[Chapter 953: The Reason]
On January 18th, the Golden Globe Awards dinner was held on a Sunday.
Eric still did not attend the ceremony; instead, he rushed to a mansion in Beverly Hills after the awards had finished to join the celebration party hosted by Miramax.
"It's already nine-thirty! Why did you just arrive?"
As Eric got out of the car, Elisabeth and Julia came over to greet him. Elisabeth pulled Julia aside, who was trying to get too close to Eric, expressing her annoyance.
"I had dinner plans with Tim Burton," Eric replied, glancing at Julia who looked wronged being pushed aside by Elisabeth, adding, "You shouldn't always pick on her."
"I'm not picking on her! Do you really want to see her clinging to you in front of all these people?" Elisabeth tilted her chin towards a crowd gathering on the lawn, then added, "Is Tim Burton involved with that film Sleepy Hollow?"
Eric nodded. "Yeah, we're discussing some film preparations."
"I can't believe you snagged another great film; I've read that script myself, and it really is impressive."
"That doesn't necessarily mean anything; who knows how things will turn out before the movie hits theaters?"
"Then you should let Fox have it."
"No way."
"Jerk!" Elisabeth instinctively raised her hand to jab at him.
Eric laughed and edged away a bit. When Elisabeth pulled back her hand, he asked, "So how did it go? How many awards did you guys snag?"
"The English Patient won Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Score," Elisabeth proudly rattled off a long list of awards, adding, "And Good Will Hunting got Best Adapted Screenplay. Over in the TV category, Dark Angel got several nominations but came up empty, while The Sopranos received four awards."
After hearing all this, Eric looked puzzled. "I thought Harvey would be focusing on promoting Good Will Hunting. Why the focus on The English Patient? What's up with Harvey and his team?"
"Harvey is negotiating a film with Robert Redford," Elisabeth explained with a mixture of regret on her face. "We actually wanted to drop The English Patient and put all our efforts into Good Will Hunting. However, from the beginning, Miramax had already invested a lot of PR resources into The English Patient, so it was impossible to change course on a dime. Besides, you know As Good as It Gets, right?"
Eric nodded; As Good as It Gets was a drama released by Sony Pictures at the end of the year starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt. The story revolved around a reclusive, cantankerous writer whose attitude toward people and life changes through the influence of those around him. Both Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt delivered remarkable performances in the film.
The box office trajectory of As Good as It Gets was quite similar to Good Will Hunting; both had high critical acclaim and long-lasting box office performance. Since its release in December, it had raked in over $87 million, maintaining a weekly box office around $10 million, which made it appear stronger than Good Will Hunting. In fact, its total North American box office could even soar to $150 million.
However, with a production cost of $50 million, it was considered a big-budget project, and its return on investment couldn't be compared to that of Good Will Hunting.
Elisabeth continued, "The box office and word of mouth for As Good as It Gets are better than those of Good Will Hunting, but it can't compete with the art film status of The English Patient. Sony Pictures has bombed spectacularly with commercial films this year, and they finally had a highlight like this, so they are all in on marketing it for awards. If Miramax supports Good Will Hunting for the Oscars or tries to split efforts between both films, we might end up with nothing. So now we just have to keep putting all our support behind The English Patient to ensure it beats As Good as It Gets, and as for Good Will Hunting, we'll just have to leave it to fate."
As they spoke, the three of them had already stepped onto the bustling lawn.
...
Eric smiled and greeted the arriving guests. Harvey Weinstein and renowned director and actor Robert Redford also emerged from the villa, with a man in his thirties that Eric thought he recognized trailing behind them. After a moment of thought, he recalled it was Richard Lovett, the current president of CAA.
Eric embraced Harvey, then turned to shake hands with Robert Redford and Richard Lovett.
Robert Redford seemed a bit reserved, but Richard Lovett was very warm, eagerly shaking Eric's hand and slipping him a business card discreetly.
After exchanging pleasantries with the gathered guests, Eric, prompted by Elisabeth's glance, went with Harvey and the others into the villa.
They arrived at a reception room where Eric noticed Elisabeth joyfully ushering Julia out, who looked eager to join them. With a helpless smile, Eric sat down on the sofa and turned to Harvey, Robert Redford, and Richard Lovett, asking, "Liz just said you were talking about a film?"
Harvey and the others nodded. When Elisabeth returned with a tray of champagne to serve everyone and sat down beside Eric, Harvey said, "Eric, it's the film The Horse Whisperer; Robert wants to adapt it into a movie, and that's what we're discussing."
The Horse Whisperer was a novel by British author Nicholas Evans. The story followed a mother, Annie, who takes her daughter, Grace, who lost a leg in an accident, and a seriously injured horse on a journey to find someone who could communicate with horses in hopes of healing them.
While the novel's ending was not entirely satisfying, it was overall a very heartwarming and uplifting story.
Since its publication in 1995, the book had been translated into over thirty languages and had sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
Eric was familiar with this information partly due to his experiences and his avid following of the best-seller lists to snap up valuable book rights. The other half came from his past life, as the original version of The Horse Whisperer featured Scarlett Johansson playing the role of Grace.
Hearing Harvey mention this, Eric shot a glance at CAA's president, Richard Lovett.
