actively using their media resources to belittle Se7en, calling it a duds that plagiarized ideas from French films and asserting that winning the Palme d'Or was a hollow achievement purchased by Link.
Renowned critic Sean Soph pronounced that after many lackluster films, Link hoped to reinvent himself through Se7en but came off as too eager, resulting in a film that felt disjointed.
Soph ridiculed Link's cinematic chops, recommending he practice a few more years before embracing art-house films.
Such commentary was baseless and infuriated many who appreciated Se7en.
...
Quentin Tarantino, speaking to reporters outside a theater, declared that the overall caliber of Se7en rivaled Hitchcock's Psycho and Kubrick's The Shining; it was nearly a perfect thriller.
He also suggested that Se7en might represent the pinnacle of Link's career, asserting that it was so high in quality that it would be impossible for Link to top it.
Martin Scorsese, after reviewing the film, rarely voiced his opinion to the media, but remarked that Se7en was worthy of its win at the Palme d'Or.
Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster, in an interview, stated that regardless of how many classic crime thrillers existed in film history, Se7en would forever be a reference point for such films. It also demonstrated Link's infinite potential in filmmaking, and she looked forward to working with him.
Famous film critic Rudin Batchelor published a review in The Hollywood Reporter calling Se7en the most surprising film of the year.
His first surprise was that Link abandoned his previous low-budget gimmick style, crafting a high-caliber thriller with a clever script, lavish sets, and meticulous cinematography.
The second surprise was how Link maintained extremely high creativity in this new film, breaking through Hollywood's traditional genre constraints. He delivered a film that seemed to fit the cop-and-robber mold yet offered substantial depth -- dazzling audiences while provoking societal contemplation.
This commitment to innovation and breakthrough was equally surprising.
...
Despite many filmmakers publicly supporting Se7en, Michael Ovitz, allied with seven major studios, leveraged hundreds of media outlets to suppress the film's reception, creating a massive onslaught.
In its second week, Se7en earned $24.07 million, landing in the number two spot for the week.
Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp flopped with an opening weekend take of just $7.54 million. The reigning champion was still Forrest Gump, whose week saw ticket sales of $28.37 million, confidently keeping Se7en at bay for a second consecutive week.
...
"Hey, Link, are you alright? We're all helping you promote it, and Se7en still couldn't hit number one. What's going on? How did you suddenly stumble?" Quentin teased over the phone after the box office results were released.
"Se7en brought in over fifty million in its first two weeks and has successfully recouped its budget. How is that not doing well?" Link reclined on the couch as he talked.
"Hey, godfather! Shh!"
Beside him, little Cici pointed to her homework notebook, puffing her cheeks, signaling him to keep it down so she could focus on her math problems.
Link shook his head. The kid was so annoying. He had to step away to continue the call in another room.
"For most directors, breaking even with a film is considered a success. But you're Link -- the holder of the top three box office revenue records in film history, the guy who knows how to make a profit! Your fans always support your films, and they do big business.
Finally, you produced a high-budget production, and the returns should be at least ten times if not a hundred times the cost. But from the current numbers, it looks like you're barely at three. Breaking a hundred million in North America seems tough.
This film's good. It's just disappointing how it's performing at the box office. You're usually great at hyping your movies -- why not try that? Haha! Why not give it another shot and see how much you can pull in?"
Link felt speechless. This guy was too chatty. If their conversation lasted any longer, he might have hung up halfway through.
"No need for that. Se7en is like Pulp Fiction; it's on the artsy side. Weekly box office takes might be modest, but it has a long run with small drops week to week. After over ten weeks, the earnings will accumulate. Just wait and see; Se7en's box office performance won't be too shabby."
Link responded.
During internal test screenings, Se7en achieved a 2.9 times box office multiplier.
After more than a month of promotion and the Palme d'Or momentum, the multiplier reached 3, making it achievable to earn over $250 million in North America.
So, he was quite satisfied with Se7en's current box office growth.
Quentin remained skeptical, thinking Link was just trying to console himself. He teased him to take it easy; if a film flopped at the box office, it wasn't the end of the world -- he could just make another hit next time. He urged Link not to be disheartened and fall into a slump.
"That won't happen; I appreciate your concern."
Link didn't wish to remain on the line with this chattiness. He wrapped up the call with a wish for Quentin to rest early.
...
"Hey, Link, how do I solve this problem?"
Cici dashed over with her textbook.
Seeing the child's homework made Link cringe. "Ask your mom."
"She's doing yoga with Monica and sent me to ask you," the little one blinked her big eyes at him.
Resigned, Link thought, "Do I really need to know math to be a cool uncle?" He helplessly supported his head as he started explaining the math problem to the eager child.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.