King of Hollywood
Chapter 318 - Chapter 318 Chapter 45 Hot Topics

Chapter 318: Chapter 45: Hot Topics Chapter 318: Chapter 45: Hot Topics In just three days, “Forrest Gump,” playing in 2,300 theaters, had swept up over 42 million US Dollars at the North American box office, easily pushing the previously top-ranked “Speed” down the charts. Though this achievement couldn’t be considered unparalleled, it was indeed unprecedented, especially since it far exceeded the original’s performance from my memory.

Adrian found this to be quite normal because he had spared no effort in promoting the film from the very beginning: posters in hot spots, advertisements across various media, all available means were utilized. Besides, he had a television station at his disposal; if the box office figures couldn’t exceed the original’s under these circumstances, then he might as well have thrown in the towel.

However, it was somewhat regrettable that the current state of the internet, although essentially formed, was still immature. Although Adrian had someone create an official website for “Forrest Gump” and placed links and ads on Yahoo, the response it elicited was not much more than what traditional media could achieve. If it had been a few years later, or even just two years later, such online promotion would have definitely added around 10 million US Dollars more to the opening week’s box office.

Viral marketing isn’t some profound theory; similar tactics existed before the internet, but the spread through the web can be several times faster than that of newspapers and television, hence the name emerged. For professionals, it’s merely a change of terminology; only the general public might find it sound impressive.

Regardless, at the end of 1994, movie theaters were utterly dominated by “Forrest Gump.” When families went to see a film after Christmas, their first choice would undoubtedly be this one. Across the United States, cinemas often found themselves selling tickets several days in advance–a spectacle that probably only the big ship and the space opera prequel in the coming years could match.

The unanimous acclaim in the critical world goes without saying. This was a film that epitomized mainstream values to the point that even finding faults could only be directed at the filming techniques or the actors’ performances. Few attacked the film’s core message, whether it was mainstream media or tabloids–though tabloids are unscrupulous, they have to choose their battles wisely. In the current climate, any reckless talk would undoubtedly provoke an onslaught, drawing not eyeballs but universal scorn.

As for Gluum Winston, who had been fiercely critical before the release, he was now mute. While the old man was stubborn as a mule, he was no fool, so even though he saw the film on opening night, he wrote no targeted reviews. The next day, the papers were full of praises, with barely any criticism of a plot that deviated from the original. With the film’s overwhelming popularity leading to a surge in sales of the source material, Winston had no desire to write when approached by tabloid journalists looking for sharp critiques and firmly yet helplessly refused them.

“Mainstream movies are always popular in mainstream society, especially well-made ones that know how to market themselves,” Adrian remarked upon receiving the data. He recalled a rather scathing brief review of “Forrest Gump” he had read in a previous life which implied: following the government always yields favorable outcomes.

That really seemed to be the case, although “following the government” should be replaced with “following mainstream values” like participating in anti-war rallies or exposing the Watergate scandal. Production mastery and promotional strategies truly made a difference. Considering some films from China that he remembered, while there were many other factors at play, their production refinement and marketing techniques were frankly embarrassing.

Well, enough about that. Despite entering the busy Christmas season a little late, “Forrest Gump” was unmatched in popularity, particularly among those who grew up in the 60s and 70s who were now married with children and hustling for a living. They held a special fondness for this film.

“It brings back so many memories, those wild experiences of our youth, those significant historical events–it’s all wonderfully captured,” said a couple with their children exiting the theater, as recounted by a street reporter.

They were not as interested in the underlying meanings of the movie as film critics were; what moved them were events that Forrest Gump was involved in–things they knew and had personally experienced–of course, along with the admirable qualities that Forrest Gump embodied.

Thus, in just over two weeks, the film had crossed the 100 million US Dollar mark at the North American box office and steadfastly remained atop the North American box office charts. Such success naturally brought joy to some and sorrow to others, particularly for the major corporations, for whom this spelled rather unwelcome news.

It’s well known that at the end of each year, big companies not only vie for box office success but rack their brains over the Oscars’ honors. Countless movies aimed at awards flock to release at the year’s end to make a lasting impression on the Film Academy’s jurors. After all, the jurors don’t watch every film in its entirety, so the opinions of renowned critics can sway their judgment. The more you can stir up attention at this time, the more memorable you become to the jurors, which in turn benefits your competitive edge.

Therefore, many films, even if they could not be publicly released in time, would still hold seven-day limited screenings in major cinemas to compete for an entry ticket to the Oscar nominations. Such was the case with the Bossworth Film Company’s production of “Little Women”.

At this time, most companies would employ various tactics to promote their films, and those that were highly likely to win Best Picture upon release were the rare exceptions, like last year’s “Schindler’s List” or… this year’s “Forrest Gump”!

