In the second week of the Christmas release period, starting on December 23rd, North American theaters welcomed seven new films at once. Four of these were mainstream commercial movies, each opening on more than 1,000 screens. The films were Warner Bros.' "Richie Rich," MGM's "Street Fighter," Disney's "The Jungle Book," and Paramount's "I.Q."
"Richie Rich," starring Macaulay Culkin of "Home Alone" fame, tells the story of a ten-year-old boy who inherits a large fortune from his missing parents and resists his uncle's attempt to seize the estate. Despite leaving the "Home Alone" series, Culkin remains one of the most popular and highest-paid child stars in America. As a result, the production cost of the film reached $40 million, and Warner Bros. opened it on 1,913 screens. This project again highlights Warner Bros.' attempt to reduce its reliance on the DC Extended Universe following the release of "Suicide Squad."
"Street Fighter," as the name suggests, is an adaptation of the popular fighting game. The film stars well-known action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, with Capcom, the game's copyright holder, and MGM co-investing in the production, which cost $35 million. MGM prepared 1,671 screens for the film's release.
"The Jungle Book" is a live-action remake of Disney's classic 1960s animated film, with a production cost of $27 million and an opening on 1,880 screens.
"I.Q." stars Hollywood sweetheart Meg Ryan, and even features "Einstein" in a cameo role. The movie is a comedy about Einstein going to great lengths to orchestrate his niece's love life. The film had a budget of $25 million and was released on 1,406 screens.
In addition to these four mainstream commercial films, three other limited-release films aimed at awards season—"Nell," "Nobody's Fool," and "Legends of the Fall"—were also not to be underestimated.
"Nell" stars Hollywood actress Jodie Foster, a typical Oscar contender.
"Nobody's Fool" stars veteran Hollywood actor Paul Newman and features an ensemble cast including Jessica Tandy, Bruce Willis, and Melanie Griffith. It tells a series of heartwarming stories set in a small town in upstate New York, similar in style to the successful "Steel Magnolias" from a few years ago, but with a broader appeal as it is no longer a female-centric film.
"Legends of the Fall," the highest-budgeted of the three limited-release films, was produced by Sony Pictures and stars Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins. The film's budget was $30 million. This movie is remembered as a box office and critical success, with some achievements during the awards season.
Simon had previously shown interest in this project, but ultimately let Sony handle it, reasoning that Daenerys Entertainment couldn't monopolize every good opportunity. Films like "Nell" and "Interview with the Vampire," which Daenerys Entertainment could have acquired, were given up for similar reasons.
With seven new films debuting simultaneously, it was clear that the competition for this Christmas box office week would be intense.
Given the nearly $100 million opening week of "Suicide Squad," the film had a very high chance of surpassing $300 million in domestic box office gross. Whether it could achieve this depended on whether it could withstand the impact of the new releases this week.
After personally visiting the set in Toronto, Simon oversaw the final days of filming for "The Man from Earth," which wrapped on December 23rd. The crew returned home for Christmas, and director Brett Ratner immediately began post-production. The film also started generating more news and promotional material.
Next year's 11th Sundance Film Festival has been confirmed to open on January 19th.
With news of Simon's new film participating in Sundance, many began preparing for the festival more than half a month in advance. Last year's events at Sundance were still fresh in people's minds, and insiders were aware that the director of "Spanking the Monkey," David O. Russell, the lead actress of "Little Women," Mia Kirshner, and Paramount's upcoming blockbuster "Cutthroat Island" all got their big breaks at Simon's party during last year's Sundance.
This time, with Westeros' new film participating in Sundance, it was likely that the Hollywood mogul would host another party in Park City, presenting a rare opportunity for direct contact with him.
Before Christmas, after several rounds of communication, Daenerys Entertainment and Tim Burton signed a letter of intent for the adaptation of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," signaling the start of the famous director's first collaboration with Daenerys Entertainment.
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a novel from the early 19th century that is long out of copyright. The key to this adaptation project is the script.
Simon personally drafted a simple outline and invited Andrew Kevin Walker, the original screenwriter of "Sleepy Hollow," to write the script. Walker was also the screenwriter of "Seven," the film that made David Fincher famous last year.
