The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 171

Early Monday morning, Matthew sat down at his computer and refreshed his email, but there were no new messages. He called Helen, who told him she hadn't received the official numbers yet and asked him to come to the agency around ten to sign a new contract.

Matthew and Helen had already discussed the terms thoroughly. Both sides were eager to continue working together, and there were no major sticking points on other conditions. He knew he was unlikely to find a more suitable agent than Helen anytime soon, making staying with the Angel Acting Agency the best choice. Helen had even taken the initiative to lower her commission to eight percent—a remarkably fair rate for an actor of his current standing.

Both parties intended to sign a three-year contract, the longest term standard in the industry.

After the call, Matthew opened his web browser. The latest box office numbers for The Scorpion King weren't available yet on Box Office Mojo.

Box Office Mojo, an Amazon-owned website that systematically tracked film grosses, had been founded in 1998 and was now the most well-known box office statistics site in North America.

However, the internet in this era wasn't as instantaneous as it would become, and the site's updates were often delayed.

Seeing that the site hadn't been updated, Matthew refreshed his email again, but there was still nothing.

He switched over to IMDb, wanting to check the film's ratings again. After clicking on The Scorpion King's page and glancing at its 6.0 rating, he suddenly noticed that his own name in the cast list was now a clickable link. He quickly moved the mouse and clicked on it.

The new window displayed his official IMDb page. On the left was a headshot of him in formal attire, and to the right, a brief bio with his hometown, date of birth, and other details. Further down, his filmography was listed in chronological order with photos and links: Gladiator, Band of Brothers, The Mummy Returns, Black Hawk Down, and The Scorpion King. Curiously, his earliest project, Girl, Interrupted, was not on the list.

Matthew wasn't familiar with IMDb's rules for crediting roles, but he guessed his part in Girl, Interrupted had probably been too minor to be included.However, the "Did You Know" section further down the page did mention Girl, Interrupted.

After a quick scan, Matthew realized that this new IMDb page was another direct result of The Scorpion King's success.

He then logged into his personal blog and wrote a new post, sharing the link to his IMDb page with his followers.

The traffic to his blog had surged recently. Matthew noted that his average daily visits over the last two days had exceeded three thousand, and his total number of followers had reached five figures.

Most noticeably, the number of people leaving supportive comments had skyrocketed.

Just then, an email notification popped up. Matthew closed his blog and switched to his inbox, where a new message from Helen had just arrived.

He quickly opened it, a flutter of anxiety in his chest as he waited for the page to load.

Although the film had performed well in its first two days and was projected to have a massive opening weekend, he couldn't help but hope for an even higher number. After all, this was the first movie where he was the lead.

Finally, the page finished loading, and the moment he saw the numbers in the email, a wide smile spread across Matthew's face.

It wasn't one of the practiced, camera-ready smiles he had so carefully trained, but an expression of pure, unadulterated joy.

In the North American market, Sunday box office earnings almost invariably drop from Saturday's due to the upcoming work week. The Scorpion King was no exception, falling nearly thirty-five percent to gross $11.07 million. Even so, its three-day opening weekend total came to a staggering $40.37 million. Not only did it easily top the North American box office charts, but it also shattered the all-time record for a film opening in April.

Matthew knew exactly what this meant. A film that recouped its production costs in its opening weekend alone was, for all intents and purposes, a massive success—both now and for its future prospects.

A wave of relief washed over him. Even if The Scorpion King had a terrible second week, it wouldn't change the overall outcome.

Matthew stood up and let out a long, slow breath, feeling completely at ease. Then he started to laugh, an irrepressible excitement spreading from his heart through his entire body.

Words couldn't describe the incredible feeling. This, he thought, must be what success felt like. He was finally famous!

He took a step forward and collapsed onto the sofa, not wanting to move. He just wanted to savor this hard-won success, a victory that, from this day forward, would pave his way to becoming a true Hollywood star.

Sprawled on the sofa, Matthew felt a sense of fulfillment that, in that moment, surpassed even the pleasure of being with Britney.

A man needs a career, a purpose. And success in that career was the ultimate fuel for his passion.

In that moment, Matthew let everything else fade away and simply reveled in the thrill and joy of his success.

Even though there was no one there to share it with, he could savor this triumph all by himself.

And he had every right to enjoy it. Over the past three years, luck and opportunity had certainly been on his side, but he had also worked relentlessly. If his own abilities hadn't been up to the task, he never would have achieved the success he was experiencing now.

