Blockbusters usually wrap up faster than indie films.
Take Tom Hanks' *Cast Away*—a ten-month shoot. Two months on, six months off for him to drop weight and nail that stranded-on-an-island look, then two more months to finish. In that six-month break, director Robert Zemeckis even squeezed in a commercial flick for DreamWorks, *What Lies Beneath*.
*Spider-Man*? Three months, start to finish.
Dunn booked three soundstages from Twentieth Century Fox. By October, they'd mostly wrapped the California scenes. Next stop: New York, for the big Times Square crowd shots.
That's a massive setup—over 12,000 extras hired, with their pay alone topping $8 million.
Dunn's storyboard featured tons of shots with the Manhattan World Trade Center. Post-9/11, those'll be a relic.
Right now, the crew's filming a last-minute scene Dunn tossed in.
It's simple: Peter Parker overhears Mary Jane getting chewed out by her dad again. Through the window, he sees her step into the yard, looking downcast.
Peter wants to comfort her but fumbles, not sure what to say. So, he hands her a book.
"Mary, I… I'm sorry about what's going on at your place," Peter stammers, all nerves.
Mary Jane forces a smile. "It's fine. I'm used to it."
Peter sighs. "Here, take this book. Back when everyone was picking on me, I'd read for a bit. It's pretty fun."
Mary Jane takes it and giggles. "*Harry Potter*? Peter, you're still into teen books?"
"Doesn't matter, as long as it's good. Kind of like with a partner—might not seem like a match at first, but if you pay attention, you might find a lot in common."
"Alright, Peter, thanks for the book. I'll definitely give it a read."
…
"Nice, that's a take!"
Dunn lets out a breath, catching Nina Jacobson's half-smirk as she walks over. He shrugs. "You know, that company's greenlighting it next year. Gotta sneak in some promo."
As the film's producer, Nina's on top of her game. "You could've worked the ad in smoother. That felt a little forced."
"Forced ads stick in people's heads, don't they?"
"Sure, but it can drag the movie down."
Dunn smirks, oozing confidence. "If a ten-second shot tanks my film, then I'm not much of a director!"
Just then, George Paxton rushes over, out of breath. "Dunn, someone's targeting *Wedding Crashers*."
"Hm?"
Dunn's eyes narrow.
Ever since *Titanic* blew up and his old rival Jon Landau got booted from Hollywood, no one's dared to take him on headfirst.
Even Twentieth Century Fox's president, Tom Rothman, only pulls sneaky stuff behind the scenes.
With Reese Witherspoon off filming, George Paxton's handling Dunn's day-to-day. He says, "It's Bruce Willis."
"Who?"
Dunn thinks he misheard.
Bruce Willis?
They've never even met, let alone crossed paths. Why would he come at Dunn?
Maybe he's just a blunt guy who misspoke?
Dunn shakes his head. That might fly for someone like Tom Cruise, who's all charisma and no filter, but Bruce Willis? He's a tough guy with a sharp mind.
Nina Jacobson catches on first. "Because of *The Sixth Sense*?"
Dunn's eyes widen. It clicks.
Disney's been building itself into a media empire lately, but their movie game's been shaky. Then came *The Sixth Sense*—a $40 million suspense thriller starring Bruce Willis that gave them a much-needed boost.
Two months in, it's pulled over $200 million in North America, $250 million overseas, and a global haul of $450 million.
In 1999, that's second only to the juggernaut *Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace*.
But *The Sixth Sense* could've done even better.
August is usually the tail end of summer blockbuster season. Big-budget flicks steer clear, leaving room for smaller films to breathe.
*The Sixth Sense* smartly slid into that gap, locking in an August release.
Too bad it ran smack into *Wedding Crashers*.
With an $18 million budget and a less starry cast, *Wedding Crashers* still landed in over 3,000 theaters and raked it in.
It's no *Sixth Sense*, but it's a dark horse this year. Two months out, it's hit $150 million in North America and $50 million overseas.
