Chicago.
At 9 p.m. Central Time, after watching a recent screening of Rain Man, renowned North American film critic Roger Ebert and his close friend Gene Siskel exited the theater together. Since 1975, Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel had co-hosted the influential film review talk show Siskel and Ebert on a local Chicago television station.
Recalling the turbulent undercurrents within the industry, a subtle smile flickered across Roger Ebert's face as he turned to his friend and asked, "Gene, what should we do?"
Gene Siskel's expression also betrayed a measure of hesitation.
Recently, certain individuals had clandestinely attempted to undermine Dead Poets Society. However, their resolve was not particularly firm, and the film's quality was indisputable. Coupled with Daenerys Entertainment's formidable public relations campaign, the film had maintained a solid reputation after a week of limited screenings.
But this time, Michael Ovitz, President of CAA, personally called to inquire whether they were interested in an interview with Robert Redford on their show, focusing on the Sundance Film Festival scheduled for January next year.
Having such a major star like Robert Redford appear on Siskel and Ebert was naturally something the two would eagerly pursue.
Then, Ovitz mentioned Rain Man.
Everyone was perceptive.
Although Michael Ovitz did not explicitly state certain intentions during the call nor could he have clearly articulated a desire for them to give Rain Man a negative review. Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel understood all too well.
However, after just watching the film, both men recognized that Rain Man was undeniably an exceptional work far from the poor reputation some media outlets had recently painted it with.
Now, Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel found themselves caught in a dilemma.
While Ovitz's promises on the call were only beneficial, they believed that ignoring the other party's wishes would not simply cost them an interview with Redford.
In recent years, as CAA accumulated more A-list stars, their influence in Hollywood had surpassed that of any of the so-called Big Seven agencies.
If they were to give Rain Man a straightforward positive review, they might risk losing many early opportunities to attend screenings of CAA-affiliated stars' films.
But if they blindly panned Rain Man, and the overall critical consensus turned positive later, their credibility would suffer. Critics relied on reputation for survival, and with competitors lurking, such blatant misrepresentation would surely invite attack from rivals.
Walking and discussing, they eventually settled in a café to deliberate carefully. Ultimately, Roger Ebert decided to postpone publishing his review of Rain Man. If the film's reputation turned overwhelmingly positive afterward, he wouldn't go against the tide. If the response remained lukewarm though he deemed that unlikely, they could still do a favor and appear to be impartial.
Humans often behave in remarkably similar patterns.
When Roger Ebert chose to delay his review, many media outlets across North America, influenced by CAA's tactics, astutely adopted the same strategy: neither opposing CAA nor offending Daenerys Entertainment.
By Saturday morning, major North American newspapers largely avoided mentioning Rain Man altogether.
Malibu.
Simon, having woken early, checked the first-day box office figures for Rain Man.
Two point one million dollars.
Although preliminary, the detailed data was unlikely to differ significantly.
Yet, this figure was less than half of Scream's opening day, Scream's schedule was relatively quiet, but it still grossed $4.5 million on its first day. In contrast, Rain Man's first-day earnings barely reached $2.1 million.
Despite facing considerable criticism early on, Daenerys Entertainment had invested substantial marketing resources.
Simon estimated Rain Man's first-day box office should have been at least $2.5 million, ensuring a minimum of $10 million in its opening week. In this era, a film earning less than $10 million in its first week was deemed underperforming, with subsequent box office unlikely to surpass expectations.
Now, with a first-day gross of $2.1 million, the projected first-week total was approximately $8 million.
An $8 million opening, even with Simon's confidence in Rain Man, made surpassing the $170 million North American total gross seem unlikely.
Was it a failure after all?
After breakfast, he headed to the office. Most of his workday was dedicated to Batman, but he planned to utilize the weekend to handle some company affairs.
Seated in his office, Warner Bros. quickly sent over reports on Rain Man's media feedback and the collective silence from major outlets that day. Simon dismissed his diligent secretary, Susan Landis, and finally opened the media report.
Just as Jennifer pushed the door open, Simon finished reading the feedback.
Though magazines like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter had not immediately published reviews, with over two thousand newspapers in North America, news about Rain Man could not be completely suppressed.
Overall, Rain Man's media reception was somewhat better than that of Dead Poets Society. The Los Angeles Times, which maintained a good relationship with Daenerys Entertainment, praised the film as "a deeply moving and heartwarming masterpiece."
Putting down the documents, Simon noticed Jennifer carefully placing a stack of scripts in front of him. He relaxed his expression and joked, "Why such caution? Are you worried I'll suddenly turn into a monster and gobble you up?"
Jennifer nudged the script toward him and, sitting across his desk, looked earnestly at him. "I went to see Rain Man last night, and the audience around me loved it."
Simon didn't respond to her comment about the film. Instead, he reached out to gently press her small, fair hand on the script, but she quickly withdrew, blushing and saying, "That's not appropriate."
Simon turned his palm upward and smiled. "I'm about to lose a lot of money, comfort me a little, will you?"
"There probably isn't that much," Jennifer replied hesitantly. She then reached out and lightly patted his large hand. Expecting him to seize her and playfully tease her, she was surprised when he simply withdrew his hand and looked at the script she had just given him. "That project The Rocketeer, you already rejected it, and there are a few other scripts you dismissed too. What do you want these for?"
