Capítulo 364: Chapter 364: China Film Group
That very night, TMZ published photos and videos from the engagement ceremony on their homepage. Even as midnight approached, the website experienced a surge in traffic, causing the video to buffer to the point of being unwatchable.
By the next day, entertainment media were saturated with reports about Matthew Horner and Charlize Theron, ensuring they captured plenty of public attention.
The planning for this event had spanned nearly half a year, from its inception to its execution, and neither Matthew nor Charlize felt any discomfort with their roles in it.
It goes without saying for Matthew, an entertainment star whose career could end without sufficient media exposure.
Even Charlize, who might have been somewhat resistant at the start, now accepted it as part of the job.
This is Hollywood, the entertainment industry, where countless relationships begin and end daily. If someone is looking for tales of unspoiled romance, they might rather turn to Beverly Hills High School or Westlake School for Girls.
Perhaps some newcomers really are innocent, but anyone who has climbed to the ranks of Matthew or Charlize, who hasn't been through numerous battles?
Indeed, aside from their films, the public's greatest interest in celebrities often lies in these experienced narratives.
Those seeking stories of pure-hearted lovers enduring through life's trials won't find them among Hollywood's real-life celebrities; such tales are reserved for the movies they star in.
Consider Audrey Hepburn, often seen as a symbol of innocence and nobility—her love life was equally fascinating.
Fast forward ten years, and the kind of media manipulation seen with Matthew and Charlize might fail to stir much interest because such tactics are becoming increasingly common in Hollywood. Stars looking to maintain their visibility need new methods that align with social trends.
Thus, whether or not they are genuinely LGBTQ+, numerous celebrities have chosen to "come out," a popular route in recent years.
Is Hollywood truly that full of LGBTQ+ individuals?
Most people understand that only a small fraction are genuinely LGBTQ+. Most celebrities are either seeking to generate buzz or are simply tired of heterosexual entanglements and are chasing new thrills.
Such is the nature of the industry. Even someone like Matthew, who initially only observed from a distance via entertainment news, could easily discern its dynamics.
Nowadays, such publicity stunts still hold significant market appeal, as evidenced by the box office performance of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" in North America.
During the week, the box office for "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" inevitably declined: $10.5 million on Monday, $11.1 million on Discount Tuesday, and $10.2 million on Wednesday, the day of Matthew's engagement...
However, by Thursday, influenced and spurred by frenzied media coverage, the daily gross surged to $14.2 million.
In four business days, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" raked in an additional $46 million from North America, pushing its total past $100 million.
Then, as the film entered its second weekend, it faced competition from a true blockbuster—"Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith."
Matthew couldn't understand the American obsession with the Star Wars saga, despite having worked in Hollywood for years. The concept of dueling with lightsabers, which seemed so devoid of any real power, baffled him.
Yet, he recognized that the popularity of Star Wars might stem from America's lack of a cultural mythology of its own, as well as the effective marketing by Lucasfilm.
Matthew had seen unofficial statistics claiming that the five Star Wars films had grossed a combined $3 billion, while merchandise sales had exceeded $20 billion.
Whether these numbers were accurate or not, George Lucas was recognized as one of Hollywood's wealthiest directors, with much of his fortune undoubtedly derived from the Star Wars series.
However, Lucas's days had been challenging since launching the prequel trilogy.
"The Phantom Menace" received mixed reviews, and "Attack of the Clones" was heavily criticized by fans, many of whom accused Lucas of destroying the Star Wars saga. This criticism extended to "Revenge of the Sith."
Before "Revenge of the Sith" was released, in an attempt to motivate Star Wars fans and counteract the negative reception of "Attack of the Clones," Lucas even declared that it would be the final installment of the Star Wars saga.
Matthew knew this was merely the end of Lucas's involvement as a director, not the end of the Star Wars series.
In Hollywood, where the threshold for publicity stunts is low, lying with a straight face is a basic skill. Claims of "final installments" or "last movies" are to be taken with a grain of salt.
For example, Luc Besson spoke again about his plan for ten films during the promotion of "Danny the Dog"...
Despite Lucas's claim that "Revenge of the Sith" was the final chapter of Star Wars, the weekend box office, affected by the disappointing performances of "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones," did not see
the explosive growth expected of a finale.
The film's North American debut weekend gross of $108.43 million was below industry expectations. Although impressive for any other film, for a Star Wars finale, it was just decent.
Matthew even took the time to see "Revenge of the Sith" at a Beverly Hills cinema. Although he had seen the series and wasn't particularly interested, Charlize, a mild fan of Star Wars, wanted to see it, and he accompanied her.
Since they had promotional duties for Dior and Mercedes-Benz after their engagement ceremony and could not travel, they stayed in Los Angeles. Watching "Revenge of the Sith" became their unique engagement vacation.
Matthew acknowledged that despite his lack of interest in the lightsaber duels, "Revenge of the Sith" was undeniably epic, a significant improvement over its predecessors.
Although Anakin Skywalker's transformation felt somewhat rushed, it did not detract from the film's overall quality.
Charlize said after watching the movie that seeing characters inevitably march toward their doom gave it a tragic sense of fate.
Anakin became Darth Vader; Padmé Amidala died of heartbreak, leaving behind Luke and Leia; Obi-Wan Kenobi went into hiding; the Republic was transformed into the Empire...
And Anakin's distinctly American declaration: "If you're not with me, then you're my enemy," mirrored the attitudes of Washington D.C.
Matthew thought about these political undercurrents but wasn't inclined to act on them, knowing his role as a Hollywood star was to occasionally speak out, as any star who doesn't critique Washington isn't seen as truly engaging with culture.
While "Revenge of the Sith" didn't perform as expected, this was good news for "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," which entered its second weekend without suffering much impact from the new Star Wars release. Thanks to the ongoing media frenzy over Matthew and Charlize, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" maintained a stable box office trajectory.
In its second weekend, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" only saw a 45% drop from its opening, earning $41.5 million, bringing its total North American gross to $163.1 million.
In contrast, "Revenge of the Sith" had a more significant impact on other films like "Danny the Dog" and "Kingdom of Heaven," which had poor openings and saw their weekend grosses plummet to around $4 million.
Meanwhile, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" was released in nearly 80 foreign countries and regions. Influenced by its North American success, the international response was enthusiastic, and it pulled in $110 million overseas in its first week.
Universal Studios received intriguing news that the China Film Group had decided to import "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." Due to its PG-13 rating and lack of politically or regionally sensitive content, it had easily passed censorship and was set for release in early June in Chinese cinemas.
The China Film Group also formally invited the main creative team of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" to the Pacific Rim for a premiere.
Clearly, in this information-rich era, the rumors surrounding Matthew and Charlize had reached the Pacific Rim, and the China Film Group recognized potential value in this.
However, Universal had not yet responded definitively, as the Pacific Rim only offered a 13% box office revenue share, which lacked sufficient appeal.
Matthew was interested in visiting, but his schedule was packed, with promotional activities for Mercedes-Benz and a call to report to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" set at the end of the month.
After consulting Matthew and Charlize about their schedules, Universal and Summit Entertainment politely declined the invitation from the China Film Group.
However, Matthew learned from Helen Herman that Disney was negotiating with the China Film Group to possibly hold a premiere for the "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequel in the region.
Walt Disney, valuing the Pacific Rim market more than Universal, was reportedly striving to establish a new Disneyland there. Hosting a premiere for the "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequel aligned with the corporation's overall strategy.
These decisions were beyond Matthew's control. If a premiere does take place on the Pacific Rim, he considered it might be worth attending.
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