He let out a raw, triumphant shout and punched the air.

This was his own house; he didn't have to hide his emotions. He was ecstatic, and he could shout and yell as much as he wanted.

Helen, the Angel Agency, Universal Pictures, the press, the crew, the directors—he pushed them all from his mind, at least until he was done savoring this moment.

The road to success had been long and winding, but the moment of pure enjoyment was fleeting.

After a few minutes, Matthew's excitement subsided. He came back down to earth, knowing he still had a long road ahead of him.

After changing his clothes, Matthew got ready to leave.

He walked into the courtyard and headed for the main gate. The instant he opened it and stepped outside, a barrage of flashing lights blinded him. Though the bright strobes made it impossible to see clearly for a moment, Matthew could tell that at least a dozen reporters had gathered.

"Matthew, have you seen the latest box office numbers? What are your thoughts?"

Before Matthew could even recover, microphones were shoved in his face. The dozen or so reporters swarmed him, bombarding him with a relentless stream of questions.

"Now that you've made it big, what's the first thing you want to do?"

"They say Universal Pictures is already preparing a sequel to The Scorpion King. Will you be reprising the lead role?"

Unlike his previous encounters with the press, these reporters were far more aggressive. Their enthusiasm bordered on chaos as they completely surrounded him in front of his house.

Some reporters shouted questions while others snapped pictures. A few photographers even crouched down, angling their cameras up at him.

Unfortunately for them, Matthew wasn't a woman wearing a skirt, so their low-angle shots were unlikely to capture anything "interesting."

It wasn't just journalists; a pack of paparazzi had joined the fray, shouting out all sorts of salacious questions in a disorderly scrum.

"Did you have an orgy last night? The lights were on in your house all night!"

"Three women went into your house, did you...?"

The questions were impossible to answer. Matthew quickly realized the reporters weren't going to let up, so he took a step back, reached behind him to open the gate, and retreated inside.

He didn't close the gate immediately, but the reporters and paparazzi weren't foolish enough to trespass. They stopped abruptly on the other side.

Matthew saw someone in the crowd aiming a camera lens through the opening and slammed the gate shut with a loud clang.

It wasn't that he'd never been followed by reporters and paparazzi before—there had even been security outside on opening day—but this was the first time he'd been treated with such fervor.

The Scorpion King was a box office smash in its opening week, and as its lead actor, he was receiving the most attention. He was officially famous.

Famous, with a hit movie still in theaters, and currently trading barbs with a prominent critic—he was clearly a hot news item.

Matthew analyzed the situation almost instantly.

He thought for a moment, then called Helen. In this situation, it seemed impossible that he'd be able to get through the crowd of journalists without help from bodyguards or security.

Half an hour later, Helen knocked on his gate. Matthew opened it, let her slip inside amidst a renewed storm of camera flashes, and then quickly shut it behind her.

"Did you bring the contract?" Matthew asked.

Helen nodded and handed him a file folder. "Read this first. After you sign, we'll go to the Screen Actors Guild to file it."

Matthew took the folder and was about to open it when Helen reminded him, "Let's go inside. I don't feel comfortable out here in the courtyard."

"Right." Matthew crossed the courtyard to the door of the house. As he opened it, he noticed a figure outside the main gate.

A reporter with a camera was clinging to a large tree by the roadside. He had just climbed high enough to lean over the top of the wall, giving him a clear shot of the courtyard.

"These guys," Matthew couldn't help but mutter. "Have they all gone crazy?"

It was obvious that the arrival of an attractive woman like Helen had only spurred the paparazzi on, making them even more frantic.

Helen glanced at the reporter in the tree. "You're famous now," she said calmly. "This is just the initial frenzy. It'll die down in a few days."

Matthew went inside first and motioned for Helen to take a seat on the sofa. As he opened the file folder, he said, "I'm afraid they're more interested in why a beautiful woman like you is coming into my house."

"It doesn't matter," Helen replied coolly. "I'm your agent. They're not idiots."

"I hope not," Matthew said casually, taking out the contract and beginning to flip through it.

After reviewing the terms, Matthew took a pen and signed his name on both copies. As a member of the Screen Actors Guild, he knew the contract had to be filed with the union to be official.

He handed the contract back to Helen. She glanced at it, placed it back in the folder, and then looked at him. "Matthew," she began, "from now on, you are a star. And there are a few things we need to discuss."