"Mr. Zhang, it's an honor to finally meet you," Matthew said politely to the director across from him. "I've watched Hero—an impressive film."
Zhang Yimou smiled and replied, "Mr. Horner, you're too kind." He seemed to be in a good mood. "I didn't expect your Chinese to be so fluent."
"Out of interest, I studied it for a while," Matthew responded courteously.
As they conversed, Matthew's eyes drifted to the two other people nearby. After introductions, Sean Tang began chatting with a producer named Zhang.
Matthew wasn't entirely sure why these individuals had sought out Sean Tang to make an introduction. Despite the success of his current promotions, the boundaries between both sides were clear—Zhang Yimou, with his strong ties to his background, would not likely break into Hollywood.
"I saw in the news that your Chinese was excellent," Zhang Yimou continued, "and after hearing you today, it's clear you're genuinely interested in Eastern culture?"
Matthew knew this wasn't the place to deny such a statement, so he maintained his stance, saying, "Yes, with over five thousand years of history, it's full of charm."
Zhang Yimou gave a meaningful nod. "Since you're interested in Eastern culture, I wonder if you'd also be interested in working on a film here?"
"I've seen a few films," Matthew responded casually. "Like Hero."
Zhang Yimou nodded slightly. Seeing that Matthew wasn't directly engaging with his proposal, he said outright, "Would you be interested in shooting a film here?"
Matthew glanced at him, understanding the implication. He politely declined, "I'd love to shoot a Fast & Furious film here."
Zhang Yimou frowned slightly but extended an invitation anyway. "I'm preparing an international blockbuster, and the lead role is a Western character. Would you be interested?"
Matthew hesitated briefly, thinking about it. A blockbuster with a Western lead? Was this the monster movie he had heard about? But wasn't the timing off?
"Mr. Zhang," Matthew replied diplomatically, "My agent isn't present, and per my contract, I can't agree to any film offers without her. If you're serious about working together, please reach out to my agent, Helen Herman, at the Angel Agency in Los Angeles."
For Matthew, this was a clear refusal.
Zhang Yimou understood the message and said, "I'll send a formal invitation. I hope we can collaborate in the future."
Matthew knew this was just a polite gesture. Even if no collaboration would come to fruition, it was important to maintain mutual respect. So, he replied, "I hope we'll have the opportunity."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Zhang Yimou left.
Matthew couldn't recall which films Zhang Yimou was working on at this time, but the only one featuring a Western lead he could think of was that monster film. Even if it wasn't, Matthew wasn't interested in working on a project like that.
Getting involved in a local production, rather than working under Hollywood's lead, was a lose-lose proposition for him. His current asking price was a minimum of $20 million per film, and demanding such a fee for a local production would surely draw public criticism.
It wasn't the same as earning money from audiences paying to see him on screen. People's perceptions are complex.
Furthermore, if the film flopped, there would be harsh criticism from both sides of the Pacific. Even if it succeeded, it wouldn't do much for his career.
Given Matthew's pragmatic approach, there was no way he would engage in something that offered such a poor return on investment.
Rather than focusing on uncertain collaborations, Matthew was more concerned with how Fast & Furious 4 would perform and whether it could break into the local market.
After the banquet, Matthew returned to the hotel and received a report—a survey from Disney Greater China detailing the audience's reactions to Fast & Furious 4 after the premiere.
Since there weren't yet highly specialized market research agencies in the region, Disney Greater China had hired a few companies to handle on-the-ground market research.
Matthew skimmed the report, which was roughly what he expected. Fast & Furious 4, a simple, high-quality popcorn flick, had won over most viewers.
The feedback from audiences was overwhelmingly positive.
"Fast & Furious 4 may be more of the same, but hearing those engines roar and watching the explosive action scenes still gets the adrenaline pumping."
"The movie was great—big scenes, lots of action, Matthew Horner was super handsome, and Gal Gadot was stunning. Very enjoyable."
"Hollywood action movies, especially those with stars like Matthew Horner, who are impressive even in real life, are always thrilling to watch."
"It was just so satisfying!"
"The whole plot was thrilling, and the action scenes, coupled with the music, made it even more exciting. The only downside was that the plot was a bit predictable."
"When it comes to action films, it's all about the visuals, the stars, the music, and the excitement. Matthew Horner never disappoints."
"Matthew's involvement definitely raised the bar! So much better than Tokyo Drift! His driving skills in the opening scene gave me chills! This is the best one yet!"
While there were some criticisms about the film being simple and mindless, nearly everyone agreed that Fast & Furious 4 was incredibly entertaining.
The next day, Friday, Fast & Furious 4 officially opened in theaters across the region. Whether it was Matthew's earlier promotions or the fact that Fast & Furious as a franchise resonated deeply with local audiences, the film started strong with high occupancy rates.
Despite it being a weekday, and with mid-May far from the local school holiday season, Friday's overall occupancy rate exceeded 50%, far surpassing China Film Group's expectations.
Originally, Fast & Furious 4 had only 30% of the screenings, but by Saturday, it dominated the market, with a screening share reaching a staggering 45%, outpacing all other foreign and domestic films.
The reason was simple: on Friday alone, Fast & Furious 4 grossed 45.2 million RMB, setting a new record for single-day box office earnings!
While this figure might seem small in the future, where single-day records would reach 300 million or even 400 million RMB, at this time, it was a dominant performance.
This number exceeded last year's record set by Red Cliff by a whopping 18 million RMB.
Even with theaters expanding at an unprecedented pace, this was a clear testament to the enormous appeal of Fast & Furious 4.
If there were 10,000 theaters screening Fast & Furious 4, Disney Greater China estimated that the single-day box office could easily have surpassed 100 million RMB on Saturday.
Of course, in this era, expecting 10,000 theaters to screen the film was unrealistic.
Still, with effective marketing and the momentum from high occupancy rates on Saturday, the film's box office surged by more than 20%, closing the day with 55 million RMB.
In just two days, Fast & Furious 4 had grossed 102 million RMB.
There was no doubt that it would surpass Red Cliff's record of 108 million RMB in four days, setting a new record for the fastest film to break 100 million RMB in the region.
Such high box office earnings drew even more attention. In a short time, entertainment media and websites were flooded with coverage of Fast & Furious 4.
"A record-smashing monster!"
This was the title given to Fast & Furious 4 by the National Television Movie Channel's World Film Report program.
With Matthew, who was becoming more and more of a household name, leading the way and the film's growing buzz, public opinion was overwhelmingly in favor of the movie.
"Fast & Furious 4 features complex relationships and action scenes that keep the tension high. As the most thrilling installment in the series, it surpasses the first three in excitement."
"For any action movie fan, Fast & Furious 4 is worth every penny!"
"The special effects are top-notch, setting a new standard for the genre. Fast cars, beautiful women, and Matthew Horner's handsome, wild persona offer an irresistible visual feast. While the plot is formulaic and the emotions are superficial, the car chases trigger adrenaline like no other."
The media's praise acted as further fuel to the fire. Since the film wasn't set to open in North America until the following weekend, Matthew and the cast stayed in the region, traveling to major cities to continue promoting the film.
Thanks to Matthew's foresight and the cast's careful navigation of potential pitfalls, Fast & Furious 4 maintained its fiery momentum.
To be precise, the film didn't just sustain its success—the market's excitement kept growing stronger.
By Sunday, the film's screening share had skyrocketed to 60%, with some theaters showing it up to 70% of the time.
Even so, in many major cities, tickets were becoming increasingly hard to get.
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