The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 168

"The Scorpion King was off to a strong start: its $3.4 million from early screenings marked the best performance in North America for the month of April!"

"The Scorpion King, a spin-off of The Mummy Returns, is performing well in its early run and is projected to gross $30 million on its opening weekend!"

Early on Friday morning, the entertainment pages of numerous newspapers featured articles that continued to build momentum for The Scorpion King.

Furthermore, the gossip tabloids made a point of reminding everyone about Rex Reed and his promise.

"With The Scorpion King pulling in $3.4 million from its early screenings, it’s high time for Rex Reed to start preparing. He’d be wise to give that donkey Matthew Horner gifted him a thorough wash, lest he be forced to kiss a dirty ass when the moment of truth arrives."

All this media buzz helped draw more public attention to The Scorpion King, enticing even more people to buy tickets.

Moreover, statistics released by third-party agencies painted a favorable picture for the film.

The Scorpion King earned an "A-" grade from audiences polled by CinemaScore, with over 80 percent of viewers giving it a positive overall rating.

Demographically, 68% of the audience was under 22 years old—the film's target demographic—indicating that the age breakdown from the early screenings was quite favorable.

In terms of gender, the audience was well-balanced, with male viewers making up about fifty-five percent, not far off from the female viewership.Of course, as more professional critics published their reviews, the Tomatometer score for The Scorpion King on Rotten Tomatoes steadily declined. By noon on Friday, it had dropped below the 60 percent threshold to 59 percent, officially tipping the film from "Fresh" to "Rotten."

Meanwhile, its IMDB score was released, and at 6.3 out of 10, the film could only be described as average.

Overall, the reception for The Scorpion King was mediocre.

Just as Universal's own test screenings had indicated, The Scorpion King drew the most criticism for its weak plot and its departure from the established Mummy franchise.

But the criticism rarely touched upon the leads, Matthew and Kelly. Matthew and his action sequences, in particular, received very little negative attention.

On IMDB, for instance, a site with a large fan base, the positive reviews were almost universally about Matthew.

"There’s no better highlight in the film than Matthew."

"The ridiculous plot is nothing compared to Horner's fight scenes."

"It's a pretty average, mindless adventure flick, but Matthew and Kelly make it worth the price of admission."

"A mediocre film by all accounts. The only noteworthy aspect is Matthew Horner's powerful, toned physique—his body can easily be compared to a young Arnold Schwarzenegger."

For a typical commercial popcorn flick released on the cusp of summer, especially a spin-off from a major franchise, word-of-mouth rarely impacts the opening weekend box office. Besides, Universal's inventive marketing campaign had already attracted a large audience.

Universal Pictures had anticipated the potential for negative reviews and prepared a batch of puff pieces in advance. As Matthew did his usual Friday newspaper reading, he came across a slew of articles that, at first glance, seemed perfectly reasonable.

"What do you expect from a movie like The Scorpion King, with all its action, magic, and occasional cheesy moments? A deep plot? Profundity? It's a blockbuster!"

In addition, these obviously planted articles reported on the film's most popular actor at the moment.

"Ever since the triumvirate of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Bruce Willis started to wane, the action genre has been in flux. Even Nicolas Cage, with his more 'arthouse' flair, has started doing action movies. He does a decent job, but it's just not the same."

"It seemed the action genre had reached an era without a true leading man—until Matthew Horner burst onto the scene in The Scorpion King."

All these words of praise were practically putting Matthew on a pedestal.

It was clear the studio was doing everything in its power to promote the film. Even if the hype seemed a bit mindless, as long as it grabbed attention and helped boost the box office, they were willing to let their media partners run with it.

...

On Friday afternoon, with no promotional events on his schedule, Matthew left his house and headed to a gym in Westwood. Paparazzi were on his tail the moment he stepped outside. By the time he arrived at the gym and got out of his car, what used to be a paid photo op had become a free-for-all for the press.

Half a dozen photographers were there, their lenses aimed squarely at him, shutters clicking incessantly.

Matthew figured many of these photos would likely end up on the entertainment pages of several newspapers by the next day.

As long as The Scorpion King was in theaters, the buzz around him would only grow. The positive impact of a major box-office hit on an actor's career was undeniable.

By the time he finished his workout, which included a special session on fencing, it was already dark. Yet, most of the reporters and paparazzi were still waiting for him outside.

It was clear their attitude toward him was shifting in lockstep with The Scorpion King's growing box office numbers.

"Matthew! Can I ask you a few questions?"

Outside the gym, a few reporters moved to block his path. Matthew took a step back, positioning himself in the doorway, ready to retreat if needed, but he wore an affable smile. "Of course," he replied. "I'll answer what I can."

It was a cooperative attitude, one that befitted an actor who was just starting to make a name for himself.

The oldest reporter in the group asked first, "Have you been following the real-time box office numbers for The Scorpion King?"

Matthew shook his head. "I don't have access to the exact figures."

"I asked a friend who works at the exhibitors' association," another reporter chimed in, holding up his phone to show a text message. "He checked the preliminary stats ten minutes ago. The Scorpion King is in the lead, and by a huge margin."

"Wow." Matthew's expression was one of genuine delight. "That's thrilling news."

Not every entertainment journalist was as cynical as Ilana. The oldest reporter offered, "Congratulations. It looks like your first leading role is going to be a box office smash."

Matthew offered a polite smile. "Thank you. Let's hope so."

He asked, his curiosity piqued, "So what are the numbers for The Scorpion King?"

The reporter with the phone replied, "Including last night's previews, the opening day gross is tracking at around $9.4 million!"

"That much?" Matthew's surprise was genuine.

Unlike these well-informed reporters, his only source for box office information was the studio. He hadn't bothered to ask since parting ways with Helen that morning, knowing the studio would certainly send out an official update first thing tomorrow.

"Matthew!"

A short reporter squeezed his way to the front and exclaimed, "It's only eight o'clock, the night is still young! The Scorpion King is definitely going to clear $10 million for its opening day. Do you have anything to say to Rex Reed?"

"Well," Matthew said after a brief pause, a grin spreading across his face. "Mr. Reed is a reputable critic. I'm sure he's a man of his word."