1576-1578

Chapter 1576: Ambitious 

The second week of July 2004, "Sunflower" debuted at number one on the Billboard singles chart, instantly sending the entire music industry into a frenzy. 

Number one. It was more than just hitting number one. 

The reason was the competition on that chart; there wasn't a single easy opponent. 

Number two: "I Believe," by Fantasia Barrino. Number three: "This Love," by Maroon 5 . Number four: "Burn," by Usher. Number five: "Confessions Part II," by Usher. 

Maroon 5 and Usher need no introduction; they had been locked in competition since February, still neck and neck after almost half a year. But who was Fantasia? 

She was the winner of the third season of "American Idol," which had just wrapped up in May with huge fanfare. 

Last year, Anson's album "Midsummer Midnight" went head-to-head with the top two contestants from the second season of "American Idol," and Maroon 5 came out on top. This year, the champion of the third season emerged, a young black single mother who completely rewrote reality TV history – 

Not just a single mother, but also black. Fantasia's win had a significant impact on American society, going beyond just music. 

"I Believe," as Fantasia's first single from her debut studio album after winning, debuted at number one on Billboard in its first week, beating out Maroon 5 and Usher, showing just how wild the market was for her. It even surpassed the splash Kelly Clarkson made when she first came out. 

However, that moment of glory only lasted one week. 

In the second week "I Believe" was out, "Sunflower" arrived. 

"Sunflower" debuted at number one, pushing all the other singles down one spot. 

So, what did this prove? 

In 2004, the influence of "American Idol" was unparalleled. It was undoubtedly the number one reality show in North America, with explosive ratings. The number of viewers actively participating in every elimination vote repeatedly broke records, far surpassing the first two seasons. 

And yet, the champion born from such a massive wave still couldn't withstand the "Spider-Man 2" phenomenon. 

Or, to be more precise, Anson defeated Fantasia – 

Just as the Los Angeles Times said, Anson was the keyword. He was an unparalleled presence in both the film and music industries right now, truly one of a kind. 

If the album chart was witnessing the sheer force of the "Spider-Man 2" wave, then the singles chart was witnessing Anson's drawing power. Whether as an actor or a singer, the name "Anson Wood" now carried weight far beyond anyone's imagination. A brand new world was unfolding at Anson's feet. 

Ten days ago, the brilliance and buzz of the "Spider-Man 2" premiere were still vivid. Back then, people could already feel the coming wave. But it wasn't until they actually saw "Sunflower" debut at number one on Billboard with such overwhelming force that those imagined visuals finally gained real power. 

Then – 

What about "Sailing"? 

Media, netizens, audiences – one after another, they couldn't stay quiet, asking about the other song Anson performed at the premiere. 

It's worth noting that even though "Sailing" was featured in the "Spider-Man 2" movie, the song wasn't included on the "Spider-Man 2" movie soundtrack. 

The answer was obvious. 

Anyone smart could guess that "Sailing" was probably planned for inclusion on Anson's personal album. Warner Music was already rubbing their hands together, barely containing themselves. But the general public was already beyond containing their excitement and anticipation; they weren for satisfied with just "Sunflower"'s release. They craved more, they needed more. 

This small detail alone was enough to deeply feel Anson's influence. 

So, while "Anchorman" and "King Arthur" were launching massive promotional campaigns, fully utilizing media resources based on their premieres – Disney was pulling out all the stops, mobilizing every resource and bit of energy – "Spider-Man 2" was finding another path, opening up the situation using the influence of the music market. 

Avoiding the main battlefield of movie promotion, "Spider-Man 2" opened a new front, launching promotion with no competitors, mobilizing its full energy there. 

The media was in an uproar – 

Was all of this planned in advance? 

If the answer was yes, it was chilling. The person behind this was completely manipulating professionals in promotion, distribution, and marketing, playing them like puppets. 

Clearly, Sony Columbia didn't have this kind of capability. The answer was practically shouting itself out. 

DreamWorks thought: Phew, what a relief. 

Firstly, DreamWorks was tight on cash flow. Secondly, "Anchorman" was a low-budget comedy, so they didn't mobilize all their resources for promotion. 

This strategy successfully helped DreamWorks escape a potential disaster. Now, seeing Disney's ashen faces and stunned expressions, they couldn't help but feel grateful for their own wisdom. 

