Standing at the entrance of Angel Talent Agency, Matthew looked at the seven or eight reporters in front of him, showing no intention of dodging their questions. Universal Pictures had informed Helen Herman at noon, and he had specifically watched the interview video of Rex Reed broadcasted on NBC and the internet, knowing he needed to cooperate with Reed's statements.
He had no personal grudges with Rex Reed; it was all for the sake of promotion.
And judging from the reactions so far, the publicity stunt was very effective.
Matthew gradually saw clearly that in this era, where the internet had not fully exploded, the public was not very knowledgeable about Hollywood's promotional tactics and were relatively easily influenced by such unique hype.
Looking at the reporters, he knew what they wanted to ask.
"Matthew Horner..." a short male reporter was the first to stand up and ask, "Did you really send a donkey to Rex Reed?"
"Yes," Matthew first admitted, then continued, "He wanted to kiss a donkey's butt, right? I specially selected one for him."
Another female reporter then asked, "Rex Reed just said this morning that if 'The Scorpion King's' opening weekend box office doesn't reach ten million dollars, he will return the donkey to you, asking you to kiss the donkey's butt."
Matthew couldn't show weakness at this moment, and needed to support the production team's publicity needs, confidently saying, "I don't mind betting with him! I have confidence in the production team and the film!"
Having said all that needed to be said, he no longer lingered and left directly in his car.
Wednesday passed by, and by early Thursday morning, the back-and-forth between Matthew and Rex Reed appeared in numerous entertainment media outlets, sparking a minor frenzy and continuously escalating interest in 'The Scorpion King'. Although the film's Rotten Tomatoes freshness score had slipped to 63%, its topical nature did not lack attention.
Even professional survey agencies predicted that 'The Scorpion King's' opening weekend box office could very likely surpass thirty million dollars.
And they provided their reasoning: first, there were no strong competitors in April's release schedule; second, the film's promotional marketing was exceptionally outstanding.
Whether the predictions matched reality would be evident from the advance screenings starting Thursday evening.
On Thursday night, 'The Scorpion King', with nearly 3300 cinemas holding advance screenings, began its debut across major North American chains. According to North American box office accounting methods, the advance screening revenue would be included in the opening weekend box office.
The opening weekend box office results could be indicative of the film's future.
Late at night, in the office of Angel Talent Agency, Helen Herman stood in front of a huge glass window, looking at the night view of Burbank, saying nothing.
Behind her, not far away, Matthew was slouching on a sofa, playing Tetris on his phone.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already past midnight, and the advance screening statistics should be out soon. He looked at Helen Herman, who stood motionless in front of the window, her slender and slim figure like a sculpture.
Matthew took a deep breath, suppressing the anxiety brought by the wait, and continued playing Tetris. However, his trembling fingers on the keyboard kept making mistakes, and the game ended quickly.
How could one not be nervous at such a fate-deciding moment?
Matthew exhaled and put away his phone.
Helen Herman seemed to notice something, turned her head to glance at him, then turned back, her expressionless face hidden behind old-fashioned black-rimmed glasses.
Tonight would decide her future strategy towards Matthew Horner.
If two years of investment couldn't even create a minor star, it meant the person had no future and could be discarded.
If successful, she could leverage this to secure leading roles in two other major productions, turning Angel Talent Agency into an agency with a second or even top-tier star client!
She knew Matthew Horner had good natural talent, but no one could guarantee that a person with good talent would definitely succeed.
After putting away his phone, Matthew came to Helen Herman's side and also looked out the window with interest. He knew exactly what kind of person Helen Herman was. Whether they could continue to admire Burbank's scenery together depended on tonight's results.
Of course, such a choice was typical of a professional agent. Any other agent would make the same decision as Helen Herman.
After standing together for about fifteen minutes, there was still no notification.
Matthew's anxiety resurfaced, and he couldn't help asking, "Are you sure you've spoken to Sean Daniel? Did you ask him to notify you as soon as the preliminary box office count is in? Not wait for the precise box office results, right?"
America's cinemas all used a unified networked system, and the day's box office data was tallied very quickly, usually available shortly after midnight. However, there were always discrepancies, and accurate counts wouldn't be available until the next morning or noon.
Helen Herman glanced at Matthew but didn't speak.
