Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"When Harry Met Sally" continued to be screened in small-scale previews in big cities, and the audience's reputation was very good. Coupled with the East Coast's preference for Ronald and the love of the East Coast lifestyle plot, many cinemas were in a state of difficulty in getting tickets, and scalpers doubled their tickets.

Ronald convened the Daydream team to discuss countermeasures and see if there was any way to increase the number of cinemas for previews. The summer schedule was full, and major studios had booked the schedule a year in advance. It was almost impossible for When Harry Met Sally to be inserted into the schedule.

Fortunately, Ronald had a friend who ran a cinema, Thomas W. Stephenson, the young master and general manager of Hollywood Cinemas. He had chain cinemas in several states on the East Coast. In addition to the several cinemas owned by Ronald himself and the multi-hall cinemas in several major cities invested by Saudi Prince Bandar, he could finally give more time slots in the afternoon and early evening to "When Harry Met Sally".

Generally speaking, previews are not prime-time shows, but less important time periods from afternoon to evening. Ronald's new film has strong box office and strong connections. The managers of the cinemas are happy to open more evening shows to increase the box office. After all, the box office of some sequels of the series this year has fallen too fast.

These cinemas are also loved by the audiences who are anxious to watch "When Harry Met Sally" in advance. Many of them are urban white-collar workers. Because they are busy with work, they rarely have free time during the preview period of the movie, so they can only rush to grab weekend tickets.

The ticket sales situation on the East Coast this time has been greatly alleviated.

In addition, the weekend is the Fourth of July National Day, a three-day holiday. Ronald expects that When Harry Met Sally can maintain a single-theater weekend box office of more than 15,000 US dollars a week before the official release.

"It's all Batman's big trouble." Michelle Cannold sighed beside him. This comic-adapted movie is really too fierce. The weekend box office in the second week still broke the record (not counting the record of Batman's premiere), reaching 30 million US dollars.

Any movie released with him, if there are any flaws, is like bad luck.

Ghostbusters 2 and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade have both fallen below the 10 million box office line. There are less than 8 million left, which is much lower than the original expectation. The average weekend box office per theater has fallen to more than 3,000 US dollars.

Only The Karate Kid 3 and Dead Poets Society can still maintain a single-theater box office of 6,000 US dollars. However, Dead Poets Society has been released for the fifth week and has a very strong reputation. The Karate Kid 3 depends on how many people will follow up.

The halo that Ovitz's packaged projects will definitely be a big hit has been shattered. In the tough competition with Batman in the summer season, the domestic box office of Ghostbusters has been reduced to just over 100 million. All the studios have doubts about his vision.

Even Sony, which is in the final stages of the acquisition of Columbia, has begun to ignore him, which makes Ovitz very depressed.

"Ronald, should we arrange a few more fan meetings?" Weintraub called. He was very nervous about the box office of The Karate Kid 3.

A large number of investors and creditors are very skeptical about the financial situation of Winterraub Productions. This movie is a proof of his magic.

These Wall Street investors do not understand artistic creation at all, and they are unwilling to understand it. Analysts prefer to use some certain quantitative analysis to look at the profitability of a company.

Wall Street has not been in Hollywood for a long time, and most people have to relearn the common sense in the industry.

Now they have some experience with the secret code of Hollywood's box office success. For example: the magic aura of a director or producer generally does not last forever.

In as short as two or three years, or as long as ten years, the director or producer will lose the magic of turning stones into gold and making a hit movie.

Anyone who can make a box office hit in different eras is a genius who appears once every twenty years, and it is hard to find.

This requires a very demanding vision from investors. You don't want to invest in a Hollywood genius after just three years of observing two movies, and he will immediately enter a recession.

"We can arrange more in Chinatowns in major cities, Little Tokyo, and Little Seoul. We can also cooperate with karate clubs in various places to do some promotions." Ronald has seen the box office figures for the second week.

The box office of The Karate Kid 3 is unlikely to continue the magic of the first two films. The success of using a small budget to achieve a box office of hundreds of millions is possible once or twice, but not three times.

