From the time Li Youhu was selected for the role over a year ago to now, her debut film had been highly anticipated by the girls of the Guofeng Art Troupe. It felt like a long-awaited moment.
Because of Li Youhu's good fortune, the seven girls in the screening room—Wei Cancha and the others—had mixed feelings.
On one hand, they hoped this Chinese-language film from their homeland would succeed. On the other hand, they couldn't help but feel a bit reluctant to see it become too successful. With these conflicting emotions, their attitude toward the film was inevitably more critical than that of the other audience members. They watched with a mix of anticipation and scrutiny.
However, when the first thrilling fight scene ended and the audience erupted into spontaneous applause, the girls couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.
Their mindset shifted once again.
No matter what, it was a proud moment to see a Chinese-language film receive such recognition overseas. Moreover, during their nearly year-long tour, they had received similar applause many times.
From then on, they watched the film with a more pure focus.
Following the unfolding story, they journeyed through grand mansions, deserts, grasslands, and bamboo forests, immersed in the world of martial arts heroes, love, and revenge.
Throughout the film, the audience burst into applause several more times, boosting the confidence of everyone involved in the project. Ella Deutschman, the president of Highgate Films, who had personally attended the premiere, even instructed her assistant to emphasize the audience's spontaneous applause in the next day's promotional materials.
At 8 PM, the two-hour screening ended. As the final round of applause filled the theater and the audience rose to their feet, the cast and crew took the stage for a Q&A session. Even Martin Scorsese, who had attended the premiere as a favor, took the microphone to ask Ang Lee how the bamboo forest duel scene was filmed and whether CGI had been used.
When Ang Lee revealed that the only "special effect" was the removal of the wires used for the stunts, Scorsese was visibly impressed. He expressed a desire to meet with Ang Lee for a more in-depth discussion, and Ang Lee readily agreed.
This exchange was naturally noted by the many media outlets present.
The Q&A session, originally scheduled for 30 minutes, stretched to over 40 minutes due to the enthusiastic participation. Finally, the premiere came to an end.
Next was the after-party organized by Daenerys Entertainment.
This time, Li Youhu couldn't secure invitations for her seven friends. She had to attend herself, so she took a moment to say goodbye. The girls were disappointed but had no choice but to leave.
Instead of returning to Li Youhu's place, they went back to the apartment building in midtown Manhattan that Simon had purchased for them.
Since they were in a rest period, some of the other girls were also in Manhattan.
The seven girls didn't disturb the others but gathered in Wei Cancha's apartment, turned on the TV, and grabbed some snacks.
The conversation naturally turned to the film they had just watched.
"To be honest, I thought it was great. The scenery was stunning, and the action scenes were amazing. But overall, I didn't feel that strongly about it," Su Fengnian said, holding a bag of chips. She quickly added, "I'm not being jealous or anything. That's just how I felt."
"I feel the same way," Ouyang Shuli chimed in, holding a fruit plate. She then turned to Wei Cancha, "What about you, Cancha?"
Wei Cancha, who had once again failed to secure a spot on the sofa and was sitting on the floor, glanced at Ouyang Shuli, who was comfortably lounging in her favorite armchair. "This just shows that your taste in movies is too lowbrow. You're only suited for popcorn flicks."
"Tsk, then enlighten us. What's so great about it?"
Wei Cancha, with her usual haughtiness, simply ignored the question.
Yu Xuaniao, who was usually quiet in this group, spoke up timidly, "Actually, Fengnian already mentioned it. The scenery is beautiful, and the action scenes are thrilling. Aren't those the film's strengths? Most popcorn movies are forgettable after you watch them. This one leaves an impression."
Yin Caiwei nodded in agreement, "I feel the same way."
Gu Yaotiao, who was holding a box of popcorn, suddenly changed the subject, "I wonder if Simon will show up at the after-party?"
Chen Xingwei, sitting next to Gu Yaotiao, grabbed a handful of popcorn from her box and teased, "What, are you missing him?"
Gu Yaotiao blushed but didn't deny it, "Yeah, aren't you?"
"You two, stop being so shameless."
Wei Cancha cut in, glancing at Yin Caiwei and Yu Xuaniao.
Among the seven girls in the room, five had already been "claimed" by a certain man. Only Yin Caiwei and Yu Xuaniao remained untouched. While this wasn't exactly a secret within the Guofeng Art Troupe, it wasn't something to joke about casually.
