Chapter 243: Enthusiastic Citizen Michael Bay

"I've already watched this movie for the second time. I saw it once during the midnight screening yesterday, and I plan to watch it again with my friends tomorrow."

"This film is just too cool! I can't think of any words to describe it—it's simply amazing."

Another fan excitedly leaned toward the camera and declared, "I am Neo! See this? I bought it specially!"

The sweltering heat of Los Angeles in May seemed to have no effect on this fan, who was fully geared up with sunglasses, a leather coat, and boots. Aside from not being as handsome as Keanu Reeves, he looked exactly like the Chosen One—overflowing with coolness.

"You really love The Matrix?" the reporter asked.

The fan gave the reporter a look as if he were an idiot and replied with barely concealed disdain, "Is there actually anyone in this world who doesn't love The Matrix?"

After saying that, the fan made a big show of pulling out his Nokia Matrix-edition limited-release phone, flipping it open, and mimicking Neo's iconic way of answering calls.

Snap!

Michael Bay switched off the television and turned his attention to the stack of newspapers in front of him. Every single one of them was filled with reviews of The Matrix and Armageddon.

Without exception, the media and film critics showered The Matrix with praise while ripping Armageddon to shreds.

If it were just critics favoring The Matrix, there wouldn't be much to worry about. Critics may have influence, but this was the summer blockbuster season—where the audience had the final say.

What made The Matrix terrifying was that it didn't just win over the critics; it had completely conquered the audience as well.

Watching the passionate fans being interviewed on TV, Michael Bay couldn't detect even a hint of dissatisfaction.

Could it be that Gilbert was simply unbeatable this summer? Michael Bay couldn't figure it out. Having not yet seen his competitor's film, he decided to disguise himself and head to a nearby theater to watch The Matrix firsthand.

As word-of-mouth and merchandise sales surged, so did The Matrix's box office numbers.

With Gilbert's massive box office appeal, combined with the film's strong pre-release marketing and outstanding quality, it debuted in 2,950 theaters nationwide.

On Friday, its opening day, including midnight screenings, the film raked in an impressive $18.716 million, securing the top spot at the box office.

Armageddon actually performed well, too. Though it followed the typical Hollywood blockbuster formula, its spectacular visual effects and the advantage of a more accessible rating helped its numbers.

Opening in 2,800 theaters across the U.S., the film pulled in $17.824 million on its first day.

That was a result that satisfied both Sony-Columbia Pictures and Michael Ovitz.

After all, Armageddon had 150 fewer theaters than The Matrix, yet the difference in earnings was less than $1 million.

This proved that Armageddon had massive commercial potential and could compete head-to-head with The Matrix.

When Michael Ovitz received the first-day box office numbers, he immediately called several theater chain representatives to push for increased showings of Armageddon.

"Hey, Robbie, isn't this obvious?" Ovitz said loudly on purpose. "Look at the numbers—The Matrix opened in 2,950 theaters.

Armageddon? Only 2,800 theaters.

And yet, the box office difference is a mere $888,000—practically nothing.

In fact, if Armageddon had the same number of theaters as The Matrix, it would surpass it.

Doesn't that make you want to reconsider your scheduling?"

On the other end of the line, Robbie, a representative from Regal Cinemas, was clearly tempted. However, he still made an objective point.

"Mr. Ovitz, you have to understand that The Matrix is rated R, while Armageddon is PG-13.

Even with the advantage of a lower rating, Armageddon still lost to The Matrix. Doesn't that just prove The Matrix is the more popular film?"

Robbie was stating a fact, and Michael Ovitz knew it. But he still argued why The Matrix had performed so well.

"Obviously, it's because of Gilbert's immense box office pull. He single-handedly drove the film's opening-day numbers sky-high.

Once the initial fan excitement dies down, that's when our PG-13 rating will give us the upper hand."

Robbie nodded. "You make a lot of sense."

"So, what about the theater chains?" Michael Ovitz was pleased and pressed his advantage.

"Sorry, Mr. Ovitz, our distribution contract stipulates that as long as The Matrix meets box office expectations, we cannot reduce its screening slots." Robbie explained.

Michael Ovitz was already satisfied. "That's fine, Robbie. But if The Matrix fails to meet the expected box office numbers, then we can cut down its screenings, right?"

"That's correct…" Robbie confirmed.

"Then when that time comes, the additional theater slots must go to Armageddon. After that, we still have Godzilla—the giant monster from the island nation." Michael Ovitz exaggerated his description.

This was just a glimpse of Michael Ovitz's negotiations with major theater chains in North America. He was using screening schedules and box office numbers as leverage, trying to squeeze The Matrix's screen count while securing more opportunities for Armageddon.

The battle between the two films had begun from the promotional stage, and now, with their releases, it had escalated to a full-blown war.

Interestingly, besides The Matrix dominating the top two spots at the box office, the third-place finisher was Rush Hour, produced by Melon Studio and distributed by Touchstone Pictures. It earned $3.279 million for the day.

At this point, Rush Hour had accumulated a total of $132 million in North America, setting a record for the highest-grossing film starring an Asian lead in the region.