Looking at it now, whoever it was, the controller of the overall strategy for "Spider-Man 2"'s distribution and promotion, was incredibly ambitious. He/She didn't just refuse to sit back and surrender, content with the historical opening weekend record. Instead, they were preparing to actively attack, crush all competitors, and climb higher. 

The goal he/she was pursuing was beyond imagination. 

Looking back now at Sony Columbia's generous spending on early promotion, continuously increasing investment and expanding scale, the signs were there all along. 

Step by step, openly, yet silently, they completed the entire layout. In plain sight of everyone, not a single person discovered their ambition. 

It was bone-chilling. 

So, this controller... was it really Anson? 

July 12th, Monday. 

According to routine, Exhibitor Relations would release the estimated North American weekend box office chart. This was estimated data, based on the number of theaters, attendance rates, advance ticket sales, etc. 

Although it was an estimate, Exhibitor Relations' statistics rarely, if ever, made mistakes. If they did make a mistake occasionally, they would publish the adjusted actual numbers on Tuesday. 

In other words, precisely at midnight on Sunday, without fail, all major media outlets and newspapers needed Exhibitor Relations' data for layout and printing, ready to be available first thing Monday morning. Of course, on Monday morning, Exhibitor Relations would also publish the data on their official website for public viewing. 

For a rare change, Michael Lynton lost his composure. He didn't even wait for the newspapers and opened the Exhibitor Relations website immediately. 

Because Michael still held a sliver of hope. He didn't expect "King Arthur" to overturn "Spider-Man 2," but he hoped "Spider-Man 2"'s second-week weekend box office numbers would drop some. 

Just a little bit, a tiny bit more would be enough. Just a little tilt in his favor. 

But. 

A blank page. 

The official Exhibitor Relations website was completely blank. There was no box office data for the second week of July. 

Michael froze, feeling a surge of panic and fear, his heart sinking. But then, an idea popped into his head. Could it be an unexpected result? 

Otherwise, how could the official Exhibitor Relations website not publish the data? No matter what "Spider-Man 2"'s box office performance was, it wouldn't be surprising enough to cause this kind of unusual situation. The only explanation was that something unexpected had happened, forcing Exhibitor Relations, a professional statistics agency, to double-check multiple times. 

That one thought quickly grew and blossomed in his mind. 

Hope was reignited, instantly filling his heart, swelling up like a balloon so quickly it felt like it might burst through his chest. All rationality and composure were destroyed, replaced by an urgent mindset, completely unleashed. 

Chapter 1577: One Step to Heaven 

He'd been tricked. 

If Michael Linton still hadn't understood that he'd walked right into Anson's trap by now, then he truly was foolish, and he wouldn't deserve to be Amy Pascal's opponent. 

Clearly, Anson had exploited Michael's mindset. Michael thought he was setting a trap for Anson, never imagining that Anson would instead leverage the situation, going with the flow and openly laying out his plan right under Michael's nose. He was planning ten steps ahead with every single move, interlocking everything to scheme against everyone involved. 

Not just Michael, probably Amy too. 

When Michael was getting ready to "praise Anson to death" (set him up for a fall with excessive praise), Anson quietly leveraged the momentum. Not only didn't he show any fear or hesitation, but he wildly pushed things to a completely new peak. Michael thought he was bold and crazy enough, but in the face of Anson's ambition, he realized just how conservative and insignificant he was. 

Who was the hunter, and who was the prey? 

In the Amazon jungle, no one can ever be one hundred percent certain. Now Michael realized that in this game, he'd already lost the initiative. 

Realizing this, nervousness and fear gripped his heart tightly. 

Now, there was no turning back. 

But there was still a glimmer of hope. Before the result was revealed, before the mystery was solved, Anson couldn't be one hundred percent certain either; there was still uncertainty. 

The second-week box office. 

As long as the second-week box office was below expectations, Michael could still turn the situation around. Even if Anson's plan was flawless and encompassed everything, Anson wasn't a deity after all; he couldn't control everything. And conversely, sitting on a backer like Sony Columbia, Michael turning defeat into victory would be a matter of an instant. 

Now, hope seemed to be kindled. 

