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Chapter 179: First Day Box Office
🕑 Added 2024-12-08 17:41:13 +0000 UTC"This is blatant disregard for all Black people!"
In a spacious living room, Luther stood in the center, speaking with force, "This is Hollywood ignoring the contributions our ancestors made to this country. They've always overlooked us, and we must raise our voices!"
"Luther's right!"
Another Black man, who had attended the premiere of *Saving Private Ryan*, stood up. "In the Omaha Beach scene, it was all white soldiers! Hollywood has once again one-sidedly denied the contributions of Black people to World War II!"
"So, what should we do?"
No one knew the status of Black people in this country better than they did. "Tell us, what should we do?"
"Gather as many people as possible..." Luther thought for a moment before saying, "Starting tomorrow, we'll split into two groups. One group will go to the City Hall Cinema in Los Angeles, and the other to the Fox Building in Century City."
"Isn't that a bit risky?" someone asked, worried. "Might it provoke a sensitive reaction from the California government? It's only been a short time since the events of '92."
Thinking about the brutal suppression of the Black riots, some showed signs of hesitation.
"We're only staging a sit-in protest," Luther wasn't stupid. "We're just protesting *Saving Private Ryan*, calling on all Black people to boycott the movie, without doing anything too extreme."
The group of Black people left one after another, going off to use their influence to call for more participants in the protest about the dignity of Black people and their ancestors. Meanwhile, Luther and a few others stayed behind, happily counting the figures on their checks.
Not far away, in a Latin community, Rodriguez was doing the same.
As night fell, a group of nearly ten young people walked into a theater in the suburbs of Chicago. Upon entering the lobby, they noticed for the first time this year that there was a long line at the ticket counter, which was usually easy to navigate.
"Ken, is *Saving Private Ryan* really as good as you say?"
While waiting in line, the group leader shrugged helplessly when he heard a friend's skeptical remark. "This is my second time seeing it today. If it wasn't good, would I watch it twice?"
"I'm on my second time too!" another friend chimed in. "If Ken is a fool, deceived by the movie, are the two of us fools as well?"
"I just went to the front to check."
One person, who had walked up ahead, came back. "Most of the people in line are buying tickets for *Saving Private Ryan*. It's over half of them."
"So, when you don't know which movie to choose, just follow the majority."
Behind the ticket counter, Criswell saw the group of nearly ten people purchase tickets for *Saving Private Ryan*. A rare smile crossed his face. He wasn't happy for the film itself but for the theater's ticket sales.
Since the afternoon, there had been a surge in moviegoers, with nearly two-thirds coming specifically for Duke Rosenberg's new film *Saving Private Ryan*. This reminded Criswell of last year's *Independence Day*. That young director was certainly the best friend and partner to theater chains.
In fact, if there were a Duke-style film released every week—no, every month—the theater's revenue wouldn't be a concern.
With that thought, Criswell picked up the day's sales report and returned to his office.
Today, his theater sold a total of $25,075 worth of tickets, with *Saving Private Ryan* accounting for $16,756 of that. Meanwhile, the film that was expected to compete with it, *Braveheart*, was utterly defeated, with only $3,231 in sales.
That figure not only paled in comparison to *Saving Private Ryan*, but even last week's *Die Hard 3*, which had $4,214 in sales, easily outperformed it!
*Braveheart* was truly a high-expectation, low-performance film!
Reflecting on it, Criswell suddenly recalled the reactions from many moviegoers and thought it made sense.
After all, a Scottish story and a lead actor who had been hyped by the media as a traitor didn't have any advantage over a film about American heroes. Plus, the time period chosen by 20th Century Fox for the release was highly strategic.
With Memorial Day just around the corner, there were ongoing commemorative events across the U.S., many of which were closely linked to the largest war in history.
Putting the report down, a determined look flashed in Criswell's eyes. It was time to make a decision!
He picked up the phone to the sales manager and said in an authoritative tone, "Starting tomorrow, increase *Saving Private Ryan*'s screening rate to 75%! Keep just one auditorium for *Braveheart*! Any spare auditoriums, apart from one evening screening for *Die Hard 3*, should be used for *Saving Private Ryan*!"
The audience loved the movie, and it brought in significant revenue for the theater. Criswell was merely making what he believed to be a very wise choice!
...
"Sweetheart..."
