I am Hollywood

[Chapter 802: Test Screening]

The two of them remained at a standoff for a while. In the end, Eric noticed that Miranda had a tearful expression, and he almost burst out laughing.

"Forget it; I might as well think of her like a little kitten."

With that thought, Eric decided not to insist on taking that black card back. After all, while the money this girl spent was indeed a fortune for an average person, to Eric, it was just the price of a lollipop. Moreover, if that girl truly started to spiral out of control, all Eric needed was one call to cancel the credit card.

Miranda cautiously watched the changes in Eric's expression. As his demeanor softened, she realized something and broke into a pleading smile. "Eric, really, I--I absolutely won't spend recklessly again."

Eric kept his tone unchanged; he didn't want her to feel too proud. "Kelly is going back to Los Angeles this afternoon. You will go back with her, and for this whole year, you aren't allowed to leave Los Angeles."

Miranda immediately jumped on the inconsistency in Eric's words and pouted. "But what if my parents want me back in Australia for Christmas?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Okay, okay, Eric. I promise I'll behave."

Seeing Eric scowl again, Miranda dared not be clever. She turned around the desk and leaned over to affectionately wrap her arms around his neck.

Eric raised a hand and gently pushed her away. "No clingy behavior. Go find Kelly."

"Hehe, Eric, you really are such a coward."

"Three..."

"What?"

"Two..."

"Stop it! You can't scare me like that!"

Realizing that Eric was counting down, even though she said that, the mischievous girl didn't dare test his patience anymore and quickly slipped out of the study.

As the door closed behind her, Eric shook his head and smiled. He picked up a few pages of credit card statements from the table, leaned back in his chair, rested his feet on the table, and started to browse through them slowly, all while considering how to arrange this little kitten's future.

After all, Eric didn't plan to let Miranda walk the same path as a former supermodel; that would be too exhausting. If she was going to be a kitten, then she certainly should lie comfortably on her owner's sofa, closing her eyes to enjoy life.

...

Geographically positioned at the crossroads of Eastern and Western Europe and receiving support from Western powers like Germany, the Czech Republic had become one of the first countries to develop after the Eastern European upheaval. However, in terms of the economy, it was still far from being on par with Germany or France.

The filming locations for Casino Royale were mainly in Prague, with scenes that included a car chase between Bond and the villain, as well as some dialogue scenes. Additionally, the exterior shots of Bond traveling to Montenegro were filmed on the mountain railways in the Czech Republic. As for Montenegro, the long-lasting Bosnian War had just ended last year, and the region remained in chaos, making actual shooting impossible.

Due to the promotional effects of the 007 series for the countries and cities it filmed in, the Czech government, eager for further openness, placed great importance on the film crew's shooting activities. While filming the chase scene between Bond and the villain, they even went so far as to block off two streets for a whole week.

...

As the crew was shooting in the Czech Republic, North America's summer blockbuster season was entering its final phase. Following Men in Black II, Jumanji II officially hit 2800 screens in North America the following week, but the ending left many shocked.

That week, MGM also released the second installment in the Resident Evil series, Resident Evil: Apocalypse. With production costs reaching $86 million, Jumanji II's opening weekend box office was surprisingly overshadowed by the less prominent Resident Evil: Apocalypse, resulting in quite an embarrassing outcome.

The first Resident Evil film, with a budget of $30 million, earned $60 million at the North American box office and an impressive $126 million worldwide. Moreover, this post-apocalyptic sci-fi film performed even better in the home video market, netting over $60 million in profit for the producers within a year of releasing on home video and DVD.

As a result, the production budget for Resident Evil: Apocalypse soared to $45 million. During production, MGM's plan was to only recover a significant portion of the budget at the box office, with the primary profit coming from after-market video and licensing revenues. MGM was now well-positioned to operate these long-term ventures.

Before the release of both films, although Jumanji II had already garnered negative buzz, most box office analysts predicted opening weekend earnings of no less than $50 million.

