The Berlin Film Festival's dedicated Berlinale Palast wouldn't be completed until after 2000. At this stage, the festival's main venue was located at the Zoo Palast on the south side of the Berlin Zoo in the city center.
Although the name Zoo Palast didn't quite match the festival's style, the screening hall was very luxurious, with a spacious auditorium large enough to accommodate over seven hundred spectators.
Simon crossed the red carpet, and festival staff stepped forward to lead him into the hall.
With more than ten minutes left until the opening ceremony, the hall was already more than half-filled with guests.
Simon's seat was in the ninth row. There was an aisle between his seat and the first eight rows, and it was raised by a step, placing it in the prime viewing position of this large screening hall, as well as the spot most likely to be scanned by the cameras.
Knowing full well that a chance to interact with Westeros was a rare opportunity, many guests at the scene set aside their reserve and took the initiative to approach Simon for a chat and a greeting.
This continued until 7:30 PM, when the opening ceremony began and the commotion in the hall finally settled down.
Indeed, much like the weather in Berlin in February, the Berlin Film Festival exuded a sense of aloofness that felt out of place compared to other film festivals; the opening ceremony was scheduled for 7:30 PM, when the sky was already completely dark.
If it were Los Angeles or Cannes, this timing wouldn't be much of an issue.
However, don't forget that this was Berlin, and Berlin in February, the coldest time of the year. Simon had specifically checked the weather when he arrived in the morning; night temperatures in Berlin had recently reached minus 9 degrees.
Even the red carpet Simon had just walked on had only begun to appear in recent years due to the pressure of the festival's declining influence.
In previous years, the Berlin Film Festival didn't have a red carpet.
Fortunately, the atmosphere of the opening ceremony was quite lively, unlike the solemnity of Cannes' opening and even somewhat resembling the Oscars. A blonde female host from a local German TV station was very uninhibited on stage, delivering a stream of jokes and banter. She even left the stage at the end to interact with Simon, making the atmosphere even more vibrant.
After the opening, there were the routine retrospectives and outlooks, along with introductions to this year's competing films, interspersed with several performances.
Perhaps having finally considered the audience's feelings, the opening ceremony only lasted about 45 minutes, ending at just 8:15 PM.
The opening film would begin screening at 8:30 PM.
With the conclusion of the opening ceremony, many guests left early, either heading to various parties and receptions or returning directly to their accommodations.
Although Faye Dunaway, the lead actress of the opening film *Arizona Dream*, sat next to Simon during the ceremony and they chatted quite a bit, Simon did not stay to watch the movie.
Mainly because he had other arrangements.
The Berlin Film Festival didn't have an official opening gala dinner yet, but there was no shortage of similar parties and receptions.
To promote the two films *Hoffa* and *Toys*, which were shortlisted for the main competition, Fox had specifically arranged a reception after the opening ceremony at a hotel near the Zoo Palast.
Jack Nicholson, starring in *Hoffa*, had a budget of $35 million, while Robin Williams' *Toys* had a budget of $43 million. Since their release last December, both films had earned just over $20 million at the North American box office. Fox could only hope that overseas markets would compensate for the losses as much as possible.
As for breaking even or making a profit, the possibility was slim.
During this period, the attraction of the overseas film market was essentially focused on *Jurassic Park*, which was released at the end of last year.
This sci-fi dinosaur blockbuster produced by Daenerys Entertainment had seen its overseas box office break through $380 million with unstoppable momentum as of last week. Including the $330 million from North America, the total global box office reached $710 million. According to the predictions of Daenerys Entertainment's distribution department, *Jurassic Park* would recover at least another $200 million overseas, with the final global box office reaching a high of $900 million.
Due to the strength of *Jurassic Park*, overseas markets almost instinctively tilted more resources toward this mega-blockbuster. *Hoffa* and *Toys* failed to generate much of a stir in North America, and with *Jurassic Park* rampaging through, the possibility of them performing well in overseas markets was even lower.
However, what needed to be done still had to be done.
The cooperation between Daenerys Entertainment and News Corporation remained very close.