The Exhibitor Relations official website had a malfunction. 

This, what did this mean? 

An unexpected event! A variable! Infinite possibilities! 

Michael wasn't afraid of unexpected events; he was only afraid of no unexpected events, where everything proceeded exactly according to Anson's calculations. He had absolutely no chance to turn things around. 

And now, an unexpected event had occurred! 

Happiness, it came so suddenly. 

Although Michael knew he shouldn't feel this way – after all, "Spider-Man 2" was a Sony Columbia production, and its unexpected situation could directly affect his job – after a long and agonizing week, Michael could no longer control himself. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, then curled upward. 

A slight curl, then fully upward. 

With great difficulty, Michael barely managed to control himself, but his heart was still pounding uncontrollably. Maybe this was the only good news he'd had lately. 

That kind of elation, that kind of impulse, broke free from the reins and took control of his mind. 

Bang! 

Michael rushed out of the house, not even having time to change out of his pajamas, wearing slippers, and ran at full speed towards the newspaper stand on the corner. 

Scanning the stand, Michael pulled down a copy of "The New York Times," skillfully opened to page six, and quickly found the North American weekend box office chart. 

In an instant, he held his breath. 

First, "Spider-Man 2," $108.5 million. Second, "Anchorman," $28 million. Third, "King Arthur," $15 million. 

"It's over." 

This was the only thought in Michael's mind. From ecstasy to despair, the wild fluctuations sent him plunging into the abyss like a freefall. 

Stunned. 

Michael froze completely on the spot, his entire body stiff. His heart hit the ground, smashed into eighteen pieces, then shattered into powder. 

You didn't need to be a math whiz; you could see it with just one glance. The box office data for "Spider-Man 2"'s second weekend (three days) still surpassed "Shrek 2"'s opening weekend box office. Just this one set of numbers said it all. 

In other words, even when looking at the second-weekend box office numbers alone, "Spider-Man 2" could rank third in film history, only behind its own and the original "Spider-Man's opening box office. 

The first film in the long history of North American cinema to break $100 million at the weekend box office for two consecutive weeks. 

This title alone was enough. 

Michael's shoulders completely slumped, his mind blank. Without any thoughts, any rationality, any calmness – it was all thrown into the Atlantic trench. 

Happiness? 

It hadn't even had time to fully ignite before plunging into an ice cave, gripping his heart tightly, leaving him unable to breathe. 

Anson's ambitious plan had actually come true. 

Actually! 

Turning around dispiritedly, he heard the newspaper stand owner behind him call out loudly, "Hey, you, hobo! My newspaper money! Are you trying to get it for free?" 

Hobo? 

Michael: Was he talking about me? 

... 

An official announcement from Exhibitor Relations: 

"Apologies, due to severe overload of server access, the website's backend operations were paused for three hours, and we accidentally lost some important data. This caused today's website update to be delayed and some pages to be garbled. However, thanks to the efforts of our staff, the website has now returned to normal." 

Just a few short lines. The information was simple, but what was truly important was the information hidden within those words— 

Server overload. 

It's likely Exhibitor Relations hadn't anticipated at all that a website for a professional box office data tracking organization would actually encounter a situation like this one day. 

Presumably, Exhibitor Relations themselves panicked, full of question marks, not knowing what was happening. 

But now it seems this "Spider-Man 2" frenzy was making all of Hollywood and even the entire North American continent lose their minds, sweeping everything into the storm. 

Indeed, "Spider-Man 2" hadn't disappointed. 

Although people had referenced sample data, they couldn't accurately predict "Spider-Man 2"'s subsequent box office curve. But judging from films with opening box office around $70 million, a second-week box office drop below 45% was considered passing, below 40% was excellent, and below 35% was basically unheard of, rare enough to count on one's fingers. 

Based on this, it was speculated that "Spider-Man 2" controlling its second-week box office drop below 50% would be a success – a huge success! 

So, what was the result? 

38%. 

"Spider-Man 2" controlled its second-weekend (three-day) box office drop at an unbelievable 38%! 

To some extent, this figure was even crazier than the opening weekend's $175 million. 

