Chapter 76: Competition

People hurried across the Warner Bros. office floor. Even though he had just rushed back to Burbank from San Francisco in the early hours of the morning, Charles Roven was brimming with energy. Clutching the latest statistics, he strode up to Jeff Robinov's office, knocked twice, and pushed the door open.

"Jeff..." He walked straight to the desk, speaking before he even sat down. "The midnight box office numbers and audience reception are in."

Jeff Robinov looked up, and Roven spoke rapidly. "Playing in 2,512 theaters for the midnight screenings, The Rock took in 3.28 million dollars—nearly 800,000 more than we projected! Our polling firm immediately surveyed 5,877 moviegoers. The A-plus rating is seventy-eight percent, the A-and-above rating is ninety-two percent, and the C-and-below rating is less than one percent!"

Charles Roven's voice carried a faint thrill. Although he knew the midnight audience was limited and mostly comprised action movie fans—giving the ratings a natural bump—such explosive midnight word-of-mouth was something even the critically acclaimed Batman had never achieved, let alone last year's Batman Returns!

"Duke didn't let us down!"

Jeff Robinov slowly exhaled. He had his share of rivals within Warner Bros., and throwing his full support behind Duke's new film had put him under considerable pressure. The better-than-expected midnight box office and audience reception might not completely dictate the film's final trajectory, but it still proved a great deal.

"I feel like the 2,512 theaters we fought for in our opening week was a bit too conservative." Charles Roven finally took a seat.

"It can't be helped, Charles," Jeff Robinov said, shaking his head. "CAA and Twentieth Century Fox have also poured massive resources into Interview with the Vampire. There are only so many theaters and screens in North America. With them standing in our way, we couldn't possibly secure around 3,000 theaters like Batman did."

Charles Roven understood this. He also knew that with Warner Bros. in the picture, Interview with the Vampire couldn't dream of reaching a 3,000-theater release scale either.

Competition was ubiquitous in Hollywood. From scripts to roles, from actors and funding to directors and theater chains, every aspect was a battlefield where studios and their projects fought tooth and nail. Did small companies with distribution rights want to launch a wide release and compete directly against the majors? On the theater front alone, top-tier distributors would crush them.

"What about Interview with the Vampire?" Jeff Robinov thought of their rival.

"Its box office is also a bit better than we anticipated." Charles Roven leaned back in his chair. "In 2,689 theaters for the midnight screenings, it made 3.97 million dollars!"

"However..." His eyes flashed. "According to internal feedback from the polling firm, Interview with the Vampire had a significant number of ticket purchases across major cities where the buyers never actually entered the theater."

Jeff Robinov instantly grasped Charles Roven's implication and nodded. "Tom Cruise must have stepped in to prop up the box office. This isn't the first time."

Hollywood stars spending their own money to buy box office was a common occurrence, and Tom Cruise was absolutely one of its most renowned practitioners.

"If we calculate it that way," Charles Roven added, "the midnight box office for Interview with the Vampire is indeed higher than The Rock, but the gap definitely isn't as large as the numbers suggest."

"What about the reception?"

Hearing Robinov's question, Charles Roven flipped through the documents in his hand. "According to current statistics on professional reviews, Interview with the Vampire averages an 8.7, while The Rock only has a 7.6."

"Don't mention those." Robinov wagged a finger. "Critics' reviews don't mean much for summer season films. I mean the audience reception."

"This is leaked from inside Twentieth Century Fox." Roven sped up his delivery as much as possible. "Interview with the Vampire received 6,125 audience feedback forms from its midnight screenings. The A-plus rating is sixty-three percent, the A-and-above rating is seventy-nine percent, and the C-and-below rating is 2.1 percent."

The two men went on to discuss several other matters, such as theater chains and promotional strategies.

Meanwhile, in the Century City Fox building, the principal creators and project heads of Interview with the Vampire—including Tom Cruise—were also scrutinizing similar statistics. Such polling data was never a secret, and it was hardly difficult for the major studios to obtain it.

After discussing the upcoming promotional plans, only Tom Cruise, his agent, and the Fox executives remained in the conference room.

"We've fallen behind in audience reception."

Everyone present was a seasoned industry professional, so very few paid attention to critical reviews, nor was the purpose of this film to chase awards. "Although we hold an advantage at the box office, a huge part of that is due to Tom's star power."

