I'm in Hollywood

Chapter 254: Maybe it's time to do something

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"What is your name, and which newspaper are you from?" Eric asked.

"My name is George Norton," George Norton said hurriedly, inventing a false name for himself. Eric didn't realize George was lying, so he nodded and said, "You said it was a foolish decision to release 'The Others' on November 1st. What's your reason for that?"

George Norton confidently replied, "It's simple. Although November 1st is Halloween, there are still many horror films released during that period, but it's not an ideal time slot. The total box office of movies in these weeks is no different from the box office of films in the off-season. Since Disney and Firefly have high hopes for this movie, releasing it on November 1st is not a wise decision. Or, do you not have much confidence in 'The Others', so you chose to put it in such an unpopular time slot?"

After listening to George Norton's words, Eric couldn't help but glance at the other person a few times. This middle-aged man dressed in paparazzi was much stronger than those who only asked questions about the stars: "Since you can talk straight, you should also know that in Hollywood's top ten box office every year, there will always be a few movies whose release time is neither during the summer nor Christmas season, yet they still manage to squeeze into the ranking list with their own excellent quality."

Mr. Williams, I understand what you are saying. Just like "Look Who's Talking," which was released a few weeks ago, Orion Pictures originally had no high hopes for this movie, so it was released in obscure October, yet this "black horse," with only a few million in production costs, has now taken nearly sixty million US dollars in box office and may even become a competitor of "The Others". But Mr. Williams, you still haven't answered my question. The black horse movies you mentioned were put in the off-season because they were not expected to succeed. But "The Others" was obviously a movie that Disney and Firefly had high hopes for, and it even won the Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival.

Eric smiled slightly and said confidently, "I just answered your question. As long as the quality of the film is good, sometimes it can be released outside of the traditional summer or winter slots and still be successful."

George Norton widened his eyes in surprise, and some of the more professional reporters in the crowd also showed expressions of shock. Nobody in Hollywood had ever confidently made such a statement before; most people are usually scrambling to get their movies into the summer or winter slots because they know a good slot means more box office revenue. Eric, however, was going against the grain and boldly proclaiming to 'ignore the schedule'.

Many paparazzi were keenly aware that this would be a very explosive topic, pushing their recording devices forward uncontrollably in Eric's direction.

George Norton knew this would be a highly controversial topic, and he had a rough draft in his mind. He thought many people would see the arrogant side of Eric Williams the following day, and if the "The Others" failed to get an unexpected result, Eric Williams would be disgraced and have a great impact on the box office performance of several of his upcoming movies.

Despite this, George Norton still innocently moved his recorder closer to Eric and asked, "Mr. Williams, do you truly believe that the movie 'Little Island Shocker' can ignore the restrictions of the schedule and still achieve a high box office?"

Eric shrugged and nodded, "I'm sure I have the confidence since I'm releasing the movie on November 1st." The reporters outside the cordon line murmured again. Eric finished speaking and, without paying attention to the crowd, pulled Virginia into the theater. "Hey, Mr. Williams. Can you explain in more detail?" one reporter asked. "Mr. Williams, can you please explain why you have such confidence in this movie?" another reporter asked.

"Mr. Williams..."

Amid the frenzied cries of reporters from behind, Eric and Victoria stepped onto the steps of the movie theater without looking back. Since the premiere didn't start until 7 o'clock, they didn't go directly to the screening room. Instead, they were guided to the pre-prepared lounge, where the celebrity guests who had come to pay their respects were waiting. As they walked along the VIP channel, Victoria asked softly, "Eric, are the words you just said going to be a little inappropriate?" Eric replied with a smile, "Don't you even trust me?"

Virginia shook her head quickly: "No, I certainly have confidence in you, but anything can go wrong, and if it does, you'll definitely be laughed at."

Eric comfortingly held the girl's hand: "Don't worry, there's no need to worry."

Virginia opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but Eric pulled her into the restroom.

After greeting the many stars who had come to cheer, Michael Eisner, the CEO of Disney, arrived on the scene after about ten minutes.

Michael Eisner: "Eric, I heard what you said on the red carpet just now." As soon as they met, Michael Eisner said to Eric.

Eric raised his eyebrows: "Mr. Eisner, do you think my words were inappropriate?"

Michael Eisner shook his head and said, "I just think it's too risky to say that. I'm curious why you insist on putting this movie on November 1st. Now I've done as you said, shouldn't you tell me the reason?"

"Let's go over there and talk," Eric pointed to a set of sofas against the wall not far away. Michael Eisner nodded, following Eric and walking past. The people in the lounge were all eager to establish a relationship with Eric and Michael Eisner, but seeing the two of them discussing something, they tactfully did not come over.

"In fact, I had this idea a long time ago, probably before Dark War was released," Eric said, looking at Michael Eisner. "I thought, since there are five movies related to me coming out by the end of the year, why not create a beautiful grand slam miracle in this timeframe?"

"Grand slam, miracle?" Michael Eisner repeated the two key words, but he couldn't figure out what the grand slam had to do with the movie, not a ball game. Eric didn't mince words and quickly said: "Mr. Eisner, 'The Others' will be released on November 1st. After our hard work in publicity, it's certain that we can take the championship of the two-week box office."

Next, Eric continued: "Home Alone 2 will be released on November 17th. Last year, this movie took an entire 10 weeks of the weekly box office champion, and I have watched the films released during the same period. Only 'Lethal Weapon 2' and 'Back to the Future 2' can compete with 'Home Alone 2', but the audience of those two films is not enough to compare with the popularity of 'Home Alone 2'. Even if there will be a certain decrease in the box office of this sequel, it's certain that we can take the championship in five weeks."

Finally, on Christmas, "Sleepless in Seattle" will take over as the champion of the weekly box office. I have watched it, and since there is no big movie this Christmas, I expect this situation to continue until February. Furthermore, if we can effectively publicize this gimmick, then the several movies in this 'relay race' will receive more attention at the same time, which will also play a role in mutually promoting the box office of the different movies.

Michael Eisner heard Eric's plan and was shocked beyond words. The young people around him clearly wanted to dominate the whole new year slot!

At least 30% of the weekly box office champion movie, plus the box office of any other movies, will increase to 40% or more. According to the total box office of 600 million US dollars at the end of the year, these movies are expected to garner a total of 240 million US dollars, which is less than the total box office of the first movie "Home Alone" last year. Nevertheless, these movies still have one to three months of box office harvesting period after the new year; therefore, the total box office is expected to exceed 240 million US dollars.

On average, five movies are expected to hit 100 million US dollars in box office each.

If that is the case, five of the top ten spots in the box office rankings this year could be taken up by Firefly, which would be a major humiliation for the seven major film companies. Even though Disney may be the beneficiary of this, Michael Eisner can't help but feel resigned. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head, and he looked at the eager youth next to him. Michael Eisner murmured a few words of encouragement and then got up and left.

Eric stayed on the sofa for a while, as he had noticed something peculiar in Michael Eisner's eyes, but he couldn't put his finger on it. After informing Michael Eisner of his ambitious plan, Eric was filled with anticipation, and so he failed to recognize the significance of Michael Eisner's fleeting gaze.

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