Outside the movie theater, staff were already handing out surveys.
Without a doubt, almost every audience member gave the film an A+ rating.
Sallati Merton even said, "For a film like this, would anyone be foolish enough not to give it an A+?"
"Probably not, right?"
Hearing that, a moviegoer who had just seen The Shallows nearby quietly added a "+" after his A. He certainly didn't want to be that foolish person...
After seeing his aunt's family off, Gilbert anxiously awaited news from Universal Pictures.
Old Gilbert returned from his fun, and seeing Gilbert's anxiousness, he comforted him, "Don't be nervous, Gilbert. If this movie doesn't succeed, you can continue working as an assistant director for Steven. Besides, you might not even fail."
"Let's hope so!" Gilbert could only pray and hope for the best.
The pressure in the directing industry is incredibly high, not just moderately. Even with a $3.5 million investment for The Shallows, Gilbert almost developed insomnia.
It's hard to imagine the immense pressure directors face when working on films with budgets of $50 or $60 million, or even hundreds of millions.
So, often, getting intimate is a very effective way to relax. Some psychologically unstable directors have reached a point where even women can't satisfy them.
However, Gilbert only likes women; he's not interested in other creatures.
If you brought him an attack helicopter or someone with a "plastic bag" gender, he wouldn't even know where to start...
North America back then wasn't as crazy as it would become thirty years later; normal people were still the majority.
Unfortunately, Gwyneth Paltrow wasn't around, and Winona Ryder hadn't visited him in weeks.
Gilbert didn't want to go to a bar for a casual encounter, so he just had to tough it out.
Luckily, Universal Pictures didn't keep Gilbert waiting long, and the first day's sneak preview data quickly arrived.
Across the U.S., there were only 30 screens in 30 movie theaters, with each theater having nine showings a day. The average attendance per showing was 23 people, and the average box office per showing was $105.
So, the total box office for the first day's sneak preview was around $28,350, a truly dismal figure.
But thankfully, despite the poor box office for the sneak preview, there was also good news.
Universal Pictures collected a total of 2,362 surveys. Among them, a whopping 1,736 gave the film an A+, 425 gave it an A, and fewer than forty gave it a C or below.
This showed that the film was very popular with those who saw the sneak preview, boasting extremely high audience word-of-mouth.
Additionally, over half of the moviegoers stated that they would definitely recommend The Shallows to others.
Such high praise once again gave Universal Pictures confidence.
Perhaps because the October slot was too quiet, and Universal Pictures had no other films to release, they decided to expand the sneak preview scale.
By the second day, the number of theaters showing sneak previews reached 50, and by the third day, that number was 100.
By the fourth day, as word-of-mouth spread, cinemas with severe ticket shortages could no longer satisfy moviegoers.
Fans urged Universal Pictures to quickly expand the release, as they desperately wanted to see The Shallows.
At this point, Universal Pictures executives finally believed that The Shallows had great potential.
So, finally, on Friday, October 25th, the weekend before Halloween, The Shallows officially hit theaters on a large scale.
Levitt Gore, the head of Universal Pictures' distribution department, tirelessly called cinema chains, using undeniable data to persuade them to increase the number of The Shallows' screenings.
"Buddy, what are you hesitating about now? Is there anything hotter in the market than The Shallows?"
"I know you need to save space for Hook, but that movie isn't out until November. Are you just going to let the empty slots in between gather dust?"
"Alright, alright, make a decision quickly. Neither of us wants to lose a huge chunk of box office."
When he hung up the phone, Levitt Gore said to Vice President Lou Wasserman, "No young director has ever impressed me this much. Gilbert is truly a genius."
Lou Wasserman chuckled, "We've experienced a similar genius at Universal Pictures once before, in 1975. Now, that genius is making Jurassic Park for us."
"A toast to Universal Pictures having two geniuses..."
"Cheers..."
Even though drinking during work hours isn't allowed, good news is always worth celebrating, so Lou Wasserman opened a bottle of champagne to mark the occasion.
In the face of such massive profits, even Gilbert's face seemed much more pleasing to Lou Wasserman.
Communication with the cinema chains went smoothly. On the new weekend, October 25th, the number of theaters showing The Shallows rapidly increased to 1,200, covering major cities across the U.S.
This scale still couldn't compare to the release scale of A-list blockbusters, but for a film with only a $3.5 million investment, it was quite remarkable.
Given the film's excellent sneak preview performance, Universal Pictures again increased its promotional investment, allocating $2 million for marketing and distribution.
In early 1990s Hollywood, the marketing and distribution budget for an A-list blockbuster typically didn't exceed $10 million.
As of now, Universal Pictures' investment in marketing and distribution had only slightly exceeded The Shallows' production cost.
As the film was heading for a wide release, Gwyneth Paltrow, as per Universal Pictures' request, finally reunited with Gilbert to begin their nationwide roadshow promotion.
During the initial promotional efforts, they were portrayed as a couple. Now, Gilbert and Gwyneth Paltrow formed a romantic duo, openly displaying affection at public events.
Gwyneth Paltrow's return also temporarily solved Gilbert's lack of a companion.
While promoting the film across the country, the two often "exercised yoga" together.
One time, during a rushed roadshow, they even "exercised" in the car.
As the film was released, Gwyneth Paltrow gradually gained a fan base. During roadshows, many fans could be seen holding signs with her name.
Finally experiencing the feeling of fame, Gwyneth Paltrow was very excited.
Perhaps because he realized his daughter had finally entered the Hollywood circle, or perhaps because Gilbert had achieved success, Mr. Paltrow loosened his control over his daughter.
Gwyneth Paltrow simply moved into Gilbert's apartment and lived with him, becoming an "officially" hot couple.
Meanwhile, Universal Pictures continued to push its promotional efforts. The name of The Shallows no longer circulated only in second and third-tier tabloids.
The Hollywood Reporter, Variety magazine, and other media outlets began to mention the film, and even The Los Angeles Times, one of North America's three major newspapers, gave it a full page.
All of this proved that The Shallows, after a long period of anticipation, had finally become a hit.
Of course, no matter how good the word-of-mouth was or how it gained traction, nothing was as important as the actual box office numbers.
Whatever film companies say about "art," it's all nonsense.
No film company invests in movies for the sake of "art"; they do it for the cash in the audience's pockets.
If a movie can't make money, even if it has the best reputation in film history, it's still a flop to the film company.
However, The Shallows succeeded; it made a huge profit.
The film began its wide release on October 25th, earning $2.413 million on its opening day.
This achievement might not be much for an A-list blockbuster, but for The Shallows, it was an outstanding result.
Don't forget, this was an October release, not the hot summer blockbuster season.
The Shallows only had Steven Spielberg's name attached as executive producer, and its reputation was built little by little through sneak previews. So, this was a very good result.
On Saturday, October 26th, The Shallows achieved another remarkable feat, taking in $4.427 million in a single day, much to Universal Pictures' delight.
And that wasn't all. On Sunday, October 27th, the film once again earned $3.214 million in a single day.
In its first week of wide release, The Shallows had already grossed $9.854 million.
Adding the sneak preview box office, The Shallows' total box office exceeded $10 million, reaching $10.194 million.
By this point, The Shallows had become unstoppable.