However, the ultimate results were that Resident Evil: Apocalypse pulled in $28.37 million in its opening weekend, while Jumanji II only managed $25.22 million, placing the two newcomers third and fourth in the weekend box office rankings.

In terms of reviews, due to the innate disadvantages of the Resident Evil series, media commentary was predictably lukewarm, averaging only a score of 6.5. That said, looking at an opening weekend gross of $28.37 million, the sequel might still reach a total box office of $70 million, and combined with international earnings, it could easily recoup all production and distribution costs during its theatrical run.

Jumanji II, however, faced complete failure. Not only did it earn just $25.22 million during its opening weekend -- over 50% lower than most agencies had predicted -- but due to its disjointed plot, it received a media rating of just 4.6, with most critics labeling it as "a farcical spectacle loaded with CGI."

As events unfolded, it seemed certain that Jumanji II was indeed going to flop. Firefly Group, which had only invested $50 million in production, would recover some losses due to box office and later copyright revenues. However, Sony Pictures, which not only participated in production but also acted as the primary distributor, faced significantly larger losses. The failure of this project would not impact Firefly too greatly, but for Sony, it represented a major setback for their film division.

Perhaps the sole silver lining was that due to the underwhelming box office for Jumanji II, it didn't significantly impact the box office performance of Men in Black II, which had released the previous week.

Following an impressive opening of $75.5 million, Men in Black II only experienced a 31% drop in its second weekend, grossing another $52.09 million and bringing its two-week total to $127 million.

Even in the third week, the box office for Charlie's Angels II saw its drop shrink from the previous week's 43% to just 25%, reaching $32.49 million and total earnings of $156 million. Furthermore, with no major new releases towards the end of the summer blockbuster season, the box office success of Men in Black II and Charlie's Angels II was likely to be sustained.

...

When Eric heard the news, he also inquired about the production progress of Sony's Godzilla, which had started filming in New York in June. However, Godzilla's shooting schedule was set to be much shorter than Casino Royale, just three months. Though as a CGI-heavy blockbuster, its post-production cycle would run significantly longer than that of Casino Royale.

According to Sony's released schedule, the film was set for summer release next year. While the exact date hadn't been confirmed yet, there was considerable possibility that Godzilla and Casino Royale would clash next summer just like Charlie's Angels II and Men in Black II had this year.

Thinking back to a certain "T-Rex" image, Eric felt some anticipation for next summer's blockbuster season. After all, next year would be 1997.

What a significant year that was; the Asian financial crisis.

While Japan may not have felt the immediate impact, the overall economic downturn in Southeast Asia was unavoidable.

In such an environment, Sony would likely have a challenging time unless they suffered another major defeat in their film business.

Just the thought made him feel a pang of sympathy.

...

Time quickly passed to August, and the two weeks of shooting in the Czech Republic whisked by.

The crew moved on to Italy.

Their filming schedule in Italy was for one month, focusing on two key plot points: the gambling scenes between Bond and the primary antagonist, Le Chiffre, at the casino, and the sequence where Vesper, played by Cate Blanchett, meets her demise.

At the same time, the trio of Angels along with Vesper's sister would also feature in some very brief scenes in Italy.

Charlize and the others were currently overseas promoting Charlie's Angels II, and their schedule was packed. Their parts were mainly filmed in the UK, which involved rescuing Vesper's sister, Angela Lind. If timing didn't allow, the three ladies might have to return to Italy for some brief reshoots after finishing their shots in England.

Although the trio couldn't arrive immediately, the actress portraying Vesper's sister, Angela Lind, Christina Aguilera, was now in the crew's Italian location.

However, while the crew was deeply immersed in filming, Eric had another pressing matter he needed to address.

...

After that initial meeting, under Firefly's operations, the Venice Film Festival promptly responded, agreeing to feature Titanic as the opening film for this year's festival.

