After Peter Saunders hurriedly returned to Los Angeles on Saturday night, Simon did not hear any news from Fox for three consecutive days.
This outcome did not surprise Simon; after all, his experience in Hollywood was still too shallow.
A young man under twenty years old not only demanded a high-percentage profit-sharing clause from a major film company but also required absolute control over the film's production. Such a thing had never happened in Hollywood before.
However, with the box office success of 'Run Lola Run', Simon no longer lacked options as he did a few months ago.
While helping out on the set of 'Near Dark', Simon also privately made some plans for 'Final Destination'. This gore-filled thriller was very suitable for the Halloween season at the end of the year. An eight-month preparation, production, and distribution cycle from late February to late October also seemed just right.
Therefore, Simon did not intend to tie himself to Fox. If Fox Pictures did not respond before the weekend, Simon planned to release the news and seek other collaborators.
Meanwhile, as its popularity and word-of-mouth continued to grow, the box office for 'Run Lola Run' in its second week not only did not decline but actually increased again.
From February 20th to February 22nd, during the three days of its second week, due to an increase in the number of screens, 'Run Lola Run' still achieved a 21% box office increase compared to its four-day opening week, reaching $6.69 million.
Subsequently, after the following four weekdays, 'Run Lola Run's second-week box office ultimately reached $9.56 million, second only to 'Platoon's $11.10 million, successfully climbing to the second position on the North American box office chart for that week.
Two films distributed by their own company simultaneously occupied the top two positions on the weekly box office chart, and both films were expected to break $100 million in North America. Orion Pictures was undoubtedly enjoying immense popularity for a time.
As a film that had become the focus of conversation across the entire federation, 'Run Lola Run' naturally faced no obstacles in its subsequent distribution.
Mike Medavoy, president of Orion Pictures, had originally intended to quickly expand the film's screening scale, but after a detailed phone conversation with Simon, he largely agreed with Simon's concept of 'hunger marketing'. Ultimately, Orion did not rush to significantly increase the screening scale of 'Run Lola Run' in its third week, only raising the number of screens to 536, and the relevant cinemas remained concentrated on the West Coast of the United States.
Many years later, if a film was in its third week of release, either its popularity would have faded, or pirated resources would be rampant, making it meaningless to continue increasing the screening scale.
However, in the mid-1980s, the speed of information dissemination was far from as rapid as in the internet era, and film piracy was not as rampant as it later became. The multi-round screening mechanism, where films opened sequentially from large cities to small towns, still existed, and many small towns in the third and fourth tiers often had to wait one or two months to see some blockbusters.
Therefore, three weeks of accumulating word-of mouth did not feel long at all for 'Run Lola Run', it only further heightened audience anticipation.
On the other hand, Simon patiently waited until Friday, but Fox Pictures still hadn't given any reply. He then called Jonathan Friedland, entrusting his agent to leak the news that he was seeking partners for 'Final Destination'.
Los Angeles, Beverly Hills.
The date was March 2nd, Monday.
Ronald Goldberg, president of Fox Pictures, entered Morton's restaurant, a frequent dining spot for Hollywood filmmakers, in the evening. As soon as he walked in, he felt many of the diners looking over with various expressions.
Although he felt inexplicably awkward, Ronald Goldberg casually said a few words to the approaching waiter and was then led to a table.
At the table sat a middle-aged man in his forties, somewhat bald, unremarkable in appearance, and with the standard large Jewish nose. However, no one in the entire restaurant would look down on him because of his appearance; the middle-aged man was Barry Diller, the current chairman and CEO of 20th Century Fox.
Noticing Ronald Goldberg approaching, Barry Diller, who had been reading a newspaper, immediately stood up, smiled, took two steps forward, and shook his hand before they both returned to the table and sat down.
After exchanging casual pleasantries and ordering dinner, Ronald Goldberg glanced at the newspaper in front of Barry Diller. It was the 'Los Angeles Herald', with a prominent butterfly illustration on the page. As an evening newspaper that also leaned towards Hollywood industry news, Ronald Goldberg easily concluded that the illustration should be related to 'The Butterfly Effect'.
Barry Diller followed Ronald Goldberg's gaze to the newspaper in front of him and then asked, "I heard the test screening for this film didn't go too well?"
Ronald Goldberg's tone was hesitant as he said, "Everyone thinks the story is complete and exciting, but a few critics who participated in the test screening didn't like it very much. They felt the plot was too fragmented and the main storyline wasn't clear enough..."
Barry Diller frowned slightly upon hearing this. In this era, the most direct impression ordinary people had of a film came from newspaper reviews. If critics gave poor reviews, it would undoubtedly hinder the audience's enthusiasm for going to the cinema.
After a moment of thought, Barry Diller pressed on, "So what do you plan to do?"
Ronald Goldberg said, "We'll hold an internal audience test screening on Wednesday, and then make some adjustments based on the feedback. After that, I plan to schedule its release for Easter. You know, that 'Run Lola Run' might help boost its popularity".
As Ronald Goldberg said this, his tone carried a clear hint of bitterness.
A week ago, when Peter Saunders brought back Simon's various demands for the 'Final Destination' project from Arizona, Ronald Goldberg almost burst out laughing in anger.
That young man really dared to speak his mind. Ronald Goldberg had worked in the media industry for thirty years and had never seen anyone dare to propose such conditions to a film company. Did he think he was Spielberg?
So, Ronald Goldberg simply chose to ignore him.
