After the midterm elections, the second week of the North American Halloween season quietly came to an end.
In the box office week from November 4 to November 10, *The Haunting in the Morgue*, the second film in the Conjuring Cinematic Universe, grossed $45.71 million in its opening week. However, in its second week, the box office dropped by 49%, bringing in another $23.35 million. Although the per-theater average remained close to $10,000, the drop was steeper than that of *The Conjuring* during the summer, leaving some uncertainty about whether the film could break the $100 million mark in North America.
Nevertheless, after two weeks, *The Haunting in the Morgue* had already accumulated $69.06 million.
Even after New World Pictures added an additional $5 million to the marketing budget following the strong opening, the total production and marketing cost of *The Haunting in the Morgue* was only $35 million. With a two-week gross of $69.06 million, Daneylis Entertainment had already recouped its entire investment and started to turn a profit.
Moreover, the brand of the Conjuring Cinematic Universe was now firmly entrenched in the minds of the audience.
Among the other three major releases that premiered alongside *The Haunting in the Morgue* on October 28, only Sony Pictures' $45 million *Frankenstein* managed to keep up in the first week, grossing $14.2 million in its first seven days. However, in its second week, *Frankenstein* suffered a staggering 67% drop, earning only $4.59 million.
With an average per-theater gross of just over $2,000, many theaters quickly pulled *Frankenstein* from most of their screens, essentially ending its run after just two weeks. The other two new releases, *Silent Trap* and *Ultimate Warrior*, failed to make any significant impact either.
Similarly, among the two new releases during the second week of Halloween on November 4, Gramercy Pictures' comic-book adaptation *Double Dragon* was another flop, grossing just $1.68 million from 1,087 screens in its opening week.
The other new release, *The War*, a drama reflecting on the trauma of war produced by Fox and starring Kevin Costner before he began filming *Waterworld*, had mediocre reviews and an equally lukewarm box office performance, grossing $5.2 million in its first week. The film was expected to barely surpass $10 million domestically.
As a drama that had hoped to be an Oscar contender, *The War* had a production budget of $20 million. With domestic box office earnings barely reaching $10 million, Fox was clearly heading for a loss.
However, considering Warner Bros. was still entangled in the mess that was *Waterworld*, Fox could count itself lucky.
As the year drew to a close, Kevin Costner's *Waterworld* was still in production. Originally scheduled for a three-month shoot, the production had already exceeded that by more than a month. According to leaks from the crew in Hawaii, the film might need another two months to wrap up, and the project's total budget had quietly surpassed $100 million.
Warner Bros. was now caught in a bind, forced to continue pouring money into the film, or risk losing all the money they had already invested.
There had been media commentary, both mocking and critical, about how Daneylis Entertainment had failed to retain a talent like Kevin Costner. After all, the two sides had collaborated on classics like *The Bodyguard* and *Dances with Wolves*. By Hollywood standards, this should have led to a long-term partnership.
However, the two had inexplicably parted ways, allowing Warner Bros. to easily secure Kevin Costner for blockbuster hits like *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves* and *JFK* after *Dances with Wolves*.
Now, in hindsight, Simon Westeros appeared to be incredibly foresighted.
After the massive success of *The Bodyguard* and *Dances with Wolves*, Kevin Costner had ascended to the top tier of Hollywood, commanding over $10 million per film plus a significant share of the profits.
The result was that, due to the high costs, Warner Bros. didn't make a huge profit from *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves* and *JFK*.
On the contrary, when losses hit, they were enormous.
For example, *Striking Distance*, which was released this past summer, had no presence among the dazzling array of blockbuster films. With a budget of $63 million, it grossed just over $25 million domestically, causing Warner Bros. to hemorrhage money.
*Waterworld*, now mired in difficulties, was driving Warner Bros. executives to the brink of madness.
Friday, November 11.
A new box office week began.
The North American Thanksgiving season kicked off.
Daneylis Entertainment's first Thanksgiving release was *The Mask*, Jim Carrey's second film following *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective* earlier this year.
