Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1498 Babu Gump Shrimp Restaurant

Winston Groom sold the script to Warner Bros. for $350,000, and he and his second wife, Ann, whom he married after the novel was published, lived a good life.

Later, the film adaptation rights changed hands several times and fell into the hands of Paramount and Daydream. Winston Groom received a 4% dividend on the net profit. He should be very happy to see the movie become a hit. I don't know why there were rumors that he was going to sue the producer and distributor.

After Shirley Lansing questioned Paramount's staff, she found out what happened. This was Winston Blum's dissatisfaction when he was interviewed by a reporter.

His dissatisfaction mainly comes from two aspects.

The first reason is that Winston Groom believes that the success of the film lies in the good foundation of the original novel. However, he was not invited to attend any premieres in New York and Los Angeles.

Winston Groom originally wrote novels to make money and join the social circle of the upper class. The film was recognized by film critic Roger Ebert, but no one remembered him, which made him feel very sad.

In his imagination, he and Roger Ebert are both people with a strong intellectual conscience. They both have something to say about the chaos and disorder in America over the past two or three decades, as well as the loss of conscience, but no one has invited him and Roger Ebert to sit down and co-host a film review program.

Not only that, the mainstream TV media seemed to have completely forgotten him. Everyone was discussing how lifelike Tom Hanks' performance was. The special effects hid Lieutenant Dan's feet, but actor Sinise still looked normal. How amazing. How Forrest Gump's handshakes with the former presidents of the United States evoked the common memories of most Americans...

But no one thought about this, how could this have happened without his novels?

The second thing that made him dissatisfied was that there were many similarities between the novel and the movie, but upon closer inspection they seemed to be somewhat similar.

His original intention in writing Forrest Gump was to expose the absurd things that the American government had done in the past and how deeply sick this mainstream society was.

In his writing, Forrest Gump is a window into the world seen through the eyes of a person with an IQ below average, showing how terrible consequences are caused by policies made by those "smart people."

For example, the reason why Forrest Gump and Bubba were drafted and sent to the Vietnam battlefield was because the US military was afraid of death and normal families did not want their sons to go to the front. The then Secretary of Defense McNamara passed a bill to draft those with IQs below the passing line to serve as the most dangerous infantry on the front line.

However, the sharp satire of the absurd things in the novel turned into an emphasis on comradeship in the movie. Although Babu died in the attack in the end, the audience did not really realize how ridiculous the so-called McNamara was.

In the novel, Winston Goebbels ridiculed all the former presidents of the United States, such as President Richard’s Watergate scandal, and President Johnson’s reluctant decision to allow black women to attend college with white people.

Ronald's adaptation of the film always gives people a sense of nostalgic warmth. The things that appear in your memory with a faint golden glow are not the most painful experiences we felt at the time, but some warm scenes that we still feel when we recall them later.

This is something Winston Ge Wenrou really doesn't want to see. Recently, after some viewers learned that he was the original author of the novel, they congratulated him and praised him for writing such a great story.

The two things these audiences like to say the most are: 1. I am Forrest Gump in your movie, and I have experienced the same things that Forrest Gump experienced; or: 2. Don’t you know that there is a person in my hometown who is exactly the same as Forrest Gump.

Hearing these ridiculous praises from those well-intentioned audiences, Winston Groom shook his head and sighed, saying that these people had not read the original novel. On the other hand, signing on the title page of the novel that those people bought temporarily also gave him a strange pleasure - I finally became famous.

"Well, it seems that Winston is not happy about not getting the same attention as the film's creators. I'll arrange for him to appear on a TV talk show..."

Ronald and Shirley Lanxin held a meeting to learn about the situation of Winston Groom, the original author of the novel, and later came up with a way to quell the discussions.

As for whether Winston Grunge said he would sue the production and distribution companies, the reporter and some people at the scene had different opinions. But Winston Grunge definitely used more vicious language to say that the film's creators had forgotten and disrespected him.

"Why, can you ask your friend David Letterman to interview him?" Shirley Lansing was very happy to hear this. The rumor that the original novel author was dissatisfied with the movie was not particularly good news for the promotion of the movie. However, if the passive attitude could be turned into active, and the original novel author of the rumor could personally refute the rumor, it would be possible to quickly wipe out the negative atmosphere of the box office from the market.

