In Los Angeles, Lewis and Sarati Morton's small group of movie fans didn't rush to see the midnight showing of The Rock last night.
It wasn't that they didn't want to be the first to see it; it was mainly because tickets for the slightly more luxurious cinemas were completely sold out. Only cinemas in suburban towns still had tickets.
But no one wanted to travel that far, so they decided to wait for the first showing in the morning.
As the cinema doors opened, a friend complained, "Lewis, it's all your fault! If you hadn't failed to get tickets, we wouldn't have had to get up so early just to wait for the cinema to open."
Lewis quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't expect the movie to be so popular that even the midnight show tickets would sell out."
"Alright, stop blaming Lewis. It's not his fault we're in Los Angeles!" Sarati Morton spoke up for Lewis.
Her point was valid; tickets selling out for midnight showings was an extreme situation in only a few specific cities.
Moviegoers in Los Angeles absolutely adored the talented director, Gilbert, and strongly supported this local filmmaker.
It wasn't just this small fan group lining up for tickets early in the morning; other movie enthusiasts who missed the midnight show for various reasons yesterday evening had gathered outside major cinemas across Los Angeles.
Back then, buying movie tickets wasn't as advanced as it is now, where you can pick your seats and buy tickets online.
At the time, you had to call the cinema or go directly to the theater to buy tickets.
Either way, moviegoers had to remember to buy early, otherwise, tickets for popular summer blockbusters were quite hard to come by.
Fortunately, even though Friday was part of the weekend, it was still essentially a weekday, and it was morning, so not too many people would have free time.
After a short wait, the cinema staff opened the doors.
The moment he opened the door, he was startled by the throng of people. "Folks, are you all here to see a movie?"
"Stop talking nonsense, get to work! I need to buy a ticket!" one moviegoer exclaimed, rushing into the cinema, afraid of missing out on a ticket.
Other moviegoers followed close behind. If the cinema staff hadn't quickly moved aside, a stampede might have occurred.
Similar scenes played out in many cinemas.
The enthusiastic moviegoers seemed to be overwhelming the cinemas. Unprepared for such a crowd, some theaters didn't even have time to prepare snacks like fries, popcorn, and soda for sale.
Initially, some moviegoers expressed dissatisfaction, feeling that watching a movie without these snacks just wasn't the same.
But after watching The Rock, they emerged excitedly, shaking the hands of the cinema staff and declaring, "You guys were really far-sighted! Good thing you didn't prepare anything. I was so engrossed in the movie, I completely forgot about popcorn and soda!"
The cinema staff member looked bewildered. In all his years in the business, he had never seen anything like it.
Is this the new work of the nationally renowned genius director? This popularity, this drawing power – it's simply unbeatable.
Lewis and Sarati Morton's group of fans emerged from the cinema, still savoring the experience, with several companions animatedly discussing the movie's plot.
"I've seen Nicolas Cage in other films, and honestly, he's not as charismatic as he is in this movie. I suddenly think he's a tough guy."
"Roger Moore is so cool! That old man is still agile at his age. He truly lived up to being a former secret agent."
"I love this movie, I love Gilbert. He always manages to surprise moviegoers."
People nearby nodded in agreement.
Gilbert was loved not just because he was handsome... well, a lot of female moviegoers liked him purely because he was handsome.
But most importantly, Gilbert was unlike other Hollywood directors; he consistently delivered fresh experiences to his audience, and that's the main reason many moviegoers adored him.
In San Francisco, Sullivan and Ball, who had attended the premiere, vividly recounted their experiences to family and friends.
"I saw Tom Cruise, and I even saw Mr. T-800! He was so cool!" Sullivan's face was flushed with excitement.
"So, how was the movie?" his sister asked.
"It was amazing, so exciting! I want to watch it again," Sullivan said, looking at his father.
Hearing this, their father, as the head of the household, made a decision: "Then this weekend, instead of going on a picnic, we'll go to the cinema to watch the movie."
