In 1995, Hollywood's overall performance could only be described as mediocre.
Compared to Universal Pictures' "Jurassic Park," which sparked a global viewing frenzy two years prior, this year's films seemed to lack a certain something.
After all, "Jurassic Park" was a blockbuster that grossed over $1 billion worldwide!
Such a brilliant achievement was unprecedented and showcased the immense power of the Hollywood film industry to the entire world.
This kind of miraculous box office performance was extremely difficult to replicate; only that 'madman' who later sank the giant ship "Titanic" managed to break this record.
Let's look at the global box office chart for this year.
The top spot was occupied by "Die Hard 3," with a box office of $366 million—which, at the time, was absolutely a top-tier box office performance.
In second place was "Toy Story," with a box office of $365 million.
As the world's first fully computer-animated film, its appearance directly revolutionized the animation industry, showing the entire sector the unlimited potential of computer animation.
Third place went to "GoldenEye," with a box office of $356 million.
The globally renowned spy, James Bond, undoubtedly provided a strong guarantee for the film's box office.
Fourth place was "Pocahontas," with a box office of $347 million.
Fifth place was "batman forever," with a box office of $336 million.
Sixth place was "Apollo 13," with a box office of $335 million.
The seventh place might come as a surprise: "Se7en," with a box office of $328 million.
This film's global box office surpassed $300 million within five months of its release, and its box office growth momentum remained very strong, with plenty of staying power.
Thirteenth place was "napoleon dynamite," with a box office of $210 million, just surpassing "Braveheart's" $209 million.
"Braveheart" was also a peculiar film; it lost its momentum a few months after its release—after all, it told a Scottish story, and most audiences were not familiar with the character Wallace.
However, if this film could win an Oscar, it might ignite another viewing craze.
As for "napoleon dynamite," as a comedy, its audience reach was very wide, and everyone was speculating that its box office was expected to break $250 million next month.
"Damn it! Karl Morlin! Are you out of your mind?!"
Lawler Dean, Vice President of William Morris Agency (WMA), hurled the documents in his hand at Karl Morlin's face with a furious expression, roaring loudly.
WMA has branches in New York and Los Angeles; Lawler Dean is the Vice President in Los Angeles and has always yearned to perform well in front of the chairman to gain more recognition and promotion opportunities.
But he never expected that a major director, who is now incredibly popular, would emerge from the company's former clients.
What made him even more furious was that this person was a director!
In the film industry, who doesn't know that directors and producers are the core soul of a crew, and actors are chosen by them?
A big-name director's commercial value and influence are much higher than those of a big-name actor!
"Karl! Explain to me clearly, why did Kazier Gray leave the company? Are you blind? You let such a talented director slip away without signing him?!"
Anyone in this situation would be furious.
Kazir, with just two films, had a global box office exceeding $500 million, and this only took him one year!
How could Lawler Dean not be furious?
Karl Morlin kept his head down, silent, enduring the Vice President's wrath.
"Speak! Explain it clearly to me!" Lawler Dean continued to yell relentlessly.
"Sir... you said Kazir wasn't even fit to carry William Morris's shoes, just because he accidentally spilled water on your suit before..."
Karl Morlin was cornered and had no choice but to bite the bullet and tell the truth.
"What? You dare to blame me? Are you crazy?!"
Lawler Dean's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.
"No, sir." Karl Morlin gritted his teeth, his heart complex with regret and helplessness.
"This bastard... directors are cash cows!"
Lawler Dean's face was ashen as he slowly sat down.
Every time he read the newspaper and saw good news related to "Se7en" and "napoleon dynamite," he felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife, as if he had lost a priceless diamond.
What was worse was that Kazir had signed with their William Morris Agency's arch-rival, CAA!
WMA and CAA were already fierce competitors in business, and their relationship had always been strained; now that CAA's strength was growing, Lawler Dean found it hard to swallow.
"No matter what method you use, get Kazier Gray back for me! Offer a higher contract; as long as he's willing to switch, he can name his terms!" Lawler Dean said viciously.
"Yes, sir." Karl Morlin's face was dark as he silently walked out of the office.
He was also bewildered at this moment; who would have thought Kazir had such a talent for making comedies? If he had known this earlier, he should have forced him to make comedies.
Like Lawler Dean, Karl Morlin was now filled with deep regret.
If he had known that Kazir could achieve such great success, he would have knelt down and begged him to stay, even if it meant clinging to his leg.
Unfortunately, there's no going back in this world; otherwise, he would now be a golden agent with a big-name director under his wing.
Karl Morlin sighed helplessly, then began to rack his brains, pondering how to persuade Kazir to change agencies.
In his opinion, in this day and age, who would turn down money? Especially an agent like him; what's a little thick skin when it comes to closing a deal?
"Congratulations, Kazir!"
"You too, David!"
"Cheers!"
David Fincher and Kazir clinked glasses; both of them were now highly sought-after directors, with various film companies practically breaking down their doors to invite them to collaborate.
"I thought 20th Century Fox had blacklisted you?"
They were invited by Fox this time—the film "napoleon dynamite" was so popular that everyone from the crew was invited.
"They want to talk to me about a new project, that's why they invited me."
Kazir was well aware of Fox's intentions, and he also knew that David Fincher's next film should be "The Game," starring Michael Douglas.
"To be honest, I'm still hesitating. New Line Cinema has been good to me lately." David Fincher's main reason for attending this gathering was to support Kazir.
"This is...?"
David Fincher noticed Reese, who had been standing beside Kazir, and asked.
"Hello, I'm Reese Witherspoon, Kazir's friend." Reese said with a smile, though she was actually Kazir's date for the evening.
"Oh ~ 'friend'!" David Fincher winked at Kazir, a teasing smile on his face.
Kazir could only give an awkward laugh; since Reese said she was a friend, what else could he say?