As soon as work hours began on Monday, Spike Lee walked into his studio in North Hollywood. The studio wasn't very large, consisting of just two offices. Like most Hollywood stars and directors, this was an empty shell company mainly used for tax purposes and handling some inconvenient personal matters.
"Good morning, Director Lee," a blonde woman greeted Spike Lee respectfully.
Spike Lee nodded slightly at her, and as he walked to his office door, he remembered something and said, "Alice, Jackson is coming by later. When he arrives, bring him to my office."
The blonde woman knew that this Jackson was her boss's agent and immediately replied, "Yes, Director Lee."
Spike Lee thought for a moment and then said, "Find me today's newspapers."
"They're already prepared," the blonde woman, who wasn't new to being Spike Lee's assistant, replied. "They're on your desk."
"You can go now," Spike Lee waved her away.
The studio was just an empty shell with only a few employees, and the blonde woman also doubled as a telephone operator.
Spike Lee walked into his office and sat behind his large desk. A steaming cup of coffee and several newspapers opened to the entertainment section were already there.
He took a large sip of coffee before focusing on the entertainment section of the Los Angeles Times.
The front page featured a striking image: a man in a red cape and red shorts, wielding a sword and charging forward.
Spike Lee frowned slightly but didn't react too much. He had anticipated this outcome ever since '300 Spartans' had its North American box office debut.
Nearly forty million dollars on the first day, and without strong competition, it would have been strange not to take the box office crown.
He continued reading. Next to the image was the headline: "300 Spartans' Conquers, Breaking Records in Its First Week!"
"Breaking records?" Spike Lee pinched his nose. "Did it really surpass a hundred million in its first week?"
For the past three days, he had been busy networking and rallying like-minded individuals. The performance of '300 Spartans' directly impacted a series of upcoming plans.
Despite his dislike for the lead actor, he forced himself to read on.
"Last weekend's epic film '300 Spartans' dominated the North American box office. This movie, depicting the famous Battle of Thermopylae in Greek history, easily overshadowed other films currently in theaters, just like the fearless Spartan warriors repelling the invading Persian army in the movie."
"On its first day, '300 Spartans' grossed $38.5 million, surpassing 'The Matrix Reloaded's' $37.2 million, setting a new single-day box office record for R-rated films! This is also the second-best opening day in November in North American film history, only behind 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire's' $40.11 million."
"However, '300 Spartans' maintained a steadier performance than 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,' grossing $34.6 million on Saturday and $29.95 million on Sunday, with a weekend total of $103.05 million, surpassing 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire's' $102.68 million, setting a new November weekend box office record in North America. It also became the first R-rated film in history to break the $100 million mark in its opening weekend!"
"Facing the overwhelming success of '300 Spartans,' last week's box office champion, Clint Eastwood's 'Flags of Our Fathers,' fell to third place, grossing $6.21 million in its second weekend. This week's runner-up was 'Borat,' released by 20th Century Fox, with a $26.45 million opening."
"Unsurprisingly, with Matthew Horner starring, the North American box office always sees a surge in audience enthusiasm. This week's North American box office rose by 75% compared to last week, reaching $154.06 million…"
Spike Lee put the newspaper aside. '300 Spartans' was even more successful than he had expected!
The first R-rated film in North American history to break $100 million in its opening weekend!
Anyone thinking of this record would naturally remember that its star was Matthew Horner!
That bastard was going down in cinematic history...
Spike Lee shook his head, reflecting on how many consecutive box office hits Matthew Horner had starred in. So many that he had lost count.
Originally, he thought the violent, brutal, and gory scenes in '300 Spartans' would hinder its box office performance, but none of that proved to be an issue.
Then, he saw a statement by Matthew Horner in another newspaper, addressing the film's violence.
"The violence depicted in this film won't make anyone uncomfortable because it isn't portrayed in a manner that incites anger. People enjoy this film; they have an affinity for creative works. In my view, a film's greatest success is gaining the audience's approval. Only when the audience recognizes and actively promotes a film can you achieve true success."
