Due to its theme, "Chicago" didn't have a wide release, not even in 1,000 theaters. Despite the limited screen presence, it still generated a considerable box office. This made Disney, responsible for distribution, somewhat regretful. If they had been bolder, could they have achieved even higher box office numbers?
This year, Miramax Films, a partner in "Chicago," had three films of particular importance: Laila's "Chicago," "The Hours," and Zhang Yimou's "Hero."
Laila learned about "Hero" when she saw a movie poster on the street. She remembered participating in this year's Oscars and being nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.
Seeking out related reports on "Hero," she wanted to see if there was a way to help it secure an Oscar, fulfilling her own oriental dream. However, she was disappointed. Besides a few posters and trailers, she couldn't find much information. It seemed that even kung fu film enthusiasts in the United States were unaware that such a movie was about to be released.
"Miramax Films allocated all its resources to 'Chicago' and 'The Hours.' You should know that the Oriental 'Hero' doesn't bring them what they want," Louise said, aware of Laila's strong interest in Eastern culture. Seeing her disappointed expression, Louise explained the situation.
"Yeah," Laila acknowledged. She knew "Hero" had set records for the Eastern box office, being the first Eastern film to surpass 100 million and considered a milestone in the era of "big films" in Chinese cinema. It saved the declining movie market and globally grossed $177 million.
For Eastern films, this was an outstanding record.
Unfortunately, despite its excellence, "Hero" didn't win any Oscars. The Best Foreign Language Film award ultimately went to Germany's "Nowhere in Africa."
Seeing that she could only collect such limited information, Laila understood the reason for its failure. If even the promotion couldn't be done properly, with only a few posters and a trailer, how many people would know the movie was coming? Waiting for word of mouth after the release? To be blunt, Hollywood film merchants wouldn't allocate many big screens for it.
In their eyes, Eastern films didn't bring much profit. Even the previous "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," though having an Eastern story, leaned more toward Western filming techniques. Wanting to win favor from Western audiences with a purely Eastern story and style posed significant challenges. Perhaps only those who were fans of Eastern kung fu and culture would find it easier to accept.
Louise also felt regretful, "They could have scheduled 'Hero' for next year. This way, they could avoid the resource shortage and have more time for promotion, allowing more people to learn about the film. Imagine who would give a precious vote to a movie they haven't even heard of? At least let word of mouth reach the ears of the judges to have a chance, right?"
Laila shrugged, "We'll see." If she could help, she would. For instance, attending the premiere might boost its visibility. After all, she had decent popularity; maybe she could bring some attention to the film.
However, before she could offer assistance, the invitation to the premiere of "Hero" was delivered to her. Moreover, it was hand-delivered by two heavyweight actors, Jet Li and Zhang Ziyi.
Jet Li came to Hollywood to make a name for himself after 1997 and became a star actor earning tens of millions of dollars. Zhang Ziyi gained significant recognition in the U.S. after "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Their delivery of the invitation to Laila was a very sincere gesture.
"Thank you, I'd be delighted to attend," Laila gladly accepted the invitation, "I'm interested in everything related to the East. Even if you hadn't brought it, I would have joined the excitement."
Seeing her lacking the arrogance of a big director, Jet Li was pleased. He had heard about this youngest-ever Hollywood director's fascination with the East, which was why he had taken on the task of delivering the invitation. Meeting such a big director was undoubtedly a lucky thing for an actor. Didn't the last film she made, by adding an Eastern character, turn a relatively unknown actor in Asia into a sensation?
"Of course, we had to bring it. Director Moran invested in Eastern cinemas, allowing more people to enjoy the charm of movies. All Eastern filmmakers are very grateful to you."
This wasn't a lie. Without the new equipment in cinemas attracting more people to enter theaters, could box office numbers have risen?
Laila, however, thought he was just trying to cheer her up. Although she felt happy listening to his words, attributing all the credit for the growth in the box office to her was unfair to the hardworking people in the film industry.
"I heard 'Hero' performed very well at the Eastern box office."
"It did indeed," Jet Li replied with a smile.
Zhang Ziyi, this rising star, didn't interrupt the radiance of her big brother and maintained a smile, listening carefully to their conversation.
After chatting for a while, Laila casually reminded " 'Hero' is premiering next month. Why haven't I seen any promotion until now?"
Jet Li sighed lightly, "We've already invested some promotional funds, but the effect hasn't been good."
If it didn't damage her image, Laila felt like rolling her eyes at the ceiling. "I've only seen movie posters posted and found the trailer online. But that's not enough; you need to make more people aware of the movie for it to have a chance at the Oscars."
"The Oscars?" Jet Li's heart skipped a beat. There wasn't an actor who didn't want that award. However, he also knew that it was extremely difficult for foreigners, especially Asians, to win that award.
"We do hope to achieve something at the Oscars, but..." The budget for promotion was limited, and investors and distributors were unwilling to invest more. They couldn't force them to spend more money unless they pointed a gun at their heads.
If they couldn't make a profit, why would those people buy the distribution rights for "Hero"? Originally, they thought the film wouldn't make much money, so they were reluctant to spend more on its promotion.
If it was just a small amount of money, he might consider paying himself, especially since he had high hopes for this film. It would significantly boost his popularity in the U.S. and the East. However, to do proper promotion, one or two million wouldn't be enough. Looking at other films, spending tens of millions to over a hundred million was quite normal.
Laila nodded knowingly, "Indeed, the shortfall in promotion is troublesome. It would be a pity if it failed because of this. My crew participated in some talk shows a while ago. If you're interested, I can arrange something."