[Chapter 460: Annual Box Office Rankings]
After finalizing the schedule, Link led the crew to shoot in the seaside town of Seaside, Florida.
The reason for choosing Seaside, Florida, was because its environment resembled the fictional Seahaven portrayed in The Truman Show.
In The Truman Show, the protagonist lived in a massive TV studio, with every building meticulously designed, resembling a utopian city.
Seaside, established in 1980, was famous as a planned resort community designed in the New Urbanism architectural style.
The community contained over 300 similarly styled houses, with everything within walking distance: post office, art gallery, antique shop, fashion store, bookstore, and restaurants. Every street led to the waterfront.
Seaside's unique beachfront scenery and architectural style perfectly matched the movie's concept of a 'manufactured utopia.' This made it the world's most suitable location to shoot The Truman Show.
The film's cast was close to the original, featuring Jim Carrey, Jennifer Aniston, Noah Emmerich, Ed Harris, among others, with a production budget of $60 million.
"Scene 1, take 2, rolling!"
...
"Good morning!"
Jim Carrey, playing Truman, stood at the doorway, smiling broadly as he greeted the neighbors.
"Good morning!"
The neighbor couple and their little girl waved back.
"In case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!"
...
"Cut!"
Right after filming the first Jim Carrey-centric shot, Link called for a pause. The reason was that Jim's performance didn't meet the expectations.
Jim Carrey had become a world-famous comedy star in recent years with films like The Mask, Liar Liar, Dumb and Dumber, and Batman Forever. He often used exaggerated facial expressions and physical antics to make audiences laugh.
While such a style fit other movies, it was inappropriate for The Truman Show.
The Truman Show was an art film whose story, beneath a comedic exterior, was actually tragic, dark, and chilling.
Over-the-top antics could distract the audience and make them mistake the film for something like The Mask -- a shallow slapstick comedy.
Link emphasized avoiding this during shooting.
He asked Jim Carrey to tone down the exaggerated expressions and gestures. The performance could be interesting, but not reckless. He also forbade the crew from discussing Jim's previous slapstick films to prevent them from conflating this film with others.
"Jim, Truman externally appears optimistic and cheerful, but inside he is depressed and repressed. This is similar to your own personality. You don't need to suppress your emotions or try to please the audience during filming. Just reveal your most authentic self, and you'll portray Truman perfectly," Link explained.
Jim furrowed his brow, contemplating. "We're filming the opening scenes now. Should it be as repressed at the start?"
"Yes. Truman lost his father as a child, and everyone around him is an actor. His wife, mother, and friends are insincere. He lives in a fake world full of lies with no one trustworthy to confide in. Living in such an environment naturally causes loneliness and repression. That loneliness and melancholy define his character from start to finish, so you need to portray that as much as possible."
"Okay, I understand," Jim nodded.
After a short break, filming resumed.
...
Truman went to work in the morning, greeting neighbors. Just as he was about to get in his car, a lamp fell from the sky, which he carefully picked up. This sparked his doubts about his environment.
Later, he saw his supposedly deceased father appear on the street, pushing his suspicions to the limit. Truman then began confronting his fears and prepared to leave Seahaven by boat.
...
"Cut!"
"That shot is good."
After completing the first set of shots, the crew took a short break before continuing.
---
While Link was filming in Seaside, The Hollywood Reporter released the 1997 North American box office rankings and the total box office revenue of Hollywood studios.
According to the statistics, 344 films were released in North America last year, eight more than in 1996. Although this was a small increase, total box office revenue rose by $400 million to $6.03 billion.
Thirteen films grossed over $100 million domestically, three fewer than the previous year. Thirty-eight films earned over $50 million, four more than in 1996.
The top North American box office hit was Titanic, which earned $415 million domestically and $1.34 billion globally by the end of February, setting a new world record.
Second place was Link's war movie Saving Private Ryan, earning $403 million domestically and $917 million worldwide.
Third was Link's action film The Rock, with domestic earnings of $262 million and $625 million worldwide.
Fourth went to Columbia Pictures' sci-fi comedy Men in Black, with $247 million domestically.
Fifth was Universal Pictures' Jurassic Park: The Lost World at $213 million domestically.
Sixth place was Warner Bros.' disaster film Twister, with $192 million.
Seventh was Guess Pictures' comedy Liar Liar, with $183 million.
Eighth was Guess Pictures' thriller Primal Fear, garnering $174 million.
Ninth went to Columbia's action film Air Force One, earning $168 million.
Tenth place was George Lucas's Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope at $132 million.
Eleventh went to Guess Pictures' comedy My Best Friend's Wedding, grossing $127 million.
