Actor in Hollywood Chapter 502: Disrupting the Landscape

When the North Arican weekend box office rankings were released in the third week of May, all the dia went into a frenzy—

At first glance, "Star Wars: Episode II" was predictably strong—oh yeah!

At second glance, wait a minute, what's going on? "Spider-Man" is doing that well?

At third glance, oh my god, what the heck!

Finally, a brain freeze! What exactly are we witnessing here?

Words like "shock" and "impact" barely capture the feeling in the North Arican market; it's like a tsunami, a storm, relentlessly sweeping through the entire North Arican film industry.

Although people were already aware that "Spider-Man" was continuously breaking records and was undoubtedly the first blockbuster of the sumr, surpassing all expectations, seeing the film's performance against a competitor like "Star Wars: Episode II" still shattered everyone's expectations.

First, there was excitent and praise for "Star Wars: Episode II" holding strong under pressure with an impressive opening.

Then, "Spider-Man's" third-week box office numbers hit like a tidal wave, ten tis, no, a hundred tis stronger, rcilessly silencing all other voices.

Reactions short-circuited.

What does this an?

Even when faced with a monstrous competitor like "Star Wars: Episode II," "Spider-Man" showed the courage and strength to fight back head-on.

So, who can stop "Spider-Man"?

Probably no one.

As a result, sothing rare occurred again in North Arica.

Even though "Star Wars: Episode II" had its full release this week, the top news in the North Arican film market had to be shared with "Spider-Man."

This is absolutely mind-blowing.

In just three weeks, "Spider-Man's" cumulative North Arican box office effortlessly reached $350 million, officially surpassing "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" to break into the top ten highest-grossing films in North Arican history, currently ranking seventh.

Now, reaching $400 million in North Arica is a certainty, $500 million is highly likely, and the real target might just be the second $600 million film in North Arica since "Titanic."

Wow!

A collective gasp.

"Spider-Man," a film based on a nerdy comic, a movie about a high school superhero—who could have predicted it would reach such heights?

Forget about others; even Sony Columbia themselves almost choked in disbelief. They didn't even know how this happened—how history was made just like that.

It wasn't until now that Hollywood finally realized what "Operation Ticket Stub" really ant—

A gamble that could very well be the turning point in history.

Anson teaming up with Sam on the full release day of "Star Wars: Episode II" not only successfully leveraged the "Star Wars" franchise's traffic to keep "Spider-Man" in the spotlight, but also broke through the barriers, making "Spider-Man" a true topic of national conversation.

This completely changed the dynamics of this sumr's movie season—

What's left now is history.

20th Century Fox: … What, what's happening?

"Uh, Hayden…" Carter was also frozen, his mind in a fog.

He needed a mont.

Taking a deep breath, as a seasoned agent, Carter regained his composure, "Hayden, it's still not too late to fix this. Call Anson, you two can go see both movies together, take a photo, post your ticket stubs, we'll create so buzz…"

Although they missed the first opportunity to react, it's still not too late to nd things. If they can properly leverage Hayden and Anson's friendship, "Star Wars: Episode II" can still ride the wave.

Carter's brain went into overdrive.

However.

Hayden shook his head, "No."

Carter was stunned, "What did you say?"

Hayden looked up at Carter, "You heard ."

Carter gasped, hardly believing his ears, "Hayden, do you know what you're doing?"

Hayden said nothing.

"Hayden, you should know what this movie's opportunity ans. We cannot afford to fail—this is 'Star Wars.' If even 'Star Wars' fails, no production will look at you again."

"This movie is too important for you. We fought so hard to land this role; we can't let a little spider ruin everything."

"Don't pay attention to the negative reviews. As long as the box office succeeds, all criticism will vanish; no one will care about those critiques."

"A pretty face? Ha, Anson was just a pretty face in 'The Princess Diaries' too. Honestly, 'Spider-Man' isn't much different, so don't worry, those criticisms don't matter."

"If you're worried about Anson, don't be. You can put all the bla on . Say it was who told you to move out, who told you to distance yourself from them, who told you not to contact them."

Carter had already figured it out—

An agent's main roles are to arrange work and take the fall; nothing else is that important.

So as long as the bla is shifted, Hayden and Anson can repair their relationship.

But Hayden remained silent.

Carter grew anxious, "Hayden!"

Hayden: "But all of this was my idea."

Carter: "Yours, mine—does it matter? It doesn't matter at all. The only thing that matters now is repairing the relationship. We need Anson; we need to seize this opportunity."

Hayden shook his head gently, "It's not that simple. You don't know how smart Anson is. He'll see through everything in an instant, see through any lies, and understand why we're choosing to make up now…"

Carter: "So what? Let him see through it. How many real friendships do you think exist in Hollywood? It's all just a show. As long as it benefits 'Spider-Man,' he'll play along, just like you said, he's a smart guy."

Hayden exhaled softly, "I don't want to."

Carter choked, almost passing out, "Hayden Christensen, are you crazy? Do you know what this ans? Do you know what you're saying?"

But Hayden was unusually calm, "Carter, we missed our chance. It's that simple. If we had reached out three days ago, things would be different, and we could have salvaged the situation. But now… it's too late."

As he spoke, his words trailed off.

Carter: ???

Too late? What do you an too late? "Star Wars: Episode II" just premiered; there's still ti! Too late or not, it has to be now!

"Hayden?"

"Hayden!"

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

But this ti, Hayden didn't respond. He just turned to look out the window, lost in thought. No one knew what was going through his mind, only Carter's frantic cursing filled the air, as if he were an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth, left and right.

Everyone is surprised by Anson's ability to co up with wild ideas and create miracles, but he knows, there's nothing surprising about it at all—it was all entirely predictable. It just happened that way.

Ha.

Hayden's lips curled slightly. He almost felt like laughing.

In the sa space, two completely different worlds, Hayden's thoughts began to slowly drift away.