Chapter 197: Smoke Fills the Air

On Friday, April 11th, Good Will Hunting premiered in 2,100 theaters across the United States.

Before the summer season begins, April often has a slight hint of the summer blockbusters, with many medium and small-budget films choosing this time to release.

Gilbert's new movie won't be released until the end of May, so Good Will Hunting, which Gilbert produced, became the choice for many of his fans.

In New York, both Butcher Ruth and Evans, loyal fans of Gilbert, who had also joined the New York Gilbert fan club, decided to watch the film.

With no major commercial films being released in April, they heard that Good Will Hunting, a drama directed by Gilbert's friend Sofia, was playing, so they decided to check it out.

After watching the film, Evans commented, "The finished product is quite good. Sofia's directorial skills are surprisingly impressive, and Matt Damon's performance is also excellent."

Butcher Ruth laughed, "Well, she's the daughter of Coppola and studied under Gilbert for several years, so it's not surprising that Sofia has this level of skill."

"Yeah, she's definitely a better director than actress," Evans added.

"Looks like Hollywood is going to have another great female director," Lutz said.

Hollywood has long been a male-dominated industry, especially in the roles of directors and producers, where women in prominent positions are rare.

Perhaps only the two Katharines, Katharine Kennedy and Katharine Bigelow, could be considered important female figures in this regard.

If this were in an era where feminist movements were on the rise, Sofia's debut as a director would have been used to attract the support of independent women and bring them into theaters.

But unfortunately, that era has passed.

Thus, the promotional strategy focused mainly on Gilbert's role as producer and Matt Damon's involvement as writer and actor.

However, even with that focus, Sofia's identity as a female director caught the attention of movie fans, especially those among the female audience.

It was soon discovered that in box-office surveys, the ratio of male to female moviegoers was very close, with the female audience even surpassing 50%.

This ratio typically only occurs in teen movies, small-budget romantic comedies, or chick flicks.

Good Will Hunting is a good quality film, but it is by no means a chick flick, and there's hardly any comedy or romance.

The high percentage of female viewers can be attributed to their support for Sofia.

Upon realizing this, Touchstone Pictures immediately adjusted their strategy, shifting the promotional focus to Sofia in order to attract more female moviegoers.

Traditionally, the contribution of female viewers to box office numbers is considered less significant than that of male viewers.

However, with Good Will Hunting, things were slightly different.

What the film company didn't anticipate was the arrival of a major blockbuster that would create a box office miracle, thanks to many sentimental young women repeatedly flocking to the theaters.

The film's response was quite positive, and Good Will Hunting grossed $27.3 million in its opening weekend.

When Sofia learned of the first-week box office results, she was ecstatic and jumped for joy.

With these numbers, there was no doubt the film would be profitable, and she would be able to repay her friend's trust.

More importantly, this success opened up new opportunities for her. Once a film succeeds, getting future directing opportunities becomes a natural next step.

The first-week box office performance was not a surprise. Good Will Hunting truly has exceptional quality.

When Robert Iger saw the box office results for Good Will Hunting, he regretted not investing in the film.

Fortunately, Touchstone Pictures was handling its distribution, so they still earned a share of the profits. Warner Bros. was in a worse position—they neither invested nor participated in the distribution and earned nothing.

But this couldn't be blamed entirely on Warner Bros. for not supporting Gilbert. After all, Gilbert hadn't discussed the project with them.

This raised a discussion among Warner Bros. executives.

"Does this mean Gilbert is leaning towards Disney?" Jeff Robinov asked.

"I don't think so," Doug Walther replied. "I know Gilbert well. He's waiting to see who will make a higher offer."

"So you mean, he's waiting for Disney or Warner Bros. to show more sincerity?" Robinov asked.

"Exactly," Doug Walther looked around the room, his tone serious. "Everyone, this is a tug-of-war, and it's crucial for Warner's strategy in the early 21st century."

"Regardless of the outcome, Warner must secure Melon Studios."

"Even if we can't fully acquire it, we need to take a portion of its shares. Warner cannot afford the cost of losing Gilbert."

Walther's statement was unanimously agreed upon by the executives. From then on, Warner's focus was squarely on Gilbert and Melon Studios.

Not far from Warner's headquarters, similar meetings were being held at Disney.

After discussing the summer's upcoming work, Robert Iger spoke up, "I've spoken with Gilbert. He's confirmed he wants to bring The Lord of the Rings to the big screen."

"The Lord of the Rings?" an executive frowned. "Is that even possible? Seems a bit reckless."

"I've asked him about it. He has a detailed plan, and I think the chances of success are quite high. Also, The Lord of the Rings will take time, so in the meantime, he'll be working on other films," Iger briefly explained the situation.

Since Michael Ovitz was ousted, Disney seemed to be back under the control of Michael Eisner.

But things were not that simple. Since the cracks had appeared, they couldn't be easily healed.

Michael Eisner was dissatisfied with the opposing shareholders on Disney's board, and those shareholders were equally displeased with Eisner's strong-handed leadership.