Simon responded, "It's my gift to someone."
Jennifer looked puzzled. "Gift to who?"
"Whoever wants it," Simon said plainly. "Maybe I'm a bit paranoid, but we'll see."
Jennifer understood immediately. "You mean, industrial espionage?"
Simon nodded. "Enough of this. Just focus on your work."
Hearing this, Jennifer realized he simply didn't want her involved in the darker side of business, not that he distrusted her. "I can help."
"Of course," Simon affirmed. "But some things don't require your involvement. Now, go back to your office."
His tone, like coaxing a little girl, made Jennifer feel a sweet warmth mixed with a bit of irritation. She obediently turned to leave but couldn't resist adding, "I'm not a little girl."
After Jennifer left, Simon picked up the scripts, examined them, and selected two. One was The Rocketeer, a high-budget failure he had intended to acquire last year, and the other was Fire bird, a military-themed film inspired by Top Gun.
In his memory, both films belonged to the category of costly flops.
The Rocketeer was produced by Disney, with a total expenditure exceeding $60 million on production and marketing. Its North American gross was only slightly over $40 million, disappointing but not entirely disastrous. Still, such a high-budget project failing to meet expectations was a significant blow to Disney.
Fire bird, depicting Apache helicopter pilots, was a project Simon remembered primarily because it sought to emulate Top Gun. Though he didn't recall exact budgets or box office figures, he was certain it had failed commercially.
If someone was scheming against him, releasing these two projects both failures could at least force a major studio to replace a few executives.
Simon carefully added misleading notes to the scripts. Half an hour later, Amy knocked and entered. Simon quickly packed the scripts into a file cabinet nearby, then left the company headquarters with Amy.
Having recently secured the Malibu hillside property for Daenerys Entertainment, they planned to visit the site today.
In the parking lot, Amy didn't take her car but sat in Simon's Range Rover.
As the vehicle started, they inevitably discussed Rain Man. Perhaps sensing the project was doomed, Amy didn't dwell on it and quickly shifted the conversation. "Yesterday was the deadline for the contract, and Orion hasn't transferred the Pulp Fiction earnings to us."
To avoid taxes, Simon's dealings with Orion on Pulp Fiction went strictly through Daenerys Entertainment's channels, not personally.
According to the original contract, Orion was supposed to settle Daenerys Entertainment's share within a month after the film's release. Pulp Fiction had been out since November 17, and yesterday December 16 was the last working day of the month. Under normal circumstances, Orion should have transferred the 10% box office share to Danyllis Entertainment before then.
Since Run Lola Run, subsequent projects like Final Destination and When Harry Met Sally had all been paid on time, out of good faith for future cooperation. No studio had yet defaulted on their payments owed to Daenerys Entertainment.
Simon was well aware of Hollywood's habit of delaying payments to independent producers. Major studios sometimes deliberately withhold funds to pressure smaller companies, yet he hadn't expected his own firm to face such a situation.
Still, he wasn't surprised.
Including Crimson Tide, which launched alongside Rain Man, Orion had released a total of 17 films this year.
Early data showed The Heartbreaker grossed only $1.2 million on its first day, another apparent flop. The best among other recent releases was The Million Dollar Arm, starring Kevin Costner, which grossed $50.88 million in North America.
Only five of Orion's 17 films this year had surpassed $20 million domestically.
Given the skyrocketing production costs in recent years, only films exceeding $20 million in North American revenue could likely recover their costs through subsequent distribution channels; below that, even breaking even would require a lengthy period.
In total, only five of Orion's 17 films this year were projected to break even, with the remaining twelve likely to incur losses.
After fulfilling Pulp Fiction's contractual obligations, the chances of further collaborations with Daenerys Entertainment appeared slim, most projects had suffered losses. At this point, Orion could only delay payments to prevent a cash flow crisis.
Thinking this through, Simon asked Amy, "Did Michael Medova call you?"
Amy nodded. "He said Orion can't pay right now and hopes we can delay for a month."
Simon chuckled. If they started delaying payments, Daenerys Entertainment probably wouldn't see any money in a month. "Are the other projects' payments still on schedule?"
"No. Fox has settled Instinct's box office share, totaling $32.29 million. The major TV networks are also expected to settle their accounts by the end of the month."
Simon considered for a moment. "Keep monitoring. Orion's delay of a few months isn't a problem for everyone they're aware of their situation. But if they keep deliberately defaulting, we'll have to sue."
The weekend sped by in a flurry of activity.
Rain Man's $2.1 million opening day forecast implied an opening week of roughly $8 million, assuming a 20% weekly decline. Given the total investment of $40 million, Daenerys Entertainment's loss seemed inevitable.
Yet, over the next two days, Rain Man's daily box office surprisingly rebounded against the trend.
After earning $2.5 million on Saturday, the film's Sunday gross unexpectedly increased, reaching another $2.6 million.
Once the exact weekend figures were tallied, many were astonished to find that in just three days, Rain Man had grossed approximately $7.28 million, nearly matching the common media estimate of an $8 million opening week.