"That's probably difficult. The best we can do is give him a co-guest spot. After all, David is doing very well at CBS now. An author who only sold 3 copies of a novel is not qualified to be on the show."

Ronald could only smile bitterly. His friend David Letterman was now beating the ratings of a similar talk show hosted by Jay Leno of his old employer NBC at the same time.

Yes, although Winston Groom received some praise from book critics and sold the script for $35 when he was still unknown, this novel was not really a bestseller.

This is one of the reasons why when the current television media is intensively discussing the movie "Forrest Gump" which is currently showing in theaters and is gradually becoming a social phenomenon, no one would think of inviting him to do a show.

After all, this is not the case with Gone with the Wind, where the original novel became a national bestseller before the movie was made. Margaret Mitchell became a corresponding member of the Writers Guild of America based on a novel before the movie was released.

Before the movie Forrest Gump was released, it was a completely unknown novel in the commercial field. The success of the movie is of course largely due to director Ronald and Tom Hanks who plays Forrest Gump. But does this have much to do with the original novel?
Ronald wanted to have him on the talk show of Richie Lake, a fat host on his own TV station in New York. Now the fat girl is very popular among teenagers, and the show has also obtained the privilege of syndication. Teenagers in some rural areas on the West Coast, as well as in the central and southern parts of the country like to watch her show to choose fashion direction.

Shirley Lansing had some connections in television, and she also arranged a second-tier talk show for Winston Groom.

But a few days later, Shirley Lansing called Ronald again in great anger. Winston Groom spoke about his theory on the talk show again, saying that the novel was authentic and reflected the spirit of Forrest Gump. The movie borrowed the characters from the novel to tell a completely different story.

"Hahaha, I assure you, Winston will speak according to your ideas. Rich Lake is a very professional host." Ronald was confident and promised Lansing that when he was on Rich Lake's talk show this weekend, he would praise the movie to the highest level.

"Really? I don't believe it..."

Shirley Lansing didn't believe the reasons Ronald gave at all. This man must have grasped some key points that made Winston Groom obedient, but he just refused to tell her.

Rich Lake is nothing more than a host of a youth program, so if you ask him to interview those teenage idols, you can get some resonance. But what can you talk about with Winston Groom, a writer who failed miserably in his youth and divorced his wife, but turned his life around in his middle age by writing satirical novels and found a woman to marry again?

Sure enough, on Richie Lake's talk show this weekend, her questions still made adults feel childish. But Winston Groom's style took a 180-degree turn. He began to praise the movie, and the restoration of some plots was very realistic. When he was writing the novel, he hoped that the scenes of shaking hands with the president would be made into a movie, but he never thought that it would be performed by real people through special effects...

In addition, the film also reproduces the spiritual atmosphere of the United States in the 1960s and 1970s very well. In the 1980s, the scenes of President Jimmy fainting while running a marathon and President Ronald being shot were deeply remembered even by young people like Rich Lake.

Winston Groom was later interviewed by major regional print media such as the New York Daily News and the Los Angeles Times.

In these interviews, he reversed his previous statements and did not mention the comparison between the novel and the movie. He just said that many plots in the movie were the scenes he imagined when he wrote the novel.

I was also amazed at Ronald's use of computer special effects to recreate some scenes that he never thought he could achieve when he was writing the novel.

At the end of the interview, the reporter also asked him about the progress of the reprint of the novel Forrest Gump, which revealed why Winston Groom suddenly changed his direction.

Because the movie was a big hit at the box office, the publisher realized that many viewers would want to read the original version of the novel after watching the movie. They immediately prepared to reprint the novel, and Winston Groom could get a huge amount of royalties from the reprint of the novel because of the movie.

In modern society, printed materials such as novels are no longer the most widely circulated channel for popular entertainment. Images from movies and television have replaced text, allowing people who do not have the time, energy or ability to read novels to spend one and a half to two hours watching a story and being moved.

Previous experience has also shown that as long as the movie adapted from a novel can achieve great success at the box office, it will in turn promote a significant increase in the sales of the novel in print.

