Chapter 181: Unbeatable

"I don't think it's worth it!"

Terry was still arguing with one of his companions as they entered the cinema. "War is about achieving the greatest victory at the lowest cost. Losing six men to save one? Without even considering other factors, from a purely strategic standpoint, it doesn't make any sense."

"You can't look at it that way," another man named Bridge countered as they reached the ticket window. "Think about it—today, we might feel that eight lives aren't worth saving one, and we sacrifice a mother's only son. Tomorrow, for the same reason, another mother buries her child. Over time, solid traditional beliefs will turn into empty promises. Who would still trust sending their loved ones to defend this country?"

Not far from the ticket window, Huntington, an investigator from the app, smiled slightly. He had been here all afternoon and had heard countless similar arguments. This topic had clearly become a social hot spot, and just like these people who had already seen the movie, the arguments often ended with buying tickets and heading back into the theater.

It was obvious that *Saving Private Ryan* had an extremely successful marketing campaign!

Armed with concrete survey data, Huntington was sure of this. However, compared to yesterday, *Saving Private Ryan* was also experiencing some negative backlash. Since yesterday, there had been media hype about African-American protests against the film, and today, the news still hadn't subsided. Although some African-American historians had come forward to defend the film, Huntington's observation of this particular cinema showed a noticeable drop in the number of African-American viewers compared to the opening day.

From this small observation, one could infer that public opinion had influenced the choices of some African-American viewers.

Still, compared to its competitor *Braveheart*, *Saving Private Ryan* was performing at a level far above.

Take this cinema, for example. Only one theater was still screening *Braveheart*. While internal studio competition and market pressures may have played a role, the movie's poor box office performance was likely the main reason for its reduced showtimes. From the morning until the afternoon, by Huntington's count, *Braveheart* had sold fewer than forty tickets!

This wasn't some independent theater in a remote area, but a famous chain located in the bustling heart of Manhattan.

Huntington had also been in contact with colleagues stationed in other theaters around New York. Based on the information he gathered, it was clear that *Braveheart*'s first-week box office would fall far short of Paramount Pictures' expected $25 million. To Paramount, $25 million was nothing more than an unattainable dream!

And *Braveheart*'s poor box office performance today wasn't just due to the film's own quality or the stark difference between Mel Gibson's commercial filmmaking skills and Duke Rosenberg's. The tabloid frenzy that broke out today also played a part.

Numerous tabloids under News Corp suddenly reported that Mel Gibson's father was a Nazi sympathizer who had publicly denied the Holocaust, and that Mel Gibson himself supported an extremist political party in Australia.

Although the tabloids didn't explicitly state that Mel Gibson was a Nazi supporter, they strongly implied it between the lines.

Think about it—this year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and the entire nation is commemorating the war in various ways. To have such a story break at this time, suggesting that Mel Gibson might be a Nazi supporter, was bound to have a significant impact on his film.

During his day at the theater, Huntington overheard many moviegoers discussing Mel Gibson's situation, and a considerable number of them had decided to boycott, or even condemn, his films because of it.

It truly was a fiercely competitive day. Both *Braveheart* and *Saving Private Ryan* were relentlessly trying to undermine each other, employing various tactics that could easily form the plot of a complex movie.

In fact, Huntington thought that if the victorious Duke Rosenberg and the defeated Mel Gibson were to meet here, they might very well come to blows.

Would the on-screen tough guy Mel Gibson win? Or would former quarterback Duke Rosenberg prove to be more skilled? Huntington thought this was a topic worth investigating.

Perhaps Huntington's thoughts were a bit subjective and one-sided, but at that moment, Mel Gibson truly did want to punch Duke.

His black Lexus was heading toward Paramount Pictures, and in the back seat, Gibson's face was darker than the night sky over Los Angeles. Even an idiot could see that he was in a foul mood.

"Those damned Jewish pigs!"

The thought kept echoing in Gibson's mind. Those bastards were suppressing his movie, and they had gone so far as to dig up dirt on him from Australia.

"Mel..."

The publicist sitting next to him barely got a word out before Gibson shot him a glare. "I've said it before: neither my father nor I have ever made those comments. This is slander and defamation!"

Although he had a strong dislike for Jewish people, Mel Gibson wasn't stupid; he knew the influence the Jewish community held in Hollywood.

Seeing that Gibson had calmed down a bit, the publicist patiently said, "Mel, no matter what, you must adamantly deny these accusations to any journalist or paparazzi that ask."

"I want to sue them!"

With his film underperforming at the box office and now this scandal erupting, Gibson was furious. "I'm going to sue those media outlets for defamation!"