Rupert Murdoch had personally made several calls from New York to invite him. Since Simon was in Berlin, he went along to show his support.
The reception was hosted by Nicholas Walsh, a Vice President at Fox in charge of overseas theatrical distribution. As soon as Simon arrived at the hotel where the reception was held, Walsh came out to greet him personally.
It was a somewhat helpless situation.
Anyone could see that the timing chosen for this promotional reception was clearly inopportune; a more suitable time would have been the following weekend.
However, the two Hollywood big shots starring in *Hoffa* and *Toys*, Jack Nicholson and Robin Williams, had not given Fox much of their schedule; both had only agreed to stay in Berlin for one day. Speaking of this, Nicholas Walsh, who was responsible for organizing the reception, was incredibly frustrated.
Daenerys Entertainment could keep its collaborating stars on a tight leash; even A-list stars would basically be very cooperative with Daenerys Entertainment's various promotional activities.
Fox, on the other hand, had no confidence in this regard and could only accommodate big stars like Jack Nicholson and Robin Williams in every way possible.
Of course, another reason was that the overseas promotional budget Fox could provide for the two films was truly limited.
Lacking money, they had to save wherever they could.
Fortunately, holding this reception was just for media press releases, and Fox had encountered such situations before. When publishing the related promotional articles later, they would just need to formulate a reasonable media strategy to avoid the opening ceremony's peak interest.
Although it wasn't as lively as the opening ceremony, the media lineup invited by Fox was not bad at all.
Simon cooperatively allowed himself to be bombarded by flashbulbs in front of a photo wall printed with posters of the two films before entering the reception hall with Nicholas Walsh.
Jack Nicholson, Robin Williams, and others had also arrived.
They exchanged greetings as usual, though it was neither cold nor particularly warm.
Traditional Hollywood studios had to lower themselves and comply with various harsh conditions to invite these big stars, but Daenerys Entertainment had never done so since its inception.
With the rise of special effects blockbusters, 3D animated films, and the DC Extended Universe, there was even less need to do so now.
Special effects, 3D, and superhero IPs were Daenerys Entertainment's "A-list stars." Moreover, these stars wouldn't demand high salaries, nor would they impose harsh conditions like filming only five hours a day, not memorizing lines, or refusing to go on location.
While Daenerys Entertainment did not refuse to work with traditional superstars, the prerequisite for such cooperation had to be equality, or rather, Daenerys Entertainment had to maintain a dominant position. Stars who wanted high salaries without putting in enough effort had no chance of getting opportunities from Daenerys Entertainment.
Jack Nicholson and the others weren't particularly warm toward Simon either.
This young man had clearly changed Hollywood's power structure in recent years. Due to the strength of Daenerys Entertainment and the rapid rise of a large number of emerging stars under its support, the status of these old-school big shots had been seriously threatened.
If it weren't for the fact that Simon's current power and wealth were so terrifying that they could directly crush the ill intentions of many, his life would certainly not be easy.
While old-school big shots like Jack Nicholson could maintain their airs, other guests at the reception would not miss such an opportunity.
In fact, many people had come specifically for Simon.
Fox was also happy to see more stars invited to support the two films and increase subsequent news coverage.
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The reception hall.
Simon had just finished chatting with Denzel Washington about *Philadelphia*, which was currently filming, when Michelle Pfeiffer, dressed in a black evening gown, walked over.
"Good evening, Simon."
"Hi, Michelle," Simon said, looking over the woman's attire and smiling. "I still think red suits your style better."
Michelle Pfeiffer raised an eyebrow slightly. She had worn a red gown at the opening ceremony and had just changed into this one. She hadn't managed to greet the young man before her at the ceremony and didn't expect him to have noticed. "But that dress was too thin, and it's very cold now."
"Oh, true," Simon nodded. "But black is just as beautiful."
"Thank you," Michelle Pfeiffer said, taking a sip of red wine while her gaze remained on the man before her. She suddenly seemed to notice something and asked, "Did your wife not come along this time?"