The royalties from the novels increased rapidly with the increase in print runs. Winston Groom estimated that the money he received this time would be much higher than the income from the film adaptation rights and copyrights he sold.

Although Winston Groom calls himself an intellectual with a conscience, one cannot deceive oneself for long.

His original intention in writing this novel was that he needed a way to find success after his failed marriage and career, whether it was in terms of money or social relationships...

Besides money, movies also brought him an entry ticket to high society and admiring glances from beautiful readers at one book signing event after another.

Therefore, for his own benefit, Winston Glum will not continue to attack the theme of the movie, which goes against his novel. Isn't this just slapping himself in the face and causing the sales of the novel in print to drop?
It can be said that Winston Groom underestimated the box office potential of Forrest Gump.

By the end of its third week, Forrest Gump once again topped the box office charts, opening in 500 fewer theaters than True Lies and earning $130 million more than True Lies over the weekend.

Forrest Gump, which was released in its third week, earned nearly 2200 million at the box office. Not only did it make Cameron lose the bet, it also trampled on True Lies, which was released in its second week, and it also stole the limelight from director Joel Schumacher's new film, The Client.

The legal thriller, starring new Best Supporting Actor winner Tommy Lee Jones and Best Actress nominee Susan Sarandon, only ranked third at the box office in its first weekend.

After three weeks, Forrest Gump had grossed over 100 million yuan at the domestic box office, and Ronald paid for a celebration party at his home.

The leading actors of Forrest Gump, Robin Wright, Tom Hanks, Sally Field, Sinise and others all came to show their support.

Although everyone is well-informed, the authentic Chinese chef invited by Ronald made Chinese food that was not greasy at all, which was very suitable for the taste of Hollywood executives. In particular, this chef could also cook vegetarian dishes and make them taste like meat dishes, which made the actresses and their families on the scene like it very much. They also wanted to get the recipe from Ronald, but when they heard that the chef would take a whole day to prepare these seemingly "simple", delicious and healthy vegetarian dishes, they all said that this was something only the emperor could enjoy.

In addition to these actors, those who came to the party included many behind-the-scenes staff who worked hard on the set of Forrest Gump, as well as special effects engineers who worked day and night in the special effects studio to create outstanding effects after the filming was completed.

These people don't have such a good appetite for vegetarian dishes. Ronald was also very considerate and arranged for a famous chef from a Latin American barbecue restaurant and a Japanese chef who was specially flown in from Tokyo along with the ingredients.

Whether it was the computer engineers or the coolies pushing the camera, they all praised the celebration party Ronald held at his home. In addition to some stuffed toys for the children, Ronald also prepared a check for everyone who worked on Forrest Gump as a reward for the movie's box office exceeding 100 million.

For a moment, everyone cheered and started telling each other industry gossip. Some directors and producers were able to give bonuses to the staff afterwards, but Ronald was the only one who could invite everyone to his home for a party and arrange different chefs to prepare food for them.

"The food is well prepared, everyone please don't be polite...hahahaha..." Ronald was in a good mood and personally poured wine for the guests present...

"If you ask me, Mr. Director, the food at your party is really good, but as a Forrest Gump party, it's missing a key dish..."

Ronald looked back and saw a tall man standing there in a white shirt and a blue coat...

"Do I know you? What department are you from?" Ronald didn't remember seeing this man on the set of Forrest Gump.

"Sir..." The original bodyguard Daniel quickly stepped in and stood between Ronald and the man. Several other bodyguards also stepped forward quickly and sandwiched the man on both sides.

"Don't be nervous. I'm the manager of a seafood restaurant. My name is Anthony Zollerzi. I want to buy your authorization. The most delicious food in Forrest Gump is the delicious shrimp from Bob and Forrest Gump Shrimp Company..."

"Oh, what authorization do you want?" Ronald waved his hand to indicate that this uninvited guest was not a bad person.

"I want the name of the Bubble Gump Shrimp Restaurant. I own a seafood restaurant chain..." I watched Forrest Gump over a dozen times in a row, and every time someone asked me where the Bubble Gump Shrimp Restaurant was. I had to go try it...