Exploiting Hollywood 1980 Chapter 440 Twin Theater Premiere
Except for the special features of the movie itself (such as the place where the original story takes place), the premieres of most American movies will be held in Los Angeles or New York.
These two cities have large theaters suitable for premieres, and there are enough media to cover the premieres, which can increase the box office of the movie.
Ronald released his own movie for the first time and spent a long time choosing between two places. The advantage of Los Angeles is that it is convenient to hire stars, while the advantage of New York is that there are more national media. In order to have more audiences to watch from the media reports
Arriving at the movies, drawn to the cinema, Ronald decided...
It is held once in each city.
The most suitable cinema for premieres in Los Angeles is the Dome Theater, and the most suitable cinema in New York is the Ziegfeld Theater. Both have halls that can accommodate more than 2,000 people, as well as various facilities for premiere media and meetings.
But Ronald can't rent any of them. Not only can you rent here by paying money, you also need to have the right relationship and make a reservation in advance.
Since Ronald temporarily postponed the release of "Dirty Dancing", he had to do the next best thing and find another theater for the premiere.
Universal and Paramount have both extended an olive branch and allowed Ronald to premiere in their cinemas. However, those cinemas are generally newly built multi-theater systems without large screening rooms and media facilities.
In the end, it was Roger Corman who took the initiative to pull the strings and found Twin Pictures, a well-known company in the industry, to lend Ronald the premiere of the Twin Theater in Los Angeles and New York.
As the name indicates, the Twin Theaters are twin theaters composed of two theaters with a capacity of 1,000 people.
Ronald booked two halls, one open to premiere audiences, and the other used for subsequent general screenings. The media facilities in the twin theaters in both places were used to receive reporters from all walks of life.
"The scale is very good. It looks like a premiere scale only for blockbusters from the seven major studios."
Jim Cameron was amazed by Ronald's arrangement. As a small company, Daydream can produce such a large-scale premiere and invite so many media and celebrities to support it. I have to say that it is very admirable.
"I hope you and Gale like it." Ronald greeted celebrities from all walks of life at the door. Next to him was Diane, wearing a long red dress, greeting Gale Hurd.
"Oh, Jim, Jim..." Gale, with short hair, increasingly showed the temperament of a professional female producer, "You should wish Ronald's movie a hit."
"My bad," Cameron laughed and corrected himself with Ronald.
"Man, this doesn't have to happen between us. Let me know what you think when the time comes." Ronald gave his old friend a questioning look. Why does Gale always seem to find fault with your words?
"Yes, I will give you my thoughts after reading it." Cameron made a look that said, "I'll talk to you later." He obediently walked over and stretched out his arm for Gale to take, and the two of them walked in.
"Huh..." Diane attended the premiere for the first time as the host's female companion, stuck out her tongue and looked at Ronald.
"A bit tired?" Ronald stepped forward and asked. Wearing this kind of close-fitting skirt and high heels, he greeted each guest and posed for photos with them. For a former lover like Diane,
Being a rebellious girl is never easy.
"Oh, I'm starting to regret wearing these high heels. These high heels are killing me." Diane helped Ronald and made a painful expression. In order to look suitable with Ronald, Diane yesterday
I spent a long time choosing in the evening before deciding to wear this figure-flattering outfit and a pair of tall shoes.
"I put a pair of your shoes in the lounge. The heel will be much more comfortable. You can rush in before there are too many people..." Ronald covered the eyes of others and whispered to Diane in his ear.
.
"Really? Thank you, Ronnie." Diane quickly ran into the lounge and changed into comfortable shoes regardless of her appearance.
Ronald put on a professional smile again and continued to play the role of a hospitable host to the guests. In fact, the premiere was at night, and in the dark background, the photographers and paparazzi from the big media could only turn on their flashes.
As high as it can go, slap the person's upper body with bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang, so that readers can recognize who is who.
