Mel Gibson was busy plotting against Gilbert, while Gilbert was also scheming against Mel Gibson. The key figure in all of this was Sophie Marceau. Right now, Sophie Marceau was in a real bind. Should she accept Shana Boone's invitation and side with Gilbert? Or should she follow Mel Gibson's plan and try to seduce Gilbert? Luckily, Sophie Marceau still had some time to make up her mind.
For both major players, the most important task at hand was the summer blockbuster season; personal grudges would have to wait.
On March 21st, Gilbert brought Cameron Diaz with him to the Academy Awards ceremony. Last time, he went with Naomi Watts, so this time, Gilbert decided to bring Cameron Diaz to the Oscars. If he got to go again next year, he'd switch to Charlize Theron—one per year, perfect!
At this year's Oscars, Forrest Gump swept the awards, taking home Best Picture and Best Director, and Tom Hanks achieved back-to-back Best Actor wins. The film was also last year's highest-grossing movie in North America, truly a double win for awards and box office success. Thanks to this movie, Tom Hanks solidified his status as a Hollywood superstar, ushering in his era and becoming one of the "two Toms." When movie fans talk about the best two movie stars today, it's Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks, and then everyone else. This isn't to say Schwarzenegger or Stallone aren't good, but the 90s belonged to these two.
Real Steel also had a win: Dr. Dre took home the Oscar for Best Original Song for his creation for the film. Dr. Dre never imagined he'd one day win an award in film, let alone an Oscar! While it wasn't a Grammy, Dr. Dre was still thrilled, especially since it was the Academy Awards stage. When he accepted the award, he specifically thanked Gilbert for inviting him to compose and perform the movie's theme song, and for offering him a role in the film.
Real Steel's other win was for Best Visual Effects. However, this award went to Industrial Light & Magic. In recent years, ILM has pretty much cornered the market on Best Visual Effects awards, which really shows the power of that special effects studio. After working with ILM, James Cameron got an idea: he went and founded Digital Domain to serve his own needs. He even told Gilbert to send more business to Digital Domain and not just think about ILM.
What James Cameron didn't know, though, was that Gilbert actually wanted to set up his own special effects studio too; he just hadn't decided on a name yet. I mean, he couldn't exactly call it "Melon Special Effects Studio," could he?
After the Oscars, the publicity for The Rock kicked into high gear. The three main stars started making frequent appearances on TV shows to promote the movie. Gilbert would also show up for high-rated programs. At the same time, outdoor posters and TV commercials began to roll out, with overwhelming promotion telling movie fans that The Rock was coming.
In early April, The Rock held two test screenings: one for cinema chain representatives and another for film critics and media representatives. Honestly, with Gilbert's current drawing power, these two screenings were pretty much optional. But after consulting with Gilbert, Robert Iger decided to go ahead with them anyway.
Unlike the early days of The Shallows, back then Gilbert had to diligently attend screenings, smooth-talking and smiling, just hoping these people who held his film's fate in their hands would even give it a proper look. But now, the tables have turned. Gilbert doesn't even need to show up personally; he can just have his publicity manager host them. And even then, those cinema chain reps and media critics won't have any complaints. In fact, they'll still watch and review his film seriously. That's the power of status; you don't have to be present, but your influence is profound.
The purpose of these test screenings is for the cinema chains to assess the film's quality and make a basic judgment. Later, during the process of securing theater bookings, excellent quality helps the distributor convince chains to increase the number of theaters and screens on opening day. Smaller film companies would definitely envy the treatment The Rock received, but this is Hollywood; this is an A-list blockbuster.
Even though Gilbert wasn't there, the lineup for the test screenings was still impressive. Major North American cinema chains like Regal Cinemas and AMC Theatres were all present. After watching The Rock, the cinema chains gave the film extremely high praise.
A representative from Regal Cinemas told an executive from Touchstone Pictures, "Gilbert's style is really maturing. I'm optimistic about this film's prospects in theaters, and we'll definitely push for the widest possible release."
AMC Theatres, while not giving a definitive commitment, did indicate they would wholeheartedly try to convince their company's higher-ups. The cinema chains' reaction was exactly what the Touchstone Pictures executive expected. He was beaming, it seemed like May this summer would again belong to Gilbert, to Touchstone Pictures, and to Disney.
Even before the cinema test screenings, the production company had held internal screenings, and the three major investors were extremely pleased with the film's quality. Although various companies had many other films releasing in the summer, for instance, Warner Bros. had a new Batman movie, and 20th Century Fox had Die Hard with a Vengeance.
