I am Hollywood

[Chapter 806: Is There Really a Need for This?]

Due to the Charlie's Angels trio being busy with the global promotion of Charlie's Angels 2, they ultimately could not make it in time for the filming of Casino Royale's scenes in Italy. As a result, the originally planned month-long shooting period in Italy wrapped up just two days before the Venice Film Festival commenced. The crew began to shift to the film's final shooting location in the UK, while Eric received an invitation from the Venice Film Festival organizers to stay for the opening ceremony of the 53rd Venice Film Festival and the premiere of Titanic that night.

Cameron had returned to Los Angeles at the beginning of the month and, with the support of Firefly Records, hurriedly completed the recording of My Heart Will Go On in three weeks. The singer was once again Celine Dion. With Eric's remote intervention over the phone, this song remained largely unchanged from the original version. The new print of the film, featuring the modified ending song, was delivered the day before the opening on September 28th.

During those days, with the Casino Royale crew filming in Venice, Titanic -- historically the most expensive film -- premiering at the festival, and the Venice Film Festival itself, the city had become quite the spectacle. Large numbers of media journalists who had little interest in the festival suddenly flocked to Venice for these various reasons.

Additionally, Cameron wasn't alone upon his return. Katzenberg happened to be visiting France to handle some business regarding Disneyland Paris and decided to tag along. However, Katzenberg and Cameron were not on the best of terms; both were hot-tempered and stubborn. Eric wasn't particularly eager to bring them together. He just hoped they wouldn't get into a fight. After all, their issues weren't personal; one was focused on the company while the other on the film. As long as Titanic performed well at the box office, Eric figured he could mediate their differences later.

...

On September 28th, the premiere of Titanic, as the opening film, was arranged for 7 p.m. local time. After attending the festival's opening ceremony during the day, Eric made a brief appearance at the subsequent reception before hurriedly leaving to join preparations for Titanic's premiere.

Just past six in the evening, outside the Casino Palace on Lido Island, a long red carpet was already flanked by a throng of media journalists and fans. The atmosphere appeared even livelier than that of the opening ceremony earlier in the day. Although most of Firefly Group's management held little faith in Titanic, with Eric's strong support, the company had still invested a significant promotional budget for the film. To make the premiere more exciting, everyone, including Eric, tried to contact stars who could attend the event.

The guest list included most of the jury members of the Venice Film Festival, the entire creative team behind Titanic, as well as heavyweight Hollywood and European stars like Liam Neeson, Dustin Hoffman, Pierce Brosnan, Nicolas Cage, Bridget Fonda, Holly Hunter, Sophie Marceau, and Juliette Binoche. Even though many were predicting doom for Titanic, the sight of these stars on the red carpet still elicited screams from fans and frenzied photography from the press.

As the host, Eric appeared on the red carpet with Katzenberg and Cameron. The three crossed the red carpet, took pictures in the media area, briefly answered a few questions, and then entered the Casino Palace to welcome the guests who had come to support the film.

"Hey, Liam, I'm glad you could make it. I heard the jury really liked your movie Michael Collins. Good luck!" Eric greeted.

"Oh, Bridget, you still look beautiful... Of course, I'll definitely reach out to you for future projects if possible," he mentioned.

"Nicolas, I thought you might not have time to make it," Eric added.

After exchanging pleasantries with Nicolas Cage, Sophie Marceau approached, wearing a long black gown and exuding a relaxed demeanor. Sophie had hardly changed from a few years back -- her smooth black hair, watery eyes, and delicate features, her smile extremely pleasant.

"Hey, Sophie, long time no see," Eric stepped forward, extending his hands. After the success of Braveheart, although Sophie had taken a few roles in Hollywood, they hadn't crossed paths many times. This time, Eric had tentatively called her, expecting a rejection due to their long silence. However, Sophie surprised him by agreeing to come.

After a gentle hug, Sophie pulled back, displaying a hint of dissatisfaction on her face. "Eric, I was almost going to ignore you."

"Oh, may I ask why?" Eric feigned surprise.

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Do you remember what you promised me back then?"

Eric put on a clueless expression. Seeing her mockingly wrinkling her nose, he quickly replied, "Alright, I remember. The Bond girl! But I sincerely apologize, Sophie. The production plans for the 007 series have changed significantly. This sequel doesn't feature a villainous Bond girl role, so you'll have to wait for the next one."

"Fine, for the fact that you finally remembered, I forgive you," Sophie waved her hand and then broke into a smile. "I initially thought you just said those things to charm women and would forget."

"Oh, thinking that way really hurts my feelings," Eric pretended to be hurt and said, "But alright, this was my fault for not notifying you in advance. How about giving me a chance to apologize?"

"I'm curious about how you plan to apologize," Sophie shot him a teasing glance and added, "Mr. World's Richest Man, you better be sincere."

"No problem," Eric replied cheerfully. "I'll buy the Eiffel Tower tomorrow and have it delivered to your house."

Sophie showed a face of disdain. "I don't want second-hand items."

"Fine, I'll just build a new one in your yard then."

"Ha ha," Sophie laughed, and seeing more guests arriving at the entrance, she waved goodbye. "Go on and greet your guests; I'll head in first."

Eric nodded, adding, "Let's grab a meal sometime."

Sophie agreed, saying, "Sure, as long as you have time. I know you're a busy guy."

"For a beauty like you, I can make time no matter how busy I am."

"Ha, sweet talk," Sophie chuckled, lightly tapping Eric playfully, and without saying anything more, she turned and walked inside.

Eric turned his attention back to the guests, this time greeted by the Weinstein brothers, Harvey and Bob.

