Chapter 318: Withstanding Pressure

Twenty years later, with the increase in theaters, rising ticket prices, and a booming market, it became more common for films to gross over $100 million during their North American opening weekend. Not only that, but movies that grossed $200 million or even more started appearing one after another. However, back in 2001, this was not the case.

In 2001, the North American weekend box office generally hovered around $40 million. To this day, no film had ever crossed the $100 million mark in a single weekend. To most people, this seemed like an unattainable and impossible goal.

So, what was the significance of "Rush Hour 2" grossing $67 million on its opening weekend?

It was the number one of the summer.

No mistake, you read that right—"Rush Hour 2" managed to slightly surpass "The Mummy Returns" and "Planet of the Apes" and easily outperformed "Pearl Harbor," "Jurassic Park III," and "Shrek," claiming the highest opening weekend box office of this summer.

Incredible!

Despite the buzz surrounding "Rush Hour 2" before its release, the actual box office numbers still shocked everyone. No one expected this sequel to pack such a punch, especially in August, traditionally a slower time for the movie market.

"Summer's peak arrived late; the highest point of 2001 happened in August?"

"'Rush Hour 2' dominates the box office, leading the pack to break summer records."

"The golden duo reigns supreme, grossing $67 million to crown North America's weekend box office."

"Critics panned it, but audiences still loved it. The sequel continues to shine."

"The forgotten, abandoned, and overlooked August proves summer isn't over yet. 'Rush Hour 2' tops the charts, breaking the single-theater box office record of the year."

Shock, admiration, praise—

Although the media's reviews were overwhelmingly negative, that didn't stop "Rush Hour 2" from drawing millions of viewers into theaters, once again proving that action comedies are still the kings of the summer box office.

Without a doubt, this was a pleasant surprise.

Who would have thought that the 2001 summer box office champion would be "Rush Hour 2"?

Of course, the summer season isn't over yet. There are still three weeks to go. Who knows, maybe there are more surprises in store? But as of now, "Rush Hour 2" has made a significant impact, drawing all eyes to the first week of August.

At the same time, the more people marveled at how "Rush Hour 2" overcame all odds to set a new high for the 2011 summer season, reigniting the market's energy at the tail end of summer, the harder it was to overlook the performance of "The Princess Diaries." In fact, admiration doesn't even begin to describe it—it's simply... attention-grabbing.

Generally speaking, the market has a fixed capacity. The pie is only so big, and if one movie takes the largest slice, the market share for other films will naturally decrease, affecting their box office performance. This is why major studios usually stagger their release dates.

However!

But!

"The Princess Diaries" defied the odds, showing a box office strength on par with "Rush Hour 2." Over the weekend, it grossed $35 million, taking away more than half of "Rush Hour 2's" box office, with an unparalleled performance that left the entire North American market in shock and confusion. The buzz was palpable, even more surprising than "Rush Hour 2."

While it was unexpected that "Rush Hour 2" set a new high for this year's North American weekend box office, there were signs pointing to this outcome. After all, it's a sequel with a large fan base. But what about "The Princess Diaries"?

Despite poor early publicity, fierce competition, and a target audience that was relatively niche, the film still managed to pull off an incredible opening weekend.

$35 million—how impressive is that?

First, it was undoubtedly the best-performing film of the year that didn't top the weekend box office, and it's in a league of its own compared to other second-place films.

Secondly, this weekend box office figure ranked eighth in this year's summer season. If released at a different time, it would have easily claimed the weekend box office crown.

This kind of performance is truly astounding.

For a moment, people couldn't decide whether to be more amazed by "Rush Hour 2" holding its ground against the challenge from "The Princess Diaries" to achieve such a strong performance, or by the fact that "The Princess Diaries" managed to excel despite being squeezed between "Rush Hour 2" and "Planet of the Apes." Words seemed inadequate to capture the situation.

"Gary Marshall works his magic again, writing this summer's fairy tale."

"Ten years on, from 'Pretty Woman' to 'The Princess Diaries,' fairy tales still shine on the big screen."

"Anne Hathaway and Anson Mount shine as dual stars, with 'The Princess Diaries' opening to great success."

"Withstanding the pressure and delivering a perfect answer, 'The Princess Diaries' successfully makes a splash."

"A masterstroke—how did 'The Princess Diaries' break through the competition?"

The media's focus quickly shifted to "The Princess Diaries," with discussions even surpassing those around "Rush Hour 2":

Everyone was curious—how did such an ordinary, simple, even cliché fairy tale story manage to draw so many viewers into theaters?

Bob Iger was just as curious.

As Disney's Chief Operating Officer and the company's current second-in-command, Bob was very busy, extremely busy. He didn't have the time or energy to be concerned with the box office performance of a single movie; they needed to focus on the big picture. But this time, things were a bit different—this was a special situation requiring special attention.

Michael Eisner needed a cover, something to shift the narrative—

If "The Princess Diaries" could serve that purpose, it would be perfect.

During the premiere, Bob had only attended with the mindset of a last-ditch effort, but he hadn't expected the event to generate a spark of hope.

From a broader perspective, the North American film market lacked family-friendly movies that year, a significant backdrop. Before "The Princess Diaries," the last family-oriented film was "Cats & Dogs," released in the first week of July. However, the movie's poor quality left audiences largely uninterested.

In other words, from June to July and into August, the family market had yet to find a suitable movie to channel its energy.

Because of this, Bob believed that "The Princess Diaries" might have a slight advantage.

However, the actual opening weekend box office numbers were a pleasant surprise. "The Princess Diaries" not only withstood the pressure, overcoming the squeeze from "Rush Hour 2" and turning around negative media reviews, but also exceeded expectations, with its $35 million performance standing out.

Now, "The Princess Diaries" could indeed relieve some of the pressure on Michael Eisner, and perhaps... it could even do more.

So, Bob showed up—he personally appeared at the theater.