However, with the news breaking over the weekend that Simon Westeros was seeking new partners for 'Final Destination', and with the box office data for the past three days of last weekend released this morning, Ronald Goldberg became hesitant again.
Simon Westeros's released news was beside the point; as long as Fox didn't relent and actively give up, the other party couldn't reach a collaboration with other film companies.
But...
The box office data for 'Run Lola Run' over the past three days truly made many people take notice.
In its third week of release, with the number of screens increased to 536, 'Run Lola Run' still achieved a per-screen box office of 20,110 US dollars over the weekend.
According to an internal Hollywood report, due to a series of recent media discussions, 'Run Lola Run' not only attracted the interest of audiences of all ages but also created a viewing trend among teenage audiences. These young people all considered 'Run Lola Run' to be a very cool film and therefore generally chose to watch it repeatedly.
The report even showed that the scarcity of screening cinemas actually further stimulated many people's eagerness to queue up for tickets to watch the film.
Ultimately, in its third weekend, 'Run Lola Run' grossed $10.78 million, easily surpassing New Line Cinema's 'A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors', which opened on 1343 screens that week, and powerfully claiming the top spot on the weekend box office chart.
As of now, the total North American box office for 'Run Lola Run' has reached $27.31 million. This box office figure alone has already left most Hollywood films far behind.
Moreover, having already topped the weekend box office chart, in the current off-season for films, it would be incredibly easy for 'Run Lola Run' to maintain its top position for a long time.
The number one spot always receives the most attention.
'Run Lola Run' already had a very high level of buzz, and maintaining its position as the weekly box office champion would definitely attract even more people's interest in the film, thus forming a positive cycle.
The film's box office in just two and a half weeks had already reached $27.31 million. So, if this 'cycle' continues, the film's final box office is likely to be even better than the media's general expectations.
Ronald Goldberg's thoughts reached this point, and he didn't even want to continue thinking about it.
If only he had known better.
The waiter brought their dinner, but Barry Diller didn't pick up his cutlery. He looked at Ronald Goldberg across from him, unsure what to say for a moment.
Barry Diller and Ronald Goldberg had been acquaintances for twenty years.
It was Ronald Goldberg, then working in ABC's production department, who personally promoted Barry Diller, leading to Barry Diller's brilliant career at ABC Television Network and Paramount Pictures.
Three years ago, Barry Diller was forced out of Paramount by Martin Davis, the chairman of Paramount's parent company, who was jealous of his talent. It was again through Ronald Goldberg's introduction that he was able to become the chairman and CEO of 20th Century Fox.
20th Century Fox controlled both the Fox television network and Fox Pictures, meaning Ronald Goldberg had personally elevated his former subordinate to his superior.
This was two acts of great kindness and recognition.
Therefore, Barry Diller had always felt grateful to Ronald Goldberg.
However, as the head of Fox Pictures, Ronald Goldberg had managed the film company rather poorly. Fox Pictures had not had a single film grossing over $100 million in North America for three consecutive years.
Due to their deep personal friendship, Barry Diller would never, under any circumstances, remove Ronald Goldberg from the company. He even rarely interfered with Ronald Goldberg's management of Fox Pictures. But both knew very well that if the situation continued, major shareholder Rupert Murdoch would not tolerate Fox Pictures remaining lukewarm indefinitely.
After a moment of silence, Barry Diller said, "Ronald, I've heard about that young man, and also the news that came out over the weekend".
Ronald Goldberg forced a bitter smile and said, "Barry, do you think I should agree to him? He's just a greenhorn not even twenty years old, yet he's proposing harsh conditions that even Spielberg wouldn't easily ask for".
"Isn't there a prerequisite?" Barry Diller said, "$16 million. Although this guarantee is a bit low, if the production cost is only $8 million, Fox can definitely make a profit".
Ronald Goldberg said, "If it were just that, of course, it could be discussed. However, he also demanded absolute control over that project. The director, actors, filming, final editing, everything would be up to him. How could I feel at ease?"
"I just watched 'Run Lola Run' this afternoon," Barry Diller interjected, "For an 18-year-old, it is indeed an excellent film. So, Ronald, if it can be confirmed that 'Run Lola Run' was truly completed by him personally, perhaps you can agree".
Ronald Goldberg was still somewhat hesitant: "That can be confirmed. It's just, Barry, you know, something like this has never happened in Hollywood before".
"This could actually serve as a future selling point," Barry Diller said with a smile, "Just like his 18 year old age. Speaking of which, this is truly a brilliant film marketing strategy. If he weren't 18, this film would at most gross ten or twenty million dollars. But now, it could gross one or two hundred million dollars. If the related marketing plan was also conceived by that young man, that would be truly astonishing. So, Ronald, I suggest you try your best to bring this young man under Fox Pictures; perhaps you will get a second Spielberg".
Ronald Goldberg, hearing Barry Diller say so much, naturally understood that this was well-intentioned. He was also very clear about his own situation. If the situation at Fox Pictures could not improve quickly, he would not only be packed off after his contract expired next year but would also find it difficult to find a comparable position at other studios in the future.
Although trying to win over the young man who had just emerged in Hollywood felt a bit like a desperate measure, Ronald Goldberg truly had no better options.
He did want to win over Steven Spielberg. In fact, he had tried, with last year's 'Space Station', starring Spielberg's fiancée. With the film's box office failure, there was no 'after that.'
Thinking this, Ronald Goldberg nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll talk to him as soon as possible".