Benedict Canyon, east of Beverly Hills.
The date is July 25th, a Saturday.
After attending the premiere of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on Wednesday night, Jackie Chan flew to Los Angeles and settled into the mansion he had purchased last year.
It was nearing noon.
Jackie had just finished watching a rough cut of The Phantom Agents, sent over from Hong Kong, with Disney Studios President Bill Mechanic. His assistant came in to remind him that the guests had started arriving.
Regardless of certain criticisms, Jackie Chan is undoubtedly a man of high emotional intelligence and possesses a true big-brother demeanor.
Noticing that more and more Chinese filmmakers were making their way to Hollywood in recent years, and with many of them currently in town, Jackie took the opportunity to gather everyone together to strengthen connections and offer mutual support in the future.
The first to arrive was Chow Yun-fat, who also brought along Michelle Yeoh, one of the female leads of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
After exchanging greetings, Jackie introduced Bill Mechanic to the two.
Bill Mechanic had already heard some early box office numbers for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that morning and was quite enthusiastic about Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh.
Soon after, Jet Li, Tsui Hark, and other Asian faces who had been trying to make it in Hollywood but hadn't yet achieved fame arrived one after another.
Jet Li aside, Tsui Hark had recently signed a deal with Warner Bros. to direct a film starring Steven Seagal, Warner's in-house action star. The script was still being written, but the initial concept revolved around a joint anti-terrorism operation between Hong Kong and U.S. police forces. This setup was designed to allow Tsui to film in his familiar Hong Kong, with potential funding from across the Pacific. The budget was estimated at $25 million.
In addition to the Chinese filmmakers, Jackie had also invited some Hollywood locals he had befriended over the years. By noon, the villa's living room was bustling with activity. Even Danny Morris, the president of New World Pictures, showed up.
It was a buffet-style cocktail party.
As everyone started mingling, Jackie, as the host, hadn't yet given his opening remarks, and the atmosphere began to feel a bit awkward.
The reason was that the most prominent Chinese filmmaker in Hollywood at the moment hadn't arrived yet—John Woo, the director behind Broken Arrow, Mission: Impossible 2, and Face/Off.
More observant guests might have also noticed that while Jet Li had flown all the way from China to attend the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon premiere on Wednesday, John Woo, who was in North America, had not shown up. Even though John Woo's recent actions made it clear he had no intention of continuing his collaboration with Daenerys Entertainment, this was still a film by his fellow countrymen. Setting aside Daenerys Entertainment, he should have shown some solidarity.
Then there was Tsui Hark.
The history between John Woo and Tsui Hark, dating back to A Better Tomorrow, was complicated. Now that Tsui Hark was following in the footsteps of others to break into Hollywood, it was hard to say how John Woo felt about it.
Finally, at around 12:15 PM, John Woo arrived, fashionably late.
As one of the most prominent Chinese filmmakers in Hollywood at the time, both Jackie Chan and the Hollywood locals warmly welcomed him.
"I'm really sorry, Jackie. I had a meeting this morning and got stuck in traffic," John Woo apologized profusely. When he saw Bill Mechanic, he greeted him warmly, "Bill, I didn't expect to see you here."
"It's great to see you again," Bill Mechanic said with a smile, shaking John Woo's hand. He then seized the opportunity, "John, about that Double Jeopardy project, can we find some time to discuss it further?"
John Woo smiled but didn't hesitate to decline, "Bill, I think we're just wasting each other's time. I want complete control over my projects, and you guys can't offer that, can you?"
"We can talk about it. I've spoken with Mr. Messier in France."
"Sorry, but I've already reached an agreement with Paramount on a script," John Woo cut him off, gesturing to the side. "Also, I need to go say hello to Chow and the others."
Bill Mechanic watched John Woo walk away, feeling a bit regretful.
He then noticed Danny Morris, the president of New World Pictures, who seemed indifferent to John Woo's arrival. Mechanic couldn't help but feel a slight sense of schadenfreude.
With Face/Off about to cross $200 million domestically, John Woo was the hottest director in Hollywood at the moment. Daenerys Entertainment had nurtured this star director but had seemingly let him walk away without much effort to retain him. In Mechanic's view, this was a very unwise move.
Meanwhile, John Woo made his rounds, greeting everyone. When he reached Chow Yun-fat, he apologized again, "I've been really busy lately, Chow. I couldn't make it to the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon premiere. I hope you don't mind."
Chow Yun-fat showed no sign of discomfort and seemed to be in good spirits, smiling as he replied, "No problem."
John Woo didn't dwell on the topic. If he had really wanted to attend, he could have made time. However, after directing three hit films for Daenerys Entertainment, he had no intention of letting them take advantage of him again. Despite Daenerys Entertainment's influence in Hollywood, John Woo was confident that with three blockbusters under his belt, he could thrive without them.
Recently, John Woo had signed a two-picture deal with Paramount. One was a gunfight action film produced by Chow Yun-fat, and the other was a project he would direct himself, titled U.S. Marshals. The latter was similar in concept to The Fugitive, following a U.S. Marshal who, while pursuing a fugitive who had escaped from a plane crash, uncovers a web of conspiracies.
