[Chapter 467: 007 Premiere Box Office]
Sucks~
"What's that smell?"
Late in the afternoon, almost time to clock out, Lily walked into the office and took a sniff.
"Smell something? I don't smell anything," Link glanced at the several tissues in the wastebasket and kicked the wastebasket under the desk with his foot.
Lily winked with her sparkling eyes and gently nudged him with her elbow mockingly, "Aishwarya huh? I thought you were busy at work, but turns out you're busy with this stuff in the office, huh?"
"I'm just relaxing after finishing my work. Don't think I'm slacking off," Link replied.
Seeing her about to tease him more, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and said, "Okay, honey, time to quit for today. Let's take it easy tonight."
Lily rolled her eyes, pulled his arm off her shoulder, folded it across her chest, and walked out.
---
In its first week, Tomorrow Never Dies grossed $58.12 million across 2,807 theaters in North America, making it the top box office contender that week.
Among movies released in the same period, except for Disney's sports-themed film He Got Game, other films performed poorly -- grossing less than $5 million each.
This week, Kill Bill brought in $3.73 million. After ten weeks, it accumulated $82.75 million in North America and about $65.19 million internationally. Considering its $30 million production cost, the results were quite solid.
However, Quentin Tarantino's expectations were very high. When the box office didn't surpass $100 million after ten weeks, he was deeply disappointed. He frequently called Link to complain that audiences had poor taste -- preferring junk over quality movies like Kill Bill.
Link secretly smiled, knowing Quentin was poking fun at the commercial films he produced, but he didn't mind.
He reassured Quentin that audiences have sharp eyes. A movie you dislike is like food that doesn't suit your palate. No one forces you to eat something you don't want, it's just self-torment.
Besides 007 and Kill Bill, other notable movies this week included four films released by Guess Pictures in March and April.
First was the fantasy comedy Practical Magic starring Nicole Kidman and Cameron Diaz. Released in early March and screening for eight weeks, it garnered $40.15 million in North America. With a $28 million budget, plus overseas earnings, sponsorships, and home video revenue, it's expected to make a modest profit.
Second was the romantic comedy The Object of My Affection starring Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd. It tells the story of Nina Borowski falling for a gay man. Despite a $21 million budget and two popular stars -- Jennifer Aniston and Kate Beckinsale -- the box office was mediocre. It earned $28.3 million in six weeks and would need international markets to turn a profit.
Third was I Know What You Did Last Summer, a low-budget thriller similar to last year's hit Scream. It follows a group of young people who accidentally kill a pedestrian and dispose of the body, only to face revenge a year later. Ryan Phillippe, Naomi Watts, and Sarah Michelle Gellar starred. Produced for $12 million, it earned $54.21 million after four weeks in North America. Total North American revenue is expected to reach $80 million. Including international sales, the film made over ten times its budget. It was definitely a blockbuster.
Fourth was Taxi, a comedy funded by Rose Films. The film was released late last year in France, where it made $55 million, plus $12 million internationally -- ten times its budget. However, due to cultural and language differences, its North American performance was unimpressive. After three weeks, it made less than $8 million.
Rose Films had high hopes but earned very little from the industry.
Overall, before the summer season, Guess Pictures' eight films performed well. None crossed $100 million box office in North America, but Kill Bill and I Know What You Did Last Summer came close.
---
"I thought I was famous enough, with strong box office pull, and that this movie would make at least $50 million, but it turned out just okay," Jennifer Aniston lamented while flipping through a movie magazine.
After Friends' first three seasons aired, she became a household name across the US -- the "America's sweetheart" -- her fame even surpassing many top film stars, and people cheered her wherever she went.
She was everywhere in ads -- on TV and billboards.
But the downside was that people strongly associated her with her Friends character Rachel Green. No matter her role, the shadow of Rachel lingered, distracting audiences during her movies.
This was also a reason The Object of My Affection underperformed.
Another reason was its average script. The story about a woman falling in love with a gay man was niche. Earning over $28 million in six weeks was decent in that context.
"That role doesn't suit you that well. Rachel Green is sweet, headstrong, dependent, vain, and arrogant. You played that so well that everyone thinks you are like that. It's a stereotype. When you don't act like Rachel Green, people can't accept the change and won't see the movie," Link said, wrapping his arm around her.
"Will that affect The Truman Show?"
"Not really. Your character there is similar to Rachel Green: naive and a bit vain. Audiences will accept it more."
That's why Link chose Aniston as the lead. But if preview ratings weren't good, he planned to replace her. The lead role wasn't too demanding, so a reshoot wouldn't be too troublesome.
"Link, what's your next movie? Why haven't you started casting?" Lisa Kudrow asked, setting down her magazine.
Courteney Cox and Drew Barrymore joined in on the topic.
"Pirates of the Caribbean is a fantasy adventure. The project was prepped since early last year, with roles selected then. The male lead is Johnny Depp. Leonardo DiCaprio was originally the supporting actor but was too popular and unavailable. A British actor was cast instead. The female lead is Catherine Zeta-Jones, chosen for her classical beauty. Only special supporting roles require auditions," Link explained.
"Too bad I didn't get a chance to be in it," Drew Barrymore pouted.
"I remember you had three films this year," Link said.
Columbia Pictures' Ever After, Warner Bros. Pictures' Home Fries, and MGM Pictures' Never Been Kissed were all romantic comedies with Drew in the lead.
"Yep, no shortage of roles. But this one's your movie -- nobody'd want to miss it. I learned a lot from you filming Batman Forever last time," Drew grinned.
"There's a chance. MGM sent me a script for an action movie with a female lead. Interested?"
"I'm interested!" Drew exclaimed before he finished.
"No need to shout. You're always loudest in bed," Jennifer Aniston teased, pinching Drew's cheeks playfully.
Link smiled. "It's an action movie with lots of fight scenes. If interested, you should train more. Milla, Diaz, and Jolie have started training -- you can join."
"Four heroines in one movie?"
"Three. You team up with Diaz. Milla and Jolie have other projects."
The studio currently had three female-led action films: Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, and Charlie's Angels -- all potential franchises. Actors had to train before filming. Poor performance meant possible replacement.
"Got it. I'll train hard," Drew said, happily throwing herself into his arms, seductively.
Jennifer, Lisa, and Courteney watched Drew's antics and didn't interrupt until Drew shouted for help -- they then stepped in.
*****
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