Santa Monica.
At the Daenerys Entertainment headquarters, Simon was saying goodbye to Kevin Costner, Jessica Lange, Michael Blake, and others. 'Dances With Wolves' was scheduled to begin filming next month, and everyone had just finished a production meeting.
With Simon's support, 'Dances With Wolves' would once again be directed by and star Kevin Costner, who would also be credited as a producer. Jessica Lange, who had collaborated with Daenerys Entertainment on 'Steel Magnolias' last year, would play the female lead, 'Stands With A Fist'.
Compared to the original, the cast of this new film had been significantly upgraded.
Although Jessica Lange had multiple Oscar nominations and was the Best Actress winner in 1983, her salary had never been particularly high. For her role as 'Stands With A Fist', which had limited screen time and was more akin to a supporting role, her salary was only $1 million.
Thanks to the success of 'The Bodyguard', Kevin Costner solidified his status as a Hollywood A-list actor. However, the two parties had signed a contract before 'The Bodyguard', and his salary for both directing and starring was only $6 million.
Considering the film might involve some of the most challenging animal and child acting in Hollywood, as well as many large outdoor scenes, Simon provided a budget of $25 million for the project, a figure also higher than the original.
Since Simon had ample confidence in 'Dances with Wolves', he was not stingy with the budget.
Of course, the budget was limited to $25 million.
Simon had always placed great importance on controlling film budgets and led by example. 'Batman' utilized a large number of new technologies and special effects, and with post-production nearing completion, there were still no signs of going over budget.
In the lobby on the first floor of the headquarters, Simon saw off Kevin Costner and Michael Blake, then shook hands with Jessica Lange, who was carrying a shoulder bag, and said, "Jessie, see you next time".
Jessica Lange shook Simon's hand and asked, "Aren't you planning to attend Jonathan's party tonight?"
Simon nodded and said, "Of course I'm going".
Today was Friday, July 14th, 1989.
This past Wednesday, WMA announced another major personnel change at the venerable talent agency: company president Norman Brokaw was stepping down, and vice president Jonathan Friedman would take over as WMA's new president, also joining the board of directors.
Although their release dates were a month apart, both 'The Bodyguard' and 'The Sixth Sense' were set to break the $100 million domestic box office mark this weekend. Daenerys Entertainment had previously announced a grand celebration party for both films this Saturday. To avoid conflicting with Daenerys Entertainment's event, Jonathan had scheduled his WMA president celebration party for tonight.
Seeing Simon nod, Jessica Lange smiled and said, "Well then, we'll see each other again tonight".
Simon 'pre-emptively' said, "It's nice to see you again".
Jessica Lange chuckled.
After chatting for a few more moments and seeing off the 'Dances with Wolves' creative team, Simon turned to return to his office, but Jennifer was already standing behind him, holding a folder and staring at him with a strange expression.
Thinking that he had only been joking with Jessica Lange and not flirting, Jennifer shouldn't have any reason to be jealous. So, he confidently walked towards the stairs, asking his assistant who followed him up, "What's wrong?"
Jennifer handed him the folder and said, "Peter Butler from the Los Angeles Times just faxed over a press release, about you".
So it wasn't jealousy.
Hearing it was a press release about himself, Simon didn't pay too much attention.
With his rapid increase in wealth and fame, many mainstream North American newspapers now wanted to publish news about Simon. To avoid lawsuits or antagonizing Daenerys Entertainment, they would generally fax it to Simon's PR team or Daenerys Entertainment first.
Taking the folder and opening it, Simon glanced at the title: "He can see people".
It looked familiar.
It immediately clicked that this should be related to the currently showing 'The Sixth Sense', where Cole says to Dr. Crowe, "I can see people".
Understanding this, Simon scanned the main text.
"After closely following Simon Westeros for three years, I have always had a strong suspicion about the source of Westeros's astonishing talents. He was an unknown orphan from San Jose, perhaps very diligent, perhaps very smart, but within the realm of my understanding, it seems no one could be as brilliant as this young man, who is only in his early 20s".