Twelfth was Paramount's action movie Face/Off, with $102 million.
Thirteenth was Disney's comedy George of the Jungle, slightly crossing the $100 million mark.
Although fewer films surpassed $100 million domestically than the previous year, five films earned over $200 million -- setting a new record.
This data indicated the increasing power of well-produced commercial films at the box office, highlighting concentration in the industry and intensifying competition.
...
The Hollywood Reporter also tallied total box office earnings for the eight major studios.
Guess Pictures remained the top studio in North America.
It earned $1.65 billion domestically and $3.17 billion worldwide, including Titanic -- making it the first studio ever to surpass $3 billion annually in global box office receipts.
The report estimated total worldwide box office revenue at about $13.5 billion for the year, with Guess Pictures accounting for 22%, an astonishing figure.
Additionally, Guess Pictures co-produced other films with studios like Columbia, including L.A. Confidential, Twelve Monkeys, and with New Line Cinema for Austin Powers and The Long Kiss Goodnight.
The combined North American box office for these four films was about $287 million, with Guess Pictures receiving approximately 30% of the revenue.
Including this share, Guess Pictures' actual revenue was even higher.
Second place was 20th Century Fox, which released 16 films including Titanic and Star Wars Episode IV.
It earned $1.041 billion domestically and $1.525 billion globally.
Third place was Columbia Pictures, with 13 releases including Men in Black, Air Force One, Anaconda, and L.A. Confidential, totaling $736 million domestically.
Fourth through eighth were Disney, Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount, and MGM Studios. These five combined earned $2.07 billion domestically, only $400 million more than Guess Pictures alone.
Globally, the gap between the top seven and Guess Pictures was even more pronounced.
After the 1997 rankings were announced, the industry buzzed with envy and admiration towards Guess Pictures.
...
Meanwhile, the media revealed Guess Pictures' plans to acquire MGM.
According to the Los Angeles Times, after more than a month of negotiations, the two companies agreed on a $4.2 billion purchase covering MGM's assets and debts.
If the deal finalized, Guess Pictures would take on nearly $4 billion in debt but would become a stronger company with total assets exceeding $10 billion, becoming a new giant in the industry.
Industry insiders reacted with mixed feelings.
Jay Moloney, Nobuyuki Idei, and Robert Shay called Link to congratulate him, hoping for more future collaborations.
Quentin Tarantino, Nicolas Cage, and Bruce Willis called to ask if the news was true and congratulated Guess Pictures on its growing strength and promising future.
At home, the women close to Link were proud of the acquisition and often visited the film set in groups to help him relax with their gentle support.
...
However, managers at the major Hollywood studios were uneasy upon hearing the news.
"This is bad news. Guess Pictures was already powerful. Integrating MGM's studios and distribution would make them unstoppable. Soon, there might be no real competition left in Hollywood," Warner Bros. president Terry Semel lamented.
"Unbelievable. A small studio less than ten years old is swallowing MGM. At this rate, in ten years, Guess Pictures might be the only studio left," Universal's Ron Mayer worried.
"Mayer, don't you want to do something to stop Guess Pictures from acquiring MGM?" Harvey Weinstein asked Barry Diller, Michael Ovitz, and Mayer by phone, explaining the risks and urging them to prevent the merger.
No one agreed.
"Guess Pictures has ample funds, and MGM is eager to sell. No one can stop this deal," Barry Diller sighed.
"You could convince Wall Street to raise more funds to block it," Harvey suggested.
"That's tough. $4.2 billion isn't a small number. It would require several investment companies working together. Plus, no one is confident MGM will be profitable post-acquisition. The risk of losing money is high, so investors won't back it," Michael Ovitz said.
"So we just watch Guess Pictures succeed in swallowing MGM, becoming a giant, and all of us remain in Link's shadow?" Harvey shouted hysterically.
"Guess Pictures has already topped the box office four years running and is a giant regardless. Blocking this deal won't change that," Mayer replied.
"Exactly. We can't and won't stop it. MGM's internal problems and massive debt make this a risky move for Guess Pictures. Maybe things will get worse for them after the acquisition -- then it'll be our chance," Diller said.
Harvey snorted, clearly unhappy with their pessimism.
Guess Pictures was devouring MGM and growing stronger. The major studios should have taken a stand to stop them but didn't, instead relying on uncertain luck.
That was too passive.
"What if Guess Pictures doesn't get crushed by the debt?"
"Harvey, do you have any good ideas?"
Harvey's face twitched with frustration. What could a small studio head like him do? He only wanted to push Ovitz and others to make a move, but unfortunately, his teammates were too incompetent.
*****
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