บท 523: Magic spell
The raging fury inside Morgan had completely spiraled out of control, flowing incessantly, and it was so overwhelming that even Morgan himself was startled. It had been a long, long time since he had lost his composure like this, but today, he just couldn't contain himself.
Chris, wearing a bewildered expression, looked up at Morgan's flushed face, unsure how to react. He was momentarily frozen.
"You are the lead actor in a major production, the absolute male lead! Do you know how many actors dream of reaching such heights their entire lives? Even that guy doesn't have it! He's just a third-tier actor, a third!" Morgan didn't know why he hesitated to mention "Renly Hall" by name; instead, he simply referred to him as "that guy". "All eyes are on you, and a golden path has been laid out before you. Yet you still wear the expression of someone abandoned by the entire world. So, are all those actors who can't even play supporting roles supposed to commit suicide?"
"Don't talk about a box office failure now, even if it really tanks, you still have a chance, you know?" Morgan's eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Chris, and he couldn't help but shout again, "Do you know?" Chris was startled and quickly nodded.
"Even Hayden Christensen didn't plummet so quickly," Morgan said, his entire being pressing closer to Chris as he yelled, "Furthermore, dear Prince Thor, you've signed a three-picture deal with Marvel, a full three! You still have two chances! At least! So, pull yourself together! Don't wear the expression of a guy who's been cuckolded by his girlfriend."
Amid the deafening roar, Chris finally snapped out of it, nodding vigorously in agreement.
"Pull yourself together! You are still a winner in life; you can still become a winner in life!" Morgan shouted hoarsely, clenching his fists involuntarily. However, he himself didn't know whether he was saying this to Chris or to himself.
Chris's emotions were also stirred up, and he stood up in excitement, waving his fists and shouting twice. But after shouting, he felt a sudden emptiness, as if he were a balloon that had just been inflated but was now deflated again. "But, Renly..."
Renly Hall, Renly Hall, Renly Hall.
It was almost like a curse, just thinking about it made him feel stifled. These past few days, he didn't even dare to watch the news. During the promotional process, he had kept all the news at bay. Yet even so, occasionally catching sight of television news, hearing radio programs, or overhearing people's conversations, that name was everywhere, suffocating him.
Morgan waved his hand, directly cutting off Chris's words. Anger surged within his chest. He didn't want to hear that name now, even more than Chris did. "He is him, and you are you. To be honest, do you have his acting skills?" Chris's words were stuck in his throat. "He is destined to roll in art films, but you are supposed to become the next Tom Cruise. So, focus on yourself and ignore others."
"Tom Cruise?" Chris's attention involuntarily shifted, and gradually, his expression regained some luster.
Morgan nodded, affirming, "So, now we must focus our attention. "Thor" is just facing a slightly lackluster opening box office. Do you know how much "Avatar" made in its opening weekend?" Chris shook his head, looking incredulous, "$77M."
"That low, huh?" Chris's eyes widened, and he wore a disbelieving expression.
"At the time, everyone thought James Cameron had hit a wall, and that the movie might become another "Superman Returns". Officially, 20th Century Fox stated an investment of $250M for the film, but in reality, we all knew that the production cost had exceeded $300M, and the promotional cost was over $60M. The opening was only $77M, which seemed like a death sentence for James."
Morgan's measured words had captured Chris's full attention. Unable to resist his curiosity, Chris asked, "And then?"
Morgan straightened his posture and continued, "Then, "Avatar" only dropped by a mere 1.8% in its second week, pulling in another $75M in its second weekend. After that, boom! $700M in North America, $2B globally. So now you understand what we need to do next?"
Chris swallowed a gulp of saliva; his heart rate began to quicken. "What do we need to do?"
"We need to work hard on promotion, be active, and cooperate fully. We need an extremely low drop in the second week," Morgan said as his anger gradually subsided, and he regained his composure. "Moreover, we have international promotions ahead. International box office is our main battleground. If we handle the promotion correctly, we can not only recoup our costs but also turn a profit. The sky is the limit for "Thor"; this is just the beginning."
Chris clenched his fist again, rekindling his hope. Indeed, he had been too short-sighted. "Thor" had only been in theaters for a week; the entire world was waiting for his conquest!
