"Cat and Mouse Game" second weekend box office: $61.9 million.
Hollywood: ???
In an instant, all of Hollywood started to question reality, deeply puzzled, unable to make sense of things.
Was Warner Bros.' strategy of targeting the holiday season to tap into market potential a mistake?
Should film studios have aimed for the winter and fall release windows from the very beginning?
Is "Cat and Mouse Game" just a fluke, or do other films also have this potential? After all, "Cat and Mouse Game" is not a typical blockbuster—it was even criticized for being too modest. So, what does it mean that a film like this broke through?
Questions, questions, and more questions.
If "Spider-Man" burst onto the summer scene with cheers, finally breaking through after people waited eagerly for a smash hit, then "Cat and Mouse Game," crossing both the holiday and winter seasons, sparked reflection—it was a completely unexpected outcome.
But a welcome one.
If surprises and upsets like this could become the norm, Hollywood would welcome them with open arms.
And that's still not the whole story.
Let's not forget that the first weekend of January already showed signs of fatigue since the real box office boom of the week occurred during the weekdays.
"Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" is the best proof of this. Although its third weekend's $25 million box office came with nearly a 50% drop, it was still impressive during the weekdays, pulling in $43 million over four days—showing the movie's enduring draw.
After three weeks, "The Two Towers" had already crossed $260 million at the box office.
That's just the domestic number; international figures hadn't yet been tallied.
So, any disappointment in "The Two Towers" is relative, simply due to inflated expectations. It didn't just fail to redefine the holiday box office, it also slightly underperformed compared to the first film in the series.
In fact, the movie still turned a profit early on and remained a crucial part of Warner Bros.' overall strategy.
Similarly, "Cat and Mouse Game" was no exception.
With strong weekend numbers and even stronger weekday performances, it raked in $89 million from Monday to Thursday, devouring the box office like a whale.
Here's the key: the weekday box office figures were already a heavy hitter, but no one expected the weekend's box office to be just as robust.
After two weeks in theaters, "Cat and Mouse Game" had already skyrocketed to $250 million.
Its speed of accumulation was entirely on par with "Spider-Man."
Shock!
Hollywood was in awe.
Could it be that Anson was about to release two films in the same year, each grossing over $600 million in North America?
Now, that would be nothing short of astonishing.
Even if it hasn't happened yet and the industry still needs to watch how the box office performs, especially considering January and summer are two different beasts in the Northern Hemisphere, the mere possibility was enough to drive Hollywood wild.
Based on current trends, "Cat and Mouse Game" is likely to cross the $400 million mark in North America. Given the film's budget of only $52 million, DreamWorks would have hit the jackpot with this movie alone. It might even become the highest-grossing film in the careers of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.
Insane, totally insane.
The truly remarkable part was that ever since Anson kicked off his flash mob tour, the entire North American market had followed him, swept up in his momentum. As witnesses and participants, they became part of the surging torrent, which undoubtedly added some sincerity to the madness at hand.
...
"...The AS597 flight from San Francisco to Chicago is now boarding..."
In the air, the sound of a boarding announcement rippled through the atmosphere as the bustling airport carried on its usual pace.
A tall figure dressed in a white t-shirt, jeans, and a light blue denim jacket, carrying only a single backpack slung over one shoulder, moved quietly, blending in naturally without drawing attention.
His tall, lean frame stood out in the crowd, and passing glances would occasionally sweep over him. People couldn't help but notice the Kansas City Chiefs baseball cap on his head, perhaps assuming the young man had just flown in from Kansas City, but their gaze quickly moved on without much thought.
He didn't stand out too much in the busy San Francisco International Airport.
"Hey."
A girl with shoulder-length hair hurried past but then stopped and turned back, her face lighting up with a bright smile as she sized up the young man, ready to speak, but then paused.
She changed her approach.
"Sorry, this might be rude, but has anyone ever told you that you look like Anson Wood?"
The young man: ...
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Haha, actually, this isn't the first time. I guess I should take that as a compliment."
The girl's smile widened. "Oh my God, you really do look like him! Sorry, I don't mean to offend you, but this is the first time I've ever seen someone in real life who... Sorry, I must seem like a crazy person right now."
The young man waved it off with a smile, "No need to worry. Once, someone actually screamed out loud, and then a whole group surrounded me. I tried explaining I wasn't him, but they didn't believe me and insisted on getting my autograph."
The girl burst into laughter, "So how did you respond?"
The young man spread his hands helplessly, "I signed. But I was honest about it—I made sure not to fake it. I signed 'Andy Woods.'"
"Haha." The girl laughed even harder, "I hope they didn't notice."
The young man, "I'm torn. I'm thinking maybe I should study his signature, but I'm not sure if I should make it more convincing or less convincing. Whew, I'm starting to understand what he deals with."
The girl chuckled again, "I bet he's not as nice as you are."
The young man smiled, "It's the least I can do."
"Haha." The girl's laughter was infectious. "I shouldn't keep you. Sorry again for bothering you, I've got a flight to catch. By the way, you're really charming."
"Thank you. Should I say the same to you?" the young man said, glancing politely at her.
The girl laughed heartily, waving it off as she hurried away, "No need, but you've definitely brightened up my awful day."
As he watched her leave, the young man turned back and continued toward the exit, tugging the brim of his hat lower and quietly slipping away with the crowd.
Upon reaching the arrivals hall, he was just about to take another step when he spotted a tall figure holding up a sign high above the crowd, staring at him with eyes that could kill.
Though the man made no additional movements, his death stare ensured the young man wouldn't miss him.
The young man glanced around, muttering to himself under his breath.
"Did they plant a tracker on me?"
The sign being held up boldly displayed in large, bold letters:
LUCAS WOOD.