1636-1638

Chapter 1636: One Billion Dollars 

This summer, Shrek 2 burst onto the scene and dazzled the North American box office. 

And not just North America—its overseas markets also lit up like Christmas, pulling in a whopping $487 million internationally. That made it 13th on the all-time overseas box office charts at the time and undoubtedly DreamWorks' most successful franchise. 

This performance perfectly reflected the global box office landscape: 

• $300 million domestically and $400 million overseas is considered elite. 

• Push it further to $400 million North America + $500 million overseas, and you’re talking top 10 of all time. 

Then… up in the stratosphere, Titanic stood alone, as if from another universe altogether. 

And so the game had been: everyone striving for gold, while Titanic floated untouchably above, shimmering like a god-tier myth. 

Until now. 

Enter: Spider-Man 2. 

Following its North American takeover, Spider-Man 2 unleashed a worldwide storm. It didn’t just perform—it exploded, blowing open the doors to something everyone had quietly hoped for: 

Maybe Titanic wasn't just a once-in-a-lifetime fluke. 

They say: 

• Once = luck 

• Twice = coincidence 

• Thrice = inevitable 

And since Titanic landed like an asteroid in 1997, no movie had come close—not even within orbit. 

People rationalized it: Maybe it was because of the millennium scare. Maybe it was the world’s subconscious way of coping with Y2K anxiety. Maybe it was just a unique, emotional lightning-in-a-bottle event. 

The result? Titanic became an untouchable totem, worshiped but never approached. Hollywood didn’t dare say, “I want to make another Titanic.” That’d be begging to be laughed out of the room. 

Yet behind closed doors, everyone hoped. They waited. For something, anything, to show it was possible again. 

Then in 2002, hope flickered: Spider-Man swung in. 

Though it didn’t topple Titanic, it came close. 

• Its $100 million+ opening weekend? Unheard of. 

• Its North American performance? A heartbeat away from the king. 

And suddenly, old dreams stirred again. 

By 2004: 

• Shrek 2 proved Spider-Man’s success wasn’t a one-off. 

• And Spider-Man 2… oh man. 

First, it smashed North American records. Then, it blew up internationally. Big markets, small markets—even tiny ones with little cinematic presence—were lit on fire. 

Hollywood insiders couldn’t hold it in. The chant began: 

“A billion! A billion! A BILLION!” 

It didn’t matter if it beat Titanic’s overseas record. If it hit $1 billion globally, that was enough. That was proof. 

• That Titanic wasn't a miracle. 

• That the film industry still had that juice. 

• That the future was bright, not just a nostalgic rerun. 

From industry veterans to Wall Street analysts, everyone’s eyes locked onto one hero: 

Peter Parker. 

Could he, like Titanic, ignite a cultural tidal wave? 

Could Anson Wood, like Leonardo DiCaprio, become a generation-defining icon? 

Back in the day, Leo was crowned the last superstar of the 20th century. Now they whispered that Anson might be the first of the 21st. 

Sure, Will Smith was a superstar. Johnny Depp? Check. Even Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley were flavor-of-the-month stars. 

But Anson? He was playing on a different level. 

And nobody—nobody—gets to choose who becomes legendary. Not critics. Not studios. Not even marketing teams. 

Only the audience decides. Only reality decides. 

And reality was screaming: 

• “Sunflower,” the movie’s original song, topped charts in 63 countries. 

• Spider-Man 2 merchandise? Sold out. Posters, toys, mugs—you name it. 

• Even the original Spider-Man comics saw a massive youth resurgence. 

This wasn't hype. This was domination. 

So, the world held its breath. Even people who didn't care about box office stats leaned in. They had to know: 

Would this movie make history? 

And then, it happened. 

$1.13 billion. 

Not a dream. Not a prediction. Real. Official. Locked in. 

Spider-Man 2 became only the second movie in history to break $1 billion overseas. 

The numbers had been tracked in real time, as if every dollar was a heartbeat: 

• It passed Jurassic Park. 

• Then Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. 

• Then Return of the King. 

