Chapter 347: Beautiful Woman May Become the Annual Box Office Champion
"Why did you fall in love with me? How am I inferior to Sydney Pollack?"
Ronald's film "Ghost" has completed final production and is about to arrange a small-scale test screening.
At this time, news came that Paramount Vice President Lindsay Dolan, who was strongly promoting the film project and did not hesitate to give Ronald generous dividends, and the studio took the lead in investing a lot of money, resigned from Paramount.
Already.
She was forced out by Paramount's boring office politics. The discrimination against female management in major Hollywood studios is very obvious. Although Lindsay Dolan has been working multiple jobs in the past few years,
, working more than ten hours a day, advancing several projects in parallel. But after the movie came out, the promotion spot was not available to him, and he was required to continue to be a hard-working old scalper.
Lindsay Dolan quits...
Of course, a producer who can work hard, select his own scripts, and know which director to give his best talents will not go unappreciated. He has just resigned from the company of the famous Jewish director Sydney Pollack.
He was poached by "Mirage" Pictures and served as a producer.
"Hey hey hey, there are a lot of very in-depth scripts available in Sydney, and I can be closely involved in the creation of the scripts and work in the editing room if necessary. I can oversee every aspect."
Lindsay Dolan replied to Ronald's joke with a smile. She actually really thought about joining Ronald's Daydream, but at that time, Daydream's Star-Spangled Banner series of B-level low-cost action movies were released one after another, so that
She felt discouraged. If she made this kind of movie every day, she would pull out her hair with regret, right?
"If you come, I will definitely invest in art films. I don't care what theme you want to shoot, what director you find, or what leading role you audition for. Think about it, kick that old man Sydney Pollack, I have a seat here for you
…”
Ronald smiled wryly and half-joked, trying to win back this quality producer. Daydream's most capable producers are two women, the experienced Polly Platt and Rachel Talalay
A strong style. A producer like Lindsay Dolan, who has a delicate sense of art and is good at dealing with directors, would be a great addition if he could join.
"Are you kidding?" Lindsay Dolan didn't expect Ronald to think so highly of her, "I have already promised Sydney, but I will remember your invitation."
"It's effective for a long time...", Ronald smiled. The producer also specializes in the field, and the two female leads in romantic dramas are almost boring.
"The test screening of "The End of the World" was very good. Almost all female viewers cried when they saw Sam turn around, say goodbye to Molly, and fly to the end of heaven... I haven't watched it in Hollywood for a long time.
It’s the end of a movie that makes people so emotional.”
"Then why are you resigning? Why don't you continue to work hard at Paramount for a few months, and when my movie is released, I will give you a big bargaining chip?" Wallard thought so, but the words came.
Instead, he said, "I will pray for the box office of this movie."
After having children, Ronald sometimes went to church on weekends. This made him more like a traditional American successful person.
Some people are just good at doing things, and some people are good at making relationships. If Lindsay Dolan knew this, she would not resign before the movie she directed was about to be released. No matter what, she would finish the gamble.
But if she knew this too well, Ronald wouldn't want to recruit her into Daydream to play an important role (presumably Sydney Pollack felt the same way).
"I heard that you are preparing a new movie? It is also a romantic comedy? Have you found a good distributor..."
"That's not something you should consider..." Ronald smiled and shook his head. Although this man was very capable, he was too persistent and naive in some matters.
"As for distribution matters, although you have resigned, I still ask Paramount for you to participate in an event in Los Angeles or New York. You can choose one that is convenient for your schedule. Patrick Schwytz and Demi Moore will both attend.
"Ronald still remembers the enthusiasm of Lindsay Dolan's fan who insisted on dancing with Schwytz.
"Ha, thank you..." Sure enough, Lindsay Dolan happily chose the right time. The movie will be released in July. In addition to screening activities, there will also be a series of TV interview activities. After having its own TV station, it will integrate publicity resources
It has also become more convenient.
…
There was no need to worry about the distribution of "Other People's Money". Columbia Pictures, Disney, and even Warner Bros., who sold Ronald the script, all extended an olive branch to him to distribute the film.
The reason is also very simple, because the box office performance of "Pretty Woman" has exceeded everyone's imagination.
In the second week of May, the film had already exceeded US$100 million in domestic box office, heading towards the annual box office championship. This was like a shock bomb thrown into a closed room within Hollywood.
