Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"When Harry Met Sally" continues to be screened on a small scale in big cities. The audience's reputation is very good. Coupled with the East Coast's preference for Ronald and the love of East Coast lifestyle dramas, many cinemas have appeared. It’s hard to get a ticket, and scalpers are selling double the tickets.

Ronald convened the Daydream team to discuss countermeasures and see if there was any way to increase the number of theaters showing the movie. The summer film schedule is so full that major studios have booked their schedules a year in advance. It is almost impossible to get in on When Harry Met Sally and get it scheduled.

Fortunately, Ronald had a friend who ran a movie theater, Thomas W. Stephenson Jr., the director and general manager of Hollywood Cinemas. He has chain cinemas in several states on the east coast, plus several cinemas owned by Ronald himself and several new multiplex cinemas in major cities invested by Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia. Finally, he can spend the afternoon and early evening slots, more for “When Harry Met Sally.”

Generally speaking, screenings are not during prime time, but during less important time slots from afternoon to evening. Ronald's new film has done well at the box office and he has good connections. The cinema managers are also happy to open more evening shows to increase the box office. After all, the box office of some series of movie sequels this year has dropped too fast.

These theaters have also become popular with audiences eager to see "When Harry Met Sally" in advance. Many of them are urban white-collar workers. Because they are busy with work, they rarely have free time during movie screening periods, so they can only rush to grab weekend tickets.

This time, the ticket sales situation on the East Coast has greatly eased.

In addition, the weekend is the Fourth of July, a three-day holiday in a row. Ronald hopes that the week before the official release, When Harry Met Sally can still maintain a single-room weekend of more than 15,000 US dollars. box office.

"It's all the big trouble caused by Batman." Michelle Cannold lamented from the side. This comic book movie is so awesome. The second weekend's box office still broke records (not counting Batman's debut record), reaching $30 million.

Whenever a movie released with him has some flaws, it's like bad luck.

Ghostbusters 2 and Raiders of the Lost Ark have both fallen below the 10 million box office mark. There are less than 8 million left, which is much lower than original expectations. The average weekend box office for a single theater dropped to more than $3,000.

Only The Kid 3 and Dead Poets Society can still maintain a box office of $6,000 per theater. However, Dead Poets Society is already in its fifth week of release, and its reputation is very strong. It will depend on how many people support the follow-up to The Last of Us 3.

The aura that Ovitz's packaged project was sure to be a hit was shattered. In a tough competition against Batman in the summer, Ghostbusters’ domestic box office has been lowered to just over 100 million. Studios had doubts about his vision.

Even Sony, which was in the process of finalizing the acquisition of Columbia, began to pay little attention to him, which made Ovitz very depressed.

"Ronald, should we arrange a few more fan meetings?" Weintraub called. He was very nervous about the box office of Dragon King 3.

A large number of investors and creditors were very concerned about Weintraub's financial situation. This movie is proof that his magic can continue.

These Wall Street investors don’t understand artistic creation at all, and they don’t want to understand it. Analysts prefer to use some definite quantitative analysis to look at a company's profitability.

Wall Street's big move into Hollywood has not lasted long, and most people still have to relearn common sense in the industry.

Now they know a lot about the secrets to Hollywood's box-office success. For example: the magical aura of a director or producer generally does not last forever.

In as little as two or three years, or as long as ten years, the director or producer will lose the magic power to turn stone into gold and make one movie a hit.

Anyone who can produce box-office hits in different eras is a genius who only comes out every twenty years and is a rare breed.

This is very demanding on investors’ vision. You don’t want to invest in a Hollywood talent after three years and two movies, only to have him enter a period of decline.

"We can make more arrangements in Chinatowns in major cities, Little Tokyo, and Little Seoul. We can also link up with karate halls in various places to do some promotions." Ronald has already seen the box office figures for the second week. .

The box office success of The Kid 3 is unlikely to be able to sustain the magic of the first two films. Trading a small cost for a box office success of over 100 million is a matter of one thing or another.

Tsui Hark's flying and escaping action scenes can only be accepted by some ordinary American audiences except for the Asian cultural circle. Many viewers who are not die-hard fans of the first two movies are still very confused after watching it.

