America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

The premiere had just concluded, and the audience was still not completely out the door when the surveyors from the outsourcing company hired by Disney Studios had already reported the collected statistical data to the statisticians.

The statisticians immediately entered the data into the computer and quickly obtained accurate statistics, which were sent to the Disney Studios' contacts.

Meanwhile, Ellen Horn had just escorted Martin out of the VIP room.

His assistant approached quickly and whispered, "President, we've got the audience feedback statistics."

Martin heard this and gave a look of interest.

Ellen Horn gave a slight nod of the head.

The assistant said, "It's mostly positive reviews; the audience gave an average grade of A+!"

Upon saying that, Ellen Horn couldn't help but laugh, looking at Martin, "I told you, North American audiences never abandon their darlings."

Martin also smiled, "One can only say that the film hits the spot for them."

There were two styles to choose from when shooting, one was to follow the original's style and make a sci-fi movie geared toward technology.

The other was the current style that leaned more toward plot and humor.

Martin, of course, chose the latter.

Ridley Scott made the same choice.

Perhaps that's why Ridley always managed to make a comeback through sci-fi themes.

At that moment, the two arrived at the theater's side door.

Ellen Horn shook hands with Martin, "Here's to a blockbuster hit!"

Martin said with a smile, "To our box office success!"

Leaving through the side door, he got into the Escalade Bruce had driven over and left the theater area.

From a nearby Cadillac, the window rolled down revealing the fair face of Jessica Chastain.

She waved towards Martin.

In the back seat on the other side was Alexandra Daddario.

The two of them were staying at the same hotel.

Martin nodded at them slightly, not saying much, as the two cars passed each other.

In the Cadillac, Jessica Chastain rolled up the window and said to the driver, "To the Ritz-Carlton Hotel."

Next to her, Daddario was busy scrolling on her phone.

Jessica Chastain asked, "Did Martin text you?"

"No," Daddario replied, "I'm looking at the online reviews for our film."

Jessica Chastain took out her phone from her handbag and started looking as well.

The number of smartphone users has been increasing, and the speed of information dissemination has become faster and faster.

With movies, fans begin to tweet either during or immediately after their viewing.

"After watching Martin's new film, I've learned how to face a dreary life with an optimistic attitude!"

"An exceptionally good survival movie set in the wilderness of space. Martin's solo performance carries the entire film."

"Real knowledge changes destiny, Martin's self-entertaining act was simply fantastic!"

"Martin easily sustains a monodrama; Ridley Scott is too good at handling sci-fi themes, supporting actress Jessica Chastain is stunningly beautiful, and Alexandra Daddario in a tight bodysuit has a figure that's simply explosive!"

The Cadillac soon arrived at the hotel, entering the underground parking garage.

Jessica Chastain and Daddario got out of the car and took the elevator up. Daddario pulled out the room card Martin had given her at the premiere and entered a suite.

Daddario had been here a few times, went to the bar, opened the liquor cabinet, took a bottle of wine and three glasses out, and began to pour.

Glancing at the time, Jessica Chastain said, "Martin's not here yet."

Daddario responded, "Let's wait a bit; he's got a lot on his plate."

After about fifteen minutes, the room door opened from the outside, and Martin entered the room.

Jessica Chastain, leaning on the bar with a wine glass in hand, was slowly savoring her drink.

From Martin's perspective, her curves were fully on display.

Alexandra Daddario, wearing a red dress, sat behind the bar, and perhaps some things were too heavy, she intentionally placed them on the bar, looking quite stunning.

Elizabeth had gone to London a few days ago, and Martin had been saving his strength for moments like these.

He took off his suit jacket, casually hung it on the coat rack, and strode over.

......

Because they had enough confidence in "The Martian", on the night of the premiere, the production team and Disney Studios lifted the embargo on the film's reputation.

The media was mostly full of praise.

"The significance of 'The Martian' is not just Ridley Scott's act of self-redemption, but also reignites humanity's desire to explore space through the relentless spirit of the protagonist played by Martin!"

"Watching Martin Davis's monodrama is a pleasure. Although humans have not yet landed on Mars, the survival miracle of the protagonist on Mars, as portrayed by Martin, is very convincing!"

Rotten Tomatoes released a freshness rating of 97%, and MTC gave a composite score of 82 points.

Whether it was film critics, media, or ordinary viewers, the film received excellent reviews.

Meanwhile, Martin fan organizations across North America and local chapters of the Cola Cult initiated a "Bring Martin Home" campaign.

Lucky audience members participating in the campaign had a chance to win miniature Mars rover replicas or figurines of Martin's character from the film.

