The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 646

The other films opening that same weekend were inevitably hit hard by "The Dark Knight," a blow directly reflected in "Hancock's" box office performance.

In its third weekend, the film's box office dropped by fifty percent, pulling in another $20.4 million. Adding that to the $20.6 million it had earned over the previous weekdays, it finally crossed the $200 million threshold in North America, reaching a total of $203.6 million.

Compared to Matthew's previous leading roles,

"Hancock" was a bit slower to cross the $200 million mark at the North American box office.

"The film is projected to gross around $300 million in North America."

In her office, Helen sat at her desk and discussed Warner Bros.' latest projections with Matthew. "It's going to be a struggle to break the $800 million mark at the global box office."

Matthew nodded cautiously. "Considering the quality of the film, that's not bad at all."

Helen reiterated her point. "Stay away from Goldsman for a while."

"I know," Matthew replied noncommittally.

They had reached an agreement on that matter a long time ago. In fact, he had already unequivocally rejected Goldsman's offer for the lead role in a western.Even though Goldsman had intentionally cast Megan Fox as the female lead to entice him, Matthew had refused without a second thought. Miss Fox was undeniably seductive, but she wasn't enough to make him rush into a bad decision.

What was more important—women or his career? He had always been clear-headed about it: as long as his career thrived, there would be countless other women in his future. Hollywood and the modeling world were full of women just like Megan Fox.

If his career tanked, how many of those women, including Nina Dobrev and Megan Fox, would still give him the time of day?

Matthew had never been naive enough to think these women were with him for love. His good looks might have been a factor, but they were certainly not the main reason.

That was why he never pursued long-term, stable relationships with any of them.

Any woman who made it in the entertainment industry and knew how to climb the ladder was far from simple-minded.

In this business, whether it was genuine or fabricated, everyone was selling a persona. His was the fierce champion of the underdog, Emma Watson's was the feminist, and Charlize Theron's was the ice-queen supermodel.

If you wanted to be your true self in the entertainment industry, you had to at least become a superstar first to earn that right.

Just then, Helen added, "By the way, I have some news that might interest you."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Warner Bros. has officially signed Will Smith." Helen knew Matthew well enough to understand he wouldn't forget what the Smiths had done. "He's going to play Green Lantern."

She added, "You've probably already heard that the Green Lantern movie is set to be the first film in the Justice League universe."

Matthew nodded. "I heard Charles Roven mention it."

He thought for a moment, then asked, "Did Warner Bros. offer Will

Smith a massive salary for the picture?"

Helen replied calmly, "From what I'm told, it's a $20 million base salary plus back-end points."

"A lucrative contract," Matthew grumbled.

He had predicted this outcome when he first dropped a hint to Charles. If Will Smith wanted to play Green Lantern, a short-term windfall was inevitable.

"Will Smith is an A-list movie star, not some liability like Robert Downey Jr. used to be," Helen remarked casually. "Even though his last few films haven't been huge hits, he's still a top-tier star with major market appeal and a wide range of options. Warner Bros. would have to pay top dollar to land him."

Matthew said pointedly, "He's certainly cashing in."

Helen glanced at Matthew when he said that but thought nothing of it. The Matthew she knew wasn't a generous man, especially not toward his rivals. Will Smith had screwed him over in the past, so of course Matthew wouldn't be happy to see him succeed.

"Let's not talk about him," Helen said, changing the subject. "You went to see Christopher Nolan yesterday. How did that go?"

Matthew shook his head, a hint of frustration in his expression. "It was a headache."

He gave a slight shrug. "Nolan gave me a few books on dreams to read."

The preparation for "Inception" was already proving to be far more demanding than for any of the films he'd done with Goldsman.

In fact, their conversation hadn't been limited to the film's subject matter. Nolan had also brought up the dangers of drugs, vaguely hinting that he hoped the future star of "Inception" wouldn't have the same issues that plagued Heath Ledger.

Of course, that wouldn't be a problem for Matthew, who had always loathed drugs and everything associated with them.

He didn't care what others around him did, but he wouldn't touch the stuff himself.

Many Hollywood stars didn't do drugs because of stress or depression; they did it for the thrill. If taking vitamins were forbidden, they'd probably do that too.

The entertainment industry was often synonymous with drugs, and young people tended to emulate the rebellious outcasts, drawn to whatever was forbidden. But was it really cool to just follow the trend?

No matter the situation, Matthew would never touch drugs. There were plenty of other things in the world that could give him a rush of excitement and pleasure, so why would he willingly walk down that path to ruin?

Making money made him feel good. Chasing beautiful women made him feel alive. Those were his greatest motivations.

Since filming for "Inception" wouldn't begin until next year, Matthew still had plenty of time to prepare. The books Christopher Nolan had given him were a bit dense, but he was determined to read them thoroughly.

As a star, he believed his dedication should match his paycheck.

As for the rest of the year, there was still Paramount Pictures' "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" project with Hasbro. Helen told him, "We're in the final stages of negotiating the contract for the lead role."