Shaking, shaking, shaking.
Hayden's gaze remained fixed on Carter's perpetually twitching right leg:
It shook when it was on the ground, with the toe tapping up and down. It shook when it was resting on his knee, with Carter clutching his ankle. It shook when he was lying flat on the sofa, causing his left leg to tremble as well.
It just kept shaking, unable to stop.
Originally, Hayden wasn't nervous, but watching Carter's leg bounce constantly made the whole world seem to tremble along with it, making him inexplicably anxious as well.
In truth, Hayden had mentally prepared himself—or at least, he thought he was ready—for the possibility that "Star Wars: Episode II" might slightly underperform at the box office.
20th Century Fox was also aware that the explosive opening weekend of "Spider-Man" was a special case, a perfect storm of circumstances that created a miracle they had missed. Replicating such a miracle with the opening weekend of "Star Wars: Episode II" might be challenging, and they would have to rely on the film's performance in the following weeks—
Both "Titanic" and "The Phantom Menace" had opening weekends that underperformed but went on to rewrite box office history due to their sustained success.
Therefore,
20th Century Fox adjusted its strategy and released the film a day earlier. Typically, the opening weekend spans from Friday to Sunday, but now "Star Wars: Episode II" hit theaters on Thursday. While the opening weekend was still three days, the first-week cumulative box office period extended to four days. This change made it impossible for the media to directly compare the two films side by side.
On Thursday, the first-day box office numbers came in early—
$30 million.
A very impressive figure, once again proving the power of the "Star Wars" brand. Despite the poor premiere reviews and the direct competition from "Spider-Man," die-hard fans still flocked to theaters in droves to show their support, paying the highest respect to George Lucas.
By the way, "Spider-Man" had an opening weekend single-day box office of $47 million on Friday, easily breaking the North American record for the highest single-day box office, shattering the previous record of $32 million set by "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
In comparison, the opening day earnings of "Star Wars: Episode II" not only fell short of "Spider-Man," but also lagged behind "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," ranking only third in box office history.
However, it's important to consider that Thursday is a weekday, with people still having to work the next day, unlike the other two films that opened on a Friday. Given these circumstances, "Star Wars: Episode II" still managed to pull in $30 million, which is both commendable and worthy of celebration.
Of course, that's the logical explanation; but when Hayden saw the Thursday box office numbers, he had a nagging feeling:
Perhaps they should lower their expectations a bit.
He couldn't help it; the overwhelming negative reviews and blatant attacks after the premiere had severely shaken Hayden's confidence. This was definitely not the outcome he had imagined.
So, he tried to prepare himself mentally. But now, seeing Carter's tension and anxiety, his stomach began to churn.
Bang.
Carter suddenly stood up, knocking over his chair with a loud crash, startling Hayden, who quickly looked up.
At this moment, they had no time to worry about the poor chair. Carter answered the phone, pressing it to his ear, urgently asking,
"Have the numbers come in?"
They didn't need to wait for the Los Angeles Times. Their agent had insider connections and could often get the accurate numbers first.
Hayden tilted his head to watch Carter, closely observing his expressions. The voices and smiles seemed to fade into silence, slipping into a void, leaving him dumbfounded as his focus slowly blurred, overwhelmed by a flood of indistinguishable emotions.
Sadness? Joy? Regret? Frustration? Anger?
Hayden couldn't tell. It was more like a sense of confusion and emptiness, as if he were bungee jumping but suspended mid-air, neither going up nor down.
"Hayden, Hayden…"
Carter's voice gradually grew louder, snapping Hayden back to reality, jolting him with a cold sweat.
In the third week of May 2002, the North American weekend box office rankings were announced—
Champion: "Star Wars: Episode II."
Runner-up: "Spider-Man."
Third place: "Unfaithful."
The rankings were clear.
In terms of the chart, there were no surprises; everything proceeded as expected. "Star Wars: Episode II" took the top spot without any suspense, ending "Spider-Man's" two-week reign over the North American box office. However, "Spider-Man" didn't collapse; it merely dropped to second place, still maintaining its competitive edge.
But the rankings aren't what mattered; there were no surprises there. What truly mattered were the numbers, the actual box office figures.
"Star Wars: Episode II" once again proved to be North America's top draw, raking in $80 million over the weekend, sparking a wave of astonishment—
Despite all the criticism, when it came time to act, the passionate fans and die-hard followers didn't hesitate.
Even with Thursday's initial surge, "Star Wars: Episode II" still managed to pull in such a box office haul during its opening weekend, second only to "Spider-Man" and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," making it the third-highest opening in box office history. Given the circumstances and the competition, it was a near-perfect result.
Ultimately, "Star Wars: Episode II" grossed $110 million in its first four days of release.
Well done!
The entire 20th Century Fox team could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Although they hadn't been able to break the opening weekend record set by "Spider-Man," the film had still weathered immense pressure and sounded the victory horn, allowing them to relax a bit after the opening weekend numbers were revealed.
Now, the focus shifted to the long run.
From any angle, the box office numbers for "Star Wars: Episode II" were worth celebrating, but this was only the first step in a long journey. If the movie hoped to replicate the previous film's $400 million domestic and $900 million global box office success, it would need to rely on its staying power—and the performance of its competitors.
Like "Spider-Man."
When 20th Century Fox saw the opening weekend box office numbers, they celebrated, but the joy was short-lived. Their attention quickly turned to "Spider-Man," and the smiles froze on their faces.
$64 million, a 33% drop.
That was "Spider-Man's" third-weekend box office figure.
This number could easily match the opening weekend box office of other summer blockbuster films.
This number, following two consecutive record-breaking weekends, saw a decline that incredibly remained below 35%, reminiscent of the "Titanic" phenomenon.
This number shattered all the established norms of North America's box office trends, opening the door to a whole new world.
Shocked?
No, that doesn't even begin to cover it.
Looking back at the third week of May's North American weekend box office rankings, the impact becomes even clearer.
Champion: "Star Wars: Episode II," with $80 million.
Runner-up: "Spider-Man," with $64 million.
Are we sure about this?
One movie in its opening weekend, the other in its third week, yet they're still competing on the same level?
Did "Star Wars: Episode II" win? It doesn't seem like it.
Did "Spider-Man" lose? It doesn't seem like that either.