Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 527 Box Office Dark Horse War

   The last shot of "Terminator" is beautiful. After the dailies were developed, Ronald was invited to watch in Cameron's editing room.

"I think you will be a very professional candidate as a director of photography. Now the director of photography in America does not necessarily have to be an operator or a coolie. As long as you have a good aesthetic feeling and some understanding of the camera, you can To be a good director of photography." Cameron sincerely praised.

   "Ronald is going to be a big director." Gale corrected next to him, Cameron didn't pay much attention to these sometimes. Ask a director who has made several blockbuster movies to be a director of photography, and unfamiliar people will think he is belittling.

   "We are old friends. Jim is actually right. If I hadn't had the opportunity to write a script and become a director, I might have developed into photography."

   "Click!" Cameron pressed down on Ronald's shot, then quickly picked out the motor sound and wind sound in the sound material, and fixed it with tape for synchronization.

   "Why do you still use this old-fashioned editing tape?" Ronald was a little curious, "I have a new tape here, which works well, and doesn't eat a half-frame of film with one editing mouth."

  Ronald recommends Walter Murkey's new type of editing tape, each of which covers less than a third of a frame of film, keeping the rhythm and breathing of the film intact. It can be said that the director and editor fell in love with it as soon as they saw it.

   "I heard that it was invented by Walter Murkey. But he's not in America recently, and I can't get in touch with him." Cameron is a technology enthusiast, and he found a dealer himself.

   "Let me call his home." Ronald called to San Francisco and asked Mrs. Mersie to buy it. However, he was told that Merzy was still filming "Return to Oz" in the UK and that there was not much stock left.

   Having said some kind words, Ronald bought the last two volumes in stock from Mrs. Merzy and asked Cameron to send a check to the other party. Murkey refused to open a factory because of the small amount of use. I hope his shooting in London goes well.

   It's the second weekend of June again soon.

   Ronald in the box office column of The Hollywood Reporter, looking from the bottom up.

   "The Streets of Rage" starring Diane, and "Once Upon a Time in America", both dropped to over one million at the box office, and faced the embarrassment of being forced to be released after seeing less than a month of release.

  The "Break Dance" directed by Ronald, MGM's film lineup was squeezed by the release of three new films, and the screening theaters were gradually reduced. The weekend box office has fallen below 2 million, and only 1.6 million is left.

   But the report sent by Cannonball shows that the second-tier theaters in the newly released big cities and the township theaters in small towns continue to surge at the box office. Everything is very good, the descent is very slow.

   In total, the box office of "Break Dance" has not decreased but increased, and it has returned to more than 4 million. The total box office is close to 40 million.

   On Up is "Breakdance" rival, "Hot Kid" released by Orion. This movie with high momentum before its release, Orion won 1,400 theaters, and began to focus on advertising in major media.

   "5.2 million", Ronald looked at the box office numbers and let go of the pressure.

"Hot Street Boy" is known as a real "breakdance" movie. Various advertisements attack "breakdance", but in the end, it has not yet achieved a box office of 7.8 million in the first week of a thousand theaters. . The average box office of a single museum is only half of its own.

   No matter how the film critics headed by Roger Ebert boast, it is impossible to compare himself with himself at the box office.

   Further up, the box office of "Interstellar Travel: Finding Spock" has fallen rapidly to nine million. "Magic Palace" still maintains a box office record of more than 12 million, and it is indeed a big production jointly made by Spielberg and Lucas.

   "Huh", Ronald saw "The Magician" all the way, and there were actually two movies on it. Actually, the weekend box office is higher than Spielberg's work?

  I want to move my eyes up with my fingers, it's two new films!

  The second place has something to do with Spielberg!

  It was Chris Columbus, whom Ronald knew, as the screenwriter, and the teenage fantasy horror film "Gremlins" was shot by Spielberg's Amberlin Pictures and released by Warner Bros.

   Ronald looked at the details. The director of this film is one of the leaders of his directing career, Joe Dante. And the heroine is the brunette beauty Phoebe Cates discovered by herself.

"Joe Dante, then forget it, otherwise shouldn't this movie be made by yourself?" Ronald knocked on his head. The actor, screenwriter, and producer are all acquaintances of his own. How can Spielberg Don't remember yourself?

Maybe it's because of lack of connections, Ronald thought, no wonder these big-name directors and stars live together in several affluent neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Just the contacts who often go to parties can help them find out a lot. information.

   Unlike I often go to New York, I live in an apartment in Los Angeles instead of a single house, and I don’t try to be as close to Beverly Hills as possible, so I am far from the circle. Ronald made up his mind that after getting his share of "breakdance", he would consider moving into a better independent house, or at least have a party.

   "Little Monsters" was released in 1,500 theaters in its first week, and earned 12.5 million.

  Ronald's finger goes up, which movie can be more fierce than it?

   1340 theaters released, the first weekend box office was 13.5 million, and the average box office of a single theater exceeded 10,000 US dollars.