Daniel Day-Lewis and Julia Roberts had just wrapped filming Shakespeare in Love, and post-production was underway to target the Oscars. This project didn't relate to the Venice Film Festival at all.

However, as award veterans, Miramax definitely wouldn't miss out on the Venice Film Festival. Their film featured there was titled Basquiat, a biopic about American street art, boasting an impressive cast including David Bowie, Dennis Cooper, Willem Dafoe, and Gary Oldman.

While Titanic was the opening film, it was purely an exhibition piece, not competing for any awards at the festival. Thus, many famous figures attending to compete for awards felt free to come support, and the Weinstein brothers were among them.

After chatting briefly with Harvey Weinstein and welcoming several more guests, the time quickly arrived at 7 o'clock.

...

Entering the screening hall, Cameron took to the stage with Leonardo and a few key creatives for a short address before the film officially began.

As the lights dimmed in the screening room, Eric's gaze fixed on the big screen, and Cameron soon emerged from backstage, sitting beside him.

Being Titanic's first public display, though he maintained an outwardly easy demeanor, Eric noticed Cameron gripping the armrest tightly.

"Hey, Jim, relax a little; I bet everyone will love this movie."

"Let's hope so," Cameron muttered quietly, then turned to Eric and raised his voice a bit. "Anyway, Eric, thank you."

Eric nodded slightly, not responding verbally, just giving Cameron a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

As the images illuminated the large screen, the three hundred invited guests, journalists, and fans concentrated intently on the unfolding visuals, all eager to see what a $215 million blockbuster would turn out to be.

However, during the opening subsea treasure hunt sequence, most viewers felt somewhat let down.

It seemed rather ordinary after all.

This sense of mild disappointment persisted until the older Rose appeared, memories playing out onscreen. The sight of the Titanic's colossal form at the British harbor and the stunning entrance of young Rose, played by Rachel Weisz, somewhat eased the audience's discontent.

Industry insiders familiar with the film production process secretly sighed at the impressive realism on display, which indeed showcased a hefty budget. Yet, they couldn't help but wonder: Was such extravagance really necessary for a film?

As the plot advanced, the lengthy buildup of over an hour reached a point where even the iconic scene of Jack and Rose standing at the bow of the ship felt ethereal to anyone watching; however, it still couldn't deter many media and industry professionals from labeling it a cliched love story involving a princess and a stable boy.

Consequently, even with the film frequently shifting into tear-jerker mode in its latter half, many journalists and filmmakers felt that aside from some refined special effects, there weren't many standout features in the movie. Some even thought the only thing truly captivating about it came when the closing song, My Heart Will Go On, played, with everyone realizing that this was probably the only truly appealing aspect of the entire film.

...

Throughout the screening, Eric had been attentively observing the audience's reactions. The focus was largely on a small group of fortunate ordinary viewers. When he noticed two girls in the back left corner embracing and weeping openly during Jack and Rose's farewell, Eric could finally exhale. The film primarily targeted a youthful demographic, and Firefly's marketing plan for Titanic was crafted with this group in mind.

Eric wasn't overly concerned about critics' opinions; as long as the media reviews weren't overwhelmingly negative, Titanic stood a chance at realizing a miracle similar to those of the past.

As the closing song came to an end and the lights in the hall brightened, applause erupted, not too cold but also not overly enthusiastic. Many attendees were still whispering to those beside them while clapping.

As the audience began to disperse, Eric waved for his assistant Peter Rich, who was sitting nearby. "I forgot to ask, do we have any audience surveys for this film targeting ordinary moviegoers?"

Peter Rich shook his head, "No, Mr. Williams. Including tonight and the three shows tomorrow, tickets mainly went to media and film critics. Only fifty tickets were allocated for ordinary fans through promotional giveaways."

That made sense. Only fifty ordinary viewers would mean it wasn't surprising that they hadn't arranged a survey.

Titanic was only allocated four screenings at the Venice Film Festival. Because of the influx of media personnel from all over the world, securing tickets for these four screenings was highly competitive, leading to a sad supply of tickets for average viewers.

The decision to limit it to four screenings primarily aimed to carefully select and refine the viewer group, aiding Firefly in post-screening promotional strategies. After all, this was a super intention of over $200 million. Even with his confidence, Eric had no intention of expanding the number of screenings.

"Fine, fifty tickets it is," Eric contemplated. "Forget about tonight; arrange for whatever remains for ordinary viewers during tomorrow's screenings, but I want to see the surveys from these people the day after tomorrow."

Peter Rich didn't ask further questions, nodded, and hurriedly left.

...

Katzenberg, Cameron, and a few others stood not far away. Seeing Eric wrap up his conversation with his assistant, they approached. Katzenberg said, "Eric, let's head to the banquet hall; everyone is already waiting there."

Eric nodded and left with them toward the location where the crew had organized a reception for the guests.

In the banquet hall of the Lido Island Hotel, Eric mingled among the crowd, greeting guests and chatting casually. After an engagement of a solid half-hour, he managed to slip away to the terrace outside for some fresh air.

Located on the hotel's second floor, overlooking the sea, one could gaze far into the brightly lit main city of Venice.

On the terrace stood a figure -- a woman dressed in a black evening gown, holding a glass of red wine, leaning against the railing, quietly admiring the sky.

Eric walked over, leaning against the railing beside Sophie Marceau, grinning and saying, "A beauty all alone -- it's a shame no one's trying to talk to you."

Sophie gave a slight smile, her expression somewhat forced, and murmured, "Eric, you're the fifth one. Besides, I'm hesitating whether I should let you stay as the fifth."

In the dim light, Eric noticed a hint of melancholy in Sophie's expression. He asked, "Why are you suddenly feeling down?"

*****

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