Chapter 247: Box Office Review
[Chapter 247: Box Office Review]
After attending the company's celebration party, Link temporarily set aside work and took Monica, Jennifer, and a few others to Hawaii for a vacation, soaking up the sun and enjoying the beaches.
By September, the summer blockbuster season officially came to an end.
Total Film magazine released the report card for major film companies during this summer season.
The summer season began in May and ended at the end of August, featuring a total of 69 films. As of now, six films had surpassed the $100 million mark in North America, while 13 films grossed over $50 million. There were three additional films this summer compared to the previous year that crossed the $50 million mark.
Among these, Guess Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and Disney Pictures performed exceptionally well throughout the summer.
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Guess Pictures released three films during the vacation season, with Speed and Se7en both grossing over $100 million at the North American box office, achieving $122 million and $205 million, respectively. The third film was Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman, which debuted in early August with a current gross of $6.37 million. Although it did not meet high expectations, with a production cost of $2.2 million, it still turned out to be a profitable film.
Paramount Pictures released six films, with Forrest Gump currently crossing $218 million in North America, while Clear and Present Danger was on track to break the $100 million mark.
Disney Pictures had a total of eight films released, with The Lion King exceeding $250 million in North America and both When a Man Loves a Woman and Angels in the Outfield reaching $50 million.
Other companies had average performances.
The biggest box office flop of the summer season was the Warner Bros. western action film Wyatt Earp, featuring superstar Kevin Costner. The production budget was $63 million, but it managed only $15.41 million, leading to an estimated loss of more than $50 million.
Following that, Disney's Color of Night was expected to lose over $30 million. Paramount's Beverly Hills Cop III, with a production cost of $50 million, only grossed $36.48 million. When factoring in additional promotion costs meant to counter Speed, its losses exceeded $50 million. Columbia's North was another disappointment, debuting in July with a budget of $40 million but failing to earn even $6 million, projecting losses above $30 million.
Within the roster of the major studios, three others also had films with obvious losses, with MGM's losses hitting $200 million. Hence, it was clear that Guess Pictures was the undisputed champion of the summer.
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Once the report cards were published, Guess Pictures received a lot of attention for their achievements over the summer.
Especially noteworthy was how Guess Pictures thrived despite the pressure from the major studios. Speed and Se7en both had remarkable success, with one grossing over $100 million and the other exceeding $200 million in North America, bringing total revenue over $300 million, putting them at the top among their peers.
This performance shone brightly, making the other major studios seem rather insignificant by comparison.
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Aaron Kutz, deputy editor of the Hollywood Reporter, quipped that the major studios hadn't really suppressed Guess Pictures; instead, they were unwittingly helping the studio promote its films. For instance, when Speed was released, the majors, fearing it wouldn't perform well, intentionally released several subpar films to compete with it. This "selfless assistance" allowed Speed to easily come out on top.
After Se7en was released, the majors worried it wouldn't gain enough traction, so they invested millions in generating negative publicity. They inadvertently increased the film's visibility, compelling fans who loved Se7en to rally in its support. With the major studios providing this so-called "help," Se7en also enjoyed extraordinary ticket sales. Therefore, Guess Pictures should be thankful to the major studios, which had contributed significantly to their box office success.
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The Los Angeles Times took a more objective stance when discussing the summer's box office results. They believed Guess Pictures' success was due to both skill and luck. First came skill; both films released by Guess Pictures had solid quality.
Speed was a competent popcorn film filled with car chases, gunfights, handsome heroes, and thrilling encounters, ensuring it had the makings of a blockbuster.
Se7en was of even higher quality. In this film, Link showcased his adept storytelling abilities, merging the elements of art cinema with commercial appeal, resulting in a film that not only possessed deep artistic content but also commercial sellability. With the Palm d'Or lending additional shine to it, its box office success was indeed a product of skill.
However, the success of both films also required a good measure of luck. At the time of Speed's release, several concurrent films underperformed, freeing up a larger share of the box office for it. When Se7en debuted, the Simpson house case unfolded, creating a buzz that resonated with the film's theme, bringing it substantial attention.
The Los Angeles Times concluded that both Speed and Se7en's successes were products of both skill and good fortune.
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In contrast, some media expressed a less than objective tone in their coverage of Guess Pictures becoming the top studio of the summer season. The Chicago Tribune mentioned that Link had previously stated in an interview that he would refrain from using current social news to promote his films, but he did not follow through. After the Simpson house incident, Link and Guess Pictures were clearly exploiting the situation for promotion, showing broken trust on Link's part.
Shortly after, another outlet defended Link against the Tribune's critique.
The San Francisco Examiner found the accusation baseless, asserting that the Simpson case was interconnected with Se7en, not a case of the film opportunistically profiting from tragedy, nor had Guess Pictures manufactured the incident to boost their movie's profile.
Furthermore, after the Simpson case erupted, many media outlets cast aspersions on Link, labeling him a murderer, while he was an innocent man being wrongfully accused. If he hadn't responded, it would have been foolish. Link and Guess Pictures handled the situation quite reasonably.
Lastly, the Examiner noted that Se7en was a classic film that deserved to be seen by a larger audience; one could hardly over-promote such a work. The report suggested that if Link could produce another excellent film like Se7en, he should promote it to the fullest -- fans would be more than willing to support it -- unlike with lesser films.
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Other media took note of Guess Pictures' performance in the first three quarters of the year. By September, Guess Pictures had released five films, three of which grossed over $100 million in North America, including Dumb and Dumber, Speed, and Se7en, with Se7en surpassing the $200 million mark.
This made Guess Pictures the only company in Hollywood at that time with three films grossing over $100 million. Based on the current box office trends, Guess Pictures was set to join the ranks of the top three in the industry.
This summer box office report had certainly made their peers envious.
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