章 57: Chapter 57: Black Widow's Proactive Move, Aiming for Box Office Champion! (Two-in-one)
This genius horror film director, who originally would have needed four years of waiting to gain fame through *Saw*, is clearly about to take off ahead of schedule.
As long as *Happy Death Day* becomes a big hit, his director fee for the next horror film will surely increase to at least $2 million. If he directs a sequel to *Happy Death Day*, that fee could even rise by 50% or more.
After all, in the success-driven world of Hollywood, sequels to blockbuster films are always favored by investors and producers.
It doesn't matter if the reviews are bad; the box office is guaranteed to be good.
Even if the reviews eventually sour, they can't be too terrible early on since the media also needs to make a living.
Wayne slightly turned his head, catching a glimpse of James Wan not far away. Despite the dim lighting in the theater, Wayne could still tell that Wan wasn't even watching the movie. Instead, his eyes darted around, observing the reactions of the critics and audience members.
Upon seeing everyone captivated by the plot on screen, Wayne could barely contain a smile.
"Supernova 'Bartleby' returns with his new film, aiming for the Halloween box office crown!"
"Birthday turns into death day! Infinite death! Endless loops! How will this cursed protagonist break the cycle?"
"A tense, thrilling film with a touch of dark humor. It's the most creative and exciting horror movie I've seen in years!"
That same night, while the party was still going on, *Happy Death Day* started getting widespread coverage, thanks to the combined efforts of DreamWorks, various media outlets, and film critics.
Apart from a few overly picky critics, most people were optimistic about the movie and praised it without reservation.
Some articles were even more exaggerated than the ones DreamWorks had prepared, like the one proclaiming, "Aiming for the Halloween box office crown!"
While DreamWorks certainly believed that, it seemed a bit too bold to say it out loud.
But hey, that's the media for you. If the headlines aren't flashy, how will they grab attention?
Since phones didn't yet have internet access, Wayne had no idea that the movie was already being hyped up outside. Even if he knew, he wouldn't have cared—none of the other horror movies releasing this Halloween stood a chance.
With timing, location, and luck on his side, it was going to be hard for *Happy Death Day* not to take the box office crown.
In contrast, dealing with all the people coming up to chat at the party was a much bigger headache for Wayne.
"I finally understand how Tony Stark feels!"
After finishing a conversation with the Lionsgate distribution manager, Wayne downed his champagne and grumbled.
That's right—the DreamWorks-hosted party wasn't just for critics and media but also included several industry professionals, including representatives from other production and distribution companies.
Among them were Miramax and Lionsgate.
Even though Miramax had been acquired by Disney, Harvey Weinstein was never fully aligned with Disney's vision and still harbored dreams of going independent again. Lionsgate was a different story altogether.
Seeing these three companies banding together, Wayne couldn't help but think they were seeking warmth in numbers.
"Hi, Mia! It's been so long! You've grown up into a fine young woman!"
At that moment, someone else approached them for a conversation. However, unlike the previous encounters, this woman seemed to know Mia.
Wayne glanced briefly at the new arrival but was quickly drawn to one of the two girls following behind her.
"Aunt Sloan, you're here too? It's been ages!"
It took Mia a second to recognize the woman, but when she did, she exclaimed excitedly.
"Wayne, let me introduce you. This is Melanie Sloan, a friend of my mother's and an excellent producer."
"A producer?" Wayne's expression remained neutral as he smiled and exchanged pleasantries with Melanie Sloan, though he was a bit surprised.
He had initially thought this elegant middle-aged woman might be a CAA agent. Otherwise, why would the young and still relatively unknown Scarlett Johansson be trailing behind her?
That's right, the girl who caught his attention was none other than the future "Black Widow," Scarlett Johansson.
But then something clicked in Wayne's mind.
"These are my daughters, Vanessa Johansson and Scarlett Johansson. They're both huge fans of yours and insisted I bring them along when they heard you'd be at the party," Melanie Sloan said, confirming Wayne's guess.
In his previous life, Wayne had been a casual fan of Scarlett. After watching *Iron Man* and *The Avengers*, he had checked out her earlier work.
Aside from *Lost in Translation*, most of her other films were fairly average. However, what surprised him was that Scarlett had started acting at age 10 and landed a lead role by 12.
Even more impressive was that Scarlett starred in one or two films every year after that, never taking a break.
Her career path had been much more fortunate than Emma Roberts', and she was on par with Dakota Fanning in terms of opportunities.
Of course, Dakota Fanning had exceptional talent—her childhood performances and image were far superior to Scarlett's.
A little digging revealed the reason: Scarlett had a director for a grandfather and a producer for a mother—probably the woman standing in front of him.
"Wow! I didn't realize I had such beautiful fans! This is a pleasant surprise. They seem familiar—are they actresses too?"
