On June 10th, a new week brought three more releases: Disney's family comedy Four Daughters and Two Moms, Paramount's thriller The Presidio starring Sean Connery, and MGM's horror sequel Poltergeist III.
With the strategy of questioning Pulp Fiction's Palme d'Or legitimacy having failed, some media outlets shifted their focus to the film's excessive violence and its borrowings from numerous other movies.
However, against the backdrop of Pulp Fiction once again igniting a viewing frenzy akin to Run Lola Run the previous year, these peripheral tactics only served to heighten public curiosity about the film.
To be fair, for most viewers, particularly the mainstream teenage demographic of Pulp Fiction, completely free from external public opinion, they might struggle to grasp exactly what made the film so great. But when surrounded by extensive media coverage and discussions among peers, these individuals often approached the cinema with prior understanding and their own expectations.
Thus, the nuanced details Vincent and Mia's twist dance, the Deer Hunter reference in the "Golden Watch" segment, Esmeralda's parallels with Taxi Driver, and countless other rich elements—became fascinating. Coupled with the film's novel circular narrative structure, the entire movie was almost imperceptibly branded as "ultra-cool."
Pulp Fiction's massive popularity boosted the profiles of its established stars, while newcomers like Samuel L. Jackson and Nicole Kidman began entering the public eye. Even Janet, with her brief but impactful appearance as the taxi driver Esmeralda, became a topic of discussion in many media outlets. Jonathan Friedman privately joked about asking if she was interested in signing with WMA.
With such unstoppable momentum, in its second week, Pulp Fiction retained the top spot with a mere 15% drop. From June 10th to June 17th, it earned another $23.38 million.
In just two weeks, Pulp Fiction's North American cumulative box office breached the $50 million mark, reaching $50.91 million.
Easily surpassing $50 million in two weeks, major media and box office tracking agencies widely predicted Pulp Fiction's final domestic gross would reach around $150 million, likely crossing the $100 million threshold within six weeks.
Coincidentally, the interval between Pulp Fiction's and Basic Instinct's releases was precisely six weeks.
Crocodile Dundee II, in second place, followed its previous week's 41% plunge with another 31% drop, earning $12.35 million for a cumulative total of $65.15 million.
Despite opening above $30 million, based on its current decline trajectory, Crocodile Dundee II would likely barely cross $100 million domestically, far short of the first film's $174 million.
After Crocodile Dundee II, Tom Hanks' Big defied all expectations by dropping a mere 4.7% in its second week, nearly matching its previous week with $12.01 million. Its two-week total reached $24.60 million.
While $24.60 million might not compare to Pulp Fiction or Crocodile Dundee II, juxtaposed with Funny Farm—which had completely fallen off the pace to eighth place this week—highlighted just how promising Big's numbers were.
In its second week, Funny Farm, a similar genre film to Big, dropped 26%, earning only $6.01 million. Combined with its $8.11 million opening, its two-week total was $14.12 million.
Following Funny Farm's trend, its final domestic gross might only reach around $25 million.
Furthermore, if Big could maintain its minuscule weekly drops, it was clearly positioned to chase the $100 million domestic mark as it had in the original timeline. Fox, caught completely off guard by this potential windfall, had already begun planning to increase its screen count.
Beyond Pulp Fiction, Crocodile Dundee II, and Big, the performance of other films this week was unremarkable. The best opener among the three new releases, Four Daughters and Two Moms, managed only $9.11 million.
After crossing $100 million the previous week, When Harry Met Sally..., now slipped to tenth place, quietly added $2.15 million, bringing its cumulative total to $102.36 million.
Unsurprisingly, When Harry Met Sally... would likely drop below $1 million next week. Disney had already reduced its screen count to 635. By its expected August conclusion, its final domestic gross was projected to settle around $110 million.
While the North American summer box office raged on, the Hollywood writers' strike persisted.
On June 13th, after another round of protracted negotiations, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) presented a new contract. While offering some concessions, it still fell short of the Writers Guild's initial expectations.
After more than three months on strike, the fall TV season was already destined for severe disruption. However, writers who had gone an entire quarter without income were also feeling the strain. Consequently, the WGA decided to put the choice to its members, calling for another vote on whether to accept the AMPTP's new contract.
Simon didn't believe his presence as a butterfly could sway the larger outcome. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire's pilot, which might have some influence, was scheduled for June 20th, by which time most writers would have already cast their votes.
Thus, the result was predictable: the strike would undoubtedly continue for another two months.
After several rounds of contact, General Electric, holder of $220 million in New World Entertainment debt, responded positively to Simon's proposed debt-for-equity swap. GE's CEO, Jack Welch, had even personally spoken with Simon several times over the phone.
However, during discussions, GE proposed a scheme similar to Warner Chairman Steve Ross's earlier offer: they wanted to use New World Entertainment as leverage to acquire a stake in Daenerys Pictures.
Just as individuals, after amassing wealth, often seek prestige, many major corporations worldwide are drawn to the entertainment and media industry. Among the current Hollywood majors, half of Columbia Pictures was owned by The Coca-Cola Company, and Paramount's parent was Gulf+Western.
General Electric's acquisition of the NBC network two years prior stemmed from similar motivations.