Speaking of which, David Fincher's new film "The Game" is already in pre-production, with a budget estimated at $50 million. The film, starring Michael Douglas from the original, is scheduled to begin shooting early next year. It won't make the summer release, and the crowded year-end release could be a disaster, so it's likely to be released in late August or early September, a typical strategy for surprise hit thrillers in recent years. The 1987 hit "Fatal Attraction," also starring Douglas, followed a similar release pattern.
This situation is somewhat unavoidable.
There are only so many prime release dates each year, and the best slots are reserved for films with the most box office potential. With a budget of $50 million, "The Game" is a significant project. At other studios, it would likely be scheduled for a summer or year-end release. But for Daenerys Entertainment, with next year's slate including "Jurassic Park 2," "Apollo 13," "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," and the 3D animated "Beauty and the Beast," "The Game" had to be pushed to a less competitive release window.
Simon understands that this situation is inevitable and will likely become more common.
In the next decade or so, even Marvel or DC superhero films might have to be released in February or September, less competitive periods, simply because Disney and Warner have too many tentpole projects. These blockbuster films invading less competitive release windows will further squeeze the box office space for other studios' films, making the strong even stronger and the weak even weaker.
Simon began his holiday on December 23rd.
To enjoy a more festive atmosphere, the family once again headed to the East Coast, where the estate in the northern suburbs of Greenwich was covered in recent snowfall, creating a winter wonderland. Simon even built snowmen with his eldest son, who was already aware of Santa Claus's existence, by the small lake in the northern part of the estate.
The Fussy family was also present, making the Christmas Eve gathering even more lively.
Three women in one household inevitably lead to some minor rivalries, but they all cherished the warmth of the family atmosphere and didn't want to disrupt it.
After dinner, the Fussy's parents returned early to their neighboring villa, and Daniel also tactfully withdrew. However, Gemma, who didn't seem to mind much, stayed, holding on to little Seattle, who was exceptionally intelligent, refusing to let go. The other two children snuggled up with their parents, and everyone sat by the fireplace, chatting about various things until late into the night.
Because Sophia had unintentionally revealed a certain matter earlier, Simon had to spend Christmas Eve sleeping on the couch.
Sophia was pregnant.
It likely happened during the first snowfall on the East Coast last month.
Sophia hadn't planned to tell anyone too early, not even Simon. However, while preparing dinner with the other women in the afternoon, she unexpectedly experienced morning sickness in the kitchen, and Janet noticed the signs. When asked, Sophia had to admit it.
After giving birth to Melbourne and little Nick, Janet had no intention of having a third child.
She found it exhausting.
However, Janet knew Simon's desires. Although he wasn't very involved in raising the children, he secretly wanted to have many kids. He believed that a larger Westeros family would benefit from having more heirs to inherit the vast empire. So, she didn't mind if other women had Simon's children, especially after confirming a certain bloodline. Janet felt that as long as it was Simon's child, it would inevitably be connected to her.
Of course, she had to maintain appearances. Otherwise, as the wife, she would lose face.
So Simon was sent to sleep on the couch.
However, in the middle of the night, Janet couldn't resist coming out of the bedroom, carrying a pillow, and snuggled up with Simon on the couch like a little girl, finally falling asleep.
Early the next morning, Arya, who had gotten up early to prepare household chores, witnessed the strange scene of the master and mistress of the house sleeping together on the living room couch.
Jennifer also woke up early.
She woke them up, checked to make sure they didn't catch a cold, and then they all went back to bed.
As a result, when Gemma, who had stayed overnight with Seattle, came down for breakfast, she found that aside from herself, only Jennifer and the three little ones were at the table. Curious, she asked about it, and Jennifer simply replied that Simon and Janet were sleeping in. Not knowing about her mother's pregnancy, the little girl was intrigued by the idea of Simon and Janet sleeping in.
Since it was Christmas, Simon and Janet decided to take a break and didn't get up until around ten.
They would have liked to spend the whole day in bed, but they had a lunch appointment with the La
ibolds in Manhattan, so they couldn't be late.
