The Box Office King of Hollywood

Next to a tree-lined road, in front of a standalone house with a courtyard, a black Mercedes slowly approached and finally stopped at the entrance. Helen-Herman turned to check the house number, confirmed she was at the right place, got out of the car, and pressed the doorbell by the iron gate. The door quickly opened, revealing Matthew's face.

"That was quick," Matthew let Helen-Herman in and said, "I thought you would arrive later."

Helen-Herman followed Matthew through the courtyard without responding to his comment. Instead, she looked around until they entered the living room, where she finally said, "The house is very nice, and the rent of a thousand dollars is very reasonable."

"Have a seat," Matthew offered Helen-Herman a seat on the sofa and brought over two glasses of water. Handing her one, he said, "This place had a murder case before, that's why the rent is cheap."

Helen-Herman instantly felt a chill down her spine, hastily put down her glass, and gave Matthew an involuntary glance. What was going on in this guy's head?

Matthew thought Helen-Herman was scared and reassured her, "The murder scene was in the courtyard outside."

"Let's talk about work," Helen-Herman didn't want to dwell on such a creepy topic and started talking business, "I got news from Universal Studios. Sean-Daniel and Stephen-Somos are planning a new movie in the 'Mummy' series."

Matthew wasn't surprised to hear this. 'The Mummy Returns' had a huge box office opening weekend, and the final box office was expected to be substantial. It would be odd for Hollywood companies not to make a sequel.

However, he vaguely remembered that the third part of 'The Mummy' came much later, featuring Jet Li as the major antagonist, something related to Emperor Qin.

"The new project involves you," Helen-Herman, since prioritizing Matthew as a top client, rarely beat around the bush and directly said, "Sean-Daniel and Stephen-Somos are planning to make a movie with the Scorpion King as the protagonist."

"Really?" Matthew felt like a pie had fallen from the sky, "Does that mean I could be the lead in a movie?"

That's the lead role in a Hollywood movie he's always dreamed of!

Helen-Herman poured cold water on his excitement, "Don't get too excited yet. Currently, this movie project is still in Sean-Daniel and Stephen-Somos's hands, Universal Studios hasn't confirmed it yet! There's also a strong internal opposition within Universal Studios."

"Why?" Matthew would have strangled the opposition if they were there, "Haven't Sean-Daniel and Stephen-Somos already collaborated on two 'Mummy' movies that sold well?"

"So, there's another voice within Universal Studios, in favor of continuing the 'Mummy' series." Helen-Herman took a sip of water, "They strongly oppose Sean-Daniel and Stephen-Somos's new project, considering it too risky."

"The Scorpion King I played is already dead," Matthew immediately thought of the key issue, "The sequel is almost certainly not related to me. The little fame and feedback the Scorpion King has garnered will soon be exhausted. Who knows when I'll get another chance to be the lead."

Helen-Herman nodded slightly, "Correct." She added, "Once the new sequel of 'The Mummy' is confirmed, Sean-Daniel and Stephen-Somos won't have the energy to invest in another project. Universal Studios' cash flow isn't that great either…"

Matthew understood her point and asked, "What can we do?"

"I will meet with Sean-Daniel and Stephen-Somos, keep in touch with them, and urge them to continue pushing the project related to the Scorpion King," Helen-Herman looked at Matthew, "On the other hand, for you and your character, if the Scorpion King is really very popular and you can gain a certain degree of fame, this project will definitely be able to push aside the sequel of 'The Mummy'!"

She adjusted her black-rimmed glasses, speaking very seriously to Matthew, "You will participate in a series of promotional activities for 'The Mummy Returns', I need you to give your best performance!"

"I understand," Matthew sat opposite Helen-Herman, "Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

Helen-Herman thought for a moment and continued, "We're definitely not the only ones who got the news. Matthew, once the project about the Scorpion King proceeds, it will affect many people's interests, especially those actors from the same crew as you! You..." her gaze turned sharp, "You need to be wary of them!"

Matthew immediately remembered something, "Rachel-Weisz told me something. If 'The Mummy Returns' sells well, Brendan-Fraser plans to ask Universal Studios for a payment of 20 million dollars for the sequel."

"You need to be cautious of both of them," Helen-Herman's phone rang, she answered a few words and then hung up, saying, "Universal Studios' market research department has already contacted several survey companies to conduct market research on this matter."

