hen it came to early promotion, the marketing and distribution teams at Warner Bros. and Disney were quite clever. They didn't emphasize the film's humanitarian message or patriotic themes. Highlighting these elements during the summer blockbuster season would only make audiences hesitant, as these aren't the preferred elements for summer moviegoers. So, the promotion heavily focused on emphasizing thrilling, exciting, explosive action sequences and presenting it as the most authentic war film.
Over the past few years, Gilbert has steadily built his brand, gaining a strong appeal. Even though it's still early in the promotion, many film fans have already taken note of the movie Saving Private Ryan. To support the marketing department, Gilbert shared several behind-the-scenes photos on his Facebook social media account. These included a photo of him with Tom Hanks and Leo DiCaprio, a panoramic shot of the transformed "Omaha Beach," and a group photo of the elite squad.
As soon as the photos were posted, they quickly drew attention from fans, racking up plenty of likes and comments.
"When it comes to action movies, who in Hollywood is better than Gilbert these days?"
"Well, there's Michael Bay. I saw his Bad Boys, and it was quite imaginative."
No sooner had this user commented than they were swarmed by film fans in the comments section. In the eyes of Gilbert's fans, let alone a rookie director like Michael Bay, even many A-list Hollywood directors couldn't compare to Gilbert. The only ones who could be compared to Gilbert were directors of the caliber of Spielberg or George Lucas, and even James Cameron fell short.
Cameron, unfortunately, was having a tough time. While True Lies had decent box office numbers, its $115 million investment, plus over $140 million in marketing, made it hard for the film to break even. Coupled with his new film once again demanding a budget over $100 million, Cameron's personal standing had significantly dropped. Gilbert, directing Saving Private Ryan, had a base salary of $15 million, while Cameron only received $8.5 million. Of course, in terms of box office revenue sharing, both received 15% of the total North American box office, so there was no difference there. The difference in salaries clearly showed the recent commercial performance of their films.
Compared to Cameron's predicament, Gilbert was much more at ease. His film The Rock had gradually ended its global run, ultimately accumulating $588 million at the box office. This achievement would be considered outstanding even decades later for a non-sequel original film, let alone in the 1990s. That's why titles like "King of the Summer Box Office" and "Son of God" became so widely associated with Gilbert—he was simply that incredible.
Film fans were also eagerly anticipating the collaboration between Tom Hanks and Gilbert. Currently, in terms of box office appeal, Tom Hanks was even stronger than Tom Cruise. In the "battle of the two Toms," Tom Hanks had a slight edge.
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As Saving Private Ryan entered its rigorous filming period, things were relatively calm and prosperous back in North America.
Inside Michael Eisner's office at Disney headquarters, Robert Iger was reporting on Touchstone Pictures' performance for the year. Michael Eisner listened, somewhat distracted, to the excellent business results of Touchstone Pictures.
"Final Destination 3 has performed exceptionally well," Robert Iger stated. "The film has currently grossed $65.53 million in North America, and its global performance is also good. It looks like it won't have trouble surpassing $100 million."
Disney's decision to buy the sequel rights for Final Destination from Gilbert for $25 million was, in Robert Iger's opinion, a wise one. This series, now on its third installment, had generated considerable profits for Disney. It seemed that as long as the box office performance remained strong, the series could continue, perhaps even to a fourth or fifth film.
However, Michael Eisner's mind wasn't on this. B-movies were never the main focus for major film companies. He asked Robert Iger, "Have you discussed it with Warner Bros.? Are they agreed to greenlight Speed 2?"
"I've already met with Jeff Robinov," Robert Iger nodded. "Warner Bros. has essentially agreed to greenlight Speed 2. The plan is to start preparations next year and release it in the summer of 1997."
Speed was also a film directed by Gilbert, another example of a mid-to-low budget commercial film that brought in high box office returns. After discussions with Warner Bros., both parties jointly pushed for the greenlight of Speed 2, aiming to capitalize on the positive impression the predecessor left on audiences and rake in another wave of box office revenue.
"So, did Gilbert say he would direct this film?" Michael Eisner asked.
"I already asked him about that," Robert Iger replied. "Gilbert said that sequel productions are not part of his plans."