After all, the opening weekend still had the boost from extensive publicity and buildup. "Spider-Man 2"'s premiere itself was an unprecedented promotional event. Behind the miracle, you could see patterns. And it was precisely because of this that people still held onto hope for "King Arthur," even though the media reviews weren't great. 

However, the second-weekend box office relies entirely on word-of-mouth. It's a test of organic buzz and how effectively a movie reaches a broader audience. The most typical example was "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." Even though the film's media reviews were excellent, family audiences didn't like it as much, resulting in a second-weekend box office plummeting by 62.7%. Despite a strong opening weekend performance, the subsequent box office curve was unsatisfactory. 

Now, with "Spider-Man 2," from media reviews to CinemaScore and IMDB, all indicators were soaring. 

Especially after the media buzz from the premiere came out, a group of contrarian viewers were saying one after another, "Why did this movie earn so much praise?" They went to the theaters with a critical, almost harsh gaze, trying to follow in the footsteps of "The Village Voice" and "The New Yorker," looking for reasons to criticize the movie. 

And the result? 

Not only did they not succeed in finding flaws, they instead further boosted the spread of the movie's positive word-of-mouth. 

Then, the box office explosion just couldn't be stopped. "Spider-Man 2," with the answer of a 38% second-weekend box office drop, once again shocked the entire North American market. 

Chapter 1578: One Step to Hell 

Get this – the box office drop for the second weekend? A staggering 38%! 

"Spider-Man 2," after already smashing historical records with its opening weekend, somehow managed to deliver an astonishing report card for its second weekend: 38%. That number is an absolute dream for any film that cost over a hundred million dollars. Aside from weird exceptions like "Titanic," where the second weekend pretty much held steady with the first, it's totally normal for movies to see their box office drop by 40% or more in the second week. 

But seriously, "Spider-Man 2" is just shattering all the market rules, completely sweeping away and overturning every theory and concept that industry professionals thought they knew. 

Right now, words like "shock" and "impact" just can't even describe how people are feeling. 

It's gone crazy, like a collective (gone mad)! Overnight, it feels like we're back in late 1997 when "Titanic" just appeared out of nowhere, and people were spontaneously telling everyone they knew. No advertising, no big promotions needed, just pure word-of-mouth, slowly but surely drawing wave after wave of people into the theaters. 

And now, "Spider-Man 2" is getting that same kind of love – 

It's not just being seen as a comic book movie, or a superhero movie, not even just a big commercial film or a coming-of-age story. It's simply a phenomenon, a truly "good movie" that nobody should miss. Everyone should just go to the cinema and enjoy those two hours of adventure. 

And that? That's more than enough. 

The box office is just absolutely exploding. 

The entire North American market is practically silent, almost forgetting for a moment about "King Arthur"'s epic, epic flop. 

Yeah, "King Arthur," after its media reviews totally collapsed, only pulled in a measly fifteen million dollars on its opening weekend. It flopped in a way that shakes the heavens and moves the earth – basically, flopped spectacularly. 

You don't even need to wait for the numbers later. You can see right now that compared to its one hundred and twenty million dollar investment, that opening box office is an epic disaster. Forget challenging "Spider-Man 2," even "Anchorman" easily stomped on it, with an opening weekend almost double "King Arthur"'s. 

Seriously, no comparison, no pain... but here, the comparison makes it hurt so much more. 

It finally feels real now: that brief comeback for epic films was just an illusion. "Gladiator"'s success was a one-off accident that can't be replicated. 

But the real disaster isn't even just the bad numbers; it's being completely ignored, like nobody cares. 

All the news media's attention is buzzing and focusing entirely on "Spider-Man 2." They literally have no time or energy to bother with "King Arthur"'s shocking failure. Sure, the media did their job and gave "King Arthur" a little bit of space, maybe mentioning the movie's terrible failure in just one sentence in their reports, but that was it. 

In Hollywood, being ignored is worse than bad press, and that's exactly where "King Arthur" is right now. It's put Disney in such an awkward spot – 

Should they actually bring up their painful failure themselves, or should they just weakly and awkwardly swallow this bitter defeat and pretend it didn't happen? 

Is this good news, or bad news? 

Unfortunately, nobody even cares about that point either. The news about "Spider-Man 2" is everywhere, filling every single corner of people's view. 

There's only one focus. 

