Compared to their high-profile appearance on the red carpet, Matthew and Keira Knightley became much more low-key upon entering the theater.
After entering the VIP lounge, they greeted acquaintances and then joined Jerry Bruckheimer's inner circle, chatting and laughing with some Disney Pictures executives.
After the people around them left, Jerry Bruckheimer looked at Matthew and Keira Knightley and said, "You two have been making quite a splash lately."
Keira Knightley smiled but didn't speak, while Matthew replied, "It's mainly because 'Pirates of the Caribbean' is so captivating."
This was also the truth; without "Pirates of the Caribbean," they, as two third-rate minor celebrities, would have been tossed aside by the gossip tabloids after a couple of days of hype.
Jerry Bruckheimer chuckled, shook his head slightly, and said, "Originally, you and Keira could have continued to play a couple."
"Actually, I really wanted to," Matthew said, his words quite appealing, "Who in all of Hollywood wouldn't want to work with Jerry Bruckheimer?"
His face was full of regret. "Unfortunately, my agent had already reached a verbal agreement with the Universal Pictures crew, and the filming schedules of the two films clashed."
Of course, all such matters should be pushed onto the agent; taking the blame is also a major responsibility of an agent.
Jerry Bruckheimer asked curiously, "Universal Pictures? is it Sean Daniel's project?"
"Yes," Matthew replied directly, "Sean Daniel is preparing to remake George A. Romero's 'Dawn of the Dead,' and my agency was contacted in March."
An unsuitable schedule was unavoidable, and his explanation was also meant to dispel any potential doubts Jerry Bruckheimer might have, especially since Jerry Bruckheimer had already cast the male lead for "King Arthur."
Jerry Bruckheimer nodded, "I've heard of that project."
The two chatted casually for a few more sentences, then someone came to find Jerry Bruckheimer, so Matthew and Keira Knightley simply said their goodbyes and went to the theater's screening room.
Originally, Matthew wanted to find an opportunity to subtly inquire about Jerry Bruckheimer's other project concerning American independence, but he ultimately held back.
If Jerry Bruckheimer had rejected him directly, there would be no opportunities left.
Even now, he had no capital to bargain with Jerry Bruckheimer on such matters.
"So you're going to film a zombie movie."
As they settled into their seats, Keira Knightley asked, puzzled, "Why would you take on a film like that? Even if you want to do a small production, there are plenty of independent films you could take."
Matthew didn't answer her question but instead said, "Because I want to see if I can carry the box office of a medium-budget production by myself."
As for saying he had faith in Zack Snyder, he wouldn't even tell Helen Herman, let alone Keira Knightley.
Keira Knightley pouted, "I don't understand what you're thinking."
Matthew smiled and said nothing more; the big screen quickly lit up, and "Finding Nemo," with its English title "Finding Nemo," began to play.
Like most events he had experienced in recent years, the film's general plot was consistent with the online pirated version he had once downloaded.
He couldn't recall the details, as it was good enough to still have an impression of a movie he'd seen once; who would remember the specifics?
The story mainly follows Marlin, an overprotective clownfish, and Dory, a blue tang he meets along the way, as they embark on a fantastical journey across the vast ocean to find Marlin's lost son, Nemo.
However, the most memorable character in the entire film for Matthew was Bruce the great white shark; his wide grin revealing his stark white teeth was absolutely identical to Michael Fassbender's smile.
He also lamented once again that it was truly a shame Pixar Animation Studios hadn't hired Michael Fassbender for the voice-over.
Presumably, Michael Fassbender's fame was too small; Pixar Animation Studios probably hadn't even heard of him.
After the premiere ended,
When Matthew and Keira Knightley left together in the same car, they were followed by more than a dozen paparazzi, clearly wanting to see if the newly exposed couple would get together that night.
Matthew first had the driver drop Keira Knightley off at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, then returned to Burbank, leaving a trail of disappointed paparazzi.
Matthew had just showered after returning home when he received a call from Helen Herman.
"You didn't bring Keira Knightley back, did you?" Helen Herman asked as her first question.
"No," Matthew said, too lazy to explain, "Am I the kind of person who doesn't follow the plan?"
Helen Herman on the other end of the phone seemed relieved and said, "You two did very well today; the online response is very enthusiastic."
"Oh..." Matthew walked into his study, "I'll go take a look."
After hanging up with Helen Herman, he opened his computer and specifically checked; on Yahoo Entertainment, his and Keira Knightley's pictures were exceptionally eye-catching.
