[Chapter 241: The Movie Breaks Out]
With the explosion of the "Simpson Murder Case," many Americans took note of the film Se7en, whether out of curiosity, doubt, or criticism. The audience flocked to theaters to watch it in increasing numbers.
The attendance for Se7en skyrocketed, with many theaters in major cities experiencing sell-out crowds. According to data from the cinema chains, on the day after the Simpson case broke out, Se7en's attendance increased by 260%, surpassing films like Forrest Gump and True Lies, securing the top spot.
Moreover, the quality of Se7en drew praise, leading many viewers to recommend it to friends after watching. As a result, the buzz around the movie continued to grow.
During the fourth week of its release, Se7en earned $25.35 million at 1,401 theaters in North America, placing second in weekly box office earnings with a total North American gross of $93.69 million.
Forrest Gump retained the top spot that week with $26.15 million, bringing its cumulative total to $169 million. True Lies came in third with $24.37 million and a total of $50.05 million. The Client was fourth, earning $21.85 million that week.
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"Damn, how could this happen?"
Michael Ovitz glanced at the box office results for Se7en, his expression darkening. Se7en's box office numbers surged unexpectedly, jumping from seventh to second place, overtaking True Lies and The Client.
According to an analysis from Total Film magazine, the Simpson case broke on Thursday. Starting Friday, Se7en saw a noticeable increase, earning over $16 million in just three days.
If the case had unfolded on a Monday, Se7en might have easily claimed the box office crown.
However, based on the current growing trends, Total Film magazine predicted that Se7en would likely perform even better next week and could potentially surpass Forrest Gump to take the number one spot.
"The murder case surrounding Simpson was already grabbing headlines, and the presence of similarities with Se7en's plot made it all the more bizarre. It's no surprise that media coverage would boost interest in Se7en and drive up its box office," said Ron Meyer, reading from the Los Angeles Times.
"But doesn't it seem too coincidental that the murder case broke when Se7en was experiencing a drop in ticket sales? It's almost like the killer staged this to help Link promote his movie," Michael Ovitz squinted, his voice low.
"Don't forget the Murrieta Murder Case," Ron Meyer added.
"You mean to say Link is using this situation to promote Se7en, just like he did with the Paranormal Activity case? That wouldn't be shocking. If any big studio's films face a similar scenario during their release, they'd likely capitalize on it too."
"Hmph! Paranormal Activity opened during the Murrieta case, and now Se7en launched with the Simpson case; there's no way such coincidences happen in this world. I have reasons to suspect Link could be behind these events. Perhaps he set up that crazy woman to kill her husband. He couldn't stand losing to us this summer, so he either hired a hitman or did it himself and framed Simpson to draw media attention. Now, with Se7en's success, his plan is working.
Absolutely! Link must be the killer!" Michael Ovitz pounded his fist on the table.
"Is he really that desperate to promote his movie?" Ron Meyer shook his head, doubting Link's madness.
Though Se7en's earnings might not rival Forrest Gump's, it was still a profitable venture. Additionally, the positive buzz surrounding it led many industry professionals to view Link in a new light, recognizing his directorial talent rather than viewing him as someone who thrived on luck.
With a solid reputation and earnings exceeding $100 million, Link had no reason to take such risks.
"Perhaps he received advance notice and bribed the police to plant evidence at the crime scene. You know how little integrity the LAPD has," Ron Meyer speculated.
Michael Ovitz considered this possibility as well.
But details of the case were broadcast across America, and soon the world. The media frenzy surrounding the Simpson case would only increase awareness of Se7en, leading to further box office success, perhaps repeating the success of Paranormal Activity.
Link and Guess Pictures would thus see a resurgence amidst the overwhelming competition from the big studios.
Ovitz didn't want to see such an outcome; he wanted to completely undermine Link this summer so that Link wouldn't recover.
So, the killer had to be Link.
Michael Ovitz thought for a moment, then picked up the phone to call Sherry Lansing and share his thoughts.
...
"Suggesting to the media that Link is the killer?" Sherry Lansing hesitated before speaking. "That's not appropriate. I've looked into the case; there isn't a single clue pointing to Link. Promoting him as the murderer would not only be futile but could also increase the case's visibility, inadvertently helping to publicize Se7en. That wouldn't be smart."
Michael Ovitz furrowed his brow as he considered this. Initially, law enforcement and the public had suspected Simpson; suddenly, if media outlets were claiming that Link was the real murderer,
with two billionaires involved, the case was bound to attract extraordinary attention.
The same could be said for Se7en.
Link probably welcomed such developments.
So, this strategy wouldn't work.
"The buzz for Se7en is rising, and its box office is climbing along with it. If we don't suppress it in the media, Se7en will likely surpass Forrest Gump next week."
Once Se7en overtook the other blockbuster films and claimed the top box office spot, Link would become even more arrogant and difficult to manage. All their efforts over the past weeks would be for naught.
Simply put, he and the other studios had teamed up but still fell victim to Link.
Michael Ovitz would rather turn a blind eye than not stop this from happening.
