[Chapter 821: Opening Weekend Box Office]
As a very common entertainment activity in life, Americans had a mature mindset when it came to watching films. They usually chose which movies to watch based on personal preferences and the film's reputation. The success or failure of a film at the box office always depended on its quality, rather than the size of its production budget. This was evident from the failures of films years ago like Cleopatra and Heaven's Gate to more recent disasters like Cutthroat Island and Waterworld. Despite their astonishing budgets, they all encountered box office flops.
Before Titanic premiered, although it received some positive reviews, the media largely painted a bleak picture of the film's box office prospects. They subtly created a perception among the public that this film would be another overhyped disaster like Waterworld, which wasn't worth the ticket price.
With $1.56 million in midnight screenings, Titanic's opening was just a third of what Mission: Impossible 2 had pulled off the previous month, and even the week-ago release of Paramount's Star Trek: First Contact did better. Undoubtedly, the tepid pre-release buzz and long runtime deterred most curious viewers from braving the winter chill to spend three hours in a midnight screening.
However, the next day, while there were no dramatic turnarounds in the reviews of Titanic, more interested viewers gradually began to flock to the theaters.
...
New York, Manhattan.
At eight in the evening, Simon Peck stood in line at the ticket booth of the Paris Theatre near Central Park, overhearing the quiet discussions of moviegoers around him about the recently released films.
Simon Peck was not a film buff. He didn't even particularly enjoy watching movies, or rather, he didn't have the time for it. As a newly hired financial analyst at Lehman Brothers, having moved from a private investment company to this $68,000-a-year job, he put all his energy into his career in order to escape his lower-middle-class roots. Even now, he was burdened with over $30,000 in student loans from his time at Columbia Business School.
Despite the pressure, with a sense of relief since he'd landed at Lehman, he had recently started dating a great girl named Charlotte Davis, who loved movies. She was the reason he found himself in line today.
When it was his turn, Simon handed over his change and bought a ticket for Titanic, then turned to walk towards his girlfriend, who was waving at him.
"Hey, babe," he said, raising the ticket, "I just heard someone say this movie isn't great and that it's too long -- three hours!"
Charlotte Davis wasn't too fond of disaster films either, but seeing as this was an Eric Williams-backed project, she decided to stick with it.
That random encounter they had years ago had become a deep-seated secret between her and her best friend, Alice. Neither of the girls had shared it easily with anyone else. Yet, because of that moment, they were both subconsciously attuned to Eric's Hollywood moves and chose to support the films he valued. So far, they hadn't been disappointed, so experiencing a bit of disappointment now could be seen as just another experience.
Being Christmas break, Alice went back to Colorado to spend the holiday with her family, leaving Charlotte to catch the movie with her new boyfriend.
Listening to Simon, Charlotte rolled her eyes playfully with a smile and asked, "So, what movie do you think we should watch instead?"
Simon instinctively opened his mouth to suggest a title but found himself blanking on any specific film. Charlotte chuckled, recognizing her new boyfriend as a bit of a movie novice. Ignoring his awkwardness, she handed him a bucket of popcorn and said, "Alright, let's get inside; it's about to start!"
Though it was prime time and the first day of Titanic's release, the theater still felt somewhat empty. The screening room, which could hold a hundred people, had barely filled half of its seats. Charlotte and her movie novice boyfriend took their seats, surrounded by quiet conversations. They could even hear a pair of high school students in the front row -- one girl chastising her boyfriend for choosing this movie. The boy, clearly a die-hard fan of the Terminator series, defended his choice as simply supporting his idol.
Charlotte figured that most of the audience had come to support a great director like James Cameron, or perhaps because of the film's hefty $215 million budget, or simply due to the massive promotional push Firefly Films had given it. Realistically, she suspected that even one-third of the audience wasn't genuinely interested in the story.
...
Most theaters played about fifteen minutes of trailers before the main feature. However, considering Titanic's lengthy runtime, this time, there was only a five-minute preview, and soon the Firefly Films logo appeared on the screen, with an animated girl releasing fireflies.
The movie opened with treasure hunter Brock Lovett searching for artifacts from the Titanic. Most viewers immediately realized that the film was employing a flashback technique.
Most audiences generally have a strong fascination with treasure hunts, so this setup garnered little disdain. Most viewers were captivated, and very few felt the need to critique this part of the narrative.
