The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 774

The film itself had an abysmal reputation. From the media to film critics to movie lovers, everyone who saw it seemed to agree it was a bad movie. Most didn't consider it outstanding in any way, yet the box office performance was astonishingly high.

Films like "The Blair Witch Project," this year's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," and Matthew's own "Hancock" from two years ago were all prime examples of this phenomenon.

Even many of those who watched it several times, contributing directly to the box office haul, admitted that the film wasn't very good.

But the movie still sold tickets.

Twilight was undoubtedly becoming another prime example of this strange genre of critically maligned yet commercially successful films.

The influence of the first film, the popularity of the original novels, and a sharply targeted promotional campaign had sent the buzz for "New Moon" into the stratosphere.

The film, made for just over fifty million dollars—a modest mid-level budget—had driven teenage fans into a frenzy.

Even Matthew himself could feel it; the box office performance was simply staggering.

Just as the premiere wrapped up, Matthew received the latest statistics on "New Moon's" North American pre-sales. For its first week, the pre-sale box office had approached $51 million, allowing "New Moon" to easily surpass "The Dark Knight," "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," and "Fast & Furious" to claim the top spot for North American pre-release ticket sales.

Of the 2,000 people who pre-purchased tickets for "New Moon," 98% said the trailer and characters looked better than in "Twilight"; 72% stated they planned to see the movie with three or more friends; 52% said they were eagerly awaiting the vampire battle. A dedicated 10% planned to attend the screening dressed as a character from the "Twilight" series.Vampire culture was truly deeply ingrained in the West.

Although Matthew had predicted, with some certainty, that "New Moon" would gross a conservative $90 million on its opening weekend, the first wave of actual box office data still came as a surprise.

The staggering figure of $27.5 million was a delightful shock.

The previous midnight screening record belonged to "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," which had opened in mid-July with $22.07 million.

It had taken the Harry Potter series five films and nearly a decade since 2000 to cultivate its massive fan base.

But just four months later, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" had shattered that record by more than five million dollars!

North American box office analysts were now projecting that "New Moon" would gross over $100 million in its three-day weekend. According to Hollywood.com, the enormous fan base that had propelled "Twilight" to popularity last year would carry over to "New Moon," and the enthusiasm of its fans would make the sequel another miracle hit, positioning it as the biggest winner of any North American weekend this year.

In stark contrast to its soaring box office, the critical reception for "New Moon" soured at a rate unheard of for a Hollywood blockbuster.

Its reputation among word-of-mouth, the media, and critics was simply dreadful.

The film suffered a double blow from both critics and fans. On IMDb, its average rating from nearly 20,000 users was a dismal 4.5. On Rotten Tomatoes, it held a pathetic 29% freshness rating. It received a C- from media outlets and a pitiful C from audiences surveyed by CinemaScore.

The renowned film critic Roger Ebert awarded "New Moon" just one star, writing, "The characters in this film should be arrested. I truly don't know what purpose they serve. Watching this movie is like riding on a slow-motion tractor."

Another critic, James Berardinelli, declared, "The film is of poor quality, the plot is scattered, and the dialogue and acting are atrocious."

As for fan reviews, virtually no older male viewer had anything good to say upon leaving the theater.

One devoted reader of the "Twilight" novels stated, "As a grown man, I've read all the 'Twilight' books, and I still think they're more interesting. It's disappointing that the acting in 'New Moon' is so dull; it robs the characters of their original appeal."

An even more fervent fan proclaimed, "'New Moon' is like a steaming pile of crap with no redeeming qualities. I'd rather shoot myself than watch it again."

Many others echoed the sentiment that while the first film was bad enough, the second was even worse.

Nevertheless, there was one statistic that stood out: in surveys of the entire audience, the film received high marks from one key demographic—it had completely won over female viewers!

Countless female moviegoers said they were satisfied with the film and were already eagerly anticipating the release of the third installment.

Thus, the power of female fans should never be underestimated.

When a man and a woman go to the movies on a date, it is overwhelmingly the woman who decides what they see, especially among young couples.

In the face of numerous negative reviews, "New Moon" had its advantages. Matthew's strategy was to stay the course, knowing the film's core audience was teenagers, an age group that cared little for critical reviews.

Moreover, "New Moon" was a sequel, the continuation of a blockbuster film.

Big-budget films will always be a commodity for sale, producers will always be profit-driven animals, and audiences will always be the generous patrons who transform the steady stream of gold coins from their pockets into terrifying box office numbers. And so, "New Moon," shedding the restrained, youthful manner of the first film, became the long-awaited cash cow for many theaters this Thanksgiving season.

"New Moon" had no real competition. Only two other films were released this weekend: the Oscar-winning "The Blind Side" starring Sandra Bullock, and Sony's 3D animated feature "Planet 51."

Ever since the release of the first "Twilight" film, owners of every major bookstore in the United States had been grateful to Matthew. Sales weren't necessarily a guarantee of quality, but they had to satisfy a certain social demand, which was then reflected in the market in another way—through the film's box office.

Over the years, a mutual synergy had developed between films and books, so bestsellers were turned into movies, and books continued to sell well as movie spin-offs.

If the consumer core of the "Harry Potter" series was aimed at a collective of innocent children, then the endless fans of "Twilight" were young teenagers. For them, books and films about love were the best emotional textbooks.

Therefore, the opening day box office for "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" set a new record.

The single-day box office record in the North American market had been held by "The Dark Knight," Christopher Nolan's realistic superhero film, which was practically the benchmark for both box office and critical success.

But now, a film with a rotten reputation from professionals and audiences alike had broken the record set by "The Dark Knight."

Hollywood had witnessed this miracle of bad movies and high box office numbers going hand in hand far too many times.

"Twilight" opened in 4,024 theaters and lived up to Matthew's expectations, grossing $77.7 million on its first day, instantly shattering "The Dark Knight's" record of $67.17 million and claiming the title of the highest-grossing opening day film.

On Saturday and Sunday, although the film's single-day box office dropped sharply due to word-of-mouth and fan burnout, it still managed to collect $42.5 million and $31.6 million over the two days.

In its three-day opening weekend, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" grossed an incredible $151.8 million in North America alone, with a per-theater average of over $37,000!

This figure meant that "New Moon" had set several records: the number one opening weekend of 2009, the number one opening day of all time, and the fastest film in box office history to reach $100 million.

Furthermore, "New Moon" was the lowest-budget film among the top twenty all-time opening weekend grossers.

Without a second thought, Matthew knew that the film's enormous box office success would be a topic of conversation for a long time among fans of the novel, movie enthusiasts, media professionals, marketing professors, and everyone in between.

Initially, the rights to this series couldn't even be sold. The novel and screenplay had sat at Paramount Pictures for over half a year, completely ignored. But in his hands, it had become a dazzling new star.