Hollywood Director 1992.

Chapter 396 A Natural Success, New Movie Rewards
Charlize Theron misunderstood; Link had no intention of pursuing her.

He hasn't actively pursued any women since 93.

Firstly, there's no physiological or emotional need for it; secondly, time is limited, and spending time on movies is more cost-effective than spending it on women.

The women around him weren't pursued; rather, they were attracted by his charm, approached him willingly, and were eventually conquered by him, becoming infatuated and unable to extricate themselves.

The same thing happened when he met Charlize Theron. After meeting her on set, Link invited her to his apartment for dinner, and Charlize accepted.

After the meal, Link invited her to watch and talk about movies in the home theater, and Charlize agreed. Then they hugged and kissed, and the girl did not refuse.

After the kiss, the blonde beauty's face was flushed and her eyes were glazed. She leaned against him and wouldn't let go.

What followed was a natural progression.

Charlize Theron is tall, standing at 177 cm with 103 cm long legs, and has trained in ballet for several years, giving her a better physique and flexibility than the average woman.

But her subsequent performance was not much better than that of Jodie Foster, Emmanuel, and others.

The next day, Link got up early to go to the film set to shoot, and called Sam to ask him to ask Charlize Theron for leave, as she was not feeling well and could not go to the set to prepare for her role that day.

Sam Haskell didn't ask for the specific reason and agreed immediately.

After arriving at the film set, Link continued filming the final courtroom scenes for "Primal Fear".

The scene took four days to film, and after the last shot was completed, the movie was officially wrapped.

Filming for "Primal Fear" began at the end of May and lasted for nearly two months, with a total of 118 scenes and 637 shots. Filming officially wrapped up in late July.

After filming, Link and his crew returned to Los Angeles for a rest.
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By late July, competition for box office revenue in the North American film market remained fierce.

This week's box office champion is Warner Bros.' new film "A Time to Kill," a thriller/crime film directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConaughey, and Sandra Bullock.

The story is about Carl Lee, a black man who killed two white men who had abused his daughter. He then turned himself in. Lawyer Jack and law student Ellen prepared to defend him from both legal and human perspectives. In the end, through their joint efforts, Carl Lee was found not guilty.

This film, which aims to eliminate racial discrimination, is quite positive.

It grossed $2831 million in its opening weekend.

The runner-up was the action film "The Mask of Zorro," released by Columbia Pictures.

The film is based on the novel by police journalist Johnston Macaulay and tells the story of Zorro, the American Western hero.

Produced by Guessing Pictures, and starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Antonio Banderas, and others.

The film was released in mid-July and grossed $2077 million this week, bringing its two-week total to $5863 million.

The film had a production cost of $65 million, and based on current box office data, it is expected to gross no less than $100 million in North America, making it a blockbuster.

In addition, Catherine Zeta-Jones, the lead actress, gave an outstanding performance in the film. After the film's release, she received praise from many film critics and fans for her wonderful performance and classic British beauty, and was named "Most Beautiful British Actress" by People magazine.

The only thing that's frustrating is her relationship with Link.

Many media outlets advised her not to get too close to Link, suggesting that a good girl like her should stay away from playboys.

This week's third place goes to "Independence Day," which grossed $1817 million, bringing its four-week total to $2.13 million. It is also the second film this year to surpass $2 million at the North American box office.

The Fifth Element dropped to fifth place, earning $846 million this week, bringing its five-week total to $7637 million. It is projected to gross around $90 million in North America.

"The Internet" earned $433 million this week, bringing its total North American box office to $1.75 million.

"Batman Forever" earned $271 million, bringing its total box office to $2.91 million. It is expected to become the first film this year to surpass $3 million at the box office before the end of the summer season.

With many commercial blockbusters still being released, and most of them coming from the Big Eight film studios, independent film companies are not seeing any improvement at the box office. As a result, many independent filmmakers have publicly declared that independent films are on the verge of extinction.

Many filmmakers who uphold justice have also publicly criticized the G8 Film Studios, accusing them of over-promoting their films, denying independent films exposure, and giving their films too many screenings, among other things.

However, this time Guess the Movies received less criticism.

The reason is that the films released by Guess the Movies this year performed very poorly.

