[Chapter 176: Two Top Leading Ladies Star Together in Happy Death Day]
The production of Happy Death Day was even simpler than a beach shoot -- all they needed was a hospital and a school, with no special effects required. Kenneth and Ryan moved quickly; the crew was already assembled, and although Linton was listed as co-producer, the crew was so small that he didn't have much to worry about.
The two shooting locations were set in the suburbs of Los Angeles, both very affordable, with the school even offering the location for free, as long as its name appeared in the closing credits. Other props and costumes were being organized methodically. The soundtrack production continued to be handled by Universal.
Casting for the actors had begun, and three main actresses were already planned out. The lead female role was Tree Gelbman, played by Cristiana.
The second female lead was Tree Gelbman's roommate, Monica.
The third female lead was Tree Gelbman's other roommate, Noriko Sakai. For this, Linton modified the script, changing the third female character to an Asian student.
He left the rest of the casting to Kenneth and Ryan, wanting to give them some motivation. However, he insisted that the male lead must be a handsome white guy.
For this kind of creative horror movie, outstanding acting skills were not strictly necessary, but the leads had to be attractive. Imagine a stunning beauty getting killed repeatedly in creative ways -- wouldn't that spark your protective instincts and anger?
Furthermore, having Monica as the second lead meant that the two most beautiful girls were starring together in one movie. With good marketing, this was a sure-fire hit. The movie had previously grossed $55 million in North America and $125 million worldwide.
With these two big stars joining, even in a different era, Linton believed the box office would surpass the original.
...
After their last meet-up, Noriko had followed Linton's advice by signing her American entertainment agent contract with the William Morris Agency under Mira's management and arrived in Los Angeles once notified by the crew.
However, Izumi Sakai and Sukato Matsushita weren't so lucky.
After returning home, Sukato had asked her family for permission to work for the Linton Charity Foundation in Los Angeles. Once her real intentions were discovered, she was immediately grounded, and even her communication devices were confiscated. Clearly, she had crossed the family's political marriage rules -- an untouchable taboo. Linton was powerless to intervene as there was no proper justification.
Izumi Sakai's contract with B.Gram-Records was a full singer's contract. It was well-known that Japanese agencies strictly controlled and exploited their artists. Her intention to sign a separate contract for Europe and America was impossible without the intervention of powerful connections. Izumi had counted on Sukato for help, but she was struggling herself and could not be relied on.
Eventually, Izumi reached out to Linton for help. He informed Daniel and said he would specially compose an English song for her. Daniel confidently promised to resolve the issue with the Japanese branch, and Ichiro later replied that it would be resolved within a month.
...
Linton hadn't initially planned to bring Noriko into his estate, but considering the numerous paparazzi in Los Angeles, it was too risky to welcome her outside. After careful thought, he arranged for Noriko and Cristiana to stay at the estate and introduced them to Catherine and Monica.
He instructed the three to follow the director's arrangements on set, to focus on filming, and to avoid diva behavior or sabotaging each other. The success of the movie was essential.
Although Cristiana and Monica initially had some reservations, Linton's straightforward talk quickly dispelled them. After all, a successful film meant greater benefits and future opportunities, and upsetting Linton was not a wise choice.
With Linton's mediation, the trio let go of their grudges and, combined with Noriko's gentle nature, they quickly became good friends.
Although horror films didn't demand top-tier acting, the three had significant screen time. Cristiana was well-prepared, but Monica and Noriko had just received their scripts, and Linton was concerned about their acting skills.
He called Mira to arrange an acting coach for Monica and Noriko to provide individual training to enhance their performances.
That evening naturally turned into a lively game of cards, with the four ladies teaming up against Linton -- the ultimate challenge.
Since Cristiana, Monica, and Noriko had to check in with the crew the next day and stay at the hotel arranged by the production, the games were intense and prolonged, their sweet singing carrying through the night.
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After setting the cast for Happy Death Day, Linton resumed work on music video shoots.
As Linton had predicted, Sleepless in Seattle showed strong box office potential from the very start, raking in $31.16 million over its opening weekend in North America.
Though it came in second behind Jurassic Park's $39.8 million, it was clear that the film would surpass $100 million in the North American market without question.
Naomi Watts and the rest of the crew embarked on a nationwide promotional tour to boost the box office.
...
Jurassic Park was truly groundbreaking. In less than 20 days since release, it had made $190 million in North America and its merchandise sales had exceeded $180 million.
More astonishingly, starting its foreign release in the second week, it dominated overseas markets, earning $180 million in about ten days -- like a T-Rex rampaging through international box offices.
Universal Pictures, along with the Motion Picture Association of America, seized the opportunity, negotiating with previously closed markets to use Jurassic Park's success to open one market after another.
It shattered all records and industry expectations; it now seemed Linton's boastful predictions were about to come true.
...
Because of this, Universal heavily emphasized the promotion and distribution of Speed, which was to be released in less than ten days, saturating the market with advertisements.
Posters were everywhere -- in movie theaters, shopping malls, and subway stations.
TV commercials, late-night talk shows, and variety programs relentlessly featured the movie. From late June, Linton almost nightly appeared with Catherine on various TV shows arranged by Universal.
Media interviews about the cast and crew, as well as rumors about Linton and Catherine's relationship, spurred intense media coverage and more TV broadcasting.
Linton's fan clubs organized by Bella also launched offline and online promotional campaigns. It was a comprehensive and multi-faceted publicity campaign.
...
The summer movie season was fiercely competitive, with Jurassic Park and Sleepless in Seattle still drawing crowds, and the lawyer drama The Firm releasing on June 30th fighting hard for audiences.
On July 9th, Columbia Pictures' action blockbuster In the Line of Fire, directed by Wolfgang Petersen and starring Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, and Rene Russo, was set to debut. The film reportedly had a budget exceeding $50 million.
With rivals ahead and contenders behind, pressure was intense. Universal had no choice but to maximize its promotional efforts.
However, Universal was confident in Speed. Early screenings and theater representatives' viewings had been overwhelmingly positive.
At audiences test screenings held in five major cities, 1,218 questionnaires were collected: an astonishing 1,105 gave an A+ rating, 57 gave an A, and 23 an A-. Only 33 rated below B+.
These results indicated tremendous box office potential for a commercial film.
The theater representatives' screenings were even more encouraging. All agreed Speed had totally exceeded their highest expectations and promised wide release.
In the latest negotiations, Universal secured an opening scope of over 2,700 theaters and 5,700 screens for Speed.
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