The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 236: The Fan Favorite!

"Miss Knightley, many viewers have pointed out that they were indifferent to your character in 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' What are your thoughts on that?"

"The character of Elizabeth Swann feels more like a supporting role than a lead. Can I ask if that was the original intention of the creative team?"

"Miss Knightley, rumors are circulating that you were unhappy with your role in the film. Is there any truth to that?"

"Is it true that the imbalance in screen time has caused a rift between you and Matthew Horner, and that you're about to break up?"

On Sunday morning, Keira Knightley attended an event at the Los Angeles Heights Business Center and was swarmed by aggressive reporters as she exited the building.

Faced with the reporters' barrage of questions, Keira had no desire to answer. With a grim expression, she slipped into her car, flanked by her security detail.

"Keira," her agent, Jaime, said, glancing back from the passenger seat. "You need the publicity right now. Be friendly with the press, engage with them."

Keira pouted. "How am I supposed to be friendly when they ask questions like that?"

Since the release of "Pirates of the Caribbean," her fame had skyrocketed, but so had the questions about Elizabeth Swann—a leading lady who was treated more like a supporting character.

Jaime consoled her. "Don't worry about it. The success of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' is a sure thing. You're guaranteed to become a B-list star. That's all that matters."Keira remained silent.

"In case you didn't know, 'Pirates of the Caribbean' pulled in $23.8 million yesterday alone!" Jaime's voice was electric with excitement. "Add that to the $22.2 million from Friday, and 'Pirates' has already grossed $46 million in just two days at the North American box office. Barring any surprises, it's on track to make over $60 million this weekend."

He emphasized, "These are blockbuster numbers for an opening weekend. Keira, forget what they're saying. You're famous, and that's the bottom line!"

Keira looked at Jaime. "These commercial films... they have no respect for women!"

Jaime gave a careless laugh but didn't reply. In today's commercial Hollywood films, female characters often served as little more than window dressing, and he knew the producers would never have prioritized Elizabeth Swann's role.

"I've had enough of these movies," Keira said, as much to herself as to Jaime. "First 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' then 'King Arthur'... I've done two commercial blockbusters in a row. I'd rather take on more artistic productions."

Jaime nodded. "This is the path I've planned for you. Even if the role of Elizabeth Swann isn't as splashy as Captain Jack Sparrow or Will Turner, it cements your commercial appeal. Two big commercial productions are enough for the short term. The important thing is to move into artistic films now, to hone your acting skills and build your reputation."

Keira understood perfectly well that this was the more conventional path to success.

"And regarding your relationship, I'm coordinating with the film's team and Helen," Jaime added. "Jerry Bruckheimer says that next week, Disney Pictures will announce the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' sequel. At that point, you'll move into Matthew's house. We'll make sure the news spreads like wildfire to create a hot story. It'll boost the movie's box office for the second weekend and help maintain a steady trend, which will also be great for promoting the new 'King Arthur' film."

"I know." Keira said nothing more.

Everything had already been arranged. An agreement had been signed by both parties, and she knew Matthew had a separate room prepared for her.

The so-called cohabitation was purely for show, a story to feed the media.

...

The opening week of "Pirates of the Caribbean" continued, and while it wasn't a supernova like the previous year's "Spider-Man," it was drawing a substantial audience.

Sunday passed quickly, and as night fell, the attendance at popular, well-located theaters showed no signs of dropping off. More than half of the moviegoers were there for "Pirates of the Caribbean."

Typically, with work the next day, Sunday evening crowds are significantly smaller than on Saturday night. But Alexander Dejokave noticed that at the Empire Entertainment theater where he was stationed, the drop in attendance from the previous night was surprisingly small.

Alexander specifically asked about twenty people in the lobby, and more than eighty percent of them were there to see "Pirates of the Caribbean."

He was an employee of a research agency contracted by Disney Pictures, primarily to study the specifics of the audience response to "Pirates of the Caribbean" after its release.

As the time neared 8:30 p.m., Alexander positioned himself near the exit of the theater where the "Pirates of the Caribbean" screening was ending.

The theater doors opened, and the audience began to file out. Alexander quickly scanned the crowd. His professional instinct, honed by a long career in market research, told him that the majority of these viewers were under twenty-five, and the older ones were accompanied by children.

"The primary audience for 'Pirates of the Caribbean' is teenagers and families," Alexander concluded with ease.

The thought flashed through his mind; he would make a note of it later. Right now, the most important thing was to conduct his interviews.

As the moviegoers drew closer, many of them still buzzing about the plot, Alexander stopped a young boy at the exit. "Hi, I'd like to ask you a few questions about 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' Do you have a minute?"

As he spoke, he offered a small gift to the boy, who nodded and took it.

This wasn't his first time in a situation like this; for many new releases, studios had staff on-site to gather statistics.

Alexander held a small microphone toward the boy and asked his first question. "What did you think of the movie?"

The boy was effusive with praise, still clearly swept up in the film's excitement. "It was awesome!"

Alexander then asked his second question. "Will you recommend the movie to people you know?"

"Yeah! Of course!" the boy said confidently. "I'm going to tell my family, my friends, and my classmates about it. It's the best movie I've seen this summer, besides 'Star Wars.'"

Alexander continued, "Which character did you like the most?"

The boy hesitated for a moment. "Captain Jack Sparrow and Will Turner were both great. Which one do I have to choose?"

Alexander was patient and didn't press him.

The boy thought for a few seconds, picturing Depp's performance, then Matthew Horner's, which was also magnificent. "If I have to pick one," he said, "I'll pick Will."

"Why is that?" Alexander asked.

This time, the boy didn't hesitate. "Captain Jack Sparrow is great, too, but I know he can only exist in your imagination. Will Turner is different. He's someone we could actually be."

"Thanks, you can go." Alexander lowered the small microphone.

Next, he found a second moviegoer, a girl this time, and asked the same questions.

In addition to these one-on-one interviews, Alexander's colleagues had distributed dozens of questionnaires in the lobby. While not as immediate as direct questions, they also reflected the audience's perceptions.

The questions on the forms were similar to the ones Alexander asked, probing opinions on the film but focusing primarily on which character and which actor were the most popular.

It wasn't just happening at this theater. In thousands of cinemas across the United States showing "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" over the three-day weekend, employees from Disney Pictures' external research and consulting firm were conducting similar surveys to gather first-hand data.

This was feedback from the film's actual consumers, a far better indicator of a movie's popularity and future box office performance than media reports and critics' reviews.

Hollywood studios took these statistics very seriously.

This demand had given rise to a number of research and consulting firms that specialized in working with studios. They had strong relationships with theaters and employed experienced researchers who knew how to incentivize audiences to participate in their surveys.

It was nearly eleven o'clock at night when Alexander and his colleagues left the theater and returned to their car. They quickly collated the recorded interviews and questionnaires, which needed to be submitted to their consulting firm by midnight.

Based on the data gathered from various sources across North America, Disney Pictures would forecast the film's future box office performance and make corresponding adjustments to its post-release advertising plan.

It was a direct response from the market and a true benchmark for the studio.

The Los Angeles night grew darker, but in this cosmopolitan city, there were many, many people who stayed awake. Some partied until dawn, some worked through the night, some suffered from insomnia, and some couldn't sleep because the all-important numbers they were waiting for had not yet arrived.

Sean Daniel was one of them. He sat awake in his home office, refreshing his email inbox every few minutes, waiting for the opening weekend box office numbers and other data for "Pirates of the Caribbean" to come in.

Although he hadn't produced the film, its performance would have a direct impact on his plans for the rest of the year.