The media's praise for Matthew's performance in "I Am Legend" not only surprised Matthew himself but also caught his long-time fans off guard. Such a situation had been rare in the past. Everyone knew that Matthew was never known for his acting skills; Roger Ebert even criticized him as "just a male vase showing off his body."
In a house in Westwood, Los Angeles, as the sun rose, a large number of Matthew's fans gathered.
"This time, the praise for Matthew's acting mainly comes from reporters of major entertainment media, while film critics are still mostly critical."
Brian Lister said to several companions while flipping through a newspaper, "But this time, the critics are fairer; most of the criticism is not directed at Matthew."
A black man chimed in, "That's because Matthew was too outstanding. If they randomly insulted him, they would lose their basic credibility."
"Do you think Matthew's performance this time..." Daenerys suddenly interrupted, "could win him an Oscar?"
The black man immediately shook his head, "Impossible, such commercial blockbusters, especially sci-fi ones, could never win."
Brian Lister agreed, "From what I understand, Matthew isn't very interested in the Oscars. You can tell by the roles he chooses. This time he was excellent, better than some inexplicable nominees for Best Actor, but the Oscars require lobbying..."
Everyone nodded. Even fans knew that Oscar lobbying was no secret.
"I don't think Matthew would actively lobby," Brian Lister continued. "It depends on what Warner Brothers wants."
He shrugged, "But the chances aren't high. If you don't actively compete, those Academy old folks might not even look at you."
"Besides," he said rationally, holding up the newspaper, "critics' reviews of the film are still mostly negative."
The black man asked, "What do the newspapers say?"
Others also asked, "Brian, tell us about the reviews in the paper. Can those trash critics stand against our Matthew?"
Everyone knew that critics' negative reviews never stopped Matthew from succeeding repeatedly, except for "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl." Matthew's films always received poor reviews from critics, but the bad reviews never stopped him from achieving success again and again.
They had formed a belief that Matthew was a star who made films for his fans!
So, every time a Matthew film was released, they would first look at the overwhelmingly harsh reviews from critics, then go to the cinema to enjoy the movie, and finally, enjoy the critics' disgrace when the film achieved great box office success.
Brian Lister picked out the entertainment section with reviews and began reading, "The San Francisco Chronicle believes that director Guillermo del Toro is very good at handling grand scenes, and he's smart enough to let Matthew stay true to himself, but the CGI monsters don't seem to fit well with the sci-fi plot."
He turned the page, "Detroit News review column: Matthew is worth watching, the film is not."
"Hiss..." came a boo from the crowd.
Daenerys muttered, "It seems like praise for Matthew, but it's actually a veiled attack. Is Matthew's film not worth watching?"
Brian Lister opened another newspaper, "Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy: This is just a second-rate horror film with an adventurous twist."
The black man immediately retorted, "He's a third-rate critic himself!" He continued, "I'm not saying he's third-rate among critics, but that all critics are a bunch of parasites who don't know how to respect films!"
Thinking of the attacks Matthew had faced from critics since his rise to fame, the room echoed with agreement.
Brian Lister said nothing, letting his companions vent. Bella Anderson had once taught him that establishing clear enemies could help fans unite and support their favorite stars more strongly.
Establishing external enemies often solved many internal issues.
Managing a fan organization required brains and some operational skills.
When the room quieted down, Brian Lister said, "This one's not bad! From the Boston Globe: 'I Am Legend' is essentially a film starring the last true movie star on Earth playing the last man on Earth."
He continued, "Here's another praise for Matthew. USA Today says: 'Matthew's infectious performance isn't enough to save 'I Am Legend'—a film that starts as a thoughtful, engaging action film about loneliness but takes a wrong turn and never gets back on track.'"
"Cut..." many people said, "Even when they praise, they have ulterior motives."
"These critics are still slandering Matthew's films."
Brian Lister said nothing. When his companions finished venting, he said, "It's almost time. Let's go to the theater."