Until last year's "When Harry Met Sally", romantic films were still regarded as a genre in the small and medium-cost market. Since "Jaws" and "Star Wars" ushered in the era of screen special effects, box office champions have been
, all have something to do with special effects production.
The few annual box office champions without any special effects are also the trough of the annual box office curve. The last purely romantic film to win the annual champion can be traced back to 1971's "Love Story".
It was a love tragedy between a rich man and a poor girl, who broke away from the fetters of the world and wanted to be together. In the end, the girl got sick and died unfortunately. This caused a movie-going craze at that time, and everyone went to the cinema with a handkerchief to cry. 1971
It was shown in theaters for a whole year, until 2072, when it earned a box office of 100 million.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! But it only took "Pretty Woman" seven weeks to achieve the achievement of over 100 million in domestic box office.
This is of course related to changes in the film distribution model, economic development, and the film market's renewed prosperity. But romance films are all medium-low-cost types, and most of them are star salaries. This one hired Richard Gere, and it cost only
With a budget of 14 million...
You know, last year's box office champion "Batman" took ten weeks to reach the box office of over 100 million. And its budget was a terrifying 50 million, not counting the money split by Jack Nicholson.
60 million dividends!
The cost is low, the shooting cycle is short, and the post-production time is short, but the ability to make money is not bad at all... All Hollywood producers have been thinking about a question in their minds recently:
Could it be that the traditional model of romantic movies, in which the prince and the princess live happily together, are coming back? Although the prince lives in a penthouse suite in a high-end hotel, and the princess also has to pick up guests on the street... But their core models are the same
, two seemingly impossible lovers, finally came together because of love...
As the box office soared every week, Richard Gere received twice as many scripts, and Julia Roberts's salary offers doubled.
Director Garry Marshall is also being competed by many studios, but of course everyone still only trusts his ability to direct romantic films. In addition to the jump in salary, the level of stars he can invite is also rising rapidly.
From a has-been male star, to a new female star, he quickly transitioned to an established male star, a backbone female star, and even faster to an Oscar-winning actor and actress-level candidate. The latest news is that he has begun to cooperate with Paramount to find Mi
Sher Pfeiffer, Warren Beatty, Sally Field, and Al Pacino discuss the new script.
Of course, in addition to the ill-informed studio executives, the manufacturers who really knew the various inside stories during the filming of "Pretty Woman" pointed their fingers at Ronald.
This film received strong support from Ronald from the establishment of the director to the casting and subsequent shooting. It was also him who initially spotted the script and invested in it. It happened to be his own directorial work, "The Love Between Ghosts and Humans"
, will be released soon.
But Hollywood is an industry that competes to be the first. If you wait until "The Last Days" is released before you seek cooperation with Ronald, you will only be exposed to the exhaust fumes of his Ferrari sports car.
From "Moonlight", to "When Harry Met Sally", and then to this "A Ghost Story", Ronald made three atypical romantic films. One for middle-aged people
love, a love story between older urban youths, and a love tragedy, and his latest project "Other People's Money" is an authentic Hollywood love model. Two seemingly impossible men and women, because of love...
Come together...
Therefore, Disney, which has tasted the sweetness, and Samsung Pictures, run by two old friends of Ronald, have given super favorable conditions.
Not only will they participate in the investment in the filming of the film, they will also be given the best box office schedule and marketing treatment for a first-class film. As for the casting, script revision, and final editing of the film, it depends on what Ronald needs. They
Go help make it happen!
However, Ronald is a little dissatisfied with the domestic distribution capabilities of Samsung and Disney. Samsung Pictures is originally a shadow brand of Columbia, and many of its distribution capabilities have been integrated by Columbia during the acquisition.
In terms of live-action movies, Disney can only produce some small and medium-cost productions and release them in not very good schedules. This time, for "Pretty Woman", they only mobilized 1,500 theaters in the weak schedule after the New Year.
After the premiere, it will be more difficult to add later.
As for Paramount, he is not willing. Now this studio, which was the most powerful five years ago, is in a period of internal turmoil. His "love between people and ghosts" is not over yet, and the time slot is scheduled for the latter part of the summer season.
, but with the departure of Lindsay Dolan, there is a lack of a real working vice president, and many senior executives are focusing on the company's fat men to enrich their own pockets. The distribution communication between him and Paramount is not very smooth.
