That very night, TZ posted some photos and videos of the engagement ceremony on the website's homepage. Even though it was close to midnight, the website traffic suddenly exploded, and the video was so slow it was almost unwatchable.
The next day, entertainment media outlets were saturated with reports, ensuring Matthew and Charlize Theron received plenty of attention.
This event, from its initial planning to its current execution, had been in the works for over half a year, and neither Matthew nor Charlize Theron felt any discomfort about it.
Matthew, of course, goes without saying; an entertainment star without exposure is basically finished.
Even Charlize Theron, who had been a little resistant at first, was now quite at ease.
This is Hollywood, the entertainment industry, where countless breakups and makeups happen every day. If you're looking for innocent couples, you should go to Beverly Hills High School or Harvard-Westlake School.
Perhaps some newcomers are indeed innocent, but anyone who has climbed to the status or level of Matthew or Charlize Theron has undoubtedly been through a lot.
Speaking of which, apart from films and TV shows, what the general public is most interested in about celebrities are precisely these 'been through a lot' type of things.
Those who want to see innocent couples, love stories that last a lifetime, won't look for them among real Hollywood stars; those only exist in the movies starring Hollywood celebrities.
Let alone Matthew, who had ambitions when he entered Hollywood; just look at Audrey Hepburn, almost a synonym for innocence and nobility, whose romantic history was equally spectacular.
In fact, ten years from now, gossip promotions like Matthew and Charlize Theron's will hardly pique the interest of the media and public, because such things are becoming more common in Hollywood. Stars need new ways that align with social trends to attract attention and maintain exposure.
Thus, whether genuinely gay or not, countless male and female celebrities have embarked on the popular path of "coming out."
Are there really so many gay people in Hollywood?
In fact, most people understand that only a very small number are genuinely gay; most celebrities are either creating buzz or are simply tired of too many heterosexual relationships and are seeking new thrills.
This industry is inherently like this; let alone being deeply involved, even just watching entertainment news from a distance, as Matthew once did, it's not hard to discern its true nature.
In this era, such hype still has a significant market, which is directly reflected in the North American box office of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."
Since the beginning of this week, the weekday box office for "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" inevitably declined, earning $10.5 million on Monday, $11.1 million on discount Tuesday, and $10.2 million on Wednesday, the day of Matthew's engagement... But by Thursday, influenced and stimulated by the media's frenzied reporting, the single-day revenue of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" surged to $14.2 million.
In four weekdays, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" raked in another $46 million from North America, easily surpassing a total North American box office of $100 million.
Subsequently, the film entered its second weekend of screenings, and a truly colossal film appeared in the North American market—"Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith."
Americans' obsession with the Star Wars series is something people like Matthew cannot comprehend. Even after working in Hollywood for several years, he still can't understand what's so appealing about two light sabers being wielded powerlessly back and forth.
Of course, he somewhat realizes that the popularity of Star Wars culture might be related to America's lack of its own unique culture, and also to Lucasfilm's effective marketing and promotion.
Matthew had seen an unofficial statistic that the combined box office of the five Star Wars films currently amounted to just over $3 billion, while the sales of related merchandise exceeded $20 billion.
Whether this data is true or false,
Matthew doesn't know, but George Lucas is widely recognized as Hollywood's richest director, and most of his fortune undoubtedly comes from the Star Wars series.
However, George Lucas's life hasn't been easy since he launched the "Star Wars Prequel" series.
"The Phantom Menace" received mixed reviews, and "Attack of the Clones" was heavily criticized by Star Wars fans. Many fans even slammed George Lucas for ruining the Star Wars series, and these criticisms extended to "Revenge of the Sith."
Before the release of "Revenge of the Sith," in order to mobilize the enthusiasm of Star Wars fans and try to mask the negative effects caused by "Attack of the Clones," George Lucas even publicly announced that "Revenge of the Sith" would be the final installment of the entire Star Wars series.
Matthew knew very well that this was indeed the final installment of the Star Wars series directed by George Lucas, but it was far from being the final installment of the "Star Wars" franchise.
Hollywood's promotional and hype tactics have very low bottom lines; lying with a straight face is just a basic skill. Things like "final installment" or "last movie" should just be taken with a grain of salt.
