The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 319

After Zack Snyder shot the footage he needed, Matthew’s energy was entirely focused on the promotion of National Treasure. To become a superstar, any film he starred in had to be a success, or at the very least, deliver impressive box office numbers.

Over the next week, Matthew flew regularly across North America, attending press events and interviews, and organizing fan gatherings to promote National Treasure.

The film industry was placing ever-increasing importance on advertising and promotion. As far as Matthew was concerned, Hollywood was a place where they could make even dung smell like roses.

The most direct result of insufficient promotion was a poor box office, and a poor box office could severely impact a film's ancillary revenue.

Thanks to the previous viral marketing campaign, coupled with a powerful North American promotional tour led by Matthew, Johnson, and Diane Kruger, National Treasure had captured the attention of many moviegoers.

At the same time, Disney held a series of screenings, inviting representatives from the three major commercial theater chains. Based on the statistics Matthew received afterward, National Treasure was very well-received.

The representatives from the three major theater chains and the fans who attended the pre-screenings all agreed that it was an outstanding family-friendly action-adventure film. However, the feedback from the professional critics who attended was not as positive, and the film’s reputation on Rotten Tomatoes immediately soured, with a freshness rating of just 55% and an average critic score of 3 out of 5.

It wasn't summer blockbuster season; awards season was just around the corner, and this time of year had a much greater influence on critics than the summer months.

“The entire film feels drawn-out and tedious, with completely superfluous action scenes from Matthew Horner and Johnson, and no shortage of plot holes.”

“The film is a mediocre popcorn flick with an absurdly ridiculous plot.”“Just watching the first ten minutes gives you a clear idea of where the rest of the film is headed. Worst of all, Horner and Johnson are so focused on showing off how strong they are that they forget their characters are supposed to have brains.”

The critical buzz around National Treasure was mediocre, but Hollywood insiders were still projecting an expected box office of $200 million in North America.

Based on professional word-of-mouth alone, the film's pre-sales were quite strong, bringing in over $5 million in its premiere weekend two days before its North American release.

Before the premiere, Box Office Mojo and CinemaScore published their forecasts, and the numbers were surprisingly similar: an opening weekend in North America of over $40 million.

The reasons cited by Box Office Mojo were simple: first, the Jerry Bruckheimer brand; second, Disney’s promotional distribution; and third, the appeal of the male lead.

In the sample they took, a higher-than-average number of pre-sale ticket buyers were motivated by the fact that it was a Matthew Horner film.

On the weekend before Thanksgiving, National Treasure held its grand North American premiere at the Chieftain's Rock Theatre in Hollywood.

The three main stars, Matthew, Johnson, and Diane Kruger, were all in attendance, and Disney had invited a number of heavyweight guests.

Matthew also invited a few of his friends to show their support. Johnny Depp and Keanu Reeves both walked the red carpet.

Back at the end of last month, Matthew had let his friends know they were welcome to come to the premiere if their schedules allowed, especially James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, who were desperately in need of fame and exposure.

But James was currently filming The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and was on location in New Zealand; Michael was also busy with a shoot and didn't have time to make it.

Of course, Matthew hadn't forgotten about Lily Collins, and he had someone from the Angel Agency mail her two tickets to the premiere.

...

“What, bad reviews?”

In the interview area, Matthew smiled at the reporter who had posed the question. “I’m not worried at all, because after several test screenings, the audience response has been overwhelmingly positive.”

He didn’t mention the professional critics—there was no need to offend those people. Instead, he said, “And the experts from the three largest commercial theater chains in North America also praised the film after the pre-screenings. We were initially slated for fewer than 3,200 theaters, but after the screenings, the theater alliance increased that to over 3,500. I think that speaks volumes about its future success.”

With that, Matthew didn’t linger, turning and walking into the Chieftain's Rock Theatre.

Indeed, the relatively mediocre professional word-of-mouth might affect the box office trends later on, but it wouldn't have a significant impact on the opening weekend.

Based on the pre-sales and all the early feedback, the opening weekend box office for National Treasure would certainly not fall below $40 million.

The film’s production cost was $100 million, and as long as it didn’t perform too poorly, it wouldn't be difficult to cross the $150 million mark at the North American box office.

With that, plus its overseas performance, it was safe to say the film would be a box office success, adding another solid piece of capital to his march toward the A-list.

However, Matthew was confident that the film’s actual results would exceed his own estimates and expectations.

The fact that National Treasure was financed and distributed by Disney was very important. It was clear who the film’s real target audience was—Disney makes movies for all ages, not just teenagers, but adults as well.

Leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, this film was perfect for the whole family to watch together.

To put it bluntly, no matter how many tricks National Treasure employed, it was still pure entertainment for the audience, and thus very unpopular with critics.

But contrary to the critics' opinions, the teenage audience at the pre-screening had embraced the film enthusiastically.

Despite the debacle of King Arthur, Jerry Bruckheimer had a very precise understanding of the film market.

As a family film, National Treasure possessed the right values, which could serve as a textbook for the Hollywood film industry.

Matthew did an interview after the group photo, entered the cinema, and went straight to the screening room. Before the film began, he sat for a bit and exchanged a few words with Johnson.

From the very beginning, National Treasure embodied values that were unmistakably correct.

The film opens with the hero's childhood, where as a child, he possesses a common trait—curiosity about the unknown and an interest in adventure.

Subsequently, a story from his grandfather influences the life of the hero, Ben Gates, and he vows to find the treasure to the best of his ability.

But the film offers a clear orientation on what to do with treasures, reflected through the hero, Ben Gates: I wasn't looking for them to gain a fortune, but only to prove that they exist, that the legend is true.

In contrast, the film creates the opposing image of the villain: he embarks on a treasure hunt for money, commits all sorts of evil deeds, and ultimately cannot escape the law.

Deciphering clues and hunting for treasure are the main themes of the film, in addition to the two actors, Matthew and Johnson, who are in opposition throughout.

From the first scene on the ice field where Matthew and Johnson fight, to the later scene where they battle with their wits to steal the Declaration of Independence, and then the subsequent action sequences, the two of them come across, as the critics said, as somewhat brave but not particularly bright. The elaborate puzzles are actually too full of holes to withstand scrutiny, but the average viewer will have a good time watching.

It features handsome men, beautiful women, and gimmicks like the Templar treasure and the Declaration of Independence, all woven together more than successfully in one place, which is more than enough for a family film.

Moreover, National Treasure fits well within the structure of successful Hollywood adventure-treasure hunts and how North American audiences appreciate the genre.

In childhood or youth, the hero receives a clue about a treasure or another mystery, and then sets off on a quest.

Most importantly, the hero will never be too greedy and take the treasure for himself, but will either let it remain buried or give it to the people.

The selfless spirit of the hero, who loses money but wins love and finds a beautiful woman, is endearing.

Finally, another treasure map is found, laying the groundwork for a sequel.

Hollywood has evolved to a point where one could say that adventure films about treasure hunts have a very mature template. Films that follow this template are usually successful, while those that go against it receive a cold reception.

Even though Matthew was just an actor and not a professional in production or anything similar, he knew that innovation was not at all welcome in Hollywood today.

The major studios prefer to continue making films based on successful formulas.

National Treasure is a typical example of this, which ensures the film has a relatively low risk.

At the same time, it is accessible to the vast majority of viewers, and family films are meant to be entertaining.

After watching the film, Matthew could also see that many of his fight scenes with Johnson had been cut, especially the more violent ones.

However, this ensured that the film received a PG-13 rating in theaters.