[Chapter 295: Crazy Hancock]
Scarlett wasn't angry either; she walked over and sat down, crossing her legs.
"True, not everyone can pull off the word 'sexy,'" she said. "But I heard you're playing an old hag who's lived for thousands of years in the movie? That's quite the acting challenge."
"Better than playing a clone who just screams all the time," Anne shot back. "Besides, Daniel personally picked this role for me. He said only I could capture that sense of world-weariness."
"World-weariness?" Megan leaned against the doorway, chewing gum. "Sounds more like exhaustion to me. Anne, have you been overworking yourself? How about handing me a chance to change my luck? I'm on standby anytime."
Rachel sat elegantly on the nearby sofa, flipping through a magazine without looking up. "Megan, don't you have enough with Transformers? What kind of acting skills does a movie full of scrap metal need? Just run around and scream a few times, right?"
Megan's face tightened. "That's an S-tier blockbuster! Will be released globally!"
"Walk the Line had a global release, too," Rachel said flatly, closing the magazine. "And I've got a little gold man to prove it."
The room fell silent for two seconds at that. That was the undertone of pure, undeniable power.
Jessica sighed, stepped over to Daniel, and took his arm. "Alright, enough talking, everyone. Today's Daniel's big day. If I were any of you, I'd stop bickering and start thinking about how to carry the box office. After all, Will Smith is over there waiting to pop champagne to celebrate our failure."
Daniel glanced at the group of women vying for attention and rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
"Is everyone ready?" Daniel stood up. "If so, let's head in. Tonight, let Hollywood see what a real 'Super Hero' looks like."
Anne immediately stepped forward and took Daniel's other arm, shooting a glance at Scarlett as if to claim dominance. "Let's go, darling. Let's show them how we slap the doubters right in the face."
Scarlett snorted and followed behind.
The group strode toward the screening hall like royalty.
Everywhere they passed, other guests stepped aside one after another, their eyes full of shock and envy.
This wasn't just a premiere. It was practically Daniel's personal harem on display.
...
The next morning
Beverly Hills, study.
Daniel held a cup of black coffee and stared at the projection screen on the wall.
Succubus Chris stood nearby, dressed in her office attire, holding a pointer and indicating a bar chart on the screen.
"Master, the data's in," Chris said, barely hiding her excitement. "North American opening day box office -- 28.5 million dollars."
Daniel took a sip of coffee, his expression unruffled.
That number crushed every competitor during the same period, even surpassing the opening day numbers for Superman Returns.
"Not only that," Chris continued, sliding her finger across the chart. "It even surpassed the industry's most optimistic projections by forty percent. The number of theaters showing it was bumped up from 32% on day one to 45%."
...
Outside, the news had already exploded.
Variety front page: [Crazy Hancock! Crazy Daniel! $28.5 Million Opening Day -- The Charm of the 'Asshole Super Hero'!]
Los Angeles Times: [Tom Cruise Returns! Daniel Pictures Creates Another Hollywood Legend!]
Besides box office success, what grabbed the most attention were the endless tabloid headlines.
Every major entertainment paper's cover featured pictures from the premiere -- the top female stars lined up behind Daniel.
The headlines were sensational:
[Daniel Cross's Harem? Hollywood's Most Mysterious Power.]
[Counting the Seven Female Stars Close to Daniel -- Their Common Trait? Overnight Fame!]
Some tabloids even tried to piece together Daniel's schedule, dubbing him the "Time Management Master."
Despite the rumors flying nonstop, the women involved stayed in perfect sync.
Facing cameras, they either smiled silently or changed topics. No one chose to clarify or deny anything.
This ambiguous silence only made the buzz snowball even bigger.
...
Malibu Beach.
Will Smith held a newspaper, his face turning pale.
"This is impossible!" he slammed the paper down onto the coffee table, crushing his favorite Cuban cigar beneath it. "$28 million? Are audiences out of their minds? How can that scruffy image make money?"
Agent James stood off to the side quietly. "This is just the first day! It's novelty-driven!"
Will paced the living room irritably. "It's like when a new clown arrives at the circus -- everyone wants to see the act. Once word of mouth spreads and people realize it's a bad movie, the box office will tank! Just wait, the weekend drop will teach him a lesson!"
...
Three days later.
Monday morning, the Box Office Statistical Center updated its figures on time.
Hancock's opening weekend three-day box office: $86 million.
As soon as that number dropped, all of Hollywood went silent.
Film critics who had drafts ready to attack the movie quietly deleted their documents.
Studio executives waiting for Daniel's downfall picked up their phones and started reaching out.
Will Smith locked himself in his media room and didn't come out all day.
Reporters surrounded his door, shouting through the iron gate:
"Mr. Smith! Hancock broke $80 million on its opening weekend. Didn't you say it wouldn't do well?"
"Should we wait for the full week before making judgments?"
Will ignored them.
...
One week later.
The first-week box office broke: $135 million.
This was no mere success; it was a phenomenal hit.
Tom Cruise called Daniel's cell phone.
"Daniel! Thank you!" On the other end, Tom's voice cracked, touched, even bordering on hysterical laughter. "I'm back! The media keeps praising my acting now! They say this is the most realistic superhero portrayal ever!"
Daniel smiled. "Congrats. You earned it."
After hanging up, Daniel gazed out the window.
With this victory, Tom Cruise had completely turned his image around, shaking off the fallout from the 'couch jump' scandal and reclaiming his spot among the top A-list stars.
And the biggest winner besides Daniel? Anne Hathaway.
The Devil Wears Prada was still killing it in theaters, and Hancock was another massive success.
Anne Hathaway's name became synonymous with summer box office dominance.
In fashion circles and commercials, she was everywhere.
"Mr. Cross," Molly walked into the villa, clutching a thick stack of documents with a joyful smile. "These are all the endorsement offers Anne got this week -- Chanel, Dior, Estee Lauder... all vying for her as their global spokesperson. Her value has quintupled since two months ago!"
Daniel glanced over the papers. "Let her decide for herself. Don't let her wear herself out."
"She says she's not tired," Molly lowered her voice, smiling knowingly. "She says making money for you is her greatest pleasure."
*****
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