After finishing the scenes required by Zack Snyder, Matthew Horner focused all his energy on promoting "National Treasure." To become a superstar, any film he stars in must succeed, at least in terms of box office numbers, which need to be impressively high.
Over the next week, Matthew became a frequent flyer, traveling between major cities across North America, constantly attending press events, interviews, and fan activities to vigorously promote "National Treasure."
As the movie industry has evolved, the importance of promotion has increased significantly. In Matthew's view, Hollywood's film industry is indeed a case of "even the finest wine needs to be advertised."
Insufficient promotion directly results in unsatisfactory box office results, which significantly affect the film's ancillary revenues.
Thanks to viral marketing and the strong promotion in North America by the leading trio of Matthew Horner, Dwayne Johnson, and Diane Kruger, especially the various topics created around Matthew and Dwayne Johnson, "National Treasure" garnered significant attention from movie fans.
Meanwhile, Disney Studios held multiple screenings of "National Treasure" and invited representatives from the three major commercial theater chains. According to the data Matthew received after these previews, the reception was quite positive.
Representatives of the theater chains and the attendees of the screenings thought it was an excellent family-friendly action-adventure treasure hunt movie. However, professional critics who attended the screenings were not as favorable; the embargoed Rotten Tomatoes score was rotten at just 55%, with an average critic rating of 5.5, a failing grade.
This is not the summer season, and the awards season is approaching. In the seasonal effects of the North American movie market, the influence of movie critics during this period far exceeds that of the summer.
"The entire movie seems sluggish and overly long, and the action scenes featuring Matthew Horner and Dwayne Johnson are completely unnecessary, and there are significant plot holes."
"This movie is a mediocre popcorn flick, with absurd and ridiculous plots."
"Just watching the first ten minutes of the movie, you can foresee the rest of it. Worse, Matthew Horner and Dwayne Johnson seem to focus only on how strong they appear, forgetting that their characters need brains too."
"National Treasure" received poor professional reviews, but Hollywood insiders still set a North American box office expectation of $200 million.
Based solely on professional reviews, "National Treasure's" North American box office would be doomed. However, the reality was quite the opposite, as pre-sales were very strong. Two days before the premiere, pre-sales for the opening weekend in North America had already exceeded $5 million.
Before the premiere of "National Treasure," both BoxOfficeMojo and CinemaScore released forecasts predicting that the opening weekend box office in North America would exceed $40 million.
BoxOfficeMojo's reasoning was simple: Jerry Bruckheimer's brand effect, Disney Studios' powerful marketing and distribution, and the draw of the lead actors.
Their sampling survey found that more than half of the pre-sale audience bought tickets because it was a film starring Matthew Horner.
The weekend before Thanksgiving, "National Treasure" had its grand North American premiere at the Hollywood Chief Rock Theater.
Matthew, Dwayne Johnson, and Diane Kruger, the three main actors, all appeared at the premiere. Disney Studios also invited many high-profile guests.
Additionally, Matthew invited several friends to support him; Johnny Depp and Keanu Reeves walked the red carpet in front of Chief Rock.
Early last month, Matthew had notified his friends to attend the premiere if their schedules allowed, especially James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, who urgently needed fame and exposure.
Unfortunately, both had scheduling conflicts; James McAvoy was shooting "The Chronicles of Narnia," currently on location in New Zealand; Michael Fassbender was also busy filming and couldn't make it.
Aside from these comrades-in-arms, Matthew had also notified Charlize Theron, who was still promoting the World Cup with the South African team and couldn't return to Los Angeles for a while.
Of course, Matthew didn't forget Lily Collins; he had the Angel Agency send her two premiere tickets.
"What, poor reviews?" In the interview area, Matthew, facing questions from journalists, laughed and said, "I'm not worried at all because the fan reactions to the screenings have been generally very good."
He didn't mention the professional critics, as there was no need to offend them. Instead, he added, "Also, the experts from North America's three major commercial theater chains, after viewing the screenings, praised the film highly. Originally, we were going to be in less than 3,200 theaters, but after the screenings, the theater alliance increased it to more than 3,500. I think that speaks for itself."