For example, Luc Besson, in his announcement for "Danny the Dog," once again talked about his ten-film plan... Although George Lucas claimed that "Revenge of the Sith" was the final installment of the Star Wars series, after the three-day weekend, influenced by the previous "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones," the box office of "Revenge of the Sith" did not experience the massive explosion expected of a final installment.
The film's North American opening weekend box office of $108.43 million was significantly lower than industry expectations.
For any other film, this would undoubtedly be a huge hit, but for the final installment of the "Star Wars" series, it can only be described as decent.
Matthew also took some time to watch "Revenge of the Sith" at a cinema in Beverly Hills. He had seen the series before and wasn't particularly interested, but Charlize Theron could be considered a semi-Star Wars fan, so he accompanied her to watch it specifically.
As they still had promotional events for Dior and Mercedes-Benz to attend, the couple did not travel after their engagement ceremony and could only stay in Los Angeles for the time being, as they both had contractual obligations.
In Charlize Theron's words, watching "Revenge of the Sith" together could be considered a special engagement vacation.
After watching the film, Matthew, though not interested in the Jedi's soft movements, had to admit that "Revenge of the Sith" was definitely epic and magnificent, far superior to "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones."
Even if Anakin Skywalker's transformation still felt somewhat under-developed, it didn't overshadow the film's overall quality.
Leaving everything else aside, purely in terms of plot, "Revenge of the Sith" absolutely crushed "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."
Charlize Theron told him after watching the movie that seeing each character irrevocably move towards their already known fate brought a sense of tragic destiny.
Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader; Padmé Amidala died of a broken heart, leaving behind Luke and Leia; the honorable Obi-Wan went into hiding; the Republic became the Empire... And of course, there was a very American line left by Anakin Skywalker: "If you're not with me, then you're my enemy."
This statement strongly resembled the Washington administration's approach.
Matthew would only think about such politically charged matters but wouldn't actually do anything. At most, when the time was right, he might jump in for a war of words, as a Hollywood star who doesn't criticize the Washington administration is certainly not a qualified Hollywood star and would appear particularly uncultured.
The less-than-expected reception of "Revenge of the Sith" was undoubtedly good news for "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," which was in its second weekend of release. Coupled with the ubiquitous news about Matthew and Charlize Theron, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" did not suffer a significant impact, and its box office performance remained quite stable.
In its second weekend of release, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" only saw a forty-five percent drop from its opening weekend, taking in $41.5 million over three days, bringing its total North American box office to $163.1 million.
Compared to "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," the films truly impacted by "Revenge of the Sith" were "Danny the Dog" and "Kingdom of Heaven." These two films had already opened poorly, and their three-day box office this weekend further plummeted to the $4 million range.
At the same time, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" also opened in nearly 80 overseas countries and regions. Influenced by its North American success, it received an enthusiastic overseas reception, raking in $110 million from overseas in its first week.
Universal Pictures also conveyed news that greatly interested Matthew: China Film Group across the Pacific had confirmed the introduction of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." Due to the film's PG-13 rating and its lack of any political or regional sensitive issues, it smoothly passed the review of the "big scissors" and would officially be released in cinemas there in early June.
China Film Group also sent a formal letter to Universal Pictures, inviting the main creative personnel of the "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" crew to hold a premiere across the Pacific.
Evidently, in this era of highly developed information, the gossip about Matthew and Charlize Theron had already spread across the Pacific, and China Film Group also recognized the potential value in it.
However, Universal Pictures had not given a clear answer because the box office split across the Pacific was only thirteen percent, lacking sufficient appeal.
Matthew also really wanted to go back and see, but his upcoming schedule was packed. He had advertising events for Mercedes-Benz to attend, and he had to report to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" set at the end of the month.
After consulting Matthew and Charlize Theron's schedules, Universal Pictures and Summit Entertainment politely declined China Film Group's invitation.
However, Matthew received news from Helen Herman that Disney Pictures was negotiating with China Film Group to try and hold a premiere for the "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequel across the Pacific.
Walt Disney attaches more importance to the market across the Pacific than Universal Pictures. It is said that they are striving to establish a brand new Disneyland, and Disney Pictures holding a premiere for the "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequel there also aligns with the group's overall strategy.