   "Ghostbusters!"

   is another movie that I know.

  I also drank beer with Canadian screenwriter and star Dan Aykroyd, and had dinner with Canadian colleagues who worked hard in Hollywood, but I forgot.

   It was the last film that Columbia's former president, Frank Price, agreed to before leaving for Universal.

   Finally invited comedy guru Bill Murray to star alongside actress Sigourney Weaver.

   This is the film that CAA President Michael Ovitz did his best to facilitate. From screenwriters, directors, to main actors, all of CAA's customers. Ovitz has long been optimistic about comedy and horror genre films, and this time he finally succeeded in "Ghostbusters".

   Ronald felt pressured all of a sudden. Two new films, two blockbusters in the second week, and "Longwei Kid", which will be released in two weeks, will face the attack of the last four blockbuster films.

   Ronald picked up the phone and called the producer Weintraub, "Jerry, did you see today's box office results? We have to do something."

  Jerry took Susan Atkins to meet Ronald in the office, and it felt like a huge challenge.

   Weintraub wants to spend another 500,000 on the movie's marketing. Ronald started asking old friends to see if he could get another talk show or a movie interview before it was released.

  The discussion has been decided, and the two will act separately.

   Ronald rushed to the CAA's office where someone was firing streamers. Many people held up champagne to celebrate the "Ghostbusters" success.

   Ronald left the celebratory crowd and went straight to Nisita's office.

   "Rick! Do you want to hold a celebration like this too?"

   "Shh!" Nisita made a small gesture, got up and closed the office.

   "Of course I think, your 'Longwei boy' is also threatened, right?"

"Of course, you have to help me think of a way to increase exposure. This movie will definitely be a box office success, but I'm worried that the current Ghostbusters, and the little monsters, are box office monsters and will be swallowed up. Our exposure."

   "What do you think? Which programs do you want to be exposed on."

   "Any big talk shows? Johnny Carson, or David Letterman. I know they're all full, but is there anything you can do?"

   "I have a way, I can get on both talk shows this weekend, maybe I can go to CBS News Sixty."

   "Ah? What can I do, tell me quickly."

   "You open up about your relationship with Brooke Shields, and then they'll all come." Nisita poured herself a glass of wine and drank it.

"what?"

   "Hahaha, I lied to you."

   Ronald responded that the other party was joking, "Borgy wants to graduate at Princeton, she doesn't even take over movie invitations."

   "I know, can you persuade her? Her reputation is still very strong, isn't it a good time to go out to make movies during the summer vacation?"

   "If you can kick her mother away and become her manager, I have no objection and will help." Ronald actually felt that Brooke should not give up her acting career, and she might regret it later.

   "The time is too tight for me to arrange it." Nisita shook her head and rejected Ronald's idea.

   "Can Barbie Wygant's show be on the show?" Ronald remembered the female film critic, his own "fast-paced", and once appeared on her show, which was arranged by Universal at that time.

   "I made a few calls."

Nisita made a few phone calls to inquire about the situation, "Barbie happened to be recording a show in Los Angeles, she might add a stopper to you, but she needs some gimmicks, it's just a medium production released in Colombia, and there are no stars to join, She wants to stop you, and she needs some reason."

   "Why?"

   Ronald thought and thought, thinking about all the participants in the movie.

  The male protagonist and the female protagonist are not stars. The supporting roles are some second-generation stars, but they are not qualified. Producer Weintraub's foray into film? But Barbie Wygant's interviews have always been directed only to the creators.

   "I'm alone, without Brooke, can I go on?" Ronald thought he was still a successful director.

   "It's very difficult, your current film is made by Weintraub, and it's impossible for Colombia to use resources so aggressively."

   "Then there is only one Morita Noriyuki who plays Miyagi-sensei."

   Ronald thought for a while, and then called the office of Senator Daniel Inoue of Hawaii on Capitol Hill.

"Mr. Inoue is busy with his Senate proposal for a new method of sterilization of milk shipped by troops stationed in Hawaii. The original pasteurization method only lasts eight days. Soldiers in Hawaii and Alaska often drink sour milk. milk."

   "Why can the senator only propose this kind of proposal?" Ronald wondered, "Then can I get assistance from Mr. Inoue's office?"

   "Hello, I'm Mr. Inoue's public affairs assistant, who are you?" The call was transferred to Inoue's subordinate office.

   "I'm the director of a film about the history of the 442nd Infantry, Ronald Lee."

   "Mr. Inoue specifically explained something to you. After the movie is released, I hope you will send a copy to the Capitol Hill for the screening. Do you need his help with anything?"

   "I hope Mr. Inoue will give me some help in promoting my film, so that the actor who plays the recipient of the Medal of Honor of the Infantry Regiment will get an interview opportunity on a film review program."

   "Barbie Wygant? Her show needs commercials, right? I'll call someone at Sony."

   (end of this chapter)