Amid the anticipation of those in the know, the entertainment sections across the United States began to secretly drum up excitement.
The next day, a massive wave of reports flooded in.
Shocking! Monica Bellucci comes forward, claiming to have a strong affection for Mel Gibson. Is their relationship finally out in the open? – Chicago Tribune
"Effervescent" grosses another $28.83M, with a total of $166.52M. North American box office is on the verge of breaking $200M. – Los Angeles Times
"The Passion of the Christ", vulgar and bloody, should be staunchly opposed. – The New York Times
Religious Freedom or Distortion? What does "The Passion of the Christ" truly mean? – San Francisco Daily
As soon as the weekend arrived, Paramount and 20th Century Fox took advantage of the school break, expanded the market, and launched a timely propaganda war.
Both studios pulled out all the stops. One side focused on scandals, religious freedom, and the frequent public appearances of Mel Gibson with Monica Bellucci. The other side emphasized box office results and audience reviews, supplemented by on-site surveys and fan interviews.
They smeared each other, revealing each other's secrets, tugging at each other's underwear. Truth and falsehood intertwined in a way that was impossible to untangle.
Not to mention, the film critics were divided into two camps. Today, they praised; tomorrow, they criticized. As long as the money was right, any stance was possible. From film structure to shooting techniques, from character analysis to filming philosophy, there wasn't a single aspect that couldn't be criticized.
Both sides made a big fuss, with 20th Century Fox earning $13M on one side, ranking second on the weekly box office chart, and "Effervescent" earning $25.32M on the other side, firmly defending its champion status.
Sony Columbia Pictures, Office of the Head of Distribution.
"What are these two studios up to?" A middle-aged balding white man complained with a dissatisfied expression. "They're spending so much on promotion. Aren't they afraid they won't make a profit?"
"Afraid? Why should they be afraid? This is the real art of calculation," another middle-aged man sat in an office chair, looking helpless. "20th Century Fox took the initiative to make a fuss to attract overseas box office. The domestic market is about to stall, so they can't just give it up, can they? As for Paramount, they're just going with the flow, deliberately cooperating with 20th Century Fox to create momentum. Both studios' films are easy to make money, and they've already prepared for the worst."
On the desk, there was a clear chart of the North American box office data from the past two days.
Such a large-scale publicity campaign, with competing opponents, naturally influenced the audience's choices.
Back and forth, it was quite lively. Films that were originally considered lackluster suddenly became hot again.
Even some smaller film companies, fearing being caught in the crossfire, proactively rescheduled their releases. This ended up working in favor of both Paramount and 20th Century Fox.
"What should we do then?"
The middle-aged white man who had complained earlier asked.
"As for us? Do we even have the capital to compete?"
Why were they so helpless? It was because even if they knew what was happening, they couldn't break the deadlock.
"50 First Dates" was originally not in the same league as the others. "The Passion of the Christ", no matter how much it was questioned, had its audience. Controversy sometimes even translated into box office. And what did they have? Their market performance was unremarkable, audience reviews were poor, and they had nothing to spark controversy. With the cost outweighing the benefits, what could they possibly promote? How could they create a buzz?
During this period of intense promotion, coupled with the fanbase that Lyman had accumulated from his previous works, "Effervescent" finally crossed the $200M mark in its second week of release, accumulating a total of $213.2M in North American box office receipts.
Such an achievement shook many industry insiders.
Although many had anticipated the film's quality from the start, who could have predicted that "Effervescent" would perform so smoothly, breaking the $200M mark in its second and third weeks?
Furthermore, March was considered an off-peak season. It wasn't the summer or Christmas season, so achieving such outstanding results was truly surprising.
However, when you analyzed why "Effervescent" was able to generate such fervor among viewers, the reasons became quite clear.
Firstly, it was undoubtedly due to effective marketing. Paramount's strong support and the tilt of their abundant resources behind the film's promotion was undeniable. A good movie without proper distribution might not succeed.
Secondly, Lyman himself had a good reputation, and fans were willing to support him. This was the advantage of a director or a lead actor; just like Tom Cruise with "Mission: Impossible", seeing their name alone was enough for viewers to buy a movie ticket.
Thirdly, the choice of release timing was excellent. Throughout March, there were no noteworthy films released by Warner Bros., Universal, or MGM. There wasn't much competition, and the audience's choices were naturally limited.
Fourthly, the quality of "Effervescent" itself was outstanding. Whether in terms of cinematography, story, characters, or overall pacing, it stood out in the romance genre. An excellent movie with good word-of-mouth would only become more prominent in subsequent screenings.
After receiving the specific figures, apart from Paramount celebrating in secret, other film companies had their own gains and losses. Barry Meyer was also in high spirits.
Despite the chaotic battle between "Effervescent" and "The Passion of the Christ" dragging the audience away and "Starsky & Hutch", which Warner Bros. distributed, failing to make much of a splash, Barry was far from angry.
Warner Bros. released dozens of movies every year, and not all of them were produced in-house. "Starsky & Hutch" was just a distribution for them, and regardless of the final profits, Warner Bros. would surely get their share. There was no chance of losing money.
Furthermore, Lyman was now cooperating with Warner Bros. on a film.
The more successful Lyman became, the better it was for Warner Bros. This was good news.
Moreover, he had more plans in mind.
He knew there were gaps between Paramount and Lyman.
As for Sherry Lansing, he understood her well. She definitely wouldn't allow Lyman's Firefly Films to become independent without any control from her.
Lately, there had been frequent contact between DreamWorks and Paramount. When the time came, Lyman wouldn't want to get too close to Paramount, either.
This way, Warner Bros. would have an opportunity.
Even if it wasn't about controlling or acquiring, at the very least, they could have a closer relationship, which would be highly beneficial for his plans.
Barry contemplated silently.
However, for now, he could only continue to wait.
He needed to wait for the release of the film they were collaborating on, thoroughly proving Lyman's worth to the board of directors. Only then could he use subsequent film projects to secure everything that would benefit him.
Warner Bros. was not an easy nut to crack.
When a company grew large, leading the team wasn't easy, was it?