Not only did it explode with amazing energy over the second weekend's three days, but during the weekdays after the long Independence Day weekend holiday wrapped up, "Spider-Man 2" kept sweeping through theaters. While Hollywood was busy focusing on the premieres for "King Arthur" and "Anchorman," movie theaters were still going absolutely wild for Peter Parker, non-stop. 

It's been out for two weeks, just two short weeks, or more accurately, exactly ten days, and "Spider-Man 2"'s cumulative box office has already climbed to a height that's hard to even reach – 

Three hundred and seventy-three million dollars. 

Yep, you read that number right, and it's counted correctly. It is indeed three hundred and seventy-three million dollars. 

In other words, in just ten days, "Spider-Man 2"'s total box office has already surpassed "Finding Nemo," which was the top earner in North America for all of 2003! 

Fastest to hit one hundred million, fastest to hit two hundred million, fastest to hit three hundred million... now, hitting four hundred million and five hundred million looks like a done deal, a sure thing. Without any doubt, "Spider-Man 2"'s final cumulative box office target in North America isn't just the rare four hundred million that only a handful of movies ever touch; it's seven hundred million – 

A height that no one in North American film history has ever been able to reach, not even "Titanic"; a ceiling that goes beyond everyone's imagination and even makes you wonder if it's actually possible; a height that completely breaks all the rules, flips everything we know upside down, and ignites the market's full potential. 

"Spider-Man 2" is just on a completely different level. The conversation around this movie is already in the next league. 

"Seven hundred million in North America." Even just thinking about it, even just letting the words roll off your tongue, that tingling sensation of shock mixed with excitement just spreads all over your body. 

But... can "Spider-Man 2" really do it? 

After all, it's only just nearing four hundred million right now. It's still almost half the way to seven hundred million. That's a very, very long journey ahead. 

However, that's precisely the key point! Everyone is talking about it, everyone is waiting eagerly. "Spider-Man 2" is making history right before everyone's eyes. The entire North American continent is completely caught up in a frenzy, a crazy, wild enthusiasm is erupting, and everyone is desperate to jump into this carnival. 

In this situation, there's absolutely no one who can steal "Spider-Man 2"'s spotlight. 

Even in the highly competitive summer blockbuster season, there's no exception. The summer of 2004 is turning into a "Spider-Man 2" one-man show. 

But, in the middle of this huge wave of celebration, not everyone is able to jump up and cheer. 

Take Michael Lynton, for example. 

Or more accurately, the people within Sony Columbia who were supporting Michael Lynton. 

When that second-weekend box office drop number for "Spider-Man 2" came out, all the suspense was officially over. Any arguments, any excuses, they just became meaningless. 

Sure, maybe a small group of people are still stubbornly trying to argue, who knows? They might say, "Oh, 'Spider-Man 2''s final box office might stop at five hundred million, maybe six hundred million at most. There's no way it can break through the seven hundred million barrier. The North American market in 2004 just isn't ready for that kind of potential right now." 

But honestly, those arguments are pointless. They just highlight how pathetic and incompetent those people are. The more stubbornly they argue, the smaller and more insignificant they'll look in the end. 

Whether "Spider-Man 2"'s North American box office ends up at five hundred million or six hundred million, it honestly doesn't matter that much in the grand scheme of things because Sony Columbia is going to make tons and tons of money either way. They don't even need to look at the overseas numbers; they can make a profit just from the North American market alone. This is a huge breakthrough, and even more, it's an amazing feat. 

The key to everything? It's Anson. 

So yeah, all those arguments lose their meaning. Sony Columbia shouldn't miss out on Anson. Those folks on the board who only care about money? They're not going to be stupid. 

This also means that Michael Lynton's side has lost. They've lost completely, like they don't even have their underwear left – they've lost absolutely everything. 

Trying to struggle anymore will only make them look even more pathetic. 

One step to heaven, one step to hell. Winner takes all, loser loses everything. It's just that simple. 

The big question now is, what happens next? 

How do they clean up this mess? How do they face the ruins? How do they move forward? Should they cut ties with Michael? Is it too late to jump ship now? Will Amy Pascal be willing to accept them without any hard feelings? What kind of fate will Michael face? Does the story just end here? 

It's a complete mess everywhere, and everyone is utterly disheartened.