This was the headache for Hollywood film studios; Adrian’s production of “Forrest Gump” so perfectly conformed to mainstream social values that from any angle, it was the strongest contender for the Best Picture Oscar, with the likelihood of winning probably not falling below 80%. With that in mind, what motivation did they have left to compete?

“Last year it was ‘Schindler’s List’, this year it’s ‘Forrest Gump.’ How does he manage to do this?!” the executives and producers from various film companies couldn’t help but wail and complain.

However, compared to them, Disney was in an even worse predicament.

“I want to know why there wasn’t even a whisper of this.” In the spacious, minimally styled conference room, Michael Eisner sat at the head of the table with an icy expression, looking at his subordinates.

“Their tactics are too covert; it’s very difficult for us to notice,” one of the managers cautiously replied, “If they hadn’t made the announcement themselves, it probably would have taken us a long time to discover it.”

“That’s not an excuse. If we were more careful and attentive, this never would’ve happened,” Eisner said in a chilling tone, but the suppressed anger in his voice was evident to all.

“They have a considerable advantage; otherwise, they wouldn’t have chosen this moment to publicly announce their intention to acquire ABC. And it’s normal for us not to notice these maneuvers since our attention was all on the negotiations,” Terry Egger, sitting second to his left as Eisner’s confidant, spoke up to defuse the tension at the right moment.

“So, what I need now is a plan. What good suggestions do you guys have?” Eisner suppressed his temper, scanned the conference room, and asked.

In January of ’95, the movie that attracted the most attention in the film circle was “Forrest Gump,” a work that complied with mainstream societal values and was excellently produced, dominating the spotlight without competition. However, in the business circle, the focus was on AC Media publicly announcing their intentions to acquire ABC! This news caught Disney by surprise and astonished many.

Counting the years, AC Media had only been established for about four and had already achieved a scale that other companies might only reach after ten or twenty years. The successful acquisition of TBS was already impressive, and now they wanted to acquire ABC, even contending with Disney for it. It was hard to say where their confidence came from. Were they emboldened by youth and past successes to the point of recklessness?

“Ignorant fools.” Back in his office, Eisner snorted disdainfully.

The meeting hadn’t produced any surprising results, or rather, any results at all. It wasn’t so easy to snatch food from Disney’s grasp. AC Media was still too young, its foundations not so solid, and eager to reach for ABC before fully assimilating TBS–a risk of internal issues. This was precisely why Eisner was so scornful.

But that didn’t mean Eisner underestimated them. On the contrary, he valued AC Media because they had advantages Disney could not compete with: results! The achievements of AC Media after taking over TBS were evident to all. A “Millionaire” variety show immediately increased TBS’s ratings significantly, almost entering the top three cable TV stations, and its produced TV shows were also quite popular–the hot show “Friends” on NBC was made by Bossworth Film Company, which was under AC Media’s umbrella, not to mention CNN, a news network. All these were huge enticements for ABC.

Although Disney had its own accomplishments, Eisner had successfully transformed Disney, allowing it to reach its current scale. Cable and broadcast television networks differ, but some aspects are consistent, such as the pursuit of ratings. In this regard, Disney was unable to compete with AC Media.

However, Disney also possessed advantages that AC Media lacked. Just considering the decades of experience was enough for ABC to carefully consider–if they were willing to sell, that is. The capital implied within was something a young company like AC Media could not possess. Moreover, Eisner’s track record was there for all to see, and Disney’s finances were more robust than its counterparts. If they thought they could lay a finger on ABC just because they had made some achievements in television networks, then they were sorely mistaken.

A sudden knock on the door interrupted Eisner’s reverie, and he looked up: “Come in.”

“Hey, Mike.” The entrant was the current Disney CEO, Michael Ovitz, also his friend.

However, after the other party sat down, Eisner slightly furrowed his brows.

“Is there something you need?” He controlled his emotions and asked calmly.

“What about my proposal, how have you considered it?” Ovitz got straight to the point.

“Proposal? Which proposal?” Eisner was somewhat confused.

“The proposal to invest 100 million US dollars for a 50% stake in Yahoo,” Ovitz immediately showed a hint of dissatisfaction.

With Eisner’s attention to detail, if it wasn’t intentional to embarrass someone, then he must have truly forgotten. And since Ovitz was someone he had poached from CAA, it could only be the latter. Ovitz’s dissatisfaction was natural.

“Oh, that one,” Eisner showed a sudden realization, then shook his head, “I’ve turned it down.”

“Turned it down? Why? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” Ovitz’s discontent grew, his tone unwittingly took on a questioning edge.

“Mind your tone, Mike,” Eisner, accustomed to wielding great power, was annoyed by this attitude, “The company is currently focusing its energies on the acquisition of ABC, not on small websites.”

