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Chapter 178: Striking at Competitors
🕑 Added 2024-12-07 17:47:59 +0000 UTCIn the early hours of the morning, Los Angeles was finally a bit quieter. The spacious mansion was pitch-black except for the light in the study, indicating that its owner was still awake.
Sitting at the desk, Townsend Rossman, who had been busy all night, showed no signs of sleepiness. 20th Century Fox was the North American distributor of *Saving Private Ryan*, and the film's performance would directly affect Fox's quarterly earnings. Judging by the revenue of *Independence Day*, Duke Rosenberg's new film might even have a significant impact on the annual results.
Looking at the clock, the midnight screenings of *Saving Private Ryan* on the West Coast should be wrapping up, and the North American midnight box office statistics would soon be available and sent to him.
There was a soft knock on the study door, and a middle-aged woman walked in.
"Still awake?"
She approached and made a cup of coffee for herself and her husband. "The numbers haven't come in yet, have they?"
"Not yet."
Seeing his wife sit across from him, Townsend Rossman expressed his concern, "It's late; you should go back to bed."
His wife shook her head. "I'll keep you company for a little while."
Time seemed to crawl, and Townsend Rossman's brow remained slightly furrowed until the phone finally rang. After speaking for a few moments, his expression brightened.
"The midnight box office numbers?" his wife asked.
"They've come in!"
Townsend Rossman nodded but didn't say more. Instead, he turned and took a bottle of red wine and two glasses from the cabinet behind him, pouring a glass for both of them.
"Looks like it's good news!"
Clinking her glass lightly with Townsend Rossman's, the middle-aged woman smiled, "You only drink this wine when you're really happy."
"$6.23 million!"
Setting down the wineglass, Townsend Rossman chuckled. "Ninety-six percent of the midnight audience gave the film an A-grade rating!"
Though the midnight box office wasn't as high as *Independence Day*, the film's subject matter naturally posed some challenges. More importantly, due to the strong competition from *Braveheart*, *Saving Private Ryan* opened in a few hundred fewer theaters than *Independence Day*. Given these conditions, such a strong midnight box office performance was enough to prove the power of *Saving Private Ryan*!
"Is that young director really that talented?" the middle-aged woman asked thoughtfully.
"Even more talented than you think!"
Townsend Rossman was absolutely certain. Though this was only the midnight box office, he had full confidence in the film. After all, it was a Duke Rosenberg production! That name alone was a guarantee of success and a surefire bet for the summer box office!
A few minutes later, Townsend Rossman and his wife went to bed. For this Fox CEO, it was a night of exceptional peace of mind.
In a luxury suite at the Beverly Hills Hilton, Irene Lande had just woken up and immediately called to have the day's newspapers delivered.
"So eager?" Anna teased.
After tipping and closing the door, Irene sat down on the sofa with the papers in hand. "I really loved this movie."
As she flipped through the newspapers, nearly every entertainment section featured reports on *Saving Private Ryan* and *Braveheart*. Irene wasn't interested in non-American history or anything related to Australia's wild men, so she skipped the news about the latter and focused entirely on reports about *Saving Private Ryan*.
Living in Los Angeles, the first paper she looked at was the *Los Angeles Times*.
"*Saving Private Ryan* is a great war film. Its realistic battle scenes, grand sound effects, and soul-stirring plot, along with its unique narrative style, all deserve the highest praise…"
Setting the paper aside, Irene picked up *The New York Times*.
"This is the most realistic war film ever made. The realism comes from the use of documentary-style shots and smooth editing. In the immersive atmosphere created by Duke Rosenberg, we experience the same reality, the same brutality! Beyond that, *Saving Private Ryan* leaves the audience with deep reflections!"
Though the film hadn't yet been reviewed in critics' columns, there were many news reports and entertainment reviews, and most were highly positive.
"It's worth mentioning the film's opening battle sequence. Director Duke Rosenberg demonstrates his directorial talents perfectly in this scene. The meticulous coordination of sound and visuals not only realistically depicts the bloodshed and violence of war but also brilliantly conveys the characters' psychology on the battlefield, delivering a powerful impact. It's not an exaggeration to call this 'the greatest war sequence ever filmed.'"
Anna sat down beside Irene, picking up a newspaper Irene had discarded.
"Why are all the critics talking about *Braveheart*?" Irene mused, resting her chin on her hand. "They're collectively ignoring *Saving Private Ryan*!"
