"Mr. Horne, after narrowly escaping what could have been a tragic aviation accident, you've still made it to Madrid on time for the premiere. What are your thoughts?"
Outside a renowned Madrid cinema, a journalist held a microphone up to Matthew.
"This is the Spanish premiere of American Sniper," Matthew replied calmly, gesturing toward the thousands of fans gathered along the red carpet. "I didn't want to disappoint them."
He continued in a composed tone, "We've been planning this premiere for a long time, and the fans have shown incredible enthusiasm and patience. The incident a few days ago was just a minor mishap. Since we're all fine, there was no reason to let the fans down."
The journalist, adept at keeping the conversation engaging, immediately said, "Spanish fans absolutely adore you."
Matthew nodded. "I just experienced their passion firsthand."
Spain's reputation for passionate and romantic energy was palpable. As Matthew walked the red carpet and signed autographs earlier, he barely made it back with his clothes intact.
The premiere was grand and vibrant, even featuring a host of Real Madrid stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the most celebrated athletes of the era.
Unfortunately, Matthew had little interest in the so-called "GOAT rivalry" and exchanged only polite greetings with Ronaldo, without engaging in further conversation.
As in London, the Madrid premiere of American Sniper was a resounding success, capturing the attention of media across Spain. During its first weekend, the film earned $7.89 million, setting a new opening weekend record for war movies in the Spanish market.
Following Madrid, Matthew and the film's production team embarked on a whirlwind promotional tour through Rome, Berlin, and Budapest, tirelessly advocating for American Sniper.
The film, by its very nature, faced resistance from certain audiences in international markets. To achieve solid overseas box office numbers, the team had to maximize its appeal in markets more receptive to its themes.
Matthew was acutely aware that this was a world dominated by Western values, a reality he'd acknowledged even during his years living across the Pacific. In an era marked by the growing threat of global terrorism, American Sniper—a film carrying an anti-terrorism message—found a significant audience in Western markets.
In countries such as the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, New Zealand, and Australia, the film broke opening weekend records for war movies.
By the time Matthew returned to Los Angeles after the international promotions, American Sniper had grossed $119.5 million in overseas markets.
In North America, the film remained a sensation. After five weekends, its domestic box office earnings had easily surpassed $350 million, reaching a total of $361.28 million.
The lack of formidable competition in the October North American box office landscape suggested the film would likely continue its reign as the number-one movie. A $400 million domestic gross seemed well within reach.
Meanwhile, The Avengers, in its 26th weekend, concluded its North American theatrical run after earning $270,000 in its final frame. The superhero ensemble's domestic box office total stood at $635.89 million.
Globally, The Avengers wrapped up its theatrical journey with a staggering $1.558 billion, making it only the third film in history to cross the $1.5 billion threshold after Avatar and Titanic.
For Matthew and Walt Disney, the financial windfall was extraordinary.
The box office earnings alone ensured that Matthew's Thirteen Studio recouped its entire investment in the film. Additional revenue streams—including television rights, DVD sales, digital streaming, and merchandise—were essentially pure profit.
With negotiations for ancillary rights ongoing, The Avengers quickly released its DVD following its North American theatrical run. In its first weekend on shelves, the DVD sold over 3.5 million units in North America alone, generating $100 million in revenue.
However, the year's top-selling DVD remained The Hunger Games, which had sold 8.47 million units, generating nearly $190 million in revenue.
Matthew couldn't help but marvel at the profitability of DVD sales compared to the heavily divided box office revenue.
Still, such DVD sales figures were increasingly rare in the declining physical media market.
Historically, films with massive DVD sales also boasted strong box office performances. For example, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which Matthew co-starred in with Johnny Depp, sold 27.6 million DVD units, the highest ever.
Second place belonged to Finding Nemo, with 23.6 million units sold.
In terms of revenue, James Cameron's Avatar led the pack, earning $380 million from DVD sales.
Cameron's other blockbuster, Titanic, dominated the audiovisual market, earning $1.2 billion from its DVDs, soundtracks, and video rentals.
The correlation was clear: box office success was critical to strong DVD sales.
However, some film-related products struggled to perform even when the movies were blockbusters.
For example, despite The Avengers' massive success, the related comics didn't see a significant sales boost.
Market research by Walt Disney revealed that the conversion rate between movie audiences and comic book readers was low. Some comic creators even argued it was a negative conversion. As producer Kevin Feige once pointed out, a teenage Thor fan might choose between spending $13 on a comic or seeing a Thor movie with friends.
The discrepancies between movie adaptations and original comic plots also dissuaded potential readers.
Additionally, the sheer variety of American comics made it overwhelming for new readers. Even Marvel might struggle to account for the exact number of superheroes in its library.
During his time in Los Angeles, Matthew focused on his film investments and career while taking care of personal matters.
Having committed to a girlfriend, he decided to end his more libertine lifestyle. He contacted several women he had been seeing, including Nina Dobrev and Jennifer Lawrence, either by phone or email, to express his gratitude for their friendship while gently ending any further intimacy.
To his surprise, Emma Watson, whom he shared a purely physical relationship with, flew from Brown University to Los Angeles to meet him after receiving his email.
"Well, this is unexpected," Emma said, cradling her coffee cup in a café booth. "I never thought you'd have a girlfriend."
Matthew smiled. "I'm just a normal man."
Emma smirked, her signature expression. "Margot Robbie? I'm curious. What's so special about this Australian woman?"
"Nothing particularly special," Matthew replied after a sip of coffee. "She's just a simple girl from rural Australia with a wild side."
That was the truth. Margot Robbie wasn't Hollywood's most stunning actress.
Emma leaned in, her curiosity piqued. "Then why her?"
Matthew considered for a moment before answering honestly. "She was in the right place at the right time."
If not for their encounters at the shooting range and on the plane, his feelings for Margot wouldn't have deepened.
Emma frowned slightly, sighed, and asked, "So, is this the end for us?"
Matthew didn't reply directly but said, "We're still good friends."
Emma snorted. "Do you really think we can be normal friends?" Lowering her voice, she added sharply, "Matthew, this is irresponsible!"
Matthew froze. How had he become the irresponsible one? They'd both been clear from the start.
Emma continued, "What am I supposed to do now? After experiencing you, where else can I go?"
Matthew was speechless. This wasn't a burden he was willing to carry.
"I'm a good man," he muttered inwardly. "I'm a good man."
"Once you've gotten used to that level of intensity," Emma murmured wistfully, "how could anything else compare?"
Her words gave Matthew an odd sense of accomplishment, though he was still unwilling to shoulder the blame. Did this mean he had to take responsibility for every woman he'd been with?
"Emma, I truly believe something," Matthew said earnestly. "You'll find true love, just like I have."
"Maybe," Emma replied with a glance.
Matthew nodded. "Keep going. Don't stop. You have a great career ahead of you."
Emma stood, preparing to leave. "Enough of this. I'm going." She turned to leave but paused, then added, "Oh, and give my regards to your girlfriend... Tell her Emma Watson wishes her a preemptive 'happy breakup.'"
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