章 758: Chapter 759: The Inevitable Accident
[Chapter 759: The Inevitable Accident]
Thanksgiving in 1995 happened to fall on November 23, one week after Eric's return to Los Angeles, officially marking the start of the holiday film season.
On November 17, alongside the still-screening Jim Carrey comedy, Firefly Group's Bad Boys and MGM's Scream premiered. Additionally, Warner released It Takes Two and Sony's The American President -- two romantic comedies clearly timed for the holiday season.
As the year came to a close, Firefly Group held numerous meetings to summarize, plan, and look ahead. Despite the film division being the most public-facing, it accounted for only about 20% of the group's operating revenue. After returning to Los Angeles, Eric busied himself with a backlog of company matters accumulated over the past few months. Thus, he didn't pay much attention to the release of these two low-budget films. On the film's opening day, he casually glanced at the box office figures and set the matter aside.
However, contrary to Eric's indifferent reaction, the media's attention on the two films surpassed everyone's expectations.
...
With the buzz generated from directing the second Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and the full promotional support from Firefly Group, Michael Bay's film, Bad Boys, exceeded all predictions. This crime-action film, made on a modest budget of $19 million, garnered an impressive $26.6 million just in its first three days, knocking Jim Carrey's comedy off the top box office spot.
The buddy-cop type crime-action genre had been done to death over the years. Popular series like Beverly Hills Cop, Lethal Weapon, and countless lesser-known films had drained most creative ideas for the genre, making it hard to produce anything fresh.
Despite its impressive box office, Bad Boys received an unusual amount of praise from the media. The film's twist on the contrasting personalities of its two leading men was seen as a small creative innovation, but critics primarily lauded Michael Bay's directing style.
"With dazzling car chase scenes, sharp editing, and explosive action, Michael Bay proves he is truly a visual master. He created a $50 million blockbuster's visual impact out of a $19 million budget. While the plot sticks closely to genre norms, it undoubtedly satisfies audiences looking for visual stimulation."
"Perfectly timed slow-motion shots and stunning wide-angle scenes all carry a unique aesthetic. As a directorial debut, Michael Bay delivered a satisfying product for both the producers and the audience."
...
"I must say, Michael Bay's command over visual sensations reached a peak," Eric chuckled to himself when he read these media comments.
Having been through this before, Eric vividly remembered how Michael Bay's directing style was criticized for its repetitive "three tricks."
Interestingly, most media praising Bay now echoed sentiments that they would later use to criticize him. Most directors develop strong personal styles; many critics either loved or hated those styles from the start. Bay was one of the rare cases where perceptions shifted from love to hate, eventually morphing into intense dislike.
Yet, as long as the profits rolled in for the producers, who cared about critics' opinions?
Unlike in the original film where Will Smith starred as one of the leads, this time a different Black rapper took his place. Therefore, there was no awkward situation where Smith's rising fame hindered the sequel's production, like what happened with the first Bad Boys.
After the impressive box office numbers for Bad Boys came out during its opening weekend, Firefly's production department began discussions with Michael Bay about developing a sequel.
...
On the other hand, the horror film Scream, produced by Flower Films and distributed by MGM, also benefited from the fully integrated MGM's vigorous promotional support. It achieved $12.15 million during its opening weekend, landing in third place at the box office, trailing nearly $8 million behind Jim Carrey's comedy, which made $21.35 million. For a horror film released during the family-friendly Thanksgiving slot, this was an impressive performance, even if it didn't seem particularly remarkable.
Critics' opinions about Scream were polarized. Some found its suspenseful atmosphere captivating, while others deemed it a hodgepodge of common horror movie cliches.
Eric had hinted to Drew that she could run the distribution for Scream, but he remained uncertain as to why the film was succeeding.
After its first weekend gross of $12.15 million, Scream earned over $6 million in its next few weekdays, bringing its total to around $18.63 million by the week's end.
Combining the opening weekend's numbers, critical reception, and audience feedback, the film company made rough projections for the box office totals of the new releases.
...
Since it was merely a popcorn flick and a Black comedy, despite Michael Bay's acclaim from directing the Victoria's Secret show, most estimates pegged Bad Boys' North American total box office at $100 million. Given the production and marketing costs of around $30 million, Firefly was poised to reap significant profits from the North American ticket sales.
...
As for Scream, based on its opening weekend performance and mixed reviews, it was projected to garner just $50 million in total box office and a 30% to 50% drop in the following week -- far below Eric's recollections of it crossing the $100 million mark.
Just as Eric pondered whether this odd outcome was due to the butterfly effect of his reincarnation, time moved to the following week.
Jim Carrey's comedy, Bad Boys, and both lackluster romantic comedies from Sony and Warner followed expected patterns of box office decline. However, Scream's second weekend numbers shocked everyone.
Despite the release of a few films like Money Train and Casino that didn't particularly shine yet still grabbed market share, Scream surprisingly bounced back, posting a slight increase of 7% in ticket sales. It reached a remarkable $13.1 million in its three-day weekend, suggesting that its total box office would far exceed the initially predicted $50 million figure, possibly matching Bad Boys' earnings.