The film opened in 2,360 theaters.
Due to the extensive use of special effects, the production budget for *The Mask* ultimately reached $25 million, $10 million more than *Ace Ventura*. The marketing budget was $10 million, bringing the total investment to $35 million.
Besides *The Mask*, two other major new releases also hit theaters this week: MGM's *Outbreak* and Warner Bros.' *Interview with the Vampire*.
MGM's *Outbreak* tells the story of a virus outbreak triggered by poachers.
This was a project that Simon had arranged for MGM based on his recollections. The original version starred Dustin Hoffman and Rene Russo and performed reasonably well at the box office.
Due to Simon's influence, the new version of *Outbreak* starred Sam Neill, who had gained widespread popularity from *Jurassic Park*. Because Rene Russo had been cast as the female lead in the *Jurassic Park* sequel, the two were not suitable to pair up in another film so soon. Simon's preferred choice, Sela Ward, was also unavailable due to her commitments on *Desperate Housewives*. Ultimately, the role went to Oscar-winning actress Jessica Lange.
Sam Neill's popularity from *Jurassic Park* complemented Jessica Lange's Oscar-winning status, creating a well-matched duo. Both actors also fit the characters better than Dustin Hoffman had in the original, where he never quite had the vibe of a world-saving hero.
Due to the high salaries of the lead actors, the film's budget ended up at $30 million, exceeding Simon's initial expectation of $25 million. However, the final product turned out well, and MGM, confident in its prospects, opened the film in 2,215 theaters.
There was also a side story to this project.
Jessica Lange had given up a role in Orion Pictures' drama *Blue Sky* to star in *Outbreak*. That film was supposed to earn her a second Oscar for Best Actress, after her win for *Tootsie* in 1982.
Orion Pictures was first acquired by Canada's Seagram Company, which then also took over Paramount. The two companies had since been merged, following the model of Daneylis Entertainment's three subsidiary labels.
After Jessica Lange passed on *Blue Sky*, Simon took the opportunity, leveraging his relationship with Paramount president Robert Rehme, thanks to their collaboration on the *Mission: Impossible* series, to recommend Rene Russo for the role.
The role happened to suit her perfectly, and the shooting schedule earlier this year didn't conflict with *Jurassic Park 2*'s planned production in June. While winning the Oscar for Best Actress like Jessica Lange wasn't expected, *Blue Sky*, which was set for release next month, would still be beneficial for both Rene Russo and *Jurassic Park 2* if it earned her an Oscar nomination during the upcoming awards season.
This is how Simon's good relationships with women in the industry had been gradually built up, both intentionally and unintentionally.
Even with women who had left his side, Simon would offer them suitable resources whenever possible. This preferential treatment sharply contrasted with the typical Hollywood behavior of taking advantage without leaving anything behind.
Among the three new releases, the last one, *Interview with the Vampire*, was the most interesting.
The original version of this film featured Tom Cruise and the newly rising Brad Pitt as the two leads, with David Geffen as the producer. After selling Geffen Records, David Geffen aimed to make his mark in Hollywood, following in the footsteps of legendary producer Saul Zaentz, who produced films like *Amadeus* and *The Unbearable Lightness of Being*.
David Geffen had been investing in films since the 1980s. Tim Burton's 1988 hit *Beetlejuice* was produced by Geffen Pictures. *Interview with the Vampire* was a project Geffen developed while discussing the formation of DreamWorks with Spielberg and others, intending to make a big splash with a budget of $60 million.
Initially, David Geffen had wanted Tom Cruise to play the lead role.
However, in recent years, due to his entanglements with Daneylis Entertainment, Tom Cruise's career had stalled. With *Interview with the Vampire* being a critical test project before the launch of DreamWorks, David Geffen couldn't afford to completely follow his own preferences with a $60 million investment.
Moreover, even if Geffen insisted on casting Cruise, it wouldn't work.
A film cannot be carried by a single star.
