[Chapter 347: The Summer Box Office Wraps Up]
After Nicole Kidman left, Link continued to handle work in the office.
The box office results for In & Out in its third week were released today. The film made $12.28 million this week, bringing its cumulative total to $42.16 million.
With this week marking the end of the summer box office in North America, this year saw 87 movies released during the summer.
Currently, only three films crossed the $100 million mark at the North American box office, which was two fewer than last summer, while 18 films grossed over $50 million, five more than last summer.
Among those, Apollo 13 topped the charts with $152 million.
The Butterfly Effect followed closely in second place with $138 million.
Pocahontas came in third with $108 million.
Casper managed to secure fourth with $96.5 million.
The Shawshank Redemption placed fifth at $92.07 million.
Die Hard with a Vengeance took sixth with $91.17 million.
The other films' box office figures fell below $90 million.
On the list, the films in second and fifth place were from Guess Pictures, with production costs of $12 million and $22 million, and their box office returns were a remarkable 10:1 and 4:1, making them the two most profitable films on the list.
This report positioned Guess Pictures as the biggest winner of the summer box office.
...
Total Film magazine further highlighted that Guess Pictures released four films over the summer, accumulating a total box office of $316 million. Prior to the summer, Guess Pictures had already released four films, earning a total of $244 million.
By the end of August, Guess Pictures had secured $560 million at the North American box office, outpacing Universal Pictures by $110 million.
Total Film considered Guess Pictures had the capability to retain the title of annual box office champion.
Guess Pictures had once again become the envy of its peers and the company many were eager to collaborate with.
...
"Link, congratulations on your films' continued success. When do you have time to discuss more collaboration? We had a great partnership on Se7en and Dumb and Dumber last year," remarked Robert Shaye, President of New Line Cinema, over the phone.
"How about the weekend? I have a few friends joining me for a round of golf," Link suggested.
"Great, I love golf as well. See you then!"
...
After chatting briefly with Robert, Link received a call from Frank Mancuso, President of MGM, who shared that their companies worked well together on In & Out and that they had made money together, expressing a desire for further collaboration.
Link didn't decline.
While the Big Seven Studios sought to suppress Guess Pictures, MGM's lack of blockbuster films and absence of a powerful media conglomerate meant their impact on Guess Pictures was minimal, making them a suitable partner.
...
Once the call wrapped up, Link received another from Nobuyuki Idei, the Chairman of Sony, asking when he could take Link out for sushi and sake to experience Japanese cuisine.
Link politely declined, explaining he was busy preparing for the new film The English Patient and didn't have time for leisure.
Idei picked up on his reluctance and apologized, mentioning that Columbia Pictures' involvement in suppressing Guess Pictures was at the behest of the Big Seven Studios.
Since being acquired by Sony five years earlier, Columbia had faced exclusion and pressure from Hollywood's local powers and had yet to establish a firm footing, sometimes feeling compelled to comply with certain demands.
However, Idei promised that Columbia would not partake in any future actions against Guess Pictures, ensuring a long-term cooperative relationship.
Link, sensing Idei's sincere apology, mentioned he would consider trying some Japanese cuisine once he finished filming.
Idei warmly welcomed the prospect of his visit.
...
Just as Link ended that call, Lewinsky entered to inform him that Jackie Chan had arrived and wished to discuss new movie matters.
Link motioned for her to take Jackie to the coffee shop next door, saying he would join shortly.
---
"Mike, what do you think about Guess Pictures' box office results?" In Disney's president's office, Michael Eisner furrowed his brow as he pointed to an article in a magazine.
Michael Ovitz shrugged, admitting, "As much as I dislike the company, I have to concede that their production and distribution methods are quite effective."
"Yeah, they are impressive," Eisner agreed, handing a cigarette to Ovitz. "The Big Seven Studios have been around for decades, yet they can't compete with a new company just three years old, which indicates they have some efficient techniques in filmmaking."
"Are you planning to poach talent?" Ovitz asked with interest.
"Poaching isn't effective. I've looked into it; most of the films produced by Guess Pictures require Link's approval to proceed. Link holds a key role in their projects. Unless we can lure him away, poaching other talent won't work," Eisner explained.
Ovitz nodded, puffing on his cigarette. "So, what's your plan? Continue to suppress or pursue cooperation?"
"Both options have pros and cons. I want to hear your thoughts," Eisner replied.