Here's the kicker: *Wedding Crashers* is a rom-com, built for the long haul with steady legs. *The Sixth Sense*, after two months, is seeing its box office drop off a cliff—it can't keep up.
Bashing *Wedding Crashers* now is the perfect way to yank audiences back to *The Sixth Sense*.
Still, Dunn's puzzled. *Wedding Crashers* is a Dunn Pictures production, distributed by Twentieth Century Fox.
Bruce Willis might be a big shot, but taking on Fox?
"What'd he say?" Dunn asks, confused.
George Paxton shrugs. "I don't remember the exact words, but the gist was *Wedding Crashers* is brainless—only idiots watch it. Smart people pick *The Sixth Sense*. He said it on a talk show. It's blowing up."
Dunn's face darkens. He's pissed.
Classic move—tear someone else down to prop yourself up. Low blow.
Nina Jacobson, with stints running production at Universal and DreamWorks, knows movie marketing inside out. She senses something's off and cautions, "Dunn, during a film's run, the lead's every word has to line up with the studio."
Dunn squints. "You're saying Disney's behind him?"
George chimes in, "I think so too. After Willis' interview, papers ran with it, ABC's fanning the flames—it's coordinated."
"Disney? Heh, interesting!"
Dunn lets out a weird laugh, cold and sharp.
He's been playing it safe, keeping a low profile, storing up his strength. Last thing he wants is enemies everywhere.
Back when *Titanic* dropped, Hollywood came down hard on him—it nearly derailed his plans.
But even with his tail tucked, Disney's still taking a cheap shot.
Nina, as Marvel Studios' president and Dunn's direct report, worries he'll lose it and go toe-to-toe with Disney. "Dunn, stay cool!"
He gives her a calm glance and shakes his head. "Don't worry, I've never been this level-headed."
Nina hesitates, then decides to lay it out. "Dunn, I think this ties back to me too."
"You?"
Dunn's genuinely shocked.
Yeah, he poached Nina Jacobson from Disney's production team to run Marvel Studios, but she was sidelined there. Putting talent to good use isn't a crime, right?
Nina sighs. "*The Sixth Sense*—I greenlit it back in the day."
Dunn's eyebrow shoots up. "What?"
"Me and M. Night Shyamalan go way back—he's the director. He pitched me the project, I vetted it, sent it up to Disney's production department."
"So without you, *The Sixth Sense* wouldn't exist?" Dunn already knew Nina was sharp, but this level of foresight?
Nina nods. "Pretty much."
"And now it's a hit, Disney's kicking themselves for letting you go?" Dunn's smirk turns icy.
Nina's resolute. "Dunn, I'm not going back to Disney. I'm gonna make Marvel Studios something big."
"I'm not doubting you." Dunn waves it off, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "It's just funny—Disney benched a talent like you, I scoop you up, they realize what they lost, and now they're mad at me? Real classy."
Nina shrugs. "That's Disney for you—money's all they see. Who even remembers Walt Disney was a person anymore?"
Dunn mulls it over in silence. "Twentieth Century Fox is distributing *Wedding Crashers*. We're in this together. Let them deal with Disney."
"You're going after Bruce Willis?" Nina gasps.
Dunn sneers. "I can't touch Disney, but Bruce Willis? Him I'm not scared of. Tom Cruise either—I don't care!"
George's all fired up. "Yeah, I've been sick of that meathead for ages. Time to teach him a lesson!"
Nina, more cautious by nature, warns, "Dunn, I'd play it safe. He's *The Sixth Sense*'s star—hit him, and you're poking at their cash cow. Disney won't let it slide."
"But he can't just trash us in the press!" George snaps, teeth clenched.
"Trash talk, huh?"
Dunn's eyes light up, a sly grin spreading. "Yeah, trash talk. That's pretty fun."
"Huh? Dunn, what's that mean?" Nina blinks, thrown.
Dunn flicks his sleeve with a cocky flourish. "Simple—give 'em a taste of their own medicine!"
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