Besides the lead role, the director attached to the project was Neil Jordan. Jordan, who had worked with Daneylis Entertainment on *The Crying Game*, had strong ties to the company and couldn't ignore their input. The other potential male leads—Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp,
River Phoenix, and others—also had deep connections with Daneylis Entertainment.
Additionally, the film required distribution by Warner Bros.
Even though Warner Bros. and Daneylis co-owned the DC Cinematic Universe, it was well-known in Hollywood that Daneylis Entertainment had complete control over the franchise. Warner Bros. would never risk angering Simon Westeros over one film, as the young tycoon's dominance was well understood.
So, without Simon even needing to say a word, the project gradually moved away from David Geffen's preferred actor.
In the end, Geffen, a billionaire and shrewd businessman, knew how to read the situation and did not insist.
Many people don't understand why some in certain circles can be blacklisted with just a word from a powerful figure. The key lies in the intricate web of interests. Even rivals typically avoid provoking a powerful adversary if they don't have to.
As a result, the new *Interview with the Vampire* cast Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt in the lead roles.
As a core actor in the DC Cinematic Universe, Brad Pitt needed permission from both Warner Bros. and Daneylis Entertainment to take on the role.
Normally, Simon wouldn't allow a key DC actor to star in another major film to avoid overexposure. However, *Interview with the Vampire* didn't conflict with *Superman* in terms of genre, and after some persuasion from Warner Bros., Simon went along with it.
Kirsten Dunst, who was outstanding in the original film, was once again cast as Claudia.
On opening day, Warner Bros. released *Interview with the Vampire* in 2,604 theaters.
Unlike the mixed quality of the Halloween releases, this time, all three new films received positive reviews.
Even though parody comedies rarely get critical acclaim, *The Mask* earned an impressive 7.7 media score. Many critics praised Jim Carrey's performances in this year's two films, declaring him Hollywood's new comedy master.
Sam Neill and Jessica Lange's *Outbreak* received slightly lower reviews than *The Mask* but still managed a respectable 7.1. Chicago's renowned critic Roger Ebert even gave the film high praise in his *Chicago Sun-Times* column, calling *Outbreak* "one of the best thrillers of our time."
Lastly, *Interview with the Vampire* earned a composite media score of 6.8. For a vampire-themed commercial film adapted from a bestseller, this was a solid rating. Combined with the star power of Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt, the film's commercial prospects looked promising.
Simon had deliberately pushed *Toy Story 2* back by a week to open during Easter to give these new films room to shine. He hoped *Interview with the Vampire* would join the billion-dollar club, helping to alleviate some of the pressure on Daneylis Entertainment.
As for *The Mask*, even though Simon had let Jim Carrey off the hook through Jonathan's mediation, he still hoped the film would follow the successful trajectory of *Ace Ventura*. A big hit would be great, but whether it broke the billion-dollar mark was less important. With a production budget of just $25 million and an additional $10 million for marketing, *The Mask* only needed to gross $70 million to break even.
That goal should be easily achievable.
Meanwhile, the plan to continuously generate news to divert public attention from the midterm elections was still in full swing.
Tuesday was the midterm election. On Wednesday, news of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show rehearsal and Stephen King signing with Broadcast was released. On Thursday, there was a big push to highlight the record-breaking sales in the first ten days of the "Information Age" marketing campaign. Friday marked the start of the Thanksgiving box office season. And by Saturday, the third annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was set to open in the evening.
At the same time, as per the previous plan, a target was being set up, and related operations were underway.
Even though the media narrative had been steered in Simon's favor by the Westeros system, this was ultimately just a smokescreen. Many people knew all too well what the Westeros system had done over the past year.
If this matter were quietly swept under the rug, Washington could enter an era of oligarchic control.
Neither the White House nor Congress could allow that to happen.
So, on November 12, Saturday, while Simon was preparing to attend the third annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show that evening, he received a call from the White House. They invited him to Washington for a discussion, under the pretext of discussing matters related to the new technology industry.
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