Chapter 124: Fierce Competition

Just like Jurassic Park, which had taken the summer season by storm the year before, Independence Day inevitably became the public enemy of every film currently in theaters the moment its opening-day box office numbers came out. Starting Saturday morning, the attacks in the media rang even louder than the day before. Judging solely by public opinion, the film was a massive flop, an absolute piece of trash.

In some ways, the situation exceeded Duke's expectations. He knew Hollywood was fiercely competitive and far from some pure, virtuous haven, but he had never imagined the rivalry would reach such extremes.

Walt Disney executives had just called him to offer their congratulations and goodwill, yet right on their heels, their affiliated media outlets were clamoring that the aliens in Independence Day had shockingly low IQs—how could they possibly invade Earth?

Media outlets closely tied to Sony Entertainment were continuously nitpicking the film's logical loopholes, itching to parade every single bug in front of the American public.

Duke had originally thought Independence Day had no strong competitors in its release window, assuming its theatrical run might go a bit smoother. He never expected that the film's massive $20-million-plus opening day would trigger every potential rival.

"Duke, you come from a privileged background. You probably aren't very familiar with low- and middle-income families in America, are you?"

Hearing Robin Grande speak from across the desk, Duke nodded. According to what some people used to say, America was paradise. Having lived here for over twenty years, however, he knew the place was definitely no paradise—though it wasn't hell, either. In essence, it wasn't much different from the country he used to live in: the rich were very rich, the poor were very poor, and human rights and all that were just a load of nonsense.

"Even though movies are a relatively cheap form of entertainment compared to income," Robin Grande continued, "for low- and middle-income earners, the budget they can set aside for movie tickets each month—or even for the entire summer season—is definitely limited. If they choose this film, they have to give up on another. And these are the very people who make up the main demographic driving the box office."

"So..." Duke immediately understood. "We're in potential competition with other films?"

"Look, Disney is smearing us for The Lion King, and Paramount is doing it for Forrest Gump," Robin Grande reminded him. "In fact, many of the voices attacking The Lion King and Forrest Gump last month came directly from Warner and Fox."

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

This was Duke's greatest realization. If he wanted to make it in Hollywood, he couldn't fear competition. What super blockbuster hadn't fought its way out of a siege? Even that massive ship had once been collectively ambushed by the media and film critics. And the result? It crushed every last shred of the critics' dignity!

Although he lacked James Cameron's heroic bravado to shout "I am the king of the world," Duke still wanted to see if he could use a massive blockbuster to tear off the film critics' fig leaf, much like Star Wars had done. After all, they had already declared war on him!

Retreating and escaping were absolutely not his style!

Meanwhile, Warner Brothers' Jeff Robinov had just watched Nancy Josephson leave his office before dialing the secretary's desk.

"Book me on the earliest flight to New York!"

Amidst the clamor of the media and the near white-hot slaughter of the summer season, Jeff Robinov decided to leave Los Angeles. He certainly wasn't running away from the competition; he was heading to Time Warner's headquarters in New York to seek the full support of the corporate group!

Just like The Rock, Independence Day was a project he had dedicated all his efforts to bring in and push forward. If it exceeded market expectations, he wouldn't just take home a massive bonus—he would also add a significant achievement to his resume.

After all, the current CEO, Kevin Tsujihara, was stepping down in September. If Jeff wanted to advance to a higher position and win the competition, he needed capital!

The Rock was his capital, and the success of Independence Day would become his capital as well.

Jeff Robinov had even fantasized that if Independence Day achieved market numbers anywhere near Jurassic Park, the CEO position would undoubtedly be his!

An hour later, Jeff Robinov boarded a flight to New York's Kennedy Airport. Although Time Warner had yet to truly show its hand, Warner Brothers had already mobilized a massive amount of resources.

Though the Warner Television Network was considered an underdog compared to the Big Four Television Networks, it still boasted a solid base of regular viewers. During the day on Saturday, Warner Television broadcast vans scattered across America—just like those of Fox Television—pulled up to the entrances of prominent theater chains in major cities.

While Fox Television focused its coverage on the audiences, Warner Television targeted the theater chains.

"Look for yourselves, there are already long lines forming."

Standing before the cameras, a theater manager pointed to the crowded yet orderly mass of people at the box office. "These people are lining up for one purpose only—to watch Independence Day! Our afternoon tickets are completely sold out; they can only buy tickets for the evening showings. This is the first time we've seen a situation like this all year. Even Jurassic Park didn't draw lines this long last year. The last time we saw a scene like this was for Terminator 2 back in 1991."

