Chapter 226: Box Office Reversal

Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Box Office Reversal

This wasn’t the first time he had dominated her choices in such a way.

From script selection to fashion resources, and even her private social attire, he was always using his own standards to discipline her.

At that moment, Nicole suddenly remembered what her good friend Naomi Watts had advised her more than once in private: "Nicole, you shouldn’t live in anyone’s shadow. You are an actress, not an accessory."

A sharp pang of bitterness welled up in her heart, making even the red wine in her mouth taste bland.

Seeing her face darken, Cran quickly tried to smooth things over, his tone respectful and slick:

"Tom has a point, and I’ve suggested the same to Nicole. The role of Virginia Woolf in The Hours is sensitive, broken, and extremely tense. It’s the kind of literary tragic persona that Hollywood favors most, perfectly fitting Nicole’s temperament. She won’t have to sacrifice her image and can steadily aim for an award."

Tom nodded with satisfaction, looking at Nicole with an authoritative gaze that brooked no refusal: "Trust my judgment. This choice won’t be wrong."

Her husband’s certainty and her agent’s agreement were like two invisible shackles, completely trapping the slight fluttering of excitement she felt for Maggie.

How could she not long for that role of Maggie, the absolute core that could fully release her acting skills? How could she not want to cast aside all image burdens and act her heart out? But commercial value, marital decency, body concerns... countless threads of reality entangled her, leaving her no room for self-indulgence.

Nicole lowered her eyes, her long lashes hiding the disappointment and grievance within. Her voice was as light as a feather: "I understand. I’ll take The Hours as you said."

Giving up came so easily, but only she knew that the regret in her heart for Maggie had not dissipated.

She looked up at Cran, her voice carrying a persistence she hadn’t even noticed: "However, keep this in mind for me. For the subsequent casting of Million Dollar Baby, remember to keep an eye on who eventually lands the role of Maggie."

She wanted to know exactly which actress would have the chance to let go of everything and live as that wild and resilient soul burning herself out on the boxing ring.

Cran immediately nodded in agreement: "Don’t worry, I’ll keep a close eye on it."

Seeing Nicole’s submissive manner, Tom smiled with satisfaction and reached out to gently put his arm around her shoulder.

Nicole leaned stiffly against him, staring at the dark night outside the window. Once again, she clearly felt that the dual shackles of this marriage and career were tightening so much she could hardly breathe.

(In reality, at this time, Nicole Kidman had already divorced Tom Cruise; I have pushed back the timing of the divorce.)

Irene was completely unaware of Nicole Kidman’s hesitation and struggle. In fact, she had never even included her on the list of candidates for the lead actress.

At this moment, her study was still lit with warm yellow light, a thick stack of the detailed plan for Million Dollar Baby spread out on the desk, the sound of her pen scratching across the paper.

The original director, Clint Eastwood, completed this classic with a rapid-fire filming schedule of over 30 days. Irene admitted that she currently couldn’t reach that level of vigorous efficiency.

She planned to set the filming cycle to 80 days, reserving enough time to polish the actors’ emotional scenes and the realism of the boxing sequences.

She also had arrangements for the cast in mind. The male lead, Frankie Dunn, was originally a role Clint directed and acted in himself.

If the director changed, this Hollywood legend would most likely not deign to make a cameo. Irene planned to hand this role over to CAA, hoping they could provide a suitable candidate.

For the role of Eddie, played by Morgan Freeman, she had no intention of changing it at all. This actor used steady narration and delicate performance to make this witness role deeply rooted in people’s hearts, even winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor because of it.

There was no need to risk replacing such a "stabilizing force." As for the young boxer role, Irene considered it carefully and decided to give it to Edward Nelson. Although he and Henry Cavill were both "refined" handsome types, Edward’s physique was leaner, which fit the setting of the character as a rookie boxer.

And for the lead actress, Maggie, in Irene’s heart, there had only ever been one choice: Hilary Swank.

In her previous life, this actress gained weight and practiced boxing hard for the role, vividly portraying the resilience and fragility of a girl from the bottom, eventually bringing home the Oscar for Best Actress.

Her appearance, temperament, and extreme dedication to the role were all irreplaceable. As long as she was willing, the role would definitely be hers.

Therefore, her next step was how to convince her to take the role.

Closing the planning book, the night outside was deep. Irene rubbed her aching temples, put down her pen, and finally prepared to rest. Although the cast list wasn’t fully finalized, the general direction was clear. The rest would be left to Shelly and the CAA team to move forward.

A few days later, after her project proposal was almost perfected, she received a call from Adelaide Griffin.

"Irene, good news! The first-week box office for My Big Fat Greek Wedding reached 10.71 million dollars, far exceeding the production cost of 5 million dollars!"

Irene wasn’t surprised to hear this news, but before she could say anything, Adelaide’s voice came again, filled with even stronger excitement:

"There’s something even more incredible! I also got the box office numbers for these few workdays, and they actually reversed the trend! It increased by 12% compared to the first week! Do you know? The last one that could achieve a box office reversal was Titanic! This movie has completely exploded.

The theaters even decided on their own to increase the screenings without us having to negotiate. The audience’s word-of-mouth is fermenting terrifyingly!"

A box office reversal meant that the film’s reputation had formed a powerful organic buzz effect, with the audience spreading it voluntarily, driving more people into the theaters.

Irene held her phone, her lips curling up uncontrollably. This movie was completely within her expectations, winning the market with its strength.

"That’s amazing, Adelaide. It’s also thanks to your distribution and screening support." Irene’s voice carried a smile, genuinely happy for this result.

After hanging up the phone with Fox, before she could catch her breath, her phone rang again. This time it was Nia Vardalos.

"Irene! My God! The box office is reversing! Do you know?" Nia’s voice choked up, full of gratitude.

"If you hadn’t directed this movie so well and let more people see it, how could there be today’s results!"

Irene quickly comforted her: "Nia, this is our collective achievement. It’s because you wrote such a warm story, the sincere performances of all the actors, and the audience’s willingness to pay for this authenticity. We are all the same, just doing what we should do."

On the phone, Nia kept talking about the details of the filming and the audience’s feedback, her tone full of unbelievable joy.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding would continue to heat up. This not only added another brilliant stroke to her resume but also gave her more confidence to push forward the "non-commercial" project Million Dollar Baby.