Woken by the ringing phone in the morning, Simon opened his eyes to find Katherine gazing at him, her expression tinged with the confusion and slight alarm of someone abruptly roused from sleep.
Simon drew her closer, kissed her lips, then reached for the receiver on the nightstand.
The call was from Pat Kingsley. Having come to New York for The Tonight Show taping, Simon's publicist had also been in the city recently. Kingsley's cal l was about a gossip piece published in that day's New York Daily News.
"Palme d'Or Juror Moves Into Westeros' Cannes Villa."
The story of Nastassja Kinski borrowing Simon's place had been dug up. The Daily News article spun it as a sensational piece, but a closer look at the headline revealed its underlying purpose: to cast doubt on the legitimacy of Simon's Palme d'Or win.
Simon wasn't surprised in the least.
The summer box office battle was entering its fiercest phase. Over the next few weeks, more than ten major releases would hit theaters. Given the nature of the market—where one film's gain often meant another's loss—suppressing a competitor's momentum at this time meant more market share for oneself.
Pressed close together, Catherine naturally overheard Simon's conversation with Kingsley. After he hung up, the look in her eyes had shifted, but she continued to stare at him. Clearly, her focus wasn't on the deeper implications of the Daily News piece.
Under her gaze, Simon felt compelled to explain. "That woman and I have nothing going on. Besides, she's married."
Katherine gave a soft "Mm," extricating herself from his embrace, her tone cool. "That's Janet's concern, not mine."
Simon smiled and tried to move closer, but Katherine pushed him away. He asked instead, "What do you want for breakfast?"
Katherine didn't answer that. "You need to fix the button on my shirt."
"I don't think we have needle and thread here. Just wear one of mine," Simon suggested, sitting up and holding out one of his shirts. "You'd look even better in a man's shirt anyway."
Katherine reached out and gave him a light shove, displeased. "People might notice."
Regarding their relationship, Simon knew Katherine was even more cautious than he was. He nodded. "Alright, I'll have Neil bring some sewing supplies over later."
After breakfast, Katherine stayed behind at the apartment, planning to slip away quietly later. Simon headed to Westeros headquarters to discuss with James Rebould the debt-for-equity strategy for acquiring New World Entertainment.
Meanwhile, the Daily News piece proved to be just the beginning. Similar stories soon emerged from the West Coast. The PR teams from Daenerys Pictures and Orion promptly entered the fray to steer the narrative.
Amidst these undercurrents, Pulp Fiction officially opened in North American theaters the next day. Also debuting were Fox's Tom Hanks-starring Big and Warner Bros.' Chevy Chase vehicle Funny Farm.
Additionally, the previous week's North American box office figures were tallied.
Crocodile Dundee II, which had opened on 2,837 screens, earned $30.17 million over its first full week, easily taking the top spot. Including its two-day total from the prior week, the film's cumulative earnings reached $34.92 million.
However, Crocodile Dundee II's critical reception starkly contrasted its massive pre-release hype and wide opening. North American media reviews were almost universally negative.
Variety described the film as "too bland for an adventure movie and lacking in laughs for a comedy."
The New York Times critic was more scathing: "Most sequels default to giving audiences more of what they loved. Crocodile Dundee II, like an idiot, does the opposite, jettisoning nearly everything that made the original fresh, leaving it mediocre and dull."
Sylvester Stallone's Rambo III fared slightly better critically than Crocodile Dundee II, but only relatively so.
Moreover, despite a similarly wide opening on 2,562 screens, Rambo III—with its staggering $63 million budget—earned roughly the same as Crocodile Dundee II in its first two days. But over its first full week, it fell behind significantly, taking in $20.17 million for a cumulative total of $24.63 million.
Willow, in third place, saw only a 16% drop in its second week, adding $9.26 million. However, due to its weak start, its two-week total stood at just $20.32 million.
When Harry Met Sally... held onto fourth place. In its 12th week, it earned another $3.32 million, bringing its cumulative total to $97.55 million—just a hair's breadth from the $100 million mark.
Compared to the previous week's new releases like Crocodile Dundee II, the three films opening on June 3rd all received favorable reviews.
Tom Hanks' Big was arguably the superstar's breakout role, earning him his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor in the original timeline. Veteran comic Chevy Chase's Funny Farm also garnered positive notices.
Yet, neither of these new releases stood a chance against Pulp Fiction, a film destined for cinematic history.
The prestige of the Cannes Palme d'Or.
Star power from big-name cast members like Robert De Niro, John Travolta, Robert Redford, Madonna, and Sean Penn.
The massive fanbase Simon had built since Run Lola Run.
The immense buzz fueled by both acclaim and controversy.
All these factors made Pulp Fiction the most anticipated film of the summer.
Clearly aiming to curb its momentum, some media outlets bluntly amplified the controversy surrounding Simon's Palme d'Or win as the film opened, openly questioning whether there had been any impropriety in the recent Cannes awards.
Facing these allegations, Cannes officials were forced to issue another public statement.
The media, naturally, wouldn't let up easily. The story of Nastassja Kinski staying at Simon's villa quickly became a prime piece of supposed "evidence," with numerous papers pursuing this angle relentlessly.
Blurring the lines with sensational gossip, Kinski's Egyptian millionaire husband got involved, flying to Cannes' Le Cannet district to retrieve his wife. The notoriously eccentric and stubborn Nastassja Kinski was unlikely to comply easily.
Already separated, the millionaire, feeling publicly humiliated after being refused, announced he would divorce Kinski.
This drama made the situation even more chaotic.
Simon Westeros not only allegedly influenced a jury and manipulated an award but was also breaking up a family. Utterly scandalous.
Just... before the chasing media could concoct more "explosive" stories, the situation did a complete 180.