After all, under Eric's leniency, Cameron's overall cost for completing Titanic had reached an unprecedented $215 million, surpassing the original timeline by $15 million.

Although the Venice Film Festival had always upheld its high-culture artistic vibe, it was becoming quite difficult to reject a film with a budget that could be entered into the Guinness World Records.

As the Venice Film Festival sent out formal invitations and disseminated news to the media, Cameron had already arrived in Venice with a sample reel.

It was August 3rd.

After completing a day's work, Eric hadn't had time to rest before he received news from Peter Rich that Cameron had made it to the hotel where the crew was staying.

In the hotel lobby, Eric encountered Cameron, who looked scruffy and worn down. Although Eric had reassured him earlier, Cameron was well aware that if a film with a budget exceeding $200 million failed, it would severely impact his directing career. Consequently, he seemed to have aged visibly over this period.

"Hey, Eric. How's the film shaping up?" As soon as Cameron saw Eric walk into the lobby, he immediately approached him.

"Everything is going pretty well," Eric lightly embraced Cameron, noting the fatigue on his face, and added, "Let's go have dinner. The hotel restaurant serves good food. After we eat, we can watch the film together."

"Sure," Cameron nodded.

Because both of them were a little distracted, dinner was quite quick.

...

After hastily filling their stomachs without much chit-chat, they headed into the hotel's private screening room.

"The film might be a bit long," Cameron said as the lights dimmed. He then added, "But I believe it's best not to cut it anymore."

Although he said that, Cameron's tone was not very decisive.

Eric had already given him the maximum support on budget, and Cameron wasn't unreasonable. While he could yell at Katzenberg back in Hollywood with, "If you want to cut this film, just kill me first," if Eric insisted, Cameron would also do his best to trim some of the runtime.

The version in front of them had a total runtime of 187 minutes.

In Hollywood history, there were only a handful of films that exceeded three hours and also succeeded at the box office; Cameron could only recall Gone with the Wind from 1939. Additionally, while many films of that length might achieve some level of artistic recognition, very few could also garner high box office returns.

After all, for a movie, simply running three hours was enough to deter most viewers.

While Cameron was confident in his work, he wasn't delusional enough to think Titanic could be compared to Gone with the Wind, an era-defining film.

...

The idea to film Titanic had initially been influenced by Eric during a casual chat at Playa Vista with several well-known directors and producers. Eric had also participated in some of the scriptwriting.

Thus, the new Titanic closely mirrored the original's storyline.

The most significant difference was undoubtedly the lead actress. Compared to the curvy, warm Kate Winslet, the slender, elegant, and exquisitely beautiful Rachel Weisz -- with a hint of rebellion in her heart -- was far more suitable for the role of Rose.

When the older Rose began reminiscing on the grand screen, and Rachel first appeared on screen with her tall figure, classic makeup, and that uniquely British aristocratic pride, Eric couldn't help but feel a sense of awe, as if a past regret had been rectified.

Cameron's command over the narrative was undoubtedly masterful. Despite the film's length of three hours and seven minutes, each minute maintained the audience's engagement, offering no surplus moments. The shots of the Titanic sailing across the ocean, Jack and Rose embracing at the ship's bow during sunset, and the big industrial ambiance inside the cabins delivered almost breathtaking beauty and impact.

The disaster sequences in the second half, though brief, effectively conveyed the dualities of human nature in times of crises, as well as the emotional parting between Jack and Rose, touching the audience's hearts deeply.

Eric had watched Titanic numerous times, but living through another life, witnessing another still-perfect rendition of Titanic filled him with excitement all over again.

As the screening concluded, Eric didn't even notice the three-plus hours had flowed by unobserved. He turned to speak to Cameron, only to suddenly catch the end credits' pure instrumental music still playing.

Yes, this piece combined piano, bagpipes, and violins -- still beautiful but completely unrelated to the former My Heart Will Go On.

*****

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