Chapter 12 Party
Courteney just stood awkwardly to Simon's side, watching him sketch, while Kristy leaned in without hesitation, pressing close beside him. A strand of her pretty blonde hair dangled in his peripheral vision, swaying back and forth as she observed his drawing and said, "No, we're heading to a party. Simon, why don't you come along?"
Simon didn't commit, continuing to sketch as he asked, "What kind of party?"
"Matthew's throwing it to celebrate the box office success of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Oh, Matthew Broderick—you know him?"
Simon nodded. Though he had the memories of twelve other people, to better immerse himself in this era of Hollywood, he'd been diligently reading the industry's two powerhouse publications, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. So he was well-versed in the current hot releases.
In this ongoing summer season, the most buzzed-about film in Hollywood was undoubtedly Tom Cruise's Top Gun. Released in mid-May, it had racked up $75 million in under two months.
In the '80s, Hollywood hadn't yet adopted the wide-release model of blanketing thousands of screens at once. Major studios still relied on long-run releases combined with multiple waves of screenings.
The hallmark of this traditional approach was small opening scales but extended theatrical runs.
Even three years ago, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi opened on just over 1,000 screens. On the flip side, popular hits could stay in North American theaters for over six months.
Top Gun had opened on around 1,000 screens too, pulling in $75 million in less than two months and claiming the top spot on the 1986 North American box office chart for now.
Based on the typical long-run box office curve and Top Gun's current heat, the film could easily add at least another $75 million in the coming months.
Last year, only three Hollywood films crossed $100 million domestically. With Top Gun's projected North American total exceeding $150 million, it had all but locked in the 1986 annual box office crown.
And indeed, Simon remembered clearly: Top Gun ended up with $179 million in North America, topping the 1986 charts.
Thanks to Top Gun's explosion, Tom Cruise vaulted from Hollywood heartthrob to global superstar.
Beyond Top Gun, the June-released teen comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off had turned its $6 million budget into over $30 million in just three weeks, making it another summer sleeper hit.
In the months ahead, even if Ferris Bueller's Day Off didn't break $100 million, it stood a good chance of cracking the year's top ten North American box office list.
Simon wasn't too familiar with Ferris Bueller's Day Off's lead, Matthew Broderick. Aside from this current film, he mostly recalled him as the male lead in the 1998 Hollywood Godzilla—and that movie had mostly negative fallout for its stars, derailing the leads' careers.
But right now, Simon was very interested in Ferris Bueller's Day Off because its director was John Hughes, the famed writer of Home Alone.
A massive global hit like Home Alone, which raked in nearly $500 million worldwide in the early '90s—Simon had no intention of missing out on that.
Chatting casually with the two girls beside him, Simon finished his sketch and prepared to say goodbye and head back to the motel. He wasn't into the parties Westerners loved so much, and besides, it would be late by the time it wrapped up. Santa Monica's downtown was fairly safe, but without a car, walking alone at night could invite trouble.
Kristy, however, wouldn't let him off the hook. She dragged him over and shoved him into Courteney's white sedan, finishing with a sneaky "you owe me one" look—clearly convinced he had a thing for Courteney.
Since he was already in the car and Courteney didn't object, Simon went along with it.
The party was at the Zeppelin Bar, near the Santa Monica beach.
The three arrived in Courteney's white sedan just as night fell, finding a long line already snaking out from the bar's entrance.
Kristy stepped up and chatted with the burly bouncer, who checked his list, verified their IDs, stamped the underage Simon and Kristy's hands to bar them from drinking, and let them in.
Simon later learned that Kristy had scored a minor role in Ferris Bueller's Day Off—hence the official invite, unlike the hopefuls queuing outside, desperate to network in Hollywood circles.
They followed the corridor into the bar's main hall, where Simon noted the oval layout truly evoked its "zeppelin" name, with a futuristic vibe in the decor.
The hall was already packed with young people, lights flashing, music pounding deafeningly.
Kristy didn't dive straight into the crowd. Instead, she led Simon and Courteney, following a waiter's directions, to the other side of the bar where the night's star was holding court.
Weaving halfway around the crowded oval hall, they finally spotted a group of young men and women chatting around a round table in the back.
The group at the table didn't bother standing as they approached. Kristy extended her hand to a boyish-looking guy, shaking it with a smile. "Matthew, congrats. And these are my friends, Court and Simon."
After her intro, Simon and Courteney stepped up to shake hands too. Matthew Broderick stayed seated, offering a smile but with clear aloofness.
After the quick greetings, seeing Matthew's cool demeanor—he didn't even seem interested in their full names—the trio prepared to leave. But just as they turned, the guy across from Matthew caught Kristy's eye and pulled over an extra chair.
"You two go have fun; I'll chat with Matthew and the gang for a bit," Kristy said, her brief disappointment vanishing. As Simon and Courteney walked off, she sat down with a smile. "So, what're we talking about?"
"Matthew's new movie," the guy next to her replied, handing her a drink before glancing at Matthew across the table, fumbling like he'd forgotten. "What was it called again?"
"The Butterfly Effect—a really cool script," Matthew said, his tone perking up now that outsiders were gone. "You guys know what the butterfly effect means?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Actually, I'm not totally sure either," Matthew admitted, drawing cooperative laughs. "But right now, several WMA execs are really high on this script. They're even gearing up to turn it into a WMA package deal, like what CAA does."
The girl next to Matthew, tired of his circling, playfully shook his arm in mock frustration. "Matthew, come on—what's the story about?"
"Well," Matthew said, soaking up her coquettish vibe but shaking his head, "I can't spill yet. You'll hear about it soon enough. And there are plenty of young roles in the script—you might even get to audition. I could put in a word."
The group clustered around Matthew, hanging on for exactly these kinds of opportunities. His last line drew even more eager, ingratiating expressions.
Kristy jumped in then. "Matthew, when does filming start?"
"The project's still in talks; it'll probably get shopped to studios soon," Matthew said, eyeing Kristy's pretty face. "And Norman thinks my part's too small—he wants the writer to rewrite the script. Anyway, you all know a good movie doesn't come easy."
Everyone nodded in agreement, some faces lighting up with envy at the casual name-drop.
The Norman he'd mentioned was Norman Brokaw, his agent—and one of Hollywood's legendary power brokers. Years back, Norman had even repped icons like Marilyn Monroe.
At sixty this year, after WMA lost two major figures earlier in the year, Norman had leveraged his long tenure to become president of the brokerage giant.
The others at the table were Hollywood hopefuls with decent agents of their own.
But everyone knew: land someone like Norman Brokaw, and your career path would be smooth sailing. Matthew Broderick, from a showbiz family, had signed with him young.
As the group chatted with Matthew at the center, a commotion erupted in the nearby dance floor—cheers and jeers mixing as a small clearing formed. It looked like a fight had broken out.
Someone causing trouble at his own celebration party—Matthew's face darkened. He stood abruptly and headed toward the dance floor, the others hurrying after.
Drawing closer, Kristy recognized the two figures at the center of the chaos, her pretty face twisting into a grimace.