Chapter 69
After Christmas Eve classes wrapped up, the five-day holiday break began.
The box office for The Sixth Sense skyrocketed over the Christmas holiday.
Thanks to the film's captivating plot, stellar performances, and a lack of competition at the same time, long lines at theaters became a common sight. Some theater owners even compared the film to Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, which had just been released in July.
By the end of the first three days, the North American box office had already reached nearly $29.7 million. This was an impressive figure, considering Saving Private Ryan earned only $30.5 million in its opening three days, despite a higher production budget. The film The Sixth Sense had a $40 million budget, while Saving Private Ryan had $70 million.
Even more astonishing was that the film's box office showed almost no decline over the Christmas holiday. After six days, the total had reached $54.4 million, surpassing Saving Private Ryan in its first week.
The praise for Martin was overwhelming. In Hollywood, the reaction to child actors is often extreme—if a child actor accomplishes something typically reserved for adults, the accolades pour in. If they perform just a little better than expected, the title of "genius" is quickly bestowed.
But Martin's performance was not merely "better than expected." It was outstanding.
While other child actors might struggle under such intense scrutiny and praise, their minds easily corroded by selfish parents looking to profit, Martin was different. As a succubus who had lived for thousands of years, his maturity far exceeded that of ordinary adults. His "child's appearance" was merely that—skin.
As the film continued its success, Martin's acting was increasingly recognized, and The Sixth Sense was being dubbed "the scariest and warmest movie" by the media. Its box office numbers climbed steadily, with its weekly decline so minimal it reminded people of the juggernaut Titanic.
Was The Sixth Sense another big ship in the making?
Meanwhile, Harvey Weinstein sat in his office, pounding his fist on his desk in frustration. "40%! That's a 40% share! I'll lose hundreds of millions. I'm so stupid!"
His brother, Bob, took a more measured approach. "Harvey, you need to understand that Martin wrote the script, composed the soundtrack, and gave an outstanding performance. His contributions are a huge part of the reason for the box office success. We can't ignore him."
Harvey, realizing Bob was right, fell silent. Bob continued, "Don't forget what you said—Martin is a gold mine. We need to maintain our relationship with him."
Harvey paused, then stood up. "What are you going to do?" Bob asked.
Harvey grinned. "I'm calling Martin. I'm going to praise him, flatter him, and try to become his loyal partner."
...
Later that evening, at a quiet movie theater entrance, two older men in masks walked inside. Behind them, three large men in suits kept a discreet distance.
The two old men sat in the last row of the theater, and the three bodyguards sat around them. Not too close, but not too far either.
One of the older men, revealing a graying beard, took off his mask and looked at the other, still masked, and complained, "Steven, what are you doing? Dragging me to watch a horror movie in secret—what's so special about this one?"
If anyone in the film industry was nearby, they'd be shocked. The man who had just removed his mask was none other than the legendary Hollywood director and billionaire George Lucas.
Lucas' story was one of the most unique in Hollywood. Born in Modesto, California, Lucas had come from a small-town background. His father ran a stationery store and hoped Lucas would eventually take over. But Lucas had other plans. He was obsessed with racing and lived for speed.
However, that all changed in 1962. Three days before his high school graduation, Lucas was involved in a near-fatal car accident while racing. His Fiat crashed into a tree, leaving him unconscious for 48 hours. When he woke up, he was a changed man, having lost interest in racing and developed a passion for photography. He convinced his father to buy him a 35mm camera, which marked the beginning of his career in film.
Lucas went on to attend the University of Southern California's Film School, where he made his mark. His first film, American Graffiti (1973), was a modest $1.25 million project that grossed a staggering $115 million. It was a success that made Lucas and his film company a lot of money.
After the success of American Graffiti, Lucas founded Lucasfilm and went on to create Star Wars, the groundbreaking sci-fi franchise. Due to a lack of visual effects companies that could meet his vision, he founded Industrial Light & Magic, which would go on to work on hundreds of major films.
Star Wars was released in 1977 and revolutionized cinema, with unprecedented special effects. The film was a phenomenon, and Lucas became a household name.
In addition to Star Wars, Lucas also worked on Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), a massive hit co-created with Spielberg. After finishing the Star Wars trilogy, however, Lucas seemed to run out of creative energy. Though The Phantom Menace (1999) and its sequels had financial success, the reception wasn't as favorable as the original trilogy.
Eventually, in 2012, Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney for $4 billion, including the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.
George Lucas's life had been shaped by a series of turning points. His car accident was a major one, marking the moment he shifted his focus to filmmaking. The release of The Phantom Menace was another. After that film, it seemed as though his creative spark had dimmed, and the era of Star Wars began to fade.
If Lucas's life were written as an online novel, it might be said that a soul from the future entered his body during that car accident. That soul, however, likely faded by the late '90s, explaining why Lucas lost his prophetic vision and began to stagnate in his later years.
In some ways, George Lucas was a time traveler—a director whose career took unexpected turns, shaped by forces beyond his control.
[•———•——•———•]
𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧
✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.