"Why didn't he attend the premiere of Fast & Furious 5?"
Standing in the VIP lounge of the Chieftain Rock Theater, David Ellison demanded sharply of an agent, "Don't forget, you signed a contract with the production team. Attending the premiere is an obligation you must fulfill."
Facing this rising star of Hollywood, the agent remained calm and composed. "Sorry, Mr. Ellison, Dwayne is ill and cannot attend the premiere. According to our agreement, if such an accident occurs, Dwayne is not considered in breach of contract."
David Ellison narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
The agent stood upright in front of him, a faint smile still lingering on his calm face.
When necessary, their group could bow to anyone; when unnecessary, they were equally defiant.
In the eyes of this agent, David Ellison had already become unnecessary, because he had learned from Nancy Josephson that Dwayne Johnson, in a private audition, had won the approval of Duke Rosenberg's assistant, Anna Prinz. As long as no accidents occurred, his client would inevitably play an extremely important role in Duke Rosenberg's new film.
Dwayne Johnson's excuse for refusing to attend the premiere was merely to avoid any accidents.
Choosing between David Ellison and Duke Rosenberg had never been an issue for him or Dwayne Johnson.
The wide release of Fast & Furious 5 impacted The Avengers's attendance in its second weekend. By the start of the new weekend, The Avengers's audience rate had dropped by more than half compared to the opening weekend, while Fast & Furious 5, relying on massive buzz and fans accumulated from the previous four films, experienced a huge surge on its first day.
Vin Diesel still had a certain level of recognition in North America, and his death added a significant boost to the film.
The fifth installment of Fast & Furious continued directly from the previous one. O'Connor and Dominic Toretto fled to Brazil; an adventurous mission angered the Rio de Janeiro gang boss and attracted the attention of the American police played by Dwayne Johnson. A major highlight was Dominic Toretto forming his own team for the first time, whereas previous installments mostly focused on the protagonist alone. The final scenes of racing cars dragging crates at full speed were absolutely thrilling…
On Friday, the North American box office showcased the vigor of a new release, Fast & Furious 5, overshadowing the one-week-old The Avengers and becoming the main focus of the market.
By Saturday, a remarkably impressive North American box office report lay on David Ellison's desk.
Seeing the data, David Ellison's mood improved greatly. Using all these methods, wasn't it just to surpass Duke Rosenberg? It seemed the first step had been achieved.
In just one day on Friday, Fast & Furious 5 raked in $48.65 million from 3,780 theaters, easily surpassing The Avengers's $38.77 million from 4,480 theaters, becoming North America's top-grossing film of the day.
Both total box office and per-theater averages, Fast & Furious 5 defeated The Avengers, and the advantage was considerable.
As for the fact that Fast & Furious 5 was in its opening weekend while The Avengers had entered its second weekend, David Ellison conveniently ignored it.
Leaving his desk, he took a bottle of red wine from the nearby wine rack. Pouring himself a glass, he walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down over the entire City of Angels.
Fast & Furious 5 would absolutely succeed, making up for his losses on Tron: Legacy and earning the admiration of his father Larry Ellison and all of Hollywood!
He, David Ellison, was definitely not a useless heir relying solely on his family. The future would see him soaring, establishing his own realm in Hollywood, achieving accomplishments surpassing Duke Rosenberg!
Looking at his faint reflection on the glass, the corners of David Ellison's mouth involuntarily curled into an unusually confident smile, a thought flashing through his mind.
"The David Ellison who once created the glory of I Am Legend is back. After the release of another major July investment, Battleship, all of Hollywood will recognize my strength in the film industry!"
A person who has failed too many times always likes to cling to a temporary success; David Ellison was no exception.
Still reveling in the massive success of Fast & Furious 5's first-day box office, a knock sounded at the door, and his newest assistant entered.
"Boss, CinemaScore just released the latest statistics and forecasts."
CinemaScore had repeatedly proven its expertise in this area. Hearing the assistant, David Ellison withdrew his gaze from the window, walked over in a few steps, set down his wine glass on the desk, and took the report. But after a single glance, his previously confident expression instantly darkened.
