Chapter 116: Box Office Hits and Flops

Knoxville City, Tennessee, a modest waterfront town, served as the headquarters for Regal Entertainment Group.

After getting his hands on the firsthand test screening data, Jossman caught an overnight flight to the corporate headquarters. Driven by the massive financial incentives at stake, he had no intention of resting; he went straight from the airport to the theater chain's office floor.

Shortly after his arrival, several top executives of the theater chain quickly gathered.

"The special effects are outstanding! Duke Rosenberg's explosion scenes are as brilliantly thrilling as ever!"

Standing by the long conference table, Jossman motioned for a secretary to distribute the materials he had brought. "This is the overall assessment from our team. All twelve of us who watched the movie unanimously agreed that it is a Super A-list commercial production!"

His words drew significant attention. The executives opened the files in front of them and started reading.

"Joss," asked CEO Mandino, sitting at the head of the table, "tell us about the specific statistics."

"Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox didn't invite any film critics to the test screening, so there is no professional word-of-mouth to speak of."

Even now, Jossman couldn't understand why the studios had broken convention, but that had nothing to do with the theaters. "As for audience reception, 367 viewers participated in the survey. A staggering 314 people gave it an A-grade rating, while 49 people rated it below a C."

"The negative rating seems a bit high," someone noted.

"The movie's story can only be called average; its selling points are the special effects and the emotional appeal," Jossman said unhurriedly, not finding the numbers strange at all. "I think you all understand that this kind of film often proves polarizing. Those who like it will love it, and those who dislike it will absolutely hate it."

Before anyone else could speak, Jossman continued, "According to the test screening statistics and the random survey data from the polling firm, the number of people who want to see this movie far exceeds those who don't. The feedback from the test screening proves this point!"

Many nodded. Films that sold themselves on special effects, such as Jurassic Park and Terminator 2, actually shared this exact dynamic.

As the only person in the room who had seen the movie, Jossman knew its potential. He also understood that if the film became a blockbuster, he stood to earn a massive bonus, so he had no intention of stopping his pitch.

"I believe we should allocate more theaters to Independence Day," he continued. "And every multiplex should dedicate at least three screens..."

Looking at the data sheets signed by all the viewing experts, CEO Mandino fell into deep thought. After a long while, he finally said, "Duke Rosenberg's first two films both exceeded our expectations, and Independence Day is in his most proficient genre. I think Joss's suggestion is viable."

The others voiced similar opinions one after another. After some discussion, Mandino made a preliminary decision. "Maintain an orderly reduction in the screen counts for The Lion King and Forrest Gump. Any other non-hit films that drop below our baseline should be pulled immediately! Before July 1st, clear out enough multiplexes for Independence Day. We will open with two to three screens per theater and adjust the numbers later based on its opening day box office."

"Columbia Pictures has been contacting us a lot lately," someone suddenly pointed out. "They want to secure enough theaters for The Shawshank Redemption."

"No, no, no..." Jossman immediately objected. "I think we should limit the number of theaters for The Shawshank Redemption. I attended the media, fan, and theater test screenings last month. The movie is indeed very interesting, but I don't think it suits the theatrical market."

"The professional rating for The Shawshank Redemption's test screening was as high as 9.8!" the man from before argued.

"Actually, the fan reception at the test screenings was quite good too. Although the prison theme is a bit problematic, the favorable rating was well over eighty percent. However..."

Jossman frowned. Frankly speaking, he thought it would be a classic film, but a classic film didn't necessarily mean a box office hit. His years of experience on the front lines of the market gave him an indescribable feeling about the movie. He felt it was simply unsuitable for a commercial run.

After all, in Hollywood's history, there were countless universally recognized, thought-provoking classics that had failed disastrously at the box office.

"I don't think The Shawshank Redemption is right for the theatrical market."

As the chief viewing expert on the West Coast, Jossman's words carried a lot of weight. Mandino synthesized everyone's opinions and said, "The screens freed up in early July will go to Independence Day first. If its box office doesn't meet expectations, we'll scale back its screenings in the second week and allocate the freed-up theaters to The Shawshank Redemption. The same goes for the screens currently showing The Lion King and Forrest Gump. If The Shawshank Redemption performs well in its first week, the screens pulled from those two films can also be given to The Shawshank Redemption."

It was a very safe approach. Even if the top executives of Sony Columbia were here, they wouldn't be able to argue against it.

As if sharing a tacit understanding, the second- and third-ranked AMG Cinema Line and United Artists Theaters made similar decisions alongside Regal Entertainment Group, the largest theater chain in North America.