He clicked on it and casually scrolled through, finding mostly on-site photos accompanied by some text.
Under this news article, there were already over a thousand netizen replies; on the internet, there was all sorts of talk, which Matthew didn't bother to read.
Based on the replies, this news story was quite popular.
Next, he went to his own section on IMDb; it was quiet there, with no related news updates.
Then, he logged into his blog; he paid more attention to his blog than to the previous two websites.
After "The Scorpion King," Matthew also gained his own fans; although not numerous, many of them used his blog as their main activity base and emotional expression zone.
"Blessings to Matthew and Keira..."
In the blog's comment section, blessings were the most common.
The attitude of most fans towards celebrities here is very different from the other side of the world where Matthew once lived.
The vastly different social environments in the two places have also fostered distinct fan cultures.
The most obvious difference is in their attitude towards the relationships of idols and supported celebrities.
In North America, fans often have an open attitude towards celebrity relationships, rarely interfering with their emotional lives for inexplicable reasons.
Celebrities, in this regard, also don't hide things; with very few exceptions, most let things take their natural course.
Conversely, if a celebrity has no emotional life for a long time, both fans and the media might think there's something wrong with them.
For example, being gay, or something even more unspeakable.
In the comment section, besides blessings, there were also jokes, and Matthew and Keira Knightley's chests were naturally the focus of the teasing.
Many media outlets had made a big deal out of this aspect, but Matthew and Keira Knightley themselves didn't really care, and after seeing it so much, they became desensitized.
The next day, rumors about the two appeared in numerous print media; although mostly entertainment gossip tabloids, the reach of entertainment gossip tabloids is also very wide.
Disney Pictures also used this as an opportunity to officially launch the final wave of pre-release promotion for "Pirates of the Caribbean," which was also the largest, broadest, and most intense promotional offensive.
Matthew also entered his busiest phase; one day he was at Disneyland California playing with children on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, the next day he flew to Walt Disney World in Orlando to perform a blacksmith vs. pirate act with Johnny Depp, and the day after that he arrived in Manhattan, New York, to stroll through Fifth Avenue's luxury stores with Keira Knightley.
Similarly, neither Johnny Depp nor Keira Knightley had an easier schedule than he did.
Hard advertising, soft promotion, TV trailers, online hype... Supported by the massive media platform of Walt Disney, the crew's promotional efforts were pushed to the extreme.
In the first half of June, Matthew not only flew between major cities in North America for appearances but also visited several key overseas markets.
It had been confirmed that "Pirates of the Caribbean" would be imported across the Pacific, but unfortunately, the film market there hadn't yet exploded, and very few crews went there for events; Disney Pictures also had no related arrangements.
By the time Matthew returned to Los Angeles, there were still more than ten days until the release of "Pirates of the Caribbean," and promotional soft articles for "Pirates of the Caribbean" could be seen everywhere in newspapers and online.
"Johnny Depp: The Irreplicable Gothic Phantom!"
"Keira Knightley: A Modern Lady's Classical Complex!"
"Matthew Horner: The New Action Star Making Hollywood Manly Again!"
There were many similar articles; Disney Pictures clearly invested heavily in distribution and promotion.
However, Hollywood's six major companies have always been secretive about their distribution and promotion costs, making it difficult for outsiders to calculate the exact expenditure.
This is also where the six major companies' advantages and profit points lie.
For example, when Disney Pictures has Disney Channel run advertisements, they certainly have to pay a fee.
For Walt Disney, this is like moving money from one hand to the other, and only those within the company know the exact cost.
Just as with the nonsense in promotional marketing, the cost figures released by these Hollywood film companies are not necessarily reliable.
The publicly announced production budget for "Pirates of the Caribbean" was $140 million, but whether the actual cost was $140 million is probably known only to a very few people.
After returning, Matthew was not as busy as before, so he also joined in the fun and wrote a soft article on his own blog.
"An Unreliable Pirate Survival Guide!"
This was the title of the soft article, which then proceeded to list how a pirate should survive at sea, filling an entire page and setting a record for the longest blog post since he started the blog.
Of course, given his writing skills, the quality of the article was predictable.
"The blogger has too many grammatical errors!"
"Matthew, what do some parts mean?"
There were many similar replies, but Matthew didn't take it to heart.
His publicly available information stated that he dropped out of middle school early, so there was no need to hide his low cultural level.
Towards the end of June, good news finally came from Helen Herman's end.