However, once the topic was broached, the atmosphere became a bit awkward.
After chatting for another ten minutes or so, the girls dispersed, leaving only Wei Cancha and Gu Yaotiao behind.
The two of them were a pair.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Gu Yaotiao woke up to find Wei Cancha already gone. After getting dressed and washing up, she went to the living room and found Wei Cancha curled up on the sofa, flipping through a stack of newspapers.
Knowing what her friend was looking at, Gu Yaotiao grabbed a newspaper herself but quickly gave up. Her English wasn't at the level where she could read newspapers comfortably. She could force herself to understand some of it, but why bother?
Instead, she asked directly, "How are the reviews?"
"Very good," Wei Cancha replied, then read a passage from The New York Times review: "Lee has successfully broken through the constraints of the traditional wuxia genre, creating a film that is lavish, poetic, romantic, and deeply meaningful. The breathtaking natural landscapes are like paintings come to life, and the inventive action sequences are both unbelievable and seamlessly executed."
Gu Yaotiao leaned in, listening, then tilted her head, "That's such high praise."
"It's a really good film," Wei Cancha continued, flipping through the newspaper. "All the articles I've read so far are praising it. Some are even predicting that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon will become the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in North America."
"How much do you think it'll make?"
"Who knows? Definitely tens of millions, though."
"Wasn't the budget only $15 million?"
"It's not just North America. There's Europe, and China too. It's definitely going to make a lot of money."
As the two girls discussed in their apartment, the new day brought a wave of media coverage about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. With over a hundred media outlets from TV, newspapers, and the internet invited to the premiere, the film's publicity quickly spread. Anyone even remotely interested in film news couldn't escape the buzz.
"Ang Lee, an Oscar-nominated director, premieres his latest work Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in New York. The audience erupted in spontaneous applause multiple times, showing enthusiastic reception."
"Martin Scorsese asks Ang Lee about the film's stunning special effects during the premiere."
"Jackie Chan and Jet Li, two of China's biggest stars, attend the premiere to show their support."
"Roger Ebert praises Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as Ang Lee's self-transcendence."
"Background revealed: The female lead of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is from the Guofeng Art Troupe."
"..."
"..."
In just one day, many people became aware of an outstanding Eastern film about to hit theaters. The film's impressive 9.7 rating across various media outlets also piqued the interest of many, making them want to buy tickets.
However, after the media buzz on Thursday, when Friday arrived, some audiences were surprised to find that the film was only showing on 143 screens in key cities like New York and Los Angeles during its opening week.
Despite the hype, many people couldn't get tickets right away.
It felt like a letdown.
This was, of course, a deliberate strategy by Daenerys Entertainment.
At its core, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was still an art film. Over the years, Hollywood had developed a release strategy for art films: start with a limited release and gradually expand. While the awards season was the ideal time for this approach, it could be effective at other times as well.
Simon personally knew the box office potential of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He could have intervened, as he had with other films, and pushed for a wide release right away. However, this time, he chose not to, mainly to maintain the established release model for art films.
More importantly, it was part of his broader plan to gradually step back and let Daenerys Entertainment operate more independently.
To achieve this, rules had to be established.
Otherwise, if every potentially profitable film disrupted the release strategy, it would eventually harm the company.
On the other hand, Daenerys Entertainment's strong distribution capabilities allowed for precise and flexible adjustments to a film's release strategy. For Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, once the positive reception was confirmed, the film could expand to over 1,000 screens in its second week and continue to grow, maximizing its box office potential.
Simon did not attend the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon after-party in New York, as Gu Yaotiao had speculated.
On July 23rd, Irene Lauder gave birth to another boy, Simon's 10th child, named Noah Westeros.
Next up was Lin Su.
Because Irene had been emotionally unstable before and after the birth, Simon stayed by her side for the next few days, leaving little time for other women or even work.
Meanwhile, Hollywood continued to focus on the second half of the 1997 summer box office.
The key, as always, was the numbers.
With Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon opening on July 25th, the box office figures for the week of July 18th to July 24th were released.
Roland Emmerich's blockbuster Independence Day, which had opened on July 4th, continued to dominate.
After setting a 1997 opening record with $91.07 million in its first week, Independence Day saw a stronger second week than Twister, dropping only 23% and earning $70.12 million. In its third week, the film's drop widened slightly to 33%, bringing in another $46.98 million.
