บท 522: A moment's folly is worth a lifetime of regret

In the second week of May 2011, the opening battle of the summer season had finally come to an end. But had it truly ended? The box office competition had indeed concluded, but the lingering aftermath proved hard to put to rest.

Before the opening battle began, even the boldest media outlets, the wildest industry insiders, the most ardent fans of the "Fast & Furious" series, and even Renly Hall's most devoted fans dared not make such predictions – predictions that seemed ludicrous.

After Variety released its box office predictions for the opening battle, a small fraction of media outlets voiced their opinions, believing that the gap in this war would be smaller, and the competition fiercer. However, on the whole, they agreed with Variety's viewpoint. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer was among those in agreement.

Eli Wallah had initially believed that "Fast 5" had a slim chance of surpassing "Thor". However, even Eli emphasized the showdown of opening weekend box office results: the first three days of "Fast 5" versus the first three days of "Thor". Only a madman would have believed that "Fast 5" could defeat "Thor" and retain the champion's throne.

Now, it seemed that madness had become reality.

The North American box office rankings for the week were undeniably clear: "Fast 5" had ripped the crown from "Thor", standing on the shoulders of its rival as it claimed the championship, pushing this summer's most wild, most insane, and most explosive season to its first climax.

What was even more incredible was that "Fast 5" had accumulated a formidable $193M, sweeping aside all competition from Monday to Thursday, demonstrating an unprecedented box office dominance. Its cumulative earnings had already surpassed the comparable $177M of "Iron Man", and not only was the $200M milestone within reach, but the $300M benchmark was also firmly in sight.

In just two weeks, "Fast 5" had fully showcased its underdog spirit, turning all the anticipation, attention, and hot topics surrounding the opening battle into box office results. It had emerged as the biggest winner of this year's summer season, although it should be noted that this film was released during the spring season, making it the biggest winner of the spring season.

Universal Pictures was elated from top to bottom, and though the film had only been in theaters for two weeks, they couldn't wait to hold a celebratory banquet, brimming with joy.

This celebration was not only because "Fast 5" had achieved its best results in the series but also because the massive success of this installment had elevated the entire franchise from quantity to quality, firmly placing it among the ranks of blockbuster films. Now, the question wasn't about making sequels; it was about how many sequels to make.

To put it bluntly, Universal Pictures was already pondering contract renewals. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker had to stay, Jordana Brewster had to stay, and who else?

"Renly Hall!"

This came from a social commentary piece in The New Yorker, also serving as their answer to Universal Pictures. "Complete the renewal of Renly Hall's contract as soon as possible! This should be Universal Pictures' top priority!" In their commentary, they openly stated, "The success of "Fast 5" can be attributed to two individuals: Justin Lin and Renly Hall."

As a director, Justin bestowed upon the film a sharp and resolute demeanor, which lifted it from its previous realm of minor skirmishes, revealing a grander perspective. Simultaneously, he pushed the adrenaline rush induced by the high-speed chases to its zenith. His undeniable contribution played a pivotal role in the film's success.

As an actor, Renly Hall added more narrative depth and complexity to the film.

In the realm of summer blockbusters, the script's storytelling often doesn't receive the attention it deserves. However, the fact remains that creating an outstanding commercial work is inseparable from a solid story. Taking James Cameron's two monumental works, "Titanic" and "Avatar", as examples, the importance of a compelling narrative becomes evident. A good story can infuse a commercial film with more excitement, more climaxes, more thrill, and, of course, a smoother viewing experience.

Hobbs, as a character, served precisely this purpose in the film. His judgments of justice and evil, his interpretation of law and ethics, injected the story with a completely new dimension: brotherhood, an unbreakable bond of loyalty.

It was because Reyes had killed Hobbs' comrades that he decided to join Dominic's team to take down Reyes. It was due to Brian's unwavering commitment to family that he decided to spare them. And it was because of Hobbs' inner sense of responsibility and duty that he would never abandon his mission to pursue Dominic and Brian.

The "Fast & Furious" series, now in its fifth installment, had finally found a central theme, thanks to Hobbs and Renly Hall's portrayal of him.

In the critiques, they summarized it as follows: "It's hard to imagine what this film would have been if it were not Renly Hall but another actor playing Hobbs. Would it have become just another "Fast & Furious 4"?" This implies that without Renly Hall's contribution, it might have continued down the path of simplicity and lacked a narrative core, becoming just another B-grade popcorn flick.