Spike Lee pushed his glasses up. What Matthew said made a lot of sense, and even someone who disliked him as much as Spike couldn't deny it.
Reflecting on his own career, Spike Lee had struggled in the indie film scene for over a decade, and even with the support of the Coppola family, he hadn't reached the top tier. If he hadn't been a black director benefiting from the drastic changes in Hollywood's landscape in the 21st century, he wouldn't have his current fame.
It wasn't until he made 'Inside Man' last year that he truly understood a similar principle, which led to its success.
A film could be niche, but it shouldn't be obscure and pretentious, catering to art for art's sake.
Strictly speaking, '300 Spartans' was also somewhat niche, but it leveraged Matthew Horner's appeal and the director's stylistic flair to create mass appeal.
Spike Lee closed all the newspapers, finished the rest of his coffee in one gulp, and a thought lingered in his mind: Could '300 Spartans' break the North American box office record for R-rated films? Currently, the highest-grossing R-rated film was 'The Passion of the Christ,' an extremely controversial film.
The next second, Spike Lee smiled. '300 Spartans' wouldn't have the chance because his plan was about to be implemented. If everything went smoothly, this film was destined for a high-opening, low-finishing fate.
The office door was knocked from outside, and the blonde assistant opened it, saying, "Director Lee, Mr. James Jackson is on the phone. He's already downstairs."
Spike Lee nodded lightly. "Let him come up."
In less than five minutes, a middle-aged white man with glasses entered Spike Lee's office. After a brief greeting, they got straight to business.
"I just met with Naomi Harris, introduced by Jada Smith," James Jackson, who was also Jada Smith's agent, began. "According to Naomi Harris, Matthew Horner directly took her roles in the two 'Pirates of the Caribbean' sequels and replaced her with white actress Eva Green. Subsequently, she had a confrontation with Matthew Horner."
Spike Lee calculated in his mind and asked, "Will she come forward?"
James Jackson replied, "Naomi Harris agreed to come forward and accuse Matthew Horner of unfairly taking her roles."
He then asked with concern, "What about Francis Lawrence and Paula Patton?"
"Rest assured," Spike Lee smiled. "Both of them are on board."
"Our grand plan can commence," James Jackson said confidently. "Given the current climate in the industry, it's bound to cause a sensation. If everything goes well, 'Inside Man' will become a hot favorite during awards season. Spike, you'll have a high chance of winning the Oscar for Best Director."
He looked at Spike Lee with admiration. "With this plan, we won't need the Coppola family for this awards season."
Spike Lee didn't indulge in blind optimism and asked, "What about the production company, Universal Pictures?"
James Jackson expressed dissatisfaction. "Universal Pictures is too conservative; they won't directly participate." He continued, "But don't worry, while they won't participate, the Universal executives I contacted have tacitly agreed to our plan."
"That's good," Spike Lee nodded slightly.
"As long as we succeed," James Jackson added, "Matthew Horner's side will be universally condemned, and Universal Pictures, seeing the benefits, will join in without us needing to suggest it."
Spike Lee found the agent's reasoning sound. Given the current Hollywood climate, African Americans were untouchable, and racial discrimination was an absolute red line. Once someone crossed it, they'd inevitably become a pariah.
With only three weeks left until awards season, it was impossible to win back Sofia Coppola. For him and 'Inside Man' to reap enough rewards during awards season, they had to find another path.
Hollywood's political correctness was undoubtedly the best weapon.
The day he saw the trailer for '300 Spartans' and Matthew Horner killing a black character, he had a similar idea. After watching the premiere, the idea turned into a plan, and his agent agreed. Given Hollywood's current climate, not exploiting it would be foolish.
He would be the first to accuse Matthew Horner and '300 Spartans' of racial discrimination, then his allies would follow, and they had already contacted numerous media outlets. They would heat up the topic and push Matthew Horner to the opposite side of Hollywood's political correctness.
And he would stand on the side of justice.
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