No one can take photos with layers and the beauty of clothes under such lighting conditions without the aid of lighting.
Diane's clothes and shoes are obviously overdressed, and are more suitable for a stage shrouded in professional lights like the Oscars.
However, Ronald knew Diane's psychology, and it was purely to play the role of his female companion. He just asked his assistant to secretly hide a pair of medium-heeled shoes in Diane's size in the lounge to prevent her from working too hard.
After a while, Diane walked out wearing comfortable shoes. Her steps were much easier this time. She still didn't have much experience attending formal occasions, but fortunately, Brother Ronnie was well prepared.
Thinking of this, she walked forward with a smile and took Ronald's arm.
"Miss Lane." The person who was greeting Ronald was the manager of emaScore market research company.
"Hi," Ronald turned around and gave Diane an encouraging smile, "Mr. Carlson is helping us test the average audience ratings of random theaters in five states across the country tonight. Tomorrow we will know what the audience thinks of this movie.
How much I like the movie.”
"First thing tomorrow morning, I promise." The manager nodded to Diane and went in to prepare for the survey.
"How many points will there be?" Diane asked Ronald secretly.
"Romantic comedies generally don't get too high a rating, so I'd be very satisfied with a B. Hi, Roger!"
"Hi, Ronald, I'm really happy today." Roger walked over slowly with Julie Coleman and his wife.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Ronald quickly joined Diane and took a photo with the former boss and his wife who had been kind to him. "How do you feel?" Roger Corman patted Ronald
Nader's shoulder, the two posed for the photographer.
"To be honest, I'm very nervous. Doing distribution with my own money is completely different from just being a director before. I'm still waiting for the box office forecast you give me?"
"Haha, relax, take your time and enjoy it. I'm going to watch a movie first." Roger Corman laughed, and Ronald also "enjoyed" the feeling of being a boss.
"Ronnie, the box office will be good, right?" Diane's hand slowly stroked Ronald's arm to relieve him. Unexpectedly, Ronald revealed his true feelings in front of his former boss.
, he can be nervous, but he seems to be quite calm.
"Yeah, but I don't have time to think about this now..." Ronald also let out a sigh of relief.
"Let me tell you, Jim and Gale were inside just now, and their voices were a bit loud, as if they were quarreling." It was rare for Diane to see Ronald showing a nervous side, and she quickly told Ronald the gossip she just saw inside.
listen.
"Don't tell." Ronald pressed Diane hard on the waist. Cameron was indeed a little abnormal. Maybe it was the producer who pressured Gail to be too loving. Under ordinary circumstances, she would not treat her husband Cameron
Long also has the condescending attitude of some producers towards directors, which is not a good sign.
"Hi Tom, Mimi, glad you could come."
"Ronald, Diane," Mimi Rogers grinned crookedly, and came up to hug the two of them.
"Ronald, what can I say?" Tom Cruise's hair was a little longer, wearing a red bow tie, a red suit scarf, and his wife, Mimi, in a tight black dress dotted with white.
The corsage outfit matches just right.
When Cruise saw Ronald, he was still a little embarrassed about not inviting him to the wedding.
"I wish you good luck. You have to say something nice to your fans for my movie." Ronald joked with him, and then hugged Cruise tightly. "The wedding cake is still very good."
tasty."
"Hahaha..." Cruise let go of his worries and took several photos with Ronald Diane. Then he pointed at Ronald and said to all the reporters at the scene, "I like this guy's movies very much."
You should all come and see the works and personal recommendations.”
"Tom, when will you collaborate with Ronald again next time?" The reporter was very considerate, the flash clicked, and many reporters wanted to come up and ask questions.
"Today is the premiere of Ronald's movie. I will only answer questions about my good friend." Tom Cruise showed a charming smile and praised Ronald's new movie to reporters.
Diane watched from the side. When "The Kid" was filmed, Cruise was still a supporting actor and had much fewer roles than Patrick Schwytz. Now he is a big star. Instead, Schwytz starred in "
"Dirty Dancing" also relies on Cruise to help persuade audiences to come to the theater to watch.
