The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1864 Overwhelming
In the morning, a cup of coffee, a sandwich, bathed in the golden California sunshine, I can't help but take a deep breath and linger in the laziness and comfort of a winter morning. To welcome the new year in this way is definitely a kind of happiness.

After a short vacation, Frank-Pierson returned to the office for the first time in 2005, his steps light and showing no signs of fatigue.

New year and new atmosphere!
Sunlight streamed through the glass and fell into Frank's palm. Looking down, he saw a rainbow in his hand, and his spirits instantly soared. He had a premonition:
This year should bring good luck.

As the current president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Frank's first challenge of the new year is the Oscar nomination announcement ceremony.

Since the millennium, the Oscars have faced numerous crises due to war, accidents, and conflicts. The length of the awards ceremony has been heavily criticized. While moving towards full marketization, the Oscars have also faced many challenges and conflicts, but they have still managed to stand firm and make a breakthrough.

At the last Academy Awards, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" won Best Picture and swept all other awards, and the awards ceremony achieved record-breaking viewership.

The entire college was filled with joy and vitality.

With a new year and a new Oscars, Frank hopes the awards ceremony can reach new heights, expand its reach further, and lay the foundation for long-term market expansion.

Now, this rainbow seems to be a sign that everything is going well.

Frank's lips curled into a smile as he opened the newspapers neatly arranged on the table. From the East Coast to the West Coast, from regional to national, from newspapers to magazines, there was something for everyone. Reading industry information every day was a routine for Frank, and also a fixed habit for starting his day.

However, just as I opened the Los Angeles Times, a lump formed in my throat—

unlucky.

"Spider-Man 2 topped both the North American and global box office charts in 2004, making history!"

Everything was a foregone conclusion. Even before the summer movie season had ended, Spider-Man 2's leading position was unshakeable.

The title of champion of the year was a foregone conclusion. The only question at the time was how high Spider-Man 2's final box office would go, and that was all.

Frank had been mentally prepared for this, but when he actually saw the news, he still felt a sense of frustration.

Not just the headline, but the front page.

The Los Angeles Times, in a rare move, bestowed this highest honor upon the film industry, announcing to the world beyond Hollywood that a new chapter in film history was about to begin.

It rivals the Titanic.

Even "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" didn't receive this kind of treatment. It's immediately clear that "Spider-Man 2" has created a sensation beyond imagination.

In 2004, at the end of the year, "Spider-Man 2" was far ahead of the rest of the box office, overturning the industry with overwhelming force, while all other works were relegated to the background and overshadowed.

In North America, "Spider-Man 2" grossed $728 million, becoming the first film in North American history to gross $700 million.

Other works are simply not in the same league:
"Shrek 2" (US$440 million), "The Passion of the Christ" (US$370 million), "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (US$249 million), and "The Incredibles" (US$248 million) ranked second through fifth, respectively.

This is also one of only five films to have grossed over $200 million at the North American box office.

Without comparison, there's no harm done. When the list was released, with the top five and ten films laid out before us, "Spider-Man 2's" lead became even more pronounced, further highlighting the value and significance of its supposed 700 million dollar price tag. Originally, everyone marveled at the phenomenal success of "The Passion of the Christ," this R-rated film that made history and garnered attention; but standing before "Spider-Man 2," those records seem dimmed and less magical.

Moreover, Anson has more than just "Spider-Man 2" on the North American year-end box office charts.

Fourteenth place, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", $121 million.

It rightfully ranks ahead of "50 First Dates", "Van Helsing" and "Fahrenheit 9/11", becoming the most unexpected and surprising film in the top 50 of the North American year-end box office charts.

If the success of "Spider-Man 2" was a natural outcome, then "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" bursting into the top 20 of the year-end charts was undoubtedly a bombshell, once again reminding people of the "butterfly effect" of the previous year, and proving Anson's box office appeal with concrete actions.

No wonder!
The Los Angeles Times' willingness to give it a front-page headline was, to be precise, not to commend "Spider-Man 2," but to acknowledge Anson's rise to prominence.

Even Charlie Kaufman said in an interview, "I never expected this."

And that's still not all. In the global year-end box office rankings, "Spider-Man 2" continues to dominate, unsurprisingly maintaining its reign.

Globally, Spider-Man 2's rise to the top was no surprise, with a total box office of $1.858 billion that is truly enviable.

Those who couldn't have it and were just being sarcastic complained that "Spider-Man 2" hadn't even broken the two billion dollar mark at the global box office.

"Nothing special."

However, when their gaze falls on the global year-end box office rankings, those voices inevitably soften, revealing their pettiness stemming from envy, jealousy, and hatred.

"Shrek 2" grossed $929 million and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" grossed $783 million, ranking second and third respectively. However, the global box office of the two films is still less than the overseas box office of "Spider-Man 2" grossing $1.13 billion.

"The Incredibles" grossed $630 million and "The Passion of the Christ" grossed $609 million, making them the fourth and fifth highest-grossing films worldwide, but neither film ultimately surpassed the North American box office figure for "Spider-Man 2".

A comparison makes the difference immediately apparent.

"Spider-Man 2" swept the box office, and what's more, the above five films are the only five films that have grossed over $600 million worldwide by the end of the year.

Perhaps some might say that it was because 2004 was a relatively quiet year, with no powerful figures in the country, which gave "Spider-Man 2" the opportunity to sweep through the battlefield.

Such a statement is absurd. Regardless of the intensity of the competition, any work that can create such a miracle is unique. Even in a year with few other works, no other work can challenge the "Titanic's" kingly status.

Moreover, before its release, "Titanic" was met with skepticism, criticism, attacks, and attacks. Countless experts predicted that the film might become a dud in film history, and the first film ever to have a budget of $200 million would become a complete joke. Now, people are selectively forgetting that history and pretending that they foresaw the box office success of "Titanic" from the very beginning.

Ha ha.

This situation precisely proves the saying, "With fame comes trouble." The attacks, the encirclements, and the criticisms have only made people realize more clearly that "Spider-Man 2" has indeed revolutionized the entire industry.

Comic book superheroes have truly entered the mainstream!

(End of this chapter)