[Chapter 621: The Greedy Woman]
The summer of 1994 became exceptionally heated due to the fierce competition between Saving Private Ryan and True Lies.
In the third week of June, Paramount Pictures released Star Trek VII. This sci-fi film, with a budget of only $35 million, was based on a classic sci-fi TV series, but it didn't seem to meet the audience's visual expectations. It only raked in $23 million during its opening weekend, falling between True Lies at number one and Saving Private Ryan at number three. It failed to display any competitive momentum against the two blockbuster titles.
By its fourth weekend, The Mummy had reached a cumulative box office of $160 million; however, its box office potential had largely been exhausted, losing its edge over True Lies and Saving Private Ryan.
Moreover, the release of The Lion King on June 27 posed little threat to the two live-action films. After all, the audiences for live-action films and animated features were quite different. Moreover, both True Lies and Saving Private Ryan were rated R, which further minimized any potential cross-influence.
Eric initially feared that Warner Bros.' $63 million Western film, Wyatt Earp, would hinder the box office success of True Lies and Saving Private Ryan. However, compared to the favorable word-of-mouth from the small-scale test screenings for The Lion King, Wyatt Earp also held a test screening but received scant attention from critics. Given this situation, anyone with a shred of common sense knew that things were not looking good for Wyatt Earp. The film's reputation was likely very poor, but the critics very cleverly kept this information under wraps due to Warner's public relations efforts before its wide release.
Consequently, Eric felt reassured about a lingering speculation in his mind: Wyatt Earp was likely not a new film born out of a butterfly effect but rather had quietly flopped in its original timeline. With that in mind, Eric no longer had any worries. Once the box office for True Lies came in during its second weekend, Firefly Group held an exuberant celebration at the Sunset Tower Hotel in Beverly Hills.
...
Since the Victoria's Secret Angels' auditions ran late into the evening, Eric headed directly from Playa Vista to the Sunset Tower Hotel. True Lies was still in theaters, making the celebration quite ostentatious. A red carpet was laid out, and a large number of reporters were invited to generate further buzz for the film's box office results.
Eric had already left later than planned and encountered traffic on the way, arriving at Sunset Tower Hotel at a quarter past seven. The media reporters, originally ready to leave, thought that no more stars would show up. But seeing Eric's entrance caused them to surge forward. Thankfully, the journalists who were invited were quite disciplined, and out of respect for Eric's current status, they didn't ask any sensitive questions.
After patiently going through interviews, Eric walked into the hotel where some upper management from Firefly and members of the True Lies crew were already waiting to greet him.
After exchanging pleasantries with everyone, Eric approached Cameron. He was about to make a light-hearted jab about Saving Private Ryan but noticed Linda Hamilton standing next to Cameron, so he opted for a more cordial exchange instead. The group then made their way toward the banquet hall.
After a long day of work, Eric didn't have much energy left for mingling. He exchanged a few words with some guests who approached him and then headed over to Cameron and Linda Hamilton. He asked, "Linda, can I borrow Jim for a moment? We have some things to discuss."
"Of course, no problem," Linda Hamilton replied, raising her glass and casually walking off.
Eric noticed that the spark between Cameron and Linda had faded. He recalled that they had delayed their marriage until 1997 but lasted only a year and a half before parting ways. Eric wondered if Cameron might run into Suzy Amis, a woman whose personality he felt would perfectly complement Cameron's.
Cameron glanced after Linda Hamilton as she walked away, sighing with a hint of bewilderment, "Women!"
Eric could tell that Cameron's remark wasn't just directed at Linda. He chuckled, "You're not really feeling down about this, are you?"
"Of course not," Cameron quickly denied, but hesitated before adding, "I saw that film -- Kathryn did a fantastic job."
"Alright, let's not talk about her," Eric said, giving Cameron's shoulder a supportive pat. "Since you lost this time, you can win the next round. So when do you plan to start prepping Titanic?"
Cameron pondered for a moment before saying, "Linda and I are planning to go to Hawaii for vacation next month. We could start prepping by the end of the year. But Eric, I think $70 million won't be sufficient, so let's just raise the production budget to $100 million. This way, I can better manage the funds."
Eric rested his chin on his hand and pretended to deliberate for a moment before saying, "I can agree to that. After all, you're already used to burning through that much cash with each film. But only $100 million -- absolutely no overspending this time. You should know that Firefly Group isn't mine alone anymore. If you go over budget, those shareholders will definitely raise a fuss."
Cameron was privately calculating that the production costs he envisioned would reach $150 million. However, Hollywood hadn't seen a budget that high for a film before, and he felt certain Eric would flat out refuse his proposal or perhaps even cancel the project. Recently, Cameron had been developing more and more ideas about Titanic, and he certainly didn't want the project to be canceled. So, he thought it wise to propose a $100 million budget first. Afterward, if they started running low on funds halfway through, they'd simply have to pour more money in. They couldn't let a project that had already spent $100 million fall apart, could they?
Thus, when Eric mentioned his figure, Cameron readily "agreed," pounding his chest, affirming, "Absolutely, Eric. I promise I won't go over budget this time. If I do, I won't take a penny of my director's fee."
Both of these unscrupulous men held onto their own private agendas and quickly began to discuss the specifics of the project seriously, bringing Cameron's producing partner, Jon Landau, into the conversation as well.
While Eric and Cameron discussed this matter, no one approached to disturb them. Yet, as soon as they wrapped up talking about Titanic, Eric spotted a pair walking toward him.
...