Jackie Chan had become an overnight sensation. When he initially signed on for Rush Hour, his salary was just $4 million. However, the film's massive success had given Sheena Boone the confidence to demand $12 million for Jackie Chan's next role.

Rush Hour had also performed well internationally, accumulating $109 million overseas.

Though it was approaching the end of its theatrical run, the film was on track to surpass $250 million in global box office earnings.

This meant that Melon Studio was making a fortune purely from ticket sales, not to mention additional revenue from merchandise, licensing, and home video sales.

However, VHS tapes and VCDs were beginning to be replaced by a new high-density digital optical disc format called DVD.

With lower costs and greater storage capacity, DVDs were quickly taking over the market, signaling a shift from VHS and VCD to DVD as the dominant home entertainment format.

Seeing how profitable Rush Hour was, Sheila Boone suggested to Gilbert that they begin development on Rush Hour 2.

But Gilbert wasn't in a rush. He believed it was better to let Jackie Chan establish himself further by starring in more Hollywood films, solidifying his reputation and status.

If Jackie Chan followed his advice, Gilbert was confident that Jackie wouldn't fade away in Hollywood. While he might not rise to the very top, he could at least maintain a stable and respectable career.

Compared to other actors in Hollywood, Asian actors faced the biggest challenge in securing opportunities—and the harshest consequences of failure.

In other words, Asian actors couldn't afford to fail.

Other actors could bounce back from a flop, but for Asian actors, one failure could mean the end of their Hollywood careers.

And right now, Hollywood was experiencing a kung fu craze. If they didn't seize this opportunity, breaking into the industry later would be incredibly difficult.

As a Caucasian, Gilbert had no obligation to help Asian actors.

But in his heart, Gilbert saw himself as one of them. He wanted Asian actors to succeed in Hollywood and bring back the wealth they earned.

This was why Gilbert had chosen Jackie Chan—not just because of his previous life's international fame, but because, at heart, Jackie was one of them too.

Unlike certain individuals whose skin was yellow, but whose hearts were white on the outside and black on the inside…

Gilbert even considered adapting Jackie Chan Adventures into a live-action movie. He believed it could make for a fantastic action-adventure film.

As a child in his past life, he had watched the animated series religiously on kids' channels. The live-action Jackie Chan cameo at the end of each episode had always been a delightful surprise.

However, that was an animated series, and its audience was different from that of live-action films.

If a Jackie Chan Adventures movie were to be made, Jackie would need to further enhance his star power, and market research would have to be conducted.

In fourth place at the box office for the day—surprising everyone—was Titanic. The film earned $2.74 million, bringing its North American total to $625 million.

At this rate, Titanic was likely to remain in theaters for a while longer. It truly deserved its legendary status, as its fame had now spread across the entire globe.

With the first day's box office battle concluded, the summer blockbuster war resumed on the second day.

But before the second day's showdown began, The Los Angeles Times published a rather amusing report.

One of their entertainment reporters, who was conducting interviews with moviegoers, happened to catch director Michael Bay as he exited a screening of The Matrix.

Michael Bay was simply unlucky. He had wanted to see for himself what made his competitor's film so special.

But he hadn't expected The Matrix to be so astonishing. Putting aside his status as a rival filmmaker, Michael Bay found himself genuinely impressed.

After leaving the theater, he couldn't stop marveling at the gap between himself and Gilbert.

Both of them made commercial blockbusters, yet Gilbert managed to blend action, gunfights, and explosions seamlessly while also exploring profound themes.

In contrast, Armageddon stuck to the usual formula: when disaster struck, a lone hero stepped up to save the world, and the crisis was resolved.

A conventional, tried-and-true Hollywood formula—effective, but when compared to The Matrix, it felt cliché and uninspired.

But that wasn't the real issue. As long as his film performed well at the box office, he would still be recognized as a top-tier commercial director.

What worried Michael Bay, however, was that Armageddon had the advantage of a rating. If it still couldn't outperform The Matrix, he wouldn't even have an excuse to fall back on.

Deep in thought, Michael Bay found himself caught on camera.

At first, the reporter didn't recognize him and treated him like any other moviegoer.

But after getting a good look at Bay's distinctively long face, the reporter suddenly realized—the man who had just walked out of a Matrix screening was none other than Michael Bay.

Bay was still talking non-stop. He wanted to criticize The Matrix, but the film's sheer quality had won him over, making it impossible to lie.

Just as he finished speaking, the reporter exposed him. "You're the director of Armageddon. Do you think The Matrix is better than Armageddon?"

The moment the question was asked, Michael Bay froze in embarrassment. He quickly pulled his hat down and denied it outright. "I'm not Michael Bay. You've got the wrong guy."

Fearing further questioning, he hurriedly fled the scene.

This was the second time he had been caught by reporters watching one of Gilbert's films—the first time being The Rock.

But that didn't stop the media from having a field day.

The next morning, headlines read: "Armageddon Director Secretly Watches The Matrix—Praises Its Quality!"

Moviegoers found it all very amusing. Never before had a rival director openly admitted that his competition's film was good. Michael Bay was the first.

Meanwhile, on Facebook chat rooms, Gilbert's fans were celebrating.

Since Armageddon and The Matrix were direct competitors, the fact that The Matrix had even won over its rival's director was a testament to its exceptional quality.

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