[Chapter 362: Box Office Fraud?]
"Everyone, quiet down! The box office results for this week are out, and The Sixth Sense made..."
"Stop teasing us, just say it!"
In the Guess Pictures office, Chris Barnes held a newspaper, glanced at his colleagues, grinned, and shouted with his fist raised,
"$88.17 million!"
"How much?"
"Over $80 million?!"
"Yay!!!"
The dozens of people present erupted in excitement.
They had all been involved in the filming and production of The Sixth Sense, and the film's success was a reason for them to celebrate.
Along with the production crew, the marketing, distribution, and administrative teams also shouted their support, thrilled by the first-week box office numbers for The Sixth Sense.
The cheers rose and fell like a festival atmosphere.
Link smiled and returned to his office to read the paper.
...
The Sixth Sense pulled in $88.17 million at 3,217 theaters in North America during its opening weekend, surpassing Jurassic Park's $80.32 million from 1993, breaking the record for the highest opening weekend box office in North America.
In second place was Columbia Pictures' action film Money Train, starring Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, and Jennifer Lopez, costing $68 million to produce.
It made $9.61 million in its opening week.
The third spot went to Universal Pictures' Casino, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, and Joe Pesci, with a production cost of $42 million.
It grossed $8.39 million in its first week.
Holding fourth place was the three-week-old GoldenEye from MGM, featuring Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, and Monica Bellucci, which earned $6.15 million this week, bringing its total to $70.08 million.
Also released around the same time were Warner Bros' It Takes Two, Paramount's Nick of Time, and Fine Line Features' Frankie Starlight, along with Miramax's Two Bits -- all performing below $3 million, especially the latter two, which made less than $20,000 this week.
Guess Pictures accounted for 70% of the week's box office earnings with The Sixth Sense, showcasing impressive box office prowess.
...
The Los Angeles Times predicted that this movie would gross no less than $400 million in North America and projected global earnings to exceed $800 million.
If these predictions held true, Guess Pictures would leave behind the second-place Universal Pictures in yearly gross and become the reigning king of the film industry.
With The Sixth Sense's success, Guess Pictures' market value would undoubtedly rise again, surpassing the $2.5 billion level from earlier this year.
Thanks to his 20% cut of the global box office, Link would earn over $100 million, enhancing his wealth and influence even further.
The Los Angeles Times remarked that Guess Pictures' rise had made the once-dominant Hollywood Big Seven Studios mere background players, with Link's consecutive hits relegating contemporary directors to supporting roles.
...
Ding-ling-ling! Ding-ling-ling!
Quentin Tarantino called, congratulating him on the success of his new film in a low voice.
"Thanks! How did From Dusk Till Dawn turn out?"
During the summer, while Link was busy shooting The Net, Robert Rodriguez began filming From Dusk Till Dawn, with Quentin serving as both the screenwriter and lead actor, also filming in Tijuana, Mexico.
Link had visited the set and made a small cameo.
"It's finished!"
Quentin said listlessly.
"Well, do you have anything else to say? If not, I'll say goodbye."
Hearing Quentin's depressed tone, Link wanted to hang up quickly to avoid catching his mood.
"Wait!"
Quentin's aggravated voice came through the line, "Link, you ruined my plans and career, don't you want to say anything?"
Link raised an eyebrow. "I ruined your career?"
"Absolutely. When I first became a director, my plan was to make one film every two or three years, taking enough time to make it the best, aiming for ten classic films by sixty to retire by then."
"That's a good plan, but how is it related to me?"
"It's highly related."
Quentin's volume increased, and his tone became urgent, "I thought this plan was great, allowing me to leisurely make films I love. But now, with you making three films a year that are just as good, both critically and commercially, how can I proceed at the same pace?"
"Don't kid yourself; I craft every film with care and aim for the best, not just some spontaneous shoot. Don't slander me."
Link chuckled.
"So, you admit you messed up my plan? You can do three films a year meticulously, while I can only make one every three years? Does that mean I am filming while on vacation?"
"What does it matter? Everyone works differently and has different efficiencies. You don't need to compare to me, and I don't suggest you do that either."
"That's useless talk. You've changed the culture in the film industry, and now many directors are following your lead, rushing to make at least one film a year. Everyone is pushing themselves, and how am I supposed to rest?"
Quentin gasped. "My planned film career was supposed to be at a leisurely pace, but now it's on a battlefield level of chaos. Am I wrong to say you ruined my career?"
