Hollywood is a place full of individual heroism. When you can create box office miracles, you become a hero admired by everyone, and the whole world revolves around you. However, very few filmmakers in Hollywood are treated as heroes forever.
This is the brutal side of Hollywood.
When you can no longer create miracles, abandonment by everyone can happen in the blink of an eye. In its hundred-year history, many have felt this intense contrast, leading some to do whatever it takes to maintain their glory.
Steven Spielberg's recent feelings were likely similar.
The renowned filmmaker, who rose to fame with Jaws, saw his personal trajectory shift starting from the summer of 1986. Without the appearance of a certain young man, the name Spielberg would likely still be synonymous with Hollywood well into the new century.
The rise of Daenerys Entertainment changed the fate of every Hollywood filmmaker.
Spielberg was undoubtedly one of the most severely impacted.
Hollywood's resources are limited. Spielberg's long-lasting success was due not only to his talent but also to his access to top-tier resources: ample production funding, top-notch teams, generous marketing budgets, prime release schedules, and valuable theater networks, among others.
Now, all of this had been seized by Daenerys Entertainment.
Since Run Lola Run, the American public's attention had been captivated by Simon Westeros. Even for Jurassic Park three years ago, many believed its success was largely due to Westeros' foresight, relegating Spielberg, the director and producer, to second place. Eventually, he was kicked out of the project altogether.
For the first time since Jaws propelled the 29-year-old Spielberg to the pinnacle of Hollywood, he experienced such treatment.
What hurt Spielberg even more was the massive success of Jurassic Park 2.
When the first-day box office numbers came out, Spielberg felt uneasy. Including the midnight screenings, the film grossed $28.79 million on its first day—an amount that would be the total for the opening weekend of many major blockbusters. For Jurassic Park 2, it was just a day's earnings.
By the end of its first weekend, the film had grossed $83.16 million, surpassing the seven-day opening of $72.17 million for Jurassic Park three years ago. The industry widely predicted that Jurassic Park 2 would break last year's record of $113 million held by The Dark Knight Rises, setting a new opening-week record.
There was almost no doubt about this.
Despite being cautious, Spielberg was cornered by paparazzi on Tuesday, June 6th, on his way to a meeting at Paramount Studios. They asked for his opinion on the box office success of Jurassic Park 2. The paparazzi, clearly prepared, deliberately blocked his path. Spielberg, long accustomed to Hollywood's adoration, hadn't dealt with this kind of treatment in years. Though he restrained himself from losing his temper, he was photographed getting into his car with a dark expression.
The next day, the media was abuzz with stories about Spielberg's angry departure after hearing about Jurassic Park 2's box office numbers.
In any circle, unless absolutely necessary, people avoid public confrontations, no matter how deep the disagreements.
Moreover, given Daenerys Entertainment's overwhelming power, the media's sensationalism—making it seem as though Spielberg and Daenerys were sworn enemies—was highly detrimental to both Spielberg and DreamWorks.
Similar to the tensions that arose after E.T., Spielberg had once retaliated against Universal's then-president Frank Price, who had made things difficult during the production of the film. After E.T.'s success, Spielberg added a clause to every contract stipulating that he wouldn't work with Frank Price again. Price's career in Hollywood afterward speaks for itself.
This time, if the industry believed that the conflict between Spielberg and Daenerys was irreconcilable, people might start picking sides. Given Hollywood's current landscape, it's obvious which side they would choose, and DreamWorks would be in trouble.
So, despite his frustration, under pressure from DreamWorks' leadership and Paramount partners, Spielberg quickly issued a public statement refuting the gossip. He clarified that there was no conflict and even mentioned an ongoing contract with Daenerys Entertainment, congratulating Jurassic Park 2 on its success.
Daenerys Entertainment, in turn, responded graciously. Jurassic Park 2 director Michael Bay, in a media interview, praised his predecessor.
It seemed the tension had been resolved.
However, early the next morning, while having breakfast with his family, Spielberg received bad news: the latest sci-fi script Twister by Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton had been secured by Daenerys Entertainment, despite efforts by CAA to acquire it for Spielberg.
With the massive success of the Jurassic Park series and the ER TV show, Crichton had become highly sought after by numerous studios.
In an attempt to solidify his position in Hollywood, Spielberg had recently put his project on the history of the transatlantic slave trade on hold to direct another major blockbuster, with Twister being his prime candidate. In the past, Spielberg's name alone could secure any script he wanted.
But those days of glory were now behind him.
Even though DreamWorks and Paramount were willing to offer a higher bid, Crichton preferred Daenerys Entertainment, whose superior special effects capabilities could better bring Twister to life.
Spielberg didn't understand the term "Matthew Effect," but he was acutely aware that his ability to secure resources in Hollywood was dwindling.
At CAA's Century City headquarters, Spielberg rushed over from his Palisades mansion after hearing the news, hoping there might still be a chance to salvage the deal since Crichton was under contract with CAA.
As one of CAA's most important clients, Michael Ovitz personally received Spielberg. However, even Ovitz was powerless in this situation.
