The once-defeated Scent of a Woman, now gaining momentum and growing stronger with each battle, had become the biggest dark horse of the 1992 fall season after just three weeks in release. Universal Pictures seized the momentum and immediately expanded the film to 1,400 theaters. With its continued stellar performance in per-theater averages, the film grossed a staggering $9.5 million in its fourth weekend, showing an upward trend for the fourth consecutive week. The total cumulative box office after four weeks skyrocketed to $20 million, leaving film critics across North America stunned.
If one were to recall the immense pressure Scent of a Woman faced before its release, as well as the painful torment Hugo endured over the past seventeen months, then this comeback was undoubtedly a resounding victory for Scent of a Woman.
With the weekend gross of $9.5 million, Scent of a Woman managed to defeat the newly released Passenger 57 this week, successfully retaining the top spot on the North American weekend box office chart for the first week of November.
Though the $20 million-budgeted Passenger 57 made a strong debut, its $9.4 million opening weekend fell just short, losing to the well-received Scent of a Woman by less than $100,000.
Under Siege took third place with $5.6 million in weekend gross, bringing its five-week total to $59 million, making it the biggest winner of the fall season. Meanwhile, A River Runs Through It, which had also expanded to 1,000 theaters, earned $5 million, ranking fourth this week with a five-week total of $14 million an impressive showing.
It's undeniable that A River Runs Through It and Scent of a Woman were rivals. Though A River Runs Through It was released earlier and had the initial advantage, Scent of a Woman eventually surpassed it in every aspect, pushing its competitor into the shadows. One can easily imagine Brad and Martin's frustration.
With its second consecutive box office crown, Scent of a Woman not only dispelled all doubts and worries prior to its release, but also staged an incredible comeback. While all the spotlight was on lead actor Al Pacino, Hugo's contribution undoubtedly came into focus as well signaling that the bad luck from the Razzie Awards had finally begun to dissipate.
In the second week of November, the magical journey of Scent of a Woman temporarily came to a halt. Facing the $40 million blockbuster Bram Stoker's Dracula, it was hard for Scent of a Woman to mount an effective counterattack.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, and Anthony Hopkins, Dracula was not a film that could be easily challenged.
Upon its release, Dracula swept the box office with a $30 million opening weekend, unsurprisingly taking the number one spot.
Despite such a dominating competitor, Scent of a Woman held its ground well, recording a remarkably low drop of just 15%, grossing $8 million over the weekend. Though it stepped down from the top spot, it firmly secured second place. In comparison, Passenger 57 saw a more disappointing 30% drop, bringing in only $6.5 million. Though it ranked third, it was now clearly trailing behind Scent of a Woman.
As for A River Runs Through It, it also performed decently, with a 22% drop and $3.9 million in weekend gross. However, its performance was still a tier below Scent of a Woman.
Having earned $29 million in total box office after five weeks, Scent of a Woman no longer had the strength to vie for the top spot. Still, two consecutive box office wins were already a pleasant surprise there was nothing more to ask for. Thanks to excellent word-of-mouth, the film's performance graph in North America remained very promising. Not only were weekly drops kept below 20%, but it even saw growth in a few weeks. More impressively, Scent of a Woman's long-term commercial appeal won the audience's enthusiastic support. From its release in the second week of October until its final screening in the first week of July, it had an incredible 36-week theatrical run.
In comparison, A River Runs Through It was clearly outmatched. After just thirteen weeks, due to a rapid drop in audience numbers, it was forced to end its run early. Its final gross limped to $36 million. Of course, this figure was still profitable for a low-budget production. But compared to Scent of a Woman, its performance was far less impressive.
In the end, Scent of a Woman brought its North American total box office to $80 million—ten times its $8 million budget. Naturally, profits would be split between the film company and theaters, and the studio would also have to share with actors and the director. Nevertheless, the enormous success of Scent of a Woman was indisputable.
Meanwhile, after achieving major success in North America, Scent of a Woman also launched in international markets. Compared to its domestic performance, the enthusiasm overseas was even higher. It ultimately earned $90 million internationally, bringing its global total to $170 million—more than enough to make Universal Pictures beam with joy.
