San Jose, in San Francisco Bay.
It was already December 20. In the Willow Glen District south of downtown San Jose, 'The Sixth Sense' officially started shooting here on December 12.
The original story of 'The Sixth Sense' took place in Philadelphia on the East Coast. This body of Simon's had never even been to Philadelphia, but it held countless memories of San Jose, so the setting was moved here.
Simon had flown in from Los Angeles yesterday morning. Between set visits, he dropped by several tech companies in which Westeros Company held stakes.
Because this was Simon's first return to the place where he grew up since making his fortune, both the Bay Area media and the local government were ecstatic. Yet, instead of the neighbourhood tours many expected, he spent most of his time on work.
Since December, every outlet has loved speculating about how much Daenerys Entertainment earned this year; even the most conservative estimate makes most Hollywood studios green with envy.
Now that he occupied this body, Simon could never escape its past.
Before leaving San Jose, Pat Kingsley announced that the Simon & Janettete Westeros Foundation would donate one million dollars to several local schools and welfare agencies. Relative to Simon's current net worth it was a drop in the ocean, but once done the press could no longer accuse him of indifference toward the city where he grew up, though that was basically true.
Back in Los Angeles, Simon began the final story-conference pass on the soon-to-shoot 'Batman'.
Over the past few months Simon and the storyboard artists he hired had amassed more than two thousand concept drawings and storyboard panels; crucial shots even had short reference animations. After such lengthy prep, the entire film already existed in Simon's head, he only had to transfer it to celluloid.
'Batman' won't arrive until next year; right now Hollywood's hottest topic is the quietly surging rain man.
After a soft $2.1 million opening day, rain man unexpectedly pulled $7.28 million for its first weekend. On weekdays it kept earning nearly a million a day again a surprise.
Sensing something unusual, Daenerys Entertainment immediately ran a direct-to-audience survey.
Across major North American cities, 1,000 respondents were polled: 36 percent had come because friends or family recommended the film, and a whopping 91 percent said they would recommend it to others.
Those two numbers alone let the seasoned Amy Pascal and Robert Rem conclude that 'Rain Man' was generating the rare phenomenon known as word of mouth.
Last year Simon's 'Run Lola Run' became an 'event film', but that relied chiefly on the gimmick of his age, media hype, and audience curiosity. rain man, by contrast, was pulling people into cinemas purely through its content.
So while no one yet knows whether 'Rain Man' will evolve into a nationwide "event", one thing is certain: it won't flop as everyone first predicted.
As buzz kept spreading, many outlets influenced by CAA ran positive reviews of 'Rain Man'.
Amid anticipation, doubt, and fear, the new week's numbers arrived on December 23.
Universal's surprise hit 'Twins' stayed top, adding $12.17 million in its second week.
Right behind twins came 'Rain Man'.
After seven days 'Rain Man' finished with $11.65 million, almost fifty percent above the $8 million first-week forecast. People who'd written it off now realized that with this start and its spreading buzz, a $100 million run was no longer impossible.
Behind 'Rain Man', Daenerys' 'Steel Magnolias' and 'Scream' kept earning $7.66 million and $5.73 million, ranking fourth and fifth.
In its second week of limited release, 'Dead Poets Society' added $2.08 million after last week's $1.63 million. In only two weeks its cumulative gross had reached $3.71 million.
This week 'Dead Poets Society' will expand to 1,693 screens, more than Universal's emergency-expanded 1,621 for 'Twins'. With two weeks of word-of-mouth build-up, few doubt it will top Christmas week.
Also going wide this week are three others: Disney's 2-D 'Oliver & Company', adapted from Dickens' Oliver Twist; Fox's Globe-nominated but mediocre 'Working Girl'; and MGM's 'My Stepmother Is an Alien', picked up from Columbia after MGM dropped 'Rain Man'.
Compared with 'Dead Poets Society' 1,693 screens, these three are smaller: 'Oliver & Company' had 952 screens, 'Working Girl' had 1,051 screen, 'My Stepmother Is an Alien' had 1106 screens.
Like 'Twins', thanks to strong word of mouth 'Steel Magnolias' expands again this week to 1,613 screens, becoming the third Christmas release to cross 1,600.
Christmas Eve was again spent with just Simon and Janette. After Christmas Day the 'Batman' crew began heading to Melbourne, though Simon himself won't leave until after New Year's.
Perhaps because the previous months had been unusually quiet, North America's box-office exploded this Christmas week. Even with four new wide releases, many holdovers posted powerful rebounds between December 23 and 29.
