Chương 357: Chapter 357: Polarized Views
Standing in front of the massive glass curtain wall of the master bedroom, Matthew held his phone and gazed out at the distant Beverly Hills and the dazzling lights of the City of Angels. From this vantage point, half of Los Angeles's night scene was visible beneath him.
The faint sound of footsteps approached from behind. Charlize Theron, dressed in a short nightgown, slowly walked up to his side.
Matthew turned to look at her and asked, "Did I wake you?"
Instead of answering, Charlize asked, "Why aren't you sleeping yet?"
"I can't sleep," Matthew confessed. "At this time, it's just too hard to fall asleep."
"Is it because of the box office?" Charlize asked directly.
Matthew nodded, confirming, "Because of the box office." He continued, "Unlike you, I'm an actor who relies on commercial appeal to survive. If the film flops, you still have your Oscar as a fallback. I'd be ruined."
"You're exaggerating," Charlize huffed. "As if a poor box office means you're actually finished!"
She knew well that Matthew's movies like "The Scorpion King," "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," "Dawn of the Dead," and "National Treasure" had all been box office hits. Even if "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" failed, he could withstand it.
"You can't sleep either?" Matthew inquired, looking at Charlize.
"Yes," she admitted openly. "I can't sleep because of the box office too."
She chuckled lightly, adding, "If this film does poorly, it would affect me much more than you. For many years to come, I wouldn't be able to appear in major productions."
Matthew knew she spoke the truth. Hollywood studios were not charities. Even with an Oscar and a Dior endorsement, if "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" bombed, it could be years before she received another major production offer.
Perhaps her status wouldn't suffer much, but Hollywood producers would likely blacklist her from leading roles in major commercial projects.
Matthew wrapped an arm around Charlize. "You saw the pre-sale numbers. It can't fail."
Charlize pointed to the phone in his hand. "Any news yet?"
"Not yet," Matthew checked his watch. "Bella is keeping an eye on it. She'll message me when there's news."
He gestured toward the couch. "Let's sit there and wait."
Unable to sleep without seeing the pre-show box office results, Charlize joined Matthew on the couch, waiting patiently.
With nothing else to do, Charlize asked, "How are the engagement ceremony preparations going?"
"The sponsorship funds from Dior and Mercedes-Benz have been deposited," Matthew reported.
He had been handling the engagement ceremony preparations and briefly explained, "Mercedes-Benz will send a fleet to transport VIP guests, and after the ceremony, each guest will receive a small gift we've arranged—a Dior 'True Me' perfume set."
Charlize covered her forehead, slightly frustrated. "It's turning into a promotional event." Then realizing, she added, "This was meant to be a show all along."
Matthew took it in stride. "Dior and Mercedes-Benz covered two-thirds of the ceremony's cost. Of course, they'd want to showcase their products."
The remaining third was funded by the "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" production team.
Charlize pondered then asked, "Have you thought about how we'll break up?"
"Hmm… no," Matthew half-joked, half-serious, "How about we don't break up at all and just stay together?"
"I never thought about getting married," Charlize said instinctively, then quickly added, "We were good friends, and I know you pretty well."
Matthew didn't understand her implication, just watching her.
With a serious expression, Charlize asked, "Matthew, would you give up other women for one woman?"
Matthew knew his true feelings, having never forgotten them, especially after his breakup with Britney and seeing more breakups in the industry. He would not give up on his principles.
To him, Charlize was different from the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Rachel McAdams, and Jessica Alba.
Unwilling to lie, Matthew hesitated before sighing deeply, "No."
Charlize spread her hands. "Rather than becoming enemies later, we should stick to the plan and remain friends."
Matthew quickly asked, "Friends with benefits?"
Charlize rolled her eyes at him, not responding immediately. After a while, she confessed, "Honestly, I wasn't very interested in that sort of thing until I met you…"
Ding—Ding—
The text message alert sounded. Charlize shifted her focus to something more pressing, urging Matthew, "Check it."
Matthew didn't look at his phone but handed it to Charlize instead. She took it, opened the message
, and visibly relaxed.
"How much?" Matthew was genuinely curious, momentarily forgetting the conversation, "Over five million dollars?"
Charlize smiled brightly, "Much more than five million! The pre-show made eight point eight million dollars!"
"Wow…" Matthew feigned a howl, "That's a relief!"
Charlize handed back the phone. "Nearly four million more than expected."
"This means our hype worked!" Matthew quickly concluded, "Our efforts weren't wasted."
He thought of another aspect, which he wouldn't mention to Charlize. Since hiring Bella Anderson, with Helen Herman's help, Bella had connected with the leaders of his fan organizations across North America. With assistance from the Angel Agency, these fan groups had been gradually organized.
According to Bella's data, just in the Greater Los Angeles area, fan groups had nearly twenty special screenings for "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."
Although it cost him a significant amount to produce uniform T-shirts for fans nationwide, establishing stable fan clubs was worth it.
This higher-than-expected pre-show box office revenue had likely been boosted significantly by these fan events.
And as these fan organizations stabilized, they would likely fund themselves.
Behind every major star, there's a person or team managing fan relations. It wasn't very common yet, but Matthew knew the power of dedicated fans was immense.
These career-defining matters were things he wouldn't discuss even with Charlize, whom he admired and liked.
"What do you think the opening weekend will bring in?" Charlize asked at that moment.
Matthew stood, walked over to her, and declared, "Who cares! It's definitely going to be higher than the expected fifty million!"
As he spoke, his eyes roamed over Charlize as if sizing up his prey.
Charlize asked warily, "What are you planning to do?"
Matthew scooped her up, "Sally, don't you think we should celebrate?"
That night, not only Matthew and Charlize were awake late. In a small apartment in Burbank, Bella Anderson was also up late, working at her computer.
She had just sent Matthew the text message, and now, staring at the box office numbers in her email, she could hardly believe they were real.
She had seen the premiere that evening. For a film like "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" to achieve such impressive box office results?
She doubted her taste.
But emails from Universal Pictures, Summit Entertainment, and Helen Herman showed the same pre-show box office data; there was no mistake.
Reflecting on her involvement since taking this job, everything revolving around Matthew and Charlize, Bella felt reassured. With such buzz, Matthew and Charlize's on-screen couple extending into reality, discussed by media and the public alike...
Such box office numbers were normal, right?
Bella stopped pondering, opened a browser, and began collecting online reviews and public opinions to compile and send to her employer.
First, Rotten Tomatoes had collected twelve professional critic reviews: seven positive and five negative, making the film's reception quite mixed.
"'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' is a very stupid and boring comedic romance action movie."
That was the latest negative review, followed by a positive one.
"'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' may seem superficial at first glance, but the undeniable romantic flair brought by the handsome Matthew Horner and the beautiful Charlize Theron, along with the hilariously engaging plot, make this popcorn flick a delightful treat. If you delve deeper into this film, you will also discover its heartfelt story beneath the bizarre, touching on reflections about marriage and family. Love and sincerity will always be the healing touchpoints and the moving force."
After reading through the reviews and reflecting on her own viewing experience, Bella concluded that the film's reception would likely be polarized.
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