As for Warner Bros., who wanted to turn around, Ronald once again proposed the adaptation copyright of "Forrest Gump" as a condition. Who knew that this move made the Jewish executives feel that the goods were rare and insisted on not lowering the price, which made Ronald angry
Put them on the blacklist.
If it doesn't work out, Ronald plans to propose that Samsung Pictures and Disney jointly distribute this "Other People's Money". Anyway, this kind of cooperation between studios is not unprecedented, and the distribution of the two studios is of medium strength.
Departments, when combined, can be compared with the other most powerful distribution departments.
The most regrettable thing is that Columbia Pictures, which I promoted, hired a Jewish Peter Guber. Dealing with this group of Jews is always difficult. There are all kinds of twists and turns, and it doesn’t matter if the winner doesn’t take all.
A losing mentality makes you always feel like you are negotiating with a poisonous snake.
However, in Hollywood, it is impossible not to deal with Jews. Ronald also has to deal with it carefully, because this group of people is very "unity". They all have a tacit understanding to suppress non-Jewish employees. Really and
Their relationship was strained and it was very troublesome.
…
Early the next morning, while Ronald was revising the script, the fax machine squeaked and a black-and-white photo was printed. Then he received an international long-distance call from Cannes.
"Hey, Ronald, have you seen the photo I sent you?"
Martin Scorsese's voice appeared on the microphone.
"Marty? Is it night where you are? What kind of photo is this?" The resolution of the fax machine was very low, and the photo had a lot of grayscale loss. Ronald could only vaguely recognize the master Akira Kurosawa sitting in the middle.
The man standing next to him has meticulously combed hair and a clean shave. He is so elegant that he looks a little different from Scorsese.
"Did you see it? Hahaha, this is our dinner to celebrate Mr. Kurosawa. Didn't you see that everyone has a glass of champagne in their hands?"
"Oh, no wonder, I heard that 'Dream' directed by Mr. Kurosawa and starring you, was the opening film of Cannes? Congratulations..." Ronald thought it was a group photo of the film crew.
The last time Martin Scorsese was at the Oscars, he was not qualified to award Akira Kurosawa an honorary Oscar. This time at Cannes, he was with the master every day and must have been the focus of the media. Ronald knew
This is a way of showing off to him...congratulations quickly.
"Hahaha, can't you recognize the handsome guy next to me? Look carefully, there is also the young man in front of me..."
"Ouch, I..."
Ronald picked up the fax and examined it carefully in the sunlight. He finally discovered that it was not a set photo.
All the people in this photo are famous directors, each holding a glass of champagne in their hands, paying tribute to Akira Kurosawa, the only one with a seat in the photo, sitting in the middle.
Next to Scorsese is Bertolucci, the director of The Last Emperor who dominated the world in 1987. The docile young man in front of him, squatting next to the master Akira Kurosawa, became famous last year with "Sex, Lies, Videotape"
, the young director Steven Soderbergh, who won the Cannes Palme d'Or.
The other people standing next to him were all world-famous directors. Ronald could barely recognize Poland's Andrzej Wajda, Italy's Vittorio Tavini, etc. from the low-resolution photos.
people……
"It really makes me jealous. I wish I could take a photo with him right here in Cannes..." Ronald felt that Scorsese had some knots in his heart last time and deliberately said something to make him happy.
"Hahaha, you are not qualified, Ronald." Scorsese really felt a little confused.
"Why am I no longer qualified?" Ronald thought to himself, does Scorsese not hold a grudge so much? Does he really value Kurosawa's approval so much?
"Don't you see? Forget it, the fax effect is not good. Let me tell you, these are all winners of the Palme d'Or at Cannes."
"Uh..." Ronald was really jealous now. He just didn't make much achievements in awards. Moreover, Scorsese himself also won the Cannes Palme d'Or for "Taxi Driver".
"Ronald-san?" Kurosawa's voice came from the other side, "Let me have a word with him..."
Akira Kurosawa took the microphone and said, "Ronald-san, thank you for hosting us in Los Angeles last time. I missed you very much. I look forward to seeing you in Cannes."
"Hey, look, this is the magnanimity of a master." Ronald said to Diane who came after hearing the news, "Master Akira Kurosawa encouraged me to work hard and win the Palme d'Or in Cannes... better than Scorsese.
Showing off to make people jealous is much better.”