As soon as Pat Kingsley finished speaking, Tom Cruise spoke directly to the Fox CEO. "Thomas, I suggest that, aside from the normal promotion for Interview with the Vampire, we need to put some thought into The Rock."

His words earned the approval of the majority. Smearing a competitor while promoting one's own film was a standard competitive tactic for major Hollywood studios.

"I'll contact the media," Martin Bob said.

"Mm..." Thomas Rothman nodded. "I will personally call Regal Entertainment Group and AMG Chain Group to squeeze the theater count for The Rock as much as possible for next week!"

The competition between films wasn't fought in the open with drawn swords and frontal charges; much of the real work took place entirely behind the scenes.

Warner Bros. knew this, Twentieth Century Fox knew this, and Duke knew this as well.

After getting the midnight box office numbers and audience reviews for both films from Robin Grande, Duke wasn't overly surprised, nor was he too worried. Neither Interview with the Vampire nor The Rock was the kind of garbage film that nobody cared about. If the former maintained its original standard, it would absolutely be a formidable rival.

"If you want to succeed, you can't be afraid of competition!"

Standing before the full-length mirror and straightening his clothes, Duke spoke to Shania Twain, who seemed to be walking a little awkwardly behind him. "Any successful director has fought their way out of a competitive siege. If you want to stand at the pinnacle of any industry, you can't hide from your rivals!"

"Then why didn't you wait until next month to compete with Jurassic Park?"

The person saying this was definitely not Shania Twain. Just by hearing that monotonous nasal tone, Duke knew it was Sofia Coppola sitting on the sofa.

"Because there's nothing wrong up here." Duke pointed to his head first, then turned and glared at Sofia. "Does knocking me down make you happy?"

"It's extremely fun."

Sofia shrugged. Her dark eyes casually drifted over Shania Twain's body before she raised her voice slightly to remind him, "It's about time. We should hurry back to Burbank. Don't forget, you still have to go to the NBC studio tonight with Nicolas and the others to rehearse for tomorrow's live broadcast."

"I'll be done in a second." Duke waved a hand at her.

"I have to go too."

Shania Twain came up behind him and murmured, "I'll remember you, honey."

Duke turned his head and gave her hand a squeeze. "Hopefully, we'll have another chance."

That kind of thing was too hard to guarantee. Although the film and music circles had plenty of overlap, Shania Twain lived in Nashville, the mecca of country music. If she became famous, the ensuing gigs and national—or even global—tours would drain all of her time and energy.

Shania Twain went to find her agent to prepare for her return to Nashville. Duke and Sofia left the Fairmont Hotel and drove directly onto the highway toward Burbank.

"Didn't you say the opening week of a film release is always so stressful you can barely sleep?"

Once they were out of the city, the traffic smoothed out considerably, and Sofia started chatting with Duke. "I didn't expect you to still have the energy to pick up girls."

"Sofia, didn't you say it yourself?" Duke could hear the hint of sarcasm in her words, but he had long grown accustomed to her tone. "It's the best way to relieve stress and anxiety, and forget your troubles, isn't it?"

"Twisted logic!" Sofia Coppola curled her lip.

The two took turns driving. By the time they arrived in Burbank, it was nearing dusk. After grabbing a quick bite somewhere, they hurried to the NBC studio in Burbank.

Tomorrow night's show was a live broadcast. Even though the rehearsal wasn't complicated, a basic walk-through was indispensable. The NBC talk show was also a vital link in the promotional campaign drawn up by Warner Bros. By the time Duke walked into the green room, Nicholas Cage, Ed Harris, and Christopher Lee, along with their respective agents, were already sitting there, familiarizing themselves with the run of show.

Of course, Duke's agent, Nancy Josephson, was also waiting in the green room.

Like all talk shows, the vast majority of segments and questions were communicated in advance with the guests' agents or publicists. Long before The Rock hit theaters, the agents for the cast and the Warner Bros. publicists had coordinated this appearance, leaving out only a handful of routinely reserved questions.

They stayed busy until nearly nine at night, when the walk-through finally came to a close. After reminding Nancy to report the opening day box office to him the first moment she got it tomorrow, Duke went straight back to his apartment in North Hollywood.