Hollywood Road

In today's era, for a big-budget blockbuster, surpassing two hundred million dollars in North American box office is not too difficult if the opening weekend is a hit. However, to break the three hundred million dollar mark, the initial explosion is insufficient; it requires maintaining a relatively healthy and steady trend for at least two to three weeks following.

In the late 80s and 90s, a hundred million dollar box office was considered a watershed for Hollywood movies. Since "Titanic," large investments and productions have become the norm for mainstream commercial films in Hollywood. The number of films exceeding one hundred million dollars annually in North America is considerable, raising the bar for what constitutes a box office explosion.

Both Murphy and the teams at Warner Brothers and DC Comics held high expectations for "Man of Steel."

Like the explosive performance over its opening weekend, "Man of Steel" did not disappoint in its second weekend either. Despite a significant consumption of fan enthusiasm leading to a continuous drop in attendance, the second weekend saw a box office drop within sixty percent. Compared to the first weekend's $143.2 million, the drop was only fifty-six percent, closing at $63 million for the three days.

Thus, within ten days of its North American release, "Man of Steel" swept away $287.4 million from 4,250 theaters, a nearly frenzied pace.

There was little doubt that this film would surpass the box office of "Spider-Man 3," which had been released two weeks earlier, temporarily placing it at the top of the 2007 North American box office leaderboard.

In the following week, "Man of Steel" slowed down its collection rate, but still managed to bring in $24.5 million over four weekdays.

The third weekend, coinciding with Memorial Day, saw the release of Disney's heavily invested "Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End." This series had a large fanbase, impacting all currently showing films, including "Man of Steel," which experienced a drop of sixty percent, ultimately collecting $25.2 million over the weekend.

Adding the $24.5 million from the previous four weekdays, "Man of Steel's" North American box office totaled $337.1 million.

Unquestionably, "Man of Steel" was poised to become Murphy's most commercially successful film.

After a busy ten-plus days, Murphy wrapped up the film's North American promotions and returned to Los Angeles.

Initially, he and Gal Gadot wanted to host a party at home, inviting friends like James Franco, Robert Downey Jr., Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and Kara Faith. However, due to Seth Rogen needing to reshoot some scenes for "The Hangover," many of the Stanton party members were busy in Las Vegas, and Murphy only managed to invite Kara Faith.

Additionally, Gal Gadot invited her protégé, Margot Robbie.

After lunch, Murphy invited his guests to the backyard to enjoy tea and casual conversation.

"I've watched the first two episodes of the second season," Murphy said, pouring tea for the three women and coffee for himself. He commented to Margot Robbie, "You performed very well, a significant improvement over the first season."

"Thank you." As Margot Robbie matured, the quintessential Australian cowgirl vibe she once had was no longer evident. After politely responding, she sighed, "Sansa Stark is still a fool. When will this character get smarter?"

Hearing this, Murphy and Kara Faith, sitting opposite, couldn't help but laugh.

Gal Gadot shook her head, reminding, "Maggie, in the complex environment of King's Landing, could Sansa Stark survive without playing the fool?"

"Of course not," Margot Robbie quickly replied.

"So," Gal Gadot also smiled, "she's not foolish at all."

Margot Robbie thought for a moment and finally nodded in agreement with Gal Gadot.

After sipping his coffee, Murphy asked Kara Faith, "How's the viewership for these episodes?"

"Not bad, the premiere exceeded five million viewers," Kara Faith was clearly pleased with the ratings. "Although there are some critical voices, Paul Wilson did a great job, better than I expected."

"His capability isn't the issue," Murphy, having chosen Paul Wilson, naturally recognized his talent, "it's just a lack of experience."

Kara Faith nodded, "Experience is accumulated over time. I believe he'll do even better in the third season."

Murphy was confident about this.

After a year of filming, the second season of "Game of Thrones" premiered two weeks ago on Fox. Busy with "Man of Steel" promotions, Murphy hadn't been much involved with this project, but the season performed very well, attracting an increasing number of fans.

This fantasy TV series was set to become a long-term revenue generator for Stanton Studios.

