Kapitel 472: Chapter 473: Stunning Woman
[Chapter 473: Stunning Woman]
"On the first day, it pulled in over 12 million, which was a decent start. But yesterday, on Saturday, the box office should have gone up, yet it dropped to 9.5 million. If nothing changes, it will likely fall further today. It's such a shame for a series with such great potential. Although it's possible to break 40 million in its opening week due to the momentum from its predecessor, the drop next week will surely exceed 50%, if not more," Frank Mancuso, the CEO of Paramount, half sighed and half reveled in the news from the banquet hall of the Hilton Hotel.
[T/N: Sherry Lansing is the CEO at this time as Frank Mancuso Sr. resigned in March of 1991. Consider this an AU where he didn't resign at this time.]
Warner President Robert Daly glanced over at John Peters, who was arm in arm with a beautiful woman, and scoffed, "Only those two fools would let Tom Cruise mess with this project. The main storyline of the Running Out of Time series should center around Tom Hanks, paired with Joe Pesci as a quirky sidekick. Each film should bring in a distinct criminal character to ensure the series could be safely continued, rather than being turned into a ridiculous action flick. Tom Cruise would be better off sticking to art films."
"He's so eager to go solo that Paramount had no choice but to terminate his contract. It took us until now to break even on that Days of Thunder film from two years ago. By the way, Robert, I heard Eric Williams is set to be the executive producer on Warner's The Bodyguard?"
Robert Daly knew that Frank Mancuso was eager to get involved, but the The Bodyguard's budget wasn't too high. Plus, with Eric and Kevin Costner, who had just swept the Oscars with Dances with Wolves, attached, the film was unlikely to incur losses. There was no way Warner would let Paramount in on this one.
"Yeah, but the budget for the film won't exceed 30 million, so Warner can handle it easily."
Frank Mancuso had never expected much from this project, so he wasn't disappointed. Turning his head to survey the room, he said, "Eric Williams still hasn't shown up. These young folks sure know how to flaunt their ego."
Robert Daly didn't back Frank Mancuso's comment. He knew that even though it was the weekend, Eric was still busy working on Jurassic Park.
What a spirited young man.
Thinking about the tidbits he had gathered regarding Jurassic Park, Robert felt a twinge of envy. Given the groundbreaking special effects showcased in Twister, Robert had realized that Jurassic Park was likely to deliver yet another visual marvel.
Tonight's Twister celebration was traditionally not a big draw for the upper echelons of the industry, yet everyone had flocked here to witness the immense potential of the digital effects company, making this event reminiscent of the 70s when Star Wars had first hit the big screen.
Even before this, Eric had consistently cranked out high-grossing films, but those kinds of movies could easily have been made by other big studios.
Yet the level of visual effects demonstrated in Twister was something that no other studios could replicate. Eric had delivered groundbreaking films like Terminator 2, Twister and Jurassic Park exclusively to Digital Domain. With the technical strides made by these films, the company had already far outstripped Industrial Light & Magic in computer-generated effects.
Following Twister's release, media speculation about the dawn of the computer-generated effects era was still in its infancy. However, Hollywood quickly picked up on the hints from the disaster film series in the Firefly Studios plans and the Jurassic Park series, realizing a new era was soon to arrive, rendering Industrial Light & Magic obsolete.
A stir at the banquet hall entrance caught Daly's attention. He didn't need to look to know that Eric had finally arrived. However, he didn't rush over like the smaller players; instead, he casually refilled his champagne glass and waited for Eric to finish speaking with the crowd before walking over with Frank Mancuso.
...
"Eric, congratulations! Oh, and hello to Miss Pacula," said Robert Daly as he greeted Eric alongside Frank Mancuso.
"Thanks," Eric said, smiling as he raised his champagne glass along with Joanna Pacula, who was gently intertwined with his arm.
The four raised their glasses to their lips and took a sip. Robert Daly initiated the conversation: "Eric, I heard you're making that documentary about the L.A. riots. If you need any support for materials from that area, feel free to call me anytime."
Eric nodded, thanking him again. He didn't decline Robert's goodwill; he also appreciated the sincerity behind it. Given the critical condition of Warner's CEO Steve Ross, the rivalry had sharpened between co-presidents Robert Daly and Terry Semel as they vied for the CEO position.
Steve Ross managed to retain his position because he had cultivated relationships with noted filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, and Tim Burton in Hollywood.
Now, Robert Daly was possibly looking to chart a similar course.
Since Steve Ross could no longer oversee Warner's day-to-day operations, if Eric publicly aligned himself with Robert Daly, there was a good chance he could achieve some collaborative deals with Warner, helping Robert defeat Terry Semel and ascend to the CEO throne. After all, although Warner and Firefly were competitors, given Firefly's stellar performance in film, Warner's shareholders would definitely not want to miss out on potential profits.
However, Eric wasn't going to agree to help Robert Daly just because of a trivial gesture. From a larger perspective, the more turmoil Warner experienced, the better off the other studios would be.
After chatting with Robert for a while, Eric didn't neglect Frank Mancuso: "Mr. Mancuso, I heard that Summer Redstone and Barry Diller have been eyeing Paramount. Is that true?"
