Actor in Hollywood

Summer arrives quietly, ushering in the hottest, laziest, and most leisurely time of the year. After enduring the long, dreary winter and the damp, chilly spring, people can finally leave their homes, spread their arms, and dive into the golden sunshine. It's a time to temporarily set aside life's pressures and enjoy a brief vacation.

For children, it's summer break. For adults, this is when they should take their annual leave.

Especially in places like the UK, Northern Europe, and Canada, where the sun rarely makes an appearance, summer is the only season people eagerly look forward to. They count down the days, longing for the summer holidays to arrive.

Thanks to the weather and the inherent advantages of vacations, summer is undoubtedly the busiest time of the year for businesses. The sales season from July to August sees throngs of people crowding into stores, and the film industry is no exception.

In 1975, *Jaws* and in 1977, *Star Wars* made their mark, revolutionizing the film market and revealing its vast commercial potential. These films forever changed the role of movies in the marketplace. The concept of the summer blockbuster was born, and with it, the market positioning and marketing strategies evolved. The North American film industry gradually matured and expanded.

Over two decades, the North American film market's segmentation became increasingly clear and detailed. Concepts like the spring, summer, fall, holiday, and winter release windows took shape, allowing film companies, big and small, to schedule their releases according to their target audience and film type.

Among these, the summer season is undoubtedly the crown jewel of the year's box office revenue.

Statistically, summer box office earnings can account for 50% to 60% of North America's annual box office income. Winning the summer season means winning it all.

Naturally, the summer release window has become a fiercely contested battleground.

Since *Iron Man* topped the summer box office in 2008, comic book adaptations have dominated the big screen, becoming the undisputed rulers of the summer season.

The reality is that most adaptation rights for novels, comics, and games are owned by major film studios, which have the resources to take on significant risks. As a result, the summer season has increasingly become a playground for the industry's top players.

However, in 2000, the summer season was still bustling with excitement, and it wasn't just a game for the few. Even smaller film companies and independent studios could find a niche, offering audiences a wider variety of choices on the big screen.

With many flowers blooming and a hundred schools of thought contending, audiences were more willing to head to theaters in the summer.

The summer season officially kicks off in the second week of May and runs until the first week of September.

In North America, the second Friday in May marks Arbor Day, and the first Monday in September is Labor Day. Therefore, the summer season spans from Arbor Day to Labor Day.

During this period, nearly every week sees the release of a big-budget blockbuster, sometimes as many as three, four, or even five in a single weekend. The competition is so fierce that it's like a battle to the death, a war where every move counts.

Choosing the right release date, avoiding major competitors, selecting direct rivals, and eliminating indirect ones is a complex art form.

The battles between film companies are fierce, with sparks flying and strategies both overt and covert.

This year is no exception.

In 1999, the summer season was led by the powerful *Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace*, which, alongside other strong contenders, shattered previous summer box office records.

Amidst high expectations, the summer of 2000 faced immense pressure but ultimately performed below par. The summer box office champion, *Mission: Impossible 2*, earned only half of what *The Phantom Menace* had the previous year, and the total box office earnings for the season dropped by 5%. This marked the first time since 1991 that the total summer box office did not increase.

To be fair, a 5% decline isn't a significant drop and certainly doesn't constitute a major crisis. However, it did serve as a yellow card for the film industry—a warning shot.

After ten years of continuous growth, the North American film market finally showed signs of slowing down, serving as a wake-up call for the major film studios. As a result, even before the 2000 summer season had ended, these studios were already gearing up for the next year, launching promotional campaigns with renewed intensity. It was clear that the competition for the summer of 2001 had already begun long before the movies hit the screens.

Amidst the bustling anticipation, *The Mummy Returns* made a grand entrance, officially kicking off the 2001 summer movie season.

Following its release, a slew of blockbuster films, including *Shrek*, *Pearl Harbor*, *The Fast and the Furious*, *Lara Croft: Tomb Raider*, *A.I. Artificial Intelligence*, *Jurassic Park III*, *Swordfish*, and *Moulin Rouge!* graced the screens. The season was filled with both surprises and disappointments, successes and failures, underdogs and breakout hits—a truly vibrant and lively time for the industry.

In the midst of all this noise and excitement, Disney quietly released *The Princess Diaries*, joining the summer's cinematic celebration with a low-key debut.

To be honest, in a summer filled with heavyweights and star-studded blockbusters, a lightweight film like *The Princess Diaries* seemed to have little direction or focus. Even Disney had to temper its expectations for the film.

Romantic comedies still had a loyal audience, but their appeal had waned significantly compared to the late 80s and early 90s. Back then, there was a surge of new "American sweethearts" and traditionally handsome leading men, and romantic comedies consistently performed well. But in recent years, these films often required the star power of major celebrities to succeed; otherwise, the genre was suffering from audience fatigue.

One telling statistic is that in the past three years, only three romantic comedies had crossed the $100 million mark at the North American box office: *What Women Want*, *Runaway Bride*, and *Notting Hill*. The first starred Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt, while the latter two featured Julia Roberts—no wonder she became the first woman to join Hollywood's "Twenty Million Dollar Club."

But what about *The Princess Diaries*?

Although the film was directed by Garry Marshall, who had recently reaffirmed his talent with *Runaway Bride*, its cast was composed entirely of newcomers. As a result, the film's promotional efforts had to focus heavily on Julie Andrews, which, while significant, was not enough to ensure a romantic comedy's success—especially during the highly competitive summer season.

Moreover, the film was up against some fierce competition in the summer release window.

*The Princess Diaries* was scheduled for release in the first week of August, carefully avoiding the heavy-hitters of June and July. However, it still found itself in a perilous situation surrounded by formidable foes:

The previous week saw the debut of *Planet of the Apes*, while the following week would bring the release of *American Pie 2*. On top of that, *The Princess Diaries* was set to go head-to-head with *Rush Hour 2* in its opening weekend.

In a word, it was difficult—extremely difficult.

Disney admitted they had done their best. The summer season was simply too crowded and intense, and it took every ounce of effort to secure even this slot:

*Planet of the Apes* was a sci-fi film, *Rush Hour 2* was an action-comedy, and *American Pie 2* was a sex comedy—each appealing to different audiences. Disney hoped that *The Princess Diaries* could carve out some breathing room amidst this tough competition and perhaps achieve surprising success.

As for Anson, who had just finished the long and grueling shoot for *Spider-Man*, he barely had time to catch his breath before diving headfirst into the promotional campaign for *The Princess Diaries*. It was as if he were a spinning top, constantly in motion, unable to stop.

For Anson, this marked yet another entry into a brand-new world.