"I once made many hypotheses. Perhaps Westeros is an alien. Perhaps he underwent some mysterious scientific experiment. Perhaps he is no longer himself, but a spy with a new face. It is said that Westeros is proficient in many languages, which is precisely a necessary skill for a top spy".
"However, for all these hypotheses, I have not been able to find any substantive evidence".
"Until recently, after watching 'The Sixth Sense', I suddenly realized that this might very well be the ultimate answer I have been searching for".
"Simon Westeros is a psychic!"
"Don't worry, I'm not going to spoil anything".
"The title of this article is from the TV trailer for 'The Sixth Sense', where the little boy Cole says to the doctor: 'I see dead people'".
"Now, if we apply this sentence to Simon Westeros, 'He can see ghosts', then many things that have perplexed us in the past are explained. Theoretically, Simon Westeros, who grew up in an orphanage, could not have had the opportunity to learn skills such as music, painting, film, and foreign languages. For a child from the bottom of society, even with great effort, lacking resources, these would clearly be impossible to achieve".
"But what if those who taught him these things were not humans, but ghosts?"
"Everything suddenly becomes logical and reasonable".
"I even believe that Simon Westeros's sudden mental breakdown three years ago was likely related to this matter".
"Subsequently, Westeros came to Los Angeles and immediately became a film genius".
"For an 18-year-old who might not have seen many movies growing up, this is completely unbelievable. However, what Los Angeles is least lacking, obviously, are filmmakers. By extension, after half a century of accumulation in this city, the ghosts proficient in various film skills should be enough to form a huge army. As long as Westeros can enlist the help of a group of elite ghosts, he can naturally easily become a 'film genius'".
"..."
"..."
The article was long, and Simon read it with great interest, forgetting to push open the door to his office as he reached it.
Leaning against the doorframe, he finished reading the press release. Simon looked up and noticed Jennifer still had the same strange expression. So, he shifted his gaze to the empty space to the right of his assistant and said in a low, eerie voice, "Nate, our secret has been discovered."
Because she had read the press release beforehand, Jennifer was already somewhat immersed. Hearing Simon say this, she subconsciously looked to her right, feeling a shiver run down half her body, and goosebumps broke out.
Seeing that his assistant was genuinely startled, Simon smiled and extended an index finger, gently tracing it across her fair neck that was exposed when she turned her head.
As Simon traced her neck, Jennifer reacted, and the left side of her body felt slightly warm again.
The mix of hot and cold made her face flush.
She glared at Simon in annoyance, and when he pushed open the door and walked into his office, Jennifer followed him in. After the man sat down behind his desk, she asked, "Should we call the Los Angeles Times to take this down?"
Simon leaned back in his leather chair, not answering the question, but instead asked, "Jenny, do you think I can communicate with spirits?"
Jennifer paused, then shook her head: "I, I don't know".
Simon suddenly asked again, "Then, are you afraid of death?"
Jennifer was a little confused but still answered honestly, "Yes, I am".
"I'm also afraid of death, or rather, terrified", Simon said, rubbing the folder in front of him. "So, I really, really hope this article is true. Because if ghosts really exist, it means death will no longer be the end. If death is just the end of a journey, and not the absolute end, why should we be afraid?"
Jennifer nodded, but perhaps because the article had stirred some thoughts, the inquisitive look on her assistant's face still hadn't faded.
Simon smiled and said, "I can only say that I have indeed experienced some things. However, you can rest assured, I am not an alien, not a robot, not a spy, and certainly not a psychic. I am just Simon Westeros, nothing more".
Knowing that he would offer such a vague explanation was already quite rare, Jennifer's lips curved slightly. She then pointed to the article in front of Simon and asked, "Then, what about this?"
"Let them publish it. It can serve as another publicity stunt for 'The Sixth Sense'. Also, send copies of this article to Burbank and to Pat Kingsley, and have them monitor the subsequent public opinion. Intervene if necessary to prevent any other messy theories from emerging".
Jennifer nodded, checked her watch; it was already five o'clock.
