It wasn't just the New York Post and Cooper brandishing the "$4.2 million box office" banner to criticize Laila; other newspapers looking for a sensation also joined the chorus.
Listening to their tone, it seemed as if Laila had made the worst movie in history.
Undoubtedly, other movie companies were scheming behind the scenes, especially those with films releasing alongside "Rush Hour." They probably wished everyone believed it was a terrible film so they wouldn't have to compete for box office earnings.
However, some reputable newspapers praised Laila's film, highlighting her innovative directing and editing techniques. They saw her use of slow-motion during fight scenes, the unique camera angles, and the rapid cuts during action sequences as setting new trends. Other directors could learn from her methods.
However, more newspapers held a different view. They only saw the "disastrous" box office of "Rush Hour." They concluded that the film lacked staying power from its initial earnings and that it could only hope to recover its costs through international box office sales and DVD releases.
Looking at the arguments in the newspapers, Laila found it quite amusing.
When her films caused one box office surprise after another, many people claimed that high box office numbers weren't everything; what mattered was the depth of the film's content. But now that her box office numbers were low, those same people were quick to emphasize the importance of box office earnings. It seemed that failing to even achieve a minimal box office was a huge failure in their eyes.
Such blatant double standards being openly propagated—was that really a good thing? Could it be considered self-sabotage?
What left Laila speechless was that since morning, she had received numerous phone calls—from her grandfather to her mother, from Theron to Roy, from New Line Cinema to Jackie Chan. It seemed like everyone was trying to console her, assuring her that the movie wasn't so bad after all. They claimed that the audience was simply struggling to accept the Eastern martial arts genre.
While there was some truth to these claims, Laila wasn't naïve enough to accept the director's role without understanding the potential pitfalls. No matter how she explained that the film was good and that the box office would eventually improve, the people on the other end of the line assumed she was consoling herself due to her inability to accept reality.
In the end, she stopped explaining and decided to let the facts speak for themselves.
The box office numbers on the second day of "Rush Hour" silenced many critics as it earned over 8.1 million, nearly doubling the previous day's earnings.
This sudden increase left the newspapers that had criticized Laila the day before in a difficult position. There was no logical explanation for such a sharp rise in box office earnings. Even though it was a Saturday, it didn't make sense for the movie to suddenly attract so many more viewers. Some even speculated whether Moran's family had manipulated the numbers to make them look good, buying their tickets to boost the box office.
Believe it or not, quite a few media outlets were entertaining such thoughts. If that were the case, it would be quite a scandal. As they say, where there's smoke, there's fire. Who could guarantee that the box office numbers of her previous films hadn't been inflated?
Genius director? Magical witch? Maybe they were just illusions propped up by money!
Journalists and paparazzi who believed they had caught hold of a significant story each used their own methods to try to find the "evidence." They knew that if their speculations were correct, their newspaper sales wouldn't be a concern anymore. As for whether Laila Moran's career would be ruined, that was of no concern to them. The most important thing was making money.
However, no matter how they pried and dug into the box office records, the results were nothing but a clear record of innocence. What's more, they discovered instances of other companies manipulating "Rush Hour"'s box office!
This meant that the first-day box office could have been even higher, but some of it had been attributed to other movies. Although it was only a few hundred thousand dollars, it was still an unethical act.
The US had strict regulations on the movie industry, and such incidents usually led to severe penalties. Theater owners and companies that had manipulated the box office figures with money were likely to face the consequences. As for the journalists, apart from being frustrated at having been misled, they could only shift their focus to understanding why the box office suddenly increased.
Believe it or not, they managed to uncover a few reasons.
After conducting some random interviews, the journalists found that the situation wasn't entirely baseless.
First, the premiere had taken place on a Friday evening, covering only half a day. The second day's earnings spanned the entire day and fell on a Saturday—the perfect time for people to come out on a date and watch a movie.
Second, word-of-mouth spread incredibly fast. Excited about the captivating fights, the fantastic story, and other thrilling aspects of the film, people shared their praises through phone calls, the internet, and various other means. Even those who weren't usually fans of martial arts films couldn't resist asking if it was really as good as they heard. When they received confirmation, curiosity got the best of them. This curiosity often played a significant role in motivating viewers to head to the cinema, especially when they heard everyone around them praising the movie.
Third, and crucially, was Laila herself.
When news first broke that she was continuing to make action films, her fans, who had organized protests outside her studio earlier, were hoping she would change her mind and stick to her forte of horror movies instead of venturing into action films.
They felt she was wasting her time and talent. It was rare for someone to excel in making horror classics, so she shouldn't squander her gift on mundane action movies. Though some fans took a wait-and-see approach after Laila and their representatives made a pact, many secretly organized to boycott "Rush Hour" to pressure Laila to return to horror, a genre they loved.
Consequently, after "Rush Hour" was released, many of Laila's fans didn't rush to watch it on the first day. They not only refrained from going themselves but also discouraged their friends and family from attending.
It's worth noting that Laila had a massive fan base in Hollywood, comprising fans who liked her personality, her achievements, and particularly those who loved her horror movies. Although they were just a portion of her overall fan base, they were still a substantial group.
Their collective decision to abstain from watching "Rush Hour" on its opening day was a major factor contributing to the underwhelming box office performance.
However, on the second day, when some fans saw online recommendations and heard praise from friends who had seen the film, they couldn't resist the movie's allure any longer and ultimately decided to purchase tickets and enter the cinema.