In the quiet office, Orlando Bloom sat in a high-backed chair, flipping through the latest issue of a magazine. He first nodded, then his brows furrowed into a knot, and he even sighed repeatedly in annoyance.
He had just been reading the latest North America Box Office Report in the magazine.
"Hollywood Spy Action Films have fallen into a rut. Whether it's typical American-style series or distinctly British-style series, it's hard to find innovation. However, the film directed by Doug Liman created the best opening box office performance for this genre in recent years."
"Doug Liman completely abandoned the stern and realistic style he used in , opting instead for a star-studded approach, with the family conflicts of the lead actor and actress as the film's foundation. The addition of new-generation star Matthew Horner and oscar best actress winner Charlize Theron, and their extremely brilliant performances, not only ensured the realization of this foundation but also filled the film with charm."
"The film premiered early on Thursday night in over 3,,600 theaters, earning 8.8 million US dollars that night, which is the best early screening result so far this year. The film officially opened on Friday, grossing 28.6 million US dollars on its first day, including early screenings, also setting the best single-day box office record this year."
"On Saturday, the film's box office remained stable, taking in 25.2 million US dollars; on Sunday, it collected another 21.8 million US dollars..."
"In its first three-day opening weekend, the North America box office accumulated 75.6 million US dollars, easily claiming the top spot on the North America Box Office Chart."
"The film received an A- in the 'Cinemascore' theater survey. Although the rating was not as good as the one produced by Doug Liman, the score is quite impressive for a spy action film. According to the survey, women accounted for of the audience during the film's opening weekend. He even compared himself to Sean Astin, who played Sam, who was more famous than Matthew Horner.
Legolas from the series made him a huge star. Even if Matthew Horner became famous with , he still couldn't compare to him.
Why did the subsequent developments lead to a completely different situation?
Matthew Horner started slow but rose quickly, and now he subtly shows a trend of entering the A-list. No... as long as the North America box office is a big hit, it will be no problem for him to cross the A-list threshold.
And what about himself?
Orlando Bloom looked dejected. The trilogy made him famous worldwide, but this series eventually ended and couldn't be milked forever. Moreover, he was just one of many protagonists. To truly transform from a popular star into an A-list actor, he had to prove his ability to carry a film's box office as a lead actor.
So, he chose a project that seemed particularly safe, and by calculating against his friend, he secured the lead actor role in the 160 million US dollar invested . Although doing so was unfair to Matthew at the TIME, such a choice is not an issue in Hollywood. Who would let such a good opportunity slip away?
Then, he became van helsing and also took on , but things didn't go as imagined. The box office was a disaster, failing to meet Warner Bros.' expectations, and Legolas's halo instantly faded by more than half.
became the final redemption. As long as this film was a box office hit, all previous failures would no longer be an issue.
Originally, the disastrous failure of caused the Crew to have doubts. Fortunately, Legolas's halo still had some use, coupled with the Agent's behind-the-scenes work, the Crew decided not to recast... but looking at it now, it would have been better if they had replaced him then.
Orlando Bloom knew very well that no A-list production would ever ask him to be the lead actor again, unless a miracle happened. Otherwise, his acting career would only continue to rely on Legolas's past glory.
As for A-list stars, he couldn't even dream of it; he couldn't even stand firm in the current B-list.
Then, he thought of Matthew again. The box office success was already a foregone conclusion; the only suspense was the final box office numbers. Matthew Horner still had two sequels for , and reportedly, sequels for were also being planned. The chances of these being successful were extremely high. Even if there were no more outstanding works later,
Matthew Horner staying in an A-list position for seven or eight years would be no problem at all.
If he could be like Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, and Julia Roberts, having several other successful films that he carried independently, besides sequel films, he could even enter the ranks of super A-list superstars, even without any notable acting awards!
This is an era dominated by special effects, and the appeal of stars to audiences is declining. Many A-list productions no longer even use A-list stars, instead opting for up-and-coming young actors.
Against this backdrop, climbing to a true super A-list position, rather than being a specific sequel superstar, is truly difficult.
Orlando Bloom unconsciously shook his head. Perhaps Matthew Horner could succeed with the sequels of pirates, becoming a specific sequel superstar, but in this era of weakened superstars, becoming a true super A-list star is almost impossible.
Among the current super A-listers, how many successful films from completely different series did Harrison Ford and Tom Hanks need to achieve their current status?
Besides the series and the series, Harrison Ford also has , , , and other films.
Tom Hanks, needless to say, not only has a large number of successful films supporting him but is also a two-TIME consecutive Oscar Best Actor winner.
Given Matthew Horner's acting skills and his status as an action star, it is basically impossible for him to win an Oscar Best Actor award.
So, if he wants to climb to super A-list status, he can only take the commercial route.
In this era where commercial films rely more on special effects, besides serialized sequel films, if he doesn't have four or five consecutive box office hits, he shouldn't even think about becoming a super A-lister.
How difficult is that? If even one of them, like or , fails at the box office, the difficulty will double.
After these thoughts flashed through his mind, Orlando Bloom suddenly felt a little better. There is no harm without comparison. He and Matthew became famous at almost the same TIME, and he had once been far ahead of Matthew, but now their situations were completely reversed.
If he had to watch someone who was once far behind him climb to the very top of this circle, Orlando Bloom would find it truly difficult to accept.
The office door was pushed open from the outside, and Orlando Bloom's Agent walked in, smiling as he said, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Orlando."
He saw the magazine in front of Orlando Bloom. "That's how this business is; there's success and there's failure. It's not the end of the world yet; we can start over."
"Two consecutive A-list productions failed at the box office..." Orlando Bloom's mind was still clear. "Do I still have a chance?"
The Agent said with great certainty, "Of course you do! You have much more capital than those who are just starting out!"
Orlando Bloom smiled, but his smile was bitter.
"Aren't you on good terms with Matthew Horner?" The Agent clearly had an idea. "This person has a very unique eye for choosing projects. You can continue to maintain a good relationship with him and try to get him to help you land some relatively important supporting roles in the films he stars in..."
"Be a supporting actor for him?" Orlando Bloom was extremely unwilling. "I used to be more popular than him!"
The Agent suddenly raised his voice, "Orlando, this isn't 'before' anymore!"
Orlando Bloom instantly realized that he and Matthew Horner were no longer on the same level.Although he looked down on Matthew as an actor but he cannot really say that openly.
The Agent then said, "I heard you don't want to attend Matthew Horner's engagement ceremony?"
"I'm not in a good mood," Orlando Bloom said truthfully.
"Go! You must go!" The Agent walked over. "You must maintain your relationship with Matthew Horner. You absolutely must attend his engagement ceremony the day after tomorrow.")