Chapter 42: Martin Stands Up for Titanic and Faces Ridicule
Martin had just arrived home when he received a call from Jessica.
The moment he picked up, a high-pitched scream came from the other end.
"Martin, I'm finally going to play the lead in a movie! I got cast in a film! My audition went through!"
"Congratulations, Jessica! What's the movie called?"
"Dark Night of the South District."
"Uh... what a terrible name."
Martin muttered to himself, quickly searching his memory.
No recollection of any such movie came to mind. This was probably destined to be a flop.
He thought about advising Jessica to drop it, but didn't know how to say it. Use magic? Don't be ridiculous—no way was Martin wasting magic on something so trivial!
Maybe it would be better for Jessica to face a bit of harsh reality first; after that, any suggestion he made might be easier for her to accept.
"Hey, congrats, girl! You're on your way to becoming a big star!"
"Giggle, thank you for the encouragement! I'll keep chasing you."
Jessica's laughter on the other end was pure joy.
See? That's emotional intelligence at work.
Honestly, Martin had nothing to worry about with that pesky "human simulation" test. His human disguise was already flawless!
The next day, Jeff called him.
"Martin, I'm coming to pick you up now. Harvey's faxed over the contract. I had a lawyer go through it—no traps. You're good to sign."
The summer was almost over, so Martin needed to wrap up some loose ends before school started. Though... he suspected he'd end up on another extended leave soon.
Did he even still need to go to school?
Martin had thought this over quite seriously.
But with most of his friends still there, it made sense to keep those relationships fresh, so he dismissed the idea.
Especially Mark Zuckerberg. This guy might become a valuable ally in the future.
A social network like "Face," which combined media functionality with community interaction, was an excellent promotional platform!
Actually, Martin could just copy the idea himself and create it, but he didn't have that kind of time or energy. He'd settle for investing a bit and staying in the background.
Time slipped quietly into December.
Titanic was released.
At first, nobody took this soon-to-be historic film seriously. Critics across the board tore into it.
"A visual effects movie dressed up as a love story, ha!"
"This film is utterly pointless. James Cameron wasted two hours telling a shallow, boring love story," said one reviewer, with others even harsher.
"James Cameron spent 200 million dollars to build a 'sinking ship' for 20th Century Fox. Yes, I believe this movie's box office returns will sink just like that ship."
"A 200-million-dollar love story. My word, has 20th Century Fox lost its mind, or has James Cameron? I hear he's got the razor blades ready, just in case the next time we see his name, it's on a gravestone."
Sarcastic remarks flooded the airwaves.
Even Fox's PR couldn't dampen the noise, especially with competitors fanning the flames.
On its opening day, Titanic grossed just $8.6 million domestically. Although it topped the day's box office, Fox's executives and Cameron found little reason to celebrate.
With this trajectory, even if ticket sales picked up over the weekend, it wouldn't meet expectations.
In general, a movie's first weekend is the strongest in terms of box office revenue; it only declines after that, the only question being how steep the drop will be.
Many assumed Titanic was doomed, and Cameron's career along with it. The voices of those betting against the film grew louder.
But then, someone in the industry stood up to defend it.
Yes, that someone was young Martin.
In a public interview, he told reporters, "I've seen this movie, and it's an extraordinary masterpiece. James Cameron is a brilliant director."
"I think Titanic's box office trajectory can't be judged by conventional standards. Its reputation, its visual effects, its tragic love story—these elements will make it a phenomenon. I'm confident it will defy expectations and soar at the box office."
Since Martin already knew the film would be a blockbuster, he'd be foolish not to use this opportunity to curry favor with Fox and Cameron.
But he didn't stop there. He wanted to be a "prophet," too.
"I predict the film's opening weekend might not exceed 30 million, but its box office drop-off will be surprisingly small. As word of mouth builds to a tipping point, there will be an explosive, unexpected rise in its box office numbers."
"My estimate? This movie will make over 600 million in North America alone, and could surpass 1.6 billion globally."
Martin's bold words caused an uproar.
Even Cameron himself was curious enough to call Fox, "Did you hire this young genius?"
And Fox's executives were just as puzzled. "No, we've had no contact with him!"
Could it be that he genuinely believed in the movie?
Cameron felt a pang of gratitude, even a budding sense of camaraderie toward Martin.
Given how overwhelming the pressure had been, it wasn't surprising he felt vulnerable.
Not only was there external pressure—after seeing the opening day numbers, he'd gotten a call from Alan Ladd Jr., CEO of Fox, who'd vented his frustration over the phone:
"James, if this movie fails, I'm dragging you off the top of the Federal Bank Building. Wrist-slitting is too kind; don't even think about it!"
(PS: Fun fact—the Federal Bank Building, also known as the Library Tower, is located at 633 West Fifth Street in downtown Los Angeles. It's the tallest skyscraper in North America west of Chicago and the tallest in California.)
At a time , when someone suddenly appeared, saying, "I support you, I believe in you, your movie will succeed," it was only natural for Cameron to feel touched.
Meanwhile, as Cameron was feeling a rare moment of solace, Martin was facing a barrage of ridicule.
"Martin, stick to your own field. Predicting box office trends isn't for you."
"Our little genius got cocky after one success? Who does he think he is, a god?"
"Martin's trying to ingratiate himself with Cameron in his own eccentric way, but maybe he'd be better off schmoozing Spielberg instead."
𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧
✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.