"Yeah!" Daenerys raised her voice, "Let's go rent out a theater to support Matthew!"
"Let's go!"
"Let's move out!"
Dozens of people left the house and walked toward a nearby cinema, joining another group of dozens of fans at the intersection. They soon arrived at the cinema, ready to rent an entire theater.
"Is Theater Five almost full?" Brian Lister was negotiating with the cinema cashier, "What about Theater Six, which we've used before?"
The cashier said helplessly, "Theater Six has over twenty viewers, so we can't rent it out to you."
"What about Theater Twelve?" Brian Lister asked again.
"Sorry, Brian, we can't provide you with a private theater today." The cashier seemed quite helpless, "Since seven o'clock this morning, the cinema has six showings of 'I Am Legend' every fifteen minutes, and all the showings have more than twenty tickets sold. I'm very sorry, but we can't rent out a theater today."
He tentatively suggested, "How about you split up into other showings?"
Brian Lister frowned slightly. They had arrived early enough, just nine o'clock, and it was a Friday morning when most people had to go to work or school...
The cinema duty manager hurried out of the office, shook hands with Brian Lister, inquired about the details, and after some consideration, said, "How about this, I'll make some adjustments."
He picked up the phone, dialed a number, and said directly, "Hasn't 'The Golden Compass' at 9:30 not sold a single ticket? Cancel it, switch to 'I Am Legend,' and do it now!"
Hearing this, Brian Lister breathed a sigh of relief.
The cashier also breathed a sigh of relief. After all, having over a hundred people blocking the cinema lobby was not a good thing; large crowds could easily lead to trouble.
The duty manager hung up the phone and said to Brian Lister, "Please wait a moment, Theater Eleven will be ready soon."
Brian Lister was very polite, "Thank you."
The cinema worked efficiently, and soon Brian Lister, Daenerys, and the group of fans entered Theater Eleven. They not only bought movie tickets but also various drinks and snacks, spending over three hundred dollars on popcorn alone.
"You need to pay attention in the future..." the duty manager instructed several cashiers, "Matthew Horner's fans often rent out theaters in groups. Notify me immediately when you encounter this."
For the cinema, Matthew Horner was a guarantee of revenue!
He felt this most keenly from his work on the front lines of the market. In the past two years, names like Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise were not as useful as Matthew Horner. Matthew Horner's name was a guarantee of box office success!
The duty manager faced a busy Friday, with three waves of fan groups, each around a hundred people, coming in the morning, asking to rent out theaters to watch "I Am Legend." Without hesitation, he canceled some other films' showings and switched to more showings of "I Am Legend" to respond to the latest market changes.
The enthusiastic screenings were promptly reported back to Matthew through Warner Brothers' frontline market research. Matthew frequently appeared in the media, loudly promoting his new film.
This film was different from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series and any of his previous films. "I Am Legend" had only him as the protagonist, a complete one-man show. The box office would directly reflect his commercial appeal.
On Friday evening, Matthew was interviewed by the New York Times in the reception room of the Waldorf Hotel, calling loudly for support for "I Am Legend."
Anyway, he was thick-skinned, and self-promotion was no big deal.
"I really enjoy putting small roles into grand stories. My most successful application of this concept in a film is 'I Am Legend.'" Matthew said without a hint of embarrassment, "'I Am Legend' could never be a stage play, right? Everyone knows this movie; it's a one-man film, one man and one dog. As a blockbuster, you might think this film needs more, but so far, it's the most open film I've ever made and the one I've put the most effort into."
He also mentioned his much-praised performance, "This is the kind of film I'm obsessed with—not requiring much acting because people don't want to see acting in a film. If you overact, you'll drive the audience away. You just need to play your role in the most appropriate way! I think I achieved that!"
Matthew was promoting vigorously, Warner Brothers was pushing hard, and the success of "I Am Legend" would be judged by one standard—box office performance!
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