All preliminary promotional work was done. According to Disney's plan, the roadshow activities would begin next weekend. In other words, Disney wanted to see the film's first-week box office performance and word-of-mouth before deciding whether to increase investment.
Because of this, Gilbert had a rare break on the opening weekend of "Final Destination," so he held a barbecue party with his team members. These were his future core crew, and it was important to maintain good relationships with them. Robert Iger heard that Gilbert was hosting a private barbecue party and offered his villa, but Gilbert declined. After all, the film was still in theaters, and its success was uncertain. This barbecue party was also to reward the team for their hard work over the past few months, strengthen their bonds, and ensure future collaborations.
His agent, Shina Boone, found an empty villa and rented it directly for the barbecue party. His friend Matt Damon even brought Ben Affleck along, and Jared Leto arrived with his new girlfriend. Assistant Anna Singer, Associate Director Annie Burton, Cinematographer Dur Randolph, Art Director Serena Heafey, and others all came with their respective partners or temporary companions.
Gilbert personally handled the grilling. Naomi Watts was invited and also came to help.
"Michelle, have you seen the black pepper sauce?" Gilbert asked, flipping ribs and brushing on olive oil.
Cameron Diaz, handing out beers to everyone, replied without looking up, "I think it's on the shelf, check for yourself."
Gilbert searched around and finally found it, then brushed the black pepper sauce onto the ribs.
"Wow, that smells delicious!" Matt Damon's appetite was piqued. He eagerly grabbed a piece of nearly done rib with his hand and devoured it in a few bites. After eating, he didn't forget to lick his fingers and give Gilbert a thumbs-up: "Your cooking is really good."
"Of course! If I weren't a director, being a chef wouldn't be bad either," Gilbert said proudly.
"No, don't! The culinary world doesn't need another you, but Hollywood certainly does," Naomi Watts said, carrying a bowl of mixed fruit salad. She scooped a spoonful with a small spoon and fed it to Gilbert. "How does it taste?"
"Mmm~" Gilbert's eyebrows rose in delight. "Sweet and sour, quite tasty! Bring it to the table!"
Naomi Watts was delighted by Gilbert's praise and eagerly shared her fruit salad with everyone. The first to try it was Cameron Diaz, who's eyebrows relaxed after one bite. Couldn't tell, this little one really has some skills, Cameron Diaz thought. To the 1.75-meter (5'9") tall Cameron Diaz, the 1.65-meter (5'5") Naomi Watts was indeed a "little one."
"Gilbert, come on over, let's eat!" Cameron Diaz called out.
"Alright, coming right over!" Gilbert put the ribs on a platter, carried them to the table, and then sat at the head of the table.
"Let's pray before we eat. Dur, you're the eldest, you lead the prayer!" Gilbert said.
Dur Randolph didn't refuse, and everyone at the table held hands and began to pray. Gilbert had Cameron Diaz on his left and Naomi Watts on his right. Everyone tacitly left these two seats for the two women, knowing that Cameron Diaz was Gilbert's public girlfriend, and it seemed Naomi Watts also had an unusual relationship with Gilbert.
However, being in this industry, everyone was used to it; some even thought Gilbert lived too much like a Puritan. Renowned Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer, besides his legitimate wife, was rumored to maintain close relationships with over a dozen actresses. Gilbert's father, old Gilbert, was rumored to have dated over twenty girlfriends simultaneously in his youth and was even linked to Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. Gilbert was publicly known to have only two or three, still far behind his father; he had to work harder.
Gilbert and his group enjoyed the barbecue party, eating the grilled food he personally prepared. Meanwhile, "Final Destination" was experiencing its opening weekend in theaters, and its performance was steadily improving.
---
Zoe and Doug had become temporary fans of Gilbert after watching "The Shallows" twice. After seeing "The Shallows," they went home and bought many horror film videotapes to watch, but unfortunately, none of them had the same thrilling sensation. So, when Gilbert's new film was released, they were among the first to see it in theaters.
After watching it, the young couple was incredibly excited. They had initially thought "The Shallows" was Gilbert's peak, and that it would take considerable effort to make an even better horror film. But unexpectedly, Gilbert released "Final Destination" the following year. The premise was astonishing: the main characters had various unique deaths, treading on thin ice as death pursued them, making for a heart-pounding experience.
After watching the midnight showing, Zoe and Doug weren't satisfied, so they gathered a large group of friends to watch it again on Friday's opening day.
"I'm telling you, this movie is absolutely amazing..." Zoe excitedly recommended the film to her friends.
Her friends were half-believing, half-doubting: "Really? But I don't see many people watching it!"
Doug explained, "The director of this film is somewhat known, but the main actors are all unknown newcomers, so it's normal for the premiere to not have many people. But trust me, you absolutely won't regret it after watching it."
"Is that so?" one friend, Mark, still questioned, "If it's not good, you're paying for the bar tonight."
"Don't worry, Mark, I'll pay..." Doug promised confidently.
Seeing Zoe and Doug's enthusiastic recommendations, their friends mostly believed them. Upon entering the cinema and watching the opening scene of the plane explosion, they were all convinced.
Word-of-mouth spread this way, little by little. More and more moviegoers were recommended the film by those around them and then went to the cinema. Most people who watched "Final Destination" thought it was good, and some of them would also recommend the film to others. In an era when internet promotion was not yet developed, besides spending large sums of money on television and newspaper advertisements, the most effective way to promote a film was by captivating the audience with its quality. To summarize it with a phrase from his previous life, it was about turning movie fans into "tap water" (self-generated publicity).
Of course, as a large media conglomerate, Disney controlled many media outlets and had good relationships with many major media companies. With the marketing funds poured in, the media began to fully build momentum for the film. On opening day, reviews from critics who had seen the test screenings were all unlocked. Robert Iger was well-versed in the art of hype; he arranged for some critics to praise the film and others to criticize it, thereby attracting attention. As Gilbert had said, good or bad didn't matter; what mattered was getting people to talk about you. This was a good and very effective method of media promotion.
Besides its horror elements, there was another often-overlooked element to the film: teenagers. Matt Damon and Cameron Diaz played high school students, and the film was a horror story about high schoolers being chased by Death, immediately captivating the hearts of many teenagers. Capturing the hearts of teenagers was like capturing the purse of Hades from Greek mythology. Hades is the god of the underworld, also known as Death, and he also controls underground treasures like gold and gems. While chasing high school students, "Final Destination" could also be called "Hades is Coming," taking money from their pockets.
No matter how ingenious the plot, how brilliant the performances, or how high the praise, ultimately nothing is as powerful as concrete box office numbers. On Friday, August 28th, its opening day, "Final Destination" achieved $2.572 million in box office revenue, thanks to word-of-mouth and extensive promotion. Including midnight screenings, the film earned $2.896 million on its opening day. This performance couldn't compare to big-budget productions that often made tens of millions on opening day. But "Final Destination" was only a B-movie, and this result was more than enough to satisfy Disney.