On June 7th, Nastassja Kinski, exasperated by the swarm of tabloid reporters from around the world hounding her, declared during a shopping trip to trailing journalists that she had not voted for Pulp Fiction during the judging. She said she had voted for A World Apart.
Her statement left every pursuing media outlet utterly gobsmacked.
WTF?! You can do that?!
The Cannes jury process wasn't as rigidly procedural as the Oscars. Sometimes, if jurors reached a verbal consensus, awards could be decided without a formal vote. However, the recent edition had employed a voting process due to disagreements.
With Kinski's public statement, the Cannes organizers who had been under intense media pressure promptly retrieved the voting cards from the recently sealed festival archives. Since the cards required handwritten film titles and Kinski's handwriting was easily identifiable, it was confirmed: she had indeed voted for A World Apart.
Upon confirming this, the relieved Cannes officials immediately published a photocopy of Kinski's voting card in the newspapers.
Italian director Ettore Scola, a fellow juror on the main competition panel, subsequently stated publicly that Kinski had indeed favored A World Apart during jury discussions, and that the final vote for the Palme d'Or was six to four in favor of Pulp Fiction over A World Apart.
When the news broke, even Simon back in Los Angeles was left speechless. Seriously, lady? I lent you my place, hired you a housekeeper, chef, maids, a driver, and I'm footing the bill. Is this how you repay me?
Janet, upon hearing about it, laughed until she could hardly stand up, mercilessly mocking Simon for being such a "sucker."
While the truth was somewhat laughable and frustrating, the media's attempt to create a scandal instantly evaporated.
All this back-and-forth only heightened the buzz around Pulp Fiction. Moreover, the overwhelmingly positive reviews from most North American critics and the strong word-of-mouth from audiences about the film's quality ensured a complete reversal of the narrative.
Amidst the clamor, the next week of the summer season ended on June 10th.
From June 3rd to June 9th, the mix of new and holdover films pushed the North American weekly box office total to $92.67 million. In comparison, the previous week (May 27th to June 2nd) had seen a total of only $73.87 million.
Pulp Fiction, as anticipated, easily claimed the top spot on the new weekly chart. Opening on 1,569 screens, it earned a first-week total of $27.53 million.
While it didn't reach Crocodile Dundee II's $30.17 million from the previous week, no one doubted Pulp Fiction's formidable strength.
After all, Crocodile Dundee II had opened on 2,837 screens, while Pulp Fiction's opening was on only 1,569. In terms of per-theater average, Crocodile Dundee II had managed just $10,636, whereas Pulp Fiction soared to $17,546.
Furthermore, Crocodile Dundee II had faced only Rambo III as competition the previous week (and perhaps the underperforming Willow). This week, Pulp Fiction was battling Big, Funny Farm, Crocodile Dundee II, and Rambo III—four other films.
Following Pulp Fiction, Crocodile Dundee II, suffering from poor word-of-mouth and having exhausted much of its market potential with its massive opening, dropped 41% from the previous week to $17.87 million.
Even so, its wide opening on over 2,800 screens allowed it to easily surpass the $50 million mark domestically.
Third place went to Fox's Big with an opening week gross of $12.59 million. Given Fox had released it on only 1,132 screens, its per-theater average of over $10,000 was a solid performance.
Simon recalled Big crossing the $100 million mark domestically in the original timeline. Unless history had changed significantly, the film was poised for a strong run.
Stallone's Rambo III landed in fourth, suffering an even steeper decline than Crocodile Dundee II at 47%, earning just $10.62 million for the week. Its cumulative total reached $35.26 million. With this trajectory, Rambo III seemed unlikely to even recoup its $63 million production cost domestically.
Chevy Chase's Funny Farm took fifth place with an $8.11 million opening.
Funny Farm opened on 1,557 screens, similar to Pulp Fiction, but its per-theater average was just over $5,000—less than a third of Pulp Fiction's. Warner Bros.' first summer release had clearly misfired.
With an $8.11 million start, even with decent holds, its final domestic total was unlikely to be impressive.
Outside the top five, Willow held sixth place, adding $7.08 million in its third week for a cumulative total of $27.40 million.
Next in line.
When Harry Met Sally..., in seventh place, earned another $2.66 million. In its 13th week, to the delight of many, it finally crossed the $100 million threshold. Its total reached $100.21 million, officially becoming 1988's first film to achieve that milestone domestically.
Amidst the buzz surrounding When Harry Met Sally...'s $100 million success, some media outlets suddenly noted that Danielis Pictures had smoothly executed a box office relay.
Pulp Fiction, in just its opening week, had earned $27.53 million. With its impeccable critical reception, star power, and heat, no one doubted it would easily surpass the $100 million mark domestically.
Recall that When Harry Met Sally..., after its platform release, had earned $17.81 million in its first wide weekend. Pulp Fiction's opening nearly exceeded that by a full $10 million.
Two $100 million-grossing films this already matched Simon Westeros's achievement from the previous year.
In 1987, films associated with Simon Run Lola Run and The Butterfly Effect had both crossed $100 million domestically, while Final Destination fell slightly short at over $70 million.
Only...
It wasn't even halfway through 1988, and Simon Westeros had already equaled his previous year's box office feat. So, what about the rest of the year?
Pulp Fiction was taking the baton from When Harry Met Sally... in the sprint to $100 million. Coming in mid-July was Basic Instinct, also penned by Simon. Could it follow suit?
After Basic Instinct, Daenerys Pictures' publicly announced slate included Scream, Rain Man, Dead Poets Society, Steel Magnolias, and a string of others.
While many saw little commercial promise in these films, Simon Westeros had already created too many miracles.
Daring to imagine... if these films continued...
Tsk!