Director in Hollywood

While Gilbert was still troubled about how to comfort Scarlett, Saving Private Ryan officially finished its North American run.

The film earned $225 million in North America, successfully breaking the R-rated box office record set by Terminator 2.

Although it is still playing in a few regions, the global run of Saving Private Ryan is nearing its end. With North American earnings, the global total reached $537 million.

This also broke Terminator 2's global R-rated film box office record, making it the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.

It is expected that the film's remaining markets will not generate much more revenue, with the final global earnings likely not exceeding $550 million.

However, this achievement was enough to make investors smile.

The film alone had already made a profit based on its box office revenue, not to mention the additional income from peripheral rights and merchandise.

Robert Iger also reached out to several bestselling authors and historians, planning to release a few books while the movie's momentum was still strong. This was also a move to create buzz for next year's Oscars.

Saving Private Ryan was a film that strongly aligned with American patriotic themes, and if such a film couldn't be recognized at the Oscars, the public might justifiably question the fairness of the Academy Awards.

A few weeks after the North American release, books like The Truth Behind D-Day and Why Save Private Ryan were published. Their sales were decent, continuing to generate revenue from the film's peripherals.

Hollywood's commercial development ability is truly impressive. Whenever there's a chance to make money, film companies don't let it slip away.

Robert Iger's business acumen created substantial revenue for Saving Private Ryan through various peripheral ventures, including negotiations with TV stations and video distributors.

Some might wonder, wasn't Michael Ovitz supposed to be in charge of this project?

Indeed, he was. However, during Gilbert's vacation in New Zealand, Michael Eisner, the CEO, forcibly ousted Ovitz from Disney.

Ovitz didn't make any serious mistakes, and at least with Saving Private Ryan's success, he could have held on to his CEO position. But he overestimated himself and underestimated his childhood friend, Michael Eisner.

Eisner had led Disney for many years with great stability, and he wasn't going to let anyone take over without consequences. After some necessary steps, Eisner, with the support of the Disney board, forced Ovitz out.

Of course, as compensation, Ovitz received a $120 million severance package.

Not idle, Ovitz took his severance and teamed up with his old partner Martin Bober to return to the Hollywood agency scene.

Yes, because Martin Bober lost too much support due to the Mel Gibson incident and his handling of Gilbert, CAA shareholders voted him out, leading to his resignation.

Currently, CAA is led by Eno Martin, but Pat Kingsley isn't sitting idle, and a new round of internal conflicts has started at CAA.

Martin Bober and Michael Ovitz rejoined forces, bringing along rising star director Michael Bay, who had just emerged from CAA.

Ovitz also persuaded Martin Scorsese to join his new company.

However, Scorsese's film earnings have always been underwhelming, and the new company would need Michael Bay to succeed.

Ovitz quickly convinced DreamWorks to have Michael Bay direct a project called Armageddon.

But since Bay's preferred lead actor, Bruce Willis, was already cast in The Sixth Sense by Gilbert, Bay had to start looking for a new lead.

DreamWorks was generous and, in collaboration with Sony Columbia, invested $140 million.

This was also influenced by the prevailing cultural climate at the time. Before the turn of the millennium, various apocalyptic theories were rampant, and many people believed in them.

As a result, several film companies began to plan for apocalyptic movies. This year's Independence Day was created against this backdrop.

Independence Day was a perfect mix of all the clichés for a summer blockbuster. In terms of quality, Saving Private Ryan was far superior, at least five levels higher.

Yet, audiences loved it. Since its release, Independence Day not only earned $250 million at the North American box office, surpassing Saving Private Ryan, but it also grossed nearly $800 million globally.

What's most important is that the film is still showing strong results, and it seems likely to surpass $300 million in North America and $900 million globally.

In such an environment, other movie companies were even more determined to follow this trend.

It wasn't that there were no talented creators or original projects, but the path had been proven successful, and no one wanted to think up new ideas.

In this trend, creators like Gilbert were rare and highly valued.

Gilbert's staunch supporters, like Roger Ebert, had recently been waving the flag for him during award season on his TV show.

"Hollywood is increasingly lacking in innovation, only following trends and relying on sequels.

They see Saving Private Ryan doing well, and instead of thinking about why it did well, they just start producing World War II films.

They see Independence Day doing well and follow suit, creating similar films.

They never stop to think that this is hurting the film industry and the audience."

"But," another guest retorted, "audiences really love Independence Day!"

"That's just a surface illusion," Roger Ebert passionately criticized Independence Day, claiming it would destroy Hollywood. "If more films like this come out, Hollywood will be finished."

"Luckily, we still have directors like Gilbert who are committed to original creation. Otherwise, Hollywood would have already collapsed."