The broadcast cut to Chicago, featuring another theater chain manager.

"The audience is incredibly enthusiastic. The popularity of Independence Day has completely exceeded all expectations. The lines have spilled out past the theater doors, and all our daytime showings are entirely sold out. To accommodate the fans, we had to add four extra screenings on the fly, but it's still not enough to satisfy the demand..."

A short while later, the manager of a New York theater appeared on the screen.

"To meet the audience's demand, we've temporarily increased the screen share for Independence Day, bumping it up from its original fifty-three percent to sixty-two percent. Even with that adjustment, almost every auditorium is packed. We're currently considering raising the screen share even further."

Ultimately, whether highlighting everyday moviegoers or the reactions from the theater chains, this promotional blitz had only one goal: to suppress their competitors' negative rhetoric and the film critics' abysmal ratings to draw audiences into the theaters to buy tickets.

While some viewers were swayed by the negative press and critics and ultimately passed on the film, the long lines forming at prominent theater chains in major cities since Saturday noon proved one thing: released right on the eve of the holiday, Independence Day—through its release window, subject matter, marketing, and content—held more than enough appeal for the mainstream audience!

Data was the truest reflection of the market. Through the various hired research and consulting firms, first-hand statistics flowed continuously back to Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox, which were then forwarded to Duke without delay.

Around six o'clock that evening, Independence Day Studio remained brightly lit. Nancy Josephson hurried over from the Warner Building straight to Duke's office.

"The latest numbers." She couldn't hide the smile on her face. "As of right now, today—Saturday!—the box office for Independence Day has already crossed the 20-million-dollar mark!"

"Great news indeed!"

Sofia Coppola, who was organizing the interview notes Duke would need later, looked up and said, "Just like Duke told me, we really overestimated the critics' influence."

"What about audience word of mouth?" Duke asked. This was his main concern.

"The A-grade positive review rate slipped to eighty-six percent, which is a perfectly normal drop." Nancy Josephson pulled over a chair and sat across from Duke. "As for professional reviews... unfortunately, Duke, Independence Day is about to drop down to 3 points."

"Ignore them," Duke said after a moment's thought. "A lot of moviegoers have this mentality: as long as a film maintains a certain level of buzz, the harder the critics bash it, the more it actually fuels their curiosity."

Though none of them were psychology experts, all three knew this mindset was incredibly common among film fans.

"Alright, enough about that."

Nancy steered the conversation to another matter. "Warner just informed me that the reporter from the Los Angeles Times will be arriving in an hour. That same female reporter interviewed you last time, Duke. Let's run through the interview script one more time—this is a crucial part of our promotional campaign."

Duke gave a solemn nod. He had never been the type to stand idly by while others walked all over him, especially when his own major interests were on the line. Making a personal appearance wasn't an issue in the slightest; as long as the payout was big enough, he didn't mind having to dance with the devil.

Just as Sarah, the reporter from the Los Angeles Times, stepped into Independence Day Studio, final preparations were underway at a soundstage in Chicago for Roger Ebert & Siskel at the Movies. The program, which aired live only a handful of times a year, was about to broadcast nationwide across the cable television networks.

Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel sat in the dressing room while makeup artists busily worked on their faces. Their shared agent stood across from them, briefing them on the latest developments regarding the film they were about to review.

"I just got the news. Independence Day's box office has hit 20 million dollars today. Barring any surprises, it will surpass yesterday's numbers."

Under normal circumstances, Saturday's box office numbers would typically outpace Friday's for any film enjoying a weekend release.

Though this was a perfectly normal phenomenon, Roger Ebert's expression turned incredibly grim. These numbers proved that the critics' influence was nowhere near as immense as he had imagined! The mainstream audience was clearly ignoring his overwhelmingly negative review and his iconic thumbs-down!

For someone who believed his prestige and fame were paramount, being ignored was an absolutely terrifying prospect.

"Disney called," their agent continued. "Roger, they're hoping your critique can be even more scathing to make a bigger impact."

"I'll do my best."

Having accepted payoffs from certain people, he was obligated to get the job done for them. Roger Ebert understood this very clearly. "I have quite a bit prepared for Duke Rosenberg."

"Roger, I've got your back!"

Just like his old friend, Gene Siskel had pocketed a sizable sum for himself.

Once their makeup was done, the two renowned film critics—men who built their names on their supposed impartiality—ran through their scripts one last time before stepping into the live broadcast studio.