Given The Horse Whisperer's status as a best-seller and Richard Lovett's presence here, it was clear this was likely a bundled project from CAA.
This was the first time Richard Lovett had seen Eric since the incident with Pierce Brosnan's pay. Following that drama, Brosnan had come to terms with everything, and although he couldn't blame CAA due to the murky way Richard Lovett had presented things, he quickly terminated his contract with CAA and had since signed on with WMA.
The whole incident had left a significant psychological mark on Richard Lovett, and now the originator of that whole mess was sitting right across from him. However, Lovett showed no signs of resentment, being a very pragmatic person. Noting that Eric had glanced in his direction, he merely smiled and added, "Mr. Williams, The Horse Whisperer already has a world-class impact; both artistically and commercially, this is a very promising project."
Eric nodded, "Although I haven't read it in detail, I have a general idea of the content, and it truly is a remarkable novel. But adapting it into a film could be quite challenging. Overall, the narrative has a warm, subdued approach, so Bob, what are you planning to do?"
Robert Redford felt somewhat strange being asked by this young man.
At sixty-one, Robert Redford was already an established figure in Hollywood, having achieved significant success and holding a prestigious position; he had won an Oscar for Best Director and was the founder of the increasingly influential Sundance Film Festival in recent years.
However, considering the box office wonders Eric had created, Robert Redford quickly dismissed his initial discomfort. Eric's film last year, Casino Royale, had grossed more money than all of Redford's films combined throughout his career.
After gathering his thoughts, Robert Redford said, "Eric, telling this story is indeed not easy. I plan to focus the script's character development on the transformation of the relationship between the male lead, Tom Booker, and Annie and Grace. This approach can help avoid the movie becoming too bland. Tom is a wild character; at first, Annie contacts him by phone, hoping to get some help, but he refuses her without hesitation. Out of compassion for the girl and a deeper appreciation for Annie's strength, Tom eventually agrees to help heal the injured horse after Annie makes the long journey to his farm. In the end, the horse stands up again, and the little girl resolves her inner turmoil, but sadly, Tom and Annie cannot be together."
Eric noticed approval on Harvey's and Elisabeth's faces and nodded in agreement, asking, "So, Bob, how much are you planning to spend to make this movie?"
Robert Redford hesitated and glanced at Richard Lovett beside him.
Richard Lovett replied, "Mr. Williams, the author of The Horse Whisperer, Mr. Evans, insists that the project's budget must be no less than $50 million."
"$50 million, huh?"
Eric repeated, rubbing the glass in his hand.
He could tell that Lovett's comment was still somewhat reserved; the film's final production cost might be even higher.
Although The Horse Whisperer was a recent best-seller, some media had indeed compared it to classic novels like The Bridges of Madison County and The Thorn Birds, in reality, it had not yet reached that level of iconic status. However, the book's appeal was evident; it had only been published for three years and was at its peak popularity.
With Robert Redford as a top director in Hollywood, the likelihood of him botching this film was slim.
If the movie's budget could be kept under $30 million, it would definitely be a worthwhile project. However, costs exceeding $50 million could get risky for an artsy drama. The earning potential for art films was limited; blockbuster exceptions like Dances with Wolves and Forrest Gump were rare in Hollywood. Eric did not recall any connection between The Horse Whisperer and the Oscars in the past; even though the Weinstein brothers would be managing it, their advantage at future Oscars would be minimal with a cost surpassing $50 million.
Elisabeth, Harvey, Richard Lovett, and Robert Redford all looked to Eric for his insight into the project's viability.
Seeing Eric ponder without saying anything, their hearts began to race with apprehension.
Noticing the eager gazes from all four of them, Eric thought for a moment but didn't directly express his inner thoughts; instead, he casually changed the subject by mentioning he had yet to read the script.
...
After the celebration party concluded, Eric and Elisabeth headed back to their Beverly Hills mansion with Julia.
As Elisabeth started the car, she glanced at the backseat where Julia had leaned against Eric, pouting in discontent. Eric rarely drove; Julia's behavior around him didn't exactly make for a suitable driving environment, so it fell to Elisabeth to take the wheel.
Once the car was smoothly navigating Beverly Hills Drive, Elisabeth couldn't hold back any longer. "Eric, what do you really think of The Horse Whisperer?"
Eric wrapped his arms around Julia's slender waist, feeling her cat-like movements against him. "Whether we go through with it or not is fine; its costs are too high, so while we won't lose, we shouldn't expect huge profits either."
Elisabeth replied, "Harvey said the global box office potential is at least $200 million; if we snag an Oscar, the subsequent VHS and TV broadcast rights income could also be significant."
"You guys need to recognize the reality, Liz. The audience for art films is limited. From my perspective, a $50 million production budget is already the upper limit for art films. Any higher than that, and the chances of recouping costs drop significantly, let alone making a profit."
Elisabeth hesitated, "But Harvey's been performing well the past few years; Fox can't keep him limited to low-budget art films."
"The issue lies with Harvey. I don't doubt his abilities, but he might be influenced by the success of big-budget blockbusters in recent years, thinking that only big investments yield high returns. But that rule simply doesn't apply to art films. I remember discussing this with you before; if Harvey starts leaning towards big-budget productions aiming for awards, that might be the time Fox and Miramax part ways."
*****
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