Janet could invite the Fussy family for Christmas Eve but was clearly not going to join Simon for lunch at the Laibolds. Around eleven, Simon and Jennifer boarded a helicopter bound for Manhattan.
Lunch was also a family affair.
Besides the Laibold couple, Jennifer's brother Philip brought his girlfriend, another girl who grew up in Manhattan's Upper East Side. Despite trying to restrain herself, the young woman was overly attentive to Simon during lunch, which made Jennifer, as the elder sister, somewhat displeased. She even quietly warned Simon about it.
They discussed various topics after lunch, and by the time they left, it was already after four in the afternoon.
In the evening, the Black Hawk helicopter returned to the estate in the northern suburbs of Greenwich. As they got off the helicopter and walked towards the villa with her arm around Simon's, Jennifer leaned in and whispered, "Are you starting to feel overwhelmed?"
Understanding what she meant, Simon smiled and replied, "Not at all. I'm enjoying it."
Jennifer rolled her eyes playfully.
The main issue was that during their afternoon conversation, the Laibold couple subtly hinted that Simon and Jennifer could consider having another child or two, which naturally added some pressure on Simon.
Simon himself didn't mind; he was fundamentally someone who didn't care much about societal norms.
The key was the women in his life.
And whether, when his kids grew up, they would resent their unreliable father for bringing them into this world. If one or two of them turned out to be irresponsible brats, it would indeed be unfortunate. Although he used to joke about raising a bunch of troublemakers to wreak havoc on the world, now that he's a father, he can't really follow through with that.
When they returned to the villa, Janet was sitting with Sophia, chatting over coffee.
As soon as Simon entered, Janet, who had been laughing and chatting, immediately put on a stern face, indicating she hadn't forgiven him yet.
Sophia stood up with a smile to pour coffee for Simon and Jennifer. Once everyone was seated, Simon, sitting beside Janet, put his arm around her waist and asked Sophia, "What were you discussing?"
Sophia looked at Jennifer and said, "We were just discussing whether you'd be willing to take on another child."
Jennifer, who had just picked up her coffee, was a bit surprised. She looked at Janet, then at Sophia, and after a moment's hesitation, asked, "Sophia, don't you want to raise the child yourself?"
"You know I'm usually very busy. My parents have been taking care of Danny and Gemma for the past few years. It would be better for the child to be with you. Besides..." Sophia paused before continuing, "Janet and I discussed it, and the child could be registered under her name, just like Seal."
After Seattle was born last year, she was registered as a twin under Janet's name to give her a legitimate status.
Earlier this year, during the news coverage of the clash with the Hearst family, it was revealed that Seattle was actually the assistant's child. However, because of this registration, even though the truth was known by many, the public still accepted Seattle's status, including those in Australia.
This societal mindset is quite subtle, similar to how in ancient China, an illegitimate child raised by a legitimate wife would be viewed.
In any case, this was beneficial for the child. Seattle could one day rightfully carry the "Westeros" surname, rather than being labeled as illegitimate.
Sophia, being a very rational woman, saw all the benefits for her child. So that afternoon, when Simon and Jennifer were away, she took the initiative to bring it up with Janet.
Judging by their cheerful mood when Simon entered, Janet had obviously agreed.
Of course, Janet wasn't very involved in raising children. She found Melbourne to be a novelty at first but eventually handed him over to Veronica. If it weren't for little Nick and Seattle being born together, which allowed the assistant to care for them simultaneously, her second son might have been handed over to Veronica as well. Now, Janet had agreed only to give the child a name, but the actual upbringing would still fall on the assistant.
Jennifer looked at Janet again, got confirmation, and said, "If you're okay with it, then I don't mind. But you might find it hard to part with the child later."
The assistant had initially thought of completely handing the child over to Janet, but after her daughter was born, she changed her mind upon holding the little one in her arms.
Sophia smiled. Having experienced a lot over the years, she was much more resolute than Jennifer and understood that this was the best option for her unborn child. She wouldn't change her mind later. "As long as you're willing, that's all that matters. I should be the one thanking you."
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