"What do you think the box office of the third part will be? Can it reach or be close to the level of the first two parts?" Michelle Cannold was also unsure about this new action type, and asked Ronald what he thought in turn. .

"As Confucius said, do your best at what you can do and leave the rest to fate."

Ronald knew in his heart that there was a high probability that the third volume would not reach over 100 million. If it could stop at around 70 million, it would be a great success.

…

Daydream's marketing and distribution team mainly focused on "When Harry Met Sally". Whether Weintraub can climb out of the pit depends on his own luck.

This time Ronald and Billy Crystal flew to New York on a business jet with the team for the premiere. Diane stayed in Los Angeles by herself. She felt tired easily recently and needed to rest at home.

"Do you think there are really such couples in this world? They slowly turn from friends to lovers, and then live happily together..." On the plane, Ronald's assistant Fat Girl Lake asked them about the girls Topics of greatest interest. Men like Harry, played by Billy Crystal, are ideal partners for girls, except for being slightly bald and slightly inappropriate.

"Actually, that's not the case. Harry and Sally are not a match made in heaven, but they are both mature enough and know how to forgive and considerate."

Billy Crystal refused to answer the question, and in the end it was director Ronald who came out to answer the questions of the girls.

The ending of the movie, in fact, almost became a tragedy. Ronald deliberately arranged for the two of them to turn upside down under the care of God for the sake of box office results.

For example, after Harry slept with Sally, he didn't know how to deal with the relationship and fled Sally's house just like he did with his one-night stand. Sally became very angry after this and ignored Harry for half a year.

Ordinary men would give up. But Harry understood Sally's sensitive psychology and knew that such a woman was rare. He continued to call Sally for several months to ask for forgiveness.

In this way, the two still almost passed each other. Ronald and screenwriter Nora Ephron worked hard to arrange Harry's passionate confession at the Christmas party. The right time and place allowed Harry to have a second chance.

"I think there must be good men in America... Actually, I think you and your wife, Ronald, are just like this movie." Fat Girl Lake admired Ronald quite a lot. In his eyes, Ronald is Harry in life, and he is even more handsome than Christo.

"Hey..." Ronald almost choked and touched his ears, "Actually, I'm not the moral model you imagined."

Among the staff of Daydream, there are many people who like the female characters played by Ronald. They also think that Ronald is the man who understands women’s hearts best. Several female employees have become Ronald’s fan.

…

"Ronnie..."

The plane landed at the business jet airport, and bodyguard Dan and driver Bud Jr. went to pick up the car. Helen Slater, who had been waiting in the airport lounge for more than half an hour, rushed up excitedly and hugged Ronald tightly.

"Well..." Ronald hadn't seen Helen for a long time. He hugged her, leaned against the wall and kissed her passionately.

Helen was still wearing very ordinary clothes, a white T-shirt and yellow shorts, paired with her blond hair and fair skin, which gave people a stunning feeling.

"Wait a minute...why are you in such a hurry?" Helen pushed Ronald away, looked around, and combed the messed up hair. She hadn't seen Ronald for a long time, "Where's Bud? Let's go home quickly."

"Uh..." The fat girl's assistant Lake happened to pass by the door. She was here to wait for her luggage. She happened to hear the noise. After seeing the scene of the two of them lingering, what she said to Ronald became more clear. Deep understanding.

"Sure enough, such a powerful man must not be so loyal..."

"Uh-huh……"

The two hadn't seen each other for a long time, and in the back seat of the car, Ronald and Helen began to look forward to the short trip back to their high-rise apartment on Fifth Avenue.

The elevator to their apartment was exclusive to them, and the two started hugging and kissing passionately in the elevator.

"Bang..." Ronald took out the card that opened the door, fumbled to turn on the light, then kicked it out and closed the door.

…

"Hmm... Shall I order takeout? I have no energy left and don't want to move at all." Helen half leaned on Ronald's shoulder, the redness on her face and neck not yet subsided.

They watched the news on the cable station late at night, and their stomachs began to growl.

"Okay, I'll make a call."

