Chapter 212: Fire Away!

The summer of 2000 was shaping up to be the fiercest Hollywood showdown in years.

After the whole country watched Dunn Films, Disney, and Fox slug it out in late June, early August was gearing up for another big clash.

Sure, it wasn't the earth-shaking level of Spider-Man, Gone in 60 Seconds, Chicken Run, or [blank—seems like a typo in the original], but it was still a wild ride—only in a different way.

Hollow Man had a killer hook: a scientist nails an invisibility potion, turns into an invisible dude, and starts abusing his powers.

With Spider-Man's hype just starting to fade, fans were still buzzing about "superpowers." Hollow Man slid right into that sweet spot, riding Spider-Man's coattails and pulling in a ton of attention.

Surveys showed audiences were way more hyped for Hollow Man than the other two films dropping at the same time. Pre-sale ticket numbers from theaters backed that up—it was outpacing the pack.

Makes sense. Compared to Coyote Ugly and Space Cowboys, Hollow Man was the real A-list blockbuster.

Still, Disney and Warner had massive media empires behind them, and their promo game was unreal.

Pretty soon, the buzz in the press was all about Coyote Ugly versus Space Cowboys.

Just as Hollywood insiders were settling in for another epic showdown, a third player jumped in—Dunn Films!

Dunn himself, who barely showed his face even during Spider-Man's promo run, suddenly popped up everywhere. He hit a talk show and did interviews with three major outlets.

People figured he was trying to reignite Spider-Man's spark, push its North American haul past $500 million, and maybe warm up the crowd for Dunn Films' next release, Dancer in the Dark.

Nope. He didn't even mention those two. Instead, he went off about two other companies' upcoming flicks—Space Cowboys and Hollow Man.

"Clint Eastwood's movies are always a sure bet. I grew up on his films, and honestly, his style's had a huge impact on how I see movies myself… Yeah, I'm definitely grabbing a ticket for Space Cowboys. It's gonna be awesome."

"Hollow Man's got a cool concept—sounds like something straight out of a comic book. The invisible guy idea? Tons of room to play with that… Yep, I'm curious and pumped. Natalie and I are hitting the theater for it. Hope Paul Verhoeven doesn't let me down."

"Coyote Ugly? Sorry, couldn't care less about that one! Neither could my friends or colleagues. I hear it's about a bunch of strippers—seriously, what kind of values is that pushing? Telling girls to go be strippers?"

"Good thing it's PG-13, so the little ones can't see it. But parents, heads up—if your daughter's underage or not mature enough, steer clear of this twisted-values mess. It could mess up a kid's whole life."

…

Dunn's words hit like a freaking bomb.

Since Titanic, the media hadn't heard him unload like this in ages. Sure, his quieter days brought some stability to Hollywood, but stability's the last thing the press wants!

Now, Dunn Walker was back, guns blazing, taking dead aim at the soon-to-drop Coyote Ugly!

Pretty much every entertainment rag ran his quotes. Criticism of Coyote Ugly flooded in like a tidal wave.

The clueless public ate it up, but industry folks saw right through it.

This wasn't just about Coyote Ugly—it was a shot at its producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Disney itself!

Insiders who knew the score were quietly impressed. This young guy was something else.

Not even fully established, and he's already picking a fight with Disney? Gutsy. Ballsy.

Warner's president, Alan Horn, read the coverage and cracked up. He knew Dunn was gunning for Disney, but by hyping Space Cowboys in the process, Dunn was doing Warner a solid too.

He called Dunn up, all warm and chummy. "Dunn, you wanna see Space Cowboys and buy a ticket? Come on, don't be a stranger! How about I set up an internal screening? Bring the whole Dunn Films crew—on me."

Dunn laughed. "You're too kind, man. No need for a private screening—I'm happy to chip in a ticket for a good movie."

"Alright, I won't bug you then. Oh, and if you ever need a hand… just say the word," Alan said, his tone all friendly and fatherly.

Dunn smirked to himself. Didn't expect to cash in a favor with Alan Horn that easy.

This little move was paying off big time!

Earlier, he'd even gotten an email from Columbia Pictures' chairwoman, Amy Pascal. Short, sharp, polite—thanking him while subtly fishing for a chance to collab.

Columbia's been in the red for years, desperate for a solid investment to turn things around.

Dunn, the box office king, was obviously their top pick.

Amy had her eye on Marvel's superheroes, asking if Dunn might be up for co-developing the Fantastic Four series.

Dunn nearly snorted when he saw her pitch.

In his past life, Amy Pascal had swooped in with surgical precision, snagging the Spider-Man rights from Marvel and turning it into Columbia's golden goose.

Now, with Spider-Man locked tight in Dunn's grip—and a smashing solo success—she's pivoting to Fantastic Four.

But Marvel's heroes are Dunn Films' crown jewels. No way he's handing a rival a loaded gun by partnering up.

So, despite Amy's olive branch, Dunn had to politely pass.

…

Space Cowboys director Clint Eastwood and Hollow Man's Paul Verhoeven both sent thanks through their agents.

With Dunn vouching for their films, they were feeling a lot more confident heading into early August.

Meanwhile, Coyote Ugly was getting hammered.

The movie hadn't even hit theaters, and it was already drowning in hate.

Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney's marketing team scrambled to do damage control, but it wasn't working.

That's just how it goes—good news stays quiet, bad news spreads like wildfire!

Jerry was so pissed he could've spat blood!

Over at Disney, though, production chief Joe Roth was taking it easy.

He ran Touchstone Pictures, handling sci-fi, action, and war flicks. Coyote Ugly fell under Richard Cook, another production chair who came from theater ops—an outsider overseeing comedies, musicals, and the like.

A while back, Spider-Man had crushed Joe's slate, leaving him gasping for air. Richard Cook had even taken a few private jabs at him over it.

They were rivals at work, after all.

Now, with Dunn unloading on Coyote Ugly, Joe couldn't help but feel a little smug.

"Hmph, didn't you say Dunn was just some lucky punk? Well, here's your shot—let's see who's the real fool here!"

Joe smirked, chuckling to himself.

Inside Disney, Michael Eisner loved pitting three or four execs against each other in the same department. Sure, it sparked competition, but it also planted seeds of instability.

That mess? It'd end up being one of the fuses that got Eisner booted by the board later on.