After these remarks, Matthew didn't linger any longer and turned to enter the Chief Rock Theater.
Indeed, "National Treasure's" relatively mediocre professional reviews might affect its long-term box office performance, but it wasn't expected to impact the opening weekend much
.
From the pre-sales and all the feedback leading up to it, the opening weekend box office for "National Treasure" was definitely not going to be below $40 million.
The film's publicly disclosed production budget was $100 million, and as long as the trend wasn't too negative, surpassing $150 million in North American box office receipts would not be a problem.
With this, plus international earnings, the film could definitely be declared a box office success, adding significantly to his journey towards becoming a leading actor.
Matthew believed the actual results of the film would only be higher than his estimate.
"National Treasure," produced and distributed by Disney Studios, targeted a broad demographic. Disney's films are suitable for all ages, attracting both teenagers and adults.
With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up, such a movie was also perfect for family viewing.
Despite all the gimmicks, "National Treasure" remained a straightforward film aimed at pleasing a young audience, which is why it was not well-received by critics.
In contrast, the young audience at the screenings really enjoyed the film.
Even though he had faced a flop like "King Arthur," Jerry Bruckheimer still had a precise grasp of the film market.
As a family-friendly film, "National Treasure" could practically serve as a textbook for the Hollywood film industry's value system.
After the group photo, Matthew took some interviews and went straight to the screening hall. He had just sat down and exchanged a few words with Dwayne Johnson when the film began.
From the start, "National Treasure" showcased impeccably correct values.
The film begins with a child's childhood, characterized by a common trait—curiosity about the unknown and a love for adventure.
Thus, a story from the protagonist Ben Gates' great-great-grandfather shaped his life: to make every effort to find that treasure.
However, the film clearly guides how to handle the treasure through the protagonist, Ben Gates: "I'm not looking for it to gain wealth, but just to prove its existence and validate the legend."
Opposite this is Ian, a negative character: looking for treasure for money, committing bad deeds, and ultimately not escaping legal punishment.
Deciphering and searching for treasure is the main theme of the film, along with the ongoing rivalry between the two strong men, Matthew and Dwayne Johnson.
From the first scene in the ice fields, where Matthew and Dwayne Johnson fight, to the later intellectual and action-packed encounters, although they seem a bit reckless as critics have said, with cleverly designed puzzles that actually have many flaws, the general audience found it thoroughly enjoyable.
The film had handsome men, tough guys, beautiful women, and gimmicks like the Knights Templar's treasure and the Declaration of Independence, which were successfully combined in one place, sufficient for a family-friendly entertainment film.
Moreover, "National Treasure" perfectly fits the successful structure of Hollywood adventure treasure hunt films and North American audience expectations for this type of film.
The protagonist, as a child, receives clues about a treasure or other secrets, then sets out on a treasure hunt. The initial phase of the protagonist's journey is often smooth, usually successful at the start; but then the antagonist appears, and the protagonist's initial gains are stolen, placing him in a dilemma.
All protagonists manage to escape the dilemma and find the treasure before their opponents; most importantly, the protagonist absolutely does not have excessive greed, will not keep the treasure for himself, and will ensure the treasure remains hidden or is handed over to the nation or humanity.
The protagonist's selfless spirit wins love, not money, and gains the beautiful maiden.
In the end, another treasure map is discovered, laying the groundwork for a sequel...
Hollywood has developed a very mature model for adventure treasure hunt movies; films that follow this model tend to succeed, while those that deviate are often coldly received.
Even though Matthew is just an actor and not a professional producer, he understands that today's Hollywood does not welcome innovation.
Major studios prefer to continue producing films along successful models.
"National Treasure" is a typical example of this, ensuring the film's relatively low risk.
Also, such a film can be accepted by the vast majority of audiences; after all, family-friendly films aim to entertain.
After watching the film, Matthew noticed that many of the action scenes between him and Dwayne Johnson were cut, especially the more violent ones. The level of their physical confrontation was indeed very minimal.
However, this also ensured that the film ultimately appeared in theaters with a PG rating.
___________________
(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)
If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters
Read Ahead
Patreon.com/INNIT