Ronald picked up the phone and ordered two Italian dishes and Chinese food. After the intense exercise, he had a huge appetite.

"Well, I often eat this Chinese food. Their vegetarian dishes are great."

Fortunately, Helen Slater had no interest in cooking. She put Ronald's arm around her neck and lay comfortably in her lover's warm arms.

"Addressing a crowd in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial in Washington, D.C., the Chief once again expressed his distaste for the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the Texas Johnson case, and he urged Congress to act quickly..."

"This is a right protected by the First Amendment. Our commander-in-chief is like this, hum..."

Her father is the vice president of PBS television station, and her mother is an anti-nuclear activist and environmental lawyer. Helen is naturally close to the ideas of the Donkey Party.

She is a Hollywood actress, and she is disgusted by the leader's call to restrict expression. Hearing that the Grand Commander also wanted to pass legislation to overturn the Supreme Court's decision, I couldn't help but talk about my likes and dislikes.

"Hey, you probably don't know his nickname."

"What nickname?" Helen probably knew that Ronald had some connection with the Grand Commander's family, and was also interested in this kind of gossip.

"The media calls him Mr. 80%, and what 80% of voters support is what he will do next. This prediction is very accurate, and he has not missed it since he took office."

"Hahaha..." Helen agreed with the nickname, "So it seems that he himself does not necessarily support this bill? It's just for the support rate..."

"Yes, if the public opinion were reversed, he would definitely support the Supreme Court." Ronald knew that in big cities, most people were not surprised.

"It would be great if there was a movie to let everyone know that people love the Star-Spangled Banner not because they love the flag itself, but because they love the tradition passed down by the founding fathers who protected the people and allowed the economy to prosper."

Of course, Helen is not an anti-Stars and Stripes radical. She has been taught since she was a child that the American government represents the people... although there is very little time for the American federal government to listen to the teachings of the founding fathers.

"Huh?" Ronald looked at Helen. He didn't expect that a big city would support the Supreme Court's decision so much.

"You're right, maybe I should make a movie like this..."

After making three low-budget productions of Love Stars and Stripes, it seems like he should also make a movie that exposes the dark side of the American government, to hedge?

Anyway, in Hollywood, clearly supporting a certain group of people is bad for profits. The best producers and directors, like Commander George Sr., need to always follow the preferences of 80% of the people.

If your movie can meet the values ​​​​of 80% of the audience, plus the plot is up to standard and the performances are on point, it will be difficult not to be a hit.

"Do you think so too? Hehe..." Helen is very satisfied with Ronald as her lover. He has outstanding abilities and can make good-looking movies, leading the minds of the American people in the right direction.

…

"Is Ronald still sleeping?"

Early the next morning, Nora Ephron came to see Helen. They had been discussing the filming of the new movie every day recently. Ephron was also familiar with Helen's apartment in the same building as Ronald's apartment.

She had already guessed the relationship between Ronald and Helen, but since both of them were willing, she had no room to say anything. Anyway, there were a lot of things like this in Hollywood.

"He is very busy this time. Let him sleep a little longer. You wait for me. I will say hello to him and we will go to the studio together. "

"Ronnie, Ronnie..." Helen Slater walked into the bedroom and whispered in Ronald's ear.

"Hmm...huh? Why is it morning? Are you still...?"

Ronald slept a little soundly, and without opening his eyes, he smelled Helen's scent and reached out to hug her.

"I'm going to discuss filming with Nora Ephron. You can sleep as long as you like..."

"Huh? Who, who do you want to discuss with?"

Ronald hasn't fully woken up yet, and his mind seems to be slowing down.

"Nora Ephron, she will come to join your When Harry Met Sally crew this afternoon."

"Oh..." Ronald repeated in a daze, and then continued to sleep.

"Nora Ephron?"

Two hours later, Ronald, who had slept well, finally woke up. He vaguely remembered that Helen had gone to find Nora Ephron.

After waking up completely with a hot bath and a hearty breakfast, Ronald thought of going to the studio to find Helen. They hadn't seen each other for a long time, and last night seemed not enough.

"Bud, Dan, where are you? Help me get the car out, let's go visit Daydream..."

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