The night descended upon New York, and the New York Tis Building on 8th Street in Manhattan was still brightly lit even in the early hours of the morning. The new week had begun, and The New York Tis was waiting for its final layout before being sent to print factories across the country. By dawn, the paper would be in front of many households and businesses.
As the editorial director of The New York Tis, Dean Baquet could usually decide the layout, unless sothing major happened. In such cases, the editor-in-chief Howell Raines would generally intervene.
As it neared 2 a.m., Dean Baquet had reviewed the layout of the paper and breathed a sigh of relief. Today’s work was almost done, and he could finally go ho and rest.
"Amanda!" Dean Baquet called his assistant in and instructed, "Have soone bring..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the office door was suddenly pushed open from the outside. Dean furrowed his brows, about to express his displeasure, but when he saw who it was, he imdiately suppressed his irritation.
It was Howell Raines, the editor-in-chief. Given the ti, Dean was sure Raines wasn’t here for a casual chat.
Sure enough, Howell Raines directly asked, "What’s the front-page headline?"
"Prince William visiting Afghanistan to boost the troops..." Dean Baquet motioned to his assistant.
The assistant, Amanda, imdiately understood and left the office.
"Move that news from the front page," Howell Raines said firmly, "Put it on the second page!"
"Is there a breaking news story?"
Although not opposed, Dean Baquet was curious. What could be more eye-catching than Prince William’s visit to the troops?
"I just received news," Howell Raines explained briefly, "Duke Rosenberg and his movie have opened a new Chapter for North Arican cinema. A new era has arrived!"
Dean Baquet imdiately understood what the editor-in-chief ant. He picked up the phone, dialed a number, and said loudly, "I want Duke Rosenberg and The Two Towers on the front page! Understand? Not the entertainnt section’s front page! The front page of The New York Tis!"
Although The New York Tis was a daily published in New York, it had a global distribution and significant influence, making it a top choice for many companies, including Universal Pictures, a subscriber of the paper.
Walking into the office, Ron yer threw a copy of The New York Tis onto the table, sat down, and pressed the intercom. "Has Michael Ovitz arrived?"
"He’s been here for ten minutes and is in the break room."
Upon hearing the secretary’s response, Ron yer imdiately instructed, "Send him in!"
Though Ron and Michael Ovitz were forr partners at CAA and later had a falling out, their professional cooperation wasn’t affected. Ron yer recognized Michael Ovitz’s abilities, and their last collaboration, The Fast and the Furious, had been a huge success.
They were now collaborating on a massive project, with an investnt exceeding $150 million. Personal conflicts were insignificant compared to such a huge investnt.
However, seeing the number on the front page of The New York Tis, and recalling Michael Ovitz’s proposed release date for Van Helsing, Ron yer couldn’t blindly trust him.
A light knock sounded at the door, and Michael Ovitz entered, sitting directly across from Ron yer.
Once friends, now adversaries, they exchanged brief nods without any pleasantries.
"Michael," Ron yer wasted no ti, diving straight into the topic, "Have you seen the box office data from last weekend?"
Michael Ovitz nodded slightly.
Ron yer raised his voice slightly and asked, "Do you still think Van Helsing should be released in May next year?"
"Give yourself so confidence, Ron!" Michael Ovitz seed unwilling to give up, "Our movie might just rival Duke Rosenberg! Yes, his sumr releases have been impressive, but don’t forget, Stephen Somrs also had two big successes in the sumr, and his skills in the fantasy genre are second to none!"
Ovitz spoke with slow but firm confidence, "Hugh Jackman is already a leading actor, and a powerful one at that. Our total investnt is $160 million, and the film’s lead characters are iconic, like Count Dracula..."
"Enough, Michael!" Ron yer grabbed the New York Tis and tossed it onto the table in front of him. "No matter how much you talk, the numbers on this paper speak louder!"
Michael Ovitz fell silent. Yes, what he said didn’t matter in the face of the groundbreaking box office numbers achieved by Duke Rosenberg.
With a sigh, he looked away from the flattering words in the paper.
"A great mont shaped by a director! A new era brought by one film!"
"Over the past few years, the North Arican film industry has grown rapidly, and the market has expanded, fostering directors like Jas Caron and Duke Rosenberg, both of whom have had exceptional comrcial success. Especially the latter, whose prolific creations have resulted in new releases almost every year. Last year’s The Fellowship of the Ring ignited the fantasy craze, and now, The Two Towers has shattered records!"
"In the past weekend, The Two Towers earned $103 million in North Arica, making it the first film in North Arica to gross over $100 million in its opening weekend. Duke Rosenberg has beco the first to achieve this feat..."
Seeing this, Michael Ovitz averted his eyes. The excessive praise in the article made him uncomfortable.
"Great, glorious, super-director..."
Such words made him cringe.
"First weekend to hit $100 million!" Ron yer spoke again, his voice growing louder. "And this was despite the combined efforts of your agency, Universal Pictures, and Walt Disney to attack them online. Doesn’t this say sothing?"
He didn’t give Ovitz a chance to respond. "Without our online efforts, how much would The Two Towers have made?"
Ron yer couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. So many companies, both openly and covertly, had been involved in the online battle, but Duke Rosenberg still triumphed, breaking records. It was as if they had been slapped in the face.
How could Duke Rosenberg not succeed? Michael Ovitz furrowed his brow. He badly wanted to teach the young man a lesson, but...
"Michael, as much as I don’t want to sound pessimistic," Ron yer made up his mind, "But! From the box office data to the market reaction, and the number of supporters, what can Stephen Somrs bring to the table compared to Duke Rosenberg? You don’t really think he can beat Duke Rosenberg, do you?"
If Michael Ovitz still insisted that Stephen Somrs’ work could rival Duke Rosenberg’s, then Universal Pictures would take action to oust the artist managent company.
This could an two things: one, that Ovitz had beco a fool, and two, that his personal vendetta against Duke Rosenberg had clouded his judgnt.
Michael Ovitz was deeply dissatisfied. After all he had done, he still couldn’t stop Duke Rosenberg. Despite mobilizing so many resources, even half of Hollywood participating in the online battle, Rosenberg’s film still thrived, and broke records.
Ron yer was done with the small talk. "Van Helsing absolutely will not be released anywhere near The Return of the King’s schedule. There is no room for negotiation."
He dismissed Ovitz, "That’s all for today, Michael."
Van Helsing had to be kept as far away from that sumr blockbuster as possible. That was the only thing on Ron yer’s mind right now.
One film’s massive success could damage the interests of so but benefit others.
With The Two Towers breaking records, including $107 million including previews, it severely squeezed the box office of other films. The second-highest film of the weekend, The Ring, only grossed around $17 million.
Such numbers led the cinemas to favor The Two Towers.
On the sa Monday morning, AMG’s weekly eting began at its headquarters, with the focus solely on The Two Towers.
"My only suggestion is..."
Lynch, the vice president responsible for cinema operations, was a firm supporter of The Two Towers, and the entire eting room was filled with supporters. "Wherever AMG has a theater, there should be a screening of The Two Towers! All of AMG cinemas must join the screening lineup!"
No one objected, and the support continued.
"Our theaters should continue increasing The Two Towers’s screen share. I think 70% is still too conservative. 80% or higher would be the right choice!"
Another executive chid in, "Before the eting, I got the news that Emperor Entertainnt has already increased its screen share to 78%. We need to move fast!"
"That’s right, I agree with increasing the screen share."
Not just the screen share, but during the discussion, AMG’s executives also decided that they wouldn’t reduce the number of screenings for The Two Towers before Star Wars: Attack of the Clones was released!
...
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