He took a deep breath, returned to his desk, and carefully reviewed CinemaScore's briefing on Fast & Furious 5.
The report showed that Fast & Furious 5's CinemaScore audience approval rating reached 82%, with an average rating of 'A'. Among viewers, males accounted for the vast majority, over 80%…
The statistics on audience reception were quite good, even ranking first-class among summer blockbusters.
What truly angered David Ellison was not the statistics but the forecast. CinemaScore predicted that Fast & Furious 5 lacked staying power, and that the North American box office champion this weekend would still be The Avengers!
David Ellison wanted to slam the table and ask CinemaScore's forecasting department if their heads had been hit by pigs. Fast & Furious 5's first-day box office had surpassed The Avengers by nearly ten million dollars—how could it not be the weekend champion?
CinemaScore explained the reason: the serious lack of female viewers for Fast & Furious 5!
But to David Ellison, the CinemaScore team was crazy. Women viewers? So what? Male audiences were enough to support Fast & Furious 5's box office!
Indeed, compared to most films, Fast & Furious 5's promotion and buzz could make it a big winner, but against a film at The Avengers's level, just male audiences were far from enough.
Moreover, David Ellison also ignored the fact that Fast & Furious 5 was heavily fan-oriented; Friday's surge had already consumed much of the fans' enthusiasm and the emotional pull brought by Vin Diesel.
CinemaScore's researchers always worked on the frontlines of the theater market, which was why they could reliably predict box office trends for most films.
Bill Morrison had only rested a few hours before reappearing at the Hollywood Chinese Theater. CinemaScore maintained stable partnerships with several major theater chains, so he easily obtained the relevant morning statistics.
This was a completely different set of statistics from yesterday. Yesterday, Fast & Furious 5 had been unstoppable like a raging sports car, smashing all films, including The Avengers, into pieces, easily claiming the daily box office crown with a huge advantage.
But today, Fast & Furious 5 was like that sports car driven by Vin Diesel—it had crashed.
Yesterday had been a weekday; today was a day off. Compared to yesterday morning's data, Fast & Furious 5's attendance today had dropped sharply, by more than 40%, which was absolutely abnormal for a film in its opening week.
Unless it was a purely fan-oriented movie like the Twilight series!
Fast & Furious 5 had a certain fan following, but it was not a purely fan movie!
Sitting in the theater's lounge, Bill Morrison knew his suspicion could very likely become reality: the serious absence of female viewers would have a significant impact on Fast & Furious 5.
All afternoon and evening, Bill Morrison carefully observed and analyzed the two hottest films in the market, Fast & Furious 5 and The Avengers. By nearly midnight, he had drawn his conclusions.
Compared to Friday, Fast & Furious 5's attendance had dropped by a full 40%, while The Avengers's attendance had not only remained stable but had even increased slightly from yesterday.
"A weekend consists of three days; Fast & Furious 5 is unlikely to claim this weekend's box office crown!"
Muttering this, Bill Morrison left the Hollywood Chinese Theater, ending his day's work.
Sunday morning was sunny, and Los Angeles in May was quite hot. Gal Gadot, dressed beautifully and fashionably, stepped out of her car and walked toward the coffee shop she had arranged to meet at. Despite paparazzi snaps, she displayed her two super long legs beneath her short skirt to full effect.
This was what she was most proud of, and it was precisely these legs that had won her an extremely important role, one that would soon change her destiny and make her a rising star in Hollywood.
Gal Gadot was confident because she was about to appear in a Duke Rosenberg film!
For this reason, she had specifically declined Fast & Furious 5. Gal Gadot clearly understood that since she had chosen Duke Rosenberg's side, she would firmly stand on that side.
Pushing open the café door, Gal Gadot waved to the approaching waiter and, carrying her handbag, walked directly to a booth in the corner. Using her height and long legs to her advantage, she had already spotted Natalie Portman, who had arrived for the meeting, sitting in the booth. Natalie absentmindedly stirred her coffee, completely lacking the vibrant demeanor she had shown before.
...
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