America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 489 Tom Cruise was inspired by Martin Scorsese.

Springtime is often the quietest season for Hollywood movies, even less so than September and October after the summer blockbuster season, with very few blockbuster films emerging.

But John Wick changed that, with its phenomenal box office success telling all film companies and theater chains that it wasn't that there were no audiences in the spring season, but rather that the films weren't compelling enough.

Not only ordinary viewers, but also many celebrities, directors and producers, especially professionals in the action film industry, went to the cinema to watch "John Wick".

In Los Angeles, Tom Cruise and Brad Bird watched the film together in a VIP box at the Century City Plaza Cinema.

The audience on the first floor had already left, but the two showed no sign of leaving, intending to watch it a second time.

Brad Bird, who directed "The Incredibles," had his notebook filled with notes from his recent movie viewing.

"It grossed over $2000 million on its opening day in North America, and the reviews are phenomenal," Tom Cruise said, citing the latest information. "The actual budget for this film was only a little over $4000 million."

Brad Bird nodded and said, "Actually, I almost got a deal with Martin Davis. Tom, you know, my agency is WMA. When Martin Davis was looking for a director for his movie 'Wanted,' Ali approached me. I was interested, but I didn't have confidence in him, so I gave up before even meeting him."

Tom Cruise said, "I think this film will be helpful for our upcoming Mission: Impossible 4 project."

Brad Bird stated directly, "The action scene design in this film, as well as Martin's personal action choreography, have aspects that we can learn from."

Tom Cruise has been plagued by troubles in the past two years. His films, whether "Lions for Lambs" or "Valkyrie," have all received lukewarm responses. He is on the verge of falling from his superstar status and desperately needs a major work to solidify his position.

The Mission: Impossible series was naturally put on the agenda.

This time, he chose Brad Bird, who had directed Pixar animated films, to be the director.

Brad Bird said, "Tom, I think you really need to talk to Martin. A lot of things he showed in this film could be very helpful if we can apply them appropriately to our future filming."

Tom Cruise has always maintained a high level of physical fitness, but there are some things he has to admit: "I'm nowhere near as good as Martin."

Brad Bird glanced at his notebook and said, "What's the most commendable thing about Martin in this film? His own performance! The Santa Monica Pier incident gave John Wick its initial buzz, and the dozen or so different versions of the pier video can be considered part of the film."

As he pondered, he said, "Whether it's the dock incident itself or the numerous long action shots used throughout the film, Martin brings a sense of realism, as well as courage and will that perfectly match the characters!"

Tom Cruise, recalling the video of the dock incident, reflecting on the movie he had just watched, and pondering Martin Scorsese's personal experiences, suddenly had an inspiration: "I'll personally experience these dangerous scenes and personally perform those incredible action sequences!"

Brad Bird paused for a moment, still thinking.

Tom Cruise, a star well-versed in the mechanisms of the film market, immediately thought of more: "Our film is called Mission: Impossible, it's about pushing the limits. Having me personally perform those impossible scenes will not only increase the film's appeal but also provide excellent promotional material!"

Brad Bird understood and said, "You're a superstar, the publicity will be great."

Tom Cruise nodded slightly and asked, "What if I invited Martin to play a role? A role that's slightly less significant than Ethan Hunt's."

A superstar and a superstar, combined... Brad Bird resisted the temptation, saying the roles were too difficult to balance, and subtly stated, "The budget would explode, Paramount would absolutely not agree."

Tom Cruise abandoned the idea, saying, "I'll have someone contact Martin Davis and talk to him personally."

Brad Bird said, "That's good." He added, "It's not just that, there's also the marketing. A dog-related tragedy, and just a few days later, it's become a hot topic of discussion across the entire internet."

"I specifically contacted Warner Bros. to ask," Tom Cruise said. "The idea for this part of the marketing came from Martin, and his studio team is handling it."

Brad Bird laughed: "Martin Davis's dog has become the most untouchable presence in all of America."

Tom Cruise chuckled helplessly, "An old guy like me having to learn from a young man like Martin..."

He has been famous for nearly 30 years, and despite the smear campaigns by the entire media in recent years, he has not faded into obscurity, which shows that he has something special.

For example, being able to calm down and learn from the strengths of others.

…………

At the AMC theater in Century City, Quentin Tarantino and Harvey Weinstein were leaving their private box and heading to the parking lot.

As Harvey walked, he said, "I never imagined that one day I would be contributing to the box office for Martin Davis and Warner Bros."

Quentin laughed strangely: "It's because you don't get along with them that you can't get free tickets."

Harvey didn't want to speak for a moment.