Tsui Hark's flying and escaping action scenes are only acceptable to some ordinary American audiences except for the Asian cultural circle. Many audiences who are not die-hard fans of the first two films are still very confused after watching them.

"What do you think the box office of the third film will be? Can it reach or approach the level of the first two films?" Michelle Cannold was also unsure about this new type of action, and asked Ronald what he thought in return.

"As Confucius said, do the best you can do, and leave the rest to fate."

Ronald knew that the third film was unlikely to reach hundreds of millions, and it would be a great success if it could stop at around 70 million.

…

The marketing and distribution team of Daydream still focuses on “When Harry Met Sally”. Whether Weintraub can climb out of the pit depends on his own luck.

This time Ronald and Billy Crystal flew to New York on a business jet with the team for the premiere. Diane stayed in Los Angeles by herself. She felt tired easily recently and needed to rest at home.

"Do you think there are really such couples in this world? They slowly turn from friends to lovers, and then live happily together..." On the plane, Ronald's assistant Fat Girl Lake asked them about the girls Topics of greatest interest. Men like Harry, played by Billy Crystal, are ideal partners for girls, except for being slightly bald and slightly inappropriate.

"Actually, that's not the case. Harry and Sally are not a match made in heaven, but they are both mature enough and know how to forgive and considerate."

Billy Crystal refused to answer the question, and in the end it was director Ronald who came out to answer the questions of the girls.

The ending of the movie, in fact, almost became a tragedy. Ronald deliberately arranged for the two of them to turn upside down under the care of God for the sake of box office results.

For example, after Harry slept with Sally, he didn't know how to deal with the relationship and fled Sally's house just like he did with his one-night stand. Sally became very angry after this and ignored Harry for half a year.

Ordinary men would give up. But Harry understood Sally's sensitive psychology and knew that such a woman was rare. He continued to call Sally for several months to ask for forgiveness.

In this way, the two still almost passed each other. Ronald and screenwriter Nora Ephron worked hard to arrange Harry's passionate confession at the Christmas party. The right time and place allowed Harry to have a second chance.

"I think there must be good men in America... Actually, I think Ronald and your wife are just like this movie." Fat Girl Lake admired Ronald quite a lot. In his eyes, Ronald is Harry in life, and he is even more handsome than Christo.

"Hey..." Ronald almost choked and touched his ears, "Actually, I'm not the moral model you imagined."

Among the staff of Daydream, there are many people who like the female characters played by Ronald. They also think that Ronald is the man who understands women’s hearts best. Several female employees have become Ronald’s fan.

…

"Ronnie..."

The plane landed at the business jet airport, and bodyguard Dan and driver Bud Jr. went to pick up the car. Helen Slater, who had been waiting in the airport lounge for more than half an hour, rushed up excitedly and hugged Ronald tightly.

"Well..." Ronald hadn't seen Helen for a long time. He hugged her, leaned against the wall and kissed her passionately.

Helen was still wearing very ordinary clothes, a white T-shirt and yellow shorts, paired with her blond hair and fair skin, which gave people a stunning feeling.

"Wait a minute...why are you in such a hurry?" Helen pushed Ronald away, looked around, and combed the messed up hair. She hadn't seen Ronald for a long time, "Where's Bud? Let's go home quickly."

"Um..." The fat girl's assistant Lake happened to pass by the door. She was here to wait for her luggage. She happened to hear the commotion. After seeing the scene of the two of them lingering, what she said to Ronald became more clear. Deep understanding.

"Sure enough, such a powerful man must not be so loyal..."

"Uh-huh……"

The two hadn't seen each other for a long time, and in the back seat of the car, Ronald and Helen began to look forward to the short trip back to their high-rise apartment on Fifth Avenue.

The elevator to their apartment was exclusive to them, and they started hugging and kissing passionately in the elevator.

"Bang..." Ronald took out the card that opened the door, fumbled to turn on the light, then kicked it out and closed the door.

…

"Well...shall I order takeout? I have no energy left and don't want to move at all." Helen half leaned on Ronald's shoulder, and the redness on her face and neck had not subsided.

They watched the news on the cable station late at night, and their stomachs began to growl.

"Okay, I'll make a call."

