The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 173

Hurt by poor word-of-mouth, the box office for "The Scorpion King" plummeted by seventy-five percent on its first Monday, a single-day drop that far exceeded the average decline for commercial blockbusters. The daily earnings fell from an estimated $11.07 million over the weekend to just $2.8 million, demonstrating the clear trend of a high start and a low finish—a common fate for films with negative reviews.

Even on Tuesday, traditionally a discount day at North American theaters, the single-day box office continued to slide, bringing in only $2.1 million and threatening to dip below the $2 million mark.

By Wednesday, despite the buzz around upcoming films like "Van Helsing" and the ongoing feud between Matthew and Rex Reed, the daily gross for "The Scorpion King" still fell below $2 million, landing at $1.85 million.

With another weekend approaching, some media outlets predicted that the film’s box office would drop by more than seventy percent.

On Thursday, "The Scorpion King" hit its lowest point since its release, grossing just $1.65 million for the day.

The film then entered its second weekend, and a box office rebound was inevitable. Presumably, Universal's promotional blitz was still in effect, and the movie had enough standout selling points that its weekend earnings didn't plummet by seventy percent as some had predicted.

However, compared to the explosive $40.37 million it earned in its opening weekend, "The Scorpion King" still dropped by 55%, closing out the three-day frame with $18.15 million.

In its first ten days, "The Scorpion King" had grossed $66.92 million at the North American box office.

Given the lack of strong competition until May, most media outlets expected "The Scorpion King" to eventually cross the $100 million mark domestically.

That same weekend, "The Scorpion King" began its rollout in several major European markets. Its international performance was significantly weaker than in North America. While domestic hits usually perform well abroad, the film's first week overseas was merely mediocre.In Australia, it grossed just under $1.9 million in its first week; in Brazil, Hollywood's largest market in South America, it took in just over $1 million. In Europe, its opening week in France brought in $1.2 million, Germany nearly $2 million, and Italy less than $500,000.

Fortunately, it fared well in the United Kingdom and Mexico, two of Hollywood's biggest overseas markets. The former grossed nearly $2.5 million, while the latter brought in $3 million.

Based on its international opening week gross of over $13 million, it seemed unlikely that "The Scorpion King" would surpass the $100 million mark in its final overseas box office tally.

After receiving the statistics, Matthew analyzed the situation himself. While he wasn't an expert in film marketing, he was no longer a novice and had a decent grasp of the industry.

Compared to its North American opening weekend, the film's first week in nearly fifty overseas markets could only be described as average.

What were the largest overseas markets for Hollywood entertainment films? Europe, of course. He figured it came down to stars and special effects. Hollywood held greater market appeal thanks to stars manufactured by purely commercial means, and of course, its special effects were so prominent that it had an advantage that even Europe, with its advanced film industry, couldn't match.

The special effects in "The Scorpion King" were mediocre, with virtually no large-scale scenes, and the battles focused entirely on the male lead's action sequences, which didn't give it a clear advantage in that regard.

It went without saying that none of the actors were considered stars before the film's release.

The male and female leads, the two main selling points of "The Scorpion King," weren't much of an advantage either. The male lead was fine, as there was a market in Europe for that type of action hero. But as for Kelly, with her charm and scanty wardrobe, European cinema had never lacked sexy and beautiful actresses, so that aspect wasn't likely to be a major draw for European audiences.

Then there was Universal Pictures' promotional hype. Whether it was the donkey-kissing incident or their other aggressive marketing tactics, the campaign was primarily aimed at the North American market and had relatively little impact overseas.

The cast and crew didn't even travel abroad for promotional appearances.

Universal Pictures had invested a limited budget in advertising and distribution, so naturally, the main focus had to be on the North American market.

In North America, "The Scorpion King" claimed the box office crown for three consecutive weeks with totals of $40.37 million, $18.15 million, and $9.45 million, despite mediocre word-of-mouth and a lack of staying power. A fourth-weekend take of $4.25 million brought its North American total to over $90 million.

The traditional summer movie season in North America had begun with the year's opening blockbuster—a little spider named Peter Parker. As soon as "Spider-Man" was released, everything else had to make way. Sony Columbia's film crowded out other movies with its massive theatrical release and prime showtimes.

