After taking a Shower and changing clothes at the gym, Matthew went to the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts again. He now practices his accent for two hours every evening, five days a week, under the guidance of a professional teacher. As time passed, and with his persistent effort, his British accent gradually became quite convincing.
Before Christmas, Matthew specifically left Los Angeles again, flying to Toronto, Canada, to see Britney. Britney's schedule was extremely tight; since the release of her second album, she had spent almost all her time in hotels, on planes, and at event venues. Aside from the one time he specifically went to see her in the middle, the two hadn't met again.
Matthew had originally planned for them to spend Christmas together, but unexpectedly, the moment he got off the plane and turned on his phone, he received an urgent text message Britney had sent half an hour earlier: the record company had temporarily changed her schedule, requiring her to go to New York to participate in the New Year's commemorative event held in Time Square, meaning she had to leave Toronto.
He quickly dialed Britney's number, but it indicated her phone was off, suggesting she had boarded the plane.
He checked the flights to New York at the airport. There had been a flight to New York about half an hour ago. Matthew called the hotel where Britney was staying in Toronto, and confirmed that Britney and her entourage had already checked out.
Sitting on a bench in the airport terminal, Matthew scratched his head. He called Britney's business phone again, but it was also turned off.
He waited for a long time. Estimating that the plane should have landed, he called Britney's number again, and this time, someone quickly answered.
"Sorry, Matthew." Britney's voice, very low, came from the other end. "The record company just received the invitation, and there was nothing I could do."
"It's okay." Hearing Britney's voice reassured Matthew greatly. "Work is important."
"Mhm." Britney said again from the other end, "I'm about to leave the airport now. There are fans everywhere outside. I have to hang up."
She added, "When I'm done with this busy period, I'll come find you in Los Angeles."
Matthew knew this was the only way, and said, "Alright then, I'll wait for you in Los Angeles."He felt bit sad but then forcibly shifted his thoughts on his career again.
Britney hung up the phone. Matthew put away his cell phone, dragged his suitcase, changed his ticket back to Los Angeles, and returned to Los Angeles that afternoon.
His life returned to its usual routine: training, studying, talking to Britney every night, and occasionally cooperating with the the scorpion king Crew to promote the film.
Time quickly moved into 2002. Matthew had been here for three years. A lot had changed in those three years, the biggest change being that he went from being a penniless poor boy to owning hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets, transforming from a background actor into a lead actor.
He was undoubtedly getting closer to fame.
Of course, if he failed, the abyss awaited him.
Furthermore, he had his first girlfriend, and although both were very busy and met infrequently throughout the year, he now had something he cared about here.
Over three years, he gradually got used to the social atmosphere and Western lifestyle of America. His way of thinking and considering problems was also changing, influenced by the environment.
But Matthew was very clear that his goal had never changed, and he was one step closer to achieving it.
After entering 2002, Matthew focused on three main things: first, Britney's announcements—after her trip to New York, she went to Europe; second, the pirates of the caribbean project, for which there was no concrete news yet, but his preparation work continued; and third, *black hawk down*, which had begun a wide release.
After the New Year, Sony Columbia Pictures pushed *black hawk down* into more Cinemas across North America, soaring from 5 theaters to 3,110, but the box office results were not ideal.
During the previous limited screenings, although the per-theater box office performance of *black hawk down* was not top-tier, the lowest per-theater revenue was still over $40,000. In the first weekend of the expanded release, the per-theater box office dropped directly below the $10,000 mark, totaling only more than $9,000.
In the first weekend of the film's expanded release,
it earned $28 million in North America, which was a certain distance from Sony Columbia Pictures' expectations.
The good word-of-mouth for *black hawk down* did not translate into outstanding box office performance. Professional agency Cinema predicted the final North American box office would only be around $100 million.
Compared to the film's investment of $92 million, $100 million in box office revenue was still far from breaking even.
However, Sony Columbia was confident that the film would eventually turn a profit, partly due to international box office revenue, and partly because *black hawk down* received several major nominations when the Oscar nomination list was announced in late January.
Matthew specifically paid attention to the nomination list for the 74th Academy Awards. *black hawk down* received multiple nominations, including Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing, which would certainly benefit from the Oscar effect.
Since *black hawk down* received Oscar nominations, Helen Herman contacted the Crew, hoping Matthew could appear on the Oscar red carpet. Universal Pictures also had this intention, considering it for the promotion of *the scorpion king*.