Demi Moore walked into the room and kissed Bruce Willis on the cheek. "John's here, and it seems important."
After getting dressed, the Willis couple greeted the middle-aged man who had arrived. He was the public relations head for *Die Hard 3*.
"Is there good news, John?"
Bruce asked, suspecting it was something related to the film, as John wouldn't come over this late without a reason. "Is it about the movie?"
"There is indeed good news." John wasn't one to beat around the bush and got straight to the point. "We just received the news that *Die Hard 3* beat *Braveheart* at the box office today!"
"Oh, that's great news." Demi Moore asked cautiously, "What about *Saving Private Ryan*?"
"You're too greedy, Demi!" John shook his head. "There's no comparison."
"We can't compete with Duke Rosenberg," Bruce Willis seemed well aware of their position. "It's already good that we beat *Braveheart* in its first week."
"There's more good news." John continued, "I got confirmation from the North American Theater Alliance that chains like AMC, Regal Entertainment, and the National Cinema Alliance have decided to reduce *Braveheart*'s screening rate starting tomorrow. If its per-theater box office doesn't improve, from Monday next week, its screenings will be significantly reduced!"
"Bruce, what do you think?"
John valued Bruce's opinion as he was one of the major investors in the film.
"Competing with a Duke Rosenberg film in the summer was a very foolish mistake!"
It only took Bruce Willis a couple of seconds to make a decision. "Get in touch with Duke's agent, D-Day Studios, and 20th Century Fox. We should partner with them to suppress and divide *Braveheart*'s theater slots!"
"I'll get on it right away!"
With that, John turned and left the living room.
The invisible competition was like smoke, shrouding the battleground known as Hollywood. The silence of night wouldn't disperse the smoke, and the rising sun would only make it burn hotter.
Dressed in a short sports outfit, Duke jogged through the garden, entered the side door of the villa, went upstairs to take a shower, changed into formal attire, and walked downstairs. When he entered the dining room, Tina Fey was already there.
"Good morning, Duke," the assistant greeted him.
"Morning, Tina."
Duke nodded, sat down at the table, and gestured for Tina Fey to sit casually. He was ready to enjoy his breakfast.
Tina accepted the coffee offered by the servant, said thank you, and opened the folder she was holding. "Yesterday's numbers are in."
"Go ahead," Duke said as he cut his eggs. "Relax here; I'm not one for many rules."
"Okay..." Tina Fey nodded, looking at the report in her hand. Internally, she sighed, thinking that some media outlets weren't wrong in calling Duke the King of Summer. "Across 2,543 theaters in North America, *Saving Private Ryan* grossed $20.54 million on its first day!"
"That's certainly great news."
Duke raised his cup of oatmeal porridge toward Tina. "We should definitely celebrate with a drink."
"We absolutely should."
Tina Fey smiled, took a sip of her coffee, then returned to work mode. Knowing what else Duke was concerned about, she added, "*Braveheart*... after grossing only $1.22 million from midnight screenings—far below expectations—it brought in just $2.75 million on its first day."
"Paramount Pictures is going to be upset. I wonder if Sherry Lansing will lose her job because of this."
Muttering quietly, Duke swallowed a bite of his eggs and asked, "Second place for the day?"
"No," Tina Fey shook her head lightly. "Bruce Willis's *Die Hard 3*, in its second week, grossed $6.21 million yesterday!"
"It looks like *Braveheart* is headed for a major flop."
Though Duke didn't know the final box office numbers, he was sure that with the combined pressure from *Saving Private Ryan* and *Die Hard 3*, Mel Gibson's days wouldn't be easy.
After all, factors influencing box office success aren't just about quality and marketing; the performance of films in the same release window is equally crucial.
"And the reviews—*Saving Private Ryan*'s audience approval rating dropped slightly to 93%, maintaining a normal, healthy decline... while *Braveheart*'s rating plummeted to 69%."
Given this situation, *Braveheart* had no chance of surviving the combined assault of *Die Hard 3* and *Saving Private Ryan*.
Last night, Duke received a notification from Nancy and Penny Kellis that Bruce Willis wanted to collaborate with him to suppress *Braveheart*.
Duke and Fox had no reason to decline this opportunity to quickly carve up *Braveheart*'s theater presence.
After breakfast, Duke and Tina Fey headed to the Fox Building in Century City for a press conference addressing concerns about the film's excessive violence and brutality.
