In his office building on Wilshire Boulevard, Michael Ovitz stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing into the distance toward the Hollywood area, as if trying to see the Chinese Theatre, the premiere happening there, and the crowd of protesters nearby.
Behind him, Michael Bay sat quietly on the sofa, his long face furrowed into a deep frown. That expression was the perfect embodiment of the downward trajectory of Pearl Harbor.
"Does it really have to do with them?" Michael Bay suddenly asked.
Without turning around, Ovitz kept his gaze fixed on the horizon. "Who's to say for sure about the opinions online? I don't know if Duke and Warner Bros. are involved, but what I do know is that they are the beneficiaries of the wave of criticism against Pearl Harbor!"
It didn't matter who was behind the wave of negative comments sweeping the internet; what mattered was who was benefiting from them.
After its second weekend, Pearl Harbor's box office suffered a significant blow. Even with Disney and the Artists Management Group launching crisis PR efforts, the wave of criticism, which had spread from the internet to real life, was unstoppable. With deliberate orchestration, it couldn't be completely suppressed.
Although there was no concrete evidence, Michael Ovitz didn't need proof to deduce that Warner Bros. and Duke Rosenberg were behind it. Additionally, the distributors of The Mummy Returns and Shrek, Universal Pictures and DreamWorks, likely didn't sit idly by. Despite differences in their target audiences, the films were still competitors. Given the chance to suppress Pearl Harbor, no one would pass it up.
It was, after all, a mutually beneficial move.
Over the last three weekdays, the daily box office for the film, often derided as a "love triangle framed by the attack on Pearl Harbor," had dropped below $2.4 million. The rapid decline wasn't just painful for Ovitz because the film was falling short of expectations; theaters had also significantly reduced its screenings.
Initially shown on approximately 3,200 screens, Pearl Harbor lost 300 screens before the next weekend. Of those, 100 were split between The Mummy Returns and Shrek, while the remaining 200 went to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring!
The epic project by Duke Rosenberg and Warner Bros. would debut on an unprecedented 3,802 screens across North America!
Just thinking about this number made Ovitz's chest burn with frustration.
However, Ovitz was never one to only play defense. Since someone was profiting at his expense, they'd have to face his retaliation.
With such limited time, Ovitz and Disney couldn't resort to underhanded tactics, but they had certainly nudged some events behind the scenes as well.
---
The premiere on Hollywood Boulevard was unique, to say the least.
The area in front of the Chinese Theatre was packed with people. One by one, stars walked the red carpet. Inside her car, Ivanka Trump opened the mirror on the back of the front seat, checking her makeup and dress. After confirming everything was in place, she sat carefully to avoid creasing her pale yellow evening gown, awaiting her turn to step onto the red carpet.
Unlike Tina Fey, Ivanka had a highly publicized father and had appeared in the media several times. Though she had no interest in a Hollywood career, she didn't mind the occasional spotlight.
What North American business leader wasn't a media focus?
Through the car window, Ivanka saw the flashbulbs popping along the red carpet. Even the setting sun seemed dim in comparison to the lights.
Clearly, the promotional efforts for The Fellowship of the Ring had drawn significant attention.
But when Ivanka rolled down the car window slightly, a loud protest roared into her ears like a gale. The noise of the protesters nearly drowned out the cheers of fans in front of the red carpet.
A premiere amid protests? Hadn't those protesters in New Zealand caused enough trouble? Now they were here too?
Ivanka's face darkened slightly. When her car stopped, she stepped onto the red carpet, her expression tense. She couldn't help but glance to her left, where she vaguely saw hundreds of The Lord of the Rings book fans holding banners and placards, shouting their dissatisfaction with the movie adaptation.
In front of them, reporters were taking photos and filming. Among them, Ivanka noticed someone from Disney's ABC network.
Tina Fey had once mentioned that major summer blockbusters often faced inexplicable trouble, often linked to competing films released around the same time.
Ivanka was aware that many in Hollywood were waiting for Duke to stumble.
"Too bad. You won't get to see it happen!" she thought confidently as she ignored the reporters' calls for photos and headed straight into the Chinese Theatre.
---
Inside the VIP lounge, Ivanka barely recognized anyone. Though many were major celebrities often seen in the media, she had become immune to their presence after being around a top director like Duke.
Scanning the spacious lounge, she spotted Tina Fey with a middle-aged woman. Ivanka walked over.
"Hi, Tina," she greeted Tina Fey briefly before addressing the woman politely. "Hello, Leah. It's a pleasure to see you."
"Hello, Ivanka," Leah responded warmly. "You seem to have grown taller again."
"Yes, just a little," Ivanka said with a troubled expression. "I feel like I'm too tall."
At six feet eleven inches, she often thought of the comments about her height and broad frame, which only added to her frustration.
Just then, a commotion came from the lounge entrance. The entire production team began entering. While chatting casually with Leah and Tina about fashion and other topics, Ivanka noticed Duke finishing his greetings and heading toward them.
She also noticed a woman walking beside him.
The woman greeted Tina Fey and even hugged Leah, showing clear familiarity with them.
"Hi, Ivanka."
"Hi, Irene."
Ivanka briefly shook the hand offered to her. This was her friend's sister.
Turning to Duke, she saw he didn't greet her directly, which wasn't necessary given their familiarity. Instead, he started discussing work with Tina Fey. Leah also focused her attention on Duke.
"I didn't expect you to come," Ivanka said deliberately to Irene Lauder with a bright smile.
Irene frowned slightly but didn't mind. "I've been friends with Duke for years. I rarely miss his premieres."
"What about Jane?" Ivanka switched topics. "Didn't she come with you?"
"Jane stayed behind for an internship," Irene replied before excusing herself to greet others.
Watching Irene walk away, Ivanka appeared deep in thought, then shook her head lightly. Seeing Duke finish his conversation with Tina, she approached him.
"There are protesters outside," she said with concern. "Will it affect us?"
"It'll have some impact," Duke admitted, escorting Leah toward the screening hall. "But it's fine. We've done plenty of promotion. As long as the audience enjoys the film, good word of mouth will offset any negativity from hardcore book fans."
During the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy, protests from fans accompanied all three films. However, with strong promotion and the films' quality, the trilogy ultimately overcame all obstacles.
Duke was confident in himself.
Seated in the front row, Ivanka spoke encouragingly, "We'll definitely succeed."
She wasn't alone in her confidence. Fans who had seen the trailers shared her faith. Norman Schiller, an avid Matrix fan, had arrived early. To avoid any interruptions, he had stopped drinking water an hour before leaving and visited the restroom immediately upon entering the theater.
Having seen the trailers, he was transitioning from a Matrix fan to a Lord of the Rings fan. Watching the full movie would finalize his transformation. He trusted Duke wouldn't disappoint them.
"Well, except for abandoning Matrix to make The Lord of the Rings, which did disappoint us," Schiller thought. "But if this movie is good enough, we'll forgive him and support him loudly!"
"Brad, why are we watching this movie?"
The voice of a middle-aged man beside Schiller broke his thoughts. The man was speaking to someone who looked about fifty.
"We should be outside protesting…"
Schiller's eyebrows shot up. Was this man a protester?