The richest actor in Hollywood.

In the dark of the night, Todd McCarthy, a contributor for *The Hollywood Reporter*, walked out of the Kodak Theatre, rubbing his forehead. The movie he had just watched was undoubtedly the worst film of this summer season so far. It was even worse than last year's Independence Day release, *Transformers*.

As he walked towards the entrance of the Kodak Theatre, Todd McCarthy couldn't help but overhear the conversations of the surrounding fans.

"Matthew looked so cool flying through the air, he should totally play Superman!"

"I still think Matthew's badass Superman was more interesting, the traditional Superman is too stiff."

"It was really fun to watch Matthew and Charlize Theron battle it out, just that one fight scene was worth the price of admission."

"The special effects were amazing, with big stars and great effects, movies like this are just a blast to watch!"

Hearing these comments, Todd McCarthy shook his head in disbelief. Today's audiences were too easily deceived; they didn't even understand what made a good movie. Was a film that relied solely on stars and special effects, with a plot that barely made sense, really worth discussing?

Audiences' tastes have become too strange. Excellent, steady-paced movies with strong narratives and dramatic tension go unnoticed, while films like *Iron Man*, *Transformers*, and *Hancock* rake in box office success...

Overusing special effects and commercial stars devalues the cinema experience and the films themselves.

He quickened his pace, eager to distance himself from the crowd. Staying within that group any longer would only risk being infected by their vulgarity and stupidity.

After retrieving his car and driving home, Todd McCarthy couldn't wait to open his computer and start writing a scathing review.

His review would undoubtedly be picked up by Rotten Tomatoes, so without further ado, he was ready to throw a rotten tomato at *Hancock*.

"Hancock is awful: clichéd story, messy design, wooden performances, and an overuse of special effects!"

"There are just too many superheroes on the big screen these days—Superman soaring through the sky, Batman in his dark costume, Spider-Man leaping around, the X-Men teaming up... Compared to these heroes, *Hancock* is a disaster: a sloppy-looking, bad-tempered Superman with nothing new in his powers. The plot is so disjointed that it makes you wonder—do audiences really need such a boring Superman?"

"The film starts off like a god but ends like a mere mortal. Watching Hancock's story felt like watching a basketball team trying to play soccer."

"No one would want to watch this movie a second time. The 'unique' image of Hancock saving the city that the film desperately tries to build is abandoned after just 20 minutes, and the love triangle with the female superhero drags the movie into a hopelessly cheesy romance. I almost thought it was a love story..."

At this point, Todd McCarthy was too tired to continue and gave it a measly two-star rating.

Meanwhile, Charles Roven had just left the Kodak Theatre. During the screening, his mind was preoccupied with thoughts about *Green Lantern*.

A casual joke made by Matthew last time had sparked an idea. After discussing it with Kevin Tsujihara, he convened a meeting with many people from Warner Bros. and DC Comics' film and creative departments. They conducted targeted research and market analysis, discovering that in today's rapidly changing social landscape, using a Black actor as the lead could have some very unique advantages.

For instance, if someone dared to criticize the film, a label of "racism" could easily be applied...

The film could certainly touch on themes of racial conflict and freedom and equality, which the media and the public currently found very appealing.

As for the potential loss of viewers due to a Black lead, a Black actor who was popular among most white audiences could easily solve that problem.

The only issue was that there were very few Black stars with both box office appeal and popularity among white audiences. In fact, in all of Hollywood, there was really only one—Will Smith.

Warner Bros. had already made initial contact with Will Smith. While his star power wasn't quite at Matthew's level, he wasn't averse to superhero movies. If he agreed to take on the role, the script could be tailored to suit his strengths...

A Black *Green Lantern* might face some limitations, but Will Smith's version of the character would likely be very popular.

After the post-screening press conference ended, Matthew left the press room and met up with Nina Dobrev, who was waiting in the theater lobby. They then drove back to Beverly Hills.

On the way back, Matthew's mind wasn't on Nina Dobrev beside him but rather on what Charles Roven had mentioned—Warner Bros. considering a Black *Green Lantern*?