This decision was met with cheers from the children.
However, the mother still worried, "Is it too hasty to watch this film? I saw the trailer, and it has quite a few violent scenes."
The father reassured her, "Don't worry. I checked the rating, and this film is rated PG-13, which means it's suitable for the whole family to watch together."
Since the father had made the decision, the mother no longer objected.
However, as it turned out, sometimes ratings can be deceiving.
On the first day of The Rock's wide release in North America, various media reports and reviews emerged endlessly, but one issue caught the attention of some people.
When CBS News interviewed moviegoers leaving a cinema, they spoke to an enraged father.
This father furiously declared, "This film is absolutely not suitable for parents to watch with their children! The movie should be rated R, not the current PG-13.
Look at my child; he was completely terrified and cried because of the violent content in the movie. The movie's creators should be held responsible for this..."
The TV station even showed a boy, around twelve or thirteen years old, wiping away tears and crying in his mother's arms.
This wasn't an isolated incident. Soon, many parents across major cities in America banded together to protest the miscategorization of The Rock's rating, which led them to mistakenly choose this film.
Parent representatives quickly appeared on television, stating, "The film's creators should be held accountable, and the Motion Picture Association film rating board should also apologize to our poor children."
Turning off the television, Martin Bob couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh. "Hahahaha, this time, Gilbert probably won't be able to have another debate with the parents, unlike with the Hollywood Animal Protection Organization!"
Lovett gave a thumbs up, complimenting, "President, your tactics are truly brilliant. Using parents to stir up public opinion puts The Rock in a passive position.
Did you already have this plan in mind when the rating was decided?"
Martin Bob seemed to have everything under control. "Lovett, everything has two sides. When something has a negative impact on us, it also gives us an opportunity.
This requires vision, insight, and the ability to seize opportunities."
Lovett piled on the flattery. "No wonder I admire you more and more, President. You've truly given me a good lesson."
"Hmph," Martin Bob sneered, "This time, facing the onslaught from those parents, let's see how Gilbert responds."
What response? Gilbert's approach was to quickly consult with the publicity department and find public relations experts to devise a strategy.
Regardless of what happened behind the scenes, child protection in this country is written into law; at the very least, they had to put on a good show.
Gilbert, in his previous life, had read a news story about a New York infant admitted to the ICU due to illness. American health insurance refused to cover the ICU costs, claiming the infant could breathe.
Even then, some people praised the advanced American healthcare system and lamented that the 'lighthouse' was still waiting for its people.
As for the exposure of certain islands and events, it completely tore apart the country's public facade of child protection.
However, that was decades later. In the 1990s, no one dared to openly say or do anything that harmed children, as they would face very serious accusations.
Since last year, Michael Jackson had been relentlessly attacked by the media over child molestation allegations.
Even with the boy and his family coming forward to state that Michael Jackson didn't do it, it was to no avail.
Of course, this incident was merely an excuse; the deeper reasons must be traced back to issues of race, as well as positions and vested interests.
When the entire mainstream white Western society reached a consensus, no one could resist this surging tide, except for the East decades later.
Fortunately, the situation with The Rock wasn't severe enough to escalate to legal action. And Gilbert was white, and Jewish, placing him in a much better position than Michael Jackson.
The parents' protests somewhat affected The Rock's box office performance, but the film still raked in $15.263 million on its opening day.
If it were an R-rated film, this opening day box office would have been a record-breaker, but The Rock was rated PG-13.
However, Gilbert didn't care about such trivial fame; he only cared about the box office.
Following public relations advice, to turn the tide of public opinion, Gilbert, Nicolas Cage, Roger Moore, and Ed Harris split into two groups.
Roger Moore and Ed Harris formed one team, visiting World War II veterans to thank them for their immense contributions to the nation and world peace.
Warner Fox and Disney television media followed and reported, creating a positive image for The Rock.
"This is Fox News. Behind us is the home of decorated World War II veteran Henry Carl.
