The announcement of the male and female leads for "transformers" sparked extensive discussion among fans.
Gal Gadot was fine; she was pre-selected, with no auditions or open calls, so there was no competition.
Although some fans complained, asking, "Why not Keira Knightley?" "Why not Angelina Jolie?" "Why not Jennifer Aniston?" "Why not Nicole Kidman?"
Ultimately, there were no auditions, so the clamor was relatively subdued.
Eric was speechless after seeing these comments. Nicole Kidman was already 35. Her beauty was undeniable, and Eric himself wanted something to happen with her, but it wasn't suitable.
Could you imagine Nicole Kidman drag racing? Riding in a horse-drawn carriage would be more appropriate! Plus, she was currently considered box office poison.
Gal Gadot faced less pressure, while Chris Evans faced a lot.
In terms of fame, he was only considered a lower-middle tier among Hollywood's young generation. Although the young man was handsome, handsome people were the least scarce commodity here.
So, quite a few people attacked him these past few days, overwhelming his sparse fan base.
His agent and friends could only encourage him, telling him to ignore outside comments, focus on preparing for the movie, and hire a nutritionist to reduce his muscle mass.
A few days later, other roles were announced one after another, with Ryan Reynolds leading the male supporting cast, followed by young James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy, and Ben Foster.
Although their impact was not as significant as the male and female leads, it still garnered the attention of many female fans and a small number of male fans. This time, there was Universal praise, and even the online viewership of "band of brothers" saw a slight increase.
By this point, "transformers" had only one important figure left to announce: the director.
At the MGM Building, everyone was discussing the release date for "transformers."
Bordeaux projected a spreadsheet onto the screen: "These are the films with announced release dates for the next two years. The ones highlighted in red are considered a significant threat by the marketing department, and my suggestion is to avoid them."
Looking at the spreadsheet, Eric slowly tapped his index finger on the table.
Choosing a release date is extremely important for a movie because different release periods attract different audiences, and the number of viewers can vary wildly.
Just as China has summer, National Day, May Day, and Spring Festival holiday slots, America also has distinct release windows.
And the two hottest periods of the year are, without a doubt, the summer season and the year-end holiday season.
The summer season generally runs from May to September, lasting a long four months, and is the preferred time for big commercial blockbusters, accounting for about half of the year's total box office.
While the year-end season is not as long as the summer season, it includes important holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas and is close to the Oscar nominations, making it the choice for art-house films and highly anticipated blockbusters.
Bordeaux continued, "'transformers' definitely won't make it for next year's summer season. The marketing department's suggestion is to set it for the 2004 summer season."
"Currently, the June and July slots don't have any major productions. We can preemptively occupy them; that would be the most suitable time."
Harry Cooper looked at his son: "Eric, what's your take?"
Eric frowned: "Too late. 2004 is too late; it will affect MGM's overall strategy. We need time."
"Furthermore, capital recovery is also an issue. If it's released in June 2004, we won't receive the first batch of box office revenue until September at the earliest."
"Given MGM's current situation, we can't wait that long, so our only option is the winter season."
They knew their own situation. MGM looked prosperous, but that was to those unaware of the inside story.
The Coopers were well aware that they still owed the bank 2 billion dollars, and the annual interest was a huge sum.
Additionally, there were new movies and new projects to invest in, and more importantly, it involved Hasbro. In short, they couldn't afford to delay!
"Eric, can it make it in time?"
"No problem, I guarantee it!"
"Alright, what month do you plan to release it?"
"the lord of the rings: the return of the king is set for December 17th, and we already have an agreement with Peter Jackson that we must go earlier."
"the last samurai is set for December 5th, the matrix 3 for November 5th, elf for November 7th, master and commander: the far side of the world for November 14th, and kill bill for November 27th."
After a moment of thought, Eric pointed at the screen: "November 16th. the matrix 3, as the grand finale, has strong box office impact and will maintain its strong period for at least two weeks. It's best not to clash with it directly."
"the last samurai was meticulously prepared by Warner Bros. and has Tom Cruise's star power, so its box office appeal is also very strong."
"And I want to give 'transformers' three weeks to sprint, so let's set it for November 16th. Oh, by the way, which companies are these films in the same release window from?"
"New Line Cinema, Miramax, and Universal," Bordeaux immediately replied.
Eric gave a self-deprecating smile. It was a meaningless question because no matter whose films they were, he had no other choice.
Exchanging glances with his father, Eric made the final decision: "Let's set the release date for November 16th. Announce it publicly."
When the release date for "transformers" was announced, moviegoers were the happiest, not expecting to see the Autobots on the big screen in just one year. Meanwhile, several affected companies became anxious.
MGM's actions were somewhat rule-breaking. The release window was only so long, the cake was only so big, and the market potential was already there; one more competitor meant one more share of the competition.
Generally speaking, there was an unwritten understanding between major studios; they would discuss release dates in advance and try their best to avoid conflicts.
If conflicts did arise, it was fine; if you delayed for me this year, I would yield a good slot to you next year. Situations of mutual crushing were rare, as such an outcome could only lead to both sides losing.
But now, MGM had barged in without a word. If it were a small-timer, it wouldn't matter, but this was "transformers." It was clearly going to steal the spotlight and make it difficult for other films to succeed.
The most affected was Miramax, as both "master and commander: the far side of the world" and "kill bill" belonged to them.
Facing those iron giants, it was likely that even Quentin Tarantino and Russell Crowe would not be effective.
At the Cooper Family residence, Harry Cooper was on the phone on the balcony, his voice growing louder as he spoke. After a while, he returned to the living room with a cold expression.
"Dad, which company is it this time?"
"Miramax, Harvey Weinstein."
"Didn't we already reject him?"
"Yes, but he brought Disney as a lobbyist. It was a rather unpleasant conversation."
"Will there be any problems?"
His father sneered: "Normal business competition. We can't change the release date. If they're scared, they'll know what to do."