Just as she was about to leave, there was a knock on the door.
After Simon responded, Nancy Brill pushed the door open and entered.
Leaving work on time was not a concept that existed for Simon; he and Nancy still had to discuss Blockbuster's IPO matters.
After more than half a year of continuous cash-burning expansion, Blockbuster's cash flow was once again depleted. As a major shareholder, it was Daenerys Entertainment's obligation to help Blockbuster resolve its financial difficulties. Through their connections, Blockbuster had secured a $100 million five-year loan from Citibank at very favourable terms earlier in the month.
However, Blockbuster couldn't keep increasing its debt indefinitely.
After discussions among all parties, the shareholders approved the decision to push for the company's IPO.
This matter couldn't be achieved overnight and would likely take about half a year, by which time Blockbuster's loan from Citibank should have been just about spent. Once listed, Blockbuster could more easily expand through various methods such as issuing new shares, issuing bonds, and stock-for-stock mergers, which would greatly alleviate financial pressure.
After greeting her, Jennifer left the office to attend to her own tasks, and Simon also got up and sat with Nancy in the reception area, making it easier to review and compare documents.
Simon hadn't paid much attention to the article, but when the Los Angeles Times published the press release the next day, the reaction still exceeded his expectations.
"He can see people".
"He can see ghosts".
It must be said, the article was simply too logically sound.
Indeed, if Simon Westeros was a psychic, everything he had demonstrated in recent years had a very reasonable explanation.
As major mainstream newspapers reprinted the Los Angeles Times article, a wave of media frenzy swept North America, attempting to prove that Simon Westeros was indeed a psychic.
Directly contacting Simon Westeros for an interview yielded no results; Westeros's publicist, Pat Kingsley, merely publicly refuted the absurdity of the article and took no further action. Consequently, the media once again shifted their focus to San Jose, the city where Simon grew up, and to some of the people who had been around Simon.
Perhaps due to some kind of psychological suggestion effect, those who had known Simon in the past suddenly 'realized' and cited various unusual aspects of Simon's childhood to support the Los Angeles Times's claims.
Some reporters even turned their attention back to the Watsonville Psychiatric Hospital where Simon once lived.
However, because Janette had signed non-disclosure agreements with many people at that hospital, the reporters gained nothing this time. This, however, only further fuelled the media's curiosity to get to the bottom of things.
Eventually, Janette even called from Melbourne, curiously asking Simon if he was indeed a psychic. If so, her grandmother's necklace, which was meant to be her dowry, had gone missing after the old woman's death, and she wanted Simon to help 'ask' where it was.
Simon, annoyed, suggested that the woman demolish and search the Johnston family mansion; she would surely find it.
After a few days of commotion, other theories about Simon indeed began to emerge. Fortunately, it wasn't the Middle Ages, otherwise, Simon felt he might already be tied to a stake and burned to death. To prevent public opinion from spiralling out of control, Daenerys Entertainment's media department and Simon's private PR team both began to work to extinguish the fire.
On the other hand, this incident also, as Simon expected, further boosted the box office of 'The Sixth Sense'.
Due to some theories suggesting that Cole was a 'self-portrait' of Simon Westeros, many viewers who had remained unmoved by the film despite the surrounding buzz recently began buying tickets.
Ultimately, for the week of July 14th to July 20th, the box office drop for 'The Sixth Sense' was a negligible 2.7%. In its third week of release, it raked in another $38.25 million, with its cumulative box office quickly reaching $118.86 million. This phenomenal horror film not only achieved the feat of breaking $100 million in three weeks but also surpassed 'Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade's cumulative box office of $110.65 million in three weeks and two days.
Additionally, in its seventh week of release, 'The Bodyguard' also successfully crossed the $100 million mark, with a cumulative box office of $104.25 million over seven weeks.
After a period of 'silence' in the first half of the year, Daenerys Entertainment had created two films that grossed over $100 million at the North American box office.
North American cinema attendance had remained largely consistent over the years, and Daenerys Entertainment's strong box office performance inevitably suppressed other studios. Consequently, some things began to happen.