Disney, on the other hand, was set to release Pocahontas and had also signed a five-picture animation distribution deal with Steve Jobs's Pixar Animation Studios. This year, Disney was going to help Pixar Animation Studios distribute their first film, a movie Gilbert knew about from when he visited Steve Jobs. It was the famously titled Toy Story in his past life, and Gilbert was fortunate enough to have seen some early clips.
Despite having so many important projects, the three companies still made The Rock their most important focus for May during the summer blockbuster season, showing how highly they valued this film.
At the media and film critic screening, many well-known critics showed up, including Roger Ebert, who had somehow become a "Gilbert fan," and Kenneth Turan, who always criticized Gilbert's films for lacking artistry. Of course, inviting such renowned critics came at a significant cost.
Roger Ebert, as before, enjoyed rounds of golf, yacht parties, and the company of blonde models. For a film critic of his stature, Disney, as the North American distributor, shelled out at least a six-figure sum in public relations expenses to host him. This was necessary. In that era, channels for information were limited, mostly just television and newspapers. The internet was still in its infancy, and it was unrealistic to expect most movie fans to learn about the film through it, so television and newspaper channels were extremely important.
Roger Ebert not only contributed to The Chicago Sun-Times, which had the fourth-largest circulation in the US, but also hosted a TV film review program, influencing the movie choices of millions. This era was, arguably, a golden age for film critics. The Oscars needed their cheerleading, and commercial films also needed their positive reviews and recommendations. Without the support of film critics, relying solely on a good product to speak for itself would make it hard to break through in North America, where public perception is crucial.
The film critic screening was interesting. During or after the movie, critics could immediately write their reviews and hand them over to Touchstone Pictures staff. Touchstone Pictures received two very different evaluations, one from Roger Ebert. In his review, Roger Ebert highly praised Gilbert's cinematic language and the excellent performances of the three male leads.
"Every frame is exquisite enough, with dazzling and gorgeous shots, and the rapid editing creates a sense of tension, making this male-centric film even more exciting and explosive. Plus, with the signature tire and car first-person perspectives in the chase scenes, and continuous explosions, it's an adrenaline rush. I don't think anyone can resist this movie during the summer."
And the other review came from Kenneth Turan.
"The film was tedious, with constant explosions that felt like a lullaby, making me just want to escape the screening. General Hummel's inner world, his motivations, were enough to make a good film, but unfortunately, the director showed no interest in exploring that aspect. After several years in filmmaking, Gilbert is drifting further and further from film as an art form. I am very disappointed..."
Looking at the two completely different reviews, Gilbert couldn't help but crack a smile. It was rare to see two nationally renowned film critics have such conflicting opinions because of his movie. He waved the reviews in his hand and said to Robert Iger, "This is quite amusing. After all, they're famous film critics, we can't invite them and then tell them to keep quiet. Let him publish it!" Gilbert was talking about Kenneth Turan. He accepted the public relations invitation and had a blast in Los Angeles, but still ended up giving the film a bad review. Kenneth Turan's unwavering integrity, like an American version of resisting sugary temptations, was quite entertaining to watch.
The other review, from Roger Ebert, was, of course, overwhelmingly positive. No doubt, it wouldn't be long before Gilbert would see Roger Ebert giving his movie two thumbs up and highly recommending it to movie fans.
Robert Iger said, "Mr. Ebert wants to have dinner with you before he heads back to Chicago."
"Sounds good," Gilbert readily agreed. "I'll have my assistant check my schedule and arrange a time. He's given my films so many great reviews; I owe him that much."
Robert Iger continued, "Regal Cinemas, AMC Theatres, and other major North American cinema chains have all promised to give The Rock the highest number of theaters and screens, and the screening schedule will also be guaranteed." These promotional matters usually aren't discussed with the director. However, Gilbert's status was different; his studio was also one of the film's investors, and Robert Iger personally held Gilbert in high regard.
The time right before a movie's release is always Gilbert's most anxious period. Hearing this news, Gilbert breathed a sigh of relief. Cinema chains usually have good judgment. Their willingness to make such a commitment meant they were very optimistic about the film's market performance.
Actually, this test screening wasn't just attended by North American cinema representatives; even international distribution agents were invited by Warner Bros. to watch the movie internally for the first time. Warner Bros.' idea was to get these overseas distribution agents to make greater concessions on merchandising rights, so letting them watch the movie in advance was also meant to solidify their confidence.
After the two test screenings, The Rock did not hold a fan screening. Instead, it moved directly into the distribution phase, waiting for its release date to arrive.