Link shook his head. "That sounds plausible, but it has nothing to do with me. My career plan was to make at least two films a year and aim for a hundred classic films before retiring at eighty, ensuring my name dominates film history lists and box office charts."
"Retiring at eighty? A hundred films? Are you even human?"
Quentin began to grind his teeth on the other end of the line. "Film is an art; directors are artists. The reason why classics are great is their rarity. Pumping out a hundred films doesn't make you an artist; you're just an art factory worker, a laborer of art."
"Whatever, making film is a joy, as long as I'm alive, I'll keep shooting films; a hundred might not even be the limit."
"You're a real bastard!"
Quentin exclaimed angrily.
Inside, Link noticed another phone ringing and told Quentin he was busy, inviting him for drinks with his friends that weekend.
He hung up and answered the other line.
...
Annie informed him that Greg Davis, chief investment officer from Vanguard Capital; Paul Zummo from J.P. Morgans; Tom Hanks; Steven Soderbergh; Madonna; Robert Shaye; Jay Moloney; Nicole Kidman, and others had all called.
Some congratulated him on the success of his new film, while others had matters to discuss.
Link took a sip of water and asked Annie to transfer the calls.
...
"Haha, Link, congratulations on your new film's success! You are undoubtedly the best director in the world, bar none."
Greg Davis laughed heartily.
"Thanks! I can't guarantee being the best, but I'll strive to be the most profitable director."
"Haha, in my book, the most profitable director is the best director."
After chatting for a bit, Greg revealed the purpose of his call, asking Link if he wanted to consider a third round of financing.
Now that The Sixth Sense was a hit, Guess Pictures was seeing rising interest on Wall Street, willing to invest at a valuation of $3 billion.
Link mentioned he had no plans for financing in the coming two years.
Following Guess Pictures' successful acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios, its market value rose from $2.2 billion to $2.5 billion.
With several summer blockbusters doing well, Guess Pictures' valuation on Wall Street steadied around $2 billion.
The company was in robust shape, requiring no financing, and could focus solely on making films, issuing films, and earning more.
Before the next funding round, he aimed to push the market value to over $5 billion, establishing Guess Pictures as a true world-class film company.
Hearing about his reluctance for early financing, Greg expressed disappointment but didn't push the matter. He cautioned that the Big Seven Studios wouldn't relent, urging Link to be cautious and focus on producing more films like Se7en and The Sixth Sense.
...
After ending that call, he returned calls to Paul Zummo, Tom Hanks, and others, discussing film matters.
Everyone congratulated him on the film's success, and Guess Pictures had preemptively secured the title of annual box office champion.
Nicole Kidman even mentioned in a call that her divorce from Tom Cruise was nearing finalization and would be declared by the end of the year. By then, she would be free to openly spend time with Link.
Cindy Crawford also called, inviting him over to her place.
Link asked how preparations for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show were progressing.
LTD Clothing Company would host the first Victoria's Secret Fashion Show by year-end, and Cindy was set to be the opening model.
Cindy said everything was going well, although there were some minor issues with the lingerie designs, requesting his advice at her home.
Link promised to drop by when he had the chance.
...
Knock, knock, knock!
After putting down the phone, Monica Lewinsky walked in, holding a folder.
Monica informed him that the PR department had received news about some tabloids claiming The Sixth Sense was involved in box office fraud.
The evidence cited was that the box office in five northeastern states was over 30% higher than in other states, which appeared suspicious.
"Is it true that the box office was higher in those five northeastern states?"
Link asked as he took the folder.
"Yes, it's true. The main reason is that the people there are more conservative and many believe in ghosts. Not only The Sixth Sense, but other ghost-themed films also performed well there.
Furthermore, following The Sixth Sense's release, several fans from Pennsylvania and Wisconsin claimed experiences similar to Cole's, indicating they could see ghosts.
This news became viral locally, contributing significantly to the movie's box office there."
Monica blinked her large eyes.
The PR department alerted Link about this so he could prepare ahead of time, avoiding inappropriate responses from reporters during promotional events.
...
Link nodded, flipped through a few pages of the material, then grabbed the phone and called Vice President Jon Gordon. Since many fans claimed childhood experiences related to seeing ghosts were in the news, he suggested increasing spending on promotions to capitalize on these stories.
Ideally, they could find one or two cute kids to share their ghostly encounters on TV.
Using this sensational news to promote the film.
Jon agreed with his proposal and promised to arrange it immediately.
Seeing a trailer for the film Cutthroat Island in the paper, Link reminded Jon Gordon to be prepared for a PR battle.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.