Simon smiled and shook his head. "No, she's also someone who is very sensitive to the cold."
"So," Michelle Pfeiffer's expression became a bit more flirtatious, "you're alone right now?"
"Obviously," Simon shrugged and asked in return, "And you?"
"I'm alone too."
The hint was already very obvious.
Simon suddenly remembered that it seemed like a long, long time ago, back when he had just arrived in Los Angeles and happened to meet Courteney Cox. Courteney had said she wanted to become a big star like Michelle Pfeiffer, and Simon had said he hoped to invite Michelle Pfeiffer to star in one of his movies in the future.
At the time, Michelle Pfeiffer was only at the peak of the B-list, not quite A-list.
In the original timeline, Michelle Pfeiffer rose to prominence by starring in Brian De Palma's *Scarface* and reached her peak after playing Catwoman in *Batman Returns*.
Simon's appearance had caused many things to change.
The role of Catwoman went to Valeria Golino.
In recent years, with films like *The Witches of Eastwick*, *Dangerous Liaisons*, *Sleeping with the Enemy*, and *The Fabulous Baker Boys*, Michelle Pfeiffer had still reached A-list status. However, *Sleeping with the Enemy*, her best commercial performer among them, only earned a bit over $100 million at the box office, far from comparable to Catwoman.
With the rise of a new generation of Hollywood actresses, Michelle Pfeiffer's current A-list status was not very secure.
For Hollywood stars, to solidify their status, they either need box office success or awards. Like Meryl Streep—though she hasn't starred in many massive blockbusters, her string of Best Actress accolades makes her one of the few A-list actresses in Hollywood who can firmly command a $5 million salary.
In an instant, Simon understood why Michelle Pfeiffer had approached him and was acting so proactively.
Michelle Pfeiffer had come to Berlin this time for the main competition entry *Love Field*.
*Love Field* was a drama produced by Orion Pictures, telling the story of a housewife who insists on traveling to Washington to attend a funeral after Kennedy's assassination. The film interweaves elements of politics, race, and murder. Michelle Pfeiffer played the female lead in the film.
Unlike *Toys* and *Hoffa*, which had already been widely released, *Love Field* only had a limited release at the end of last year to qualify for awards season.
However, the film's critical reception was mediocre. When the Oscar nominations were announced at the beginning of the month, *Love Field* only received a Best Actress nomination for Michelle Pfeiffer.
Including *Dangerous Liaisons* and *The Fabulous Baker Boys*, this was already the third Oscar Best Actress nomination Michelle Pfeiffer had received.
With two previous nominations as a foundation, and given that the works and strengths of the other nominees this year weren't overwhelmingly favored, this was likely the year Michelle Pfeiffer had the best chance of winning the Oscar for Best Actress.
The prestige of an Oscar for Best Actress in the nineties was still quite high.
If she could win Best Actress, Michelle Pfeiffer could completely solidify her status for the next few years. Even in the longer term, with an Oscar win to her name, she wouldn't have to worry about a lack of film offers.
However, winning this award would actually not be easy.
Michelle Pfeiffer realized that without other help, Emma Thompson, the lead actress of *Howards End*, had a much higher chance of winning Best Actress this year.
Because *Howards End* was a film produced by Daenerys Entertainment's High Gate Pictures, Emma Thompson had already successfully won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama. Compared to last year, Daenerys Entertainment was also performing very strongly this awards season, with a level of campaigning that the declining Orion Pictures could not compete with.
The Oscar nominations had been announced, and the key to award campaigning was this month.
Noticing the understanding in Simon's eyes, Michelle Pfeiffer no longer hid her intentions. She stepped forward slightly, looking up at Simon, and reached out to rest a hand on his arm. "Simon, the hotel I'm staying at is really quite terrible. You must have a place in Berlin, right? How about we go to your place to chat?"
Meeting the woman's gaze, Simon raised his hand to briefly hold her small, slightly cold hand before letting go. With a playful smile, he shook his head slightly. "I'm sorry, Michelle, but I can't give you the Oscar for Best Actress this time. So, do you still want to go to my place to chat?"