Taking a keen look at the tall girl sporting a beauty mark near her lip, he understood that it was definitely not a coincidence. However, he quickly refocused his attention on the middle-aged man with a big beard beside her, a hefty guy who bore a resemblance to Harvey Weinstein -- Joel Silver.
While Hollywood producers like Jerry Bruckheimer and Jon Landau were more well-known, in terms of prestige, nobody in the producing circuit could surpass Joel Silver, at least until the dawn of the new millennium. His company, Silver Pictures, was involved with renowned action films like the Lethal Weapon series, the Die Hard series, and The Matrix series, as well as Swordfish and V for Vendetta. In the mid-80s, Joel Silver was also a top candidate for the Disney CEO position; although he ultimately lost out to Michael Eisner, it showcased his formidable influence in Hollywood.
"Joel, good evening! Long time no see," Eric greeted as he approached Joel Silver, extending his hand enthusiastically.
Joel Silver shook Eric's hand with a hearty laugh. "Good evening, Eric. Congratulations on your Firefly sizzling with two more box office hits this year!"
Eric released Joel's hand and took a glass of champagne from a server, asking, "What about you? What film have you been busy with lately?"
Joel Silver suddenly remembered and pointed toward the beauty mark girl. "My production company is working on Fair Game; this is my lead actress, Cindy Crawford."
Eric raised his glass toward Cindy Crawford with a smile, saying, "Congratulations, Miss Crawford! Joel's film is sure to make you a star."
"Thank you, Mr. Williams," Cindy Crawford replied. Having already extended her right hand to hold her glass, she noticed Eric had no intention of shaking hands and discreetly switched cups instead. Used to being the center of attention, she expected Eric, the famed playboy, to make a move, but the cold reactions from both Eric and Joel Silver left her feeling uncharacteristically defeated.
Then Eric bluntly said something that further underscored her disappointment, "Miss Crawford, can I have a moment alone with Joel?"
Suppressing her simmering anger, Cindy maintained her charming smile and replied, "Sure, no problem."
Once Cindy left, Joel Silver joked, "Eric, there's no need to get upset over an inconsequential woman. It's not like you can't find plenty of beautiful models for your runway. I've heard that Firefly hosted a group of the world's top models today; you'll have plenty to choose from."
Eric shrugged and took Joel's ribbing in stride, laughing, "I'm just a young guy, throwing a tantrum now and then is normal, right? Besides, this woman already landed the lead in a big movie and doesn't want to let go of her Victoria's Secret endorsement, which seems a bit greedy. I don't like overly greedy women."
Joel Silver chuckled noncommittally. Many in Hollywood wished Eric was merely an impulsive young man, but no one was naive enough to think that was the case. After a moment, Joel Silver, glancing at Eric with a hint of mischief, asked, "Eric, how about I tell you about the film I'm producing? If you can persuade me, I could ditch that girl right now."
Even without Joel Silver saying a word, Eric was aware of which film Cindy Crawford was set to star in.
Aside from cameos, the film titled Fair Game was the only film featuring Cindy Crawford as the lead, and certainly her last one. The plot told a chaotic and poorly-timed story where a female lawyer inadvertently discovers a KGB spy ship. Soviet KGB agents, wanting to eliminate the evidence, target the lawyer with a series of assassination attempts, making it seem like the American law enforcement agencies had vanished completely. The lawyer and a hapless detective caught up in the mess were pursued by KGB agents right on American soil, coming perilously close to dying several times.
If this film had been made prior to the fall of the Soviet Union, it might have received some attention. However, by 1994, following the Soviet Union's dissolution, the Soviet power was crumbling, and Russia was mired in economic turmoil, leaving its citizens struggling for sustenance. Conversely, American confidence was at an all-time high, making the prospect of viewing such a film -- so contrary to the mainstream and somewhat absurd -- almost a foregone conclusion regarding its poor reception.
Joel Silver saw that Eric had no objection, so he shared the plot details of Fair Game with him. He certainly sought Eric's insights. However, after finishing, Eric merely shrugged without any comments, turning back to Joel Silver to inquire, "Joel, after this film, why not come to Firefly? I'll give you the same treatment you had at Warner, and I'm about to start producing my book The Matrix; you could take charge of that project."
Eric's suggestion was entirely sincere; Joel Silver excelled at producing high-budget action movies like Die Hard and Lethal Weapon, which perfectly complemented Jerry Bruckheimer's expertise in CG effects films at Firefly. With Firefly's ever-expanding strength, Eric realized he couldn't continue managing every project personally; attracting more talented producers was essential.
Joel Silver was taken aback by Eric's invitation, tentatively asking, "Eric, do you not have faith in this film?"
Eric queried, "How far along is production on your end?"
Joel Silver responded, "We've already started filming; if all goes well, it'll release next summer."
If the project was still in the initial stages and hadn't invested much yet, Eric could have offered valuable advice on how to cut ties with the project to show his goodwill toward Joel Silver. Yet since the filming had already commenced and significant sums had likely been spent, many things were irreversible. Eric merely shrugged and told Joel Silver, "If you trust my judgment, let Warner cover the production costs as much as possible. Also, if you wish to join Firefly, I'm always eager to welcome you aboard. The Matrix won't kick off until the second half of next year; until then, the project is all yours whenever you're ready to come on board."
Fair Game was definitely a large-scale production with an investment exceeding $50 million. If that project failed, it would put a strain on Joel Silver's relationship with Warner, which would provide an excellent opportunity for Firefly to recruit talent.
*****
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