"Hello, Naomi, is Gilbert there?"
"Him?" Naomi Watts glanced at the bedroom and answered the person on the phone, "He's already asleep."
"He sure can sleep, doesn't seem worried about the midnight show's box office at all," Robert Iger said with a chuckle on the other end.
"How's the midnight box office doing?"
"Not bad, an average occupancy rate of about 20%, raking in $1.125 million from the midnight show."
Hearing this number, Naomi Watts couldn't help but pump her fist in celebration. He had done it again, he always succeeded, and she was thrilled to be part of it.
"When he wakes up, give him my congratulations, Naomi."
"Sure, I will..."
After hanging up, Naomi Watts couldn't contain her excitement. She paced back and forth in the living room of the hotel suite.
Although she was just a supporting actress, how many people in Hollywood dreamed of such an opportunity, only to leave the City of Angels in disappointment? All of this, she owed to the man asleep in the bedroom.
With that thought, Naomi Watts walked into the bedroom, leaned over the bed, and looked at Gilbert's handsome face, with his long eyelashes. For a moment, she was captivated.
A new day dawned, and soon, the public would know the midnight box office results.
"Cliffhanger" took the lead with $1.817 million from the midnight show, while "Speed," despite its heavy promotion, only brought in $1.125 million.
The gap wasn't huge, and the audience had somewhat expected it. After all, Stallone had years of built-up star power, and with the films being of a similar genre, it was normal for "Speed" to come in second.
Although the midnight box office gap wasn't large, there was something unusual about it.
As the North American distributor, Disney had commissioned a professional research firm to conduct in-depth surveys in theaters. Similarly, Sony Columbia, the distributor for "Cliffhanger," also hired investigators to observe audience reactions to both films.
Martin Bob placed the survey data in front of Michael Ovitz, his expression grim.
"What's wrong?" Michael Ovitz asked while looking over the survey data.
Martin Bob replied, "The survey results aren't in our favor. 'Speed' is getting very high ratings from the audience."
"Out of 2,600 surveyed viewers, 91% gave it an A+, while 'Cliffhanger' only got 89%."
Michael Ovitz looked at the data, his face growing more serious. "It seems we underestimated this film, and underestimated Gilbert."
Michael Ovitz had good reason to be concerned. "Cliffhanger" was an R-rated movie, while "Speed" was PG-13. With such a small gap in audience ratings, "Cliffhanger" couldn't rely on word-of-mouth to overpower "Speed."
In a contest between an R-rated and a PG-13 film, if the quality and reputation of both are comparable, the audience base becomes a crucial factor in determining the winner. This was what Michael Ovitz feared.
He thought he had taken Gilbert seriously enough.
But he hadn't expected Gilbert to be even more formidable than he had imagined.
Could he really be a genius?
The positive survey results gave Disney and Warner Bros. great confidence.
In the Warner Bros. CEO's office, Jeff Robinov and his confidant Doug Walter were celebrating quietly.
"Jeff, I'm starting to believe that bringing Gilbert into Warner's fold was a really smart move," Doug Walter said.
"Do you know something, Doug?" Jeff Robinov said, "I have a gut feeling that Gilbert is going to achieve something huge."
The signs were already there. Gilbert seemed to have endless energy, churning out one film after another without ever stopping.
Doug Walter lowered his voice, even though it was just the two of them in the office. "Jeff, why don't we kick Disney out and then..."
Doug Walter didn't finish his sentence, but Jeff Robinov understood his meaning.
"Doug, don't be so hasty, now's not the time," Jeff Robinov explained. "Robert Iger from Touchstone Pictures has a close personal relationship with Gilbert. Based on what I know about Gilbert, unless there's a fallout, he won't change partners easily."
"Our first priority at Warner Bros. is not to abandon ship. The opportunity will present itself eventually."
Jeff Robinov was patient. Gilbert was a strong-willed director, and so was Disney Chairman Michael Eisner. Could two strong-willed individuals continue working together for long?
As Gilbert's fame and status grew, he would naturally demand more control. Would Michael Eisner be able to accept that?
If Robert Iger were in charge at Disney, Warner's chances would be slim. But since he wasn't, Warner had a real shot...
In New York's Times Square, the big screen was repeatedly playing trailers for the summer blockbuster releases.
Among them, the trailers for "Cliffhanger" and "Speed" drew the most attention, as both films were currently in theaters and direct competitors.
However, the two films were facing very different situations. After a night of word-of-mouth buzz, "Speed" still couldn't compete with "Cliffhanger."
In a nearby cinema, 50% of the audience was there to watch "Cliffhanger," 30% for "Speed," and the remaining 20% for other films.
Burt Rhodes wasn't a fan of any particular movie star or director; he was just an average moviegoer.
He had a method for picking movies—watch the audience reactions after a screening.
Since he had some free time today, he came to the cinema alone. After getting popcorn and soda, Burt Rhodes didn't rush to buy a ticket. Instead, he watched the reactions of the audience exiting the theater.
The first screening to end was "Cliffhanger," and as the audience filed out, they looked both tired and excited.
Some were still discussing, "Stallone didn't disappoint. This movie was really amazing."
"Yeah, I think this is the best film Stallone has done in recent years."
"Combining crime, adventure, and extreme sports—it's complex but not chaotic. It's got the imagination and pacing that a good action movie needs."
Listening to this, Burt Rhodes concluded that "Cliffhanger" was a solid action film.
However, not everyone was satisfied. Some felt that Stallone was just repeating his past work, like "First Blood," and that the film lacked originality.
There were quite a few people with this opinion, believing that while the film had some fresh elements, it largely followed the old-school action formula.
Next, it was time for the "Speed" screening to end.
The audience exiting "Speed" seemed far more energized than those who had watched "Cliffhanger."
"This movie was awesome, and the lead, Jack, was just too cool."
"Oh my God, can you imagine that scene? The way the camera followed the tire—I've never seen anything like it."
"I think I'm falling for Keanu Reeves. He's just so cool and handsome."
"The explosion scenes were fantastic, and that bus jumping over the broken bridge—so imaginative."
"The countdown scene had me holding my breath, I was so tense. Thank goodness it all worked out in the end."
It was clear that most male viewers praised the thrilling action scenes, while the female audience focused more on Keanu Reeves' charm.
Burt Rhodes noticed the different reactions between the two films' audiences. It seemed like "Speed" had generated a stronger response.
And given that "Speed" was PG-13 while "Cliffhanger" was R-rated, "Speed" clearly had the upper hand in terms of audience reach.
"Speed is going to win!" That was Burt Rhodes' conclusion.
Having made his decision, Burt Rhodes bought a ticket to see what all the fuss was about with "Speed."
Just like it had captivated most of the audience, the unique action experience also won over Burt Rhodes.
He had never realized that an action movie could have such a fast pace, the sense of thrill and excitement was something no other action film had ever given him.
He had heard that Gilbert came from a background in directing thrillers and horror films, so perhaps he had a knack for controlling the audience's emotions!
After leaving the theater, Burt Rhodes excitedly called a friend, "Hey, Evans, come watch a movie!"
"What movie? 'Speed is Super cool..."
...
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