Second only to Titanic. But still climbing. Eight hundred million… Nine hundred million… A billion. Eleven hundred million. Boom. Final score: $1.13 billion. 

The moment that final number hit the screen, the dam burst. 

Everyone exhaled, screamed, celebrated, cried, froze. 

History had been made. 

Chapter 1637: A New Era's Benchmark 

1.13 Billion Dollars! 

Finally— A second film in cinematic history has crossed the billion-dollar mark overseas. Finally, Titanic is no longer a myth that cannot be touched. Finally, a film has once again proven the explosive power of international markets, shining a hopeful light on the future of cinema. 

And this time, it’s not just Hollywood celebrating— Media outlets across the globe are losing their minds. 

“Witness history: Spider-Man 2 replicates Titanic’s box office miracle!” 

“Spider-Man 2 becomes the second film in history to earn over a billion overseas!” 

“Anson Wood’s global frenzy!” 

“A miracle reborn—Spider-Man 2 proves lightning can strike twice.” 

“A new heartthrob takes over—the shy nerd becomes the nation’s favorite.” 

“Spider-Man 2 delivers on all the hype and makes movie history again!” 

The noise. The roar. The fever. 

From North to South America, Europe to Asia, all the way to Oceania, Spider-Man 2 is dominating headlines. It’s not just a top story on entertainment pages—this film has taken over the front pages of newspapers and magazines worldwide. 

To be fair, none of this was entirely unexpected. From the moment Spider-Man 2 premiered, industry insiders already predicted this kind of phenomenon. But forecasting it is one thing. Watching it unfold in reality, with undeniable force, is something else entirely. The gap between theory and fact has never been so powerful. 

It’s not just the media—forums and online communities are absolutely flooded with discussions about Spider-Man 2. Everyone's got something to say: 

“Does Spider-Man 2 really deserve these numbers? Is it actually better than Titanic?” 

“Titanic is a classic. Spider-Man 2 is just popcorn fluff. Breaking that kind of record feels like a disgrace.” 

“Why Spider-Man 2? There are countless A-list stars and highly anticipated films every year. Why this one?” 

Voices—so many of them—talking, debating, arguing. 

“I don’t like Anson Wood. He’s just a pretty boy. No way you can compare him to Leonardo DiCaprio.” 

“Come on. It’s just mindless popcorn. Audiences today have terrible taste.” 

“Seriously? Am I the only one who didn’t enjoy this movie?” 

“Young people are hopeless if this is what they idolize—a brainless action flick.” 

“I don’t hate Anson Wood or Spider-Man, but the way this film is blowing up feels fishy.” 

“Anson Wood? Really? You call that handsome? Are y’all blind? Spider-Man is the lamest superhero I’ve ever seen!” 

“Kirsten Dunst’s huge round face ruined everything, okay?” 

“Don’t compare a high school Spider-Man to Titanic. It’s embarrassing. And to call it the highest-grossing film in history? Get outta here.” 

“Let me just say this: Spider-Man isn’t even worthy of carrying Titanic’s shoes. No comparison at all.” 

“Box office champ of all time? What a joke. A full-blown joke.” 

“Big box office? Fine. Every year a few trash films blow up. But surpassing Titanic? That’s just a joke.” 

“Please stop comparing Anson Wood to Leonardo DiCaprio. The only embarrassment here isn’t Leo.” 

Jealousy? Spite? Rebellion? A desperate need to stand out? The louder the global buzz around Spider-Man 2, the louder the backlash. It’s only natural—when something hits the extreme, there’s always a swing back. 

This fever is shaking the entire movie industry to its core. Even professionals in Hollywood are losing their grip. You can imagine the bitter, dark souls being torn apart by envy and confusion, spiraling into madness. 

The storm of criticism toward Spider-Man 2 and Anson Wood has reached a boiling point. 

And yet, it’s precisely because of all these reactions—both love and hate—that the true scale of this cultural wildfire becomes clear. “For the pendulum to swing, it must first reach the extreme,” right? 

Undeniably, the world is experiencing Anson Mania. A phenomenon equal to, if not greater than, Leonardo’s rise during Titanic’s reign. 

