"I wasn't aware of what Jada said." Will Smith spoke into the reporter's microphone, his charming face looking particularly sincere, "If her words hurt anyone, I apologize on her behalf..."
Watching Will Smith on TV, Matthew picked up the remote and turned off the television. Will Smith was indeed a smart man, using his big-mouthed wife as a shield.
Since last night's show, the direction of public opinion had shifted from print media to TV stations and the internet. Even the tabloids that had previously been harshly criticizing him made a sudden 180-degree turn.
Especially the media under Walt Disney and Warner Bros. were now fully praising Matthew.
While flying back to Los Angeles from Chicago, he read many newspapers. The narrative about him and "300 Spartans" had suddenly turned into praise, as if the previous criticism had never existed.
He knew this was the typical behavior of the media. Apart from a few responsible major newspapers and TV stations, most media liked to sensationalize stories.
Even major newspapers like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times often had unreliable reports about matters outside the USA.
For instance, Iranians had been protesting against "300 Spartans" these past few days, but the three major newspapers dismissed their protests as irrational.
Of course, after last night's Oprah Winfrey Show, no one was interested in Iran's protests. Most media mentioned them only briefly.
According to Helen Herman, media in countries and regions sympathetic to Iran were heavily criticizing "300 Spartans," which was normal.
But hardly anyone in North America cared, and Hollywood didn't take it seriously. Iran hadn't been a market for Hollywood movies for over twenty years, and it wouldn't be for the next twenty years either.
In the following two days, with media coverage, Matthew and "300 Spartans" gained even more momentum than when the film was first released.
Helen Herman also brought back more information. For example, British actress Naomi Harris had returned to the UK due to her unsuccessful career in Hollywood and had scammed Spike Lee out of a large sum of money before leaving.
Matthew now understood why Naomi Harris dared to accuse him despite knowing he had surveillance footage. The black actress had planned to return to the UK from the start. Since she wouldn't be staying in Los Angeles and Hollywood, she saw no reason not to take the money offered and leave.
Spike Lee must be spitting blood knowing this.
Considering Naomi Harris indirectly helped take down Spike Lee, Matthew decided not to go after her as long as she stayed out of Hollywood.
Paula Patton and Francis Lawrence were small-time figures. Matthew could take his time digging pits for them to fall into whenever the opportunity arose.
As for the famous Smith couple, a bit more planning was required. He didn't have a suitable plan yet.
Jada Smith could be ignored for the most part. Her reputation in Hollywood came entirely from Will Smith. Unlike small stars, Will Smith was a true A-lister, likely to become a superstar if he hadn't intervened.
It was rare for two A-list stars to clash directly. This time, Will Smith had let his wife take the brunt of it. Jada Smith was well-known for her big mouth, and as long as her comments weren't too outrageous, Will Smith could always smooth things over afterward.
However, Will Smith might not have considered that Matthew was extremely vengeful.
Even with Vin Diesel, with whom he'd had a conflict years ago, Matthew had plotted to take down Vin Diesel's biggest asset when he recently remembered him.
Without the "Fast and Furious" series, could Vin Diesel still be as cocky as before?
David Ellison had attempted to contact Universal Pictures once, but they had no intention of selling the series for now. Hollywood studios valued copyrights highly, and obtaining the rights to a film series, even a discontinued one, wasn't easy.
Helen Herman also inquired through other channels. Universal Pictures' executives currently had no plans to restart the series. Many believed "Tokyo Drift" had killed the series, leaving it only valuable for post-release profits without worth restarting.
This was good news. If Universal Pictures' executives believed the series had restart value, there would be no chance for him and David Ellison to acquire it.
Securing the rights to the series remained his top priority.
Additionally, he specifically inquired about Vin Diesel's latest activities. The bald actor was preparing to shoot a movie called "Babylon A.D.," with himself as the male lead and Michelle Yeoh as the female lead.
He had no memory of this movie, which likely meant it hadn't been very successful.
Meanwhile, "300 Spartans" had passed its second weekend in North America.
Due to the media storm, the film showed a noticeable trend of starting slow and gaining momentum over the second weekend. On Friday, it earned only $12.5 million.
After the Friday talk show aired, Saturday's market saw a significant boost, with single-day earnings soaring to $19.8 million.
With Sunday's $15.2 million, "300 Spartans" earned another $47.5 million over the second weekend, easily topping the North American box office, ahead of Sony Columbia Pictures' wide-release "Stranger Than Fiction," which earned $11.4 million.
By its tenth day in North American theaters, "300 Spartans" had grossed $183.25 million.
This put "300 Spartans" in fifth place on this year's North American box office chart.
The top four were all major summer blockbusters: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," "Cars," "X-Men: The Last Stand," and "Superman Returns."
After this weekend, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," temporarily holding the top spot in the North American annual box office, concluded its over four-month run with a massive $512.33 million.
This made it the second film in North American box office history to surpass $500 million, following "Titanic."
Additionally, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" continued its overseas release, with global box office earnings surpassing $1.1 billion, set to overtake "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
Disney was ecstatic and had decided to incorporate the Pirates of the Caribbean theme into all its theme parks.
Matthew also heard some insider news. Disney was already planning a fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, which would focus solely on Captain Jack Sparrow, temporarily sidelining Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann.
To be precise, the combined salaries of him, Depp, and Keira Knightley were astronomical.
He and Depp commanded a base salary of $20 million each, with additional profit shares. Even Keira Knightley, for the fourth movie, would demand significant box office shares. Despite her lower salaries in other films, around $3-4 million, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels were entirely different.
Disney had to consider risk management.
With the clear success of "300 Spartans," Matthew's asking price would naturally rise, adding to Disney's concerns, especially regarding the "National Treasure" sequel, which Disney decided to indefinitely postpone.
In terms of salary, Matthew and Helen Herman were firm: they wouldn't lower their fees for commercial films.
"300 Spartans" once again demonstrated Matthew's box office draw to Hollywood studios.
The film wasn't just a hit in North America. After its second weekend, it expanded to over 60 countries and regions overseas, grossing over $150 million, bringing its global total to over $335 million.
According to Warner Bros.' market forecasts, "300 Spartans" had the potential to challenge the $742.12 million global box office record set by "The Matrix Reloaded" for R-rated films.
The latest issue of Vanity Fair featured "300 Spartans" on its cover, with a full-page close-up of Matthew as Leonidas. The cover story attributed the film's huge success to two factors: the male lead's immense personal charm and appeal, and director Zack Snyder's unique filmmaking style.
Everything had returned to normal. The media had selectively forgotten the recent criticism and continued to sing Matthew's praises. Even the companies that had remained silent during the controversy were now reaching out.
Armani notified Helen Herman to resume negotiations for Matthew's underwear endorsement.
Rolex and Mercedes-Benz, besides calling Matthew, also sent their latest season's products.
Matthew wasn't surprised by these businesses. When he was embroiled in controversy, Rolex and Mercedes-Benz hadn't said anything, which was understandable. If he had truly been mired in scandal, they would have definitely terminated their contracts.
After all, their relationship was purely commercial.
Of course, Matthew would continue to work with them, and negotiations with Armani would proceed.
Businessmen prioritize profit, and he was no different. He wouldn't let anything come between him and his money.
Helen Herman resumed negotiations with Armani on his behalf. Meanwhile, Matthew received a call from Steven Spielberg. Spielberg expressed his strong outrage against Spike Lee and said that Michael Bay would soon visit Matthew personally.
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