In short, Disney had apparently ended its internal battles, but beneath the calm surface, powerful waves were churning.

As a close ally of Eisner, Iger was naturally seen by the opposition as a tool of Eisner.

Despite his efforts to persuade the board, with several shareholders opposing him, Disney decided to wait for some time.

Iger was exhausted and vented to his wife at home, "These shortsighted people never understand what it means to unite."

"What are they still hesitating for? Don't they understand the cost of losing Gilbert?"

His wife comforted him, "Don't worry, Bob. They'll come around eventually."

"I hope so!" Iger suddenly recalled what Gilbert had told him.

Gilbert had said he hoped Iger would become Disney's CEO. In that moment, Iger wished he were Disney's CEO.

But then again, Disney's biggest problem at the moment was Eisner's conflict with the board.

What if... I pushed Eisner out?

Iger immediately dismissed this thought, for Eisner had shown him great favor. He couldn't betray him like that.

However, the idea lingered in his mind like a poisonous flower, taking root and slowly growing.

The thought stayed with him for a long time, feeding on the passing time, eventually blossoming into reality.

Deep inside, Iger felt that Disney would fare better under his leadership.

Two giants cooperating with Gilbert—one had made up its mind, while the other was still hesitant. But that didn't affect their current collaboration.

After Good Will Hunting, the focus shifted to The Sixth Sense.

Starting in late April, The Sixth Sense kicked off its promotion, also holding media preview screenings and theater test screenings.

Compared to Good Will Hunting, a film personally directed by Gilbert, The Sixth Sense was much more welcomed by critics and the media.

Before viewing the film, media and critics speculated that it was probably going to be a massive commercial hit with explosions and car chases.

After all, just look at the cast—Gilbert and Bruce Willis, and you could probably already guess what kind of movie it would be.

But after watching the film, the media and critics were left speechless.

Everyone knew that Gilbert had shifted his style since Saving Private Ryan, but no one expected the change to be so dramatic.

The Sixth Sense was unexpectedly brilliant, with the final five-minute twist leaving even the most experienced media critics stunned.

Gilbert's exclusive reporter from Los Angeles Business Journal, Sarah, attended the preview and was so stunned she spent the entire night thinking.

At dawn, she wrote a long review.

"The Sixth Sense doesn't just have the typical scares and terrifying sound effects of a traditional horror movie; it also boasts a complete, captivating story. This story has suspense, thrills, love, and warmth. The unexpected ending is the most exciting moment of the entire film, and the actors' performances are outstanding. Haley Joel Osment's performance in the film is a true highlight of child stars..."

Unable to give away spoilers, Sarah praised Gilbert's direction and scriptwriting skills and especially praised Haley's performance.

Many other critics echoed this sentiment, and Kenneth Turan, who had never been a fan of Gilbert, even said, "This is Gilbert's best work. The Sixth Sense is heartfelt, and the twist will leave you speechless. In short, this is a movie everyone should watch—miss it, and you'll regret it."

Die-hard movie fans were amazed to see Turan, who had often criticized Gilbert, praising him for the first time.

How good must this movie be to win over such a staunch critic?

Although moviegoers were eager to see the film, they still had to wait a bit longer.

The summer season was never short on blockbusters, with the first major film being Universal's blockbuster sequel, Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World, directed by Steven Spielberg.

Spielberg took the release window Gilbert had hoped for, forcing The Sixth Sense to be moved to the end of May.

But no one mocked Gilbert for this. In fact, many media outlets praised his decision, saying he was wise not to clash directly with Jurassic Park 2.

That was the decision a mature, sensible person would make.

Choosing to release The Sixth Sense against Jurassic Park 2 would have been foolish.

Apart from the preview screenings, Gilbert began appearing with Bruce Willis, Haley, and other main cast members on various shows to promote the film.

Now, let's check the box office numbers for Good Will Hunting. By the weekend of Jurassic Park's release, Good Will Hunting had already grossed $103 million in North America.

Sofia had become a sensation. Her debut as a solo director had crossed the $100 million mark in North America, attracting the attention of several major film companies.

Now Sofia had several scripts in hand, all waiting for her to choose.

Since Good Will Hunting was fully funded by Melon Studios, excluding the distribution share, it was nearly all profit for Melon Studios.

Disney had already started releasing Good Will Hunting in overseas markets, and the film had performed well in several already-released regions, with optimistic prospects.

Both Disney and Warner Bros. regretted not investing in the film from the start. They had missed out on a money-making opportunity.

But no one had anticipated that a film could be such a gamble.

Now the film had succeeded, and everyone was praising Gilbert's foresight. Had the film failed, they would have criticized him for investing in such a risky project.

A film always has multiple possibilities. Gilbert had won his gamble, and now it was his time to profit.

....

Hi For access to additional chapters of

Director in Hollywood (30 chpater)

MV Director (30 chapter)....

Douluo Dalu:Breaking Clan(30 chapter)

Made In Hollywood (50 Chapters)

Join pateron.com/Translaterappu