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Chapter 182: Explosive Box Office
🕑 Added 2024-12-11 18:01:03 +0000 UTCAs the sun rose over the eastern sky, a convoy carrying the main cast and crew of *Saving Private Ryan* departed from the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. The convoy traveled along the wide roads, passing by the Lincoln Memorial, crossing the Arlington Memorial Bridge over the Potomac River, and headed toward Arlington National Cemetery, centered on Arlington Hill.
Since today was Memorial Day, Arlington Cemetery was hosting a special event organized by the federal government, and the roads were particularly crowded. During one of the traffic jams, Tom Hanks switched to Duke's car.
"I've been flying around these past few days and haven't had a chance to congratulate you."
His honest face showed genuine sincerity as Tom Hanks smiled and said, "Congratulations, Duke! *Saving Private Ryan* has set the best opening weekend box office record of the year!"
"Thank you!" Duke smiled lightly. "You deserve some credit for it, too, Tom."
Tom Hanks, ever polite, chatted casually with Duke, observing his reactions. Duke remained calm and indifferent, as if the box office success of *Saving Private Ryan* was just another routine accomplishment. Such results didn't seem to excite or make him proud.
"He certainly has reason to be calm," Tom Hanks thought to himself.
This morning, when he saw the freshly released opening weekend box office figures, even he couldn't resist pumping his fist in excitement—$20.54 million on Friday, $21.14 million on Saturday, and $17.56 million on Sunday, for a total of $59.24 million in its first three days. This was the best opening weekend since last year's *Independence Day*!
Even looking at box office history, $59.24 million ranked second for an opening weekend, with the top spot also belonging to a film directed by the young man sitting beside him!
According to many prediction agencies, *Saving Private Ryan* was likely to surpass $250 million or even $300 million in North American box office earnings, another monumental success for Duke Rosenberg.
Aside from admiration and respect, Tom Hanks felt fortunate. He was very glad he hadn't turned down the initial audition offer. He had already won two consecutive Oscars for Best Actor, and last year's *Forrest Gump* grossed over $300 million in North America. If *Saving Private Ryan* also crossed $300 million, he would set an unprecedented record—starring in two back-to-back films that grossed over $300 million domestically!
In that case, when people looked back on the 1990s, Tom Hanks would undoubtedly be the first Hollywood actor that came to mind.
And all of this stemmed from this collaboration. Tom Hanks knew full well that without Duke Rosenberg, there would be no iconic character of Captain John Miller, nor would there be *Saving Private Ryan*. His rise to becoming Hollywood's top actor would have been significantly slower.
As they continued to chat, Tom Hanks glanced at Duke again and made a mental note to maintain a good relationship with him. Duke wasn't just a successful director.
Compared to the initially overlooked *Speed*, Duke Rosenberg's next three films had all triumphed in fierce competition. Tom had heard of some of Duke's behind-the-scenes strategies and plans; it seemed Duke was a natural fit for Hollywood's cutthroat environment, always finding ways to stand out from the crowd. His methods were even more seasoned than Spielberg's in some respects.
Especially this time—his anticipated rival *Braveheart* didn't even get a chance to shine in the competition against *Saving Private Ryan*.
Reflecting on the box office, Tom Hanks realized he might have overestimated *Braveheart*. In terms of acting, Mel Gibson could outshine Duke by a mile, but when it came to directing, especially in making commercial films, Mel Gibson was a whole Pacific Ocean away from Duke.
Tom Hanks knew that if the media made such claims, Mel Gibson's fans would surely disagree. But in Hollywood, the numbers speak the loudest.
How much did *Braveheart* make in its opening weekend? About $2.75 million on Friday, $2.33 million on Saturday, and $1.78 million on Sunday, totaling just $6.86 million. Forget competing with *Saving Private Ryan*; even the two-week-old *Die Hard with a Vengeance* easily crushed it with $17 million!
As a director, what did Mel Gibson have to compete with Duke Rosenberg?
Perhaps there would still be an Oscar race next year? Tom Hanks had heard whispers that *Braveheart* would be aiming for the Oscars, and the collaborative production by Warner Bros., Disney, and Fox certainly wouldn't pass up the opportunity on the 50th anniversary of World War II's victory!
The two films would inevitably clash again in the future, and *Braveheart*'s biggest advantage in the Oscar race over *Saving Private Ryan* might just be its significantly lower box office.