Matthew asked, "What can we do?"

Helen-Herman checked the time, "I have a meeting with Elena-Polyar soon, I'll discuss the specifics with her after the meeting."

He and Helen-Herman discussed in the living room for about an hour and a half, until the sun set, before Helen-Herman prepared to leave.

"What if the movie is confirmed, and I'm the lead, but it fails at the box office?" Matthew suddenly thought of this problem, "What would be the consequences?"

Helen-Herman coldly said, "At the very least, you won't think about being the lead, or even an important supporting role, for the next five years."

Matthew escorted her out, watching the black Mercedes drive away, guessing Helen-Herman had more to say. If things went as he thought, the Angel Agency might not consider him a priority client anymore.

Taking a supporting role and making him the protagonist of a movie definitely carried a significant risk, no wonder Universal Studios was so cautious. Matthew was also very clear about the huge risk accompanying the opportunity, but where in the world was there an opportunity that was all advantages without any disadvantages?

Even lining up at the supermarket for free giveaways could get you stepped on…

The lead role...

Matthew looked towards the sea, the sun about to disappear, from tomorrow...no, from now on, he had to do everything possible to seize this opportunity! An opportunity to become the lead actor!

Although this might upset the previously harmonious actors in 'The Mummy Returns' crew, he couldn't give up such an opportunity just to please others.

Rachel-Weisz was one thing; she had mentioned before that she didn't want to participate in such films anymore and planned to switch to the awards season. The other actors were of limited importance and didn't matter much.

The most important thing to watch out for was Brendan-Fraser. With 'The Mummy Returns' very likely to sell well now, he probably really wanted to join the 20 million club. If the sequel series of 'The Mummy' were interrupted, it would definitely affect his career.

"I wonder if Brendan-Fraser has received the news..." Matthew turned back into the house, closing the front door, "There are still many activities to participate in together."

Universal Studios' efficiency was very high. On the afternoon of the meeting's conclusion, the market research department had already contacted several consulting and survey companies. In New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and other major cities, many professional surveyors appeared in cinemas showing 'The Mummy Returns' that night.

In New York, at the Emperor Entertainment Chain Cinema on 12th Avenue in Manhattan, a screening of 'The Mummy Returns' had just ended.

Young Christensen had been waiting at the entrance early, and as soon as the crowd came out, he immediately shouted, "Survey! Survey! There are prizes! Just two minutes!"

Some people stopped when they heard his voice and gathered around.

Christensen had already notified the cinema, and it was common to conduct such surveys inside. Many viewers were willing to participate.

In no time, more than a dozen movie fans gathered around him.

Christensen handed out questionnaires and small gifts to these fans. The questionnaire was simple, asking which character in 'The Mummy Returns' they liked the most, with five options: O'Connell, Evelyn, Imhotep, Alex, and the Scorpion King.

Two minutes later, Christensen collected the questionnaires and then hurried to another cinema exit. While waiting for the screening to end there, he looked at the twelve questionnaires he had collected. Three chose O'Connell, three chose Evelyn, two chose Imhotep, one chose Alex, and three chose the Scorpion King.

He then put away the questionnaires and continued his work.

In Los Angeles, at the Santa Monica Commercial Plaza, an AMG chain cinema, five young men and women walked down the aisle of the screening hall, discussing the movie they had just watched as they walked out with the crowd.

"The O'Connell character feels old," the leading boy said, "The action scenes weren't exciting. All the action scenes combined weren't as good as the Scorpion King's opening scene."

The girl behind him had stars in her eyes, "The Scorpion King is so cool!"

"Yeah! Yeah!" another boy agreed, "The movie was a bit disappointing, especially the ending where Anck-Su-Namun suddenly gives up on Imhotep, which was really weird. At least there was the Scorpion King. He has a great physique. I wish I had a body like that."

As they walked out of the screening hall, the boy in front said, "Someone is conducting a survey. Let's participate."

He was the first to receive a questionnaire and a pen with a unique design. After filling out the questionnaire and returning it, they could keep the pen as a reward.

"What's the questionnaire about?" the last boy asked.

The person who received the questionnaire answered, "Which character in 'The Mummy Returns' do you like the most!"

"That's easy," the girl said, "Of course, it's the Scorpion King!"

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