But in this world, someone is always celebrating while someone else is hurting.
Ever since rain man's box-office and buzz began their counter-attack, MGM has been on edge.
If $11.65 million the first week was bearable, the new weekly numbers left United Artists chairman Tony Thomopoulos fearing for his job.
On December 30 the Christmas weekend figures came out.
Against last week's $7.19 million total, the national gross soared 68 percent to $12.36 million.
With the largest screen count, 'Dead Poets Society', after two weeks of buzz—opened to a solid $19.01 million, seizing the Christmas-week crown and lifting its total to $22.72 million.
Clearly, another Daenerys Entertainment release has joined 1988's hundred-million club.
Yet the real jaw-dropper this week, overshadowing 'Dead Poets Society's expected haul, was 'Rain Man'.
Currently 'Rain Man' was still on only showing on 1,136 screens, but word-of-mouth pushed the phenomenon-to-be up a stunning 45% to $16.67 million, an unheard-of surge.
While other Christmas titles like 'Twins' and 'Steel Magnolias' also rose, 'Rain Man's 45% jump remained the talk of the town.
'Twins' managed just an 18% uptick, and 'Steel Magnolias', boosted to 1,613 screens and perfectly seasonal still only climbed 25%.
Given their different starting points, twins took $13.67 million and steel magnolias $9.21 million this week.
'Rain Man', with no extra screens, leapt 45% from last week's $11.65 million to $16.67 million. In two weeks the film many pegged for a $20 million North American total already sat at $28.32 million.
Those numbers clinched it: every one of Daenerys Entertainment's six 1988 releases has now crossed the $100 million domestic mark, a clean sweep, while the horror-comedy inherited from New World Entertainment is conveniently ignored.
Meanwhile, MGM, having dropped 'Rain Man' for Columbia's 'My Stepmother Is an Alien', saw that family sci-fi implode on arrival, barely a ripple in the yuletide marketplace.
In its first seven days the $20 million comedy scraped up just $3.81 million.
Once the press latched on, all that remained for MGM was pure ridicule.
On paper MGM's swap had looked smart: a festive, FX-laden family comedy had to out-perform two guys rambling across America in a road movie.
'My Stepmother Is an Alien' felt tailor-made for Christmas, and though Columbia had cooled on it during previews, MGM brass figured it couldn't fare worse than 'Rain Man'.
Wishful thinking collided with harsh reality.
'My Stepmother Is An Alien's $3.81 million opening meant only $2.09 million back to MGM, even at a 55% rental rate.
Under the Daenerys deal, rain man's $28.32 million two-week total would have yielded MGM $4.25 million after the 15% distribution fee, more than double, and already nipping at the $5 million MGM had been offered to relinquish the project.
Industry whispers say that right after Christmas, MGM's majority owner Kirk Kerkorian flew in from Las Vegas to L.A. and blistered the studio's execs.
Rumours of a lawsuit against Daenerys Entertainment surfaced, but with no real leverage, and precious little cash, the beleaguered lion never pounced.
As MGM nursed its wounds, another faction wrestled with 'Rain Man's runaway success.
Several CAA A-listers found themselves in an especially awkward spotlight.
Once 'Rain Man's upward curve became undeniable, Barry Levinson, Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise became paparazzi catnip, hounded for quotes about the hit they'd dismissed.
Levinson tried vanishing, but after only two days the press fished him out of Tokyo.
Hoffman, holidaying in England, attempted to claim partial credit, only to invite louder scorn.
The media siege even stalled Cruise's shoot on 'Born On The Fourth Of July'; Oliver Stone shut down production, and Cruise holed up in his L.A. mansion.
Cruise's agent Paula Wagner, however, graciously congratulated Daenerys on 'Rain Man's triumph. Having never publicly trashed the film, Cruise weathered the storm far better than his former director or co-star.
With 'Rain Man' and 'Dead Poets Society' now certifiable hits, Hollywood noted that of Daenerys' six 1988 releases, 'When Harry Met Sally', 'Rain Man' and 'Dead Poets Society' weren't scripted by Simon, and though 'Scream' was reputedly his idea, his name never graced the page.
Once again it was clear: Simon Westeros's taste in material rivals his own writing gift.
Suddenly every novel, treatment and spec already tucked away at Daenerys became the town's most-wanted list, forcing studios and columnists to re-evaluate projects they'd mocked Simon for overpaying to secure.
And any property Daenerys merely eyes now triggers an industry-wide scramble.