As of July, of the seven films distributed by Guess Movies, only "The Internet" has grossed over $100 million at the North American box office, "Dangerous Games" currently has $9048 million, and "Hachi: A Dog's Tale" has $7563 million. The other films have performed only moderately at the box office.

Guess what? The film studio didn't make any money, so it shouldn't be criticized.

However, after the media discovered that Guess Movies' box office performance was sluggish, they started making sarcastic remarks, saying that Guess Movies was on a downward trend and it would be difficult to maintain the growth rate of the previous two years.

Guess What Pictures declined to comment, simply quietly promoting their new film. Two more films from the company are slated for release later this summer: *Rush Hour*, starring Chen Long, and *Final Destination 2*.

Compared to the previous two months, there were fewer blockbuster releases in August, but the competition was still fierce. Whether these two films will perform well at the box office remains to be seen.
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After returning to Los Angeles, Link began editing the film, taking time out to attend an internal screening of "The English Patient".

Filming wrapped up last December, and post-production was completed in April. After reviewing the footage, Link was dissatisfied with the sound effects and sent it back for a remake. The second phase of production was completed in June.

The preview screening of "The English Patient" was a great success. After the screening, the attendees gave the film very high praise.

Jodie Foster, Monica Bellucci, Sofia Coppola, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Winona Ryder are all artsy young women who love arthouse films. This movie really hits their sweet spot, and they all say it's the best romance movie they've ever seen, even better than last year's "The Bridges of Madison County".

Jodie Foster expressed regret for not pestering him for a role and offering to star in his next romantic film.

Winona and the others shared this idea.

Daniel DeVito, James Schamus, Joe Ferrer, and others have also given this film high praise, considering it a classic romance film. However, the film's male and female leads are not very well-known in North America, so the box office figures are difficult to estimate, but are estimated to be between $1 million and $2 million.

At the end of the film screening, Link also received the system's evaluation.

[Film production is complete; box office subsidies are currently being tallied...]

[Host participation rate: 71.3%; film completion rate: 97.7%; film's market fit: 88%]

[Rewards: 2.4x box office subsidy; Director experience +20%; Director stamina +20%; Film quality increase +18%]

"Link, how could you make a movie like this?"

As Link was checking his rewards, Quentin Tarantino walked over with a complicated expression.

"What's wrong with the movie? Don't you like it?"

Link asked.

Quentin stared at him with a resentful look, his facial muscles bulging with envy and jealousy. He pointed at the big screen and said, "You used to make thrillers, and now you've just transitioned to making 'The English Patient.' Don't you think you've transitioned too quickly?"

"What's wrong with being faster?"

Link asked, puzzled.

Quentin scoffed, "No problem, you're amazing, you're incredible, there's no director in the world more amazing than you."

"You flatter me. I just work harder at making movies. You'll do even better if you put in more effort. By the way, what about your new movie?"

Before he could finish speaking, Quentin waved his hand and walked away without looking back. Steven Soderbergh, the director standing next to him, stared in disbelief, shook his head and laughed, "Link, you're just too good. Being in the same era as you is incredibly stressful. Quentin is probably anxious."

"Me too."

Robert Rodriguez shrugged.

"There's no need to be anxious. Every director has their own style. I'm in a rush when making movies. I need to shoot quickly to be sure of making a good one. I don't have the patience to spend one or two years making a movie. Sometimes I wish I could shoot more slowly."

Link offered words of comfort.

“Link, stop talking. No director doesn’t want to make movies quickly and well, but very few people can do it, except you.”

Robert said enviously.

Link smiled and then asked the others about the progress of their new film.

Steven is preparing for his new film, "The Mastermind," which will begin filming next month.
Robert is writing a new script; the start date for filming is unknown.
Richard Linklater is currently acting and has no plans to direct a new film.

Link said that the story of "Before Sunrise" is very good and that a sequel could be considered.

Director Richard said he also had this idea.

After the test screening, Link took the film reel back to the studio to watch and study it, identifying and addressing any gaps in his knowledge.

The English Patient looks even better after receiving an 18% quality boost, a level above the original.

Especially in terms of detail, the improved quality makes the film shots more delicate and textured, which also subtly enhances the artistic value of the film.

Link plans to release the film at the end of the year, aiming for the Best Director Oscar next year.

(End of this chapter)