Chapter 84 Underestimating Link (Add 1 more chapter, please read later)
While Link and Monica were enjoying family happiness in the study, the connection between "Paranormal Activity" and the Murrieta murder case was still being hotly discussed in the media and entertainment circles.
In terms of mainstream public opinion, the media focused on reporting that Tina Westerton, the suspect in the Murrieta murder case, accused "Paranormal Activity" of copyright infringement in court, and the popular movie "Paranormal Activity" was caught up in a copyright infringement storm.
In this series of reports, third-rate tabloids were more active and imaginative than mainstream newspapers.
In its reports, World News Weekly strongly advocated the existence of ghosts in the world.
Believes that what Tina Worsterton said was right, she did not kill her husband Paul Worsterton, it was the ghost hiding in the house who killed Paul Worsterton.
If everything is true, then Link's "Paranormal Activity" is very likely to have been inspired by Tina Westerton's experience and created such a terrifying movie.
Therefore, Link and Guess What Films should pay Tina Wasterton copyright fees, and Tina Wasterton should be acquitted.
Why did World News Weekly report this way?
Because this is a newspaper that mainly reports anecdotes and absurd news, it has fabricated stories about bat boys, the alien P'Lod, giant locusts, and a thousand-year-old mummy that was unearthed and found to be pregnant.
And spreading the word that ghosts exist in the world can increase the circulation of World News Weekly, and World News Weekly will definitely not miss this wave of popularity.
Newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle and the National Enquirer have also published articles detailing the Murrieta murder case and Link's new film Paranormal Activity, as well as the possible relationship between the two.
Under the publicity of these media, "Paranormal Activity" and the Murrieta murder case were closely linked.
Many people began to support the suspect Tina Worsterton, believing that she did not kill anyone and that it was a ghost hiding in the house who killed her husband.
There are media that support this statement, and naturally there are also those who oppose it.
Respectable newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, and the Chicago Tribune denied the claim.
It is believed that Tina Westerton is trying to get away with the crime by linking the case to "Paranormal Activity". The court should conduct a strict investigation and not be interfered with by outside public opinion.
Some media also criticized Guess the Movies for using unconventional means to attract public attention when promoting its films, which not only disrupted the order of the film market but also had the suspicion of interfering with judicial justice.
This is a very incorrect practice and should be strictly prohibited.
However, since the media had no evidence, they used more tactful words when criticizing Guess the Movie to avoid legal disputes.
Under the direct or indirect guidance of the media, people all over the United States have paid attention to "Paranormal Activity".
"Paranormal Activity" has become extremely popular in the North American media. The combined coverage of films released at the same time, such as "The Fourth," "Unsung," and "Patriot Games," is not as much as that of "Paranormal Activity."
The popularity of "Paranormal Activity" has skyrocketed, which has also led to a surge in box office sales.
In its sixth week of release, "Paranormal Activity" reversed its box office and earned $53.39 million in 2,034 theaters, setting a new record for the single-week box office of an R-rated movie. It also remained the weekly box office champion in North America for three consecutive weeks.
Because the box office of "Paranormal Activity" grew too rapidly, the box office of other movies released at the same time plummeted.
Except for "Patriot Games", the box office of other movies is less than 10 million.
"The Last Detective," which had hoped to break $100 million at the North American box office this week, closed at $7.41 million, a 63% drop from last week, with a cumulative box office of $98.19 million.
"Unsung Heroes," starring Dustin Hoffman and others, earned only $970,000 at the box office this week, with a cumulative box office of $10.62 million, and is expected to lose money.
The Hollywood Reporter said that "Paranormal Activity" is not a catfish that disrupts the North American film market, but a killer whale that swallows up all the box office in the market and leaves its peers hungry.
"Vanity Fair" published an article this week saying that with the success of "Paranormal Activity", Link has become the most dazzling star in Hollywood at this stage, and his fame is no less than that of movie stars such as Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr.
As a director, Link is undoubtedly successful, but at the same time, the success of "Paranormal Activity" has also seriously affected the interests of his peers.
If Link wants to stay in Hollywood in the future, he will face more criticism and challenges.
The meaning of the article in Vanity Fair is very simple. Link made a lot of money with "Paranormal Activity", but at the same time he offended many people. It will be more difficult for him to continue to develop in Hollywood.
With the release of the sixth week's box office data, "Paranormal Activity" has accumulated a box office of 198 million US dollars in North America, just one step away from breaking 200 million US dollars.
Last week, media such as "Film Variety" predicted that the North American box office of "Paranormal Activity" would only be 180 million, and there was little chance of breaking 200 million.
In just one week, the media had to change their tune and predicted that the North American box office of "Paranormal Activity" would be around 280 million US dollars. Based on the current popularity, there is a certain chance that it will exceed 300 million.
"$300 million! God, look what I missed."
When Harvey Weinstein saw the numbers in the newspaper, he couldn't help but sigh.
I imagine that if there had been no discrimination against Link, a Chinese-American director, at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and if people had been more patient with him and with "Buried", they could have acquired the copyright of "Buried" at a very low price and signed Link with a very sincere contract.
So at this time, Miramax Films will not only own the dark horse movie "Buried", but also the masterpiece "Paranormal Activity".
Miramax Films made $300 to $400 million from these two films.
With these 300 to 400 million US dollars, Miramax Films' position in Hollywood will be further elevated, making it a leader in independent film production, and even have the opportunity to become the 'eighth largest company in Hollywood'.
It’s a pity that Link’s talent and huge potential were not discovered at the Sundance Film Festival, which made Miramax Films lose an opportunity to take off.
Harvey is not the only one who has this idea. Robert Shea of New Line Cinema feels it even more deeply than him.
When "Buried" was released, Link personally approached him to discuss cooperation, and visited New Line Cinema many times to check the situation, and was very eager to cooperate with New Line Cinema.
It’s a pity that he underestimated the young man Link and turned away the treasure he had obtained.
In 1990, Robert Shea made more than 100 million US dollars by distributing "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", a film that no one was willing to distribute. The producer of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" was Hong Kong's Golden Harvest Film Company.
With the huge sales of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", Robert Shea's vision has been recognized by many people.
But this time, he also missed the dark horse.
The huge box office success of "Paranormal Activity" also ruined the reputation of one person and made him a representative of lack of vision.
This person is the famous producer Fred Olin.
Fred Olin is a contracted producer of Castle Rock Pictures. He has participated in the production of films such as "When Harry Met Sally" and "The Motherlode" and is well-known in the film industry.
When the filming of "Paranormal Activity" was completed, letters were sent out to major film companies to invite them to participate in the film preview. Fred Olin was also commissioned by the company to come to Guess What Pictures to watch the movie.
Unexpectedly, just a few minutes into the movie, before even the main plot was clear, Fred Olin stood up and yelled that "Paranormal Activity" was a bad movie and not worth wasting time, then left with a group of acquaintances.
After leaving, he spoke a lot to the reporters, criticizing "Paranormal Activity" and Link.
As a result, after six weeks of release, "Paranormal Activity" grossed a total of $198 million in North America, with a box office revenue ratio of 10,000 times, making it the film with the highest box office revenue ratio in film history.
If this kind of movie is a bad movie, what kind of movie is a good movie?
It is said that after the huge success of "Paranormal Activity", Castle Rock Pictures did not fire Fred Olin, but gave him a long vacation to let him go out and relax.
The situation of more than a dozen producers who left with Fred Olin also became awkward in the company and they were often ridiculed by their colleagues.
And all this is because they underestimated "Paranormal Activity".
(End of this chapter)
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