In the middle of the night, Todd McCarthy, a critic for The Hollywood Reporter, stepped out of the Kodak Theatre rubbing his forehead. He had just witnessed what was, without a doubt, the worst film of the sumr season so far. It was even more abysmal than
"Transforrs," which had been released during last year's Independence Day holiday.
As Todd made his way toward the theater doors, the excited chatter of fans swirled around him.
"Matthew was originally supposed to be Superman!"
"Watching Matthew as Superman would be so much fun!"
"The special effects were incredible!"
Hearing their words, Todd imdiately shook his head. Audiences these days were so gullible; they didn't know what a good film was anymore. Was this piece of garbage, coasting on a big-na star and flashy special effects with a barely justifiable plot, even worth discussing?
The tastes of modern audiences had beco truly bizarre. Excellent, restrained films with slow-burn plots and genuine dramatic tension went completely unnoticed, while movies like
"Iron Man," "Transforrs," and now "Hancock" dominated the box office.
Todd quickened his pace to get away from the fans. If he stayed in that crowd any longer, he was sure he would be infected by their foolishness.
Once he was in his car and on his way ho, Todd couldn't wait to turn on his computer and draft a scathing review of the film.
His review was destined for Rotten Tomatoes, so he held nothing back as he wrote.
"There are so many superheroes on the big screen right now—Superman in the sky, Batman in the night, Spider-Man swinging between buildings—but today's
'Hancock' is worse than any of them. He is slovenly and irritable, his powers are just a rehash of the old Superman story, and the plot is so absurd it begs the question: do audiences really need such a boring hero?
This film has a brisk start and a dead end. The story of Hancock is like watching two different gas at once: basketball players sparring on a soccer field. It is a movie no one would want to see a second ti. The 'alternative' hero image the film tries so hard to establish at the beginning has essentially nothing to do with the salvation plot that follows, and the love triangle with a fellow superhero mires the film so deeply in romantic intrigue that I began to wonder if its true genre was lodrama."
Having written that much, Todd stopped and simply gave the film an abysmal two-star rating.
---
anwhile, Charles Roven had just left the Kodak Theatre, his mind not on the film he had just watched, but on "Green Lantern."
Matthew's words from their last eting had stuck with him. After consulting with Kevin, he had convened a eting with key people from the film and creative departnts at Warner Bros. and DC Comics. They conducted targeted research and market studies, concluding that casting a black actor as the lead hero, especially in a ti of rapid social change, offered so unique advantages.
For instance, anyone who dared to criticize the film could be branded a "racist"...
The movie could explore thes of racial conflict, freedom, and equality—topics the dia and the public were currently devouring.
As for the potential loss of audience due to a black lead, that problem could be solved by casting a black movie star who had significant crossover appeal among white audiences.
The only problem was that there were very few black movie stars who had both box office draw and popularity with white audiences. Right now in Hollywood, there was only one: Will Smith.
Warner Brothers had already made initial contact with Will Smith. He was less of a heavyweight than Matthew and far less resistant to superhero films. If he agreed to the role, the script would be tailored to his specific persona.
A black Green Lantern might have limited appeal, but a Will Smith Green
Lantern would almost certainly be a hit.
---
After the press conference, Matthew left the press room and t Nina, who was waiting for him in the theater lobby. Together, they headed for Beverly Hills.
During the ride, his thoughts weren't on Nina beside him, but on what Charles had said. Warner Brothers was considering a black Green Lantern?
He needed to ask around and find out if Warner Brothers had approached Will Smith.
In his opinion, black leads generally didn't have broad appeal with predominantly white audiences, but Will Smith was the exception. He had starred in a string of comrcial hits in the 1990s and into the new century that were massively popular with audiences.
Moreover, despite his popularity, Will Smith wasn't quite at the level of an untouchable superstar and had faced a shortage of good roles over the past two years. An A-list blockbuster with a $250 million production budget had to be very appealing to him.
The key was whether Warner Bros. and DC Comics would actually offer the lead role to Will Smith.
Soon, the rcedes pulled through the gates of his estate, and a wild night was just beginning.
---
The Independence Day weekend began. The only other film getting a wide release opposite "Hancock" was "Kit Kittredge: An Arican Girl Mystery," starring Will Smith's daughter, Willow Smith. It posed no threat whatsoever to
"Hancock."
The only real competition for "Hancock" in the Independence Day slot was Pixar's "WALL-E."
The animated film had been released the previous week, aning the Independence Day holiday coincided with its second weekend in North Arican theaters.
The outco of the competition was clear on the first day of
"Hancock's" wide release. Thanks to it being the opening week and Matthew's imnse box office draw, "Hancock" easily surpassed "WALL-E."
"Hancock" opened with 3,600 preview screenings in North Arica on Thursday evening at 7:00 PM and grossed $7.8 million that night, surpassing "Iron Man's" $6.5 million.
However, the film was a million dollars short of the $8.8 million earned by last year's Independence Day release, "Transforrs."
This gap was normal, and no one in the industry was surprised, as it represented the inevitable difference between original films and adaptations.
These days, more and more films were grossing over $100 million in their opening week in the North Arican market, but to date, no original film—one that wasn't a sequel or an adaptation—had ever broken the $100 million mark in its first week.
Hollywood's disregard for original films was likely a choice driven by the market.
Scripts like the one for "Hancock" had circulated among Hollywood studios for over a decade without getting greenlit, a reflection of the industry's attitude toward originality.
Unlike "Hancock," which had no existing foundation, the movie
"Transforrs" had achieved such great success thanks to its long history of cartoons and toys, which had cultivated a multi-generational fanbase worldwide.
Even before his movie ca out, the character of Iron Man was far more popular than Hancock. It wasn't easy for Hancock to achieve such high box office numbers, which suggested that perhaps audiences truly did want a different kind of superhero.
According to an official announcent from Warner Bros. that evening, the total number of theaters showing "Hancock" would increase to 4,365 the next day, thanks to the film's excellent advance ticket sales.
Furthermore, given the film's release date, "Hancock" was set to be the center of attention on Friday, July 4th, Independence Day in the US. Several market analysts published forecasts that "Hancock" would reach $80 million at the North Arican box office over the three-day holiday weekend.
"WALL-E," the film's main competitor this weekend, finished Thursday with $7.6 million, $200,000 less than "Hancock."
Although the film was in its second week, "Hancock" had only begun its run at 7 PM that sa day.
The North Arican film market was highly developed, with various dia outlets, critics, and ordinary moviegoers all weighing in. And "Hancock," much like Matthew's previous films, suffered from a lukewarm critical reception while enjoying a relatively positive response from audiences.
On Friday, the film's freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes plumted to a pathetic 43%.
But the feedback on social dia was quite good.
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