The last week of May 1990 quietly ended the summer season that had been kickstarted by "Back to the Future Part III" and "Firebirds."
From May 25th to May 31st, the most attention was not on these two new releases but rather on "Batman: War Time," which officially ended its North American run.
"Batman: War Time" had been in theaters since December 22nd of the previous year and concluded its run on May 31st after 23 weeks. It achieved a domestic gross of $436.86 million, setting a new record for the first round of Hollywood movie earnings, surpassing the re-released "Star Wars" and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," both of which had previously crossed $400 million.
As of the last week of May, the international gross for "Batman: War Time" had also reached $390 million.
Although the film had already been released in most major overseas markets, the current pace of international screenings suggested there was still about $100 million in potential box office revenue left. While reaching a global gross of $1 billion might be challenging, hitting $900 million was virtually guaranteed.
Without adjusting for inflation, a global box office of over $900 million placed "Batman: War Time" at the top of Hollywood's all-time earnings list.
Moreover, merchandise sales related to "Batman: War Time" had already surpassed $1.5 billion in the first half of the year.
With most countries, including North America, phasing out the film in the second half of the year, achieving an additional $500 million in merchandise sales was feasible, possibly even surpassing the initial annual forecast of $2 billion.
The impressive performance of "Batman: War Time" only increased the pressure on Jan de Bont, whom Simon had personally selected to direct "Batman: The Dark Knight."
This pressure was not only internal. Fans worried about a cinematographer who had never directed a film potentially ruining the sequel were frequently vocal, and after the launch of the Ygritte portal, an online forum even hosted a 'We Don't Want Jan de Bont' fan group.
To reassure fans, Daenerys Entertainment and Warner Bros had to repeatedly hint that Simon himself would still be steering "Batman: The Dark Knight," with de Bont acting merely as an 'executor.'
When de Bont even received death threats from Batman fans demanding he step down as director, Simon had no choice but to send him off to Melbourne early. However, Simon could sense that this director-turned-cinematographer was holding back his potential, which added to his confidence in his choice.
"Batman: War Time" was the last film related to Daenerys Entertainment for the previous year, marking the conclusion of Daenerys's film activities for that period.
Earlier releases like "Scream 2" ended its North American run with a domestic total of $112 million and an international finish around $93 million, totaling $205 million globally. While not matching the performance of the first film, it remained one of Hollywood's most successful teen horror franchises.
The Thanksgiving release "Flying Over Innocence" concluded its North American earnings at $163 million, slightly below expectations due to the impact of "Batman: War Time." Internationally, it had garnered $130 million by the end of May, with an estimated $30 million still expected, aiming for a global total of $320 million.
The fashion documentary "The Gucci Mark" ended with a domestic gross of $41.63 million. Thanks to Gucci's relentless marketing approach that prioritized brand over profit, it performed even better internationally, breaking $62 million by the end of May, surpassing $100 million globally and becoming the most successful fashion documentary in Hollywood history.
Influenced by "The Gucci Mark," Hollywood had already started production on more than three fashion documentaries, with numerous other projects in the pipeline.
The last major release from Garon Pictures at the end of the previous year, "Driving Miss Daisy," also concluded its domestic screening before "Batman: War Time" ended, breaking $100 million domestically with a total of $106.5 million.
Compared to its $7 million production cost, "Driving Miss Daisy" not only filled Garon Pictures' coffers but also reaffirmed the commercial potential of low-budget art films.
However, due to its strongly localized American themes, "Driving Miss Daisy" had a modest international performance. Despite the boost from its Best Picture Oscar, it had only earned about $26 million overseas by the end of May, with total international earnings projected around $30 million.
As "Batman: War Time" drew media discussion upon its closing, the two new releases of the past week were not entirely overlooked.
In its opening week, "Back to the Future Part III" secured $27.76 million from 2,019 screens.
Compared to the second installment, this final sequel saw a notable drop in box office performance, coupled with mediocre reviews
, leading to low expectations for its longevity in theaters, with total North American earnings projected between $80 million and $100 million.
However, "Back to the Future Part III" still performed decently, certainly far outpacing Paramount's highly anticipated "Firebirds," which had hoped to challenge the record set by "Top Gun."
With the same number of screens at 2,006, "Firebirds" only managed $7.55 million in its first week.
In a competitive summer slot, barely surpassing $3,700 per theater meant that the film would likely see a significant reduction in screens after two weeks, and it would mostly be phased out after a month.
While the public media did not delve much into the behind-the-scenes details of "The Rocketeer" and "Firebirds," it was well-known throughout Hollywood that Paramount had intercepted these two projects from Daenerys Entertainment at a steep cost.
And then, both had failed.
Not just in terms of box office results, but the loss of two prime release slots—last Christmas and this summer—significantly impacted Paramount's film performance for the entire year of 1990.
Following the openings of "Back to the Future Part III" and "Firebirds," June 1st saw the release of Daenerys Entertainment's "Ghost" and Sony's Hollywood debut blockbuster "Total Recall."
After the premiere on May 30th, Daenerys Entertainment released the reviews for "Ghost" early on Thursday, while Sony cautiously withheld the media reviews for "Total Recall" until after its release.
Unexpectedly, the reviews for the two films contrasted sharply.
"Ghost" did not receive the one-sided media praise that Daenerys Entertainment's last summer opener, "The Sixth Sense," had enjoyed.
"The New York Times" outright panned "Ghost" as 'a clichéd and foolish ghost movie, incomparable to "The Sixth Sense".'
Overall, "Ghost" garnered a media rating of just 7.4.