"Should we call and check?" Matthew muttered.
The wait was unbearable, directly affecting his future.
"If you want to call…" Helen Herman turned and indicated the desk behind her, "The phone is on the desk, and you have Sean Daniel's number."
Matthew didn't go to the desk but took out his phone, hesitating whether to call Sean Daniel.
Suddenly, Helen Herman's phone rang. Matthew saw her answer the call, put away his own phone, and turned to look at Helen Herman.
"Hi, it's me," Helen Herman said in her usual unchanging expression. After listening for a while, she said, "Okay, I got it, thank you for waiting so late to inform me."
She hung up and put away her phone.
Matthew had been watching Helen Herman, and at this moment, he saw her expression relax…
"How much?" he quickly asked.
Helen Herman replied directly, "The preliminary count is 3.4 million dollars. The exact number won't differ by more than 100,000 dollars."
Hearing the figure of 3.4 million dollars, Matthew finally breathed a sigh of relief. Helen Herman had analyzed before that a film like 'The Scorpion King', bearing the banner of a 'Mummy' series spin-off and not a first installment or original type, would have a somewhat higher advance screening box office. The total box office for the first day, including advance screenings, usually ranged between three to five times the advance screening revenue, fitting the pattern long established in Hollywood, except in very rare cases.
Even if it was only three times, that would be close to or exceed 10 million dollars!
A first-day box office of 10 million dollars meant the opening weekend box office would almost certainly be above 20 million dollars!
Based on this calculation, even if 'The Scorpion King' had an extremely poor performance in the later stages, its North American box office should reach the production budget of 40 million dollars. Given the current state of Hollywood films in overseas markets and the support of overseas box office, the film might be able to recoup its cost through box office alone.
In this case, 'The Scorpion King' would be considered a success, and his role as the male lead would surely rise significantly in the industry.
His assumptions were based on the film performing less optimally after the first day. If 'The Scorpion King' maintained a slightly more stable trend and didn't plummet on Saturday, that would be exceptionally wonderful.
If so, he would certainly become a third-tier minor star, moving beyond the realm of ordinary actors, stepping out of the bottom layer of Hollywood's pyramid, and becoming part of a relatively higher level.
"Congratulations, Matthew," Helen Herman suddenly spoke, interrupting his thoughts, "You're getting closer to your goal."
"Haha…" Matthew chuckled, thick-faced and hypocritical, "I've always told you, I was born to be a star. You didn't make a mistake investing resources in promoting me, right?"
Helen Herman ignored his words. She knew what kind of person Matthew was; even if he was very proud inside, he wouldn't lose his head.
She snorted coldly, then said, "Get ready, your life is about to undergo a huge change."
Matthew had been looking forward to this day, his smile fading as he said, "I've been ready for a long time."
Helen Herman glanced at him, "I hope so." She turned away from the window, pulled out a chair, and sat down, adding, "Let's sign a new contract, with a maximum term of three years!"
Matthew thought for a moment and replied, "Okay, we can discuss the specific terms."
Although he was seeing success, he knew he still needed Angel Talent Agency. Now that 'The Scorpion King' was about to succeed, he would become an unshakable top client at Angel Talent Agency. Helen Herman and all of the agency's best resources would be prioritized for him.
Switching to another agency rashly would be difficult to enjoy such treatment. Joining a large agency would just make him one of many ordinary clients; choosing a smaller one wouldn't be better than staying here.
"Our current contract expires at the end of the year; we can take our time to discuss," Helen Herman also showed sincerity, "If you sign a three-year contract, my agent commission will be reduced from ten percent to eight percent."
"Hmm." Matthew turned towards the door, "I feel your sincerity, Helen."
He opened the door, ready to go home, "Go to bed early, staying up late will give you dark circles, and your glasses won't cover them."
Helen Herman was clearly in a good mood now, deliberately saying, "Don't celebrate too early. We still don't know tomorrow's attendance situation; anything could happen."
Matthew turned back before closing the door and said, "Actually, you know better than me that such a possibility is almost non-existent."
After the office door closed, Helen Herman sat in her chair, alone in the office. She took off her glasses and laughed uncontrollably.
Her laughter was incredibly joyful and liberating.
She was finally about to build her career!
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