Once a movie entered theaters, everything depended on the box office. Even if the initial number of theaters differed, per-theater averages would serve as a comparison. If Independence Day failed to deliver at the box office, the theater owners wouldn't give it a single extra screen, even if Duke begged them.

By the same logic, as long as the subsequently released The Shawshank Redemption performed well in its first week, it could not only maintain its original screening scale but also easily expand its theater count.

Every blockbuster required extensive marketing and hype. Following the conclusion of the test screenings, the pre-release promotion for Independence Day entered its final sprint. Not only did the lead actors make frequent public appearances, but even Duke, the director, gave several exclusive interviews and coordinated with Fox's PR staff for street photography.

The so-called "street photography" was exactly like what one often saw in newspapers and magazines. If anyone thought those stunningly beautiful pictures were actual candid street shots rather than staged photos, they were simply being fooled by the stars and the companies behind them.

Usually, for these street shots, the PR team would contact reporters and photographers in advance. Both sides would meet at an agreed-upon location, put on a professional front, and engineer the best possible aesthetic effect. Before the finished photos were submitted to the press, they had to be reviewed by the talent agency or the PR staff, who handpicked the most suitable ones.

Naturally, this required paying a hefty PR fee.

Newspapers, magazines, posters, outdoor billboards, television, and radio were the most conventional promotional methods. The tabloids under News Group and Time Warner relentlessly hyped up the lead actors' scandals, and they didn't even want to spare Duke, the director.

Perhaps Fox had tasted the sweet benefits of using a fake celebrity romance to promote Speed. Coupled with the fact that many tabloids had hyped up rumors about Duke and Naomi Watts over the past year, they had somehow convinced Nancy Josephson to try and get Duke and Naomi Watts to play a couple.

Duke rejected the idea without a second thought. What a joke. Watching other people play fake couples was one thing, but doing it himself? Forget about it.

There were plenty of promotional tactics; they didn't need this specific one.

Moreover, Duke used this opportunity to warn Nancy Josephson, reiterating that she was not to interfere in his private life!

As the release date drew closer, Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox's promotional campaigns grew even more aggressive. Promotional posters for the film could be seen in almost every sizable neighborhood and on billboards across America. The trailers aired continuously during primetime on the Fox Family Channel and the NBC Television Network for ten straight days in late June. Even Good Morning America broadcast a special Independence Day edition the weekend before the premiere.

A print was also sent to the White House by the studios, allowing Bill Clinton and his family to enjoy a priority screening. Warner and Fox's media outlets constantly used Clinton as a talking point, endlessly churning out reports boasting of "the President's high praise."

It was no exaggeration to say that Independence Day utilized almost every movie promotion channel and distribution tactic available in this era.

Contacting the theater chains, preparing the film prints, securing the premiere theater, and inviting the premiere guests—these tasks naturally fell to the studios and distributors. For industry titans like Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox with their deep foundations, none of this was difficult.

Duke continued to strictly abide by the terms of his contract. Aside from offering a few rare suggestions, he basically didn't interfere with the distribution and marketing plan. Most of the time, he cooperated with the strategies laid out by the PR staff.

Setting aside the fact that he currently lacked the capital to act as a maverick, even if he did have it, he still had to follow certain rules. Those who ignored reality and thought they could single-handedly turn Hollywood upside down were destined only for ruin.

Hollywood was more than just the entertainment circle. Even though it was only the 1990s, the annual production value generated purely by movies and their related peripheral industries was already approaching a hundred billion dollars. Such a massive industry was closely watched by countless titans. If someone jumped out trying to break the rules, the consequences would be obvious.

Although the actual production cost of the film was only 90 million dollars, the paper and advertised budget remained at 100 million dollars. A super commercial blockbuster of this magnitude naturally required a fitting venue for its premiere. Thus, the premiere of Independence Day was held at the Shrine Grand Theater, one of the regular venues for the modern Oscar Awards Ceremony!

This was also the largest-scale premiere of Duke's directing career, though to be fair, he had only had two premieres to date.

Speed had opened with limited screenings and hadn't had a premiere ceremony at all. The Rock, to fit the theme and save money, had premiered at the Alcatraz Island Entertainment Plaza. But the premiere of Independence Day was not only held in one of America's most famous theaters; Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox had also sent out invitations to hundreds of media outlets worldwide. They were determined to make this premiere a spectacular and roaring success.

Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox weren't just targeting the North American market; they were also eyeing the overseas territories, which were generating increasingly massive profits.

On June 30, 1994, the last Thursday of June, Independence Day—the sci-fi action blockbuster with a production budget of 100 million dollars—kicked off its grand premiere at the Los Angeles Shrine Theater!