Actor in Hollywood

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For Disney, the summer of 2001 was a disaster.

The summer of 2000 had already been bad enough—

Movies like **"Gone in 60 Seconds,"** **"Shanghai Noon,"** **"Remember the Titans,"** and **"The Kid"**—all of which were highly anticipated—performed below expectations. In the end, Disney's only summer release that grossed over 100 million dollars domestically was the animated film **"Dinosaur."** This was certainly not the summer box office result Disney had hoped for.

No one expected that this year could sink even lower and be even more disappointing!

**"Pearl Harbor,"** the big release of the year, was not only given the highest level of attention by Disney, but it was also backed by more than six months of intensive promotion. The entire North American region and Hollywood as a whole were keeping a close eye on it.

Directed by Michael Bay, who had made a name for himself with **"Bad Boys"** and **"The Rock,"** and produced by the legendary Jerry Bruckheimer, who would later create the **"Pirates of the Caribbean"** series.

Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, and Kate Beckinsale formed a golden trio of a cast after beating out strong competition.

The creative team had great confidence in the movie. Facing the soaring production costs, Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer voluntarily gave up their box office bonuses, and the three main actors also agreed to reduce their salaries to ensure every dollar of the production budget was well spent. Even so, the production costs of the film still reached $140 million.

This made **"Pearl Harbor"** the most expensive war film ever made.

Even if we don't consider the genre, **"Pearl Harbor"** was the second most expensive film ever made after **"Titanic,"** becoming the talk of the town.

Everyone expected **"Pearl Harbor"** to ignite a box office frenzy this summer, but unexpectedly, this nuclear bomb turned out to be a dud.

The reviews were overwhelmingly negative—not just from critics but also from audiences.

A box office gross of $198 million in North America and $440 million worldwide might not seem that bad at first glance. But considering the $140 million production cost and Disney's undisclosed promotional expenses, these numbers look particularly dismal.

After subtracting the costs for international distribution and theater cut, Disney didn't make any money and might even face losses exceeding $20 million.

If **"Pearl Harbor"** at least made some waves, generating endless discussion around the film and its actors and gaining significant exposure amid the criticism—potentially helping Disney recover some losses through future home video rentals and sales—then another film failed to even create a ripple, causing a real internal crisis for Disney:

**"Atlantis: The Lost Empire."**

What?

Never heard of it?

No worries, because there aren't many people who actually watched this film either.

It's worth mentioning that the animation industry underwent dramatic changes in the 1990s, with studios led by Pixar and DreamWorks changing the industry rules, officially transitioning from 2D to 3D animation. Disney, which insisted on 2D production, gradually fell behind.

**"Atlantis: The Lost Empire"** was Disney's last traditionally produced 2D film, marking the end of an era.

The film's production cost reached $120 million, and it had a grand premiere at Disney World in Orlando, aiming to conclude the 2D animation era with a perfect ending.

However.

The final box office gross of $80 million in North America and $180 million worldwide was deeply disappointing.

Although Disney did not release detailed financial information, industry insiders estimated that the film brought Disney a loss of over $80 million.

In comparison, **"Pearl Harbor"** didn't seem so bad after all.

The failure of **"Atlantis: The Lost Empire"** placed immense pressure on Disney's CEO, Michael Eisner.

The board of directors believed that everything stemmed from Michael Eisner's poor judgment.

This not only led to a fallout with Jeffrey Katzenberg—the behind-the-scenes genius of classics like **"The Little Mermaid,"** **"Aladdin,"** and **"Beauty and the Beast"**—who left Disney and co-founded DreamWorks with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen.

It also caused Disney to head in the wrong direction in terms of industry trends, refusing to heed Jeffrey Katzenberg's advice to transition to 3D animation. What was once Disney's proudest and strongest domain was slowly becoming a burden hindering the company's continued progress and development.

Michael Eisner found himself in a difficult position.

But that's a story for another time.

**Up until July, Disney has not been able to reverse the slump of last summer's movie season; instead, it has slid further into an endless black hole.**

**It was under these circumstances that Eve Wilson and Edgar Cook seized the opportunity and finally brought "The Princess Diaries" to Disney's attention.**

Originally, "The Princess Diaries" couldn't even be considered a mid-tier contender.

Firstly, the investment cost was only $26 million.

Secondly, the genre was a romantic comedy, which has a fairly obvious box office ceiling; to this day, no film in this category has grossed $200 million.

Among all the films Disney released this summer, it was at most a lightweight contender.

However, now the situation is different.

After a series of heavy blows, Disney urgently needs to save face and stop its downward trend. Sifting through what was left in the trash bin, "The Princess Diaries," bolstered by Garry Marshall and Julie Andrews, easily stood out.

All Eve and Edgar needed to do was remind them:

If they relied solely on traditional methods, focusing on Anne and Julie, such promotion would struggle to gain traction; they should consider different angles.

For example, Anson.

Last summer, a "GQ" magazine article became a hot topic in the industry. Although time has passed and the buzz has cooled, they could reignite memories and replicate the same success.

Although Edgar has not yet had the chance to see the finished version of "The Princess Diaries," he knows Anson's opportunities to shine are limited, but this doesn't mean they have no room to maneuver.

**Movies, combined with magazines.**

Edgar wants people to see as much of Anson's face as possible, to quickly get familiar with it, and to highlight his image from a fashion perspective.

That's why Edgar specifically brought Anson along to choose outfits for the premiere.

Originally, the premiere wasn't supposed to be that grand; formal attire wasn't required, and the number of press releases wouldn't compare to an awards ceremony. Additionally, since the star of "The Princess Diaries" is Anne Hathaway, from any angle, Anson's outfit didn't need to be too formal—

**On the other hand, this was actually the best opportunity to showcase Anson's personal taste.**

But now, the situation has changed.

Edgar still wants Anson to show off his personal style on the red carpet, but this fashion sense needs to make a strong impact so that people remember it well.

Afterward, Eve will follow up.

Last year, they pulled it off once at the Emmy Awards.

This time, they could do it with ease.

When they arrived at their destination and pushed open the door, Anson was stunned, unable to react when he saw the person in front of him.

The person spoke, "Seeing me, shouldn't you start with an apology before a formal greeting?"