Made In Hollywood

Just like last year's box-office hit *Jurassic Park*, after the release of the opening-day box-office numbers for *Independence Day*, it inevitably became the target of every other film currently in theaters. Starting Saturday morning, the media attacks intensified compared to the day before. If one were to only listen to the public opinion, it would seem like the movie was an absolute disaster beyond redemption.

From a certain perspective, this situation had exceeded Duke's expectations. He knew Hollywood was fiercely competitive and far from being a land of pure goodwill, but he didn't expect the competition to be this intense.

The higher-ups at Walt Disney had just called to congratulate and extend goodwill, yet the next moment, Disney-affiliated media outlets were ridiculing the intelligence of the aliens in *Independence Day*, claiming they were so dumb that they couldn't possibly invade Earth.

Meanwhile, media outlets closely associated with Sony Entertainment kept picking apart the film's logical inconsistencies, eager to expose every single plot hole to the American public.

Initially, Duke thought that with no strong competitors during the same release window, the film's screening process would go smoothly. He hadn't anticipated that *Independence Day*'s opening-day box office of over $20 million would set off all possible competitors.

"Duke, you come from a privileged background, so you might not be very familiar with the lives of low-to-middle-income families in America, right?"

Hearing the words of Robin Grand, who was sitting across the desk from him, Duke nodded. If he were to believe certain people's opinions, America was supposed to be a paradise. But after living here for over two decades, he knew that it was far from a paradise, but not a hell either. In essence, it wasn't that different from the country he had lived in before— the rich were extremely rich, the poor were extremely poor, and rights like "human rights" were just nonsense.

"Although, compared to their income, movies are indeed a relatively affordable form of entertainment," Robin Grand continued, "for low-to-middle-income families, their movie ticket budget is likely limited each month, or even for the entire summer. If they choose this movie, they'll have to pass on another one, and these people are the main contributors to box-office revenue."

"So…" Duke immediately understood, "we're in potential competition with other films?"

"Exactly. Look at Disney with *The Lion King*, and Paramount with *Forrest Gump*— they're smearing us." Robin Grand reminded him, "Actually, a lot of the criticism last month against *The Lion King* and *Forrest Gump* came from Warner and Fox."

In the face of competition and profit, no one was kinder or more noble than anyone else.

This was Duke's biggest takeaway. If he wanted to survive in Hollywood, he couldn't be afraid of competition. Which box-office smash didn't fight its way out of such an encirclement? Even *Titanic* had been the target of a media and critic onslaught. And what happened? It crushed all the critics' dignity!

Though he lacked James Cameron's bold declaration of "I'm the king of the world," Duke was eager to try. Could he, like *Star Wars*, tear off the critics' masks with a box-office juggernaut of his own? After all, they had already declared war on him!

Retreating and evading were never his style!

At the same time, Jeff Robinov of Warner Brothers had just watched Nancy Josephson leave his office and immediately called his secretary.

"Book me the next flight to New York!"

Amidst the fierce competition and the escalating summer box-office battle, Jeff Robinov decided to leave Los Angeles. He wasn't running away from the competition, though—he was heading to New York to seek full support from Time Warner's headquarters.

Like *The Rock*, *Independence Day* was a project he had fully supported and pushed for. If it exceeded market expectations, he wouldn't just get a large bonus; it would also be a major achievement on his résumé.

It was well-known that the current CEO, Kevin Tsujihara, was stepping down in September. If Jeff wanted to move higher up and win the competition, he needed to build capital!

*The Rock* was his capital, and if *Independence Day* succeeded, it would become part of that capital too.

Jeff Robinov even fantasized about how, if *Independence Day* achieved the same success as *Jurassic Park*, he could claim the CEO position.

An hour later, Jeff Robinov was on a flight to New York's JFK Airport. Although Time Warner hadn't officially made any moves yet, Warner Bros. had already mobilized a vast amount of resources.

Even though Warner's television network was considered minor compared to the Big Four networks, it still had a dedicated audience. By Saturday morning, Warner's broadcast trucks, much like Fox's, had been dispatched to the front of major theaters in major cities across the country.

Fox targeted the audience; Warner aimed at the theaters.

"Look at that, they're already lining up."

