The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 600

In the dark bedroom, Francis Lawrence jolted awake from a nightmare, the terrifying sensation of a zombie closing in still clinging to him. He scrambled to switch on the bedside lamp, and a soft glow instantly banished the darkness. Relief washed over him as he saw the room was empty, realizing it had all just been a bad dream.

But then he knew something was wrong.

"Where's Paula?" Francis muttered. "It's nearly midnight. Did she go out again?"

He slipped on a robe and left the bedroom. A faint glow from the first floor drew his attention, and he hurried down the stairs, following the light into the living room. There, he found Paula standing before a cross, seemingly lost in devout prayer.

As he drew closer, Francis could hear Paula Patton's voice mid-prayer.

"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven... let Matthew Horner's popularity wane, and I pray that 'I Am Legend' bombs at the box office and makes 'Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem' a massive hit. Amen."

Paula finished making the sign of the cross and stood in silence for another moment before turning to see Francis behind her. "Why are you awake?"

Francis took a throw blanket from the sofa and draped it over her shoulders, replying, "I woke up and you weren't there."

Paula pulled Francis over to the sofa and sat down. "I couldn't stop thinking about 'I Am Legend' and I couldn't sleep, so I came down here."

Francis gently took her hand, unsure of what to say. He wanted to see Matthew's downfall even more than Paula did, if only to bring some peace to his good friend Spike Lee, to help him escape the grip of alcohol and drugs and finally pull himself together.But after seeing the advance ticket sales for 'I Am Legend' that morning, it was clear that particular wish was not destined to come true.

"Don't think about it," Francis said soothingly.

Paula couldn't just let it go. "How can I not think about it? 'I Am Legend' is opening in 4,200 theaters—that's nearly every commercial screen in the country. If it becomes a monster hit this weekend..."

She shook her head. "I know it's going to top the box office this week, but for it to hit a hundred million, it has to maintain that momentum into next weekend. And that will inevitably cut into the audience for 'Aliens vs. Predator.'"

Francis sighed but said nothing. These were concerns for 20th Century Fox to worry about; he was just a director-for-hire with no real say in the matter.

Paula made the sign of the cross again and said reverently, "I'm just hoping 'I Am Legend' makes less than thirty million on its first day. That way it might stay under a hundred million for the opening weekend."

Given the presales and advance ticket numbers, her prayer wasn't entirely unrealistic.

Francis just sighed.

The clock on the wall suddenly chimed, and Paula immediately stood, walked over to the study on the other side of the room, and switched on the computer. As Francis came up behind her, she navigated to the box office tracker Media By The Numbers, but the figures hadn't been updated yet. The stats for 'I Am Legend' still showed $14.6 million from the preview screenings.

"Still no update?" Impatient, Paula refreshed the page again and again. On the fifth try, the box office numbers for 'I Am Legend' finally updated.

Her breath caught as she saw the number. Behind her, Francis went still.

$42.8 million!

Including the previews, 'I Am Legend's opening day box office was $42.8 million.

Paula and Francis stared at the computer, frozen. Their logic had been simple: if a film made less than $30 million on its first day, it was unlikely to break the $100 million barrier over the opening weekend. If it grossed more than $30 million, a $100 million weekend was almost guaranteed.

But this was $42.8 million on the first day!

This meant that, at a minimum, 'I Am Legend' had a ninety-percent chance of soaring past the $100 million mark in its North American opening weekend.

Paula looked at Francis. In each other's eyes, they saw the same expression of helplessness and resignation. What good were prayers, really?

"I hope..." Paula sank back into her chair, a profound sense of helplessness washing over her. "I just hope our 'Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem' can make half of what 'I Am Legend' makes in its opening week."

They both stared at the numbers on the Media By The Numbers website, sitting in stunned silence.

***

The massive opening day numbers for 'I Am Legend' triggered a surge in media attention, and thanks to Warner Bros.' meticulous planning, a massive wave of publicity kicked off on Saturday.

The New York Times, in addition to running an interview with Matthew, reported:

"On its first day, 'I Am Legend' grossed $42.8 million, making it the 11th biggest opening day in North American box office history for December and the highest-ever opening day for a vampire film. The unprecedented single-day surge to the top of the North American box office marks the best holiday debut of Matthew's career, and the film serves as further proof of his unparalleled box-office appeal."

Yahoo.com covered another side of the story with a headline in its entertainment section.

"Is 'I Am Legend' any good? The film is earning an 'A' from audiences via CinemaScore and an 'A-' from press outlets. While critical reviews are mixed, most praise the film's tense, apocalyptic atmosphere. Out of forty-five reviews aggregated by Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a strong positive rating. IMDB users have also given it an impressive 8.5 score. Based on current trends, 'I Am Legend' is projected to ultimately surpass $300 million at the domestic box office."

The Washington Post's entertainment section ran the headline: "'I Am Legend's Frighteningly Good Box Office: A Sci-Fi Horror Sensation Dominates the Family-Friendly Holiday Season!"

But perhaps the best illustration of this was an article in the Los

Angeles Times.

"Few actors working in Hollywood today can truly be called a legend, but Matthew Horner is undoubtedly one of them. While his staggering fee—$20 million plus a percentage of the gross—has made some studios hesitate, every single one that has met his price has reaped massive returns. It’s not enough to simply look at the box office numbers; his success spans every genre—sci-fi, thriller, action, fantasy, animation, and even drama—time and time again. The success of 'I Am Legend' is more than just a win for the studio; it's a significant morale boost for an industry currently shaken by a writers' strike and widespread uncertainty."

This widespread media coverage drew even more attention to both Matthew and 'I Am Legend'.

By Saturday, 'I Am Legend' was a certified phenomenon, boasting the highest gross and attendance figures of any film currently in theaters. Paul Dergarabedian, the president of box-office tracker Media By The Numbers, didn't hide his admiration for the star in a televised interview: "In Hollywood, the '$20 Million Club' has long been the benchmark for A-list status, and films starring its members are typically guaranteed hits. However, in today's climate of rising production costs, even the members of that elite club—Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts—haven't been the guaranteed draws they once were. Their recent releases have been fewer and their box office power has waned. The sole exception is Matthew, who continues to prove he is worth every penny."

He concluded with a joke, playing on the film's title: "It's no wonder Matthew's character feels so alone. Everyone else on the planet is at the theater watching his movie."

All this media buzz created a perfect storm of publicity, driving droves of people who weren't even part of Matthew's original fanbase to flock to theaters.

Furthermore, the new fans he had won over during the charity giveaway incident turned out in force, adding significantly to the box office totals.

As Helen had told Matthew, PR firms across Hollywood were already studying the incident as a classic case of turning a crisis into a career-defining triumph.

On Saturday, 'I Am Legend' raked in another $40.2 million, bringing its cumulative domestic gross to $83 million—just a stone's throw away from the $100 million milestone.

Of course, no one could deny that Warner Bros. itself was a key factor in the film's spectacular success.