The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 456

Disney Headquarters.

Jon Turteltaub looked across the table at Jerry Bruckheimer and asked, "Is there any hope for a National Treasure sequel?"

Jerry gave a helpless smile. "Disney hasn't been able to lock Horner down. I spoke with him personally, but got nowhere. Robert Iger reached out to him last weekend, too."

"Matthew won't budge?"

"No." The thought gave Jerry a headache. "This morning, Helen from the Angel Agency raised the price again. A higher fee is a non-negotiable condition if we want Matthew for the National Treasure sequel."

"They're stalling, waiting for the box office results from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest to come in so they can jack up the price!"

"There's nothing we can do about it." Jerry knew all too well that Matthew was no longer the same actor he'd been back on Black Hawk Down. "The National Treasure sequel needs Matthew, but Matthew doesn't need this sequel."

"What if we just dropped Horner?" Jon frowned. "We could save a lot of money and put it back into the production."

Jerry considered it for a long moment, then slowly shook his head. "Given Matthew's current popularity, how many viewers would accept us replacing the original lead?"

Jon said, displeased, "So we're just going to wait for Horner?""He's worth the wait. Looking at the negotiations between Disney and Helen, this project will probably be pushed back a few years anyway. Jon, if a suitable project comes up in the meantime, you can direct that."

The record-breaking opening weekend of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was both a blessing and a curse. It had made its two male leads, Johnny Depp and Matthew Horner, so popular that it would be strange if they didn't use the opportunity to raise their prices.

What was even more worrying was that Helen hadn't come to him this morning about the National Treasure sequel. Instead, she had joined forces with Depp's and Keira Knightley's agents to demand a larger share of the profits for the three leads in At World's End.

It was a real headache for Jerry, and Disney was likely in the same boat.

According to standard industry practice, if the first film in a series is a huge success, the cast naturally gets paid more for the sequel. But the proposal from Matthew's, Depp's, and Knightley's agents was just too much.

If they couldn't agree on the salaries, it would definitely affect the release of At World's End.

****

At the Angel Agency, Helen had just finished telling Matthew about her morning meeting with Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney Pictures.

"It was just a preliminary contact," she said, her voice even. "Both sides were just testing the waters. It'll take at least a couple of months to close a deal."

Matthew nodded. "Stalling is a good idea."

Helen leaned back in her chair. "Various research firms and Wall Street agencies published their latest projections for Pirates today. Based on audience word-of-mouth and the first week's box office, the forecasts for the total gross in North America and worldwide have been revised upward to $400 million and $1 billion, respectively."

She stated a simple fact: "If At World's End hits the $1 billion mark worldwide, every percentage point of the box office gross will mean another $10 million in your pocket."

She left the last part unsaid: an increase in Matthew's income meant a hefty commission for her as well.

Money was a powerful motivator.

After the North American opening weekend for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest concluded, the first week's overseas box office results were soon tallied. Dead Man's Chest had opened in over seventy countries and territories outside North America, pulling in a staggering $198 million.

Despite mixed critical reviews and a consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, many box office forecasters raised their expectations after these numbers were released.

With sights set on $400 million in North America and $1 billion worldwide, these forecasters didn't think it would be too difficult for Dead Man's Chest to reach that goal.

Meanwhile, on many websites, including Google and IMDb, the rankings for the week's most popular stars were nearly identical: Johnny Depp held a firm grip on first place with his performance as Captain Jack Sparrow, followed by Keira Knightley in the top five, despite her smaller role in the film.

It was no exaggeration to say that when the pirates set sail, merchant ships of all sizes had to run for cover.

However, not all the news from overseas was good. The media in the Dominican Republic, where the film was shot, slammed the movie for intentionally denigrating the country's indigenous tribes. They claimed Disney Pictures had dishonorably portrayed many local Dominicans as dim-witted and horrifying cannibals, demanding that Disney delete the footage and issue a public apology.

But of course, getting an apology from a major studio was a tall order.

Even a small Hollywood production company, let alone a giant like Disney, wouldn't apologize for such "trifles."

What was important to other countries and regions was merely entertainment in Hollywood's eyes. And if those countries had a problem with it, Hollywood would simply choose to ignore their outcry.

Fortunately, the Dominican Republic was far from North America, so the reaction from the Dominican press hadn't yet caused any problems for Dead Man's Chest.

"There's something else." Helen flipped through her day planner. "Oprah's company sent me an invitation this afternoon. They want you on her talk show."

Matthew thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you think I should go? I've heard Oprah's main audience is middle-aged women who stay at home."

"Yes, housewives are the backbone of Oprah's audience. And yes, my advice is to go."

Without waiting for Matthew to say anything else, she explained, "Bella and I did some research on your fan base across North America. So far, it's dominated by teenagers over fifteen, and your fandom includes a lot of men under forty."

Matthew nodded; Helen was right.

Folding her hands on the desk, Helen continued, "While you're very popular with young women under thirty-five, you're lacking a foothold among housewives over thirty-five."

"I don't think I'll ever win them over." Matthew spread his hands. "Don't they all love soap operas and romance movies?"

"Not necessarily. Before the scandal, Brad Pitt was the favorite movie star of housewives all across America. But his popularity plummeted after he was caught cheating on Aniston."

Matthew instantly understood what Helen was getting at. "So the housewife market is wide open right now, and you want me to take advantage of it."

Helen nodded. "You could say that. It's very difficult to get a major boost in support from an established demographic, but it's even harder to attract a whole new one. This could impact everything from future box office returns to brand endorsements."

Her tone suddenly grew more intense. "And The Oprah Winfrey Show is the perfect platform."

"I know." Matthew made up his mind. "Tell them yes."

Speaking of which, he suddenly remembered the charity auction. "And I'll ask Oprah about her donation."

Although the $100,000 donation had been pledged voluntarily on the night of the charity dinner, Amanda had personally contacted Oprah Winfrey, and still, nothing had been heard about the money. Oprah was clearly planning to renege on her promise.

Helen shook her head. "It wouldn't be the first time for Oprah. I think she's made a habit of backing out of charitable pledges."

Oprah wasn't the only one. Many of those who had promised donations that night never sent the money. As Amanda had said, a lot of them just wrote down a number for the sake of appearances at the event.

Not dwelling on the subject, Matthew returned to the talk show. "Dead Man's Chest is already a surefire hit. Doing Oprah's show right now would be a waste of publicity."

"Exactly." Helen agreed with Matthew. "It would be best to air it in late October or early November to coincide with the preliminary promotion for 300*."

After a moment's thought, she added, "I'll talk to Oprah first. Then, once we have that sorted, we'll talk to David and Warner Bros. to coordinate for the best possible promotion."

Matthew nodded. "And what about the information you promised to gather on Scientology? Tom Cruise's wedding party is coming up soon."