However, implementation was difficult. The *black hawk down* Crew had limited slots for attending the Oscars, and they first had to accommodate the nominees and their family and friends.
Universal Pictures quickly gave up on the idea. Matthew's fame was too small, and Universal Pictures felt that pushing him onto the Oscar red carpet would require too much effort relative to the promotional effect, making it uneconomical.
Matthew himself didn't harbor such extravagant hopes. Although the release of *black hawk down* and the sustained promotion of *the scorpion king* had brought him some attention, strictly speaking, he was still just an ordinary actor, not a star... On South Beverly Drive in Burbank, a black BMW slowly pulled over. Matthew opened the door and got out. The midday sun was a bit dazzling, so he turned back, took out his sunglasses, and put them on his face before walking toward the café where he was meeting Helen Herman.
Not far ahead was the Walt Disney Headquarters. A pedestrian overpass connected it to Disney Studios across the street, creating the most famous sight on South Beverly Drive.
The café was right next to the Disney Headquarters, diagonally facing Disney Studios.
Matthew pushed open the café's glass door and immediately saw Helen Herman. She was sitting in a booth by the window, looking out at Disney Studios through the large glass pane.
"What are you looking at?" He walked over and sat down opposite Helen Herman. "You seem lost in thought."
Helen Herman withdrew her gaze and, instead of answering him, asked, "What would you like to drink?"
Matthew leaned back in his chair. "I'll have black tea." He then asked, "You're so free today that you invited me out for coffee."
He and Helen Herman usually only interacted professionally.
Helen Herman slowly stirred the coffee in front of her, took a sip, and said, "Universal Pictures has confirmed the premiere date: April 9th, at the Chandler Pavilion in the Los Angeles Music Center."
Matthew asked instead, "When will they start pushing hard on promotion?"
The promotion for *the scorpion king* had been lukewarm; as the lead actor, he had only attended two media presentations so far, and the media response could only be described as mediocre.
"Promotional resources will be concentrated in the month before the release." Helen Herman clearly had sufficient information. "Universal Pictures only invested $12 million in distribution and promotion costs, and they also have to produce a considerable number of prints. The funds left for publicity cannot be as abundant as for *the mummy returns*, so they have to concentrate their efforts."
She put down her coffee cup and added, "If you had agreed to the fake relationship with Kelly Hu back then, Universal Pictures would have started exploiting that angle already."
Matthew shook his head. "You know that's impossible." He preemptively cut off Helen Herman's next words. "This isn't just about me. If it only involved me, I wouldn't have a problem with whatever you decided, but since it involves another person, I can't make that decision for her."
"Let's not talk about that anymore." Seeing Matthew's firm attitude, Helen Herman dropped the subject and changed tack. "The Crew gave you a few spots for the premiere. If you have any friends with a bit of fame, you can invite them to show their support for you."
Matthew thought for a moment and said, "I will notify my friends."
He would call James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender later to see if they could come. Oh, and Orlando Bloom, that guy was incredibly popular right now.
Helen Herman continued, "Regarding promotion, just wait for the Crew's notice, don't worry." She then turned her head to look toward Disney Studios. "I received news that Disney has officially greenlit Jerry Bruckheimer's project. The film is titled *pirates of the caribbean* and has a budget of $140 million."
Matthew immediately became energized and asked, "is there any news regarding the script or roles?"
"No." Helen Herman slowly shook her head. "Jerry Bruckheimer hired Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, the screenwriters for *Shrek*, and they are preparing to start writing the script."
Matthew didn't know these two screenwriters, but he knew *Shrek*. Anyone who had served as a screenwriter for that movie must be someone significant.
Helen Herman extended a finger, pointing toward Disney Studios, and said, "Just today, in Soundstage Two, Jerry Bruckheimer has already started bringing people in to design and build sets."
Matthew scratched his head. "They're starting to build sets before they even have a script?"
"In Hollywood, and in Jerry Bruckheimer's hands, nothing is impossible." Helen Herman crossed her hands on the table. "Not only is there no script yet, but the director hasn't even been confirmed."
"What about the actors?" Matthew asked about the thing he cared about most.
"That will have to wait until the director is in place." Helen Herman replied. "As far as I know, the Crew won't start casting until June, with filming scheduled to begin in October."
Hearing that timeframe, Matthew suddenly recalled something and said, "Doesn't that conflict with Stephen Sommers' project?"