"Mr. & Mrs. Smith" has already finished filming, and Matthew's other film, "National Treasure," has not yet been released. Compared to directors and producers, actors are more prolific. It is common in Hollywood for star actors to have two films starring them released in the same year.
Matthew vaguely remembered seeing an entertainment push notification once about a Hollywood actress who had five or six films released in the same awards season. Fans across the Pacific Ocean directly gave her the nickname "Model Worker Sister."
Matthew found it difficult to experience this, as he had passed the stage of accumulating quantity. Now, his principle for accepting roles was to prioritize quality over quantity.
After entering October, as the release of "National Treasure" drew nearer, Matthew, as the absolute male lead, naturally had to cooperate with the film crew's promotional activities. Various interviews and announcements were routine tasks.
In addition, the crew had other promotional plans.
Returning home from Walt Disney headquarters in Burbank, Matthew first opened his computer, logged into his blog, then entered his email, and downloaded six images sent by the crew. These images were similar in content, showing close-ups of the front and back of 1 dollar, 10 dollar, and 100 dollar bills.
Following the crew's plan, Matthew uploaded the six images to his blog and specifically added text.
"Today, I met a historian for dinner, and from him, I learned a hidden piece of information: there's an astonishing secret hidden on the US dollar bills we use every day! Unfortunately, the historian wouldn't reveal it directly, only giving a hint that the secret is hidden in the patterns of either a 1 dollar, 10 dollar, or 100 dollar bill. I've been studying it for half a day at home and haven't found anything..."
As his fame grew, his personal blog now had nearly a million followers, including not only those from North America but also movie fans from the UK, New Zealand, and Australia, where the language was the same.
More importantly, most of his million followers were active users, not fake accounts that had been bought.
Matthew specifically looked into it, and the blogs of those well-known first-tier bloggers were only slightly stronger than his.
The blog post went up, and within half a minute, there was a series of replies below the article.
"There's a secret on the dollar bill? I can't see it..."
"I don't know about the secret, but I heard misprinted dollar bills have collector's value."
"Matthew, don't be fooled by so-called historians. Experts nowadays are unreliable."
"It is said that Benjamin Franklin's identity was complex, and the Independence Hall in Philadelphia on the back of the bill also conceals some secrets from the American Revolutionary War."
"I live in Philadelphia, I'll go to Independence Hall tomorrow to take a look."
Half an hour later, the replies to this blog post exceeded a thousand, with many people beginning to analyze it in detail in their responses.
The next day, with Matthew's consent, a print media outlet reposted his blog post. Although it wasn't a major newspaper, it still attracted considerable attention.
Subsequently, TMZ's exposé section directly published an article mocking Matthew, reposting his blog post and ridiculing him for being uneducated and believing the historian's nonsense.
Matthew immediately retorted on his blog that day, saying that TMZ only engaged in shady tactics like secretly taking photos and fundamentally did not understand how to respect academia.
A historian also spoke out, claiming in the media that the designs of Benjamin Franklin and Independence Hall on the 100-dollar bill incorporated cryptographic elements that ordinary people could not understand, and to discover the hidden secret, one must first decipher the code.
TMZ, of course, would not be suppressed and retorted that Matthew and the historian were merely grandstanding.
Then Matthew again posted a blog to counterattack... In just a few days, a war of words that attracted considerable attention successfully took shape. Those who had seen the relevant reports took out hundred-dollar bills and studied the front and back of Benjamin Franklin and Independence Hall, looking for the so-called secrets that might exist.
These messages continued to ferment in the media, and through word of mouth, quickly spread among ordinary people, sparking a small craze for studying the US dollar across the United States.
As the rumors spread wider and the public discussion grew more intense, around late October, the Federal Reserve specifically debunked the rumors at a routine press conference. However, the effect was very limited. In this era of highly open information, the public naturally questioned institutions like the Washington authorities and the Federal Reserve.
Just a few days after the Federal Reserve debunked the rumors, a newspaper under Walt Disney published a mysterious letter, in which an archaeological adventurer named Ben Franklin Gates claimed to have discovered the secret on the US dollar regarding Benjamin Franklin and Independence Hall, a secret that pointed directly to the original Declaration of Independence preserved in the National Archives in Washington!
This report immediately re-energized the somewhat waning public interest in studying the dollar.