Apart from Paramount locking in Tommy Lee Jones, who had starred in The Fugitive, John Woo had significant creative control over the project, including final cut. The budget was also generously set at $100 million, matching Face/Off.
Compared to the constraints he faced while working with Daenerys Entertainment, this was the kind of creative freedom he had always wanted.
When someone is successful, they tend to become more open-minded. After making his rounds, John Woo even approached Tsui Hark and exchanged a few words, seemingly burying the hatchet. He offered to help Tsui Hark with anything he needed in Hollywood.
The atmosphere at the party became quite harmonious.
As the big names gathered, the conversation naturally turned to recent films.
"Golden Harvest's The Phantom Agents? I've been keeping an eye on that. Isn't it still in post-production?"
"They just wrapped up filming last week and are now in post-production," Jackie Chan said. "Mr. Chow sent over a rough cut. Bill and I watched it this morning. After all, our collaboration on Police Story 4 was quite successful."
John Woo, having had a few drinks, was in high spirits and spoke confidently, "The strategy this time is actually quite good. Two leads, a Hong Kong star paired with a Hollywood actor. However, Ekin Cheng's fame is a bit low. They should have spent a bit more to get Andy Lau or Tony Leung. And the female lead, Gigi Lai…"
At this point, John Woo caught himself and stopped. He continued, "Anyway, the strategy of combining Eastern and Western elements is correct. Like Jackie and Jet's Rush Hour and Taken, when we come to Hollywood, we should adapt to the local culture. Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is, in my opinion, a counterexample. Bringing a pure wuxia film to Hollywood is just reckless. How could it possibly succeed?"
The people around him who were familiar with the situation looked a bit awkward but didn't refute him.
Bill Mechanic, who was still lingering nearby, couldn't help but interject, "John, do you know Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's opening day box office?" When John Woo looked at him with slight confusion, Mechanic revealed, "143 screens, $1.65 million on opening day. Paramount's Good Burger, which also opened yesterday on 1,887 screens, only made $1.07 million."
143 screens, $1.65 million.
1,887 screens, $1.07 million.
The contrast was stark.
Even though limited-release films often have high per-screen averages due to their small scale, a per-screen average of over $10,000 on opening day was rare, especially during the latter half of the summer season, which wasn't awards season. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's $1.65 million opening day suggested a first-week gross of $7 to $8 million.
Many Chinese films didn't even gross $7 to $8 million in their entire North American run, and this was just Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's projected first-week limited release numbers.
Considering John Woo's earlier comments, the atmosphere became awkward.
Finally, Jackie Chan stepped in to smooth things over, "Daenerys put a lot of effort into promoting the film. It's only natural that the limited release numbers are good. A few million dollars isn't a big deal. The key is to see how it performs in the long run."
Everyone knew this was a face-saving gesture, so they quickly chimed in with agreement. Bill Mechanic, realizing he had overstepped, also wisely stayed quiet, knowing there might be future collaborations.
While John Woo was nearly embarrassed by his own words, the rest of Hollywood was also starting to take notice of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's box office trajectory.
Even though many had expected the film to perform well based on early buzz, the $1.65 million opening day on just 143 screens exceeded almost everyone's expectations.
The weekend passed quickly.
On Monday, July 28th, the box office numbers were released. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon grossed $4.96 million over its three-day opening weekend, with a per-screen average of nearly $35,000. This placed it fifth on the weekend box office chart, behind Independence Day, Spawn, Nothing to Lose, and Twister.
Then, as the week of July 25th to July 31st came to a close, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon grossed $7.53 million, maintaining its fifth-place position on the weekly chart.
The per-screen average was close to $53,000.
Daenerys Entertainment quickly capitalized on the film's strong limited release performance, making the high per-screen average a focal point of media attention and generating word-of-mouth buzz among audiences.
On August 1st, a new box office week began.
Due to the overwhelming response from the limited release, Daenerys Entertainment adjusted its strategy, expanding the planned wide release from 1,500 screens to 1,863 screens, with the possibility of further expansion depending on performance.
With this, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's box office potential began to fully unfold.
Despite competition from two new releases and several holdovers, the film's momentum continued to build. From August 1st to August 7th, its first week of wide release, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon grossed an impressive $29.13 million, claiming the top spot on the weekly box office chart.
While $29.13 million might be considered modest for some films, for a Chinese-language film, especially one with a strong artistic bent, it was a phenomenal success.
Including its limited release numbers, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon had grossed $36.67 million in just two weeks.
Moreover, unlike Spawn, which had dropped 53% in its second week after a $27.55 million opening, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was clearly on a long-term trajectory. It even had a strong chance of becoming the first Chinese-language film to gross over $100 million in North America.
After Independence Day, many in Hollywood had expected Daenerys Entertainment to take a breather and give others a chance to shine. After all, from Face/Off onward, Daenerys Entertainment had claimed the top spot at the box office for 10 consecutive weeks during the 1997 summer season. No one had anticipated a dark horse like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
On August 8th, a new box office week began, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's screen count increased significantly again, reaching 2,393 screens. To maximize the film's box office potential, Daenerys Entertainment also increased its marketing budget to match the film's production cost of $15 million.
