Chapter 78: The Rivals Strike Back

[Chapter 78: The Rivals Strike Back]

"Damn it! How did Paranormal Activity make so much at the box office? Are those audiences idiots? With great films like Batman Returns, A Few Good Men, and Unforgiven out there, they choose to watch that piece of junk? Have they lost their minds?"

In the office of the CAA talent agency, Robert Downey Jr. vented his frustration as he scanned the newspaper's latest box office figures for Paranormal Activity.

"This box office performance is indeed unbelievable," Kiefer Sutherland sighed.

After seeing the film in theaters a few days before, he thought it was pretty good, and genuinely scary, so he had anticipated the movie would do decently at the box office.

But at the time, their predictions had estimated only four to five million dollars.

A movie with a mere $20,000 investment making four to five million at the box office -- a return of over 200 times -- was impressive, and they had raised their expectations for the director, Link, a bit.

But who could have predicted that in its opening weekend, the film raked in $1.59 million from just 14 theaters? The second week saw it climb to $13.18 million.

The third week was even more astonishing, with $51.82 million at the box office, claiming the top spot for the week.

Not only did it trample on the high-quality film A Few Good Men, starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, and Demi Moore, but it also bested critically acclaimed films like Patriot Games, Batman Returns, and Unforgiven.

At the same time, it overshadowed the new movie, Hero, starring Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman.

It became the horror film with the highest weekly box office in the history of world cinema.

Upon hearing these box office numbers, Downey's first reaction was disbelief. He suspected it was fake news, and after confirming the figures, he doubted their authenticity, believing it might be inflated.

He considered that Guess Pictures was a company less than a year old, lacking both talent and funds, making it unlikely that they could themselves manipulate box office figures.

Ultimately, he had to accept reality; Link's second film had undeniably succeeded, achieving numbers that surpassed all expectations.

"Link has had incredible luck. His first film, Buried, was a hit, and now Paranormal Activity is even more successful. Damn it, why does he have such good fortune? If I had even half his luck, my movies could also rake in tens of millions," Kiefer Sutherland remarked enviously.

Robert Downey Jr. remained silent, his expression dark.

"Robert, Kiefer, don't sweat it. Link might have back-to-back hits, but there's no way every single film will do well. He's likely to hit a downward spiral soon.

Moreover, the excessive marketing surrounding Paranormal Activity turned it into a commodity; not only do industry insiders look down on him, believing he can only make money off of cheap films, but many fans might feel betrayed and stop supporting his projects.

It won't be long before Link might even choose to leave the film industry altogether to focus on becoming a millionaire," agent Jimmy Rich reassured.

Kiefer Sutherland nodded. "That's certainly true. The success of Paranormal Activity will affect the box office results of other films. It will impact the interests of the major studios; they won't let Guess Pictures profit without a fight. It's likely they will step in to sabotage Link and his company, which means he might face some tough times ahead.

Also, because of Paranormal Activity's success, other films' box office numbers are plummeting, and their directors and stars will likely turn against Link.

Take Tom Cruise, for example. I heard he went pale when he saw this week's box office numbers. He left a promotional event early, then called Columbia Pictures, demanding they ramp up advertising for A Few Good Men, asserting that it should not be overshadowed by a bad film -- it's an insult to the industry and to him personally.

Ha! Link has managed to offend the major studios and many A-list stars with just one film. Even if he doesn't leave Hollywood, he won't have an easy time."

"That sounds about right," agent Jimmy Rich agreed, nodding in understanding.

Hearing their discussion alleviated some of Robert Downey Jr.'s discomfort. He took a sip of his drink and set down the glass. "Are we really just going to sit back and watch as Link's movie continues to rake in the box office?"

"What can we do? The movie is already a hit. At this point, a 100 million dollars in North America doesn't seem difficult, and overseas it will probably be around the same. Wow, if it keep going at this rate, the total global box office will reach $200 million, a ten-thousand-to-one return."

Kiefer Sutherland gritted his teeth in envy.

"Paranormal Activity isn't a documentary, yet it's marketed as one, which could be considered false advertising. We could leverage this with the media for some publicity.

Also, the success of this poor film has driven down the box office performances of several quality films. This is an example of bad money driving out good.

We should boldly oppose and boycott this film, calling on the fans not to fall for Link's tricks and not to spend a dime on it."

Downey drummed his fingers on the table.

"That's a bad idea.

On one hand, it will escalate the conflict with Link and strain our relationship even more. On the other, it's internal competition in the film industry; everyone is trying to profit off moviegoers and expand the market. Calling for fans to boycott a legitimate film wouldn't sit well with the Film Producers Association either.

Plus, using the media for this would be costly. Spending money on a fruitless venture isn't worth it."

Agent Jimmy Rich cautioned him.

"That's fine; I never planned to be on good terms with Link. Offending him doesn't really impact me. As for money, I'm not lacking for it -- money is just a number to me. If it means making Link's life miserable, I wouldn't mind spending a few hundred thousand or even a million."

Robert Downey Jr. puffed on a joint, exhaling a cloud of smoke into the air.

Jimmy Rich glanced at Kiefer Sutherland, hoping he could intercede.

Kiefer Sutherland chuckled. "This is a solid idea; Link not only has us to contend with but also the major studios and numerous independent companies. There's Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson, and others who feel the same way.

If we take a stand against Paranormal Activity, many others might join us. Then it would be all of Hollywood against Link, and he won't be able to make a profit from his film."

"Ha! I was thinking the same thing. Jimmy, quick, contact the media and blow this thing up as big as possible. Don't hold back on expenses."

Robert Downey Jr. clapped his hands excitedly.

Jimmy Rich sighed inwardly, nodded reluctantly, and prepared to take on this task that served no one's interests but might hurt his own.

*****

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