Everything was just beginning. On the last weekend of October, this Disney-owned newspaper once again published a letter from Ben Franklin Gates. The letter claimed that, according to his research, a treasure map was hidden behind the Declaration of Independence, detailing a treasure location. The treasure might be a collection from the time of American independence, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.
As soon as the report came out, even more people paid attention.
However, viral marketing was not a new thing in this era. Some people with keen senses gradually guessed from the continuous release of information that this might be a trick played by a Hollywood movie.
The crew and Disney Pictures also anticipated this situation and had corresponding considerations. The topic of treasure is always timeless and has a natural, immense appeal to people. Even if someone guesses, their interest will still be piqued.
The viral marketing continued according to Disney Pictures' rhythm. Entering November, as the film's release date drew closer, Disney Pictures, seeing the excellent response, did not rush to release a trailer. Instead, they continued to push the viral marketing campaign.
Soon, multiple media outlets simultaneously revealed that the archaeological adventurer named Ben Franklin Gates had reported to the FBI that a group of underground forces had also deciphered the secret on the dollar bill and were targeting the original Declaration of Independence in the National Archives. Relevant authorities should immediately strengthen its protection!
The FBI was involved during the filming of this movie, and the crew had clearly communicated with them in advance.
The sensation that the news of someone wanting to steal the original Declaration of Independence could cause was unimaginable, and the entire United States was instantly in an uproar.
Such news certainly cannot be hyped for long, otherwise, the FBI would not be able to withstand the pressure from all sides.
On the same day that the media broke the news, a newly registered blog named Ben Gates claimed that the treasure in the map behind the Declaration of Independence was the widely circulated treasure of the Knights Templar and the Freemasons!
The treasure of the Knights Templar is extremely widespread in the West, and many people have heard of it.
As the secret behind the Declaration of Independence was revealed, this viral marketing campaign also drew to a close. The resulting effect fully met Disney Pictures' expectations. The secret of the dollar, the treasure map behind the Declaration of Independence, and the treasure of the Knights Templar quickly became frequent topics of conversation after meals.
Not to mention anything else, the number of tourists visiting the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence alone has tripled in the past half month!
The mystery was revealed, and Disney Pictures timely released the official trailer for "National Treasure." The trailer frequently mentioned the treasure of the Knights Templar, various analyses of famous American landmarks, and the confrontation between Matthew, the tough guy, and Dwayne Johnson, the super strong man, all attracted a large number of movie fans.
During this period, "National Treasure" overshadowed all other films released during the holiday season.
At the same time, a video of Matthew and Dwayne Johnson arm wrestling also began to circulate widely online. Because the two were evenly matched during the arm wrestling, a sentiment gradually emerged among movie fans.
"Matthew Horner is a master on screen, and it's said he regularly undergoes professional training in free combat; Dwayne Johnson is a champion star in professional wrestling, with astonishing build and strength. If these two were to really fight in real life, who do you think would win?"
Topics like this have a huge market on the internet. Many movie fans and professional wrestling enthusiasts joined the discussion, especially with Disney Pictures fanning the flames behind the scenes, and it quickly became a trending topic online.
"I think Dwayne Johnson will definitely win; you can tell just by looking at his build."
"Matthew Horner doesn't have a big chance, does he? After all, he's just a movie star, and the things he practices are probably just for looking good on camera."
Many people supported Dwayne Johnson, but there were also quite a few who believed Matthew would win.
"Saying that Matthew's combat training is all for show is a joke. Who doesn't know that E is all fake fighting?"
"I'll just say one thing: a while ago, when Matthew saved Charlize Theron, he used an over-the-shoulder throw on that scumbag, and that scumbag was thrown out like a rag doll."
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Matthew's real combat ability has been tested!"
Such discussions were meaningless to Matthew and Dwayne Johnson, the two individuals involved, but they were beneficial for the film's promotion.
The two also cooperated with Disney Pictures, deliberately announcing at a media event that if the opportunity was right, they could actually compete against each other.
Such talk was just for show, to add hype to the promotion. Especially Matthew, with his current status, why would he casually go into a ring to fight someone? If you want to see him fight Dwayne Johnson, first pay an eight-figure appearance fee.
The promotion for "National Treasure" was still in full swing, and Matthew received another good piece of news: Zack Snyder's side was finally ready and preparing to start filming.