[Chapter 183: Overseas Release, LAPD Invitation]
A full week had passed, and Speed grossed $69.31 million to claim the top spot at the North American box office. In second place was Jurassic Park with $42.83 million, bringing its five-week total to $297.38 million. In the Line of Fire held third with $38.53 million, followed by The Firm in fourth with $34.46 million, totaling $82.37 million after two weeks. Sleepless in Seattle rounded out fifth place with $23.61 million, reaching $84.72 million over three weeks.
The summer movie season was fiercely competitive, with blockbusters releasing one after another. This year was especially brutal, as several high-grossing films clashed head-on, yet the competition fueled an intensely hot film market.
...
On July 16, two more major films premiered: Warner Bros.' Free Willy and 20th Century Fox's Rising Sun. Inevitably, screen time for other movies had to be reduced, but Speed's performance remained outstanding. Though its number of theaters slightly declined, it still showed on 2,760 screens across 5,800 theaters, roughly the same as its opening.
Other films saw varying degrees of decreases, especially Sleepless in Seattle and In the Line of Fire. When In the Line of Fire debuted, its opening scale was comparable to Speed's -- 2,600 theaters and 5,400 screens. However, a week later, box office differences were stark. Despite Columbia's efforts negotiating with theaters, the film's screening was significantly reduced to 1,700 theaters and 3,500 screens. It was simply the harsh reality of the business: even for a studio among Hollywood's Big Seven, poor box office meant less influence, since theaters needed to maximize profits during the hot summer season.
Perhaps the earlier blockbusters were just too strong, consuming much of the audience's enthusiasm and attention.
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Neither of the two new releases met expectations. After the three-day weekend, their total weekend grosses didn't make the top three, placing fourth and sixth, which was surprising. The top seven weekend box office rankings were:
1. Speed: $31.51 million, holding firm at #1.
2. Jurassic Park: $20.91 million.
3. In the Line of Fire: $19.24 million.
4. Free Willy: $17.52 million.
5. The Firm: $15.93 million.
6. Rising Sun: $15.43 million.
7. Sleepless in Seattle: $12.53 million.
Indeed, several blockbusters experienced declines, but overall North American box office totals remained roughly consistent with the previous week. The competition was simply too intense, and other films essentially became casualties.
...
Starting July 16, Speed began its overseas release in the UK, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, South Korea, Spain, Australia, Mexico, and Brazil. By July 24, after Linton and team completed their promotional tour and returned to Los Angeles, Speed's two-week box office totaled $113.28 million. Overseas markets contributed an impressive $33.4 million in just one week.
From July 23, another ten countries and territories started showing the film. Thanks in part to Jurassic Park's international success, which opened many overseas markets for Hollywood titles, Speed's international release scale expanded steadily.
Merchandise linked to the movie also performed spectacularly. Sales of the film's bus model surpassed $25 million over two weeks, and Universal's $40 million inventory was expected to sell out soon. Linton and Catherine's action figures sold better than expected, prompting Universal to urgently order an additional $20 million worth of Linton figures and $6 million of Catherine's.
The movie soundtrack sold strongly as well, buoyed by the film's popularity. In North America alone, sales totaled 1.8 million copies within two weeks, while overseas numbers exceeded 1 million in just one week.
The theme song The Pretender, written by Linton but sung by another artist, soared to number 8 on the Billboard singles chart thanks to the film's success.
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The blockbuster's popularity also brought an unexpected yet predictable result: a significant improvement in the image of American police nationwide.
As Columbia Pictures had criticized when attacking Speed, the film effectively functioned as a police image promotion piece. What surprised everyone was that audiences not only didn't reject it but really enjoyed the portrayal.
The protagonist Jack perfectly embodied the American public's fantasy of a capable, superpowered cop -- something they wanted more of to protect the populace.
Within the US police forces, the LAPD benefited most because the film was set in Los Angeles, and the credits clearly showed a "Special Thanks to the Los Angeles Police Department."
LAPD Deputy Chief Hoff-Del happily called Linton. After the film's release, the LAPD's image, which had hit rock bottom after the LA riots, began a remarkable recovery, successfully reversing public perception and regaining citizens' trust.
Many donors who previously refused to contribute have recently changed their stance, with some actively inquiring about upcoming social appreciation events to prepare checks, much to LAPD's delight.
During the call, Hoff sincerely invited Linton to attend an LAPD social appreciation event on August 16; invitations would be sent to his film company, and Universal would be invited as well.
Linton checked his schedule and believed he would have returned from overseas promotion by then, so he happily agreed. He also planned to persuade Universal's Lou Wasserman to make a donation to the LAPD from Speed's earnings, under the studio's name.
After all, Speed's production had received great support from the LAPD, and maintaining good relations would undoubtedly benefit both him and Universal.
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Back at Universal in Los Angeles, Levitt presented the second phase of the promotional plan.
Everyone would rest for two days, then split into three groups:
Group one: Linton would promote the film in Japan, France, and Germany -- three days in each.
Group two: Catherine would promote in the UK, particularly fitting since she was British and had just been proudly nicknamed "The English Rose" by British media due to Speed's success.
Group three: Dennis Hopper, Jeff Daniels, and Joe Morton would continue promoting in other North American cities.
Everyone else was fine with this, but Catherine was reluctant to be apart from Linton. Throughout the cross-country roadshow, she never seemed exhausted despite the grueling schedule; in fact, thanks to the vitality boost from Linton every day, she was vibrant, radiant, and appeared years younger -- life was pretty great.
She didn't want to separate, yet the promotional window was tight -- the crucial period was within the first three weeks of release, after which impact would drop sharply.
Moreover, returning to the UK for promotion was a way to return home in triumph and build a solid foundation there.
For the greater good, she begrudgingly agreed.
Still, she vowed to intensify her efforts with Linton in the next two days before departing to heal her troubled heart with one last passionate encounter.
*****
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