"That's normal." Anna didn't even look up. "The critics have never liked Duke; that's no secret. But attacking a film like *Saving Private Ryan* would be difficult for them. If I were a critic, I'd ignore it, too."
"Well, there's still some criticism." Irene found another newspaper and said to Anna, "Some are attacking the film."
"Oh?" Anna's interest was piqued.
The criticism wasn't about the film's theme or its underlying message but seemed like targeted complaints from certain groups.
A representative of the National Teachers and Parents Association, who had attended the premiere, publicly criticized the film for its excessive violence and gore, arguing that an R rating was insufficient to prevent psychologically immature minors from seeing it. The representative accused director Duke Rosenberg of deliberately promoting violence.
Additionally, a group in the Greater Los Angeles area representing African Americans claimed the film intentionally ignored the contributions of minorities during World War II, accusing it of racial discrimination…
"Racial discrimination?"
In the D-Day Studio, Duke was a little taken aback when he heard the news. "Are those people out of their minds? Or do they genuinely have less brain capacity than the average person?"
"Duke!"
Sofia Coppola nudged him, softly reminding him, "Watch what you say."
Besides Sofia, Nancy Josephson and Panny Kallis were also present. Duke knew race was a sensitive topic, so even though he hadn't said anything particularly offensive, he decided to stay quiet.
However, neither Duke nor the seasoned publicist Panny Kallis took the African American protest seriously.
First, this was simply the basic rule of the game in Hollywood—white people controlled everything. Second, the film was historically accurate. At that time, African Americans hadn't yet seen a significant improvement in their status, and most Black soldiers were assigned to segregated units during World War II.
Compared to that, the protest from the National Teachers and Parents Association representative posed a slightly bigger issue. Even though it wasn't the official stance of the entire organization, it could still cause some negative fallout.
"Leave it to me." Panny Kallis took the initiative. "I'll need your authorization, Duke. I'll organize a press conference as soon as possible to address this."
"Go ahead." Duke nodded, then turned to Charles Roven. "Is Paramount and CAA behind this?"
"Very likely."
This kind of competitive tactic was all too common, and Charles Roven remained calm throughout. "We don't need to investigate. We can assume that anything that hurts *Saving Private Ryan* is their doing."
"Alright, Charles," Duke said without hesitation. "You handle coordination with Warner, Disney, and Fox's PR departments. Push them to accelerate the post-release promotional campaigns, and make sure enough resources are allocated."
He thought for a moment. "Remember when I suggested that Fox dig up some dirt on Mel Gibson? They found quite a bit. Let them decide when to release it."
Standing up and clapping his hands, Duke addressed the group in a loud voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, whether we win this competition depends on the actions we take in the next few days!"
Based on media reactions, it was clear that Paramount Pictures and CAA were making moves. In response, Duke and the D-Day Studio, along with their co-producers, were also taking action.
These efforts weren't just aimed at promoting their own film—they were also focused on undermining their competitors!
At the *Los Angeles Times* editorial office, Sarah quickly walked in, having just finished watching *Saving Private Ryan* after missing the premiere due to work. Her boss had allowed her to watch it during work hours because she was tasked with writing a report on the film.
The question of whether *Saving Private Ryan* was worth all the buzz was already being discussed in some media outlets. As one of the top three newspapers in the U.S., if the *Los Angeles Times* made this a focal point in its coverage, it would likely spark a national debate and draw even more attention to the film.
As she sat down at her typewriter, Sarah realized she was once again siding with Duke Rosenberg. Aligning with a successful person felt pretty good.
Having watched the film and determined its quality, coupled with the convincing track record of Duke Rosenberg, Sarah didn't need to think twice. She was certain this movie would be a massive hit!
Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Tyrese had just returned home, only to be met with a stern glare from his father, Tyrese Sr. That afternoon, despite his father's warnings, Tyrese had gone to see *Saving Private Ryan*.
"Dad, I swear, the film doesn't promote violence at all!" Tyrese Jr. swore to his father. "It's a deeply moving war movie and the best war movie I've ever seen! Those who say it's too violent are clearly biased. I swear on the honor of the Tyrese family that this is a film worth watching over and over again!"
Seeing that his father seemed to be hesitating, little Tyrese continued, "Dad, the BraveHeart you suggested to watch is actually about a traitor and an informer, and it is about a Scottish man who has nothing to do with us..."
After a brief argument, as happened among many families and friends that afternoon, the Tyrese family changed their movie choice and, like most viewers this weekend, decided to go see Saving Private Ryan.
A dozen miles away from Tyrese's home, a dozen black people gathered together.
