Los Angeles.
The date is March 27th, Monday.
Over the Easter weekend that just passed, Daenerys Entertainment's new film "Ghost Chaser 2" officially opened in North America across 1117 screens.
Amy Pascal got her hands on the opening weekend box office data for "Ghost Chaser 2" early in the morning.
In its opening three days, this sequel to the "Ghost Chaser" series, which followed in the footsteps of "Nightmare on Elm Street," grossed $4.61 million. Its box office performance was on par with the first "Ghost Chaser" movie. Being a fast-food style commercial horror film, it was unlikely to have a long run and was projected to gross around $15 million in North America in total.
The production cost for "Ghost Chaser 2" was only $3 million, three times the budget of the first movie, and the company also invested the same amount in marketing. The expected North American box office revenue of $15 million meant that Daenerys Entertainment would make a decent profit just from domestic distribution.
After the box office results were out, a meeting with the management of New World Cinemas in the morning naturally led to the development of "Ghost Chaser 3" being put on the agenda.
The 61st Academy Awards ceremony was set to take place on March 29th.
After finishing the meeting with New World Cinemas, Amy organized another meeting in the same conference room back-to-back, discussing preparations for the Oscars with the team led by Ella Doitchman.
The Oscars ceremony, capable of generating hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue, was profitable for all parties involved.
From Daenerys Entertainment's side, besides popular nominated films like "Rain Man," they also sought to increase exposure for their upcoming releases like "The Bodyguard" and "The Sixth Sense." Key figures from these movies, such as Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, and even Valmont, summoned back from Australia by Simon Westeros, would attend the ceremony.
Valmont was not only the lead actress in the much-anticipated "Rain Man" but also the lead in the upcoming "Batman," making her attendance at the Oscars vital.
In the conference room of Daenerys Entertainment's Burbank division.
Approaching noon, Amy checked her notes again and looked up at Doitchman, "Last item, Ella, regarding Simon's Best Score nomination, what do you think are his chances of winning?"
"I've done my best, but Simon's chances of winning are slim," Ella Doitchman shook her head, "Among the nominees, aside from Simon, there's David Grusin for 'The Battle of Beanfield', John Williams for 'The Accidental Tourist', George Fenton for 'Dangerous Liaisons', and Maurice Jarre for 'Gorillas in the Mist'. Each of these composers has been nominated at least three times for Academy Awards in music categories, with David Grusin having five nominations and George Fenton four, neither of whom has won an award yet."
Amy glanced at the list of Best Score nominees handed to her by Doitchman. The other four were seasoned masters in scoring, with Simon being a newcomer and receiving his first nomination.
While "Rain Man" had a high chance of winning, Amy also felt that Simon winning with such a nomination was unlikely. Putting the documents aside, she mused, "I've talked to Simon about this, and he just told me to handle it as I see fit. He doesn't seem to have high expectations for winning. But we should still prepare."
Doitchman replied, "Usually in such cases, someone else from the crew helps with accepting the award. From the 'Rain Man' crew, Valmont seems the most suitable."
"Then let's go with Valmont," Amy decided, "Talk to her when you have time, at least prepare an acceptance speech."
After this matter, Amy rechecked her memo, ensuring nothing was missed, and then declared the morning meeting over.
That afternoon, there was an audition for supporting roles in "Pretty Woman" scheduled in Santa Monica, and the movie was set to start shooting by early May. Having also arranged lunch with Angela Ahrendts, the president of Gucci America, Amy didn't plan on staying in Burbank.
As soon as Amy and her assistant left the conference room, Ella Doitchman caught up with them, walking side by side downstairs, "I heard the male lead for 'Pretty Woman' hasn't been finalized?"
"Yes," Amy knew Doitchman likely had someone to recommend and smiled, "The candidates have already been sent to Simon. Whoever you're considering, they need to be exceptionally talented."
Doitchman didn't hesitate, "We just saw a screener of 'My Left Foot' last week. What about Daniel Day-Lewis?"
Amy remembered Lewis's impeccable performance in "My Left Foot." His acting was beyond doubt. Before "My Left Foot," he mostly appeared in romantic films like "A Room with a View" and last year's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," adapted from Milan Kundera's novel.
After a moment's thought, however, Amy shook her head, "Ella, the male lead in 'Pretty Woman' is a businessman, but Daniel's temperament leans more towards an artist; he's not suitable for the role."
Doitchman persisted, "Daniel happens to be in L.A. right now. Amy, how about giving him a chance to audition?"
Impressed by Lewis's performance in "My Left Foot," Amy hesitated but then offered, "This afternoon, there's an audition for 'Pretty Woman' in Santa Monica. Ella, I can only spare twenty minutes for Daniel at 4 pm. And ultimately, it's Simon's decision."
Hearing Amy's agreement, Doitchman said, "Thanks, Amy. I'll make sure Daniel is there on time."
Amy smiled and then asked, "How's Robert Altman doing with adapting Raymond Carver's short story?"
Doitchman shook her head, "Altman has a rough outline ready. The film will be titled 'Short Cuts.' But it's definitely not happening this year."