All these changes are brought about by the men around me.
"Here you go, Brother Ronnie." Diane took out a handkerchief from her small bag and handed it to Ronald, who was sweating a little because of nervousness and the flashlight.
"Oh, thank you." Ronald didn't expect Diane to be so careful, so he picked up the handkerchief and wiped it, "Am I too nervous?"
"Relax, your movie will definitely be liked by the audience."
"Hi, Ronald".
Another celebrity couple came, the Jewish Michael Douglas and his wife. Ronald hugged them respectively.
"Those film critics aren't giving you any more trouble, are they?" Douglas still had the task of conveying goodwill to Ronald.
"No, I'm glad they kept their mouth shut this time." Ronald still expressed his dissatisfaction.
"Welcome, Diandra." Ronald then hugged Mrs. Douglas and turned the unpleasant page away.
"I hope your movie will sell well. I heard it tells the story of the Kennedy era? I am very interested in the story of that period." Deandra Douglas is more than 10 years younger than her husband and is the daughter of an Australian diplomat.
, but I am quite interested in Ronald’s movies.
"Diane, right? I met your father when I was in New York." Douglas hugged Diane again.
Celebrities have already arrived one after another. After Ronald finally took photos with Chris Columbus and his wife, the director of "Adventures in Nanny", he handed over the next reception task to Michelle Cannold.
Enter Screening Room 1 of the Twin Theater with Diane.
The structure of the Twin Theater is very simple, like a double-yolked egg. In the middle is the ticket hall, and at the back is the lounge. There are two passages on the left and right, leading to No. 1 and No. 2 respectively, two large screening halls that can accommodate a thousand people.
"Can Adventures in Babysitting still hold up?" Ronald asked Columbus on the way.
"Disney said it can probably hold on for about two more weeks. The total box office will be more than 33 million, but it will not reach 35 million."
Columbus adjusted his glasses. He was satisfied with the results of his film debut.
"It's already very good. Today's teen romantic comedies can break even if they make over 30 million."
"To be honest, I'm very grateful for your help. This movie helped me regain my confidence. I originally thought that after working as a screenwriter for so many years, I had lost the ability to direct."
"Don't say that. This nanny adventure is very complete. I think someone will come to you to direct the second movie soon."
"Now we have a few scripts to discuss." Columbus smiled, "Lisa Bai Yin called and asked me to bring it to you. She was a little disappointed that you didn't attend the premiere of Adventures in Babysitting."
"Don't mention it, I've been extremely busy these past two months." Ronald briefly told Columbus the messy things he encountered.
"How's the movie's box office expected?" Columbus was directing a movie for the first time, and he also had a taste of the warmth and warmth brought by the box office. Seeing Ronald talk about so many difficulties, he became worried for him.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "My unified answer now is that I don't know. Let's wait and see tomorrow's emaScore score."
"Your movie will definitely be a big hit. I won't attend the after-premiere party later. Monica and I found a nanny to take care of the children at home. I don't want to encounter the kind of situation played by Elizabeth Su when we go back.
." Columbus joked and sat down.
Michelle Cannold walked in and gave some speeches on stage. None of the leading actors came today. Most of the audience came to watch the movie because they were curious about the discussions about the JFK era in the newspapers. Others were just out of curiosity.
I heard Tom Cruise is coming.
Ronald sat in his seat and felt nervous for a while. Looking around, he saw that except for some celebrities who were fans of Cruise, most of them were middle-aged women.
"What's wrong with you? Are you okay?" Sitting next to him, watching Ronald untiing his tie nervously, Diane couldn't help but hold Ronald's hand, but unexpectedly it was sweaty. Such a nervous Ronald, he
Never seen that.
Brother Ronnie has always been Diane's support in various crises. He is a capable person who can solve any trouble. To make his palms sweat like this, it seems that he is under a lot of pressure.