“They might be small now, but it’s hard to tell in a few years. This is our chance to enter the IT industry…” Ovitz tried to argue but was interrupted before he could finish: “Enough, Mike, I said it’s not under consideration. Better focus your energies where they belong. You hardly said a word at the meeting just now.”

What else could Ovitz say after that? He showed a resigned gesture, raising his hands, then stood up: “Alright, I understand. Honestly, I really don’t think AC Media poses much of a threat if we give it our all.”

Having said that, Ovitz had already left the room. Watching the door close, Eisner gave a heavy humph. Before working together, he admired Ovitz, but it was only after recruiting him that he realized the man was not as great as he had imagined. Last month alone, Ovitz had spent nearly a million US dollars on travel and dining, and as soon as he took office, he immediately spent close to 3 million renovating the office!

Although Eisner didn’t say much verbally, internally he was quite dissatisfied. Sometimes, it’s just like that–you think highly of someone when your interactions are limited and you have a good impression of them from your encounters, but once you start working together, you begin to see their faults. Moreover, with Eisner’s autocratic ways, he preferred a puppet as CEO, not a talent with their own ideas–this was precisely why he had headhunted his friend to join Disney–if this principle was violated, he would be very unhappy.

However, Ovitz’s actions had not yet crossed Eisner’s bottom line, so even if there was some dissatisfaction, it was quickly set aside as his thoughts returned to prior matters.

Eisner had seen the CEO of AC Media at various cocktail parties several times before, the only son of old Ronris, who was certainly a capable young man. No wonder he was able to grow the new company to this scale in such a short time, even though old Ronris definitely helped a lot from behind, it wouldn’t have been possible without outstanding personal ability.

Of course, there was also his close friend and chairman of AC Media, Adrian Cowell, Hollywood’s “Miracle Director.” If it hadn’t been for Cowell’s invitation to start a business together, Claude might have still been employed at old Ronris’s company.

After contemplating for a moment, Eisner set Adrian aside. To be honest, this young man indeed had considerable talent. Looking at his achievements over the past five years, it wasn’t an overstatement to call him a genius. It was said that the Variety show “Millionaire” on TBS, the widely popular “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” among the youth, and NBC’s current most famous TV series “Friends” were all closely related to him.

Moreover, based on this year’s circumstances, he had a great chance of snagging the best director award at the Oscars. How many young people could achieve that? Although there were rumors of him having amorous relationships with quite a few actresses, what of it? Was not every director and producer in Hollywood involved with actresses, as long as they were not asexual or gay? Sometimes Eisner really regretted not bringing Adrian into Disney, as Disney would surely have taken greater leaps under his own command.

However, possessing talent in the arts did not necessarily mean an equal aptitude in business; otherwise, Adrian wouldn’t have left all the business administration to Claude. It was rumored that he was hardly ever present at the company’s headquarters, spending most of his time in his movies’ studios. Whenever Eisner thought of such news, he couldn’t help shaking his head. If it were him in charge, he would never do such a foolish thing. Delegating authority might be relaxing, but it risked distancing one’s self from the center of power, and should the day come when one’s voice no longer held sway, a departure from the position would be inevitable.

That said, Adrian was, after all, old Ronris’s adopted son and had grown up playing with Claude–these were no secrets–combined with his greater passion for filmmaking, his less remarkable performance in business and such delegation of authority was understandable.

Thus, the focus of Eisner’s attention was only Claude and the old Ronris standing behind him. And even then, old Ronris could only indirectly intervene to help his son. Was Eisner truly incapable of dealing with a young man?

“They let you take away Miramax because I didn’t really need it, but if you think that makes me a pushover, you’re going to learn the meaning of regret,” Eisner muttered as he took out a cigar from a box, cut off the tip, and lit it up in his mouth, “If it’s mine, then no one should think they can snatch it from my hands.”

Ovitz was right; if they had gone all out from the beginning, AC Media might have resisted but would still have been significantly weakened–some methods, albeit simple, can be quite effective. The Disney chairman brimming with confidence as the “Fighter” thought to himself.

Yet, sometimes, due to certain events, overlooking certain people and failing to clear the fog to see the essence could come at a considerable cost.

While Disney was busy figuring out how to respond to AC Media’s announcement that they would join the battle to acquire ABC, AC Media was likewise discussing how to proceed but without summoning all the executives for a meeting. The discussion was in the CEO’s office, and there were only two people present: Adrian and Claude.

This had always been Adrian’s request, to settle things privately and then let Claude present them at the meeting, while he would just be a guest. Although Claude had expressed his objections, he hadn’t managed to persuade Adrian, because… (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to NovelFire.net to vote for your recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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