Hollywood Elf

Eyes Wide Shut was released during the summer season. Due to the enormous controversy surrounding it, it only earned 55 million US dollars at the North American box office. Even with overseas markets included, its worldwide box office amounted to just 160 million US dollars.

This had been a collaboration between master director Stanley Kubrick and superstar Tom Cruise. For it to achieve such results, it was clear that the distribution had encountered resistance.

Besides most religious figures, quite a few members of the elite class had also criticized it. Only some neoliberals thought the film was good!

In Aaron's view, there was no real need for Roger Mahony to seek dialogue with Hollywood's entertainment industry.

Religious forces in North America were powerful. Major media companies simply would not distribute religiously controversial works that shocked the world. What they should be watching instead were those independent distributors.

After all, large media conglomerates had extensive businesses, and religious forces could always exert influence through other channels. Small distributors did not care. Controversy meant attention, and attention was more conducive to profit!

The religious establishment's connections in political circles were beyond comparison with those of other forces, especially when it came to issues involving Christian doctrine.

That evening, Aaron and Winona Ryder relaxed together at a bar in West Hollywood after attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

"What a pity. Girl, Interrupted didn't perform as well as expected," Winona Ryder said, glancing at Aaron beside her. "It looks like I really can't be a producer again in the future!"

Aaron leaned back against the sofa and pulled Winona Ryder into his arms. "Actually, Girl, Interrupted has received pretty good reviews. It's just that the praise has mostly been focused on Liv Tyler's character."

Winona Ryder