As for Paul Wilson, likely due to this being his first time leading a project, he thoroughly enjoyed the second season and decided

 to continue directing the upcoming third and fourth seasons, so Murphy didn't need to worry about finding a director for the series for now.

"I heard from Bill," Kara Faith said, looking towards the garden's swimming pool, changing the topic, "you're planning to move?"

"The lease on this property expires at the end of the year," Murphy pointed to his backyard, "I don't plan to renew the lease."

Kara Faith asked with concern, "Have you found a suitable residence?"

"I've taken a liking to an estate in Beverly Hills," Murphy said as he refilled everyone's teacups. "The owner of that estate has been intending to sell since last year but has been dragging it out until now. According to Grace, it might go to auction later this year, and I plan to bid."

He shrugged, "Fortunately, it dragged into this year, or else I wouldn't have had the funds available."

"Oh?" Kara Faith showed interest, asking, "What's the estimated price by the real estate broker?"

Gal Gadot chimed in, "The selling price won't be less than a hundred million dollars."

Murphy nodded. If it were an ordinary property, it would be more appropriate to buy in a couple of years. However, the number of large estates in Beverly Hills is limited, and they are always in demand. If not for the homeowner's delay due to family reasons, he wouldn't even have the chance to bid.

A hundred million dollar estate is certainly a luxury, but Murphy glanced at Gal Gadot; such an estate obviously had other uses.

"You still need to work hard to earn money," Kara Faith teased him.

Murphy smiled, "I always work hard."

Driven to earn, Murphy stayed in Los Angeles for only a few days before flying across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom for the European premiere of "Man of Steel."

Perhaps because "Superman Returns" had set a disappointing precedent, or perhaps due to sufficient confidence in Murphy, "Man of Steel" was not initially released globally. Only after the North American box office and critical success did Warner Brothers push the film to major overseas markets.

Because of the film's depth, seriousness, darkness, and heft, "Man of Steel" unsurprisingly received unanimous praise from media and professionals in Europe.

The mainstream European media applauded the "new Superman's" re-launch.

The Times reported: "Murphy Stanton's grand, monumental movie filled with detail and serious themes not only captures attention but also advances the genre. In this regard, it's hard not to bow down before it."

Le Figaro praised: "Murphy Stanton has done a commendable job; he has rewritten the entire Superman saga."

Germany's Bild commented: "The film's themes and story are perfectly portrayed by Murphy Stanton, and the actors are equally outstanding, especially Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, which is dazzling."

Spain's Marca also praised Gal Gadot: "Gal Gadot is an excellent choice; her portrayal of Wonder Woman is convincing."

Overall, "Man of Steel" was seen as a film filled with personal charm and unique style.

The box office performance in Europe, like the media reviews, was equally impressive.

"Man of Steel" earned $18.9 million in its opening weekend in the United Kingdom. In other European markets, it garnered $14.75 million in France, $16.74 million in Germany, and $11.75 million in Spain...

At the same time, the film appeared in many major markets outside Europe, with impressive first-week earnings everywhere: over $12 million in Australia, $7.8 million in Brazil, $13.71 million in Mexico, over $8 million in Russia...

This weekend, "Man of Steel" was released in theaters in 65 overseas countries and regions, earning a total of over $221 million.

Including the new week's earnings of over $27 million in North American theaters, "Man of Steel's" global box office was nearing six hundred million dollars!

By then, both Wall Street and Warner Brothers had adjusted their global box office expectations for the film to one billion dollars.

They were keenly aware that "Man of Steel" had yet to launch in many markets, including Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong. There was significant market potential overseas, and although the North American phase was past its peak, with cinema numbers and screening ratios declining under the pressure of other major releases, the drop was extremely steady every week, promising considerable ongoing box office revenue.

Over the next week, Murphy led the crew through major European cities. After another weekend, as more overseas markets began screening "Man of Steel," the global box office not only comfortably broke through six hundred million dollars but also slowly approached seven hundred million.

After concluding the promotional activities in Europe, Murphy didn't return to North America but, according to the contract, headed with part of the crew to a movie market deemed by Hollywood to have boundless potential.

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