The elderly Rose appeared aboard the treasure ship, reminiscing about the long-buried past. As the Titanic's massive frame loomed into view at the port of Southampton, everyone let out faint gasps of wonder.
Initially going with no expectations -- merely killing time with his girlfriend -- Simon couldn't help but sit up straight, exclaiming, "Is this for real? It's stunning! I can't imagine how they did this!"
Charlotte was pleased with Simon's reaction and explained, "They say James Cameron built a one-to-one scale model of the Titanic on set."
Watching the hustle and bustle of Southampton's port perfectly captured by James Cameron, Simon shook his head in disbelief. "No wonder it cost $215 million -- just the money spent building a real cruise ship would have been enough!"
In the following hour, the film portrayed Jack and Rose's initial meeting, their growing bond, and their love, capturing the Titanic's grand features from their perspectives. It showcased the extravagance, arrogance, ignorance, and hypocrisy of the first-class aristocrats alongside the simplicity, openness, humor, and optimism of the lower-class passengers. Although there were evident biases, the representation resonated well with the audience's disdain for the elite.
As a seasoned moviegoer, Charlotte felt that Jack and Rose's romantic scenes felt slightly awkward, and much of the dialogue in the first half seemed unnecessary. Yet, as Jack and Rose took to the ship's bow for that iconic 'flying' scene, followed shortly after by a shipmate on lookout crying out, "Iceberg, right ahead!" the audience's impatience melted away, awaiting the inevitable disaster.
Unbeknownst to everyone, through the film's meticulous portrayal of passengers from all classes aboard the Titanic, their emotions became unwittingly intertwined with that great ship. Deep down, they all understood the tragedy was unavoidable, yet some still felt an instinctive hope for miraculous outcomes.
But miracles did not come.
After hitting the iceberg, the Titanic began to take on water; the countdown to sinking commenced.
First-class passengers started to evacuate, while the third-class citizens were left behind. In that moment of disaster, humanity's goodness, tolerance, ugliness, and baseness were laid bare before everyone.
If the ship's sinking stirred emotions, the final twenty minutes of the film unleashed torrents of tears. Hearing Jack encourage Rose to hold on and fight for her life until he could no longer speak, the audience felt a heart-wrenching pain as he slipped silently into the depths. Even after Rose was rescued, that ache lingered.
...
Charlotte clearly heard the faint sounds of sobbing in the theater. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks, unable to dry them no matter how she tried. Instinctively, she leaned into her boyfriend.
Simon didn't say a word, his eyes red. He wrapped his arm around her silently.
Even as elderly Rose drifted into dreams of her past and the closing music began to play, the emotions in the room hadn't eased.
After three hours, if this were any other movie, the audience's first instinct as the credits rolled might have been to hurry for the exits. Yet this time, not a soul moved. Everyone sat quietly in their seats, allowing Celine Dion's heart-wrenching ballad to echo through the theater.
By the time they left, it was already eleven o'clock. The Paris Theatre lobby was still brightly lit. Charlotte leaned softly against Simon, and the two strolled outside, casually glancing around to see numerous couples with red-rimmed eyes, clutching one another just like them. For reasons she couldn't quite explain, this scene tugged at some of Charlotte's emotions, prompting her to smile briefly before anxiety crept back in.
Originally, she had no expectations for Titanic, merely intending to support a film Eric valued. However, now she realized the media critics had been utterly wrong. While there might be some flaws, there was no denying that it was a remarkable film. It certainly didn't deserve the neglect it was receiving -- it absolutely shouldn't.
...
Resolute, Charlotte had Simon drive her back to her midtown apartment. Though he seemed hopeful, she turned down his invitation to stay over, gently sending him home. Once alone, she dialed her best friend Alice, who was back in Colorado, while turning on her computer.
"Hey, Alice, did you see Titanic?" she immediately jumped in as the line connected, multitasking with her computer mouse. After Alice said a few things, Charlotte excitedly pressed on, "No, you absolutely have to see this movie! I can confidently say it's a masterpiece, comparable to Gone with the Wind. Remember what The New York Times said about it a while ago?"
After chatting for a bit, she hung up and turned her attention to the computer screen, where she opened the Yahoo forum dedicated to Titanic.
