Century City, Fox Tower.
Ang Lee had just arrived at work when producer Gil Netter approached him.
Both were in good spirits.
"Life of Pi" had been released over the Thanksgiving weekend and, although the box office champion title was taken by the latest "Twilight Saga," including the Thanksgiving holiday, the film still grossed $30.57 million in North America.
As of yesterday, the cumulative box office in North America had surpassed $60 million.
More importantly, the film's audience and critical reception were both very positive, competing well against main award season competitors like "Escape from Tehran."
If the award season campaign was well executed, Gil Netter and Ang Lee were confident that "Life of Pi" would recoup its entire investment just from box office revenue.
Therefore, the Oscars were crucial.
Ang Lee said, "After Thanksgiving, Disney Studios and David Finch held three screenings, attended by many of the longstanding Los Angeles-based judges."
