The sound of failure is silence. When you have a hit, your phone starts ringing at 6:45 a.m. and never stops. In failure, there is a deafening silence. No calls from distribution, no calls from journalists, no calls from the filmmakers. It's the Hollywood version of bird flu. You feel like everyone is saying, 'Get my mask out. I don't want to be near any failure germs.' Even your own relatives don't call.

My own children turned to me and said, 'Mommy, there are too many commercials!' Now, when the lights go halfway down, I'm filled with dread. The whole uniqueness of the movie-going experience is being eroded by all the endless ads.