As national treasure premiered widely in North America, in just one day, the film's word-of-mouth completely polarized. This polarization wasn't like films where fans loved them and haters hated them to death, but rather where professional reviews and audience reviews were completely different.
After Friday, national treasure's professional reviews steadily declined. Rotten Tomatoes continued to rot, with its freshness rating dropping directly below fifty percent. Professional film critics spared no sarcasm in their reviews of this entertainment film.
Their criticism focused mainly on two aspects: first, the film's plot and decryption segments were too childish; second, Matthew Horner and Dwayne Johnson's temperaments were very ill-suited to their respective roles.
They even sarcastically criticized the lead actor for not keeping the treasure for himself in the end.
In contrast, national treasure received quite good audience reviews. Cinee's average audience score on opening day was "A," and IMDb's temporary rating was 7.5. Its simple plot and pleasant viewing experience were also well-received by family audiences.
Most parents who brought their children to see the movie thought it was a very good family-friendly film.
At the same time, these people also felt that Matthew Horner acted quite well, portraying the lead actor as kind-hearted, courageous, and resourceful—a good actor.
As for the so-called not keeping the treasure for himself and the overly simple decryption, it's a family-friendly film, so is there a problem with that?
When asked about the disparity between professional and audience reviews during an interview with ABC Television's entertainment channel, a fan responded like this.
"Which film, I ask, can withstand such a detailed, minute analysis by critics? This is an entertainment film, with ample entertainment, a smooth plot, and a tense rhythm—that's enough! If every detail had to be 'reasonable' and 'logical,' would it still be a movie? I never felt there were any obvious logical loopholes or pieced-together plots in the film."
Another fan said, "Thanksgiving is coming soon, isn't this the season for lighthearted and enjoyable movies like this?"
Many professional film critics believe they have the responsibility, obligation, and ability to guide the development of the film industry and prevent it from becoming completely entertainment-driven and commercialized.
This kind of issue can only be said to be a matter of opinion.
Even in a mature film market like North America, the entanglement between film criticism and films themselves is a chaotic mess.
Of course,
Compared to nascent film markets, it is indeed much more regulated. At the very least, there are unspoken rules being followed. Just as Matthew Horner would not casually attack film critics in front of the media, people generally do not break these rules easily.
For those who break these rules, one can imagine the situation when any film they are involved in is released in the future.
The fairly good audience word-of-mouth, to some extent, diluted the impact of negative reviews from critics. national treasure's opening day in North America grossed 18.5 million US dollars, easily surpassing The Polar Express and The Incredibles, which had been released in the previous two weeks, and claiming the top spot for single-day box office.
Over the next two days, the film's single-day box office remained stable, earning 16.6 million US dollars and 13.1 million US dollars respectively, bringing its first three-day weekend total in North America to 48.2 million US dollars, easily taking the top spot on the North American box office chart.
Meanwhile, national treasure also premiered in over forty overseas markets, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Latin America, with its first-weekend overseas box office reaching 52 million US dollars.
Barring any major unforeseen circumstances, this film should have no problem reaching 200 million US dollars in North America and 400 million US dollars globally.
After the first weekend box office results were released, Matthew Horner specifically discussed the film and his choices with Helen Herman. After all, even if he were to Come and See national treasure himself, it was actually quite mediocre. Among the films he starred in as the lead actor, it was only slightly better in quality than the scorpion king.
Yet, such a film was very well-received by audiences, achieving box office success.
In this regard, Helen Herman's view was simple: it's better to accept ordinary projects than to rashly take on those aiming for a surprise victory.
Matthew Horner largely agreed with her view. Unless it was a film from his memory that was widely popular and highly praised online, it was best to avoid scripts full of innovative ideas and self-proclaimed amazing creativity.
Having been in Hollywood for these past few years and starring in several films, Matthew Horner understood that for Hollywood production companies and aspiring stars, the most ordinary, formulaic movies are actually good movies.
This applies not only to commercial entertainment films but also to awards season films. Hollywood commercial entertainment films have a set formula, and awards season films also have a mature formula.
For example, films like A Beautiful Mind and monster were custom-made by production companies for the Oscar under this model.
