Ding-dong~
In Baltimore, Luca was busy on set when his phone buzzed with a new message.
He glanced at it and smiled.
"Alright, Ms. Aniston, happy to collaborate!"
With the investment from Echo Films, the production crew was back on track.
However, rumors outside the set were spreading fast. Some said the crew was about to split due to internal conflicts, others said they were facing financial issues and would soon abandon the project, and there were even reports that Luca had to borrow money to keep the movie going. Reporters often came snooping around, spreading false information.
Despite the rumors, the crew stayed silent and focused on making the movie as good as possible.
Luca also spent most of his time on set, though he did make a trip to Los Angeles for a casting call for Pride and Prejudice and attended the premiere of Mean Girls.
The casting call didn't go well. The Berlin Best Actor didn't make much of an impression on the British casting team and was eliminated in the third round.
After preparing for so long, this result was disappointing.
Luca felt crushed.
However, Mean Girls, released on April 8, performed incredibly well at the box office. It debuted in 2,839 theaters across the U.S. over its opening weekend and earned $24.43 million, topping the charts.
After a month, it grossed $73 million, with global earnings exceeding $100 million.
Based on feedback from theaters, the film had excellent occupancy rates, and they planned to extend its run. Global box office revenue was expected to reach $140 million, maybe even more.
Luca remembered the original box office prediction was $120 million—why had it exceeded that?
Could it be because of him?
He couldn't figure it out but was still pleased.
Following the success of Mean Girls, Lindsay, Rachel, and Amanda, the main actresses, all rose to stardom and received plenty of praise.
But Luca was an exception.
There was little mention of his acting in the media.
Despite his impressive sports scenes, his beautiful kiss with Lindsay Lohan, and his solid performance overall, the same newspapers that had criticized him last year seemed reluctant to praise him now—it would be too much of a contradiction.
"Luca, do you need PR?" Ed asked over the phone.
"No, thanks. I'm just a supporting actor. No need for any promotion."
Luca declined Ed's offer and continued focusing on his work with the crew.
On April 25, the film The Notebook, starring Luca alongside Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling, was released in North America.
It grossed $6.5 million on its opening day and $22 million in its first week, landing in second place at the box office, just $4 million behind Fahrenheit 9/11.
As a summer romance release, The Notebook performed remarkably well at the box office.
After the film's release, Ryan and Rachel received a great deal of attention and instantly became the hottest young stars in Hollywood.
However, Luca, playing a major supporting role, only attracted a bit of attention.
When the media did report on him, their praise was sparse and reserved.
They acknowledged his improvement, said his acting was decent, and that he showed some potential. But they quickly shifted the spotlight to the director, Nick Cassavetes, praising his ability to guide actors, or to Rachel, who starred opposite Luca.
Luca didn't mind. He was just the second male lead, so the lack of attention didn't bother him. He remained busy with the production, ignoring the noise from the outside world.
But one day in early May, a swarm of reporters suddenly showed up outside the set, all eager to interview him.
Luca was confused. "Why do they want to interview me?"
It wasn't until he heard their questions that he understood—it was all because of Buried.
Buried was a small, low-budget Brazilian film.
Before its release, Lionsgate didn't expect much from it, so there was little promotion, and everything stayed low-key.
Even Luca didn't know when Buried had premiered.
It wasn't until Buried blew up that he learned from reporters what had happened.
On March 22, Buried had a limited release in 108 theaters across the U.S., grossing only $607,000 in its opening week—a fairly unremarkable performance.
But its momentum picked up. After a month in theaters, it had quietly grossed $12 million from just a few hundred screens.
Seeing an opportunity, the distributors increased its theater count.
By the sixth week, its box office had exceeded $20 million, ranking second among thriller films in the same period. On Rotten Tomatoes, it had a freshness rating of 8.9, with overwhelmingly positive reviews.
News outlets reported that the film had been made for less than $1 million, something the film's director, Mr. Babank, had personally confirmed.
Boom~
Suddenly, it became a sensation.
A $100,000 budget yielding $20 million in box office revenue—a 20-fold return, with more still to come.
The entire film starred only one actor—Luca—meaning that he alone had pulled in $20 million at the box office.
It was a miracle!
The Hollywood Reporter ran the headline, "A Small Budget Movie Buried Has Captured Attention, Made in Brazil with a Budget of Under $1 Million, It Has Grossed $20 Million in Six Weeks—A 20-Fold Profit. Although Small Films Have Seen Higher Profits Before, This Movie Features Only One Actor, Luca Kelly, Who Single-Handedly Carried It to $20 Million. It's a Box Office Miracle!"
The Los Angeles Times commented, "Buried is one of the best suspense thrillers in recent years, even surpassing Phone Booth.
This one-man show not only tests the writer's talent but also puts immense pressure on the actor. It's hard to craft an exciting plot with just one man in a coffin and simple props, but the film's writer pulled it off.
And the same goes for the lead actor—holding the audience's attention for the entire film is incredibly difficult, yet the star of this film did just that.
What's even more surprising is that the film's writer and lead actor are the same person—Luca Kelly. His acting and talent are truly remarkable."
Famous film critic Rogers wrote, "This film is of exceptional quality, and Luca Kelly's performance is absolutely stunning. The tension and suffocating suspense he creates completely blew me away. From the first second to the last, there wasn't a single moment to catch your breath.
Through his brilliant performance, Luca perfectly conveyed the protagonist's emotions to the audience, expertly controlling their feelings. I believe his performance deserves a Berlin Best Actor award."
"Luca, you're on fire!" Ed shouted over the phone.
"Stop yelling, I'm still sleeping," a very tired Luca mumbled into his phone, lying in bed at the hotel.
"Luca, how can you still be sleeping? Tons of media outlets want to interview you. You need to come back!"
"I'm not coming back. I already sold the movie rights. No matter how much it makes, it won't earn me a penny. Why should I promote Lionsgate's movie?"
Luca was frustrated.
Most people would be thrilled to see the box office numbers soaring, but every time Luca saw them climb, his blood pressure rose along with them.
He regretted it deeply. Wasn't the global box office supposed to be just over $18 million? How had the North American box office alone reached $20 million?
If it were released globally, wouldn't it surpass $30 million?
But the movie had only sold for a little over $6 million.
His heart ached just thinking about it.
Ow~
Luca clutched his chest, feeling heartbroken to the point of breathlessness.
"Luca, come back, Woody Allen is looking for you."
"I'm not... wait, who's looking for me? Woody Allen?"
Luca sat up. Woody Allen was a major figure, one of Hollywood's top directors, with six Oscar nominations for Best Director, winning once, and over ten Oscar nominations for Best Screenplay.
His films were all classics, including Midnight in Paris, Match Point, Hannah and Her Sisters, Annie Hall, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Interiors.
In the world of art films, he was even more famous than Spielberg.
"What does he want with me?"
"He mentioned Buried. He's probably offering you a role. Are you coming back?"
"Emm~ I've thought it over. Yeah, I'll come back."
After filming for over two months, the movie was almost done. As the screenwriter, Luca didn't have much left to do on set.
The next day, he said goodbye to Annie and Billy and drove back to New York.