Hollywood Director 1992

[Chapter 185: Continue to Suppress]

"What should we do? Should we keep up the smear campaign against Final Destination's box office?"

In the office, Ron Meyer asked while taking a drag from his cigarette.

Michael Ovitz looked sternly at the data in his hands, deep lines creasing his forehead.

Final Destination had a production cost of only $13.5 million and had already earned $69.59 million in its first two weeks, performing better than The Firm.

If things continued as they were, Final Destination would surely break $100 million at the North American box office within two weeks.

So, was it possible that Final Destination could eventually pull in $133 million over the next 13 weeks?

It seemingly wasn't out of the question.

What should they do?

Should they continue to find ways to stifle Final Destination's box office performance?

In the past two weeks, he had poured a significant amount of funds and connections into suppressing the film's success, yet it hadn't yielded much.

Continuing to push this effort would require even more resources, time, and energy.

If they didn't suppress the film, there was a chance they might lose this bet.

Many in Hollywood were aware of the wager, and losing to Link wouldn't just mean a significant financial loss; it could also damage his influence and status in the industry.

Losing both financially and face was not an option.

Michael Ovitz rubbed his bald head, beginning to regret his participation in this gamble.

Since July, he had wasted an enormous amount of time, energy, and connections on this matter, to the point where his work at CAA suffered considerably, raising concerns among the board members.

Having invested so much, losing the bet would result in an absolute loss.

Michael Ovitz, the top figure in Hollywood, could never afford to lose, especially to a 22-year-old kid.

Bang!

Michael Ovitz slammed his fist against the desk, his expression turning fierce and resolute.

"Let's continue to suppress! We cannot lose this wager."

"To continue suppressing, it will require even more funds. The word of mouth for Final Destination has been incredibly positive -- over 80% of reviews are favorable. If it weren't for our negative marketing, those positive remarks would be over 90%. That makes it even harder to continue with this strategy; without at least ten million dollars, we won't make much of an impact on Final Destination's overall reputation," Vice President Jay Moloney stated.

"Ten million dollars?"

Richard Gere's mouth twitched at that figure. Robert Downey Jr. and others had taken out loans in the millions to participate in the wager, and later, to boost The Firm's box office, they had to borrow again.

If they had to raise more funds to crush Final Destination's reputation, many might end up bankrupt right where they stood.

"Our efforts to undermine Final Destination through public opinion will likely fail; the costs are simply too high. We've already put in a lot, and if we invest even more and lose, the consequences will be dire," Ron Meyer said.

Richard Gere nodded slightly.

"What else can we do besides trying to undermine Final Destination's box office?" Michael Ovitz asked, spreading his hands.

Tom Cruise replied, "Maybe we shouldn't panic too much. Final Destination's box office skyrocketed during Halloween, but now that Halloween is over, ticket sales should drop this week. The odds of Final Destination hitting $202 million at the box office are nearly impossible."

Ovitz and the others hoped he was right, but their opponent was Link, who was smart and had a knack for marketing. His films frequently performed exceptionally well at the box office.

If, after a few weeks, Link decided to go back on his word and use the media to promote his film, similar to how he had done with Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project, ticket sales might soar.

What would they be able to do then? Besides criticizing Link through the media for being unreliable, there'd be nothing else. They'd just watch his new film's box office explode.

But compared to winning the wager and earning millions, a few more harsh words didn't matter much.

"Why don't we contact the airlines, suggest they get involved, and forbid Final Destination from screening?" Richard Gere pointed to a newspaper article that reported a significant drop in airline attendance following Final Destination's release, leading to a 13% decrease in seat sales for the US airlines, which could continue to decline in the coming weeks.

Thirteen percent didn't sound like much, but translated into dollars, that was millions upon millions.

For an airline, that was no small loss.

To avoid this, United Airlines might even join the cause.

However, upon hearing this, Michael Ovitz and Ron Meyer shook their heads -- this was not feasible.

If disaster films led to a drop in airline attendance, should they then ban the airing of disaster movies? With the rise in gun violence, should they ban action films? With an increase in sexual offenses, should they ban erotic films? With higher suicide rates, should they ban tragedies?

Hollywood thrived in a free market, and if they started banning everything, the American film industry would crumble in no time.

This wasn't just something the government wouldn't support; the entire film industry would oppose it.

So better to drop the idea.

"What if we spread rumors about Link? I've heard his private life is chaotic, and he maintains close relationships with many women. Scandal could affect his film's performance," Tom Cruise suggested.

Jay Moloney responded, "That would have limited effect. First, we lack evidence to prove he has those kinds of relationships, and second, he's just 22, not married, and the women he's rumored with aren't either. Such gossip wouldn't impact him much."

"If that won't work and this won't either, what ought we to do? Should we pray to God that Final Destination flops?" Richard Gere shook his head and looked at the most powerful figure in Hollywood. "Michael, what should we do?"

Michael Ovitz felt a twitch in his eye, wanting nothing more than to throw the group out of his office. If he knew what to do, he wouldn't be sitting there worrying.

But as the leader, he wouldn't show a lack of solutions.

After thinking for a moment, Michael Ovitz decided they would continue to use public opinion to undermine Final Destination, aiming to reduce positive comments while raising the ratio of negative ones.

At the same time, they would reach out to United Airlines to have them confirm that the film contained numerous flaws and an extremely nonsensical plot, while also leaking details about Link's private life to tarnish his image, trying their hardest to portray him as a villain.

"That'll take a lot of money." Jay Moloney reminded him.

Michael Ovitz turned to Richard Gere and Tom Cruise. "Let's get everyone to raise ten million more."

"Another ten million?"

This time, even Richard Gere and Tom Cruise felt a sting in their hearts.

They were actors, and while their salaries weren't low, that money had been earned through hard work in acting and promotion. Investing another ten million in this gamble was painful.

But if they didn't continue to invest, their previous capital would likely never be recouped.

It was truly a no-win situation.

*****

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