In just three weeks, the $90 million blockbuster had already surpassed $200 million, reaching $208.17 million.
Unstoppable.
Second place on the chart was no longer another Daenerys Entertainment film but a new release from 20th Century Fox, Spawn.
This was a comic book adaptation.
The story followed Al Simmons, who, after being betrayed and killed, makes a deal with the devil to return to Earth for revenge. The concept was similar to Marvel's Ghost Rider.
Fox had invested $50 million in Spawn, making it one of the most significant attempts in recent years to follow in DC's footsteps with comic book adaptations. Additionally, Spawn featured a Black lead, marking the first time a Black actor had headlined a comic book movie.
With a wide release on 2,762 screens, Spawn opened with $25.31 million.
This was below expectations.
The per-screen average didn't even reach the breakout level of $10,000, and with poor reviews, the film's domestic box office was likely to cap at around $50 million.
Third place went to Disney's comedy Nothing to Lose, another new release from the previous week.
In short, it was a comedic, male version of Thelma & Louise. The story followed Nick, played by Tim Robbins, who, after being betrayed by his wife, impulsively drives away from home and is carjacked by a robber played by Martin Lawrence. The two end up on a wild journey together.
With a $25 million budget, Nothing to Lose opened with $17.55 million.
A decent start.
Fourth place went to American Pie, reclaiming a spot for Daenerys Entertainment.
The low-budget teen sex comedy had been the summer's biggest surprise. In its fifth week, American Pie dropped below the $10 million mark for the first time, earning $9.16 million. However, its cumulative box office had just crossed the $100 million threshold, reaching $100.61 million.
With a total production and marketing budget of only $20 million, Daenerys Entertainment had already made a significant profit from the domestic release alone.
A sequel was already in the works.
Fifth place went to Twister, which was winding down its run. In its seventh week, Twister earned $9.03 million, just slightly behind American Pie. However, the $100 million blockbuster had already grossed $256.16 million domestically.
The film had undoubtedly been impacted by Independence Day, and it was now clear that it wouldn't reach $300 million domestically.
Still, with over $250 million in domestic box office alone, Daenerys Entertainment had already recouped its $150 million production and marketing budget. Combined with the film's strong international performance, Twister was already profitable.
Outside the top five, another notable entry was Operation Condor at seventh place.
Yes, the Jackie Chan film.
Jackie Chan had been able to attend the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon premiere on July 23rd because he had been promoting this project the previous week.
The film had originally been released in Hong Kong in 1991. It was part of a package of older films that New World Pictures had acquired. Following the success of Iron Monkey, New World Pictures had hastily arranged a release for Operation Condor. It opened on July 18th on 1,317 screens, earning $6.17 million in its first week.
With a per-screen average of around $5,000, it wasn't a breakout success. However, considering the film had been acquired as part of a package deal for less than $500,000 and the release had only cost $200,000, the $6.17 million opening week had already covered all expenses.
With an opening week of over $6 million, the film was on track to gross around $10 million domestically. Combined with future home video sales, it was another small but profitable success for New World Pictures.
Interestingly, like Iron Monkey, Operation Condor was also from Golden Harvest.
Golden Harvest had made some money with Police Story 4: First Strike, which opened on May 16th at the start of the summer. Unfortunately, Police Story 4 had only grossed $53.46 million. Considering the $25 million budget—a high figure for a Hong Kong film—and the need to split profits with distributor Disney, even with additional revenue streams, the net profit wouldn't be much higher than what New World Pictures had made with Operation Condor.
If you added Operation Condor and Iron Monkey together, they would easily surpass Police Story 4.
Even Simon, all the way in North America, had heard that Mr. Chow, the head of Golden Harvest, was in a foul mood lately. He had reportedly fired the executive responsible for the copyright deal.
Then there was Face/Off.
In its ninth week, Face/Off earned just $1.79 million and was nearing the end of its run. Its cumulative box office stood at $198.38 million, just shy of the $200 million mark. It would likely cross that threshold before leaving theaters.
For the week of July 25th, with several new releases the previous week, the only new wide release was Paramount's low-budget Black comedy Good Burger, which had cost only $9 million to produce. It posed little threat. The real competition for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon came from the still-strong Independence Day, as well as last week's Spawn and Nothing to Lose.
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