Magazines, newspapers, posters, merchandise— Anything with Anson’s face on it sells out instantly. Demand wildly exceeds supply. 

And forget official merch—pirated goods are flooding markets like a hurricane, creating enormous economic value and catching the attention of both professionals and government agencies. The "superstar effect" has returned, sweeping the globe just like it did during Leo’s time. 

In Rome, an independent theater was broken into. But nothing valuable was stolen—only 100 official Spider-Man 2 posters were taken. Later, it was rumored those posters ended up at a high school where a student handed them out to win class president. 

In Tokyo, devoted fans founded an “Anson Shrine”— Not just to show their love, but to pray that Anson would visit Japan so they could see him in person. The crazy part? The line outside the shrine stretched for thousands of people and never stopped. Newspapers and TV stations even covered it. 

No wonder The Hollywood Reporter covered Japan’s obsession with Anson, begging him to visit and promote Spider-Man 2. No wonder the film shattered box office records in Japan and broke into the top three of all time. The power of idol culture is real. 

David Beckham. Leonardo DiCaprio. And now, Anson Wood. 

And it didn’t stop there. 

In Edinburgh, Munich, Madrid, Buenos Aires, Sydney... Even though there weren’t shrines, “Spider-Man Clubs” started popping up everywhere. 

These clubs held screenings, fan events, discussions about Anson’s other films, and news updates about his career. 

Most over-the-top? London. A group of fans dressed up as characters from Anson’s movies and re-enacted scenes from Spider-Man 2. The cultural wave was so intense, his films became a kind of bridge—connecting passionate fans all over the world. 

If that was the end of it, this frenzy would’ve been just another summer heatwave— Like last year’s Pirates of the Caribbean, where everyone adored Captain Jack Sparrow. These trends come and go every few years. Nothing new. The hype fades. Same old story. 

But what’s happening now… Is way more than that. 

This isn’t a summer storm. It’s a global shift. 

Chapter 1638: Turning Beans into Soldiers 

The waves of heat and hype roll in time and again. There's no need to dig far into history to find examples—just last summer, Pirates of the Caribbean ignited a cultural frenzy. 

Thanks to Pirates, Johnny Depp climbed to the pinnacle of the Hollywood pyramid. After over a decade of working in the film industry, he finally had his breakthrough. Everyone knew "Captain Jack Sparrow," but even with all that fame, this Jack still wasn’t the most iconic "Jack" in the world. Johnny Depp still wasn’t Leonardo DiCaprio, and Pirates of the Caribbean still wasn’t Titanic— 

Between the two stood an entire Star Wars trilogy. 

Now, Spider-Man 2 was challenging Titanic’s place in history, and Anson had risen to stand shoulder to shoulder with Leonardo. But riding these waves of hype alone wasn’t enough. 

Because what people were celebrating—what they were cheering for—wasn’t just a movie. It was a superstar. A cultural symbol. 

What we see now isn’t just the difference between Pirates of the Caribbean and Spider-Man 2—it’s the difference between a star and a superstar. 

People finally understood why Leonardo was called the last true superstar of the 20th century, and why Anson was being hailed as the first superstar of the 21st. 

The most striking part of all? The explosion of people mimicking Anson. 

A wave. A phenomenon. A trend. It crept into everyday life, visible everywhere you looked. 

Ever since Anson started collaborating with Dior, he had been making waves in the fashion world. But now, both Dior and the world of fashion were stunned by what they were witnessing. What they'd spent years trying to build suddenly exploded overnight thanks to Spider-Man 2—amplified a hundred, maybe a thousand times over. 

No exaggeration. 

Everywhere you looked, people were copying Anson’s style—from shirts to hoodies, from color combos to overall looks. Anson had become the perfect fashion template. Even his hairstyle wasn’t exempt. In everyone’s mind, the ultimate "dream guy" looked like Anson. 

Style. Vibe. Accessories. Details. 

Anything Anson had ever worn—even just a plain white tee—instantly skyrocketed in value. 

