"Oh, now you understand why I still believe in Santa Claus."
When the reporters turned their attention to Anson, this absolute superstar, who effortlessly broke the $300 million mark with two consecutive films within a year, showcased his wit and humor.
Although Anson was on vacation and had declined all interviews, including phone calls, he still responded through his agent Edgar. Yet, between the lines, it was clear that this was Anson himself speaking, not some carefully crafted official statement by his agent or PR team.
The reporters couldn't help but admire Anson's composure, calmness, and broad-mindedness.
Following "Spider-Man," "Catch Me If You Can" achieved another great success under immense pressure, silencing all critics, skeptics, and provocateurs. It even brought extra glory to superstars Steven and Tom. Despite just turning 20, Anson maintained such a mindset, exuding the aura of a top-tier superstar from the inside out.
Impressive!
Admiration spread like wildfire.
In the second week of January 2003, the North American weekend box office rankings were released:
1st place: "Catch Me If You Can."
2nd place: "Just Married."
3rd place: "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers."
4th place: "Maid in Manhattan."
5th place: "About Schmidt."
A small surprise was the impressive performance of "About Schmidt," highly praised during the awards season. At least so far, it has been better received by the general public than "Gangs of New York," proving that Jack Nicholson still has it.
Additionally:
"The Two Towers," in its fourth week of release, had grossed $280 million in North America. Crossing the $300 million mark was just a matter of time, especially with international box office numbers still unaccounted for. The film, as expected, continued to succeed—though it paled slightly in comparison to "Catch Me If You Can."
Warner Bros. had hoped to get a head start during the holiday season by avoiding the summer box office rush, but DreamWorks accidentally struck gold during Christmas, offering new insights into marketing while witnessing the birth of a superstar.
In retrospect, though the holiday season didn't unfold as anticipated, it was far from disappointing. In fact, it was more surprising and entertaining than expected. Hollywood was hit by another wave of excitement.
Clearly, this was not the end.
After "Catch Me If You Can" easily claimed its third consecutive weekend box office crown in North America, it dominated during the cold, sluggish winter, continuing its reign for two more weeks until the first week of February, when it finally relinquished the top spot. Even then, its box office momentum remained strong.
Ultimately:
"Catch Me If You Can" concluded its North American box office run with $377 million, leaving behind a series of exclamations during the holiday and winter seasons.
Unfortunately, it still fell short of breaking the $400 million barrier.
When the drop in its second-week box office returns was reported, expectations soared, with everyone hoping for another historic moment. However, the harsh reality of the winter box office proved too much to overcome. The movie's subsequent drops exceeded expectations, and neither the stellar reviews nor the promotional efforts could fend off the onslaught of the snowstorms.
Still, despite the disappointment, no one was "let down" by these results.
With a total of $377 million, "Catch Me If You Can" surpassed "Jurassic Park" to rank among the top five in North American box office history—
For now, it's ranked fifth.
Looking at the top four—"Titanic," "Spider-Man," "Star Wars: Episode I," and "Star Wars: Episode IV"—and then at the surprise breakout "Catch Me If You Can," it's hard not to be amazed and astonished.
Not only did "Catch Me If You Can" break into the top ten highest-grossing films of all time, but it even made it into the top five.
Unbelievable!
Who could've predicted this outcome when "Catch Me If You Can" was released?
No one.
Not even DreamWorks.
While the media didn't report on this, and since DreamWorks wasn't a publicly traded company at the time, there were no financial reports. However, rumors inside Hollywood suggest that "Catch Me If You Can" brought DreamWorks more than $200 million in profits—
And that doesn't include DVD sales and rentals.
Without a doubt, "Catch Me If You Can" became one of the most profitable films of 2002, even earning more than "Spider-Man"—and that was the real surprise.
Over the past few years, DreamWorks had been struggling with cash flow and had consistently refused financial help from Wall Street and Silicon Valley. But this film gave them much-needed breathing room, allowing the studio to find new opportunities in its dire financial situation.
Thus, it was no surprise when Steven Spielberg couldn't stop praising Anson in interviews.
"I admit, I had my doubts. I'm not a director who easily trusts young, unknown actors. Even after Tom convinced me to cast Anson as Frank Jr., I still couldn't fully settle my mind."
"That was, until he stood in front of the camera."
"He made me believe that he could bring a completely different energy and color to the character. He also made me believe that I could confidently trust him with my camera, 100%."
In Hollywood, very few actors receive such high praise from Steven Spielberg. Even during a movie's promotional period, such compliments are rare.
But there's more.
As the film's popularity continued to soar, it became a collective celebration at the end of the year. More and more attention was focused on the people behind the story. The elusive Frank Abagnale Jr. finally made an appearance.
The real deal. The man himself.
Frank Abagnale Jr. had no desire to have his peaceful life disturbed. From the film's inception to its production, not even a joint visit by Steven and Tom could sway this reclusive legend. However, the film's impact was too great—even Frank Jr.'s grandchildren had seen it, stirring up long-buried memories.
Later, after three visits from New York Times journalist Nicholas Flynn, Frank Jr. finally relented and agreed to his first—and only—interview.
"Movies are just movies. They're not real. There's no need to take them seriously."
Though Frank Jr. didn't say whether the film beautified, distorted, or caricatured him, his cryptic words carried significant weight.
"But I must thank Anson Wood. He's a charming kid. My wife even felt a little regret after watching the movie," he joked.
"Would I want to meet him if I had the chance?"
"No, I wouldn't. I don't want to expose my weaknesses in front of him, haha."
"In him, I see a part of myself—parts I never even realized existed. In that sense, I have to thank him for his performance, which gave me a chance to reflect on my life."
The interview didn't stop there, but it was clear that the real-life inspiration behind the film was quite satisfied with Anson.
This was the bonus.
Biopics are often thankless endeavors, especially when they depict still-living individuals. No matter how carefully crafted, controversy often follows. But "Catch Me If You Can" avoided such pitfalls.
The response from the real-life figure provided a unique kind of publicity, helping the film succeed in international markets as well.