The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1157 Collection Ending
Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get.

Just a few days ago, "Anson Wood VS Russell Crowe" was still a hot topic, and people were enthusiastically discussing who would become the next superstar?
We need to define here what a superstar is.

Simply put, box office appeal.

Even though the audience knows nothing about the movie, including the subject matter, story outline, media reviews, and reputation, they are willing to go to the cinema simply because of the actors.

Even a work of mediocre quality can still be full of charm because of the presence of actors, and then achieve outstanding results in the box office market.

This is the halo of a superstar.

Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Jim Carrey.

Etc., etc.

Be it Anson or Russell, their popularity has already reached a certain level, and it seems that there is only one layer of window paper between them and the superstar position.

At least, that's what the media saw.

Therefore, Anson and Russell are both at a sensitive position in their careers. If they move forward a little, they may be on the road to success and a whole new world; if they move back a little, they may be forever blocked from becoming superstars.

The opportunity is right in front of us, and every work will play an important role.

Before this week, from all aspects, Russell was ready, and "Master and Commander" was about to become the driving force to break the shackles.

In contrast, Anson's choice seems uneasy and full of confusion.

Previously, the media highlighted the first work selected by Anson as a producer. This is the reason. This is not only an opportunity to show Anson's personal artistic taste and market acumen, but also an opportunity for Anson to break free and go further. However, Anson chose it——

That's it?

Previously, there was "Singing with You", which tried to make a breakthrough through a biographical film, but everyone knows Sima Zhao's intention.

Later there was the "butterfly effect", a work with an investment of only 10 million US dollars became incomprehensible.

A week ago, the heated discussions among industry insiders focused entirely on the two actors.

In their view, Russell is about to complete the final step of his transformation from a carp to a dragon; however, Anson's future is uncertain and his steps towards becoming a superstar have slowed down slightly.

It's embarrassing.

Or maybe it's the intersection of fate.

However, they never expected that Anson and Russell's destinies would indeed intersect, but not in the way they predicted, but in completely opposite directions.

This is shocking!
"Master and Commander", with rave reviews from the media and overwhelming publicity, the stage was set, but the result was a dud, with no sound at all.

The "butterfly effect", arguments, two levels, low-key, even crude and embarrassing, exclusion and complaints were everywhere, but the result was a historical record.

So who has the box office appeal? Who is the superstar?
There is no harm without comparison, but it is impossible not to compare two movies released at the same time.

When "Master and Commander" and "The Butterfly Effect" chose to hold their premieres on the same day to compete head-on, people definitely did not expect such an outcome.

But precisely because of this, the situation completely reversed 180 degrees -

The box office appeal is obvious.

Russell Crowe, head-on into a wall.

Anson Wood, on the rise.

Hollywood film companies have reflected on themselves:
Like "The Butterfly Effect" and "Walk the Line", these two scripts have gone around in circles in Hollywood, and have been passed around by at least eighty producers, but all the film companies were not optimistic about their success.

Finally, it fell into Anson's hands. "The Butterfly Effect" withstood the pressure of the wave of negative reviews and made a comeback at the box office on its opening weekend. Was it because of the excellent script or the excellent director?
No, none of them.

If the project itself is promising, have so many Hollywood producers misjudged it?

Unlikely.

The best explanation is, Anson.

Everything originated from the magic bestowed by Anson, turning stone into gold and waste into treasure. A project that should have been thrown into the trash became a great success because of Anson's intervention. Isn't this the influence of a superstar or something else?
The first time, it might have been luck—“elephant”.

The second time, it might be a coincidence - the "butterfly effect".

So, what about the third time?
Of course, the third time here is not "Eternal Love Awakens". The one who truly has the ability to turn stones into gold in this work is not Anson or Kate Winslet, but Charlie Kaufman.

If the box office of "Eternal Love" can exceed 100 million, then the credit should be given to Anson and Kate, and this work can also become the "third time"; but judging from the overall situation, the possibility is very, very small.

Charlie Kaufman's script, $100 million box office?
Haha, stop kidding.

Therefore, the "third time" should be the "Walking with the Song" that was ignored, despised and complained about.

Maybe "Walk the Line" won't win at the box office, but this biopic about Johnny Cash might actually be able to carve out a niche during the awards season?

Originally, the crew of "Walk the Walk" which had always kept a low profile suddenly became a hot topic in Hollywood, and more and more people were gossiping about the news.

Who knows, maybe "Walk the Line" could be a metamorphosis moment for Anson's star aura, just as "Forrest Gump" was for Tom Hanks, "Vanilla Sky" was for Tom Cruise, and "Ali" was for Will Smith.

On the road from first-line artists to superstars, Russell encountered an unexpected attack and his steps slowed down; Anson surprisingly overtook him and was one step ahead. Things are becoming more and more interesting.

Before this, Anson could always find an excuse for every success he had, saying that it had nothing to do with him directly, or that someone else had made greater contributions and Anson was just a vase taking advantage of the situation. But this time it was not the case.

Whether as a producer or a core protagonist, Anson single-handedly carries the responsibility, and the success of "Butterfly Effect" is given a completely different meaning -

It's all because of Anson.

Because of Anson, a 30-point movie has a 70-point viewing experience.

Because of Anson, a movie that had no market prospects set a record.

Because of Anson, the crisis that seemed to be an ambush from all sides turned into an opportunity to break the deadlock.

This time, Anson's box office appeal was undoubtedly proved, and the "Butterfly Effect" did play an unexpected role.

The North American weekend box office chart for the third week of November was released, sparking widespread discussion.

The whole of Hollywood was in an incredible uproar, a scene that had been predicted a week ago. The only slight difference was that the focus was not on "Master and Commander" and Russell, but on "The Butterfly Effect" and Anson.

There is no need to wait for the subsequent box office performance, the media can no longer contain their excitement and urgency——

After a brief moment of shocked silence and stunned muteness, there was a full-scale outburst.

The mighty heat wave erupted like a volcano.

However, Roger Ebert takes a slightly different view:

Why do we need to wait until "Sing Along"? This time "Butterfly Effect" is being released, and Anson's star aura is gradually becoming clear. Instead of looking forward to the distant future, it is better to continue to focus on the rising craze in front of us.

Anson's glory is ongoing.

(End of this chapter)