In the early stages of promotion, Warner and Disney's marketing departments adopted a clever strategy, avoiding emphasis on the film's humanistic significance and patriotic sentiment.
Highlighting such elements during the summer box office season would only make audiences hesitate to watch the movie—these are not themes that appeal to summer audiences.
Instead, the promotion focused on thrilling, exciting, explosive action scenes and elements like the most realistic war movie.
Over the past few years, Gilbert gradually established his own brand, with powerful appeal.
Although it was only early-stage promotion, many movie fans already remembered the name Saving Private Ryan.
To cooperate with the marketing department, Gilbert shared a few stills on his Facebook social media account.
One was a group photo of him with Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio, another was a panoramic view of the modified "Omaha Beach," and the third was a group photo of the elite squad.
As soon as the photos were released, they quickly attracted fans' attention, garnering many likes and comments.
"When it comes to action movies, who in Hollywood is better than Gilbert now?"
"There is one—Michael Bay. I watched his Bad Boys; it was pretty innovative."
As soon as this fan posted, other fans flooded the comments in outrage.
In the eyes of Gilbert's fans, not to mention a newcomer like Michael Bay, even many of Hollywood's A-list directors couldn't compare to Gilbert.
Those who could be compared to Gilbert were on the level of Spielberg and George Lucas. Even James Cameron fell slightly short.
Cameron, the "truck driver," wasn't having much luck either. Although True Lies performed decently at the box office, the film's $115 million budget, combined with marketing costs exceeding $140 million, made it nearly impossible to break even.
Plus, with his new film calling for another $100 million investment, Cameron's personal compensation had taken a significant hit.
While Gilbert earned a $15 million base salary for directing Saving Private Ryan, Cameron's base pay was only $8.5 million.
Of course, both received 15% of the North American box office revenue, so there was no difference in profit-sharing.
However, the disparity in base salary reflected the recent commercial success of their films.
Compared to Cameron's difficulties, Gilbert was much more composed. His film The Rock had finished its global run, grossing a cumulative $588 million at the box office.
Even decades later, this would be an impressive box office result for an original, non-sequel film, let alone in the 1990s.
The media's widespread praise of Gilbert as the "King of Summer Blockbusters" stemmed from his unparalleled achievements.
Fans were equally excited about the collaboration between Tom Hanks and Gilbert. At that time, in terms of box office appeal, Tom Hanks surpassed even Tom Cruise.
In the "Battle of the Toms," Tom Hanks had a slight edge.
Saving Private Ryan entered its grueling filming phase, while the North American side remained festive.
At Disney headquarters, in Michael Eisner's office, Robert Iger was reporting Touchstone Pictures' annual performance.
Listening to Touchstone Pictures' outstanding performance, Michael Eisner seemed somewhat distracted.
"Final Destination 3 has performed well in the market, currently grossing $65.53 million in North America. Its global performance is also promising, and it seems likely to surpass $100 million," Robert Iger said.
When Disney spent $25 million buying the Final Destination sequel rights from Gilbert, Robert Iger believed it was a wise decision.
The series had reached its third installment, generating considerable profits for Disney.
Judging by its performance, as long as the box office remained solid, the series could continue to a fourth or fifth installment.
However, Michael Eisner wasn't focused on this. B-movies were never a major priority for a major studio.
He asked Robert Iger, "Have you spoken with Warner about it? Did they agree to move forward with Speed 2?"
"I've already met with Jeff Robinov," Robert Iger nodded. "Warner has basically agreed to greenlight Speed 2.
The plan is to prepare next year and release it in the summer of 1997."
Speed was also directed by Gilbert, another example of a high-box-office, medium-budget commercial success.
After discussions with Warner, both parties decided to push for the production of Speed 2, intending to leverage the positive impression left by the first film and capitalize on another wave of box office success.
"Did Gilbert say whether he would direct this movie?" Michael Eisner asked.
