Golden Dawn Entertainment Group.
"Boss, this is the information sent over by Mr. McNickle," Alexander said.
Kyle nodded, looked at the material, and immediately understood Mr. Bill's plan.
For America, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was a foreign film, and one from the East at that. It was naturally at a disadvantage in America. Therefore, to achieve high box office results, it could only take the Oscar route.
"Mr. Bill is quite something!"
Kyle marveled, "Participating in 27 film festivals in a row? This is a complete abandonment of any sense of moderation!"
In fact, it wasn't just Mr. Bill being shameless. Films targeting the Oscars have always operated this way, though perhaps not as frequently as the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" crew.
Films:
"Divided We Fall" (Czech Republic);
"Everybody's Famous!" (Belgium);
"The Taste of Others" (France);
"Amores Perros" (Mexico);
...There were more than ten films competing for this year's Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Basically, every film was constantly exhibiting at various festivals and regions worldwide to expand their influence.
"Boss, it seems our budget for the promotional expenses for this year's Best Foreign Language Film competition will definitely be the highest," Alexander laughed.
And how!
Just for participating in 27 domestic and international film festivals, Page Pictures had prepared $10 million in promotional fees. Aside from the Oscar competition itself, Page Pictures' spending was definitely considered a grand gesture.
"Divided We Fall," "Everybody's Famous!", "The Taste of Others"... Which of these crews or the production companies behind them would invest so heavily in promotion?
None!
Not a single one!
Without big investment,
how could there be high returns?!
Kyle suddenly said, "For the Oscar awards next March, besides competing for Best Foreign Language Film, doesn't Ang Lee and the others want to take home a few more awards?"
In the history of the original timeline, besides winning Best Foreign Language Film, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" also won Best Art Direction, Best Original Score, and Best Cinematography—a total of four major Oscar awards, gaining fame at home and abroad in one fell swoop.
"Eh?"
Alexander was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Lobbying for other awards isn't a problem. Director Ang Lee and Producer James Wong have talked with Mr. McNickle; they will provide an additional sum for award lobbying expenses."
Kyle nodded.
To put it bluntly, the Oscars were a commercial gala.
If you don't spend money on lobbying, you still want to win an award?
Heh, keep dreaming!
Many directors and production companies spend money lobbying for the Oscars not just for the awards themselves, but because of the economic effects they bring; they truly attract many moviegoers.
In fact, many film companies in Hollywood rely primarily on Oscar lobbying for their survival...
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
Following the release of "Spider-Man" in early August, Page Pictures successively launched two more films: "wrong turn 3" and "the purge 2."
As the third film in the wrong turn series, "wrong turn 3" was released across America in early October. The sequel's reputation inevitably saw a decline, but... this kind of slasher film could still attract many moviegoers.
"Oh, the reputation is declining?"
"I don't care."
"Having seen the first and second, I naturally don't want to miss the third."
A moviegoer answered a reporter's question at the cinema entrance.
For sequel films, as long as they aren't exceptionally bad, they are definitely a guaranteed profit.
"wrong turn 3" had been out for nearly a month and harvested over $51 million worldwide. Compared to the $56 million for "wrong turn 1" and $64 million for "wrong turn 2," the box office had undoubtedly slipped quite a bit.
But so what?
"You have to know, the production cost of 'wrong turn 3' was only $3.5 million, and the promotional funds didn't exceed $7 million."
This kind of low-cost, high-efficiency horror/thriller film was undoubtedly a production company's favorite—a guaranteed profit!
Many Hollywood film companies expressed their envy.
But!
During this year's Halloween season, Page Pictures failed to reach the top spot!
"Meet the Parents," released on October 6, was a comedy film produced by Universal Pictures. It broke convention by being released as a comedy during the Halloween season and successfully attracted a large number of moviegoers.
By October 31, in America alone, "Meet the Parents" had achieved $93 million at the box office.
"The movie 'Meet the Parents' is a comedy and can fully adopt a long-term screening model. It's entirely possible for its final North American box office to exceed $140 million," reported "Hollywood Film Weekly."
The Halloween season is a period where horror/thriller films pile up, yet a comedy film took the lead, leaving many film companies feeling ashamed.
Page Pictures' Mr. Bill also cursed Universal Pictures for being shameless.
"Heh~"
Kyle, however, was full of joy, thinking to himself, "So it's this movie!"
"Meet the Parents" is a typical American slapstick comedy. The father-in-law character played by Robert De Niro was extremely prominent. Even in 2020, on YouTube in America, it remained a highly-viewed presence.
"If one 'wrong turn 3' can't beat 'Meet the Parents,' then I'll add 'the purge 2'."
..."the purge 2" was released at the end of October, just before Halloween, and achieved a box office of $29 million in its opening three-day weekend.
With this result, it directly took the champion spot on the North American box office chart for that week.
However... its reputation suffered a serious decline!
In the two-plus years since "the purge 1" was released, its comprehensive score on major rating websites still remained at 7.3 points.
Looking at horror and thriller films, a 7.3 is definitely a high-reputation score.
But what about the reputation of "the purge 2"?
After being out for only three days, the rating dropped below 6 points to just 5.8. As time passed, one could only thank the heavens if the final rating reached 5.1.
Undoubtedly, the overlord of this Halloween season was Universal Pictures' "Meet the Parents."
Page Pictures had launched two consecutive films, both sequels to popular horror movies, yet neither could beat it.
"This is the strength of The Big Six of Hollywood!"
"Even if Universal Pictures has been a bit low-key in the last two years, once they make a move, they can dominate even the Halloween season."
"Page Pictures still has a long way to go!"
Kyle's dream was shattered by harsh reality, but there were still many benefits. At least it allowed Kyle and the entire Golden Dawn Entertainment Group to stay more grounded and work steadily.
"Two years!"
Kyle warned himself and reminded everyone, "Two years! Page Pictures needs two years to settle, further solidify its foundation, and then it can expand again."