In the 1980s, Ovitz could have bundled Twister into a package deal, wielding significant influence over which studio secured the project. But with the rise of massive blockbusters, studios regained control of film production, and Daenerys Entertainment had become a powerhouse that CAA needed to maintain good relations with.
Ovitz had tried to broker a deal for Crichton and Spielberg to collaborate again, but Spielberg alone couldn't compete with the allure of Daenerys Entertainment. If Ovitz had forced the script to Spielberg, he risked alienating both Daenerys and Crichton, a valuable client.
Of course, Ovitz wasn't someone who easily bent to the wind.
After explaining the unfortunate situation to Spielberg, he personally selected several promising scripts of similar genre and presented them. Their meeting lasted for an hour, and after realizing there was no way to retrieve Twister, Spielberg left with the recommended scripts. He knew Ovitz had done his best.
It was Friday, June 9th, another box office weekend.
After escorting Spielberg to the elevator, Ovitz returned to his office and finally had a moment to review the past week's box office reports.
The success of Jurassic Park 2 was no longer news.
Over the past week, Daenerys Entertainment had executed a brilliant marketing strategy, posting daily box office numbers on the film's official Facebook page. Ovitz analyzed the campaign and recognized its genius.
Most people have a desire to be part of something miraculous, even if they can't achieve it themselves. Daenerys Entertainment's daily box office updates allowed the public to feel involved in creating a new box office record. By framing Jurassic Park 2 as a new miracle in the making, viewers were encouraged to participate by simply purchasing a ticket.
Many moviegoers who hadn't originally planned to watch the film were swept up in the excitement and bought tickets. After all, Jurassic Park 2 was undeniably a must-see blockbuster.
Furthermore, Ovitz, who had been paying close attention to the internet industry, noticed that this marketing event also boosted the popularity of Facebook, owned by Eaglet.
It was a win-win.
In the end, from June 2nd to June 8th, Jurassic Park 2 amassed a staggering $129.13 million in its first week, surpassing The Dark Knight Rises' record of $113 million by $16 million.
By comparison, the best performer in recent weeks, Die Hard 3, only earned $29.88 million in its opening week, just slightly more than Jurassic Park 2's first-day total.
What really stung other studios, though, was how Jurassic Park 2 affected the box office performance of other films that week.
Ranking first, Jurassic Park 2 earned $129.13 million in its first week.
Meanwhile, the second-place film, The Bridges of Madison County, starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep, saw a 36% drop in its second week, grossing only $10.13 million after opening with $15.80 million. Without Jurassic Park 2 in the mix, The Bridges of Madison County, with its stellar reviews and 9.0 media score, could have had a much stronger run, potentially reaching $70 million domestically.
Now, with its second-week drop, the film was expected to finish around $55 million, losing out on at least $15 million.
The Bridges of Madison County's situation was actually pretty good. The film only cost $24 million to produce, with $10 million in marketing. The domestic box office alone would cover the entire investment, and international and subsequent revenue streams would ensure a profit.
Third place went to Casper, which had opened the same weekend as Die Hard 3
.
After a strong opening of $25.71 million, Casper dropped 29% in its second week, earning $18.19 million. But in its third week, facing competition from Jurassic Park 2, the family-friendly film saw a steep 52% decline, with a weekly total of just $8.61 million.
Casper had accumulated $52.51 million after three weeks. Without further steep declines, it was expected to reach around $70 million domestically.
The worst hit, though, was Die Hard 3.
The Bruce Willis-led action film, with its $90 million budget, opened with $29.88 million. In its second week, it dropped 37%, grossing $18.79 million. Then, in its third week, Jurassic Park 2 crushed it, causing a 56% drop, leaving Die Hard 3 with just $8.26 million for the week.
After three weeks, Die Hard 3 had grossed $56.93 million.
As a typical popcorn flick, its box office had dropped significantly. Even if the declines slowed, Die Hard 3 was expected to only add another $15 million, finishing with just over $70 million domestically.
A domestic box office of $70 million wasn't a total failure, but with a combined production and marketing cost of $130 million, even with stronger international performance, Fox was still looking at significant losses.
Without Jurassic Park 2, both Die Hard 3 and Casper could have broken the $100 million barrier.
Simon's memory recalled that this had indeed been the case.
Now, just these two films alone had seen their box office revenues shrink by $60 million. Adding in The Bridges of Madison County and other films like Forget Paris and Undercover Blues, it was estimated that Jurassic Park 2 had siphoned off at least $100 million from other projects.
And that's not even counting upcoming releases like Braveheart and Pocahontas.
With an opening week of $129.13 million and even better reviews than the first film, Jurassic Park 2 was set to surpass the original's $356 million domestic total, with a potential shot at hitting $400 million.
It's worth noting that this summer wasn't like last year when The Dark Knight Rises and Forrest Gump shared the spotlight as two phenomenon-level films. Daenerys Entertainment's other major summer release, Apollo 13, was sure to do well but wouldn't reach that same phenomenon status.
With a domestic box office of $400 million on the horizon, half of that success might come from the film itself, while the other half would be at the expense of its competitors.
This constant shift in fortunes continued.
It always does.
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