He would have to look into this, see if Warner Bros. had actually reached out to Will Smith...

From what he could predict, a Black lead in a superhero movie wouldn't generally be very popular among the predominantly white audience, but Will Smith was an exception. Throughout the '90s and into the new century, he had starred in several blockbuster films that were big hits and was widely popular among white audiences.

Additionally, because of his presence, Will Smith, while very famous, hadn't quite reached superstar status. In recent years, he had also faced a shortage of roles. A top-tier production with a budget of $250 million would likely be very attractive to him.

The key issue was whether Warner Bros. and DC Comics wanted to invite Will Smith as the lead.

Unfortunately, it wasn't his place to intervene.

Nina Dobrev, noticing Matthew deep in thought, curiously asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Matthew snapped back to reality and smiled. "I was wondering, do you have something new planned?"

"Of course," Nina Dobrev replied. "I've been practicing some gymnastics moves recently. Maybe you can try them out later."

"Oh... I can't wait." Matthew deliberately exaggerated his enthusiasm.

They both laughed heartily.

The Mercedes sedan turned into the gates of the Horner Estate, and a wild night was just beginning.

The Independence Day weekend had officially kicked off. Among the films released this weekend, the only one with a wide release besides *Hancock* was *Kit Kittredge: An American Girl*, featuring Will Smith's daughter, Willow Smith. This film posed no real threat to *Hancock*.

The only real competition during the Independence Day weekend was Pixar's *WALL-E*.

This animated feature, having been released the previous week, was entering its second weekend in North America during the holiday.

The competition between the two films was decided on the first day of *Hancock*'s wide release, as the movie easily outpaced *WALL-E*, thanks to its opening week and Matthew's massive box office draw.

*Hancock* began showing in 3,600 theaters across North America on Thursday evening at 7 PM, grossing $7.8 million that night—significantly surpassing *Iron Man*'s $6.5 million from its advance screenings.

However, the film still fell short by $1 million compared to last year's July 4th weekend release of *Transformers*, which had grossed $8.8 million in advance screenings.

This gap was entirely expected, and no one in the industry was surprised, as it was the natural difference between an original film and an adaptation.

While more and more films in the North American market are breaking the $100 million mark in their opening weeks, to this day, no non-sequel, non-adapted original film has managed to surpass $100 million in its opening week in North America.

Hollywood's neglect of original films can be seen as a response to market demands.

The script for *Hancock*, originally titled *Tonight, He Comes*, had been passed around various Hollywood studios for over a decade without being picked up, which reflects Hollywood's attitude towards original films.

Compared to *Hancock*, which had no established fan base, *Transformers* had a long history in anime and toys, securing the love of several generations worldwide before achieving such high box office success.

Even before the movie, *Iron Man* was more well-known than *Hancock*, so the fact that *Hancock* managed to achieve such impressive box office numbers was no small feat. Perhaps audiences really were craving a different kind of superhero.

According to official reports from Warner Bros. that evening, buoyed by the film's strong advance ticket sales, the number of theaters showing *Hancock* would increase to 4,365 starting the next day.

Releasing the film over this holiday weekend, *Hancock* would also benefit from the boost of July 4th, Independence Day in the USA. Several market agencies were predicting that *Hancock* could reach $80 million in North American box office sales over the three-day holiday weekend.

As the film's biggest competition this weekend, *WALL-E* brought in $7.6 million on Thursday, $200,000 less than *Hancock*.

Even though *WALL-E* was in its second week of release, *Hancock* had only started showing at 7 PM that evening.

The North American movie market is very mature, with a variety of media, critics, and audience rating channels. Like Matthew's previous films, *Hancock* was met with cold reception from critics while being relatively well-received by audiences.

By Friday, the film's Rotten Tomatoes score had plummeted, dropping to a dismal 43%—a cliff-like fall.

"Though the plot is a bit clichéd, the visuals are strong, and the actors deliver solid performances, leaving a relatively good impression overall."

The film received positive comments on social media.

The movie opened strong.

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