Ronald picked up the phone and ordered two Italian dishes and Chinese food. After the intense exercise, he had a huge appetite.

"Well, I often eat this Chinese food. Their vegetarian dishes are great."

Fortunately, Helen Slater had no interest in cooking. She put Ronald's arm around her neck and lay comfortably in her lover's warm arms.

"Addressing a crowd in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial in Washington, D.C., the commander once again expressed his distaste for the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the Texas Johnson case, and he urged Congress to act quickly..."

"This is a right protected by the First Amendment, and our commander-in-chief is like this, hum..."

Her father is the vice president of PBS television station, and her mother is an anti-nuclear activist and environmental lawyer. Helen is naturally close to the ideas of the Donkey Party.

She is also a Hollywood actress, and she is disgusted by the leader's call to restrict expression. Hearing that the Grand Commander wanted to pass legislation to overturn the Supreme Court's decision, I couldn't help but talk about my likes and dislikes.

"Hey, you probably don't know his nickname."

"What nickname?" Helen probably knew that Ronald had some connection with the Grand Commander's family, and was also interested in this kind of gossip.

"The media calls him Mr. 80%, and what 80% of voters support is what he will do next. This prediction is very accurate, and he has not missed it since he took office."

"Hahaha..." Helen agreed with the nickname, "So it seems that he himself does not necessarily support this bill? It's just for the support rate..."

"Yes, if public opinion is reversed, he will definitely support the Supreme Court." Ronald knew that in big cities, most people are not surprised.

"If there is a movie that lets everyone know that people love the Stars and Stripes, not the flag itself, but the tradition passed down by the founding fathers who protected the people and made the economy prosperous."

Of course, Helen is not an anti-Stars and Stripes radical. She was taught from childhood that the American government represents the people... Although there is rarely a time when the American federal government can listen to the teachings of the founding fathers.

"Huh?" Ronald looked at Helen. He didn't expect that big cities would support the Supreme Court's decision so much?

"You're right, maybe I should make such a movie..."

After shooting three low-cost productions that love the Stars and Stripes, it seems that I should also make a movie that exposes the dark side of the American government to hedge?

Anyway, in Hollywood, it is not good for profits to support a certain type of people with a clear banner. The best producers and directors also need to follow the preferences of 80% of the people like President George.

If your movie can meet the values ​​of 80% of the audience, coupled with a good plot and good performance, it will be hard not to be a hit.

"Do you think so too? Hehe..." Helen was very satisfied with Ronald as her lover. He was outstanding in ability and could make good movies, leading the thinking of the American people in the right direction.

...

"Is Ronald still sleeping?"

The next morning, Nora Ephron came to Helen. They had been discussing the shooting of the new film every day recently. Ephron was also familiar with Helen's apartment in the same building as Ronald's apartment.

She had guessed the relationship between Ronald and Helen a long time ago, but both of them were willing, and she had no room to speak. Anyway, there were many such things in Hollywood.

"He is very busy these days, let him sleep a little longer, wait for me, I will say hello to him, and we will go to the studio together."

"Ronnie, Ronnie..." Helen Slater walked into the bedroom and whispered in Ronald's ear.

"Hmm... Hmm? Why is it early in the morning? You still...?"

Ronald was sleeping soundly. He smelled Helen's scent without opening his eyes and reached out to hug her.

"I'm going to discuss the filming with Nora Ephron. You can sleep as long as you want..."

"Hmm? Who, who are you going to discuss with?"

Ronald was not fully awake yet, and his mind seemed to be slowing down.

"Nora Ephron, she will come to join your crew when Harry Met Sally in the afternoon."

"Oh..." Ronald repeated it in a daze, and then continued to sleep.

"Nora Ephron?"

Two hours later, Ronald, who had slept well, finally woke up. He vaguely remembered that Helen seemed to go to Nora Ephron.

After using a hot bath and a hearty breakfast to wake himself up completely, Ronald thought about going to the studio to find Helen. They hadn't seen each other for a long time, and last night didn't seem to be enough.

"Bud, Dan, where are you? Help me drive the car out, let's go to Daydream to visit the set..."