Chapter 123: Beat the Bad Guys to Death

Warner and Fox weren't just film studios; they controlled vast media networks capable of easily broadcasting their message across America. Moreover, Independence Day boasted a total investment of over $100 million, and its stellar midnight screening performance proved its blockbuster potential. With such massive profits on the line, they would pour ample resources into the project without anyone needing to prompt them.

Using ordinary moviegoers to influence other ordinary moviegoers was highly effective. While traditional media was nowhere near as convenient as the internet, it still vastly outperformed professional film critics, who forever sat on their high horses looking down on the general public with utter disdain.

Driven by Duke, this was bound to escalate into a public war of words between Independence Day and the critics. Although openly antagonizing the critics right now had many drawbacks, with this much profit on the line, Duke couldn't care less.

He was even ready to take the field personally when the time was right, clashing head-on with the critics just as Explosion Bay had in the past, all to draw more eyeballs and squeeze every possible dollar into the box office.

Similarly, as long as there was enough profit serving as bait, Warner and Fox would definitely stand on his side for now.

By that evening, the Fox Television Family Channel had already used theater live-links on an interactive broadcast to interview the throngs of ordinary moviegoers pouring out of the auditoriums.

High on soaring adrenaline, these fans made no secret of their love for Independence Day in front of the cameras.

"Independence Day is incredible! Absolutely thrilling!"

"Duke Rosenberg's movies are always this cool! It was a total rush!"

"Those explosions, that fire—Independence Day gave me all the visual impact I wanted!"

Likely carried away by the soaring emotions the film delivered, the ecstatic moviegoers jostled for space in front of the cameras, desperate to share their joy with the audience as people constantly shouted out.

"Welcome to Earth, aliens! You have advanced tech, but we have American soldiers who can wipe out anything!"

"I absolutely loved the President's speech! It was so powerful! I'm ready to enlist right now!"

Suddenly, a noticeably calm face squeezed up to the reporter's microphone and, in a flat tone, delivered a rather extraordinary statement.

"Duke Rosenberg is the man on Earth best equipped to destroy the planet! He's an explosion maniac!"

That line instantly struck a chord with the surrounding moviegoers. The chaotic chatter suddenly unified into a single frequency.

"Explosion maniac!"

"Explosion maniac!"

In a repair shop on the outskirts of Los Angeles, a group of Latinos sat around drinking beers. Hearing the chants erupt from the television, they couldn't help but look up.

"What are they doing?" one of them asked in confusion.

"Looks like they're supporting a movie and its director," someone answered.

Someone who knew a bit more about it explained, "It's Independence Day, a new movie that just came out. I saw the trailer, and it looks pretty good."

"They're so excited."

The first man pointed at the screen. "The movie must be amazing."

"Oh, right, there's a fighter pilot in it who looks just like us," the last man added. "He saves the world in the movie. I figure we should go see it?"

"Really?"

These minorities were all visibly moved. After all, when people who looked like them appeared in commercial blockbusters, they rarely played such earth-shattering heroes. "Then let's go check it out tomorrow or the day after."

As for the critics? Who could expect film critics to influence guys like them?

In a Black neighborhood in New York Queens, a Black family listened to their neighbors rave about how the Black lead character defeated the aliens. After catching the television broadcast, they decided to hit the theaters this weekend. Compared to their income, going to the movies was still one of the more affordable ways for the family to have fun.

On Long Island, a middle-aged couple of Jewish descent sat in front of the television with their daughter. Watching the broadcast, they also looked incredibly intrigued.

"Dad, Mom," the big-eyed girl said to her parents. "I saw this crew when they were filming in Central Park. I think the lead actor is Jewish, and the director is of Jewish descent too. Why don't we go to the theater together tomorrow?"

"Sure!"

Looking across America, countless people were making the decision at this exact moment to see the movie tomorrow or the day after.

In a shared apartment near Yale University, a similar debate was unfolding.

"Have you guys read the papers? Almost every film critic is criticizing Independence Day. I think we should skip it!"

"Critics? Please, since when are their words ever trustworthy? I'd rather believe an exaggerated tabloid report than a critic's review!"

"Exactly. Look at them!" someone said, pointing at the television. "They're the same age as us! They're all saying Independence Day is a good movie! Then look at those critics—a bunch of old men in their forties or fifties. Do you honestly think they have the same tastes we do?"

"That makes total sense!"

The same scene played out among many young people. They weren't a generation that worshipped authority to begin with, and anyone with a shred of sense knew those critics were a good half a Pacific Ocean away from true authority anyway.