If this had been any other time, such a rating would have been considered decent. However, compared to "Total Recall," which had been initially dismissed and even predicted by Simon Westeros to likely fail, the gap was evident.
Unlike some critics' expectations of another muscle-bound hero saving the world, "Total Recall" was a pleasant surprise. "The Chicago Forum" praised it as 'an excellent breakthrough for Schwarzenegger, maintaining his style.'
In its opening week, "Total Recall" earned a robust $36.08 million from 2,040 screens, averaging over $17,000 per theater.
In contrast, "Ghost" opened on 1,521 screens and earned $19.76 million in its first week, barely reaching an average of $13,000 per theater. Although still a hit, it fell short when compared to "Total Recall."
Following on June 8th were Harrison Ford's crime thriller "Presumed Innocent" and Disney's re-release of the classic animation "The Jungle Book."
"Presumed Innocent," while not an action film, also received excellent reviews.
Disney's re-release continued to attract a steady audience.
This time, many felt that Daenerys Entertainment was finally facing a potential flop. With mediocre reviews and an unimpressive start, many media outlets predicted that "Ghost" might only reach about $60 million in North American box office.
$60 million, for a film made on a $20 million budget like "Ghost," wouldn't be considered a failure. But for Daenerys Entertainment, it would be a disappointment.
Only the Daenerys Entertainment distribution team, which kept up with real-time audience feedback, could sense from the word-of-mouth buzz similar to last year's "The Sixth Sense" and the quietly booming soundtrack sales, that the film might still have a chance to turn around.
However, such outcomes are never guaranteed.
To avoid becoming a subject of ridicule if the news leaked, the distribution team for "Ghost" opted to remain silent about these developments.
On June 9th, at a mansion near Paradise Bay in Malibu.
Having completed a tour of major West Coast cities, Madonna took a brief break at her Malibu residence and hosted a celebration party.
Additionally, just yesterday, after another discussion with Simon, Madonna's team finally announced the long-awaited news that Simon Westeros would attend as a guest guitarist at her concert at the Brenda Byre Arena in East Rutherford, New York, on June 23rd.
The New York concert series was set to start on June 20th and included four shows.
The choice of June 23rd, a Saturday, was intended to draw more fan attention. Moreover, with Simon's participation confirmed, Madonna's team had sold the TV broadcasting rights for the concert for $6 million before the news went public, and a special VHS release was planned.
In reality, due to limited rehearsal time, Simon wouldn't participate throughout the entire event, nor was a live guitarist required for every song.
To prevent fans from feeling deceived, this
information had been released in advance. Yet, when the concert dates featuring Simon were announced yesterday, the tickets for the June 23rd show sold out almost immediately.
Since April, Madonna's ambitious "Blonde Ambition" world tour had already reached its halfway point.
Compared to the total $25 million box office from her previous tour, this tour had already grossed over $30 million halfway through, with total earnings expected to surpass $60 million.
Including other revenues, Madonna was projected to earn over $30 million in total this year, likely making her the top earner on the American singer-actress income chart.
From the scale of the current party alone, it wasn't hard to see the joy in the ambitious young woman's heart.
Simon and Janet, living nearby and having no other engagements for the evening, decided to drop by.
After chatting briefly with Madonna, who was accompanied by her new boyfriend Warren Beatty, and greeting other guests, Simon was about to take Janet to the dance floor when he unexpectedly encountered Terry Semel and Peter Guber.
One was the head of Warner Bros, and the other led Columbia Pictures. Simon was curious about why they were attending together.
Especially since Sony's acquisition of the Guber-Peters Production Company had nearly brought Warner and Sony to court, only to be resolved by Sony paying a hefty settlement.
But after a moment's thought, Simon wasn't surprised.
For Hollywood, Sony was still an outsider. Regardless of public disputes, veterans like Terry Semel and Peter Guber, who had been in Hollywood for years, were considered 'one of their own.'
If it weren't for Simon's rapid establishment of Daenerys Entertainment's presence in Hollywood, even his financial success would still mark him as an 'outsider' to most Hollywood natives.
In March of this year, after Orion Pictures withdrew, Daenerys Entertainment smoothly took its place as a member of the Motion Picture Association of America, officially cementing its status in Hollywood.
After some friendly small talk, Semel and Guber quickly got to the point of their visit.
Sony was urgently preparing several major projects to establish its reputation in Hollywood.
They were currently negotiating a new film that Steven Spielberg was interested in, an adaptation of the famous "Peter Pan" story titled "Captain Hook."
Besides Spielberg, Robin Williams was also expected to join.
Semel and Guber had personally approached Simon this time to advocate for Dustin Hoffman.
After severing ties with CAA and spending a year performing on stage in the UK, this veteran Hollywood star was eager to return to work and was interested in the role of Captain Hook.
However, resolving Simon's position was the first hurdle.
Following the "Rain Man" debacle and the forced termination with CAA, Tom Cruise's career had largely remained unaffected.
Despite the failure of "The Rocketeer" at the end of the previous year, Cruise's "Born on the Fourth of July," released during the Easter slot, had performed well at the box office. Plus, he had another successful commercial film with Paramount this summer, the racing movie "Days of Thunder."
"Rain Man" director Barry Levinson also seemed unaffected, having completed his new film "Avalon."
Dustin Hoffman's retreat to Europe, a low-profile concession, was also a significant compromise. With his decades of connections in Hollywood, a confrontation would have been damaging not only to him but also to Daenerys Entertainment.
Thus, the one truly left stranded was Meg Ryan, who had had little to do with "Rain Man" initially.
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