There was actually something Robert Iger didn't mention: Gilbert had advised against pushing forward with the sequel plan, believing there was a high chance the second film would fail. Robert Iger had always admired Gilbert's cinematic vision and trusted his judgment. However, this project was personally pushed by Michael Eisner. Robert Iger knew Michael Eisner's assertive and autocratic personality, and rashly opposing him would displease Michael Eisner, so he had to look for another opportunity.
"Then find a good director to take on this project. The film must perform well during the summer blockbuster season," Michael Eisner stated.
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His struggle with Michael Ovitz had entered a heated phase. Although Michael Eisner had the upper hand, he couldn't completely push Michael Ovitz out of Disney and needed a long-term strategy. If the Saving Private Ryan project, for which Michael Ovitz was responsible, turned out to be a huge success, his position would be completely solidified. However, Michael Eisner couldn't intentionally trip up Saving Private Ryan just to get rid of Michael Ovitz. This was already Disney's most important project, and destroying company interests for personal gain would be remembered by senior management and the board of directors.
Speaking of the board, Michael Eisner was also furious. Previously, these shareholders were never unified, and although they disliked his authoritarian rule, he could still control them. But ever since Michael Ovitz became president, his childhood friend had been making connections everywhere, gaining support from many directors. Although he couldn't challenge Michael Eisner's position, Michael Eisner couldn't forcefully refuse when Michael Ovitz wanted to take charge of certain businesses. This time, with the support of the Disney family, Michael Ovitz snatched the Saving Private Ryan project from Robert Iger, leaving Michael Eisner with a bitter taste in his mouth.
Compared to Michael Eisner's struggles, Michael Ovitz was in a much more relaxed position. He seemed to foresee the day when he would control Disney, and it felt like it wasn't far off. Of course, all of this hinged on Saving Private Ryan. So, Michael Ovitz specifically traveled to Ireland to visit the set of Saving Private Ryan.
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Watching the bustling film set, Michael Ovitz exclaimed, "This is cinema! This is the best project!"
Gilbert didn't want to deal with Michael Ovitz, so he tossed the problem to Kevin Waxman, since they were both from the same group. However, Gilbert's coldness didn't dampen Michael Ovitz's enthusiasm. He still enthusiastically toured the set, observed the actors' demanding shoot, and then promptly offered his condolences. But during these moments of comfort, there were always photographers nearby, documenting the occasion. It absolutely had to be documented; if it wasn't, who would know he was the one who spearheaded this project?
This behavior, however, greatly displeased Warner Bros. producer Charles Roven, who privately tried to sow discord between Gilbert and Michael Ovitz.
"Look at him, behaving as if he's the biggest contributor to this film, when you're clearly the one leading it."
Gilbert, of course, understood Charles Roven's subtle intentions. He glanced at Charles Roven and calmly said, "Let him be, as long as he doesn't interfere with the crew's operations."
Gilbert and Michael Ovitz didn't have a great relationship, but he wasn't going to throw a tantrum over a small matter. The fierce internal competition at Disney might even be an opportunity for Gilbert, though being used as a pawn by both sides really annoyed him. Annoying as it was, as long as the film performed well, both sides would have to curry favor with him.
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Over there, Michael Ovitz was still inspecting the crew, occasionally asking questions, which Kevin Waxman answered. Michael Ovitz was quite shrewd; even as Disney's president, he couldn't simply order Gilbert around or treat him as a mere subordinate. Although Gilbert didn't give him a warm reception, Ovitz's skin was thick enough.
After touring the set, Michael Ovitz approached and complimented him, "This is my first time watching you direct on set, Gilbert. Your work is truly outstanding."
Since he was saying nice things, Gilbert couldn't just ignore him. He managed a strained smile. "Thank you, Mr. Ovitz, I'm just doing my job."
"Keep up the great work," Michael Ovitz patted Gilbert's shoulder. "If this film achieves excellent results, Disney will give you some rewards."
"Rewards?" Gilbert asked, confused.
"Of course," Michael Ovitz felt confident in his authority. "This is my personal promise, and of course, Disney's senior management will support me because we have Hollywood's most exceptional director."
Well, he even dropped the "one of" part, but Gilbert calmly accepted it. He wasn't the most exceptional director yet, but sooner or later, Gilbert would become Hollywood's best director.
Gilbert smiled and said, "Mr. Ovitz, thank you for your support."
Hearing this, Michael Ovitz seemed to have achieved his goal, and his smile became even brighter. However, to Gilbert, that smile looked rather ugly.