vncnus Chapter 156 Dismal Weekly Box Office
Chapter 156 Dismal Weekly Box Office
Chapter 156 Dismal Weekly Box Office
"By the way, the weekly box office figures for *Titanic* should be out by now, right? What were they?"
Ernst's tone was completely calm, as if he were just asking about something as ordinary as the weather, but Robert Iger always felt that there was something more to his words.
Reports about the film's box office performance have been everywhere, and the front pages of major newspapers are almost entirely filled with related news. How could you not know?
Yet, there was a subtle, almost imperceptible expectation in the other person's words, as if they truly knew nothing about the specific data, and it didn't seem like they were lying.
For a moment, Robert Iger didn't know how to respond. He feared that the young boss would be devastated and furious upon learning the box office figures.
Instead of directly attacking the other person, he took out today's newspaper and placed it in front of him, saying, "You should take a look at these reports."
When MGM announced that this epic blockbuster, which cost over $200 million, would be released on May 3, the entire Hollywood was shaken.
Although director James Cameron is known for his meticulous attention to detail and precise control over grand scenes, Titanic has been highly anticipated by industry professionals and movie fans since its inception.
But in Hollywood, almost everyone knows that this movie, marketed as a disaster film, is actually a complete romance.
Later, news came from within MGM that even Cameron himself admitted that he originally did not want the film to be released during the highly competitive summer season, but instead hoped to release it during the Christmas season.
Ernst, however, defied all opposition and insisted on bringing this blockbuster to the screen during the summer season.
It's one thing to bring it to the big screen, but the timing of the release is truly baffling.
Hollywood professionals consider this release date to be the worst possible choice. Not only is it scheduled for early May, but it also has to go head-to-head with that Tyrannosaurus Rex.
After the film's release, although major media outlets initially praised it highly, calling it an epic love story, it was met with mixed reactions.
But the word "love" alone is enough to dampen the enthusiasm of many viewers.
It's important to understand that there are simply too many classic Hollywood romance films, to the point that audiences have long since become aesthetically fatigued and lost much of their interest.
And indeed, this was the case. After the film's weekly box office figures were released, many media outlets immediately changed their attitude and began to ridicule it.
Even the media outlets that had previously praised Titanic with all their might have turned their guns on it.
After all, circumstances dictate actions. In such an environment, continuing to praise would be too conspicuous and stand out from the crowd.
Even if you firmly believe in your heart that this is a good movie, in the face of reality, there is often no absolute right or wrong, only the helplessness of the minority obeying the majority.
"Alright," Ernst nodded, knowing that none of these people dared to speak, and could only pick up the newspaper on the table.
Robert Iger truly misunderstood Ernst; he genuinely had no intention of getting the bad news from him and then finding a reason to make Ernst suffer his anger.
For the past week, Ernst has been completely out of touch with the world, on a full vacation. He hasn't even turned on the television, let alone read the newspapers.
He did have the opportunity to read the newspaper on the plane, but in the end he chose to watch the more interesting Australian ram bleating.
My gaze fell upon the newspaper, and it was indeed filled with harsh words. I never expected that even the renowned director James Cameron would receive so much criticism for this.
The Hollywood Reporter was the first to launch an attack, publishing a front-page article titled "Titanic: The Greatest Sinking in Hollywood History?"
The article bluntly states, "Director Cameron seems to have fallen into a luxurious dream he has woven himself and is unable to extricate himself."
The film's over three-hour runtime left viewers on tenterhooks. While the set design was undeniably exquisite, the lengthy plot and dragging pacing were undoubtedly a fatal flaw at the box office. MGM's massive investment this time is likely to go down the drain.
The Los Angeles Times followed suit, publishing a commentary stating that "Titanic should have been a heart-wrenching disaster epic, but Cameron's excessive embellishment turned it into a dull and tedious love story."
Of course, compared to the criticism of Cameron, the attacks on Ernst were even more overwhelming.
The Los Angeles Post launched into a sarcastic commentary on Ernst: "It turns out that one or two successes prove nothing. Our playboy is clearly lost in his past glories. Perhaps what he invested in wasn't Titanic at all, but that beautiful English rose."
The Sentinel went even further, directly pointing out the box office figures for *Titanic*: "$3387 million in its opening weekend? This is truly a disaster." *Titanic* is unlikely to break $100 million at the North American box office, marking the biggest setback of Ernst's career.
"The box office of $3387 million..." Robert Iger barely managed to say, intending to offer some words of comfort.