"Michael, don't worry," Sherry Lansing replied. "Next week, Clear and Present Danger is being released, which will definitely take the box office crown. In a week, interest in the Simpson case will likely wane, and the attention on Se7en will drop accordingly. Gaining the top box office spot won't be easy for Se7en."
Clear and Present Danger was an action blockbuster produced by Paramount, starring Harrison Ford. Since 1992, Ford's action films, such as Patriot Games and The Fugitive, had grossed over $100 million each.
The internal test screenings for Clear and Present Danger had received even better reviews than the previous two films, making its box office performance promising.
It should have no problem overshadowing Se7en in its opening week.
Michael Ovitz felt relieved considering this aspect.
"However, several media reports have indicated that Guess Pictures is clearly leveraging this case to promote Se7en. We should take action to mitigate the case's visibility and foil Link's schemes."
"That makes sense. You should reach out to a few other studios and pool resources from each to suppress the case's hype."
Sherry Lansing ended the call and sighed, closing her eyes.
...
"I think Ovitz might be right; Link could very well be the real killer."
Tom Cruise tilted his face upward, his eyes filled with resentment.
Sherry Lansing shook her head, leaning back in her office chair and running her fingers through his hair.
...
Michael Ovitz, dissatisfied with Link exploiting the Simpson case to promote Se7en, rallied several film companies to find ways to dampen the case's hype.
But the case's publicity was beyond what he had anticipated. From the day of the incident, almost all media outlets in the country, including those under the big media groups, reported on it.
Although they knew that publicizing the case would elevate Se7en's profile, the notoriety of Simpson loomed large. The deceased were his ex-wife and her rumored boyfriend, making Simpson the prime suspect. The coincidences further heightened the drama, especially given that elements of Se7en's plot reflected the situation.
Audiences loved this kind of news and showed an increasing demand for it. The media wouldn't let this profitable opportunity slip away.
...
According to reports, on the morning of the incident, Simpson returned to Los Angeles from Chicago and was questioned by police for an hour before being released.
During the interrogation, police discovered a two-centimeter-long cut on Simpson's finger.
Simpson claimed he cut his finger while breaking hotel glass after hearing of his wife's death. However, the hotel insisted that no glass had been broken that day.
This injury heightened Simpson's suspicion.
After several days of investigation, the police decided to classify Simpson as a prime suspect.
He expressed a desire to turn himself in but failed to appear as promised. The police decided to arrest him.
Throughout this process, major media outlets, including ABC, CNN, CBS, and FOX, followed and reported live on the Los Angeles police's arrest of Simpson.
On the sixth day following the event, just when Simpson intended to turn himself in, he mysteriously disappeared without a trace.
The LAPD quickly dispatched four helicopters and a convoy of patrol cars while mobilizing hundreds of police vehicles to search for the missing Simpson throughout Los Angeles.
Thanks to the extensive live coverage, North American viewers witnessed a pursuit reminiscent of a scene from the game Grand Theft Auto. Police helicopters circled over Los Angeles while hundreds of squad cars patrolled the streets.
A few hours later, police spotted Simpson's white Bronco on the highway.
More than sixty police cars chased after it.
The spectacle was even more chaotic than a Hollywood action film.
After about twenty minutes, a dozen police cars surrounded Simpson's white SUV, with Simpson holding a gun, threatening suicide if the police didn't retreat.
Given Simpson's fame and status in the African American community, the police remained restrained. No one wanted to trigger another racial incident akin to what had occurred during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
After over an hour of negotiation, Simpson emerged from the vehicle without the gun and was arrested.
The police chase concluded with this arrest.
Later, Nielsen reported that the live news coverage of this event peaked at an astonishing 65 million viewers, with an average viewership of 32 million, surpassing even the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals.
...
During this time, Guess Pictures capitalized on this case to heavily promote Se7en, even managing to get police spokespeople to answer journalists' questions, often referencing blood left at the scene with the word "greed," closely associating Simpson with Se7en.
As a result of the case, Se7en's exposure skyrocketed by 800% over the previous week.
More and more viewers flocked to theaters to purchase tickets for Se7en.
The cinema chains had to increase showtimes to accommodate the influx of audiences.
...
In its fifth week, Se7en earned $38.53 million across 2,394 theaters in North America, clinching its first weekly box office championship.
Its cumulative box office total reached $132 million.
In second place was Clear and Present Danger, distributed by Paramount, which grossed $30.34 million in its opening week from a production budget of $62 million.
This was a commendable performance, likely to have claimed the top spot in different circumstances, but it fell behind Se7en this time.
Forrest Gump dropped to third place with a weekly earning of $18.08 million and a cumulative total of $187 million.
Fourth place went to Universal Pictures' children's comedy The Little Rascals, with an opening week of $13.34 million.
True Lies fell to fifth place, while The Client slipped to sixth, The Lion King to eighth, and Speed to ninth.
Se7en broke through numerous barriers and finally triumphed in its fifth week, eclipsing all summer blockbusters.
...
"Link, we did it! Se7en claimed the weekly box office championship!"
Jennifer Connelly joyfully jumped into his arms, looking up with a radiant smile in her blue eyes.
Link chuckled and hugged the girl tightly to steady her.
*****
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