Ovitz considered and then brought up the analogy Meyer proposed: the seven tigers versus the elephant. "The best time to take down an elephant is when it's wounded. Perhaps we can attempt collaboration with Guess Pictures before they face significant setbacks, using that opportunity to create trouble for them, which might also offer chances for profit."
Eisner pondered for a moment and agreed with his suggestion, noting that they would need to discuss specifics further.
---
"Harvey, we should have accepted Link's invitation. If we collaborated with Guess Pictures to release The Butterfly Effect, we could have banked a few more million on that film," Bob Weinstein lamented, observing the box office numbers for The Butterfly Effect in a newspaper.
Harvey mirrored his discontent. He recalled seeing the Big Seven Studios banding together to suppress Guess Pictures and targeting The Butterfly Effect back in May, thinking the film would fare poorly, around $50-60 million.
However, to his surprise, this indie film managed to gross $138 million despite the pushback from the Big Seven.
He underestimated the potential of the film while overestimating the force of the Big Seven.
"There is no need to be too downcast. Even though The Butterfly Effect did well, its promotion costs were high, at least $10 million, or it wouldn't have reached that box office despite the pressure. Factoring in the marketing expenses, the film's return ratio is only 5:1, which isn't that extraordinary," Harvey sighed.
"Still, it outperformed our films by a wide margin," Bob grumbled.
During the summer box office clashes, it wasn't the Big Seven Studios or Guess Pictures that ended up suffering the most; rather, it was the independent film companies that distributed the films.
Only New Line Cinema's Mortal Kombat crossed the $50 million mark, while all other films struggled at the box office.
Miramax released six films, only one, The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill but Came Down a Mountain, earning $10.9 million, while the others didn't even break the million-dollar mark.
In total, the box office for these six films didn't even match Guess Pictures' lowest performer, To Die For.
"You shouldn't be too envious of Link and Guess Pictures. The better he performs, the closer he gets to misfortune. His behavior now is like walking into an arms depot with a torch; it won't be long before he gets blown to pieces," Harvey said coldly.
"What do you mean?" Bob perked up.
"You should know whose turf Hollywood is," Harvey stated.
"The Big Seven's?" Bob guessed.
"No, it's ours."
Harvey pointed to himself and then to Bob. "It's the turf of us Jews. No matter how talented Link might be, as soon as he threatens our interests, the outcome will only be destruction."
"Are they planning to act now?" Bob asked, eyes brightening at the implication.
The founders of Warner Bros. were descendants of Polish Jews. The founders of MGM was Lewis B. Meyer, a Ukrainian Jew, who became Hollywood's first king and co-founder of the Academy Awards.
Paramount's founder, Adolph Zukor, was a Hungarian Jew. The founding brothers of Columbia Pictures were also Jews. Universal's founder, Carl Laemmle, was a German-Jew.
Though many of these companies had changed hands, the majority of shareholders and investors behind these companies also belonged to this group, including Disney and 20th Century Fox.
Because of this, power holders in Hollywood have historically stemmed from this demographic, including Lou Wasserman, Michael Ovitz, Disney Chairman Michael Eisner, Paramount's Stanley Jaffe, Universal President Ron Meyer, and film legends like Woody Allen.
If these individuals banded together, their united force could easily overpower the Big Seven Studios, dealing a swift blow to Link and Guess Pictures.
However, there existed a challenge: the ancestors of these individuals hailed from various countries, leading to differing degrees of identification with their bloodlines, and not everyone shared the same convictions. Some insisted on preserving old blood ties, while others advocated for full immersion into American society.
This divergence could lead to disputes, and unless faced with a life-and-death crisis, they wouldn't unite definitively.
"Rest assured, Guess Pictures is growing stronger, posing a serious threat to the Big Seven's survival and their established order in Hollywood. Even if they don't act now, once Link reaps more rewards, they'll be unable to resist taking decisive action. We're not the type to just sit back and take losses," Harvey asserted, fist clenched and a cold smile on his lips.
"I hope that day comes soon. If Link goes down, we'll all have a share of his girlfriends," Bob Weinstein mused, eyeing the photos of Link's many girlfriends in the newspaper and licking his lips with greedy anticipation.
With Link around, they couldn't act, but once he toppled, those beauties would return to the wild, and he would have his chance to indulge.
*****
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