At the same time, all the muscles in his body were tense, ready to meet Ernst's wrath.
"Not bad." Ernst's voice remained calm, showing no sign of anything amiss.
"Yes, the box office results weren't great, but Ernst, don't worry too much about it. Nobody can guarantee that every movie will make money—hmm?"
Robert Iger had already prepared a list of comforting words in his mind, but as he spoke, he suddenly realized that something seemed amiss.
Not bad? What the heck is this?
This film is an epic production with a budget of 200 million US dollars. With the addition of publicity and other expenses, the total investment has exceeded 250 million US dollars.
Based on its opening week box office performance, there is no doubt that "Titanic" will suffer huge losses.
The losses were so great that they could even be used to film two medium-to-large-scale movies.
Robert Egger watched Ernst pick up his coffee cup and leisurely take a sip. He couldn't help but observe him closely, secretly wondering: Could he be unable to bear this blow and is just putting on a brave face here?
Or perhaps this bad news has caused him to develop mental problems?
He carefully, almost in a whisper, reminded him, "Ernst, it's thirty million dollars, 3387 million dollars, not 9387 million dollars."
Ernst put down his coffee cup, a bright smile spreading across his face. "I know, but I'll get ninety million dollars."
Robert Iger thought Ernst was simply fantasizing. Even if most American students started their holidays this week and the number of moviegoers increased, even if the box office did experience a miraculous reversal, it was impossible for it to reach the exaggerated figure of 90 million dollars.
He simply couldn't understand where Ernst's courage came from, and wanted to ask: Who is Fish Leong?
Ernst was unaware of Robert Iger's thoughts at that moment; he was engrossed in his own reflections, and the film was likely to break the $20 billion box office mark.
It grossed $3387 million in its opening weekend, nearly $2860 million more than the $500 million opening weekend of the previous film.
But in Ernst’s view, this extra amount was not just five million dollars; in a sense, it was almost equivalent to nearly 1500 million dollars.
It is well known that Titanic's box office performance began to rebound in the second week, but there are two versions of the box office figures for the second week: one is $70 million, and the other is $35 million.
Both of these statements make sense, because Titanic was released almost simultaneously in major box office markets around the world. The former refers to global box office, while the latter refers to North American box office.
Titanic made its first public appearance at the Tokyo International Film Festival, but its premiere was held in the UK.
Later, the film was also released in North America, Australia, Europe, Asia and other regions within a week.
The $3387 million box office was only in North America. In Ernst's view, this result was not just satisfactory, but simply amazing.
He had previously thought that in the North American market alone, "Titanic" might not even reach $2000 million in weekly box office, but it gave him a huge surprise.
"How are the overseas release arrangements going?" Ernst asked Robert Iger, pulling himself back to reality.
It was indeed the North American premiere, but MGM has been pushing for the film to be released in overseas markets.
Robert Iger quickly replied, "It started showing in Asian countries three days ago, but their box office statistics methods are still very primitive, so we don't have accurate data yet."
"A day ago, major European box office markets also began to gradually move forward with the release of the film, but only in some major cities. Whether it can be shown nationwide depends on the box office performance in these major cities."
"Some of the promotional team for 'Titanic' has already gone to Europe for a roadshow, which I believe should have a positive effect," Robert Iger added, with a hint of uncertainty in his tone.
Ernst nodded knowingly, then suddenly laughed and asked, "That old guy James didn't curse me, did he?"
He single-handedly decided on the release date of "Titanic," and now that the box office results are so poor, it's impossible that the other party isn't resentful.
As the owner of MGM, no one dared to complain to him to his face, and as one of America's richest men, he probably didn't care about this huge loss. But James Cameron was different.
If Titanic suffers a major failure, his previously accumulated good reputation and box office appeal could vanish instantly.
Robert Iger thought to himself after hearing Ernst's words: At least you have some self-awareness.
It's not just Cameron who's criticizing you; the entire Hollywood elite is probably laughing at you right now.
Robert Iger cleared his throat, coughed once, and then carefully said, "Ernst, to be honest, Director Cameron is indeed a bit upset. After all, he put so much effort into this film, and now that the box office results are not satisfactory, he must be feeling bad."
Ernst gave a soft "hmm" and said with a smile, not angry at all, "Then just bear with it."
Saying more now is pointless; box office results are the most powerful proof.
Robert Iger was at a loss for words, mainly because Ernst's attitude was something he couldn't quite figure out.