The Rock stars Roger Moore and Ed Harris are here with gifts, visiting this distinguished veteran and offering warm regards..."
Meanwhile, Gilbert and Nicolas Cage formed another team, visiting an orphanage to see the children and volunteer. Gilbert even personally cooked for the children.
"This is ABC News, and I'm reporter Martha.
Today, The Rock director Gilbert and star Nicolas Cage came to the orphanage to play games and interact warmly with the children.
Nicolas Cage gave many comic books to the children, and Gilbert prepared dinner for them."
Then came an interview segment with Gilbert. In the footage, Gilbert was holding hands with two children, one a Black girl and the other a white boy, which was quite politically correct.
"I have always cared deeply about our children. I believe the future belongs to them, and we adults are merely temporary custodians.
As a Hollywood director, my greatest wish is for children to retain their pure imagination, remain innocent, and grow up healthy and positive."
He hadn't eaten pork, but he had seen pigs run.
Gilbert spouted these clichés effortlessly, just like a senator working in Washington.
These tactics were quite effective, largely dispelling public animosity.
However, the impact of the protests wasn't easily erased, and the film's box office was still somewhat affected.
Martin Bob had been closely following the developments of this matter. Gilbert's handling of the situation made him realize that Gilbert's success wasn't simply due to luck.
Watching him interact with a Black child without batting an eye, Martin Bob admired Gilbert's composure.
Putting aside everything else, Martin Bob, who disliked Black people, simply couldn't be as thick-skinned as Gilbert.
During the preparations for Bad Boys, Martin Bob even refused to shake Will Smith's hand, feeling it would contaminate him.
Didn't Gilbert feel disgusted interacting with a Black child?
Not only that, but under the public relations efforts of Warner Disney, the Los Angeles city government awarded Gilbert the title of Children's Charity Ambassador.
Gilbert also announced that he would donate one million dollars to all orphanages in Los Angeles.
He had plenty of money, so he could donate a bit more, especially since the money wasn't even coming from his own pocket.
Under a series of proactive public relations moves, The Rock continued to deliver impressive results, grossing $20.516 million on Saturday alone.
More importantly, the film garnered excellent audience reviews.
Although many film critics and media outlets had given high praise before, that was merely a public relations tactic prior to its release.
For summer blockbusters, what truly mattered were market performance and audience reception.
At Touchstone Pictures, Robert Iger received the latest audience feedback data.
His assistant reported, "Among the 10,233 surveyed audience members, 73% gave an A+, and 81% gave an A or higher.
However, the number of C or lower ratings was equally high, reaching 9%."
Robert Iger was satisfied with this data. He said, "This indicates that audiences genuinely love this film. It's not surprising to see so many negative reviews, given that there are still protesting parents."
It went without saying that most of the negative reviews came from parents, and even many of the middling scores were given by parents.
Perhaps the movie genuinely wasn't suitable for children, but the parents themselves enjoyed it, so they gave it a lukewarm rating.
After listening to his assistant's report, Robert Iger was pleased with The Rock's performance, but thinking of the recent internal disputes at Disney, he became a bit displeased.
At the beginning of the year, Michael Ovitz officially took office as Disney's president, fulfilling his dream of leading a major film company.
What was CAA compared to this? Only giant corporations represented the pinnacle of Hollywood.
Becoming the president of a major company meant becoming one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood, far more prestigious than being the president of CAA.
But Michael Ovitz's dream was shattered quickly.
After becoming Disney's president, Michael Ovitz discovered that his directives couldn't even leave his own office; the entire company remained under Michael Eisner's control.
His old friend refused to relinquish power, leaving Michael Ovitz as a mere figurehead.
It was then that Michael Ovitz realized his old friend hadn't brought him in as Disney's president because he valued his abilities, but rather to use him as a puppet.
But having finally become the president of a major company, Michael Ovitz naturally wasn't willing to accept his fate, so he began to move around within Disney's senior management, planning various activities.