The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 286

A hush fell over the studio as the camera glided smoothly along its track, its lens focusing on Matthew in front of the green screen. Matthew's gaze was sharp. Across from him stood Dwayne Johnson, towering like a mountain, his expression menacing, his formidable muscles on full display.

"Give me the declaration!" Johnson commanded, his face grim.

Matthew offered no reply, but his steel-hard gaze, tinged with contempt, said it all.

Seeing this, Johnson shook his head and growled, "Fine. Then I'll take it myself!"

With that, he lunged at Matthew.

Without flinching, Matthew met Johnson head-on.

Off set, everyone watched the two actors intently.

Director Jon Turteltaub observed closely. The action sequence, which he had discussed with both actors, was being filmed as a long take.

Long takes are notoriously difficult, demanding a great deal from the actors. It wasn't the most common way to shoot an action scene, but when executed smoothly, the results were often outstanding.

Jon recalled watching The Scorpion King; the long take featuring Matthew Horner in the final scene was a classic.Having two actors on set—one already experienced with such long takes and the other a master of professional wrestling—gave him confidence.

And just as he'd hoped, it was working perfectly.

The two actors battled before the camera, not strictly adhering to the pre-planned choreography. There was a fair amount of improvisation, which made the action feel far more realistic. Whether it was Matthew or Johnson who made a change, the other reacted instantly, adjusting his own movements in response.

It looked less like a filmed scene and more like a genuine fight.

Suddenly, a shout erupted from Matthew on the set.

Justin Bartha and Diane Kruger, standing on the sidelines, watched in disbelief as Johnson, who was considerably larger than his "enemy," was lifted by Matthew and thrown onto the green foam mat that had been laid out on the floor.

Everyone on set knew that Matthew, a man who didn't look nearly as large or powerful as Johnson at first glance, was actually deceptively strong, possessing the power of two grown men.

On set, Matthew dropped Johnson and, following the scene's script, turned to make his escape.

But Johnson, lying on the ground, pulled a pistol from behind his back and aimed it at Matthew, shouting, "Ben, stop! I'll shoot!"

Matthew froze and slowly turned, raising a hand. "You wouldn't do that. We're comrades, we—"

"I'll do it!" Johnson's voice rose. "I'll do anything for the treasure!"

He leveled the gun at Matthew. "Put down the declaration."

Matthew took the scroll from his back and placed it on the ground. "Without me," he said, "you'll never solve the puzzle on it."

"Cut!"

The assistant director called a halt to the filming, glanced at Jon Turteltaub, and upon seeing the director's slight nod, announced loudly, "Alright, that's a wrap on the scene."

Director Jon Turteltaub stood up and announced, "Forty-minute break."

They had been filming for over three hours since the seven o'clock call time, and the crew had been working at a high pace. It was a good time for a reset.

...

After a week of filming at Disney's Stage 10, the crew moved to the adjacent Stage 9 to begin shooting the church catacomb scenes. Jerry Bruckheimer's set design team had been constructing the sets since last November, taking a full five months to complete the work by the end of March.

The crew was scheduled to film there for only ten days, and once shooting was finished, the elaborate sets would be completely dismantled, with most of the materials hauled away as trash to a landfill.

The film industry was one of high investment, where sets that took months to build might sometimes be used for less than a single day of shooting.

During the shoot, Matthew kept a close watch on the box office results for Dawn of the Dead.

The film's brilliant opening week of $34.1 million drew a flood of media commentary, further fueled by Matthew's PR efforts and advertising from Universal Pictures.

"After the tremendous success of his supporting role in Pirates of the Caribbean, Matthew Horner has proven his box office appeal to Hollywood by carrying the absolute lead role in Dawn of the Dead."

"If The Scorpion King and Pirates of the Caribbean proved Matthew Horner's mastery of period action roles, the success of Dawn of the Dead demonstrates that he can just as brilliantly command modern action roles."

There was much more buzz, most of it generated by paid media.

The cost of the promotion was negligible compared to his share of the film's box office success, not to mention it was an effective way to boost his standing.

Dawn of the Dead showed some signs of losing momentum after its opening weekend. On its first Monday, the box office dropped 60% from the previous Sunday's $7.1 million to just over $2.8 million, followed by a steady decline over the next few days to $2.2 million by Thursday.

In its second weekend, the film faced no strong competitors, but like all horror and spectacle-driven movies, Dawn of the Dead still saw a slightly faster drop-off at the box office.

In its second three-day weekend, with a 58% drop from its premiere, the film grossed another $14.3 million in North America.

Combined with the $9.8 million earned over the previous four days, Dawn of the Dead had now grossed a total of $58.2 million domestically.

Excluding distribution costs, the film had already turned a profit from its North American run alone.

After two consecutive weeks at number one in the North American box office, the earning potential of Dawn of the Dead was quickly exhausted, and the genre's typical lack of staying power became more apparent in its subsequent performance.

In the following weekdays, the film's daily grosses fell below $1 million, and on its third weekend, it dropped another 60% to $5.7 million, bringing its North American total to $67.9 million.