"It's okay, it's really hot today." Ronald ignored the low air conditioner in Hall 1 of the Twin Cinema and began to find reasons to avoid saying that he was nervous.
Can you not be nervous?
Originally, the target customer of this movie was teenage women aged 17-23. As a result, Pauline Carr gave a shout-out, and female film critics began to make noises. Everyone discussed the background of the story of the "Dirty Dancing" movie.
The golden era of Kennedy in 1963.
As a result, a large proportion of the audience today were middle-aged women who came to reminisce.
These people don't look at all like an audience that would go crazy for sexy dance. Back then, "break dancing" mainly attracted teenagers and high school students.
When I think about the fact that I have photographed young girls having their first love, will the audience be as moved as teenagers if these are mothers and aunties?
"Are the critics trying too hard? Attracting the wrong audience?"
The more Ronald thought about it, the more frightened he became, "Why is the air conditioner turned on so low today? Dolly, Dolly!"
Ronald softly called Dolly Bernstine, the deputy manager of the circulation department.
Dolly ran over quickly and squatted next to Ronald's seat near the aisle. The overhead light on the ceiling had dimmed and the screening was about to start. Did Ronald discover some flaw?
"Is the air conditioner in this theater broken? Why is it so hot? Go check it out?"
Ronald asked Dolly in a low voice.
"It's not broken. I feel like the air conditioner is turned on quite loudly."
"Ah, really, forget it."
Ronald took out the handkerchief Diane gave him again and wiped it on his forehead and neck.
"It doesn't seem like it, maybe I'm not wearing a coat?" Dolly Bernstine gave Ronald a strange look, and both of them walked to the back seat in confusion.
"Relax, Ronnie." Diane noticed that Ronald was not normal, and waved to call a waiter in a white suit and black tie. The Twin Theater attached great importance to the premiere, and Ronald gave him a full budget.
There are many waiters arranged there to serve VIPs at any time.
"Bring us a can of ice-cold Coke." Diane ordered the waiter.
"Coming soon, ice-cold Coke."
The lamp on the base of the aisle glowed dimly, the other lights were turned off, the words "Daydream Pictures" appeared on the screen in red squiggles, and the movie began to show.
"Dong...dongdong...
Dong...dongdong..."
When the rhythm of Dirty Dancing picked up, Ronald in the later stage made the shots of the backup dancers showing off their style in the basement old. Now it looks like a faded old movie on the screen, which suddenly captivates the audience.
My thoughts brought back the fiery era of 1963.
"The Female CEO's Almighty Soldier"
"Produced by Ronald V. Lee."
Ronald's was also printed on the screen with red squiggle subtitles.
The title of "Dirty Dancing" is also written in bright red cursive letters, and then the names of Patrick Schwytz, Jennifer Gray, and Cynthia Rhodes appear in order according to the size of the card slot.
"Your Coke, sir." The waiter quickly brought back a glass of Coke with ice on a tray with a straw inserted into it.
"Ah, thank you." Ronald took out a 20-dollar bill from his pocket and handed it over as a tip.
"Thank you, sir." The waiter stepped aside happily. Such generous guests are not common.
Ronald was upset. He took two sips of Coca-Cola and threw away the straw. He drank heavily from the glass and bit the ice cubes at the bottom of the glass.
I'm really too nervous.
Ronald looked around. In the newly renovated projection hall, dim lights were installed in the aisles to guide the way. With the dim light, Ronald could clearly see the expressions of the surrounding audience.
His neck was twisting and turning. Those middle-aged viewers, unlike young people, would laugh out loud or even yell at their favorite plots in the movie. These people still have old-school movie-watching etiquette. Watch
The screen is motionless, and I don’t know what they are thinking. Do they like it or not?
"It was the summer of 1963, and our family went to the Catskills for vacation... At that time, everyone called me Baby..."
