As Fast & Furious 4 entered its final phase of pre-release promotion, Matthew became increasingly high-profile. As both an investor and one of the lead actors, he appeared on multiple media platforms daily, handling interview after interview. Though he hadn't left Los Angeles, being in the media hub of Burbank meant that news about him easily spread across the U.S. and even the globe.
For a time, Matthew was extremely busy, frequently appearing on TV stations, at magazine offices, and in hotel press rooms.
Inevitably, he was constantly followed by dozens of reporters and paparazzi.
On a regular basis, about a dozen or more journalists would follow him everywhere, always hoping to capture the kind of sensational gossip that readers and viewers loved.
Now that the movie promotion was in full swing, even more reporters tailed him.
In fact, to support the film's marketing, ABC's entertainment channel, part of Disney, even assigned a small broadcast van to follow Matthew around, ready to air the latest entertainment news featuring him at any moment.
Everyone knew that if both of this year's films were box office successes, Matthew was set to become a bona fide superstar.
And not just a franchise star like Johnny Depp with Pirates of the Caribbean, but a true superstar on the level of Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, or Harrison Ford.
Looking at the whole of Hollywood, only Matthew and Leonardo DiCaprio were currently approaching the threshold of superstardom.
However, DiCaprio's commercial appeal seemed a bit lacking. Since Titanic, he hadn't had a major box office hit.
Matthew knew better than anyone that it would take DiCaprio a few more years to achieve true superstar status, especially since the lead role in Inception would end up going to him.
"Matthew, it's been reported that you witnessed a fight between Emma Roberts and Anne Hathaway in London. Can you comment on that?"
After finishing a recording for an NBC show, Matthew was bombarded with questions as soon as he stepped out of the studio.
"Are you dating Emma Watson?"
"Is it true you had a one-night stand with Emma Watson?"
Though there were many questions, Matthew wasn't interested in answering. Accompanied by a bodyguard, he got into a black Mercedes van.
With Brown Williams on vacation, his temporary replacement, John, took the front passenger seat, while another bodyguard drove.
Unlike Africa or London, Matthew had scaled back his security after the FBI had lifted the alert, so he was back to having just two bodyguards in North America.
"Take me to Burbank," Matthew instructed the driver. "To Angel Agency."
Helen Herman had contacted him two days ago to discuss scheduling a trip across the Pacific. However, with all the Fast & Furious 4 promotion, he had only found time today.
These past few days had been so busy. Aside from smaller media outlets, he had visited all four major TV networks and given interviews to the three major newspapers.
As the Mercedes van turned onto the main road, Matthew glanced back. A large number of cars and motorcycles were trailing them, a common sight lately. Wherever he went, reporters followed, even staking out Horner Estate when he returned home.
What was more extreme was that ABC's entertainment channel's van had been following him 24/7 for nearly a week, with shifts changing but the vehicle remaining the same.
Disney had indeed poured significant resources into the promotion of Fast & Furious 4.
Their previous collaboration with Matthew on Twilight had netted over $30 million in profits, so naturally, they were motivated.
Matthew knew that Disney was aggressively pursuing potential profits.
Even beyond North America, Disney had heavily invested in overseas marketing. Despite some seemingly unreasonable demands from a box office star like Matthew, Disney went to great lengths to meet them.
For example, Fast & Furious 4 had encountered some challenges across the Pacific.
Though the film had easily passed the censors there without major cuts, the state-run China Film Group had caused some unexpected issues during promotion.
Due to policy constraints, Hollywood films introduced there, especially those in profit-sharing deals, could only be promoted one month before release. Moreover, in typical fashion, China Film Group had given Fast & Furious 4 a completely new Chinese title: Racing Storm.
When Matthew heard this, he wasn't surprised. After all, films needed to be marketed according to the local market's needs. For example, Pixar films always got generic "so-and-so adventure" titles when released there.
Also, he vaguely remembered that Liam Neeson's later action films all had titles related to "rescue" in China.
