[Chapter 190: Let's Celebrate]
A movie starring a big-name actor like Will Smith, especially a comedy, was definitely going to have a premiere.
On the night of the premiere, Daniel attended as promised.
Anne Hathaway, radiant on the red carpet, walked slowly forward, holding Daniel's arm.
Yet Daniel noticed she was trembling slightly.
He asked softly, "Why are you shaking?"
"Nervous, excited," Anne replied.
"Relax," Daniel whispered. "You're going to be great."
...
"Oh my god, how can Anne Hathaway be so beautiful? She looks like a real princess," a reporter murmured nearby.
"Who's that guy? Anne Hathaway's holding his arm?"
"Could he be her boyfriend?"
"No way. My princess actually found a boyfriend? I'm heartbroken."
"He must be really rich."
"Maybe he's really important."
The chatter from the entertainment reporters on both sides reached Daniel's ears clearly.
He suppressed a smile, kept a straight face, and continued walking.
...
Inside the cinema, numerous posters for Hitch were displayed.
The most prominent featured both Anne Hathaway and Will Smith. Next were solo posters of Will Smith. Following those were Anne Hathaway's solo posters.
In this film, the two of them were the clear leads. The other actors played supporting roles. And Will Smith was the core of the core -- the dominant force driving the movie.
"Hey Anne, you look absolutely stunning tonight," Will Smith said, approaching Daniel and Anne with an exaggerated grin.
"Will, this is Daniel Cross, my boyfriend," Anne introduced.
Daniel glanced at Anne.
Her eyelashes fluttered as she struggled to look composed.
This was the first time she'd introduced Daniel this way in public. She worried he might deny it in front of everyone, leaving her embarrassed.
Fortunately, Daniel usually indulged women in situations like this and didn't contradict them in public.
Daniel smiled and shook Will Smith's hand. "Hello, Will. I've seen a lot of your movies."
Seeing Daniel accept this title, Anne Hathaway was secretly delighted.
But Will Smith noticed Daniel's casual tone and sensed an undeniable air of superiority.
He felt a flash of displeasure but hid it well, nodding slightly before finding an excuse to excuse himself.
Anne frowned, noticing Will's odd behavior. "What's wrong with him?"
Daniel replied calmly, "He's at the peak of his career right now. Films like Independence Day, Men in Black, Bad Boys, and Ali have been big hits. Everyone around him flatters him and tries to please him. So when someone treats him casually, he naturally feels awkward, even dislikes it."
Anne nodded.
As a junior, she had been very respectful on set, always humble toward Will Smith.
Daniel asked, "Weren't those actresses going to sue him? Did that ever happen?"
Anne answered, "No, no one mentioned it again."
"That's normal," Daniel said. "Will has a lot of influence in the industry. Those actresses didn't want to risk offending him. It wouldn't do them any favors."
Anne smiled. "That's the power of status."
Daniel nodded. "Yes. When you keep succeeding, you earn status like that."
Anne tightened her grip on Daniel's arm, pressing it to her chest. "Then I guess I'll just have to rely on you."
Daniel chuckled. "Looks like you've latched onto a big, thick..."
Anne's eyes grew dreamy. "How thick?"
"Stop fooling around."
She glanced around, realizing this wasn't the place for such talk.
Her bold thoughts faded under the weight of her own shyness.
...
After a brief ceremony, the movie began.
Laughter occasionally echoed through the theater.
Daniel felt Anne's tense body beside him gradually relax as the plot unfolded.
Will Smith truly was at his peak. Every time he appeared, his presence dominated the screen.
Anne Hathaway, meanwhile, radiated beauty that seemed to glow.
Audiences gasped admiringly again and again.
"She's too beautiful."
"How can someone be that beautiful?"
"Oh my god, she's a true angel."
Comments like these floated to Daniel's ears.
When the movie ended and the lights came on, a long, enthusiastic applause filled the room.
In the industry, one minute of applause is considered polite. Anything longer means the audience genuinely loved it.
And this applause lasted over three minutes.
Anne's eyes were red with excitement as she gripped Daniel's hand tightly.
...
That night, back at Daniel's villa, Anne completely let loose.
Everything she had held back during the premiere finally spilled over.
Plus, to wait until midnight for the box office numbers, they kept playing nonstop.
Finally, midnight arrived.
Anne immediately made a call. She put it on speaker so Daniel could hear the voice on the other end clearly.
"13.236 million dollars."
Anne didn't even remember hanging up.
The opening day box office had surpassed 13 million dollars.
That was much higher than both Princess Diaries films.
Based on this, as long as the numbers didn't collapse, the global box office for the film would be remarkable.
"Daniel, did I make it?" she asked breathlessly.
Then she stilled herself. "No, I can't celebrate just yet. I still need to watch the coming days. But I just can't hold back!"
Her lips curved into a wide, brilliant smile.
"Daniel, come on, let's celebrate," She lunged at him again.
Daniel groaned, "How long have you been at this?"
"It's different. Now is the celebration moment."
"You already celebrated before."
"That was for the premiere. This is for the first-day box office."
"Will you celebrate tomorrow too?"
"If it's good... Mmm, stop talking... Mmm..."
...
Hitch clearly didn't disappoint.
After earning over 13.23 million dollars on opening day, it pulled in nearly 30 million more over the next two days.
In total, that opening weekend brought in a massive $43.142 million.
It shattered several box office records for 2005.
Records like first-day box office, opening weekend total, fastest to reach 10 million, 20 million, and so on.
After the weekend, weekdays arrived and box office growth slowed.
But the performance stayed strong.
And this was only North America.
Internationally, with Will Smith's star power, the film sold extremely well.
This propelled Anne Hathaway's career to new heights. She successfully transitioned from a young actress to a beautiful leading lady. She also proved she could carry a movie at the box office.
Suddenly, work offers poured in.
Under these circumstances, Anne naturally couldn't stay with Daniel much longer.
She had to go promote Hitch.
The producers and distributors had arranged a series of promotional events for her.
After a passionate kiss, Anne pulled away. "I have to go to work now. I'll be back when the promotions are over."
*****
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