Boxoffice-July.1995

The business magazine of the motion picture industry
JULY, 1995 VOL. 131 NO. 7
I finnly beliniefilm can help bring the Inilh to the people. —Steven Seagal
a not insignificant fact that, this past year, for the
It's
first time American movies made more money in
fordg}i lands tlmn in the country of their manufacture.
It's boom time in Hollywood, where ynore and more
movies — and film-related, movie-based products— are
being made. Production slates are bulgiyig, and even the
once sleepy backwater that was the independent film world
is responding to the overheated marketplace, as demonstrated
by the more than $100 million domestic boxoffice of
Qiientin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction," the first independent
title to ever achieve definitive blockbuster status.
Still, American movies can learn a thing or two from their
foreign cousins. As aH-house denizens have long known,
the less financially secure film industiies ofother lands tend
to take risks in terms of the material they produce and the
artistic goals they aspire to that would never be able to make
their way through American production centers, with their
emphasis on the "sell, " on ideas that can be boiled down to
one-line pitches, on action, action, action.
If'Pidp Fiction" wasthemostsuccessfid independent film
ofthe past production cycle, England's "Four Weddings and
a Funeral" was surely among the wittiest. The equally
British "Piiest" is already among the year's most talked
about, riskiest films. Australia's "The Adventures of Priscilla.
Queen of the Desert, " New Zealand's "Heavenly Creatures,"
Taiivan's "Eat Drink Man Woman," China's "To
Live," the Continent's "White" and "Red"— these and many
more proved unexpected delights from foreign perspectives
in recent months, and each found its audience in the U.S.
The industrial processing most American films undergo
has itsplace, surely, as the worldwide popularity ofAmerican
films continues to prove. And it is possible for something
quirky and well-executed to make it through even the
most rigidly commercial assemblage, as Paranwunt's "Forrest
Gump"— an effects-laden but character-driven picture
that simply could not have been made without the resources
ofa major American studio— demonstrated ably last year.
Still, as the international decade progresses, and the
healthy interaction of different cultures becomes more and
more a fact of daily life, it might be interesting to speculate
about the invigorating effects a sori of inverse cultural
imperialism— in which the often more humane and humanistic
messages celebrated in foreign product begin to
influence American movies— might have on Hollyiuood.
Artistic risks are always there to be taken; all the situation
wants is the courage of individual filmmakers, their willingness
to make it happen. And the benefits to moviegoers
all over the world might just be incalculable.
Until next time.
FEATURES
20 COVER STORY: UNDER THE GUN
International star Steve Seagal on his action-star image and
"Under Siege II." PLUS: ON THE MONEY Producer Arnon
Milctian on why he makes movies. By IVIichael Halle
24 SNEAK PREVIEW: "LEARNINGS" CURVES
Actress Tia Carrere discusses her turn in Savoy's upcoming
"Learning Curves." ByShlomo Schwartzberg
26 SNEAK PREVIEW: NOTHING BUT NET"
Director Ira/in Winkler logs into his new cyberspace thriller,
"
Columbia's The Net By Jean Oppenhelmer
28 BEHIND THE SCENES: MASTER OF INTERMnTENT MOVEMENT
The life of projectionist George Wagner. By Lawrence R. Lay
SPECIAL REPORT: CINEMA EXPO '95
Your guide to this year's gathering in Amsterdam.
32 SPECIAL REPORT: EUROPE—DOING THE CONTINENTAL
The keys to the Continent. By Estep Nagy
42 EXHIBITION PROFILE: DUTCH TREAT
Morgan Creek, Warner Bros, and Chargeurs join to launch
Holland's first state-of-the-art multiplex. By Pat Kramer
50 CINEMA EXPO '95: SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
A play-by-play for your four-day stay.
51 CINEMA EXPO '95: BOOTH LIST
Your who, what and where guide to the trade show floor.
38 SPECIAL REPORT: SIMULATION THEATRES = REAL MONEY
An essay from Showscan's CEO. By William C. Soady
46 EXHIBITION PROFILE: RUN FOR THE BORDER
Cinemark's new Mexico City 12-plex. By Michael Halle
48 SPECIAL REPORT: DIGITAL SUBWOOFERS
Your subwoofer scenario has become even more important
in the digital era. By John Allen
54 CUSTOMER SERVICE: SPOTLIGHT ON SATISFACTION
Marcus: Making the customer #1 . By Jon Matsumoto
56 BLUE RIBBON POLL
The movies you loved and hated. By Christine James
58 NEW PRODUCTS GUIDE
64 SPECIAL REPORT: FEST FEVER
Five festivals that offer exhibitors advance word on films
and breaking business news. By Ray Greene, Alex
Demyanenko, Eric Caidin, Wade Major and Ann Kwinn
90 THE BIG PICTURE: THE FIRST LIBERAL ACTION HERO
Before Seagal came Tom Laughlin. By Ray Greene
(following pg. 75)
J^uu^^*^