From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

In 2001, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" broke the $90 million mark in North American premiere box office data, drawing attention from Hollywood and the global film industry alike.

Prior to this, the North American premiere box office record holder could be traced back to "Jurassic Park 3," released in the summer of 1997. Despite a wave of negative reviews, the film grossed $72 million in its opening weekend, once again proving the appeal of a series.

In other words, it took a full four years for the premiere box office numbers to rise from the $70 million level to the $90 million level; and during this period, no film managed to reach $70 million in its opening weekend.

In short, the average premiere box office for top-tier films in the North American market remained stable at around $50 million, with only a few breaking the $60 million ceiling.

It was against this backdrop that this year's summer season slowly began.

"Spider-Man" and "Star Wars: Episode II" were released one after another, and Hollywood was eagerly anticipating that the two films could ignite the market. Now, the moment they had been waiting for had finally arrived. "Spider-Man" burst onto the scene with tremendous momentum, unleashing far more energy than expected. So, what kind of answer sheet would the film deliver in terms of its premiere box office?

Ninety million?

Everything was compared to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone": both were unconventional subcultures, both debuted quietly under pressure, and both were highly anticipated after a long wait. Therefore, $90 million would be a reasonable number.

Or perhaps, eighty million?

Expectations were expectations, but "Spider-Man's" situation was slightly different after all. Ansen wasn't a superstar, and the original comic wasn't Harry Potter. Perhaps they should lower their expectations slightly.

At least, seventy million?

Then again, only two films in North American history had ever surpassed $70 million in their opening weekend. Just reaching this level would be remarkable. "Spider-Man" should have no problem, right?

Wait, could it be sixty million?

Of course, this would still be excellent, and it would stand out in the summer season, but such a result would not be enough to reawaken the summer season craze, and it would be disappointing compared to the Friday and Saturday movie-going frenzy.

Amidst the bustling discussions, experts actively expressed their opinions, with some bearish, some bullish, and some conservative. Then, someone boldly proposed a possibility—

Maybe, a hundred million?

To be precise, it wasn't exactly bold. After all, two films last year broke the $90 million mark in their opening weekend box office. Naturally, the next target would be $100 million. This was like the elephant in the room, everyone could see it, but no one wanted to mention it.

So, "Spider-Man"?

It would be unrealistic to say that no one mentioned it, but the brief mentions were immediately followed by doubts and denials. A $100 million premiere was still too difficult. "Spider-Man" was still lacking a bit to shoulder the historical mission of challenging the record. "Star Wars: Episode II" would be much more reasonable.

The most perfect scenario would be that "Spider-Man's" premiere would once again break the $90 million mark, and "Star Wars: Episode II" would take advantage of the momentum to break the $100 million barrier and write history.

Of course, even for "Star Wars: Episode II," it was estimated that it would face many difficulties. It was more likely that both "Spider-Man" and "Star Wars: Episode II" would be in the $90 million range, and the historic breakthrough of a $100 million premiere would still require patiently waiting for an opportunity.

Various heated discussions and viewpoints collided with each other.

In fact, professional opinions overwhelmingly favored "Spider-Man's" premiere box office landing at $80 million. Despite the overwhelmingly positive media reviews and the movie-going frenzy on Friday and Saturday, the film's inherent shortcomings still made the opinions of professionals generally more conservative—

On the one hand, they believed that the film was not as good as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"; on the other hand, they also believed that the film was not as good as "Star Wars: Episode II."

However, regardless of the viewpoint or position, the discussion was comprehensive and swept across the board. This was an undeniable fact. In terms of topics and traffic, "Spider-Man" undoubtedly occupied the spotlight, and even the prediction of premiere box office data could become the focus of major media outlets.

Friday, heatwave.

Saturday, frenzy.

Sunday, party.

In the blink of an eye, before they had time to enjoy it, the weekend had slipped through their fingers, and Monday had already arrived.

"Ah, ah, ah."

Mrs. Preston stopped preparing breakfast and glanced upstairs with a speechless expression. Before she could speak, a series of footsteps came from downstairs, and the whole house seemed to shake. Her heart also jumped frantically with those footsteps.

"Slow down, slow down!" Mrs. Preston scolded, shaking her head repeatedly. "The alarm rang twice, and I called you twice. You just like to sleep in. Now you're worried about being late?"

Gloria didn't hear her mother's words at all. Even if she did, she wouldn't have time to argue. She rushed into the kitchen, babbling, "Where's the Times? Mom, where's the Times?"

Without waiting for Mrs. Preston to respond, Gloria found "The Los Angeles Times" on the dining table herself. She didn't even have time to sit down before she opened it to the sixth page, skillfully finding the weekly North American box office chart—

Then, Gloria was stunned.

Mrs. Preston was a little helpless. She thought her daughter was worried about being late, but it turned out that this little girl wasn't worried about school at all. She should play the role of a mother and scold her properly, but seeing her daughter's appearance, she couldn't help but worry.

She knew that Gloria cared about "Spider-Man's" box office. Over the past week, she had been constantly discussing Ansen's affairs, and even organized a group of friends to attend the film's premiere.

Now, the first thing she did on Monday morning was to confirm the box office data in "The Los Angeles Times." If she were so enthusiastic about studying…

But now, looking at Gloria's expression, could it be that the box office wasn't satisfactory?

Mrs. Preston knew her daughter. She usually had a three-minute heat, and she never expected that she would like this Ansen for more than a year. It was really rare, and it seemed that she had put her heart into it.

Mrs. Preston quickly entered the dining room, "You should think like this. The word-of-mouth is so good this time, and the subsequent box office is worth looking forward to. Besides, you've been helping with the promotion all along. Everyone in your school should have seen it, right?"

Suddenly, Gloria raised her head and cheered at Mrs. Preston—

"One hundred million dollars!"

"Mom, 'Spider-Man's' premiere box office has broken one hundred million dollars!"