[Chapter 452: The Release of Titanic]
Saving Private Ryan was a huge hit upon its release. To promote the film, Link temporarily paused his work with the crew and traveled to Los Angeles and New York for promotional events, sharing his experiences and insights about the film's creation and passing on some tips to his peers.
Thanks to heavy media coverage, Saving Private Ryan gained even more popularity and steadily improved its reputation. On IMDb, the film scored an impressive 9.9 out of 10.
Eighty-four media outlets gave the movie ratings above 90, surpassing the likes of Forrest Gump and The Shawshank Redemption.
...
After the film's release, many fans raised questions about the storyline where Captain John Miller and his team sacrificed their lives. They debated whether sacrificing eight soldiers to save one was justified.
Some argued it was worthwhile, noting that war is not just a numbers game but involves deeper considerations and struggles.
The mission undertaken by John Miller and the seven others was not only about saving one soldier's life but also about showcasing kindness, compassion, humanity, and respect for life.
Their actions proved that the U.S. military valued life and showed empathy for the vulnerable, a spirit especially precious amidst the chaos of the battlefield.
Others felt it was not worth it.
They pointed out that John Miller and the others had families too, and sacrificing themselves to save someone else's family seemed unfair to their own loved ones.
As the debate intensified, major outlets like The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post joined in, comparing the discussion to the famous ethical dilemma known as the trolley problem, each laying out their arguments.
...
With mainstream media involvement, the controversy exploded nationwide in the U.S., increasing the movie's buzz even more.
In its second week, Saving Private Ryan earned $75.71 million across 3,034 theaters in North America, pushing its two-week total to $167 million.
...
At the celebratory party, Tom Hanks raised a glass of champagne and said, "Link, as a fan, thank you for making this fantastic film. And as an actor, I'm grateful you cast me."
"Tom, no need to thank me. Your brilliant performance made the movie shine. The fans and I should be thanking you," Link replied.
"Haha, it's an honor," Tom said with a smile.
During the party, cast and crew members took turns congratulating Link, praising the film, and expressing hope to collaborate again. Link didn't disappoint, promising future collaborations.
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"Link, I recently saw a new script called The Talented Mr. Ripley, based on Patricia Highsmith's novel. It tells the story of Ripley, hired by a wealthy businessman to convince his son, Dickie, to return to the U.S. in Italy. But Ripley becomes enamored with Dickie's life and, driven by desire, kills him and assumes his identity. It's a thriller-crime film. What do you think?" Matt Damon asked.
"Sounds promising. Send me the script when you get a chance," Link responded.
"Will do!" Matt enthusiastically nodded.
...
"Director Link, congratulations on this great work. I'm honored to be part of it," said Vin Diesel, coming over to greet him.
Link smiled and asked Vin what projects he was working on and whether he was interested in racing films.
He hinted Guess Pictures was prepping a racing movie about underground street racing in Los Angeles, involving car chases, police confrontations, and urban crime. Vin expressed immediate interest and hope to star.
Link chatted with Vin before greeting others at the party.
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"Link, Saving Private Ryan is fantastic. I've watched it three times and still want more. The only pity is no female roles - otherwise, I could've played a part," Nicole Kidman said, beaming as she linked her arm with his.
"Stop praising this film. I've been hearing compliments nonstop and it's making me dizzy," Link joked.
"Alright, I'll stop. Got plans later? Want to come to my apartment to relax? I want to introduce you to a good friend," Nicole winked, her smile captivating.
"Sophia and Brooke said they'd be grilling at the villa this afternoon."
"Skipping one barbecue is no big deal. My good friend's a real beauty and really likes you. She wants to meet you."
"You can bring your friends to the villa for barbecue," Link said, pulling her close to squeeze her waist.
Nicole blushed and nestled into his embrace. Before the party ended, she tugged him to the restroom to rekindle memories, jokingly asking him to treat the toilet as their workspace.
Link wasn't that wild; he simply held her close against the wall to relax.
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After the party, seeing it was still early, Nicole took him to her apartment to rest and introduced him to Cate Blanchett and Naomi Watts.
The four initially had a calm chat on the couch, but Nicole's playful antics soon turned the living room into a mess with clothes strewn everywhere.
Link didn't stay overnight with Nicole. After she and Cate and Naomi slept, he drove back to the mountaintop villa to join his girlfriends' barbecue party.
---
Having finished movie promotions, Link returned to Florida's Kennedy Space Center to continue shooting the subsequent scenes of Armageddon.
"Scene 91, shot 3, take 1! Action!"
...
After the shuttle launch, Harry's drilling team successfully reached the meteorite surface but found it very hard. They damaged two drill bits but only managed to dig 50 feet deep -- still 800 feet short of the target.
Upon hearing the news, the White House ordered the military to remotely detonate a nuclear device on the meteorite surface.
The countdown to detonation began.
Harry strongly objected, believing detonating a nuke on the surface wouldn't destroy the meteorite and would endanger everyone.
He clashed with Colonel Willie Sharp, the space mission leader.
"Give us time, Sharp! Turn off that nuke now," Bruce Willis shouted in his spacesuit.
