Matthew didn't stay long this ti. With the promotional tour for "Inception" just wrapped up, he said goodbye to Helen, who was still planning to open a branch there, and flew to Russia to continue the overseas promotions.
Compared to other actors, he was far more active.
On one hand, it was a matter of professional integrity, which demanded greater dedication; on the other, the film's box office performance directly determined how much he would earn on the back end.
Although Matthew never announced it publicly, he never denied that money was one of his primary motivations.
There was nothing wrong with that. After all, a simple man like him, unburdened by lofty convictions, would never work so hard for anything else.
The drive to make money was a powerful catalyst for progress.
While Matthew was touring Europe to promote the film, "Inception" had already begun its wide release in many overseas markets.
At this point, Warner Bros.'s strategy of releasing in North Arica first, followed by overseas markets, ca into play. In the information age, news of a North Arican hit spreads across the globe with ease. "Inception" had its drawbacks—its complex the and the fact that original, large-scale productions have relatively low global recognition.
But it also had distinct advantages: both its North Arican box office and its word-of-mouth buzz had exploded.
In the vast majority of cases, the montum from a hit film in North Arica carries over to its international release.
"Inception" was no exception.
The promotional taglines used for "Inception's" overseas launch, combined with word-of-mouth and viral marketing, all proved highly effective, as evidenced by the film's international box office performance.
In its very first weekend of wide international release, "Inception" unequivocally claid the top spot at the box office in most of the regions where it opened, especially as many dia outlets introduced the film with the phrase, "This is a must-see movie."
"The dense storyline leaves you no ti to think, just over 120 minutes of captivating spectacle, and by the end of the film, it feels like ti has just flown by." The words of an interviewed French fan perhaps reflected the opinion of most people leaving the theater: "You're glued to the screen so you don't miss a single detail, and then you think about them again and again. It's like watching 'The Dark Knight' ets 'National Treasure'."
Fueled by excellent marketing and explosive word-of-mouth, the box office numbers for "Inception" began pouring in from overseas.
In its first week of release, "Inception" grossed over $16 million in the United Kingdom, over $12 million in France, around $15 million in Germany, and over $9 million in Australia...
In its first week of international release, "Inception" grossed nearly $150 million!
These box office figures also proved that the marketing strategy developed and adopted by Warner Bros. was the right one, and this word-of-mouth campaign had already secured its first victory.
In North Arica, "Inception," as expected, continued its strong box office run.
***
In Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, a new week began. Monday morning was quiet as Angelina Jolie watched the servants set the breakfast table in her villa in the eastern part of Beverly Hills.
"Kids!" Angelina Jolie stood at the entrance to the dining room and called out loudly to her sons and daughters. "Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh..."
As if for a United Nations eting, four children of different skin colors entered the dining room. Angelina Jolie kissed each one on the cheek and helped them into their chairs at the table.
Then, two nannies ca into the dining room, carrying Knox and Vivienne, who were not yet three years old.
"Let's eat." Angelina Jolie sat at the head of the long dining table.
Mindful of her figure, she ate very little. As she set down her knife and fork, her loving gaze fell upon her children, and a feeling of pure happiness washed over her.
Although interfering in the marriage of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston had brought her a great deal of negative attention, Jolie later imrsed herself in charity work, cultivated the image of a fierce advocate, and successfully rehabilitated her reputation by personally raising six children. Jolie's passion for philanthropy, her formidable public persona, and her success in raising six kids gradually made people forget her sordid past and cented her image as a good mother.
Perhaps it was the subtle influence of this image rehabilitation—a process at which she was far more successful than Brad Pitt—that led Angelina Jolie to change both inside and out, transforming into a true mother.
After the children finished their breakfast, Angelina Jolie took them to the playroom and spent so ti with them before quietly slipping away.
It wasn't easy to provide for so many children, and to give them a good life, she had to work hard.
For the past two years, in addition to her charity work, she had continued her acting career, and her latest film, "Salt," in which she had the starring role, had just been released last weekend.
Angelina Jolie walked into her study, where a fresh copy of the Los Angeles Tis was already waiting on her desk.