Gilbert had never expected to be called a savior of Hollywood by Roger Ebert.

While debates about Independence Day's success raged outside, The Sixth Sense was holding its final auditions.

This audition was only attended by Scarlett and Haley. Before it started, Gilbert had asked Annie and Scarlett to speak, preparing her for the possibility of losing the role.

"Scarlett, Haley performed so well in the first round that you might not get the role," Annie said.

They thought Scarlett might throw a tantrum, but she calmly nodded and said, "I know. I've already mentally prepared myself."

"You..."

Annie was taken aback, but Scarlett continued, "I saw Haley's performance in the initial round. I knew Gilbert would choose him. He was outstanding."

Annie hadn't expected Scarlett to be so understanding.

In that case, Annie didn't know how to comfort her anymore.

So she decided to leave it to Gilbert to handle the trouble.

Meanwhile, Haley's manager and mother accompanied him to the audition.

The manager kept reassuring Haley, "Don't worry, Haley. You performed great in the audition, and I'm sure Gilbert will notice you."

"But," Haley's mother said worriedly, "I heard Scarlett Johansson, who's like Gilbert's little sister, is also auditioning. Since Haley and Gilbert aren't related, will she even get the role?"

The manager was confident, "The more this is the case, the less Gilbert will play favorites. Successful directors always prioritize the script and the film."

"If the performances are similar, I would say we're done for. But Haley was much better than Scarlett in the first audition. As long as the final audition goes well, I'm sure she'll get the role."

Haley's mother was reassured but still looked uneasy.

Haley, however, comforted her mother. He confidently squeezed her hand and said, "Don't worry, Mom. I've read the script five times and I understand the character deeply."

"I'll get the role. I won't let you down."

"Haley, the audition is starting..." Assistant Anna called out.

"Okay, Miss Singer," Haley replied with a confident smile to both her manager and mother. "Get ready to congratulate me!"

With her mother's concerns and her manager's anticipation, Haley walked into the audition room with confidence.

Inside the audition hall, Haley met her competitor, Scarlett Johansson, who greeted her kindly.

Though Haley should have called Scarlett "sister" due to the age difference, they were rivals now, so Haley merely nodded in response.

"Haley Joel Osment," Gilbert looked at her resume and asked, "You were in Forrest Gump, right?"

"Yes, I played Forrest's son in the movie," Haley replied.

Gilbert, along with James Gunn and Annie, said, "It seems that Tom recommended a great actor to us."

"Alright, you have five minutes to prepare. The audition will begin shortly."

Five minutes later, Haley was ready.

With Gilbert's signal, Haley began her performance. Watching the recording and seeing it live made a big difference. Gilbert thought Haley performed even better than in the initial audition.

When Haley finished and bowed to thank them, Gilbert led the applause, "Great job, Haley. You were excellent."

"Thanks," Haley responded calmly, without embarrassment or pride, as though it was expected.

James Gunn spoke up, "Director, you may not know, but Haley read the script five times before the audition and wrote his understanding of the character. I read it, and it was impressive."

"Really?" Gilbert seemed surprised and then turned to Scarlett, "Scarlett, you're up next!"

Having already accepted that she wouldn't get the role, Scarlett was even more convinced after seeing Haley's performance. Haley was more talented, had worked harder, and had a better performance.

So Scarlett confidently raised her hand and said, "Director, I give up on the audition, but I have one request."

"What's that?"

"I want a cameo role, preferably one with scenes opposite Haley," Scarlett said with a cute look in her eyes as she gazed at Gilbert.

Gilbert didn't hesitate and agreed, "Sure, no problem."

Thus, both young actors got their roles. Haley was immediately confirmed by Gilbert, while Scarlett got a cameo, fulfilling her dream of continuing to be part of Gilbert's films.

Haley walked out, and her manager and mother quickly asked about the result.

"I told you, don't worry. I've got the role," Haley said confidently.

Haley's mother was relieved, and the manager cheered. Being in a film directed by Gilbert was a huge opportunity.

Haley's family went to celebrate, while inside the audition room, Scarlett, who had been so gracious earlier, was now crying, holding Gilbert's leg and asking for comfort.

Gilbert sighed and asked, "What do you want? I'll pick the stars for you if you want them."

Scarlett smiled through her tears, "I don't believe you, you can't even go to space. How about you take me skiing in Canada at Christmas?"

"Alright," Gilbert thought for a moment and agreed. Since there was a short holiday at Christmas, skiing seemed like a good option.

"Great!" Behind Gilbert's back, Scarlett gave Annie a victory sign, signaling her success.

Annie could only laugh helplessly. If Scarlett put that much effort into her audition, she might have had a better chance.

This little girl was sometimes really a handful.

....

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