When Hollywood production companies select scripts, they pay great attention to the application of established models. A script that is full of innovation and anti-establishment ideas has a ninety-nine percent chance of not delighting the production company, but rather being shelved.
The same applies to stars and Agents selecting scripts. Many stars and Agents often only read the first dozen pages and the ending of a script. If it's not a typical Hollywood three-act structure, a rising star like him would very likely choose to give it up.
Film companies worldwide produce countless films every year, of all types, but very few will go down in history. In fact, for most films, being exciting enough and making audiences willing to pay for them is mission accomplished.
Take national treasure, for example. As a treasure hunt and adventure film, is its theme innovative? No. This theme has been filmed countless times, and audiences are all too familiar with it. Indiana Jones already saturated American brains with his trilogy back in the 80s.
is the plot cleverly designed? Even Matthew Horner, the lead actor, could only say it was average. The entire film followed traditional tropes, and there was no jaw-dropping twist at the end. Overall, it could only be described as decent.
Such an ordinary film has audiences in North America and overseas willing to pay for it, with global first-week box office easily exceeding 100 million US dollars, all proving that Hollywood's current commercial entertainment model is not outdated.
As is well known, making a successful commercial entertainment film doesn't require constant innovation. If it can meet the standard with conventional ideas, the film is very likely to achieve commercial success.
The new issue of Entertainment Weekly specifically published an article analyzing the so-called secret to national treasure's success.
"First, national treasure has stars as a selling point. Matthew Horner's appeal among moviegoers is unquestionable, and the personal charm he displays in the film is as captivating as ever."
"Second, the film's pacing is very well controlled, alternating between tension and relaxation, always maintaining suspense to keep the audience hooked until the end."
"Third, while the plot isn't flawless, it doesn't have major flaws that would take viewers out of the experience. Combined with widely circulated elements like the declaration of independence and the Knights Templar treasure, it effectively sparks audience interest."
"Fourth, with an ordinary and straightforward storyline, the film lacks complex subplots and intricate narratives, making it easy for both adults and minors to understand."
Matthew Horner saw many other analyses like these in the media.
This indicates that national treasure is a film with many strengths and few weaknesses.
Like most commercially successful Hollywood entertainment films, national treasure has no revolutionary innovation, but also no major flaws. Its formula is old, but its execution is high. It didn't usher in a new era, but it's enough to make audiences pay for it.
After all, audiences go to the cinema before Thanksgiving just to have some fun.
Regardless of how critics slammed it, national treasure has achieved commercial success. As the lead actor, Matthew Horner has further increased his capital and the aura of success surrounding him. This aura holds immense appeal for Hollywood producers who believe that successful people will continue to be successful.
In the following week, the Thanksgiving holiday arrived. As a typical Disney family-friendly film, national treasure had the perfect timing, location, and people. Its box office performance was exceptionally stable, boosted by the Thanksgiving holiday effect, earning another 45.5 million US dollars from North America during the four-day holiday period from Thursday to Sunday.
Adding the earnings from the previous three weekdays, national treasure's North American box office successfully surpassed the 100 million US dollar mark, reaching 113 million US dollars.
Due to its family-friendly style and almost no sensitive content, the film appeared in more overseas markets this week, with the number of countries and regions showing it increasing to over eighty. Typically, films that are big hits at the North American box office also do well overseas.
This week, national treasure took in over 53 million US dollars from overseas, bringing its overseas box office past 100 million US dollars as well.
After two weeks of release, this seemingly ordinary film has accumulated a global box office total of 200 million US dollars.
As the undisputed lead actor of the film, Matthew Horner endured considerable criticism from professional film critics, yet he maintained a strong upward trajectory.
He is a star who primarily follows a commercial route, so the wider the reach of the films he stars in, the greater the benefit to him.
With his starring films consistently becoming blockbusters, Matthew Horner's influence has clearly expanded. Not only have Hollywood production companies placed him on their preferred "green list" for collaborations, but some popular luxury brands have also approached him, seeking to sign endorsement contracts.
Choosing brand endorsements is no easier than choosing films; brands need to select suitable stars, and stars also need to choose suitable brands.
Especially in Hollywood, 'cachet' directly relates to coffee and substantial commercial income.