"I asked him a long time ago," Robert Iger replied. "Gilbert said directing a sequel was not part of his plans."
Robert Iger refrained from adding that Gilbert had advised against making a sequel, predicting a high likelihood of failure for the second installment.
Robert Iger greatly admired Gilbert's insight into movies and trusted his judgment.
But since this project was Michael Eisner's initiative, Robert Iger, knowing Eisner's dominant and autocratic nature, avoided outright opposition to avoid displeasing him.
"Then find a good director for the project. The film must perform well in the summer box office," Michael Eisner instructed.
Eisner's ongoing battle with Michael Ovitz had intensified. While Eisner held the upper hand, completely ousting Ovitz from Disney remained a long-term endeavor.
If Saving Private Ryan, overseen by Ovitz, achieved great success, Ovitz's position would be solidified.
However, Eisner couldn't sabotage the project to undermine Ovitz. Sacrificing corporate interests for personal vendettas would be remembered by the company's executives and board.
Eisner's frustration also stemmed from the board. While historically discontent with his autocracy, they had been manageable.
Since Ovitz became president, he had rallied several directors to support him, limiting Eisner's ability to unilaterally deny Ovitz's requests.
Ovitz's assignment of Saving Private Ryan was a direct affront to Eisner, who saw the project as a thorn in his side.
In contrast to Eisner's turmoil, Ovitz seemed poised, envisioning his eventual control of Disney.
Of course, all this depended on the success of Saving Private Ryan.
So, Ovitz personally visited Ireland to inspect the Saving Private Ryan set.
Standing amidst the bustling production, Ovitz exclaimed, "This is cinema. This is the best project!"
To avoid dealing with Ovitz, Gilbert passed the responsibility to Kain Wexman, reasoning that they were all part of the same corporation.
Ovitz's enthusiasm wasn't dampened by Gilbert's coldness. He eagerly toured the set, observed the actors enduring hardships, and delivered timely encouragement.
Of course, photographers were always present, capturing these moments.
Such moments had to be recorded; otherwise, who would know that he was the driving force behind this project?
This behavior annoyed Warner producer Charles Roven, who privately attempted to sow discord between Gilbert and Ovitz.
"Look at him—he's acting like he's the one who led this film, not you," Roven said.
Gilbert, aware of Roven's motives, glanced at him indifferently and replied calmly, "Let him be, as long as he doesn't disrupt the crew's operations."
While Gilbert didn't have a great relationship with Ovitz, he wouldn't let minor issues escalate into confrontations.
Disney's internal competition could even benefit Gilbert, though being used as a pawn by both sides irritated him.
Irritation aside, as long as the movie succeeded, both sides would have to appease him.
Ovitz continued inspecting the set, occasionally asking questions answered by Cain Wexman.
To his credit, Ovitz, despite being Disney's president, didn't boss Gilbert around.
Although Gilbert remained aloof, Ovitz's thick skin sustained his enthusiasm.
After touring the set, Ovitz approached Gilbert with praise. "It's my first time watching you work on set, Gilbert. You're doing an outstanding job."
Faced with Ovitz's compliments, Gilbert couldn't remain cold and managed a forced smile. "Thank you, Mr. Ovitz. This is what I should do."
"Keep it up," Ovitz said, patting Gilbert's shoulder. "If this film achieves excellent results, Disney will reward you."
"Reward?" Gilbert questioned.
"Of course," Ovitz confidently stated. "This is my personal promise. Naturally, Disney's executives will support me because we have Hollywood's best director."
Dropping "one of the best" from his statement, Ovitz's words seemed exaggerated, but Gilbert accepted them calmly.
He might not be there yet, but one day, Gilbert would become Hollywood's best director.
Gilbert smiled faintly and said, "Thank you for your support, Mr. Ovitz."
Hearing this, Ovitz seemed satisfied, his smile growing brighter.
Yet, in Gilbert's eyes, Ovitz's smile appeared somewhat grotesque.
....
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