"Calm down!" The publicist raised his voice slightly. "Those tabloids would love nothing more than for you to do that!"

Do tabloids care about being sued for defamation? They thrive on celebrities suing them, as it only brings them more attention and visibility.

Mel Gibson had some idea of the character of the tabloids owned by News Corp, and with clenched teeth, he muttered, "Send them a lawyer's letter! And also..."

He pictured the young director behind it all, Duke Rosenberg, and his face twisted with anger. "Find a way—any way—to make Duke Rosenberg suffer!"

Gibson couldn't take on Warner or Fox, who were tied to Rosenberg through mutual interests, but Rosenberg himself was still relatively new to the industry and known for being a womanizer. Surely, there had to be a way to bring him down.

The car pulled up in front of Paramount's office building. While Gibson waited for the elevator, Sherry Lansing, the CEO, was sitting in her office, looking gravely at her phone.

"Mandy, it's me, Sherry."

After a bit of small talk, she got to the point. "Will Emperor Entertainment maintain the number of theaters showing *Braveheart*? We're not asking for an increase, just to maintain today's showtimes and scale."

Her request lacked any confidence, given how abysmal *Braveheart*'s Friday and Saturday box office numbers were.

Sure enough, Emperor Entertainment CEO Mandy quickly declined. "Sherry, I'm sorry, but no."

"Mandy, maybe you could reconsider. Mr. Redstone..."

"Sorry, Sherry. This isn't something I can decide alone," Mandy said, offering a perfectly legitimate reason. "*Braveheart* made $2.75 million on Friday, $2.33 million on Saturday, and only $1.56 million so far today. Both the per-theater average and attendance rates are far below the threshold for theaters."

Sherry Lansing wanted to say more, but Mandy had already hung up.

There was a contract between them, but the North American theater alliance wasn't stupid either. The contracts were flexible; if a film underperformed, theaters could activate clauses to reduce the number of screenings or even force the film out altogether.

After calling AMG and receiving a similar response, Lansing felt a bitter smile tugging at her lips. Paramount had been ambitious in wanting to pit *Braveheart* against *Saving Private Ryan*, but the result was turning out to be as tragic as last year's *The Shawshank Redemption*.

Thinking about the weekend box office numbers for *Saving Private Ryan*, Sherry Lansing even felt a sense of powerlessness.

Friday, $20.54 million; Saturday, $21.14 million; and despite Sunday's numbers dropping due to the protests, the film had still grossed $15.26 million by 7:30 PM Pacific Time. It was an absolute phenomenon!

Despite the behind-the-scenes maneuvering from CAA, Paramount, and Mel Gibson's PR team, none of it had been enough to stop the momentum of *Saving Private Ryan*. It was as if Duke Rosenberg really was the king of the summer box office!

Had it not been for the intense competition, how much more could *Saving Private Ryan* have made? Sherry Lansing couldn't say for sure, but she estimated at least 15% more. After all, many African-American and Latino viewers were boycotting the film.

Even with these challenges, Paramount and *Braveheart* had still suffered a crushing defeat.

"Is Duke Rosenberg and his films truly unbeatable during the summer?"

Even someone as strong-willed and experienced as Sherry Lansing, the CEO of a major Hollywood studio, couldn't help but entertain the thought.

The office door knocked, and Gibson entered after being led in by the secretary, who then poured him a cup of coffee before leaving.

"Sherry!" Gibson sounded anxious, his voice particularly loud. "I heard Paramount is pulling resources from *Braveheart*?"

"That's right."

In this industry, results spoke for themselves. Sherry Lansing looked at Gibson coldly. "Not only is the film underperforming at the box office, but audience ratings have dropped to 66%. It's simply not worth Paramount's continued investment."

Gibson opened his mouth but said nothing. He wasn't a newcomer to Hollywood; he understood the rules of the game

However, he would not give in. He was silent for only a few seconds and then said, "The film can still be saved, Shirley! Have you seen the performance of "The Shawshank Redemption" in the video market? As long as we can win a few Oscars, we will completely able to reverse the loss situation."

"What if 'Saving Private Ryan' also signed up for the Olympics?"

Will the producers of that film let Oscar go? Shirley Lansing wouldn't believe anything she said, with undisguised sarcasm in her words, "In this special time of year, do you think 'Braveheart' can beat 'Saving Private Ryan'?"

"CAA will fully support us in our bid for awards!" Mel Gibson seemed extremely confident. "What if the director of "Saving Private Ryan" gets a scandal?" 

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