Both media and Hollywood film companies always reacted swiftly to unexpected box office hits. After all, the media wanted news, while the film companies desired audience interest.
...
Within days, the reasons behind Scream's miraculous box office surge were quickly uncovered.
The reasons appeared surprisingly straightforward.
"Teen viewers who were interviewed consistently stated that their friends and classmates were discussing the movie. They found the bloody and thrilling horror film exhilarating. The film's setting, centered around a group of high school students, resonated strongly with them. One interviewed boy even remarked: they were tired of seeing Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson playing the same old tough-guy roles; they wanted movies that reflected their lives, even if it meant watching a horror film.
Hollywood often views viewers aged 18 to 34 as one unified young audience segment. The wave of interest spurred by Scream could indicate that this age classification might need reevaluation. A professor from USC commented that the film's appeal rooted deeply in the echo of the Baby Boom generation. After World War II, the first Baby Boom saw over 10 million children born each year. The children born during that era grew up in the 60s and 70s and once again brought about another boom. This new Baby Boom had been influenced by the previous one, thus termed the echo of the Baby Boom. The total number of babies born in the 1970s reached around 60 million. Those aged between 16 to 25 undoubtedly formed a distinct movie-watching demographic. The success of Scream is largely attributed to its unintentional alignment with the viewing interests of this rebellious group of teenagers."
...
On a Beverly Hills terrace, Elisabeth, wrapped in a white bathrobe, sat reading an article from the Los Angeles Times analyzing the reasons behind Scream's box office success. She looked up at Eric, who sat across from her. "Hey, I suddenly regret something."
Without looking up from his coffee, Eric asked, "What's that?"
"Final Destination should also be considered a teen movie, right? I suddenly regret trading you for Austin Powers. Honestly, I think that script is getting worse the more I read it."
Eric chuckled and replied, "Yeah, I think it's terrible too, which is why I traded you for it."
"You jerk," Elisabeth glared at him and then cautiously asked, "So, have you started production over there?"
"New Line plans to release it next summer, casting has already begun. It's too late for you to trade back now," Eric smiled. "So, fair and square, you should just stick to making that terrible movie. But no one ever said a terrible movie can't make money."
"Hey, you just support her. Any low-budget horror film can earn such high box office, and you won't even help me pick a few scripts."
Eric shook his head. "This really isn't my fault. Drew picked the script herself. I didn't involve myself at all."
"She... hm," Elisabeth wore an obviously skeptical expression.
Eric shrugged. "That's just the way it is. You can ask around and find out. That girl is more astute than you think. $500,000 for a one-time purchase of five scripts from that writer. I feel bad for him; if he hadn't been tempted by that $500,000 and signed a packaged deal, each of his future scripts could have effortlessly landed him a nice house in Beverly Hills. Now, he's stuck with that $500,000 and has to buy a small apartment at the foot of the mountain."
A sly smile spread across Elisabeth's face as she said, "Eric, are you suggesting I snag that writer? The contract for $500,000 probably won't have a hefty penalty for breaking it either."
Eric was joking at first, and with Scream's immense success, Kevin Williamson was naturally due for a sizable profit share from MGM. His final earnings would surely far exceed the $500,000 prize. Moreover, no screenwriter could guarantee their script would consistently succeed. The odds of a horror film becoming a blockbuster were slim, and even if a film company offered to pay a penalty and help Kevin Williamson break the contract, a wise opponent would never agree.
Glancing at Elisabeth, Eric added, "You could give it a shot. As long as you're not just doing it out of spite, if you manage to land him, that would be a feat."
Having been in the film industry for a few years, Elisabeth understood the game well. She sighed and continued, "Looks like I should start picking some teen movie scripts too. So, Eric, what have you been busy with lately?"
"Meetings to discuss next year's department budget and development plans," Eric replied.
Elisabeth blinked, realizing she couldn't pry further but still curiously asked, "How much revenue is Firefly projected to reach this year?"
"About $24 billion, a bit better than initially expected."
"Wow, that's... a bit better. That's double what my family makes! Your tone when you said that is downright infuriating," Elisabeth fussed, and then couldn't help but ask, "Based on the regular 11% net profit margin, Firefly's net profit this year should be around $2.6 billion."
"Yeah, but there's also the residuals from last year's sale of the animation division and print media assets, which should be about $1.25 billion."
"Wow," Elisabeth exclaimed, envious as she snapped her fingers and grabbed a silver butter knife from her breakfast plate, waving it playfully. "Now, don't move! It's a hold-up."
Eric turned a page of the newspaper with a grin, raising his right hand in surrender. "I give up, your Majesty, but pulling this in broad daylight might get us caught. How about we move to the bedroom, and I'll give you a few hundred million?"
"Yuck," Elisabeth blinked in surprise, then turned beet red and, cursing under her breath, stood to clear the table, balancing the dishes in her hands as she headed back into the villa. "I'll go wake Julia. Ugh, it's all your fault; she's become lazier than a cat."
Eric watched as Elisabeth walked away, muttering, "She clearly lives with you, so how is this my fault?"
With her back turned, Elisabeth simply said, "It's all your fault regardless."
"Uh, okay then."
*****
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