บท 24: C 24
If Friday's skyrocketing box office only strengthened "Speed" in the eyes of 20th Century Fox, the soaring numbers on Saturday provided the best basis for expanding its screening scale.
On Saturday alone, the box office of "Speed" surged, bringing in $106,254 across 20 theaters, with some theaters surpassing $5,000 each. This result—based solely on one day's performance—resembled the numbers of a major hit movie.
By Sunday morning, after a meeting and discussion, Twentieth Century Fox made a clear decision to expand both the publicity and screening scale of the film.
Although CAA expressed dissatisfaction with Fox's distribution of promotional resources, it didn't have much impact. Fox's cooperation with CAA was based on mutual benefits, and since "Speed" could bring in profits, the studio prioritized it. Business, after all, is about profit, and commercial companies don't act against their own interests.
"Those short-sighted fools!" Lovett slammed the phone down in frustration. "After 'Alien 3' is released, 20th Century Fox will regret today's decision."
"Should we do something?" Rick Solomon suggested quietly, "Given our media connections, we could discredit 'Speed'."
"Are you brain-dead?" Lovett retorted, exasperated at Rick's foolishness. "That would just be free publicity for Luke! CAA has leverage over Fox because we bring them benefits, but if we start messing with their interests, they'll turn on us too. CAA may not fear Fox, but we can't ignore News Corporation behind them."
Despite their strong front, Lovett knew that facing a giant like News Corporation was a different story entirely.
Meanwhile, Luke had flown to New York with his mother on Saturday and returned to Los Angeles at the start of the new week. After landing, he skipped going home and headed straight to the "Speed" studio in West Hollywood.
Robin Grande wasn't present—he was off at Fox Tower in Century City—but as the director, Luke easily accessed the necessary information. He noticed that the staff left behind were looking at him differently, their attitudes noticeably changed.
However, Luke paid little attention to that. In the film industry, the line between success and failure is razor-thin. The same people praising you today might look at you with pity or disdain tomorrow.
After settling into his office, his first concern was Fox's plans to expand the screenings.
This week, Fox would expand "Speed" to 500 theaters, with an additional $2-3 million in promotional funding depending on results. While that may not sound like much, Luke knew this was the early '90s, and even "Terminator 2" had only received around $9 million in promotional funding for its North American release.
Of course, beginning this weekend, the cast, including Luke, Uma Thurman, and Keanu Reeves, were obligated by contract to help promote the film.
After reviewing the studio's plans, Luke turned his attention to the first weekend's box office data.
After the film's strong Friday and Saturday performance, it earned $112,566 on Sunday, bringing the first weekend total to $281,598, with the box office per venue exceeding $10,000!
Exhaling deeply, Luke felt the weight that had been pressing down on him for the past year lighten slightly. He was finally beginning to see the dawn of victory. Like the elusive American Dream, success seemed within reach, though always just out of grasp.
If success was a storm, Luke was ready for it to rage even harder.
With Fox's resources in printing copies and securing theaters, the expansion of "Speed" to mainstream commercial cinemas in the second week was swift. The film opened on over 500 screens, accompanied by ramped-up promotional efforts, including spots on several Fox TV networks.
In print media, ads and reports appeared in second- and third-tier papers, and even in prestigious publications like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Mentions of "Speed" could even be seen in major North American newspapers.
"Keanu Reeves and Uma Thurman embark on a thrilling romantic journey..." read one of the taglines, emphasizing the lead actors as the key focus of the promotional push.
With large-scale, intense publicity and the film's high audience ratings (mostly A+), the box office began to climb rapidly.
By Monday, the film earned $750,000, followed by $760,000 on Tuesday, $730,000 on Wednesday, and $770,000 on Thursday.
When the new weekend arrived, the North American box office for "Speed" broke the $3 million mark.
To coordinate promotional efforts in the Los Angeles area that Saturday and Sunday, the crew and Fox's publicity department held a meeting at Fox Tower on Friday. Luke and the lead cast, along with their agents, attended.
Fox's publicity team, being the professionals, led the planning. As long as the crew had no objections, the plan would proceed.
At this point, Luke realized how inconvenient it was not to have an agent. If he disagreed with Fox's plan, he had to voice it himself, without any intermediary to buffer between him and the studio.
The plan wasn't overly complicated: fan meet-and-greets, media interviews, and audience interactions, along with some behind-the-scenes tidbits.
"Mr. Rothman, Mr. Wilson," Luke addressed the two Fox executives leading the meeting toward its conclusion, "I have a personal suggestion..."
"Please go ahead," David Wilson gestured, inviting Luke to continue.
"I'd prefer to keep this between as few people as possible."
After exchanging glances, Tom Rothman and David Wilson nodded, and everyone but Reeves, Thurman, and their agents exited the room.
Once seated more closely together, Rothman looked at Luke with appreciation. Rothman had advocated for "Speed" within Fox, and its current momentum would greatly bolster his ambitions for becoming CEO. He admired those who could help further his goals.
Luke, acknowledging Rothman's support, continued, "I've been visiting theaters in Los Angeles and New York, and I've noticed the audience has a lot of affection for Keanu and Uma."
"Thank you," Uma Thurman smiled, while Keanu Reeves, basking in his current career high, gave a slight nod.
"I have a suggestion," Luke continued. "Many viewers want to see Keanu and Uma together, not just on-screen, but off-screen too."
Uma caught on immediately, but before she could speak, Rothman chimed in. "According to our feedback, that sentiment is not only present but quite strong."
Luke had said enough. Fox clearly agreed with his suggestion. This wasn't the first time a studio would fabricate an off-screen romance for the sake of publicity—and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
Later, in the lounge provided by Fox, Reeves, Thurman, and their agents discussed the details. Luke knew they were both single, and there was a good chance they wouldn't refuse. A fabricated romance would only serve to further promote "Speed"—and attract media attention to the stars.
On Saturday afternoon, the media and fan event in Santa Monica Plaza went off without a hitch. When Keanu Reeves and Uma Thurman stepped onto the red carpet, the energy of the media and fans surged, especially from those who had already seen "Speed". The high-decibel screams seemed to echo all the way to the Pacific.
Fans, reporters, paparazzi, and camera lenses remained fixated on the "couple." Reeves and Thurman were the center of attention, pushing the event to its peak.
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