One stat says it all: In July alone, Dior Men’s sales spiked by 1200%. One month of sales surpassed the total for the entire first half of the year. The growth curve was so wild it sent shockwaves through the fashion world. Competitors were speechless—and even Dior was stunned. 

Dior had experienced this kind of frenzy before when Anson first became their brand ambassador. But as they became more confident and proud of their own growing fashion influence, they chose not to renew Anson’s contract once it expired—some voices inside the company didn't consider him essential anymore. 

Until now. 

Now Dior truly understood Anson’s power. If they wanted to be a fashion icon and trendsetter, the path was clear. 

But! 

While Dior's rise was shocking, it wasn’t totally unexpected. After all, Dior had already established itself as a leader in men’s fashion. Anson just supercharged the existing momentum. 

What truly showcased Anson's influence came next. 

While promoting Spider-Man 2, Anson was photographed wearing a dark red hoodie with denim shorts and skate shoes—casual, simple, youthful. The outfit wasn’t part of any official promotional event. The shot came from a candid TMZ street photo. 

No one expected it, but this low-key look instantly caught people’s attention. It had nothing to do with Dior—it gave off a carefree, street-style vibe, and forums lit up with buzz. Quietly, it started going viral. 

Then internet users did a little digging and discovered that the hoodie came from a small local New York brand called Supreme. 

Supreme had been around since 1994, but for a decade, it remained a niche label—mainly popular among skaters and graffiti artists in NYC. Outside that circle, barely anyone knew it existed. 

But after this, thanks to Anson, Supreme could no longer stay hidden. 

TMZ quickly released an article showcasing ten different Supreme items Anson had worn over the past year. 

*And boom—*the internet practically broke. 

Fashion magazines were left stunned: “…Who gave a gossip site permission to do our job?!” 

The TMZ article went viral almost immediately. 

Within 24 hours, Supreme’s NYC flagship store was overrun. Every item sold out. Fans went into a frenzy, cleaning the store out. 

Even crazier? Within a single week, Supreme completely sold out of their entire inventory. 

Everything. Gone. 

This was a tiny, extremely niche brand. After ten years, they still operated on a local scale. Stocking too much meant financial risk, so they always played it safe. Even so, they had slowly built up inventory over the years. 

Now? That entire ten-year stockpile—wiped out in one week. 

The Supreme team was dumbfounded. Outside, crowds swarmed the store. Inside, the warehouse was empty. No one could even smile. They just covered their faces and cried— 

That was real money. Right there—so close, yet so far, all because they couldn’t restock fast enough. 

It hurt. Bad. 

Compared to a fashion giant like Dior, the fact that an unknown brand like Supreme could completely transform its fate just because of Anson proved how powerful he truly was. His influence went beyond brands—his name alone could spark a business boom. 

Fashion. Trends. Culture. Idol. Icon. 

That’s the kind of influence we’re talking about. Not even Johnny Depp—not even Leonardo DiCaprio—could compare. Leo’s fashion sense? Practically non-existent. His appeal was mostly about looks. But with Anson, there was an entirely different kind of charm—something deeper and more magnetic. 

This is what a true superstar looks like. 

Anson was now surpassing even Leonardo at his peak. He was stepping into uncharted territory, unlocking an entirely new level of fame. Everything he'd built up until now was exploding all at once—he could truly turn beans into soldiers. Whatever he touched turned to gold. 

Movie premieres. Fashion. Film. Music. 

All of it. 

Not even Edgar or Eve could have foreseen this. They were thrilled, shocked, overwhelmed—but above all, driven. 

They were taking a leap into the unknown, blazing a trail into a future no one had ever reached before. 

For years, Leonardo was the industry’s gold standard—even stars like Tom Cruise and Will Smith never reached quite that height. 

But now, a shift had begun. 

Anson was becoming the new benchmark. Like it or not, people were beginning to see him as the new standard to beat. 

Even Leonardo DiCaprio wasn’t exempt. 

Anson had reached the absolute summit—and looked down at all the other mountains beneath him. 

(End of Chapter)