Suddenly, someone nearby shouted, "Don't steal my dog! Do you want to start a bloodbath?"

Another person shouted, "You're neither Jonathan nor Martin!"

Many people around looked in that direction, and many laughed, clearly understanding what he meant.

Harvey shook his head: "A movie with a $4000 million budget became a blockbuster with a $1 million budget..."

Quentin stopped and looked over there: "If you had given me a Martin back then, I could have made Inglourious Basterds a $2 million blockbuster."

Harvey thought about how Martin had rejected his invitation, and then looked at the phenomenal success of "John Wick," feeling like he had lost two hundred million dollars for nothing.

If he doesn't earn it, isn't that what he loses?

Harvey asked, "What did you think of the film?"

"Excellent, I think it could become a classic action movie." Quentin's tone shifted, "But there's one shortcoming: Martin fired so many shots, yet not a single one hit the groin!"

Harvey ignored his old friend's ramblings and said, "Martin Davis's other film, *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*, with David Fincher, is going to compete at the Cannes Film Festival in May. *Inglourious Basterds* is also going. You and the rest of the crew should get ready."

Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese have no personal conflict, but their competition for awards at the Cannes Film Festival is related to the film's entire promotional plan.

Winning a major award at Cannes, whether it's an acting award or a film award, greatly benefits the film's subsequent commercial development.

The older generation of Hollywood figures, whether analyzing the factors behind Martin's success or expressing envy and resentment, all paid close attention to him to varying degrees.

Many of the new generation are also paying attention to Martin and the movies he stars in, and some even regard Martin as an idol.

On Saturday night, Kristen Stewart drove Dakota Fanning and Sofia Stallone to Santa Monica Commercial Plaza.

They had already made plans to watch Martin's new film together.

The car was parked in the underground parking lot. Dakota took out two silicone bowls and handed them to Sofia, saying, "Quick, stuff them inside your clothes. Make them bigger, make them look more mature, so no one can tell you're a little kid!"

"You're the little brat!" Sofia took it and stuffed it into her clothes, instantly transforming her once unremarkable flat chest into a mountain peak.

Christine glanced at the time and urged, "Hurry! Hurry! I've seen the media reports that there are a lot of people booking tickets, and if we go late, we'll only be able to sit in the very corner."

Sofia inserted the silicone implant and then took out a makeup mirror to look at herself. She was heavily made up and dressed in a very mature manner.

Dakota said, "No problem. Lots of people are watching Martin's new movie. As long as you're about the right age, nobody cares about your exact age."

Sofia put away her makeup mirror, opened the car door, and said, "Let's go! Let's go!"

The three of them entered the mall together and headed straight for the nearest Ximanke chain cinema.

Dakota and Sofia both told their families that they would be staying at Christine's house.

Although it was a bit late, the Ximanke store was packed with customers, mostly movie fans waiting to watch John Wick.

Christine waited in line for a long time before she finally got the three movie tickets she had reserved.

The lobby was too crowded, there was nowhere to sit, and the queue at the ticket gate almost reached the cinema entrance.

The three of them went to queue up.

Dakota said, "When I grow up, I'll be laughing in my sleep if I have Martin's influence."

"You're very famous now," Sofia said.

"My fame came from being a child star, and it's all been a burden since I became an adult." Dakota pointed at Christine: "There are very few child stars who have transitioned so smoothly like her."

Christine shared her personal experience: "You need to have a powerful figure mentor you."

Sofia understood and asked Dakota, "You want to act alongside Martin?"

Dakota remained noncommittal.

Soon, the three of them had their tickets checked.

The ticket inspector merely glanced at Sofia's prominent breasts before letting the three of them in.

As expected, the theater was packed with people, like a free prize. The three of them could only sit in the back row, where every row was filled with heads.

Dakota said, "This movie is going to be a box office hit."

Sofia rolled her eyes: "It's already exploded, okay!"

The lights came on on the screen, and Christine reminded them, "Shut up, let's watch the movie!"

Saturday has passed, and John Wick has maintained Friday's high level of popularity, taking in another $2197 million at the North American box office.

The film has received excellent reviews and generated a lot of buzz.

"A bloody incident caused by a dog" has been the number one trending topic on Google for two consecutive days!

The related topics also spread spontaneously among movie fans through memes.

Memes like "You want my dog's life, I want your dog's life" have become popular topics online.

Thanks to topical marketing and, most importantly, the impact of the Santa Monica incident, "John Wick" raked in a whopping $5889 million at the North American box office in its opening weekend!

This also set a record for the opening weekend of an R-rated original non-sequel film.

(End of this chapter)