Though Daenerys Pictures was less than two years old, its string of successive hits had clearly piqued GE's interest. Trading a debt likely headed for default for a stake in a rising Hollywood star was an incredibly shrewd deal.
Simon, of course, decisively refused, just as he had with Steve Ross's earlier proposal.
GE proposed exchanging New World's post-swap equity for 49% of the future merged company. While they didn't demand absolute control, in Simon's view, $220 million wouldn't even buy half of Daenerys Pictures now, let alone half of the future merged entity.
The deep-pocketed General Electric remained inflexible during negotiations, making further discussion pointless for the time being. Simon could only pin his hopes on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire achieving its anticipated success.
Los Angeles.
At Daenerys Pictures' Santa Monica headquarters, Simon had just returned from a morning trip to Bakersfield up north to visit the Scream set.
In the large conference room, Simon sat at the head of an oval table. Flanking him besides Amy and a few others were ten white men, all aged roughly between 25 and 30. These were the final ten candidates for the male lead in Batman.
Plans called for the chosen actor to undergo roughly six months of comprehensive training once confirmed. Therefore, Simon aimed to finalize the decision by the end of the month.
After briefly flipping through the resumes of the ten men, Simon looked up. "As you can see, you are the final ten. Bruce Wayne will come from among you. Today's meeting isn't an audition; I just want to talk."
Amidst polite murmurs of agreement, Simon continued, "First, I must reiterate: Daenerys Pictures will not make any concessions on the terms. To secure this role, you must sign a five-picture contract spanning fifteen years. I can also state plainly: if all goes well, this contract could be fulfilled in ten years at most. The fifteen-year term is to prevent you from breaching the contract mid-way. If you do, according to the clauses, for the remainder of the term, unless you pay the penalty you realistically cannot afford, you will be barred from accepting any other film roles. That's right. Like disobedient singers under record labels, you'll be shelved."
After a moment of silence, one man finally asked, "Mr. Westeros, what if Daenerys Pictures breaches the contract?"
"We won't," Simon shook his head. "If the project encounters issues, we can proactively choose to terminate your contract."
"That doesn't seem very fair."
"Unfortunately, the world isn't particularly fair," Simon glanced at the man, then swept his gaze across the room. "Most of you ten have only played minor roles in a few films. Perhaps you'll remain in that state indefinitely. Batman offers you a chance to leap to the top. If this film succeeds, you'll instantly become A-list stars like Tom Cruise, Eddie Murphy, or Michael J. Fox. I must remind you again: playing Bruce Wayne won't bring you a high salary. This will also be written into the contract. But you can earn substantial income through endorsements and roles in other films. So, if anyone feels this contract isn't worth the price I just described, you may leave now."
Simon waited patiently. No one left the office. He then continued, "Okay, let's get down to business. First, congratulations. You've made it to the final round. However, Daenerys Pictures will conduct background checks to ensure you have no history of racism, sexual assault, robbery, or other skeletons that could cause major trouble for the character you're about to play. We mentioned this during the initial auditions. Now, if anyone has such a past they'd prefer we not discover, please withdraw voluntarily. This will avoid unnecessary complications for both sides."
Another brief silence followed. Still, no one left.
Satisfied, Simon nodded. "Secondly, once the role is secured, Daenerys Pictures will arrange half a year of comprehensive training, covering physical conditioning, acting classes, and more. Of course, we understand your financial situations, so Daenerys will cover the costs. But the process will be grueling. If anyone feels they cannot endure it, please leave now."
All ten remained seated.
Simon outlined further requirements and answered some questions. After about ten more minutes, he adopted a serious tone again. "Then I assume there are no further issues. The final hurdle—also mentioned before the auditions—to secure this role, you must have no drug or substance addictions. A team of doctors we've invited is in the next room. Those confident they can pass the test may go next door to provide blood samples. Alternatively, you may leave directly."
Having said this, ignoring the visibly changed expressions on several faces, Simon nodded to casting director Linda Vargas who had worked with him since Run Lola Run—and, accompanied by Jennifer, got up and walked out of the conference room.
Returning to his office floor, Simon saw, just outside the doorway to the outer area, a curly-haired woman in a cropped T-shirt and tight jeans sitting on the sofa in the secretary's office. The woman was Valeria Golino, the female lead from the original Rain Man.
With Simon's intervention, the still-filming Rain Man had also cast Valeria Golino as Tom Cruise's girlfriend, though her scenes had wrapped the previous month.
Seeing Simon, Valeria Golino quickly stood up and walked over, extending her hand. "Hello, Mr. Westeros."
Simon gave her an appraising look, showing satisfaction, and shook her hand. "Your agent didn't come?"
Valeria Golino shook her head. "My agent is in New York. I spoke with Mr. Friedman. He said I could come alone."
Simon didn't press further. Asking Susan to bring two coffees, he said to Valeria Golino, "Follow me in."
Valeria Golino nodded, clutching her handbag somewhat nervously as she followed Simon into his office.
Before Simon could engage Valeria Golino in conversation after sitting behind his desk, Susan's voice came through the intercom: "Mr. Westeros, Mr. Friedman is on the line."