According to projections from Universal Pictures and various marketing agencies, Dawn of the Dead was unlikely to gross more than $90 million domestically.

However, compared to its production costs, even factoring in the $5 million promotional budget, the North American box office alone was enough for Dawn of the Dead to generate a profit of nearly $10 million.

By all accounts, Dawn of the Dead was a resounding success.

Later, a research agency published a report attributing the film's success to Matthew and Zack Snyder. Matthew was praised for portraying a tough but not emotionless hero who resonated strongly with audiences, while Zack Snyder was commended for injecting the film with more energy by not strictly adhering to the rules of the original version.

Dawn of the Dead was released in North America as well as in many overseas territories. The elevator incident with Matthew and Scarlett Johansson, which had gained near-universal exposure in Europe thanks to the Oscar buzz, had drawn significant attention to the film, and zombie movies already had a considerable built-in audience abroad.

Overall, the film performed much better in foreign markets than traditional American 'splatter' films.

In the UK and Australia, in particular, where zombie apocalypse films were also popular, the box office returns were much higher than for the average slasher flick. The film grossed nearly $10 million in the UK within three weeks of its release and over $5 million in Australia within two weeks.

By the time Dawn of the Dead crossed the $80 million mark in North America in its fifth week, it had also grossed over $70 million overseas, bringing its worldwide total to more than $150 million.

And Universal Pictures was still in commercial negotiations with distributors in many other countries to bring Dawn of the Dead to even more foreign markets.

After five consecutive weeks, Dawn of the Dead was nearing the end of its North American theatrical run. The horror genre, after all, was rarely immune to a short life cycle in theaters.

Starting in its sixth week, the film's weekday box office dropped to less than $200,000, even dipping below $100,000 that Thursday. With a three-day weekend in the six-figure range, its theatrical journey had essentially come to an end.

Similarly, North American theaters had reduced the number of screens and showtimes for Dawn of the Dead. By the seventh week, it was playing in just 300 theaters, with an average of fewer than four screenings per day in those locations.

Nevertheless, Dawn of the Dead had grossed $85.5 million in North America and over $86 million internationally.

The film marked Matthew's first major step from being a B-list star toward the A-list.

The movie was a huge success for Matthew, and the rest of the cast and crew benefited as well.

Jessica Alba, as the leading actress, was offered a role in a major commercial project from 20th Century Fox; she managed to secure the lead in Fantastic Four.

Director Zack Snyder also received a number of offers from producers, but with his limited experience, he was being cautious and wasn't taking on another job lightly.

The last time Matthew spoke with him on the phone, Snyder mentioned he was carefully studying Frank Miller's graphic novel, 300.

...

In May, filming for National Treasure was coming to an end.

On the Disney studio lot, the crew was shooting the final part of the church catacomb sequence.

Facing Camera 1, Matthew moved forward step by step, his expression solemn. His gaze swept over the golden artifacts and props in the room until he reached a small mountain of coins.

Matthew picked up a gold coin, wiped the dust from it on his clothes, held it up to his eye to examine it closely, and then placed it back.

He looked as if he was interested only in the search for the treasure, not the treasure itself.

Matthew set down the gold coin, then brought his torch closer. The flame immediately flared up, illuminating the room to its farthest corners and soon revealing the vast expanse of the treasure chamber.

The crew had spent five months building this treasure room, filled with all sorts of "treasures," and as it emerged from the darkness, even Matthew was taken aback. He took a few steps forward and stood at the edge of the staircase, gazing out into the distance.

Even though he knew all the treasure below was fake, standing there and looking at it filled him with a sense of grandeur.

He had to admit, the crew had truly outdone themselves when it came to building the set.

Jon Voight, Diane Kruger, and Justin Bartha, also holding torches, came up one by one to stand beside Matthew, all of them looking out together.

"You were right," Jon Voight said joyfully, clapping Matthew on the back. "Ben, you were right! This is the treasure of the Knights Templar!"

Matthew smiled.

The scene wrapped without a hitch, and the day's filming was declared complete.

Director Jon Turteltaub walked up and stood behind the four actors. "Only one scene left. Tomorrow we're shooting in Beverly Hills. There's a mansion there that's perfect for it."

Matthew turned his head and asked, "So that means we don't have to come back to this stage?"

"That's right," Turteltaub replied with a nod. "They're starting to dismantle this set tonight."

"Jon," Matthew asked directly, "can I take a few souvenirs from the treasure room?"

Diane Kruger chimed in, "Me too."

Justin Bartha raised his hand. "Count me in."

Voight, however, said, "I'll pass."

"Of course," Turteltaub said magnanimously. "Jerry said it's all useless and just going to be thrown out anyway."

Matthew turned and walked toward the gleaming props.

He walked right up to a prop bonfire that was about to be extinguished and picked up an ancient Roman gold coin. It was beautifully crafted, as it was meant to be seen up close by the camera.

Turteltaub reminded him, "Don't forget to be in Beverly Hills at eight tomorrow for the last scene."

Matthew nodded, his gaze falling on Diane Kruger, who had a big reunion scene to shoot tomorrow for the end of the film.