On camera, a theater manager pointed to the crowded but orderly line at the box office. "All these people have one goal—to see *Independence Day*! The tickets for our afternoon shows are already sold out. They're now buying tickets for the evening. We haven't seen lines this long this year, not even for *Jurassic Park*. The last time we saw something like this was for *Terminator 2* in 1991."

The scene then shifted to Chicago, where another theater manager spoke up.

"The audience's enthusiasm has exceeded expectations. *Independence Day* is far more popular than we thought. The line extends outside the theater now. All of today's tickets are sold out. To accommodate fans, we've added four extra showings, but it's still not enough…"

Not long after, a New York theater manager appeared on screen.

"To meet audience demand, we've increased the number of *Independence Day* showings from 53% to 62%. Even so, nearly every auditorium is packed. We're considering increasing the showings even further."

Ultimately, whether it was the audience's enthusiasm or the theaters' reactions, all the promotion had one goal: to counter the negative comments and poor reviews, and to attract people to the theaters.

Although some viewers had been swayed by negative comments and critic reviews to skip the film, by Saturday afternoon, the long lines at major theaters proved that *Independence Day*, released right before the Fourth of July, had a release date, subject matter, marketing, and content that were all very appealing to mainstream audiences!

Data, after all, is the most authentic reflection of the market. First-hand statistics, gathered by various consulting firms hired for this purpose, kept streaming into Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox, and from there, they quickly made their way to Duke.

Around six in the evening, the *Independence Day* office was still brightly lit. Nancy Josephson hurried over from Warner Bros. to Duke's office.

"The latest numbers." She couldn't hide the smile on her face. "As of now, today—Saturday—*Independence Day* has already surpassed $20 million in box office!"

"That's definitely good news!"

Sofia Coppola, who was organizing Duke's interview notes, looked up and said, "Just like Duke said, we overestimated the influence of critics."

"What about audience feedback?" Duke asked, as that was what he cared about the most.

"The A-grade positive rating dropped to 86%, which is a normal decline." Nancy Josephson pulled out a chair and sat across from Duke. "As for the professional reviews, unfortunately, Duke, *Independence Day* is about to drop below 3 stars."

"Don't worry about them," Duke thought for a moment and said, "Many viewers actually have this kind of mindset. As long as the movie maintains a certain level of buzz, the more fiercely the critics attack it, the more curious they'll become."

Although not an expert in psychology, all three of them knew that this mindset was quite common among moviegoers.

"Alright, let's not talk about that."

Nancy shifted the conversation. "Warner just informed me that a *Los Angeles Times* reporter will be here in an hour. That female reporter interviewed you last time, Duke. Let's go over the interview notes again. This is a crucial part of the promotional plan."

Duke nodded seriously. He was never someone to stand idly by while others trampled over him, especially when it concerned his own significant interests. If the rewards were great enough, he wouldn't mind dancing with the devil.

As *Los Angeles Times* reporter Sarah walked into the *Independence Day* office, in a Chicago studio, the rare live broadcast of *Roger Ebert & Gene Siskel at the Movies* was being prepped for a cable TV broadcast across the U.S.

Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel sat in the makeup room while their makeup artists worked on them. Across from them, their shared agent was briefing them on the film they were about to review.

"We just got word that *Independence Day*'s box office today has reached $20 million. If nothing unexpected happens, it'll surpass yesterday's numbers."

Typically, for films released on weekends, Saturday box office numbers tend to surpass Friday's.

Though this was standard, Roger Ebert's expression wasn't pleasant, as the figure proved that the impact of critics wasn't as significant as he'd imagined! The mainstream audience had clearly ignored his extremely negative review and the thumbs-down he'd given!

For someone who considered his reputation and fame substantial, being ignored was sometimes a terrifying experience.

"Disney called," the agent continued. "Roger, they hope your comments can be more pointed and have a greater impact."

"I'll try my best."

If you accept benefits from certain people, you must do things for them. Roger Albert is well aware of this. "I have prepared a lot for Duke Rosenberg."

"Roger, I'll support you!"

Like his old friend, Gene Siskel also received a considerable income.

After putting on makeup, the two famous and fair film critics went over the script for the last time and then walked into the live studio.

....

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