Opening Big
Friday, July 11, 2:00pm$24 million. At this moment, that's how much Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl has grossed in the two days since its Wednesday release. That's not good -- that's great. Doubloon-stuffed-treasure-chest great.
Three hours from now, Jerry Bruckheimer, the Uberproducer charged by the Walt Disney Studios to convert a Disneyland attraction into a cinematic thrill ride, will receive his first report on today's initial box office performance. Based on the film's strong start, he should be brimming with yo-ho-ho confidence.
He's not.
That's because this is an opening weekend -- the defining moment of any week in Hollywood. Even a swashbuckling sea dog like Bruckheimer -- one of the most successful producers ever, whose films (The Rock, Con Air, Black Hawk Down) and TV series (CSI, Without a Trace, The Amazing Race) have made him into an eminently marketable brand -- gulps hard while sailing through its treacherous passage.
''Twenty-four million dollars in two days, that's a pretty good indication,'' says Bruckheimer, 57, clad in power-player black and seated in a cushy chair in his spacious, loft-style Santa Monica office. He shrugs. ''But you just never know.''
A few days earlier, Bruckheimer had been in Ireland for the premiere of his upcoming political drama Veronica Guerin, starring Cate Blanchett as a crusading Irish journalist, and to visit the set of next year's King Arthur, a Gladiator-esque re-dressing of the legend, starring Clive Owen. He flew back to be in L.A. on Wednesday -- the beginning of Pirates' five-day opening weekend (only in Hollywood can a weekend be five days). ''I was on the phone with my office as soon as I landed, [checking] on the numbers,'' says Bruckheimer, whose hushed voice compels you to lean forward.
Today, he awoke (as usual) at 6 a.m. and spent 40 minutes on a stationary bicycle. Next came a slew of phone calls. His first was to Chuck Viane, Buena Vista's head of distribution, to parse the previous day's box office. Since then, Bruckheimer has paced through his day like an expectant father, waiting for the 5 o'clock update. There's been plenty of work to keep him distracted. A radio interview to promote Bad Boys II, opening Friday the 18th. A meeting with Anthony LaPaglia, star of Without a Trace, to discuss the next season. A casting session for National Treasure, an adventure yarn starring Nicolas Cage. Then e-mails. ''I'm kind of busy right now,'' says Bruckheimer, a satisfied smile curling across his lean, bearded face.
He doesn't do it alone. He employs a staff of 26. They labor casually and quietly, in a stylishly renovated old warehouse decorated with modern art. Currently, in the waiting room, actor Daniel Benzali (The Agency) is mumbling lines to himself, presumably preparing for an audition. In about an hour, actor Miguel Ferrer (Crossing Jordan) will walk through the door. The environment speaks of oiled professionalism and hard-earned comfort. In fact, the nervous reality of the opening-weekend moment is nowhere in evidence... except in the boss' office.