Jennifer Gray's monologue in the voice-over brought the audience back to the scenes of that era.
"She is Jewish..." With his sharp ears, Ronald heard the voice of an audience member a few rows behind. When he turned around, the voice was gone again.
I'm sweating more. Do you like this or complain? These middle-aged viewers are still somewhat knowledgeable. They recognized this Jewish girl through the name of the resort in the Borscht Belt and Jennifer Gray's nose.
s story.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Ronald began to feel restless again. He didn’t know what these middle-aged viewers thought of the Jews back then. After all, the Jews did not have a good reputation in society in the not-too-distant past.
They are all small shopkeepers engaged in grocery stores, laundry, and other industries.
Moreover, Jews are known for their shrewdness, and many people have been deceived, taken advantage of, etc. by them. This is different from Italians opening bakeries or Chinese opening Chinese restaurants. Those industries at least provide delicious food, which can offset many customers
Careful dissatisfaction.
"It seems that we did the right thing by not making the issue of Baby's ethnicity explicit, but by hiding it cleverly. I don't know what the audience will think of it when they see it." Ronald let out a sigh of relief, and the previous movie was released.
It’s not so painful, right?
The movie continued to play, and soon came to the plot where Penny, played by Cynthia Rhodes, became pregnant and was flirted with and eventually abandoned by the hotel waiter. Baby performed an operation on her and asked her father for a large sum of money to help Penny.
, and finally, because this kind of surgery was illegal in many states at the time, you could only find a quack doctor for $500.
When Penny suffered from sequelae, the baby went to ask his father, a surgeon, to clean up the mess.
"Oh, that's me. We don't have the right to perform surgeries. Some people have no choice but to find a hotel and let those doctors or nurses who make money and risk their lives use those dirty instruments to perform surgeries."
"Yes, I still remember that I had a girlfriend who couldn't pay for it, so she used a wire hanger to do it. It was really miserable. It was really not easy to be a woman at that time, Luo v. Wade
After the verdict came out, our life became better."
Ronald heard the whispers from the audience behind again.
He started to sweat again. This plot was already controversial, and the original sponsors and acne cream sellers all withdrew their funding because of this plot. Now it was seen by these female viewers who are mothers.
Do they like their plot, or are they dissatisfied with it being filmed this way?
Middle-aged audiences also have trouble with middle-aged audiences, because they are too polite, stop talking and are unwilling to influence others.
"Waiter," Ronald waved to the waiter, "bring me another Coke with ice."
Ronald simply took off his tie, then tugged on his collar, breathing heavily.
"Sir, your Coke." This time a different waiter came to deliver the Coke. Ronald still handed her $20 as usual.
"Thank you, your movie is great." The waitress whispered, then took the Coke that Ronald had finished and pushed it aside.
"Finally someone said it looked good." Ronald curled his lips.
A movie lasted 100 minutes, Ronald ordered 4 cups of Coke, and the waiters in the front row received Kang's tip. The legend of Kang's generous Ronald spread in the Twin Theaters.
"Because, I have found the time of my life..."
In the last scene, Baby was lifted off the stage by the backup dancers, accelerated all the way, took off, and jumped on Johnny's head. Johnny held the Baby up with both hands, raised it high, and then raised it higher...
The audience and backup dancers in the movie all started applauding.
There were also a few young people in the audience, who looked like Tom Cruise fans. They clapped twice and then stopped when no one responded.
Ronald's heart sank. Of all the premieres of his movies, this was the only one where no audience applauded from beginning to end.
All the supporting characters on the screen started dancing. Penny hugged Dr. Houseman to thank her. Baby's sister danced with Johnny's cousin. Mrs. Houseman also started dancing with her husband. Finally, the two old ladies put on their shawls.
Throw them away, hold each other's hands and jump up.
The lights in Auditorium No. 1 began to turn on, and Ronald's heart sank again. Not a single member of the audience got up and danced with them.
