20th Century Fox was in a bit of a panic, scrambling to figure out what to do.
Adam Scott commented, "Now you know how flustered and embarrassed I was when I saw Anson recording 'The Tonight Show'? Now it's someone else's turn to experience the power of Anson's bold moves, haha!"
To be honest, 20th Century Fox was caught off guard.
This kind of situation had never happened before.
However...
Before "Star Wars: Episode II" could respond, the second wave of moves from the "Spider-Man" team had already arrived, intensifying their efforts.
On one side, some viewers saw James and his crew from the "Jackass" series heading to the theater to watch "Star Wars: Episode II."
On the other, other viewers saw Kristen and her group of girlfriends posing for photos with their "Star Wars: Episode II" ticket stubs in front of a poster.
Then, on Saturday morning, during a phone interview on NBC's "Today Show," Anson made an enthusiastic call to action.
"Please head to the theaters."
"We have 'Spider-Man,' we have 'Star Wars,' we have 'Unfaithful,' and a slew of other great films coming to theaters soon. Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise's collaboration, 'Minority Report,' is also about to be released."
"Hey, trust me, this summer, the theater is definitely worth a visit."
Calm, poised, and full of humor—
He wasn't just promoting current releases; he was also plugging upcoming films.
Here's a detail: "Minority Report" was produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
In other words, Anson had already promoted two of 20th Century Fox's films. If 20th Century Fox still remained silent, it would be unreasonable.
Finally, someone took action.
Also on Saturday, Anson's fans were the first to respond to their idol's call.
Gloria in Los Angeles and Blair in New York—fans, without any organized activity, spontaneously responded to Anson's call, heading to theaters to watch both films and doing one thing in unison:
Posting their ticket stubs.
In the age of social media, this is common, with people accustomed to sharing glimpses of their lives. But in 2002, this was not typical.
Gloria, Blair, and others all coincidentally posted their ticket stubs on Yahoo Communities, including stubs for "Spider-Man" and "Star Wars: Episode II," showcasing their participation in the summer blockbuster wave. A new trend quickly spread among young people.
Fashionable, popular.
This wave of posting ticket stubs became the trendiest activity of the summer of 2002, sweeping across North America.
It was grand and unstoppable.
Yet, the "Star Wars: Episode II" team... still didn't react.
Slow, sluggish, delayed, clumsy.
You can't really blame 20th Century Fox. After all, such a situation had never happened before. It even broke market rules, presenting an entirely new scenario without any warning. Especially since it involved the "Star Wars" team, they were a bit flustered. It wasn't that they didn't want to respond; they just didn't know how—or more accurately, couldn't respond as planned.
20th Century Fox understood all the reasoning. They realized right away that they should respond directly. The most straightforward approach would be to have the "Star Wars: Episode II" team also post their ticket stubs, showing a stance of fair competition and dancing along with the "Spider-Man" team.
However...
George Lucas refused, calling it "pandering to the masses." He disdained and was unwilling to participate in such a lowbrow and ridiculous promotional activity.
Natalie and Ewan expressed concerns, wondering if following suit and posting ticket stubs would mean they were being led by the nose by the "Spider-Man" team, potentially redirecting "Star Wars" viewers to "Spider-Man." But the real reason was the fear that it might tarnish the actors' personal images.
20th Century Fox: ...
Hayden was willing to cooperate, but relying on just one Hayden clearly couldn't match the intensity and heat of the "Spider-Man" team.
So, the team couldn't keep up with the pace, and 20th Century Fox uncharacteristically fell silent—
This also made them the target of jokes on talk shows, with many suggesting that the "Star Wars" team, as North America's top box office draw, lacked a sense of humor and had a narrow, shortsighted view.
The pressure mounted, layer upon layer.
In this situation, the die-hard fans of the "Star Wars" series were the first to make a move: reciprocation.
Since Anson had bought tickets to support "Star Wars: Episode II," extending an olive branch, they didn't mind buying a ticket to return the favor for Anson's promotion.
After all, "Star Wars: Episode I" held the second spot on both the North American and global box office charts. They had the confidence and the grace to welcome any challenge.
Without a doubt, this was an unprecedented occurrence in the North American film market. Even industry professionals couldn't be sure what impact Anson's move would have or how it would affect the box office performance of both films.
Setting aside everything else, at least among Hollywood insiders and casual onlookers, Anson's reputation soared:
He truly displayed the magnanimity and grace of a superstar. Despite "Spider-Man" continuously breaking box office records and having the potential to set more, he didn't crush his competitors for personal gain. Instead, he advocated for fair competition and mutual success, earning widespread admiration.
While it's unclear how the die-hard "Star Wars" fans viewed Anson, it's certain that his popularity among the general public skyrocketed.
The true power of going viral was just beginning.
Previously, "Spider-Man's" box office success had many contributing factors, but at its core, its target audience was still those who loved "lone hero-style Hollywood action movies," particularly resonating with teenagers. Its reach hadn't expanded further.
Now, things were different.
Those who weren't interested in superhero movies, action films, or teen dramas began to pay attention to theaters, and to "Spider-Man" and "Star Wars: Episode II" because of this wave of buzz.
This is a massive audience, and even if just 1% of them were motivated to buy tickets, it could trigger a box office explosion—
Just like with "Titanic."
Buzz. Focus. Attention.
Suddenly, the conversation on every street corner revolved around "Star Wars: Episode II," which hit theaters that week. Yet, somehow, the discussions always circled back to "Spider-Man" in the end!
No one expected this, but the summer movie season of 2002 was heating up, dazzling everyone. The film market had truly come roaring back!
Friday, Saturday, Sunday—the weekend flew by, and before 20th Century Fox could respond to the "Spider-Man" team's sudden move, the opening weekend had already ended. Millions of eyes were now focused on the North American box office rankings for the week—
The anticipation was off the charts, reaching an unbelievable level.