Chapter 214 — Just Wearing the Graduation Gown
With its record-breaking opening in North America, Jurassic Park stormed the box office and never looked back.
In just two weeks, the film had already raked in $120 million domestically.
Naturally, Jurassic Park received an avalanche of praise.
The New York Times wrote:
"Jurassic Park is a true cinematic milestone, presenting sights of awe and terror never before seen in the history of film."
The Philadelphia Inquirer commented:
"The thunderous footsteps of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park are both vivid and terrifying. Spielberg's special-effects team has created a Mesozoic zoo whose realism surpasses anything previously achieved in cinema."
Of course, not all reviews were glowing.
Canada's The Globe and Mail observed:
"Jurassic Park delivers excitement, fear, and spectacle, but it lacks poetry. It offers little sense of wonder, few memorable lines, and minimal emotional resonance."
The Times remarked:
"The human characters in Jurassic Park are far too forgettable, rendered almost irrelevant."
Meanwhile, The Chicago Sun-Times criticized the film for
"lacking deeper qualities—true awe, emotional depth, and meaningful storytelling."
Still, regardless of criticism, Jurassic Park was undeniably a landmark achievement.
Its visual presentation redefined cinematic possibilities, becoming a watershed moment for the use of computer-generated imagery and fundamentally transforming modern film production.
At the same time, Dawnlight Pictures' The Mask of Zorro continued its strong run.
After one month in theaters, its North American box office surpassed $80 million, while overseas releases had already brought in more than $50 million, with further markets still opening.
---
In Los Angeles, the 19th Saturn Awards were held that year.
Established by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, the ceremony traditionally focused on genre cinema—an event Aaron rarely paid much attention to.
However, that year was an exception.
Bram Stoker's Dracula swept multiple honors, winning Best Horror Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Costume Design, among others.
As the film's producer, Aaron attended the Saturn Awards alongside director Francis Ford Coppola, marking yet another moment of recognition for the project.
In truth, Twilight Pictures, a subsidiary under Dawnlight, was specifically established to develop horror, gore-heavy, B-grade genre films.
"Peter Jackson — Braindead!"
The awards ceremony was held in Burbank, and Aaron spotted a familiar face in the crowd:
the 32-year-old New Zealand director Peter Jackson.
It was the ultra-low-budget, wildly gory, violent, and absurd horror film Braindead that had brought Peter Jackson into Hollywood's spotlight.
Aaron immediately thought of something else—
The Lord of the Rings.
This was the future director of the legendary trilogy, after all, adapted from Tolkien's monumental fantasy novels.
Without hesitation, Aaron placed a call to Evelyn Beckett, instructing her to investigate the current status of the film adaptation rights to Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series.
After all, Dawnlight had already acquired the film rights to Spider-Man from Marvel the previous year—adding The Lord of the Rings to the portfolio would hardly be surprising.
---
"What are you thinking about?"
At the post-ceremony reception held at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, Winona Ryder approached Aaron and clinked glasses with him.
"Oh, nothing much," Aaron smiled.
"You almost won the Saturn Award for Best Actress."
Winona Ryder had been nominated for Best Actress at the Saturn Awards for Bram Stoker's Dracula, but ultimately lost to the sensual performance of Virginia Madsen in Candyman.
"By the way, when is Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence being released?"
Winona shrugged.
"August."
In The Age of Innocence, the lead roles were played by Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer, while Winona appeared in a supporting role.
However, the upcoming Little Women was different—although it was an ensemble cast, Winona was the central lead.
She glanced at Aaron and said,
"Dawnlight really swept the Oscars this year. And your summer releases—Four Weddings and a Funeral and The Mask of Zorro—have both performed brilliantly."
"And isn't there also an action film coming out in July? Speed, starring Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly."
Both actors had previously worked with Winona—she had shared scenes with Keanu Reeves in Dracula, and Jennifer Connelly had also appeared in Reality Bites earlier that spring.
"It's coming soon—mid-July," Aaron replied.
"I'm actually looking forward to Speed quite a bit."
He was equally intrigued by The Mask of Zorro, especially given Kevin Costner's astonishing box-office draw—
even The Bodyguard, despite critical backlash, had still crossed $400 million worldwide.
---
Palo Alto, South Bay Area, San Francisco
Aaron made a special trip from Los Angeles to Stanford University to attend Jennifer Connelly's graduation ceremony.
"Congratulations, sweetheart—you've graduated."
Outside the campus, Jennifer Connelly was still wearing her graduation gown.
"Thank you!"
She wrapped her arms around Aaron and kissed him passionately.
Afterward, they got into the car together.
Aaron couldn't help but comment,
"That graduation gown actually looks really good on you."
Jennifer laughed.
"Isn't it the same as everyone else's?"
Aaron blinked.
"Well, maybe—but this is Stanford."
After all, Stanford wasn't just any university.
The gown itself wasn't what mattered—the school was.
"Hey, Aaron," Jennifer suddenly said,
"want to try wearing a graduation gown sometime?"
Aaron froze for a moment, then laughed.
"What's the point? If I wanted to, getting into Harvard, Princeton, or Yale wouldn't exactly be hard for me."
As he spoke, his hand slid gently along her thigh.
"Besides," he added,
"Dawnlight already has plenty of Ivy League graduates working there."
"I know—you're impressive," Jennifer said, kissing his cheek.
"Speed is about to be released, and I'll need to do a lot of promotion."
"I'm heading back to Los Angeles tomorrow.
What about you—anything coming up?"
Aaron pulled her close.
"I might go to Canada for a bit. One of our co-produced Chinese films is shooting in Vancouver, and I want to take a look."
Of course, the real reason was far simpler—
he wanted to see Joey Wong again.
A project like Rumble in the Bronx hardly required his personal attention.
Jennifer's breathing quickened.
"Then let's go back to the hotel and celebrate."
Aaron smiled softly.
"Sure—but you're keeping the graduation gown on."