Hollywood (我就是好莱坞) Part II

CHAPTER 254 - Maybe it's time to do something

"What is your name, and which newspaper are you from?" Eric asked.

"My name is George Norton," George Norton said hurriedly, inventing a false name for himself. Eric didn't realize George was lying, so he nodded and said, "You said it was a foolish decision to release 'The Others' on November 1st. What's your reason for that?"

George Norton confidently replied, "It's simple. Although November 1st is Halloween, there are still many horror films released during that period, but it's not an ideal time slot. The total box office of movies in these weeks is no different from the box office of films in the off-season. Since Disney and Firefly have high hopes for this movie, releasing it on November 1st is not a wise decision. Or, do you not have much confidence in 'The Others', so you chose to put it in such an unpopular time slot?"

After listening to George Norton's words, Eric couldn't help but glance at the other person a few times. This middle-aged man dressed in paparazzi was much stronger than those who only asked questions about the stars: "Since you can talk straight, you should also know that in Hollywood's top ten box office every year, there will always be a few movies whose release time is neither during the summer nor Christmas season, yet they still manage to squeeze into the ranking list with their excellent quality."

Mr. Williams, I understand what you are saying. Just like "Look Who's Talking," which was released a few weeks ago, Orion Pictures originally had no high hopes for this movie, so it was released in obscure October, yet this "black horse," with only a few million in production costs, has now taken nearly sixty million US dollars in box office and may even become a competitor of "The Others". But Mr. Williams, you still haven't answered my question. The black horse movies you mentioned were put in the off-season because they were not expected to succeed. But "The Others" was obviously a movie that Disney and Firefly had high hopes for, and it even won the Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival.

Eric smiled slightly and said confidently, "I just answered your question. As long as the quality of the film is good, sometimes it can be released outside of the traditional summer or winter slots and still be successful."

George Norton widened his eyes in surprise, and some of the more professional reporters in the crowd also showed expressions of shock. Nobody in Hollywood had ever confidently made such a statement before; most people are usually scrambling to get their movies into the summer or winter slots because they know a good slot means more box office revenue. Eric, however, was going against the grain and boldly proclaiming to 'ignore the schedule'.

Many paparazzi were keenly aware that this would be a very explosive topic, pushing their recording devices forward uncontrollably in Eric's direction.

George Norton knew this would be a highly controversial topic, and he had a rough draft in his mind. He thought many people would see the arrogant side of Eric Williams the following day, and if the "The Others" failed to get an unexpected result, Eric Williams would be disgraced and have a great impact on the box office performance of several of his upcoming movies.

Despite this, George Norton still innocently moved his recorder closer to Eric and asked, "Mr. Williams, do you truly believe that the movie 'Little Island Shocker' can ignore the restrictions of the schedule and still achieve a high box office?"

Eric shrugged and nodded, "I'm sure I have the confidence since I'm releasing the movie on November 1st." The reporters outside the cordon line murmured again. Eric finished speaking and, without paying attention to the crowd, pulled Virginia into the theater. "Hey, Mr. Williams. Can you explain in more detail?" one reporter asked. "Mr. Williams, can you please explain why you have such confidence in this movie?" another reporter asked.