In fact, not just The New Yorker, but all major media outlets were quick to offer their opinions after "Fast 5" retained the champion's throne. They universally believed that this was a "victory for Renly Hall."

This victory wasn't solely due to the "Renly vs. Chris" and "Renly vs. Natalie" showdowns, which had earned Renly Hall more attention as an individual. It wasn't only because Renly Hall was a fresh face in the fifth installment, captivating numerous viewers. It was also because Renly Hall's outstanding performance in the film had brought his charisma to the forefront, completing a vital piece of the film's transformation.

In comparison, Chris and Natalie lost not only the box office battle but also the performance duel. Both of them received harsh criticism for their roles in "Thor", especially Chris, who, as a newcomer playing Thor, experienced a baptism of fire akin to Hayden Christensen's in the past. In this duel, they were decisively defeated, without any room for redemption.

In the past two weeks, Renly Hall had indisputably become the hottest topic of conversation, overshadowing even the two main protagonists, Vin and Paul. Media outlets like The New Yorker were not alone in attributing the victory to Renly Hall.

This was Hollywood, where overnight success stories were never in short supply. Moreover, Renly had transcended this category. During the previous awards season, he had already been a prominent figure.

Everyone was discussing the same topic: How did "Fast 5" create this miracle? How did Renly become the key figure in this miraculous scenario? The summer season had only just begun, and the North American film market had already shaken off its decline, displaying a thriving posture. Summer had arrived.

Morgan Fisher was also pondering the same question: how did things come to this point? Everything had been progressing as planned, so where had it gone wrong?

So much had happened in the past few weeks, and it had been chaotic and fast-paced. He hadn't had the chance to sit down and reflect properly. Everything had been like a torrent, rushing at him all at once. He hadn't even had time to react until now. Now, with the outcome already decided, he finally had the opportunity to think it over carefully.

His thoughts traced back along the timeline, and suddenly, Morgan froze. A dreadful idea sprang to mind: manipulation, a deliberate and malicious scheme. He had leaked information, prompting the paparazzi to target Chris, deliberately stirring up controversy. The aim had been to boost Chris's exposure and maximize the utilization of the "Thor" project, squeezing out every last drop of remaining value. However, it seemed that things had spiraled out of control from that point.

If there hadn't been these unforeseen complications, if everything had gone according to plan, would "Thor" have achieved better box office results? If there hadn't been unnecessary actions but rather a content acceptance of the status quo, would Chris be in a better position? If they hadn't gone overboard with marketing and just focused on the premiere, would the outcome have been different?

This thought had just emerged, and it gripped Morgan like the sharp fangs of a venomous snake sinking into his neck. It was icy and piercing, and his blood began to flow in reverse. That stiff and acute stabbing pain suddenly exploded, followed by a wave of shame that engulfed him, leaving him unable to breathe.

He desperately bit his own tongue, tasting the metallic tang of blood as it spread, forcibly cutting off all the divergent thoughts. He decisively concluded, "No, absolutely not like this!" Morgan bit down hard on his tongue, and the metallic taste of blood began to spread. He forcefully severed all the stray thoughts, sternly ending his self-reflection. The contemplation of this issue stopped here.

What he needed now was not to dwell on past mistakes but to look forward and find a solution.

A faint "click" sounded, and the hotel room door was gently pushed open. However, it exploded in Morgan's ears like thunder. He jerked his head up and saw Chris entering the room, looking dejected.

Chris pushed open the hotel room door, shoulders slumped, dragging his feet. The force of gravity seemed particularly strong on him, and every detail of his body language conveyed the feeling of a heavy burden. He walked to the side of the sofa, paused, then sank heavily into it. Taking a deep breath, his once sunny and handsome features were now clouded with exhaustion, revealing every corner of weariness on his cheeks.

A surge of anger shot straight to Morgan's head. He suddenly stood up, shouting furiously, "My Prince Thor, don't wear the face of a forsaken king or a brother betrayed! You are the actor portraying Thor, the envy of half of Hollywood's young male actors. Who are you putting on this furious act for? It's just a first-weekend box office setback, and you look as if you've just lost your innocence."