The convoy stopped outside the cemetery, and Duke, along with other crew members, got out and walked toward Arlington Cemetery. The Fox News cameras, already prepared, immediately followed them, and the surrounding journalists took notice. As they focused their attention on the group, the sounds of camera shutters filled the air.
In that moment, it seemed as though the crew had even overshadowed President Clinton, who was there to lay a wreath.
Duke's presence wasn't due to any particular interest in honoring fallen soldiers. The crew was there to steal the spotlight, make headlines, and attract attention to promote the film.
Dressed in a black suit and wearing dark sunglasses, Duke walked to the pre-arranged location and, alongside Tom Hanks, struck a solemn pose, allowing the media to capture as many photos as they wanted.
As for the memorial events themselves, they were just formalities for him.
Just like the promotion for *Independence Day*, Duke had no problem personally handling the PR to ensure the film's box office success and his own financial gain.
If the benefits were significant enough, Duke might even consider staging a fake romance with a starlet for publicity.
Although the crew's presence at this solemn event did attract attention, aligning well with the theme of *Saving Private Ryan*, the focus of the memorial was still on Clinton. When he approached the monument to lay the wreath, all eyes naturally shifted toward him.
Duke remained standing there, his face serious, like the most devout worshipper. Any inappropriate behavior in such a setting would surely be harshly criticized by the media.
What Duke didn't expect was that after the event, as they headed to the parking lot to leave, they ran into Clinton. The President glanced over and surprisingly came over to greet them.
"Director Rosenberg, I really enjoyed your film."
Surrounded by journalists, Bill Clinton shook Duke's hand. "Especially the humanity and compassion reflected in *Saving Private Ryan*. Those are values I've always advocated for."
"Thank you, Mr. President!" Duke flashed a perfectly rehearsed, brilliant smile.
In recent days, *Saving Private Ryan* had been universally praised by mainstream media. Clinton's compliment in such a setting wasn't entirely without ulterior motive. Politicians were even more adept than Hollywood bigwigs at seizing every available opportunity.
The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and Clinton finally said, "I hope to see you at next year's White House dinner."
"I would be honored," Duke replied politely.
Under the flash of cameras, Duke concluded his first close encounter with the leader of a nation. In the past, he would have been too excited to sleep afterward. But with decades of experience, he had learned to see through many things.
As Clinton's entourage left, Duke continued to gaze in their direction, as if searching for something.
"It's time to go."
Tina Fey approached to remind him. Noticing Duke's lingering gaze, she curiously asked, "Duke... what are you looking at?"
"Nothing. Let's go!"
Shaking his head, Duke turned and walked to the car. After getting in, he glanced once more through the car window at the distant presidential motorcade before quickly turning his attention away.
Hmm... Didn't spot that certain White House intern?
Compared to everything else, that was Duke's biggest disappointment, but before his mischievous thoughts could go any further, Tina, sitting in the front passenger seat, turned halfway around and brought up some work matters.
"We've got the latest report from the theater chains."
Hearing this, Duke nodded, indicating for her to continue.
"Starting today, the North American theater chains have drastically reduced the screenings of *Braveheart*. Its number of theaters has dropped to 1,225."
Tina was a bit taken aback by this number. The poor box office performance of *Braveheart* had led to its theaters being cut by half. "Our number of theaters has increased, with the latest count at 2,895! And... *Die Hard with a Vengeance* has also seen a slight rebound in theaters."
A smile appeared on Duke's face, the result of his collaboration with three powerful companies was evident. In the past, due to DreamWorks' involvement, *Saving Private Ryan* had struggled to quickly expand its number of theaters during its hottest phase, limiting its box office potential.
But Duke wasn't DreamWorks or Spielberg. Despite facing opposition from CAA and Paramount, he had the backing of equally powerful companies.
With its theaters cut in half, poor per-screen earnings, and rapidly declining word of mouth, *Braveheart* would no longer pose a real threat to *Saving Private Ryan*. The focus would now need to shift to a new competitor.
"Tina, inform Nancy." Duke wasted no time in giving instructions. "Have her contact our partners and discuss how we can suppress *Die Hard with a Vengeance* next."
The early decline of "Braveheart" means that it has essentially withdrawn from the competition. In the period before the weekend when new films are released, "Saving Private Ryan" and "Die Hard 3" will be the most direct competitors.
Memorial Day is about to pass, and Duke, together with the main actors of the crew, has started a North American promotional tour. As a legal holiday and the first day after the expanded release, Memorial Day will also reveal the future trend of the film
