Hollywood Immortal

[Chapter 393: Mortal Enemies]

Given the overwhelming success of Independence Day, Linton and his crew found that continuing their publicity tour across North America wasn't really necessary anymore.

Originally, Linton had planned to cancel the remaining stops, but this idea was met with strong resistance from Cristiana and Nicole Kidman, as well as Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum. Having starred in such a blockbuster film was a rare chance to visibly boost their popularity and commercial value. They wanted to leverage the film's promotion to increase their exposure and solidify their new status in Hollywood.

During this period, they were dominating the front pages of countless newspapers every day. Unfortunately, the internet wasn't well developed yet, but once social media became mainstream in the future, they probably would have been trending nonstop.

When it came to box office earnings, the biggest beneficiaries were naturally Linton and Universal Pictures. Next in line were the five lead actors. Linton was already a mega-star, impossible to boost any further in status. But judging by the recent growth in his power, his popularity had noticeably risen.

Cristiana and Nicole Kidman benefited immensely as well. Not only did their fame skyrocket, but both actresses moved from being on the cusp of top-tier stardom to full A-list celebrities. Their commercial value surged, and their agencies were flooded with endorsement offers, with fees climbing rapidly.

Even Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum, previously considered marginal actors, now rose to Hollywood's second-tier star status.

For Cristiana and Nicole, this promotional trip was more than just marketing -- it was a sweet getaway with Linton, funded by the studio. In the evenings, Linton's attention was entirely on them, making it a rare and treasured opportunity.

Under their firm insistence, Linton reluctantly agreed to keep up with the planned tour schedule, though he managed to ease the promotional tasks to make the trip a bit more relaxed, treating it as a cross-country vacation with Cristiana and Nicole.

---

Of course, their laid-back journey didn't stop Independence Day from continuing its box office dominance.

The numbers came in:

- Wednesday: $13.51 million

- Thursday: $13.37 million

By the end of the full week, the total domestic gross had reached $131.34 million.

Friday saw a bounce back with $18.16 million,

Saturday $19.23 million,

Sunday $17.86 million.

The second weekend raked in another $55.25 million, firmly maintaining its status as the box office champion. The total gross soared to $186.59 million.

By comparison, the second-place movie Congo managed only $21.83 million during its opening weekend, falling well short of Paramount's expectations.

---

At this point, no one doubted Linton's prediction at the premiere -- Independence Day was set to surpass ET's North American box office record.

Media outlets launched another wave of concentrated coverage and hype, praising Linton's unique vision and the film's popularity, analyzing the many factors that drew audiences in.

Film critics -- led by Roger Ebert, David Denby, Kenneth Turan, Todd McCarthy, and Claude Hank -- finally came to terms with the brutal truth: they simply couldn't stop Independence Day's blockbuster success.

In other words, critics' influence on the commercial performance of big summer releases was minimal at best -- maybe only affecting ticket sales by a few cents.

This realization wasn't lost on the Hollywood studios either. Soon, other major productions scheduled for late July and early August, such as Die Hard with a Vengeance, canceled their planned critics outreach.

For critics, this was a real financial blow. Michael Bay and Linton, the two main architects, didn't just trample the critics' pride -- they effectively cut off their money pipeline.

This was unacceptable. From that moment on, Michael Bay and Linton became mortal enemies of critics like Roger Ebert.

Since they couldn't beat them at the summer box office, they planned to give them a big surprise during awards season.

This year's Golden Raspberry Awards had the worst picture, worst director, and worst actor all locked in for them.

---

Starting the second weekend, Independence Day rolled out internationally, premiering first in the UK, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Italy, Brazil, and Australia.

The overseas response mirrored North America -- a booming surge of viewers lined up to see the film, while countless foreign critics furiously denounced and smeared it.

"Independence Day ostensibly depicts an alien invasion, but actually reflects American aggression and imperialism. Such a film holds no viewing value." -- The Times, UK

"Independence Day portrays the delusions and ambitions of American exceptionalism. Films like this should be banned." -- Barcelona Daily, Spain

"A showy spectacle with no realism. If the top leader were really to take to the skies in battle, it would spell utter defeat. French audiences shouldn't waste time on such a terrible film." -- Le Parisien, France

"Americans have lost their minds. Michael Bay has lost his mind, trying to force the whole world to celebrate the Fourth of July through a sci-fi movie." -- Berliner Zeitung, Germany

...

For a time, it seemed that professional critics worldwide launched a coordinated attack on Independence Day. Even critics across the Western world could not stomach the film's promotion of American hegemonism. They were passionate, calling for the film to be banned and cast onto the gallows of history.

Criticizing and blackening Independence Day became politically correct in the review circles. Even some critics who actually liked the movie hesitated to speak up, forced to join the bandwagon and attack the film insincerely.

Yet, the market reacted completely opposite to the critics' wishes. Just like in North America, theaters around the world saw long lines for Independence Day tickets, and the film's screening schedule was repeatedly increased.

Frustrated and furious, critics gnawed their teeth and unleashed the most vicious attacks but could do nothing to stop the frenzy of audiences flocking to the film.

It was as if, just like in North America, the more harshly critics attacked, the hotter Independence Day got, and the higher the box office numbers climbed.

By the end of the first weekend overseas, the film grossed an impressive $86 million.

As the next weekend's numbers came in, global critics grew even angrier and more frenzied in their attacks.

But in the face of Independence Day's blockbuster earnings, all their efforts seemed utterly futile and powerless.

*****

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