Actually, Racing Storm wasn't a bad name. It suited the market across the Pacific well.
But after getting the news, Matthew called Disney Pictures and Buena Vista International's executives, demanding that they negotiate with China Film Group to keep the original title, Fast & Furious.
As the local saying went, he was trying to build a super "IP" with an eye on the future.
At present, the market across the Pacific had limited capacity, with only a 13% box office share, and merchandising income was negligible. After deducting distribution fees, the final amount reaching Thirteen Productions would be very limited.
Matthew's insistence on pushing the film there was for future earnings.
Fast & Furious 4 was more about opening the market, step by step, to build a loyal fanbase for the franchise.
As a former moviegoer from across the Pacific, Matthew believed he had a good understanding of what local audiences liked most about Hollywood films.
It wasn't Oscar-winning films, Marvel superhero movies, or high-concept sci-fi. It was these simple, action-packed blockbusters that resonated most.
So, he rejected the Racing Storm title. From now on, Fast & Furious 4 would carry the burden of building a super "IP" in that market.
Luckily, since Fast & Furious 4 was a profit-sharing film, the Hollywood distributor's request for the original title was honored after a brief inquiry.
The movie would be released as Fast & Furious 4 across the Pacific. To truly establish the market and lay a solid foundation for the franchise, Matthew and a few main actors were set to travel there next week for the global premiere.
If everything went well, Matthew believed that by Fast & Furious 6 or Fast & Furious 7, the series would bring in significant returns from that region.
It wouldn't match the massive promotion and hype surrounding Fast & Furious 7, but the groundwork being laid now would attract more viewers in the future, creating greater opportunities.
Matthew was confident that no one in Hollywood at this time understood the tastes of audiences across the Pacific better than he did.
That was his advantage.
The Mercedes van entered South Buena Vista Street, passing Disney's headquarters and moving through the skyscrapers to a lower-rise business district.
This area housed many entertainment companies like Angel Agency.
The paparazzi trailing behind knew Matthew was heading to his agency but had no plans to stop following. Their work depended on delivering the content their readers and viewers demanded.
No one noticed when a Dodge muscle car merged into traffic at an intersection, blending in with the paparazzi's vehicles.
Few paid attention to this car. Even the reporters and paparazzi who noticed it assumed it belonged to one of their own.
In recent days, many like them had been following that Hollywood star because the American public loved news about him.
Shortly after the Dodge joined the traffic, a Ford followed closely behind, also turning onto South Buena Vista Street.
"We've waited two days!"
The bald man in the Ford's passenger seat rubbed his head and muttered, "Finally, our chance!"
He turned to the Latino man driving. "Keep some distance from that car. Let Rodriguez see if he can crash into them."
The Latino man's face was full of malice. "Yes, boss!"
The bald man gently stroked the modified semi-automatic rifle beside him. "That bastard ruined my business. I want him dead!"
Back in Tijuana, he had spent over a year and significant resources digging a tunnel across the border. But the first time it was used, Matthew Horner showed up. The tunnel was destroyed, and his entire operation was taken down by the FBI and Mexican police.
With his last bit of money, he smuggled himself into the U.S., keeping only his two most trusted men. But he had never let go of the idea of revenge. The man who had sent him from paradise to hell had to pay the price.
Having once experienced the extravagance of spending money freely, this fugitive life was worse than death.
Still, if he had to die, he would take someone down with him!
A few months ago, he had arrived in Los Angeles, only to find out that Matthew had been away on location. Even when Matthew returned, he was always guarded by a highly alert bodyguard.
There was only one chance to strike, so he had waited patiently until now.
The black Mercedes van approached the Angel Agency and pulled into the parking lot. Just as Matthew opened the door and was about to get out, the bodyguard, John, suddenly paled.
"Watch out!" he shouted at Matthew.
Matthew turned to see a Dodge muscle car charging toward the van from an angle.
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