The success of Scent of a Woman was beyond doubt, and Hugo also managed to shake off his previous slump, once again returning to the spotlight and becoming a hot commodity. Compared to Al, who had always been in the public eye, Hugo having experienced ups and downs for a year was now the center of attention. This led to Hugo being invited as a guest on the new episode of The Tonight Show.
NBC's The Tonight Show was currently the highest-rated talk show in America. Its previous host, Johnny Carson, had anchored the program for thirty years, taking it to the pinnacle of late-night television. However, this May, when Johnny Carson announced his retirement, a fierce battle broke out over who would take over the position. The contenders included Jay Leno and David Letterman. In the end, the more loyal Jay Leno won out. Feeling betrayed after years of being promised the slot, David Letterman left in anger and moved to CBS. His vacancy at NBC was filled by Conan O'Brien.
Guests on The Tonight Show came from various fields including sports, film, music, politics, and economics. The show aired twice weekly and was consistently popular with audiences. Since Jay took over as host, the show had continued to perform strongly.
Hugo arrived early at the Burbank studio, but as the car approached, Joseph had to slow down. Hugo looked at the crowd ahead—around a dozen people. Although it wasn't a large number, they still made the road noticeably narrower, and the car had to move carefully. "What's going on? Isn't the studio supposed to only allow audience members in?" Hugo had been to the Burbank studio many times before and had never seen such a peculiar situation.
Joseph glanced around as well, then said uncertainly, "Maybe they're all here to be in the audience and are just waiting for the staff to come and check them in."
At that moment, the gathered crowd also noticed the slowly approaching car behind them. They all turned to look, and the few people closest to the middle of the road began to step aside, trying to make room. But then, someone suddenly rushed toward the vehicle, startling Joseph, who didn't dare accelerate. Sitting in the passenger seat, Hugo also froze for a moment, having no idea what was going on.
"Hugo! I love you!" One person ran straight to the passenger window, shouting loudly through the glass, their face full of excitement, vividly displayed in front of Hugo.
Before Hugo could react, the others finally realized that sitting in the car was Hugo Lancaster. Since Joseph hadn't put any tinted or blackout paper on the windows, it was extremely easy to see inside the car. Immediately, all dozen or so people surged forward, surrounding Joseph's old Volkswagen Golf.
"Hugo! Hugo!" Hearing the shouts from outside the window, Hugo finally understood. He looked blankly at Joseph. "They... came for me?" The pounding on the car was deafening, making one wonder whether this old vehicle might fall apart at any moment.
Joseph now understood as well and curved his lips into a smile. "Looks like it. Seems like they're here waiting for you." Fans waiting outside the studio when actors come to record a Show this kind of star-chasing behavior wasn't all that common more often seen at film premieres but it wasn't unheard of either. Joseph just hadn't expected this. "Scent of a Woman" had only been released for a week, and yet the effect was already showing.
So... I... What should I do?" Hugo asked dumbly.
Joseph spared a glance at Hugo and, seeing the slightly goofy expression on his face, almost burst out laughing but managed to hold it in. He hesitated before saying, "Wave?"
In Hugo's mind, fan gatherings, screaming and shouting those were things reserved for popular idols. People like Justin Bieber, or Robert Pattinson, since actual star-chasers were usually teenage girls who needed a "crush trigger." But Hugo didn't have that. "Scent of a Woman" wasn't the kind of film that would make girls scream after watching it.
So, facing the dozen or so fans gathered outside the car waiting for him, Hugo was truly caught off guard. Even back when "Death Or Glory" had a small female fanbase, he'd never been this nervous. So Hugo just did as Joseph suggested he smiled toward the window and waved.
In an instant, "Ah! Ah! Ah!" The screams surged in like a tidal wave. For the first time, Hugo realized that even a dozen people screaming at once could create such a terrifying effect. But the feeling was actually quite nice. The somewhat stiff smile on his face relaxed involuntarily, spreading naturally, and a golden glow shimmered in his amber-colored eyes
...
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