She flipped through the paper, straight to the entertainnt section. One glance was enough for her to sigh in frustration: "Inception" had been out for three weeks, and it was still crushing the newly released "Salt."
"Salt" was also considered a major production, with a budget of $110 million.
And Sony Columbia's distribution was wide enough, but it still couldn't take the top spot from "Inception," which had been in theaters for three weeks.
At least "Salt" had t expectations, earning $36.5 million in its opening weekend, but unfortunately for her, "Inception's" performance was even stronger.
Angelina Jolie scanned the Los Angeles Tis and quickly found the box office chart for the past weekend.
"'Inception' entered its third weekend with $13.2 million, $16.5 million, and $8.8 million over the three days, a still very healthy and stable Friday, Saturday, and Sunday performance. Its weekend total of $38.5 million was enough to crush the $36.5 million of the newly released 'Salt,' securing its position atop the North Arican box office for a third consecutive week."
"One thing is certain: 'Inception' will have a long run this unusually competitive sumr season. To date, the film's North Arican box office has reached $252.3 million, already surpassing the benchmark set by Warner Bros."
"Until now, it was almost unheard of for a non-sequel sci-fi/thriller/cri film, not based on a bestseller or a superhero comic, to gross over $300 million in North Arica, but it looks like 'Inception' will easily reach that mark. And whether or not 'Inception' ultimately surpasses $300 million at the dostic box office, the key takeaway is that this film can instill confidence in those who co after it—provided the cast is right, the director is reliable, and the script is high-quality. With strong enough investnt and on-point promotion, an original cri story with a sci-fi twist can sell just as well!"
"I believe that after the success of 'Inception,' more directors will dust off their original stories and find investors to turn their visions into films, which is sothing that will surely please the fans."
Seeing Matthew Horner's na as the lead actor, Angelina Jolie felt a complicated mix of emotions. She was a bit dejected; no one knew better than her how Matthew Horner had risen from humble beginnings to the Hollywood superstar he was today.
The past decade had been unusually turbulent and difficult, and the recklessness of her youth had forced her to pay a heavy price. But since her awakening several years ago, Angelina Jolie had gained a clear understanding of her own boundaries—what she could get away with, like a ssy personal life that no one really cared about anymore, and what she couldn't, like tangling with the true heavyweights of the industry.
She let out a long sigh; no matter how you looked at it, Matthew Horner had reached a level that even she had to look up to.
Besides, so what if "Salt" lost the box office on its opening weekend? How could you even compare a film in its first week to one that had been out for three?
The ups and downs of the last two years had matured her, clearing her mind. In terms of fa, salary, status, and influence, she was significantly inferior to Matthew Horner.
Even the charity work she had been most proud of over the past two years couldn't compare to his.
The gap between them was imnse, so what was there to compare?
For so reason, she suddenly thought of Brad Pitt, and his image flashed through her mind.
Choosing Brad Pitt had been a mistake.
Without comparison, you can't see the difference. How could Brad Pitt possibly compare to Matthew Horner?
Unfortunately, in her youth, she had been ignorant and lacked vision. She had overlooked a piece of gold right in front of her and ended up choosing a pile of shit instead.
If she could do it all over again, she definitely wouldn't have let Matthew get out of the car that day.
"My younger self..." Angelina Jolie muttered. "What a fool and a bitch I was."
The thought that she had been the one to guide Matthew Horner into Hollywood brought a wave of uncertainty—a complex, peculiar, and unspoken feeling.
Perhaps in the future, when she was old and no longer cared about such things, she could sit down with Matthew Horner and talk about that unusual past.
***
Shortly after Matthew returned to Los Angeles, the North Arican box office for "Inception" reached the $250 million target set by Warner Bros., and its global box office easily surpassed $500 million, reaching a total of $576.8 million.
This also gave him hope that a new film starring him would cross the billion-dollar mark worldwide.
anwhile, Matthew had completely stepped away from the promotion of "Inception" and began intensive preparations for "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," but before he could officially join the cast, he was approached by the xican director Guillermo del Toro, with whom he had worked before.
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