"The Scorpion King" was relegated to fewer than 1,500 theaters, with an average of less than five screenings per day at each location.

Without a shadow of a doubt, "Spider-Man" dominated the North American box office that weekend, setting a new opening record by grossing over $114 million and becoming the first film ever to surpass the $100 million mark in its debut weekend.

With "Spider-Man" holding court, other films posted relatively low numbers, and "The Scorpion King" grossed just over $2 million in its fifth weekend.

However, thanks to its earnings from the previous four weekdays, "The Scorpion King" finally crossed the $100 million mark at the North American box office.

A $100 million domestic gross was undoubtedly a significant milestone for Hollywood films of that era.

As the film's undeniable star, Matthew was now a fairly well-known actor in Hollywood. Throughout April and May, he'd be mobbed by people asking for autographs at any public event, trailed by paparazzi whenever he left his house, and sometimes even had to flee from a throng of reporters.

From time to time, photos and snapshots of him appeared online and in newspapers and magazines.

Even his past jobs as an apprentice auto mechanic, a construction worker, and a chauffeur had been dredged up by the gossip media.

Some gossip columnists even rehashed the old rumors about him and Britney, sensationalizing them a bit, which prompted even more paparazzi to tail Matthew. But after following him for a while, the reporters realized it was just hype, since Matthew never actually met up with Britney.

Despite the lack of juicy gossip, the paparazzi were still happy to follow Matthew. There was genuinely something to photograph, and readers seemed eager to see what they captured.

...

On Santa Monica beach, two female paparazzi sat under a beach umbrella, their cameras ready, gazing out at the sea as if waiting for someone. The beach wasn't too crowded today. They had driven all the way from North Hollywood, intending to get some shots of their target in his swimwear.

"He really is in great shape," the short-haired paparazzo muttered. "The physique he showed off in 'The Scorpion King' was pretty good, but you never know how much of that is just movie magic."

Her long-haired assistant adjusted her camera lens and said nothing.

She had arrived at the beach first, but because of parking troubles, she had only managed to catch a glimpse of her target's back before he disappeared into the sea.

Since this wasn't a pre-arranged, posed shoot and there were other tourists in the water, they didn't get closer, intending to wait until he came ashore.

In the turquoise water, Matthew lifted his head, wiped the water from his face, and continued swimming away from the shore. He hadn't originally been a good swimmer, but the guy before him was.

Since the role he was pursuing might involve on-location shooting in the Caribbean, Matthew had started practicing his swimming, and the benefits for his physical fitness were undeniable. He had spent the first week in an indoor pool, trying to recapture the muscle memory left in his body.

This was his second time at the beach. The last time, he'd been at a private property in Malibu where paparazzi couldn't enter, which didn't align with the strategy he'd been following lately. So today, he had come to the public beach in Santa Monica.

After swimming another thirty meters, seeing no one on either side and the shark nets a short distance ahead, Matthew turned and swam back. He soon reached the shallows where he could stand, and he paused in the waist-deep water, surveying the beach as he caught his breath.

Santa Monica beach was uniquely situated, with green hills rising behind it and the vast Pacific Ocean stretching out before it. The sea here was much calmer and more tranquil than in Malibu, without whitecaps or rip currents; it was especially quiet and blue.

This was also the end of the line for the famous Route 66, a once-iconic highway that had now lost its former glory but had been immortalized in many Hollywood films.

The scene Matthew remembered most vividly was from "Forrest Gump," where Tom Hanks's character runs across Route 66.

A young woman, a novice swimmer, waded past him, then suddenly stopped and stood up, staring at Matthew in surprise.

"You're..." The girl's eyes widened. "You're the Scorpion King?"

Matthew smiled. "Yes."

With a look of astonishment, the girl started asking him questions, but when a group of young men and women in the distance called out to her, she apologized before leaving.

Watching the girl walk away, Matthew was more certain than ever that he had become famous. After all, someone had recognized him on an ordinary public beach.

"This feels pretty good."

He waded toward the shore, looked around, and muttered, "Where are the reporters? Where are the paparazzi? Come on, take my picture."