After the release of the movie Saving Ronaldo, some media outlets reported that the main character's background, circumstances, and appearance closely resembled those of the real Ronaldo, suggesting that the film was trying to ride on his fame.
In the movie, the character of Ronaldo frequently swears, appears lustful, sleazy, and shameless, which seemed to hint at the real Ronaldo's womanizing past — including multiple divorces and frequent changes of girlfriends.
Given that the scriptwriter, Luca, had a personal conflict with Ronaldo, many in the media speculated that this film was Luca's way of seeking revenge.
Reporters interviewed both Ronaldo and Luca to hear their thoughts.
Ronaldo said, "Yeah, that kid can't play soccer, but he's a master at riding coattails. This time, he's really ticked me off, and I'm going to teach him a lesson."
Luca responded, "I didn't do that. Do I, Luca Kelly, need to ride someone else's fame? That's completely ridiculous. Plus, Ronaldo is a national treasure of Brazil—why would I intentionally damage his reputation?"
When asked why the character in the movie resembled Ronaldo so closely, Luca replied, "It's simple. There are many football players from the favelas, and 'Ronaldo' is just a common name. This type of character is representative of many, and their stories are inspirational. To sum up, I wasn't mocking Ronaldo for being sleazy. If you don't believe me, just go watch the movie—it's really entertaining, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed."
Ronaldo's management company felt the movie damaged his image and demanded an apology and compensation from the production team. They also called for Saving Ronaldo to be taken down early, threatening to file a lawsuit in Rio's court if their demands weren't met.
The film company behind Saving Ronaldo defended their decision, stating that using the name "Ronaldo" was a tribute to all footballers with that name and denied any harm to Ronaldo's reputation. They also welcomed any legitimate legal action from Ronaldo's team.
Ronaldo's management team retorted, "Not apologizing? Just you wait. We'll sue you into bankruptcy."
The film company responded, "Alright, we're waiting!"
With both sides trading verbal jabs, the situation quickly turned into a heated public spat. The involvement of such big names, Ronaldo and Luca, immediately turned this into a major national news story, even making international headlines.
Seizing the momentum, Luca and the movie company used the publicity to promote Saving Ronaldo.
By the second week, Saving Ronaldo's box office surged rather than declined, bringing in an additional 15.42 million reais, catapulting it to second place for the week, just 3 million short of The Day After Tomorrow.
"Hahaha, Luca! With 15.42 million this week, plus the first week's earnings, that's over 23 million! We should be making a profit now, right?"
Masio, ecstatic, started doing a samba dance on the lawn.
Luca shook his head. "You're oversimplifying it. You think all this media hype is free? We've spent over 5 million so far, and we'll need to spend millions more, possibly over 10 million."
"Over 10 million? Why so much?" Masio was shocked.
"Ha, you'll understand in a few days."
On the 16th day of the movie's release, the Rio de Janeiro court ruled on the Saving Ronaldo defamation case.
The court found that the character "Ronaldo" in the movie was entirely fictional and bore no factual connection to the real Ronaldo, thus ruling that the film had not violated Ronaldo's rights.
After the verdict, media headlines declared, "Ronaldo Loses."
A reporter caught up with Ronaldo and asked how he felt. With a grim face, Ronaldo replied, "I haven't lost yet. We're going to keep appealing until we win."
The reporter, thrilled by the prospect of ongoing drama, knew this story could continue, meaning more bonuses that month.
But the next developments left them stunned.
The very next day, Saving Ronaldo's producers and distributors announced that they would be donating 20% of the movie's box office earnings to improve sports facilities in underprivileged areas and sponsor young athletes from the favelas. The initiative was aptly named "Saving Ronaldo's Football Dream."
This caused a media frenzy.
With Saving Ronaldo's current box office earnings, 20% equaled over 4 million reais—a significant sum.
"Luca, why are you donating the money? Have you gone crazy?!" Masio was dumbfounded after seeing the news.
"This is marketing. What do you know?" Luca said, setting aside his script.
"Marketing? That's over 4 million! Won't we lose money by donating it?"
"Relax. Sometimes, taking a loss is the best way to win."
Soon, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Sports praised the filmmakers for their public-spirited efforts, calling it a responsible and conscientious act.
The public also responded positively, flocking to theaters to support the film, with daily ticket sales breaking 500,000 for the first time, and the box office surging by 3.28 million reais.