"It's not my decision," Colonel Sharp replied.
"Then who's in charge?"
"Only the President."
"But the President isn't here," Harry said.
"Three minutes to detonation," assistant Chick warned.
"Sharp, I'm telling you: give me more time, turn off that nuke now!" Harry yelled.
"I already told you, it's not my call."
"Then shall I give you a direct order?" Harry grabbed a large clamp from the console to force Sharp to deactivate the nuke.
Sharp pulled a pistol on Harry.
...
"Cut!"
Link reviewed the take and felt the argument wasn't intense enough. He instructed the actors to speak faster and to ramp up the lighting for a stronger contrast on set to heighten the emotion and conflict.
The second take was much better. Link ordered the crew to continue filming.
...
Following the heated dispute, Harry convinced Sharp, and together with an assistant, they disarmed the nuke's auto-detonation.
The bomb's countdown stopped just before going off.
Harry and his drilling team resumed, vowing to dig 800 feet deep into the meteorite.
---
While Link focused on the Florida set, Saving Private Ryan's heat continued. In its third week, it earned $56.41 million in North America, pushing its total box office to $224 million, making it the fastest film of the year in North America to reach $200 million.
Total Film magazine predicted the film would exceed $400 million domestically.
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This week, Guess Pictures had a new release: Madonna star-led biopic Evita, set against Argentina's pre-and post-WWII historical backdrop, chronicling Eva Peron's legendary life.
In its opening week, showing in only two theaters, the film pulled in $460,000 -- a strong start, although as Madonna's fan base mostly watched early screenings, this wasn't an accurate measure of the film's full reception.
By week two, Evita played in 704 theaters, earning $15.99 million, a respectable return with a chance to recoup costs.
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However, during Evita's second week, 20th Century Fox released Titanic for the holiday season. The film opened in 2,674 U.S. theaters and earned $52.96 million in the first week -- a solid start.
More remarkable than the box office was Titanic's near-unanimous critical acclaim.
Many outlets that had just praised Saving Private Ryan as the best film of '97 turned to hail Titanic as the year's top movie, describing it as a thrilling epic romance.
Where many had commended Saving Private Ryan, even more media now praised Titanic.
Total Film magazine, in an excited tone, declared, "1997 is the most thrilling year in film history. This year brought us the epic war film Saving Private Ryan and James Cameron's epic romance Titanic. Both are must-sees that will mesmerize audiences worldwide."
The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and others published enthusiastic articles praising Titanic, causing it to surpass Saving Private Ryan in both hype and box office.
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"Yes! Finally, Titanic blows up at the box office. Let's see how Link can still make money," Harvey shouted excitedly, clenching his fists.
For weeks, Harvey had been upset seeing Saving Private Ryan's success while movies he partnered on at Guess Pictures lost money, even as Guess's solo productions raked in profits and critical acclaim.
This situation was more painful than betrayal.
It plunged Harvey into a deep depression over the past five weeks.
Now, with Titanic outgrossing Saving Private Ryan in both attention and weekly box office, Link's movie could no longer dominate the market unchallenged, which was good news for Harvey.
Moreover, the reputation of Saving Private Ryan, once hailed as the greatest movie in history, gradually waned compared to Titanic's momentum.
Looking ahead to the Oscars, many media believed Titanic and James Cameron stood a chance for Best Picture and Best Director. If true, Link's chances next year would be significantly reduced.
Without the Best Director Oscar, Link would no longer be considered Hollywood's top-tier director.
"Harvey, Titanic's blockbuster success isn't necessarily good news for us," Bob Weinstein reminded him.
"You mean our box office will be suppressed? Doesn't matter. Compared to Guess Pictures' loss, our hit is nothing," Harvey said, rubbing his double chin with a smirk.
Originally, Saving Private Ryan had a weekly box office over $40 million, but after Titanic's release, it fell to just over $20 million.
The decline would worsen.
Without Titanic, Guess Pictures would have earned tens of millions more, which would be more than their company lost.
"Harvey, what I mean is Titanic's success benefits Guess Pictures too. Don't forget Guess co-produced the film and holds its overseas distribution rights. If Titanic does well in North America, it will surely make strong overseas revenue, which means big profits for Guess."
Bob's words stunned Harvey, who suddenly recalled that during Titanic's production, the financing chain broke, and James Cameron had to go to Fox to secure funding.
But Fox seeing the losses from Waterworld and Cutthroat Island, refused to invest more.
This nearly ended the film's production prematurely.
Later, James Cameron secured $100 million from Guess Pictures to continue filming.
Guess agreed to invest in exchange for overseas distribution rights.
So, Bob was right: if Titanic succeeded domestically, overseas box office would be strong, and as distributor, Guess would profit greatly.
"Damn! That bastard Link got a big break again."
"Barry Diller is an idiot. Why didn't he stick with Titanic's investment to the end? Had he not backed out midway, Guess wouldn't have gotten this huge opportunity," Harvey yelled angrily.
Bob shrugged. Guess Pictures had great luck this year and was expected to make a lot of money, causing envy among others.
*****
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