Hollywood Director 1992

[Chapter 190: Winner]

In the twelfth week since the release of Final Destination, negative media coverage about the film, along with Link and Joaquin Phoenix, reached a peak. A variety of outlets accused Link of exploiting the tragic death of Joaquin's brother, River, to promote the movie, labeling him as shameless.

Critics claimed that Joaquin was heartless, profiting off his brother's death while invoking sympathy. They went so far as to say Final Destination was an ominous film, suggesting that anyone who watched it would be cursed by death and face misfortune. Media outlets began to connect recent tragedies to the release of Final Destination, claiming the film was responsible for the deaths of 339 people and calling for an immediate ban on its screening.

The backlash affected the film's box office performance significantly.

...

In response, Guess Pictures, in collaboration with UTA, implemented a series of countermeasures. They sued the irresponsible media for defamation, demanding an apology and damages. Additionally, River's father announced the establishment of a charity fund in his name to support animal protection and preserve the tropical rainforests that River had bought before his death.

The band, the Grim Reapers, resumed performances and declared that they would donate 100% of their concert ticket sales and 100% of album proceeds to the River Phoenix Foundation to back causes River had passionately supported.

Guess Pictures announced a donation of $1 million to the River Phoenix Foundation. Friends of River, including Keanu Reeves and Johnny Depp, pledged $300,000 and $200,000, respectively. Nicolas Cage contributed $100,000, while Jennifer Connelly announced a $50,000 donation. Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, and Uma Thurman, who had previously worked with River, also announced contributions ranging from $30,000 to $50,000.

...

Following the Grim Reapers' renewed promotional efforts, Final Destination started to recover in terms of reputation and box office earnings, bringing in $9.05 million that week, with a cumulative total of $188 million.

With three weeks left, there was a strong possibility that Final Destination would surpass the $202 million earned by The Firm after its 15-week run in North America.

...

"Damn it! How could this happen? Richard, tell me why it turned out this way. We invested so much money, yet we're seeing no results!" Robert Downey Jr. exclaimed, disheveled and with bloodshot eyes, as he stared at Richard Gere.

"Calm down, Robert. There are only three weeks left for Final Destination. They still need over $14 million to hit their target. It's hard to say if they can pull that off in the next three weeks," Richard urged.

"How could they not make it? Last week's box office was over nine million. Even if it drops, it won't go below six million. The Grim Reapers are on tour promoting the film! There's no way they won't make $14 million!" Robert shouted, spitting words in his frustration.

Richard sighed, "Given the current circumstances, there's not much we can do. Michael Ovitz is in the same boat -- none of us have any control over this. It's all because Link is too crafty. Don't take it too hard, Robert. You only lost over $10 million, while Tom and I lost over $20 million. It's all Link's fault."

"It's over! It's completely over!"

Robert Downey Jr. slumped on the couch, eyes glazed over. Richard Gere and Tom Cruise, each worth tesns of millions, had lost $20 million at most, while Robert Downey Jr. faced financial ruin -- potentially even losing what little retirement money his father had left for him.

Kiefer Sutherland was in a similar state, pulling at his hair in despair. He had lost nearly $10 million and was now burdened by debt of several million dollars. He regretted ever following Robert Downey Jr. and Richard Gere's advice to enter into this bet.

...

Suddenly, a startling report came through the media. A plane flying from Chicago to a small town in northern Minnesota crashed due to mechanical failure, resulting in the deaths of all 125 people onboard.

Although initially unrelated to Final Destination, three passengers shared their accounts during interviews. They expressed how they had been anxiously considering taking that flight after watching the film, ultimately deciding against it and opting for a train instead. They credited the movie with saving their lives.

While this could be seen as a positive twist for Final Destination, sensationalist tabloids eagerly turned it into negative publicity, labeling the film as a harbinger of doom. They pointed out that there had been two major air disasters around the time of the movie's release, resulting in numerous casualties, and argued that the film should be banned.

In addition, the airline industry announced significant drops in passenger numbers over the past two months, with some companies reporting declines as high as 21%. Regions with strong box office returns for Final Destination also experienced the most pronounced decreases.

United Airlines issued a statement indicating they would consider discussing with Guess Pictures the possibility of ending the film's run prematurely. This was adding considerable pressure on the film's release.

...

Meanwhile, several major insurance companies came forward to support the continued screening of Final Destination and even volunteered funding for its promotion. According to reports from MetLife, the sales of personal accident policies had spiked by 4.3% compared to the previous quarter and by 8.6% year-over-year, a significant increase.

Insurance agents began highlighting Final Destination when selling policies, urging clients to consider the unpredictability of life and the value of having accident coverage. Some insurers even partnered with Guess Pictures to introduce a Final Destination accident insurance package.

...

Despite the mixed reactions, the film continued its controversial run. In the thirteenth week, the box office revenue reached $10.36 million; in the fourteenth week it grossed $6.37 million; and in the fifteenth week, it made $4.13 million. After fifteen weeks, Final Destination collected $209 million in North America, surpassing The Firm by $7 million.

...

"We lost!"

Robert Downey Jr. lay on the floor, ashen-faced. His phone rang incessantly, with bank representatives urgently demanding repayment.

"How could this happen? There were so many of us, and we raised so much money. How did we let one person beat us?" Kiefer said bleakly.

"Link must have cheated! He used underhanded tricks to take us down, costing us over a hundred million dollars! He deserves to be taken out!" Richard fumed.

A glimmer of rage flashed across Robert's face.

"Can we back out? Is there any way to get our stake back?" Kiefer asked eagerly.

Richard shrugged, "I checked, and we can't. We were worried Link would back out if he lost, so we made sure to have contracts that left us no outs during negotiations. The stipulation was that whichever film had the higher box office tally would be declared the winner, and once that was determined, Citibank had to transfer the funds within 24 hours -- no exceptions."

"Damn it! Damn Link!"

Robert's eyes narrowed in anger, and he picked up his phone to call his agent, instructing him to contact a hitman in New York to take care of Link.

...

Link emerged victorious in their bet, with $144 million added to his Citibank account in Cayman Islands and $32.5 million spread across various Las Vegas bookmaking houses. This bet earned over $170 million in total, plus the film's North American earnings of over $100 million.

Additionally, Final Destination had earned about $117 million overseas over the past two months and garnered around $23 million from home video sales. The rights for basic cable, music albums, advertisement sponsorships, and other merchandise brought in an extra $18 million.

In total, the film had generated approximately $340 million for him and his company, and projections suggested it might exceed $500 million in the future. Given its production cost of $13.5 million and over $20 million in marketing expenses, the return on investment was phenomenal.

*****

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