Before the media buzz could die down, the next day, Brazil's Observer newspaper reported a jaw-dropping story—Ronaldo and Luca had gone to see Saving Ronaldo together.
According to the reporter, he was at the cinema when he spotted the two stars, Luca and Ronaldo, walking and laughing together like good friends.
After the news broke, Ronaldo was asked about the situation. He explained that he had known Luca from their time together on the national football team. He said, "Luca was a promising young player. I wanted to take him on as an apprentice, but unfortunately, he got injured, which was a real shame!"
Luca: (_)
Ronaldo also praised Saving Ronaldo, calling it "a great film—full of passion and humor. Every Brazilian who loves football should see it."
Thanks to Ronaldo's endorsement, Saving Ronaldo's box office didn't just remain steady in its third week—it shot past 20 million, grossing 21.22 million and overtaking The Day After Tomorrow for the top spot.
With a cumulative box office of 44.3 million reais, the film was now a massive hit.
In 2003, the box office record for Brazilian films was held by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets with 65 million, and the highest-grossing domestic film was The Man Who Copied with 38 million.
After just three weeks, Saving Ronaldo had already grossed over 40 million, with a strong chance of becoming the top-grossing domestic film of 2004, and possibly even challenging for the overall box office crown.
For a movie that had only cost 6 million reais to make, grossing 44 million in three weeks made it a clear "dark horse."
Saving Ronaldo was now officially a box office sensation.
Media outlets were already calling it a "box office miracle."
In its fourth week, Saving Ronaldo pulled in another 11.5 million.
"Only 11.5 million?" Luca was puzzled when he received the latest box office figures on Monday. "With all the press coverage, how is the box office dropping so quickly?"
"Piracy!" his administrative assistant pointed out. "Mr. Kelly, according to our research, nine out of ten viewers who've seen Saving Ronaldo watched a pirated version. The longer it's in theaters, the more piracy spreads. Expect an even bigger drop next week."
The assistant was right. In its fifth week, the box office dropped to just 4.6 million, barely crossing the 60 million mark.
After five weeks, the movie's run was essentially over, and Saving Ronaldo was pulled from theaters with a total box office of 60.85 million.
Luca did some quick calculations—he'd personally take home about $1.2 million from this project.
He had invested $400,000, plus the script, marketing efforts, time, energy, and reputation, only to make a profit of $800,000.
In reality, the deal had been a loss.
"All that effort, only to make two cents on the dollar," Luca thought, on the verge of tears after all the work he had put in.
Now he was starting to worry about the box office prospects for Infernal Affairs.
After nearly two months of shooting, his scenes were finally wrapped.
During filming, everything had gone well—the footage was of high quality and not inferior to the original. He had been hopeful that this film would break domestic box office records.
But after seeing the box office trends for Saving Ronaldo, his ambitions weren't quite so high anymore.
"Mr. Kelly, we've arrived at Flamengo Pier," the driver reminded him as the car came to a stop.
"Alright."
The movie had been a huge hit, and multiple companies had made a lot of money. A celebration party was inevitable. The company had rented the Royal Leo yacht and invited industry insiders to join in.
Luca, being the star behind the movie's success, was naturally expected to attend.
"Luca! Hurry up! We've been waiting for half an hour!" Masio waved from the pier.
Today, Maceo also came.
Recently, "Rescue" has been a big hit, and both the lead and supporting actors have gained fame. Maceo did well in the movie, showing some standout moments.
With Luca's support, Maceo has gained some modest popularity, becoming somewhat of a fourth-tier actor.
Maceo was accompanied by his girlfriend, Caroline.
The two of them walked hand-in-hand—he was in a suit and tie, and she was in an evening gown. They looked like a good match.
"Why wait for me? You guys can go ahead."
Luca greeted Caroline and said.
Maceo chuckled, "Come on, we're all in this together. We'll wait and go up with you!"
Heh. Luca didn't believe it. Originally, Maceo had said they'd arrive together, but then he came early to join in the fun. Now he's saying they should go up together—was he just trying to ride the wave?
Luca glanced at Caroline. This was probably her idea.
Luca didn't mind though. Maceo wasn't the sharpest, so having a clever woman around wasn't a bad thing.
The three of them reached the dock and boarded the Royal Leo cruise ship together.
Tonight's party was being held there.
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