Though Frank Mancuso was the CEO of Paramount, in terms of clout, he was still outclassed by Robert Daly at Warner. This wasn't solely due to Paramount's size, but because Frank had always been overshadowed by the company's major shareholder and chairman, Martin Davis.
Hearing the question, Frank Mancuso shrugged, looking somewhat awkward. "Those matters are all directed by Mr. Davis. I only handle Paramount's daily management."
Eric was merely curious and didn't intend to poke at Frank, so he quickly changed the subject.
After all, a party wasn't the place to discuss business. If both parties were to reach any collaborative agreements, they would set aside another time for in-depth discussions. Therefore, after chatting briefly with Robert Daly and Frank Mancuso, Eric took Joanna and moved on to mingle with others. Besides their group, all the other upper-management members from the major studios were present.
...
"Michael, I'm glad you could make it tonight," Eric said as he approached Michael Eisner, amidst some curious glances.
Michael Eisner smiled, nodding at Joanna before saying, "You're not going to say you don't welcome me, are you?"
"Of course not," Eric laughed, shaking his head.
The two chatted comfortably for a while, and as they were about to leave, Joanna quietly said, "Eric, it seems like the people at the party don't really like him?"
Eric replied, "It's not that they don't like him; it's more about establishing their stance. Tonight, Firefly is the main event, and there's bound to be some friction between me and Michael Eisner."
Remembering how solitary Michael had seemed earlier, Eric felt an unusual sense of importance for him. Not everyone had the courage to show up at an event sure to be overlooked. From what he understood, Michael had been negotiating collaborations with Industrial Light & Magic and had flown to Japan over ten times in recent months to secure no less than $500 million in film investment for Universal from Panasonic. If he could channel the same energy he had when he first took over Disney, he would surely lead Universal to rise.
Joanna didn't contemplate all this. After listening to Eric, she nodded slightly, understanding only partially. Noticing Virginia waving at her from a distance, Joanna released Eric's arm and said, "Vicki is calling me. I'm going over there."
"Sure," Eric said, glancing at the petite figure not far away and teasingly asked, "You two aren't both on some crazy diet, are you? You both look a bit thinner."
"We hired the same nutritionist! What's wrong with shedding a bit of weight?" Joanna replied with a smile.
Eric raised his hand, intending to touch Joanna's cheek, but realizing the setting, he let it drop. "It looks good on Vicki, but don't follow her. If you lose too much weight, your face might hollow out, and you'll give off a constantly gloomy vibe."
"Is it really that serious?" Joanna asked, unconcerned as she felt her cheek, and quickly said, "Alright then, I'll take your advice."
Watching Joanna leave, Eric looked around for any signs of the other women and realized, unknowingly, the women had already split into small distinct groups. Since Twister was Joanna's film, apart from her good friend Virginia, the other women didn't appear in this setting.
...
"Good evening, Eric," a voice chimed in next to him. Eric turned to see John Peters smiling as he raised his glass toward him.
However, what surprised Eric was the sexy woman leaning against John Peters. He couldn't help but steal a few more glances at her. The sultry woman noticed the shift in Eric's gaze and graciously extended her hand. "Hello, Mr. Williams. I'm Catherine Zeta-Jones."
"Hello, Miss Zeta-Jones. You're truly stunning," Eric replied, gently shaking her hand.
John Peters, familiar with Eric's nature, noticed the interaction and unconsciously tightened his hold around the woman's waist. "Eric, Peter asked me to say he's sorry he can't make it tonight. He has obligations in Europe."
Feeling the hand at her waist, Catherine Zeta-Jones stiffened slightly but kept her smile intact, subtly backing away a little to lean closer to John Peters.
"Of course it's no problem," Eric said as his attention shifted back to John Peters.
Though he maintained a calm exterior, Eric felt contemplative, not because he was once again face-to-face with another beautiful woman from his memory, but because of Catherine Zeta-Jones's journey in the industry.
John Peters, Steven Spielberg, Michael Douglas -- each of these names was synonymous with power in Hollywood. Although John Peters was often labeled a lightweight, his President title at Columbia Pictures made him a target for many of Hollywood's lower-tier figures. As for Spielberg, his reputation needed no introduction, and Michael Douglas, coming from a showbiz family, had built an impressive network through generations.
Yet this trio of Hollywood elite had all crossed paths with a woman from a modest family in Wales.
While Catherine Zeta-Jones possessed a beauty that many coveted, beauty was hardly lacking in Hollywood. Thus, Eric admired this woman's cunning while being intensely curious about how she had gradually woven connections with the three powerful figures in the industry.
John Peters, observing Eric's distraction, felt a strange swell of pride and unconsciously tightened his grip around Catherine Zeta-Jones's waist and laughed, "Eric, what's going on with you?"
"Nothing, I just suddenly remembered something," Eric said, catching John Peters' sidelong grin and realizing his earlier demeanor had likely been noticed while stirring up some misunderstanding. However, Eric didn't feel the need to explain himself and quickly diverted the conversation with a different subject.
"By the way, regarding Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Eric, have you been to their set recently? I've been there twice, but I don't know why, I just feel that the Hong Kong director's shooting style is a bit odd."
Eric nodded. "The shooting techniques in Hong Kong vary greatly from Hollywood's. But don't worry, I've been keeping an eye on this movie. There won't be any issues."
"In that case, I'm relieved," John Peters said, seemingly truly comforted.
*****
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