At that moment, the discussion board was ablaze with comments. Unlike the media, which hadn't even seen the film but universally bashed it, most commenters in the Yahoo Titanic discussion had actually watched it, and their reactions were genuine and visceral.
"Oh my God, I can't believe I cried at such a cliche movie. This can't be real!"
"Rose was absolutely stunning! Why haven't I heard of this actress named Rachel Weisz? Does anyone know what other films she's been in?"
"That ending song was incredible! And did everyone notice? That song was written by Eric Williams himself!"
"I just bought my ticket for tomorrow night! I have to see it again!"
"The scene of Jack and Rose standing at the bow was so dreamy! I want to collect a poster of that. I wonder if Firefly will release merchandise for it. Maybe I'll sneak in a camera next time and get a shot!"
"Get two shots and give me one!"
"Get three shots and give me one!"
"Get four shots and give me one!"
"..."
Charlotte scrolled through the page's posts, equally struck by the iconic flying scene of Jack and Rose. Noticing the thread on this very topic, she clicked on it. Smiling at the synchronized replies, she quickly typed out a playful comment: "Get one hundred and nine shots and give me one!"
After exiting the topic and browsing through the earlier posts on the main page, it was evident that most people were praising Titanic. A few posts criticizing the film were quickly met with backlash from the fans.
After gathering her thoughts, Charlotte opened a new thread to share her own viewing experience. Though she didn't have the knack for film criticism, she felt compelled to share how outstanding this movie was and how no one should miss it.
...
"Before watching this film, I had concerns about its three-hour runtime and wondered why Firefly let James Cameron produce a blockbuster like this.
However, I suddenly realized that every single minute of this movie was essential. Although the sinking portion only constituted a third of the film, Cameron had crafted a perfectly immersive atmosphere of 'you were there.' By spending more than an hour illustrating the various characters and the scenery aboard the Titanic, he brought us back to that epic vessel, and we unknowingly became immersed in it. Thus, when disaster came, we could acutely feel every character's joys and sorrows, which explains why so many were moved after viewing the film.
The disaster scenes in the latter half were profoundly impactful. Jack's simple yet sincere farewell was heart-wrenching, and Rose's gaze at the sky was utterly poignant.
Charming Leonardo DiCaprio and beautiful Rachel Weisz delivered outstanding performances. They are both immensely talented actors, especially Rachel, who exuded a natural nobility that made one wonder if she hailed from an aristocratic British family.
And that song, My Heart Will Go On! Celine Dion's angelic voice was enthralling, and it almost felt like Eric Williams supported James Cameron's lavish spending just for that song, creating a perfect, heartbreaking dream.
I can't praise this movie enough! I sincerely hope everyone can put aside the biases spread by the media and step into theaters. Trust me, you will not be disappointed."
After reviewing her post, Charlotte clicked to submit it. Quickly refreshing the page, she saw a flurry of responses below.
...
At that moment, all across America, fans who were enraptured by Titanic and couldn't wait to recommend it to others were far beyond just Charlotte. Many fans were spontaneously promoting Titanic and sharing it with those around them.
As Titanic began its wide release, numerous North American media outlets shifted their focus away from the film's high-cost budget and directed their attention to the quality of the movie itself.
Word of mouth spread among viewers, and Titanic's reputation started to rebound.
"First off, I must admit that I went into this film with strong prejudices. I've always thought Hollywood had gotten out of control with its big-budget productions. After watching Titanic, I still hold that opinion, yet I can't deny that James Cameron is a genius. Titanic meticulously recreated every detail of that ship to near-perfection and brought us a profoundly emotional and tragic love story."
"Tragedy is showing the beauty of perfection being shattered, and with three hours, James Cameron thoroughly achieved this. Yet, he also didn't take away all our hopes. Throughout the film, the elderly Rose's little life details -- the photographs, that bowl of goldfish -- exhibited her profound love for life."
"..."
...
On Long Island, at the Southampton Estate, Eric overlooked the shifting external opinions on Titanic while enjoying the upcoming Christmas with his women and children.
However, the whiteboard in his study bore daily increments.
19th: $1.56 million (midnight showings)
20th: $8.65 million
21st: $9.67 million
22nd: $9.30 million
By the end of its opening weekend, Titanic accumulated a total box office of $29.18 million.
*****
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