After finishing this award season's PR, Doitchman's work for the year would mainly consist of three projects: "My Left Foot," "Driving Miss Daisy," and a Gucci documentary. If possible, she also planned to buy rights to some art house films from channels like the Cannes Film Festival for distribution.
However, Daenerys Entertainment was still closely watched by other Hollywood studios, making it difficult to buy such rights, at least not at reasonable prices.
Leaving the Burbank division, Amy's assistant Vanessa drove as she skimmed through a script in the backseat.
It was a sequel to a horror film from the original New World Entertainment rights library, adapted from Stephen King's horror novel "Children of the Corn." The first film, released in 1984, had a budget of only $800,000 but grossed nearly $15 million in North America, performing similarly to the "Ghost Chaser" series.
During the recent release of "Ghost Chaser 2," Danny Morris, president of New World Cinemas, proposed this project.
"Children of the Corn" originally didn't have a foundation for developing a sequel. To do so, the story would likely need a reboot, unlike horror series like "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Ghost Chaser" with elements like nightmare or hell box continuing through the series.
In Hollywood, though, as long as a movie is profitable, these issues are hardly problematic.
As an adaptation of Stephen King's novel, and considering the first film's box office success relative to its budget, developing a sequel was inevitable.
Engrossed in the script, occasionally jotting down notes, Amy didn't realize they had stopped at a restaurant near Daenerys Entertainment's headquarters in Santa Monica.
Amy and Vanessa got out of the car. Angela Ahrendts had already arrived, and Valmont, unexpectedly, was also at the restaurant.
Noticing Amy's confusion, Ahrendts explained, "I accompanied Valmont to Gucci this morning for a fitting, so we came together."
Amy didn't mind Valmont joining; in fact, she would have arranged a meal with Valmont anyway to discuss the filming of "Batman" in Australia.
The four women sat down in the restaurant. After ordering, Amy asked Ahrendts, "How are things on your end?"
Since starting the job at the beginning of the month, Ahrendts had been traveling extensively across North America. She had visited most Gucci stores on the East Coast, but thoroughly inspecting all of them in North America would take another month or two.
Her sudden trip to Los Angeles was for Gucci's publicity.
The Oscars had always been an important platform for many brands. Gucci hadn't paid much attention to this area in the past and lacked channels into Hollywood. Now, with a common boss, Gucci wouldn't miss this opportunity.
"Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, Melanie Griffith, Michelle Pfeiffer, Madonna, Valmont, oh, and Bruce Willis's wife Demi Moore – a total of 7 actresses will wear Gucci gowns at the ceremony," Ahrendts listed excitedly, adding, "Additionally, Edgar has negotiated with ABC for some direct broadcast close-ups."
Amy was about to agree when she remembered, "No Nicole Kidman? She's presenting the Best Art Direction award."
"No, I spoke with Friedman from WMA, and he said Kidman had already committed to wearing Dior. He did introduce me to some other actresses, but as you know, they aren't as high-profile, so we have these seven."
Amy wasn't disappointed by having only seven actresses in Gucci; in fact, that was a substantial number. Aside from Bruce Willis's less famous wife, the others were all in their prime.
Speaking of Willis's wife, Demi Moore, she was in the running for the lead in "Ghost." Her participation this time obviously indicated a gesture of goodwill.
Without Bruce Willis's recent rise to fame with "Die Hard," few would have noticed his model wife.
As for "Ghost," Amy privately favored Michelle Pfeiffer or Julia Roberts.
Of course, with Roberts already set for "Pretty Woman," she wouldn't be available for "Ghost." If not for a falling out, Meg Ryan would also have been a good choice, or perhaps Nicole Kidman, who was making a name with "Pulp Fiction." But Kidman seemed to have too many agendas.
Considering everything, Michelle Pfeiffer was the top choice.
As for Demi Moore, Amy wouldn't view her differently just for this gesture. As Ahrendts hinted, many lower-profile actresses lucky enough to attend the Oscars hoped to wear Gucci. Clearly, Daenerys Entertainment wasn't short on such overtures.
"Let's stick with seven," Amy suggested, "Having too much of one brand isn't good either."
"I think so too," Ahrendts agreed, "I've been thinking about retracting more Gucci shop authorizations. A luxury brand everywhere is no longer a luxury."
The conversation moved to other topics before focusing on the official celebration party after the Oscars organized by Daenerys Entertainment.
Last year, with few nominations and despite Simon's unexpected Best Editing award, there was no formal celebration.
This year was different.
Given Daenerys Entertainment's box office success last year, even without winning at the Oscars, they needed a grand celebration party to thank the creators of their hits and lay the groundwork for future collaborations.
Amy had already discussed this with Sophia several times; this year's Oscar after-party would be 'Gucci Night,' attended by many stars and accompanied by media promotion.
Although Ahrendts mentioned luxury brands shouldn't be overexposed, Gucci had been dormant for years, overshadowed in North America by brands like Dior and LV. This was an opportunity to stand out.
Gucci's recent strategy was to first expand its renown, then refine its image as a classic luxury brand.
After two hectic final days, the 61st Academy Awards arrived on time on March 29th.
At 5 pm.
As the red carpet ceremony began, a flood of stars converged on this year's Oscar venue, the Civic Auditorium, from all over Los Angeles.
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