"Well done! Let's get to work!" Chris began jumping up and down in place, his entire being reinvigorated with vitality, inadvertently putting Renly behind him. "So, why did you specifically call me here? Is there something special?"
"Promotion. We need to change our strategy," Morgan's train of thought became clearer once again. "Next, I'll have the reporters bring up the "scriptgate" again. You deny it, firmly deny it, emphasize it's a misunderstanding. As for the specifics, you say you will have a private conversation with Renly, a man-to-man talk."
Chris's excited expression paused for a moment, and Morgan immediately added more enthusiasm, "Trust me, you'll do great. And then, everything will be fine. I'm sure of it."
This was Hollywood, this was reality, not a fairy tale. Success or failure depended not only on one film; the future was long, and time was ample. The winner was yet to be determined. Renly Hall, this war was just beginning. Morgan clenched his fist silently, "Since you want a war, I'll give you a war! Let me teach you what survival of the fittest truly means!"
As Morgan had mentioned, this was Hollywood. While the outcome of a week was indeed important, there were new movies releasing every week, new topics emerging. Sticking too much to the victory or defeat of a single moment would soon leave one lagging behind in the march of time. The third week of May was no exception.
When major film companies scheduled their summer releases, this week was undoubtedly a minefield that everyone tried to avoid. Before them was "Thor", and behind them was "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides". Moreover, the following week would see the release of "Kung Fu Panda 2", truly encircling them.
Originally, Warner Bros. intended to place "The Hangover Part II" in this slot, hoping that a comedy would attract a different audience and break new ground. However, they eventually lacked the confidence and chose the fifth week of May, going head-to-head with "Kung Fu Panda 2" and carving out a share of the market after "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides".
Thus, this week was left with only two low-budget films to become cannon fodder. One was "Priest", produced by Columbia, with a $60M budget. This was also an adaptation of a comic, originally from South Korea, telling the story of a world where angels, demons, and vampires coexisted. They hoped to capitalize on the recent vampire trend of the past two years to achieve a good box office result.
The other was a low-budget comedy, "Bridesmaids", produced by Universal Pictures, with a budget of $32.5M, a typical Universal style. Featuring actors from SNL as the main cast, this type of comedy movie tended to find a place in the summer box office every year, more or less. However, how much potential it could unearth was a gamble.
In this week, "Priest" and "Bridesmaids", two works with modest budgets, struggled for survival. How much box office could they achieve? What about the drop in box office for "Thor" and "Fast 5"? In the ongoing competition between these two closely matched works, what would their box office curves look like? Moreover, among the four competing works, who would win the weekend box office champion before "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" appeared? What kind of performance would they deliver? Finally, could the summer box office trend continue, and would the unexpected result of the opening battle have an impact?
These focal points once again seized people's attention, and the midsummer heat wave continued to rise.
Undoubtedly, the two participants in the opening battle were once again in a showdown, but the situation had quietly changed. Due to the unexpected direction of the previous victory and defeat and the overwhelming advantage of "Fast 5", the confrontation between the two had lost its original meaning. The sparks of confrontation had gradually dissipated, and it had now become a battle with oneself.
For Paramount Pictures, "Thor" still needed more effort in the North American box office. Although the hope of reaching $200M in North America was slim, it remained their goal to strive for. On the other hand, they needed to shift more of their focus to the stimulation of the international market, hoping that foreign box office would perform well and bring profitability.
For Universal Pictures, there was no doubt that the $300M mark in North America was the undeniable goal for "Fast 5". Moreover, their strong suit was international box office. The previous installment in the series had achieved an excellent $200M overseas, even higher than in North America. This time, they naturally hoped that the fifth installment would maintain this fine tradition.
Both companies were giving their all, displaying their unique strengths. Especially for Universal Pictures, without harboring any expectations, "Fast 5" had created a miracle. Now, they also hoped that "Bridesmaids", which had been abandoned as an underdog cannon fodder, could continue its miraculous performance and once again achieve a dark horse comeback.
For a moment, the North American summer box office was exceptionally lively. Then, when people saw the North American box office champion for the third week of May, their emotions soared, and cheers, praises, and astonishment filled the air.
"Fast 5" once again clinched the championship with an outstanding performance, achieving its first three-peat since 2011!
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