New York.
If the filming process of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon had been exhausting, the past two weeks of intense promotional activities had left Li Youhu both tired and exhilarated.
After over a year of hard work, it had all paid off.
To be precise, the rewards were substantial.
Not only had she quickly become a well-known Chinese-American actress in North America, but back in China, she had also risen to fame almost overnight, much like Gigi Lai earlier in the year. However, Li Youhu's popularity surpassed Gigi's, as Gigi had only played a supporting role in Taken, while Li Youhu was the female lead in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
The currently airing Kangxi Micro-Journey, in which she had a role, saw a significant boost in ratings thanks to Jin Shu's promotional efforts, even though her storyline hadn't yet aired.
The previously uncertain release date for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in China was quickly finalized following the film's success in North America, set for September 5th.
A Daenerys Entertainment executive even mentioned the possibility of securing an Oscar nomination for her during next year's awards season, or at least a Golden Globe nomination. A year ago, Li Youhu wouldn't have dared to dream of such accolades.
August 9th, Saturday.
After two consecutive weeks of promotional activities following the film's release, Daenerys Entertainment hosted a celebration party for the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon crew at a hotel on the Upper West Side.
Dressed to the nines for the evening, Li Youhu finally saw the man who had been absent during this busy period.
Simon had been traveling nonstop and had just flown in from Los Angeles that day.
As Li Youhu approached, holding the hem of her long, silver, low-cut gown, she overheard Simon discussing the film's Chinese release with Ang Lee.
"I deliberately delayed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's release in China. Although it's a Chinese-language film, it was made primarily for Western audiences and is better suited to premiere in North America first, with the feedback then influencing its release in China. If it had premiered in China first, the audience there might not have appreciated this style as much," Simon explained. As he caught a whiff of Li Youhu's perfume, he casually pulled her closer, leaned in to sniff, and smiled, switching to Chinese, "You smell nice, and you look stunning."
What kind of greeting was that?
Li Youhu shot him a coquettish glance but obediently leaned against him, playing the role of the perfect companion.
Simon didn't overlook Professor Yu, who was trailing behind Li Youhu, "You look beautiful tonight, too."
How insincere.
Professor Yu thought to herself.
At least compliment her on being fragrant and stunning too. She was wearing a black gown, which contrasted beautifully with her skin, even more so than Li Youhu's silver dress.
With a hint of resentment, Professor Yu didn't dare to approach Simon as boldly as Li Youhu had. She simply smiled politely at him, exchanged a few words with Ang Lee, and then turned back to Simon, "You two chat. I'll go… grab something to eat."
With that, she walked away.
Not hearing any words of retain from Simon, her slight resentment inexplicably deepened. Of course, she wouldn't go back on her own.
Simon watched Professor Yu leave and turned back to Ang Lee. Since they had switched to Chinese, he continued in the same language, "By the way, how's the preparation for The Ice Storm going?"
"Very smoothly," Ang Lee replied, also in Chinese. "Also, the intern Daenerys sent over is quite good. He has a lot of ideas."
Ang Lee was referring to the uniquely talented Xu.
Simon took the opportunity to say, "If you think he's good, you could mentor him in the future, maybe even produce his debut film. In Chinese, we call this 'passing the torch,' right?"
Ang Lee, who was genuinely impressed with the intern, was slightly surprised by Simon's use of the phrase "passing the torch." It struck a chord with him, and after a brief hesitation, he nodded, "Sure."
After chatting for a bit longer, Ang Lee excused himself.
Simon led Li Youhu to a buffet table, where they picked out some food together. As they did, he asked with a smile, "How have you been feeling lately? A bit overwhelmed?"
"Yes," Li Youhu instinctively nodded, then quickly denied it, "No, I'm not overwhelmed."
"It's okay to feel a bit overwhelmed. It's a normal reaction at a time like this."
As Simon spoke, his thoughts drifted to John Woo.
He was aware of John Woo's deal with Paramount and had seen the script for U.S. Marshals, which Woo was set to direct.
The story was essentially a rehash of The Fugitive—a plane crash, a fugitive on the run, and a marshal uncovering a conspiracy. It reminded Simon of another film that should have been released this year but had been derailed by the butterfly effect: Con Air. Upon checking, he discovered that it was a new script by the writer of The Fugitive, essentially rehashing the same formula. This was typical in Hollywood—recycling ideas was safer than innovating.
Simon vaguely remembered this film from his past life, though he couldn't recall much about it. Its box office prospects were predictable.
In any case, the story was well-suited for John Woo to direct.
As for the future?
If their paths didn't cross, so be it. But if John Woo's film ended up competing with a Daenerys Entertainment release, Simon wouldn't hold back.
Li Youhu didn't know what Simon was thinking, but she understood he was teasing her. Instead of denying it further, she said, "It still feels like a dream.
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