America 1987

Chapter 60 Party

Not to mention how excited David was that night.

After the Oscars ceremony, he was going to the Baccarat Hotel for a party hosted by people in the industry.

For Americans, parties are almost the most natural form of socializing in life.

An international student from East China recalled that when he first attended a birthday party for an American classmate, he saw more than a dozen cars parked in front of a detached house, with string lights flashing in the yard and the music turned up to the maximum from the very beginning. The whole scene made him think it was something out of a movie.

What impressed him most was an elderly neighbor who came in with a golden retriever—she didn't recognize the owner at all, but had just heard the commotion and brought some homemade brownies to join in the fun.

The party industry in the United States has formed a complete economic chain, from alcohol to decorations, from party costumes to venue rentals, generating hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue every year.

Back in Hollywood, the post-Oscar parties are the epitome of the glamorous world.

Everything from the lighting to the snacks is incredibly expensive. However, celebrities usually don't get enough to eat at these parties.

Because this is a semi-public place, there may be reporters present—being photographed with one's mouth full of food is just as bad as having one's picture taken while using the toilet for VIPs who are always mindful of their image.

So David didn't plan to eat anything there; he intended to try his luck and see if he could meet someone who would interest him.

"David Ovitz." The young man in the corner extended his hand, his gentle smile conveying a sense of refinement. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. James Cameron."

"You know me?" James, who was shaking hands with him, raised an eyebrow.

The middle-aged man, with brown hair, a short beard, a resolute face, and sharp eyes, was somewhat surprised that the other party could call him by his name so easily.

"Of course, I recently rewatched the Alien sequel," David Ovitz smiled slightly. "To be honest, after watching it, I'm really looking forward to the Terminator sequel."

Aliens was directed by James Cameron and was released in 1986.

As a sequel to a classic IP, James Cameron did not disappoint fans—upgrading from a horror film to a sci-fi action film, retaining the threat of the alien while adding visual spectacle and thrilling combat.

It is usually ranked second only to the first film in the hearts of movie fans, competing with "Prometheus" for the second place.

"Really?" Cameron's tone was filled with undisguised smugness. "After I finish filming this movie, I'll soon be working on the sequel to Terminator, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

Cameron is currently preparing to shoot a movie called "The Abyss," a niche science fiction film that most people have never heard of.

David wanted to say something, but considering the lack of familiarity and the other party's obsession, he ultimately gave up the idea.

Cameron has been a science enthusiast since childhood and has a strong curiosity about deep-sea exploration.

When I was 16, I watched an underwater documentary and was deeply inspired. I wrote down a short story, which is said to be the prototype of "The Abyss".

To some extent, he makes films to satisfy his personal hobby of deep-sea diving. Filming "The Abyss" is a direct expression of his love for the ocean.

He once said, "I was initially very curious about going to a place and filming it. For me as a director, the experience of making a movie is far less exciting than the experience of holding a camera and filming."

"The Abyss" was his first film about the ocean, and this love continued in the shipwreck exploration of "Titanic" and the underwater world of "Avatar 2".

However, since it was his first time making a film about the ocean, James Cameron couldn't quite control his desire to express himself and stuffed a lot of his own personal ideas into the movie.

The final result is somewhat like an art film that satisfies a desire for personal expression. In fact, this is indeed a rare example of strong auteurship in James Cameron's work, and is considered to be his most personal film.

Using the budget for commercial films to make art films will inevitably result in losses.

"If you encounter any funding problems during filming, you can contact me. This is my personal business card..."

David extended his goodwill to the other party in a very warm manner.

He knew that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the other party would definitely make that call.

Cameron has never made a film without exceeding the budget. In the original timeline, the actual cost of "The Abyss" far exceeded the initial expectations. The other party even gave up $800 million in director's fees, production fees, and all profit sharing, leaving only $100 million for the script, just to ensure that the special effects budget was not cut.

Cameron was somewhat surprised by the other party's generosity, but he still accepted David's business card. He knew his own situation well, and since the other party had said so, there was no need for him to refuse.

He had been having a fight with his wife, Gale Anne Heard, and was in a bad mood. He came to the party to clear his head, but he never expected to meet someone like this. Suddenly, the gloom in his eyes dissipated a lot.

Yes, Heard is Cardinal's second wife.

The way the two met is somewhat legendary—Hurd had just founded West Pacific Productions and promised Cameron that he would buy the script for Terminator for one dollar and give him the directorial rights, which was a godsend for Cameron at the time.

So he dedicated himself to art.

However, conflicts are inevitable between producers and directors, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the two will officially divorce next year.

When Cameron was writing the screenplay for "The Abyss," he unconsciously brought his own experiences into the writing, making the emotional entanglement between the male and female protagonists deeply moving.

As an aside, although "The Abyss" is set against the backdrop of a science fiction underwater adventure, its core story is about a couple re-examining their relationship in an extreme environment.

The story, told at a relatively slow pace against a sci-fi backdrop, is a reflection of James Cameron's true state of mind at the time.

Interestingly, it seems that he was also having conflicts with his fourth wife, Linda Hamilton, when he was filming "Titanic". It seems that good works of art sometimes do come from the creator's personal experience.

As for why David did this, it was obviously to win the other party over.

James Cameron has only been a top director for a few years now, and his upcoming film, The Abyss, has even shaken the confidence of major studios in his ability to make commercial films.

It would be a real shame not to invest emotionally at this point. David Ovitz pondered this as he drove back.

Titanic grossed approximately $18 billion worldwide, with total revenue from initial theatrical releases, home video sales, soundtrack sales, and U.S. television rights exceeding $32 billion.

In 1998, Fox announced that Titanic had grossed over $12 billion worldwide.

If we calculate based on a total revenue of $32 billion and a production cost of $2 million, the gross profit would be approximately $30 billion. This is only the short-term profit; the subsequent long-term profits are too complex to be included in the statistics.

Unfortunately, the Fox executives who invested back then were cowards. After already investing $1.4 million, they still managed to get Paramount to invest an additional $6000 million.

As a result, after the film's release, the two parties went to court over the issue of profit sharing. The court ruled that the North American box office profits belonged to Paramount, while the overseas box office profits belonged to 20th Century Fox.