These promotions were spurring fans to buy tickets and enter the theaters as soon as possible.

In today's world of abundant entertainment and advanced information, if a film does not attract a large audience to the theaters within the first two weeks, its subsequent performance will face many difficulties.

After all, films with box office trajectories like "Titanic" and "Avatar" are rare.

The weekend before Thanksgiving, "The Martian" was released across North America, opening in a whopping 3,855 theaters.

By the end of Friday, the film had raked in $27.12 million!

With the required number of rating users reached, IMDb unlocked the score for "The Martian," which debuted at a high 8.8.

With overwhelming word-of-mouth support, the Saturday box office saw a further increase, breaking past the $30 million mark for the day.

It was clear to everyone that since the start of the holiday season, the most explosive film had been born.

The film's success in North America also triggered a massive response overseas.

Since it was neither a sequel nor based on a globally known work, Disney Studios adopted a conservative distribution strategy for "The Martian's" international release.

The film would only premiere in the North American market first, and then, based on its box office performance and reviews, would be distributed overseas.

This also showed Disney Studios' strong confidence in the film and in Martin.

Over the three days of the weekend, "The Martian," with its explosive popularity, brought in $86.65 million, comfortably topping the North American box office charts.

......

Disney Studios, President's office.

Ellen Horn had just sipped his coffee when he received a call from Robert Iger.

He immediately answered, "Good morning, Chairman."

Robert Iger's hearty laughter came through the phone, signaling his good mood, "I've just looked at the data for 'The Martian'; the market reaction is excellent. Ellen, you've done well, poaching a key asset from Warner Bros."

Ellen Horn laughed as well, "Martin never disappoints."

Robert Iger agreed, "I hear the merchandise is selling well too?"

Ellen Horn replied, "Just the character models and action figures of Martin alone have sold over 2 million pieces."

Now ambitious, Disney was ready to make a big move, and Robert Iger instructed, "Maintain a good relationship with Martin; his films enjoy the highest distribution priority."

He added, "In Hollywood today, there are too few stars who can single-handedly drive box office success."

Ellen Horn said, "You could count them on one hand."

Robert Iger continued, "People like Martin will not lack collaborators. Ellen, you came from Warner; don't make Warner's mistakes."

Ellen Horn replied with a smile, "I won't."

Robert Iger ended the call.

Ellen Horn understood that Disney Studios' successive collaborations with Martin on "John Wick: Chapter 2" and "The Martian" had won Robert Iger's serious attention.

After all, distributing films carried a lower risk while earning significant commissions.

The higher the box office and offline revenue of the film, the higher the income for Disney Studios as the distributor.

Ellen Horn picked up an issue of "The Hollywood Reporter"; the front page headline was about Martin and "The Martian."

"After the solo blockbuster success of 'The Martian' on its opening weekend, Martin Davis once again proved his ability to carry a film's box office, not only the first among Hollywood's new generation but also on equal footing with his close friends Leonardo and Nicholson in Hollywood. Of course, that's provided he wins an Oscar for Best Actor..."

Reading this, Ellen Horn put down the newspaper, pressed the intercom, and directed his assistant, "Arrange a meeting with Martin, if he's free for lunch, I'd like to invite him."

Hollywood is never stingy with those who can create value.

......

Anna Purna Pictures.

Megan Ellison had a little too much to drink at a party yesterday and overslept this morning, arriving at the office mid-morning.

Entering the front hall of the company, she happened to bump into Wilson who was on his way out, and she asked, "Has the box office for Martin Davis's new movie come out?"

Wilson immediately stopped and replied, "86.65 million dollars, number one at the box office."
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At that number, Megan Ellison couldn't help but laugh, "Not bad, very good indeed!"

Wilson was puzzled by her response; didn't the boss and the company have a problem with Martin Davis? Why was she praising his movie?

"You go on," Megan Ellison said as she headed upstairs and summoned her assistant to bring the "Los Angeles Times" for today.

The front page of the entertainment section showed last week's North American box office ranking, with "The Martian" in first place!

Megan Ellison nodded approvingly; Martin Davis's project was solid, and such first-week box office numbers definitely qualified as phenomenal.

This made her think of the three projects she had poached from Martin Davis—"Transcendental Hacker", "Lone Ranger", and "The Seventh Son".

Megan Ellison was confident that as long as there were no issues with the projects themselves, there would be no issues on her end regarding production.

Anna Purna Pictures had ample funds and employed Hollywood's most professional teams.

Not like the idiots at Warner, who had often made incomprehensible decisions over the past year.

Megan Ellison's gaze returned to the first place on the box office chart, believing that someday, her movies would claim that spot!