Even the best promotional campaigns needed time to ferment. Friday, July 1st was drawing to a close, and although Warner and Fox's numerous media outlets were firing on all cylinders, the specific results wouldn't be clear until tomorrow's box office figures rolled in.

For most corporate employees, Saturday marked the start of their rest. But for Hollywood film companies knee-deep in the Summer Season, weekends were often their busiest time. This was especially true for Sony Columbia Pictures, which had a new movie slated for the following weekend.

They had to finalize pre-release promotions, coordinate with theater chains to expand their screen count as much as possible, produce film prints and ship them to theaters across America, and keep a close eye on their competitors, analyzing whether the opposition's strength would impact their own movie.

Sony Columbia Pictures had been closely monitoring the already-released Independence Day and the upcoming True Lies. The Shawshank Redemption, which they were co-financing and distributing, had no competitors of comparable strength on its opening weekend. Instead, the films releasing the week before and the week after looked like a much bigger threat.

Among them, Independence Day was the primary target of Sony Columbia's scrutiny. After all, if the film proved to be a massive hit, it would inevitably suffocate the survival space for next week's releases.

Right at the start of the workday, John Ralph, the deputy head of distribution at Sony Columbia, strode into the office of the distribution head, Jack Muschielli. As the two men sat across the desk from one another, both wore rather grim expressions.

"The opening day numbers for Independence Day are in," Ralph said, doing his best to keep his voice steady. "2,885 theaters, $22.54 million! The situation is not looking good. If the critics hadn't unanimously slammed the film, its single-day box office could have very likely broken past $25 million!"

"What about the other metrics?" Jack Muschielli asked calmly.

"Audience word-of-mouth is slipping, but not very noticeably. Its 'A' rating has held steady at around eighty-eight percent. Moreover, the youth student demographic—the core audience of the Summer Season—is giving the film incredibly high praise."

Thinking it over, Ralph added, "However, the professional score for Independence Day is still plummeting and has already dropped to 3.3. Someone is obviously pulling strings behind the scenes. The reactions from the most famous batch of film critics have been far too extreme."

"That is a good thing," Jack Muschielli said, lightly tapping his desk. "Independence Day blowing up does us absolutely zero favors. It is only its first weekend, so the impact isn't too severe yet, but if it maintains this strong momentum into next week, it is definitely going to affect The Shawshank Redemption, especially its number of screening theaters."

This was a very obvious truth, and Ralph naturally understood it. While North America's total screen count was constantly growing, theater space was strictly limited during the cutthroat Summer Season. If a single film became super popular, causing its screen share to skyrocket, it would inevitably impact the number of screens available for other films. And the most direct result of reduced screen counts was diminished box office revenue.

Therefore, he said, "Jack, since someone is already targeting Independence Day, why don't we give them a push from behind?"

"My thoughts exactly," Jack Muschielli smiled. "I've already discussed it with the CEO. Sony Entertainment is going to mobilize every media outlet it can influence to snipe Independence Day as much as possible. Ideally, by next weekend, this film's box office will take a dive and be abandoned by a portion of theaters. That way, we can secure a higher opening theater count."

Competition in Hollywood was omnipresent. Even though The Lion King had been out for two weeks and had passed its most heated phase, its teenage demographic overlapped with Independence Day, putting them in a certain degree of competition.

Just as Sony Columbia Pictures was discussing the mobilization of certain subsidiary resources to sabotage Independence Day, the higher-ups at Walt Disney were discussing the exact same issue.

"$22.54 million? That is a remarkable achievement! Have someone continue to engage with Duke Rosenberg's agent and strive to get the investment opportunity for his next movie."

This Mickey Mouse, which was currently marching toward becoming a massive media empire, had only one ruler. Michael Eisner's domineering voice left no room for anyone in the conference room to question him. "Ramp up the promotional efforts for The Lion King! At the same time, mobilize our media outlets to publish more reports slamming Independence Day!"

"Also, isn't Roger Ebert viciously attacking Duke Rosenberg's movie? I don't care whose PR he accepted—this benefits Disney! Broadcast this week's episode of Roger Ebert and Siskel at the Movies on the Disney Family Channel to expand the influence of their remarks as much as possible!"

Profit was always the starting point for cooperation and competition in Hollywood. After Michael Eisner's voice faded, someone called Nancy Josephson to show goodwill. Someone else called to notify their various media subsidiaries to intensify their attacks against Independence Day. And someone else issued a notice to shift Roger Ebert and Siskel at the Movies from its original broadcast on a local Disney station to the Disney Family Channel, a network with far greater influence that could be seen across all of America!

Even without an opponent of the same caliber in the same release window, Independence Day still faced fierce competition!