"Yes, they're both actresses," Melanie Sloan explained. "Vanessa has starred in a dozen films, though mostly as minor characters, so she's not well-known. Scarlett, on the other hand, had a standout role at 11 in *Just Cause* with Sean Connery."
As Melanie introduced her daughters, Wayne glanced at Vanessa Johansson. Whether it was due to the "prettier younger sister" effect or something else, Scarlett, even in her youthful and undeveloped state, was already noticeably more charming than Vanessa.
Moreover, Vanessa's emotional intelligence and acting weren't great.
Even though her mother had introduced them as Wayne's fans, Vanessa didn't bother to play the part. Scarlett, despite being younger, kept sneaking nervous, excited, but controlled glances at him, her large eyes brimming with admiration and respect.
Whether genuine or an act, it certainly left Wayne with a favorable impression of Scarlett.
"Wow! A movie with Sean Connery? You must be incredibly talented!"
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Anderson," Scarlett replied politely, then nervously and expectantly asked, "Can I call you Wayne? I mean, you're only three years older than me—just like my brother Adrian."
"Of course, you can."
"Then please call me Scarlett. That's what my family calls me."
Melanie Sloan looked on with satisfaction as Scarlett made the first move. As for her eldest daughter, Vanessa? She had long since given up on her.
Some people just don't have the talent or passion for it, no matter how many resources are given to them. They simply won't rise.
For the rest of the night, Wayne mostly chatted with Scarlett.
And when the party was winding down and Wayne was preparing to leave, Scarlett boldly asked for his phone number.
Her assertiveness made Wayne reflect—same upbringing, same opportunities, yet while the older sister faded into obscurity, the younger sister became a shining star. There was certainly a reason for that.
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Yes, Jeff was not only a hardcore horror movie fan but also a fan of Bartleby.
The biggest audience for *Accepted* was students. Besides the slackers, those who didn't particularly enjoy studying but were forced into private schools by their elite or wealthy families also loved the film, particularly Bartleby's character.
These students could relate to the movie the most.
When Jeff first overheard his classmates discussing the movie, he couldn't resist and went to see it himself. Instantly, he became a fan of Bartleby, moved to tears by Bartleby's courage to break the rules.
Unfortunately, in real life, Jeff still didn't have the courage to tell his parents that he didn't want to go to college and only wanted to be a football player.
This made him admire Bartleby even more.
"So, today's the first day of early screenings? I'll add this movie to my watchlist," Jeff thought to himself.
Yes, just seeing that *Happy Death Day* starred Wayne and that he was paired with the increasingly popular Jessica due to her looks and figure, was enough for Jeff to decide to watch the film.
This is the power of star influence.
However, Jeff continued searching for news and reviews about *Happy Death Day*. After seeing all the overwhelmingly positive feedback online, his anticipation grew, and he quickly moved *Happy Death Day* to the top of his watchlist.
This decision, though, would soon come back to bite him.
Three hours later, Jeff walked out of the theater, visibly excited after watching *Happy Death Day*. He didn't even wait for DreamWorks and CinemaScore's survey team to approach him; he eagerly grabbed a questionnaire, enthusiastically swearing and expressing his love for the movie as he rapidly filled out his review.
If Twitter and Instagram had existed, Jeff would have undoubtedly taken some selfies and written a few hundred-word review to share with everyone.
But when he walked into the next screening of another movie with his ticket in hand, he couldn't sit still for long.
It wasn't that the horror movie he was watching was bad; it was just a standard American gore film. The problem was that, compared to *Happy Death Day*, it simply didn't stand a chance.
The unique setup, captivating plot, and thought-provoking ending were one thing, but in terms of suspense and thrills, *Happy Death Day*, even without many gory scenes, was still one or two levels higher than what Jeff was currently watching.
They weren't even in the same league.
"Aiming for the box office crown!"
Jeff couldn't help but think of that eye-catching news headline.
Earlier, though he supported Bartleby and *Happy Death Day*, he still had some doubts. But at this moment, he no longer had any.
If a horror film as fresh and excellent as *Happy Death Day* couldn't claim the box office crown, then what horror film could?
Situations like Jeff's were unfolding all across North America.
Although the horror movie audience wasn't as large as that of big blockbusters, it was far from small.
Horror movies typically have low budgets, often creating success stories of small films becoming major hits, which gave the illusion that horror films were niche. But in reality, horror has a considerable audience.
Many who had just watched or were watching *Happy Death Day* were either drawn by stars like Wayne, Jessica, Charlize Theron, and Liv Tyler, or by the reviews from critics.
After watching it, like Jeff, they found it hard to enjoy other horror films. What once entertained them with gory scenes now seemed dull.
That was the stunning charm of this upgraded version of *Happy Death Day*, directed by James Wan and boosted by a star-studded cast!
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