บท 25: C 25
Entertainment gossip has always been popular with the public. "Keanu Reeves is sunny and handsome, Uma Thurman is beautiful and charming. The two are screen lovers in Speed, and they are also a great match off-screen..." "Keanu Reeves and Uma Thurman made a perfect couple because of Speed, and now Hollywood has another golden couple...
Thanks to 20th Century Fox's PR efforts, a lot of news about the couple and their new film appeared in the media, especially in the tabloids owned by News Corporation, which were filled with gossip. All these efforts had one clear goal: to attract audiences to the theater!
When the new North American box office rankings were announced, both Luke and 20th Century Fox were pleased. Speed, showing in 500 theaters over three days, grossed $7.55 million over the weekend. Not only did it break into the top ten at the box office, but it also won the best per-theater average with over $15,000 per theater.
Even if a miracle happened, nothing could stop 20th Century Fox from further expanding Speed's publicity and screenings to maximize profits.
On April 27th, during the third week of its release and the last Monday of April, 20th Century Fox expanded Speed to 2,385 theaters across North America and heavily invested in advertising. The film's name spread far and wide, helped by aggressive marketing campaigns.
Together with the crew, Luke also started promotional tours across major cities in North America. Wherever they went, Keanu Reeves and Uma Thurman, now a golden couple, were the center of attention for fans and the media. As time passed, Luke himself began receiving media attention. The "Young Rosenberg" director started appearing on the entertainment pages of various publications.
However, Luke wasn't keen on promoting himself. He believed a director should let their work speak for itself. Directors would come into greater prominence later, in an era with more open information, but for now, the spotlight remained on the actors.
After long phases of test screenings and limited releases, with the full support of 20th Century Fox, Speed finally erupted like a well-prepared but young talent with deep backing. As Luke and the crew traveled through cities like San Francisco and Salt Lake City, Speed earned $22.5 million in the first four working days of the new week. After wrapping up the weekend promotions in Pittsburgh, the film grossed $34.75 million over the weekend.
This weekend box office success pushed Speed to the top of the North American box office charts, beating Mel Gibson's Lethal Weapon 3 by less than $1 million and securing the number one spot!
This marked the first time Speed topped the box office, and it was also Luke's first box office win. The film's total North American gross had exceeded $66 million, and all the potential it had accumulated had finally been unleashed.
Although this figure wasn't enough to cover the film's total costs, it was clear that Speed was a success. Luke now had enough capital to ensure his second project wouldn't go unnoticed, even if the box office slowed down in the future.
"Have you heard, Luke?"
As soon as he entered the hotel, Naomi Watts approached.
In this new week, the crew had arrived in New York, the last and most important stop on their East Coast promotional tour. With Speed's box office explosion, 20th Century Fox gathered more actors for the New York promotion. Naomi Watts had been lucky enough to secure a spot.
"I heard Nancy say that Mel Gibson was very upset about Lethal Weapon 3 losing to Speed. You know his temper, right? He's notoriously irritable and struggles with alcohol. He was so angry that he fired his agent and is preparing to switch to CAA."
"CAA always needs more top-tier stars," Luke replied. He was wary of the women who mingled in Hollywood circles and answered Naomi briefly before heading to the elevator. He went straight to his room, where his usual calm demeanor disappeared as he let out a sigh of relief. After enduring immense pressure for a year, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted.
"Good job, Luke!" He muttered to himself as he looked into a full-length mirror. "But don't relax. This is just the beginning!"
As he started unpacking, a knock came at the door.
"Who is it?" Luke opened the door to find Naomi Watts standing outside in a light dress. "Hi, Luke," she greeted with a wave.
"Do you need something?" Luke asked.
"Well, I just wanted to apologize for the last time..." Naomi said. "May I come in to talk?"
Back inside, Luke offered her water or coffee, but Naomi declined and quickly apologized, "I really didn't think things through last time. I'm sorry."
"If you like, I could make it up to you by inviting you to dinner?" she suggested.
"I accept the apology, but I'll pass on the dinner. It's been a busy time with all the publicity, and I need some rest," Luke replied politely.
With that, Naomi left, but not before asking, "Luke, do you have an agent yet?"
"No," he answered, sending her off.
Across the hall, Naomi was already on the phone with her agent. "Nancy, I confirmed that he doesn't have an agent," she reported.
"Good," Nancy said. "Make sure you stay on good terms with him. I see a lot of potential in him."
Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles, at the CAA headquarters, Luke's name was also being discussed.
"Alien 3 is releasing this weekend," said Martin Bob, the executive in charge of the project. "20th Century Fox has secured distribution in 2,450 theaters."
"But I heard Fox is heavily promoting Speed," Michael Ovitz, the head of CAA, pointed out.
"I've pushed them to refocus on Alien 3," Martin assured. He added confidently, "Speed has been in theaters for three weeks. It saw a burst of box office success last weekend, but the film's potential is nearly exhausted. With the competitive summer season approaching, Speed will inevitably be overshadowed by bigger releases, and Fox will have no choice but to shift focus back to Alien 3."
As the meeting ended, Lovett, the agent who had once represented Luke, hurried back to his office. He searched for Luke's contact information, regretting the missed opportunity. If only he had renewed the contract when Luke asked, things would be different now. With a rising director like Luke under his wing, Lovett would have been in a much stronger position today.
Now, he had to swallow his pride and figure out a way to sign Luke again.
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