When "Break Dance" premiered in New York, there was also a large dance scene at the end. The audience jumped up on the spot and blocked the actors on the stage to prevent them from leaving.
Ronald steeled himself, forced out a smile, and accompanied a few stars who came to enjoy the show, to the lounge next to him to prepare for interviews and parties after the premiere.
"Awesome, the movie is great."
"It's really good. Your control of the dance scene is top-notch."
The celebrities spoke with some sincere praise, congratulated Ronald one by one, and then went to the lounge between the adjacent auditoriums 1 and 2.
Ronald walked out of Screening Room No. 1, reluctant to go in. He asked a waiter for a cigarette and started smoking.
"Is it really a bad photo?" Ronald asked Diane.
"I think it's very good-looking, but the audience's response seems not to be enthusiastic." Diane held his hand and gently rubbed the palm of his hand, asking him not to be so stressed.
"Huh... maybe it was a mistake to invest on my own." Ronald took a puff of his cigarette and reflected silently. This time, he invested all his net worth, including Douglas Jr.'s two years of pocket money.
"Ronald," Roger Coleman walked over quickly, "what are you doing here?"
"Let me see the audience's reaction." Ronald thought to himself. This was a window for him to observe the box office. Originally, many viewers would chat about the movie while waiting in the bathroom. It was also a good place to get real feedback.
But this time, they didn't talk much.
On the other side, the staff of emaScore are looking for viewers who are willing to take the questionnaire and give them small gifts in exchange for the opportunity to take the questionnaire.
After using the restroom, many people did not take the questionnaire and waved their hands to reject the chocolates offered. They filed out one by one, walked out of Screening Room 1, and walked quickly along the direction of the door.
"Hey..." Ronald sighed, this reaction was really not good.
"You might be going to get rich, Ronald." Roger Coleman also watched them walk out, but his judgment was opposite to Ronald's.
"Why?" Ronald glanced at Coleman in surprise, not seeming to be sarcastic or comforting himself.
"Come outside and take a look..." Coleman didn't answer, pushing Ronald out.
Ronald pulled Diane and walked out.
I saw more and more viewers flocking out, and no one was willing to waste time taking the emaScore questionnaire.
They exited Screening Room No. 1, and the flow of people split into two groups and gradually accelerated.
Ronald followed the crowd to the box office in the lobby.
"Give me another Dirty Dancing."
"I want two, too."
"Give me two. How many shows are there tonight? I want one for every show."
"Ah?" Ronald's mouth opened wide. These middle-aged female audience members came to the box office and bought tickets for one show before going in to watch it?
"You know what? Ronald, you may have won the Power Lotto jackpot." Coleman said next to him. He has a lot of experience. He has been producing since the 1950s and started to get involved in distribution in the late 1960s.
business.
From the first look at this look, I knew it would be a strong movie. This kind of movie is watched by middle-aged women, housewives, and working women. It can accumulate very high box office even without marketing. The "Sound of Music" movie
Those audiences may rarely go to the cinema once a year, but once they like a movie, their enthusiasm for making friends is not comparable to that of young people.
Once the circle of housewives starts talking about a movie on the phone, and professional women use this movie as a topic of conversation at work, and no one in the circle has watched it, then there is no room for discussion in the social circle.
"Where have the other half of the people gone?" Diane asked from the side. The other half of the audience went directly out of the cinema without buying tickets, but their walking speed was not at all as fast as those who bought tickets to watch the next show.
slow.
"Go and have a look." Ronald became more energetic and walked out with them hand in hand with Diane.
As soon as they left the cinema, they saw a record store on the corner. The audience walked straight in and walked out happily holding a record.
Within a few minutes, someone wrote on the blackboard at the door of the record store that the "Dirty Dancing" album was sold out today and was being replenished. If you need it, you can leave your name and phone number to make a reservation.
"Shxt!" Ronald yelled, "I have to call Jimmy Liner and get it printed quickly."