*Chapter 193: First Week's Box Office Results*

After the broadcast of "Saturday Night Live," Richard and "Chronicles of Riddick" suddenly became incredibly popular. The astonishing skills Richard showcased on the show, like his dislocation technique, impressive high kicks, and the incredible aerial double kick, all became hot topics.

From television to the internet to newspapers, a wave of interest was sparked, with many people discussing martial arts and fighting techniques. These related topics even made it into the top ten of various news segments.

According to Old Hall's analysis, the reason for this hype was twofold: first, Richard's performance was impressive enough to cause a sensation, and second, the distributors intentionally fanned the flames to guide public interest.

Overall, the effect was very positive.

After more than half a month of promotional activities, "Chronicles of Riddick" became one of the most anticipated films of March.

On Friday, March 17th, amidst the anticipation of the audience, "Chronicles of Riddick" was released simultaneously in 1,644 theaters across the United States. However, Richard had no idea how much the first week's box office would bring in.

This was especially concerning given that there were four heavyweight competitors releasing films at the same time:

The first was Leonardo DiCaprio's "The Beach," the second was the action film "Proof of Life," starring Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan, with a production cost of $40 million.

The third was Jet Li's action movie "Romeo Must Die," and the fourth was Tim Robbins' "Mission to Mars," also a sci-fi movie with a production cost of $90 million.

These four films featured major stars and had much higher production costs than "Chronicles of Riddick." Moreover, "Chronicles of Riddick" had some minor issues and wasn't expected to be a blockbuster.

So, until the box office numbers were released, Richard and the rest of the crew were all on edge.

"Don't worry. Our promotional campaign was so hot recently; the box office won't be bad."

In the office, Naomi held his hand and reassured him.

"I'm not worried; I'm just curious about how much we'll make in the first week."

Richard shrugged.

"Really?"

Naomi blinked, a playful smile on her face.

"Alright, maybe I am a bit worried. This is my first action movie, and if the results are too poor, it'll mean I've failed to transition successfully. I don't like failure."

Also, the recent reviews of the movie haven't been great, with a lot of negative feedback.

Some critics said the movie was too dull, with too few exciting moments.

Others felt deceived, claiming the actual movie wasn't nearly as thrilling as the trailer. Some complained there weren't enough action scenes with Richard, making the film unsatisfying. Others found the movie too slow and the special effects mediocre, labeling it a second-rate film.

Some of these criticisms were valid, while others seemed like deliberate smears from competitors, leading to a sharp decline in the film's reputation, with its IMDb rating dropping from an initial 7.6 to 6.1.

This situation made it hard not to worry.

"Richard, you've done a great job. From shooting to promotion, no one could have done it better, so it'll definitely be a good result."

Naomi hugged his shoulders and said.

"I hope so."

Richard smiled faintly and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Richard, the box office numbers are in."

Old Hall entered the room with a folder. "Can you guess how much the first week's box office is?"

"Did we make at least $10 million?"

$10 million was a safe number. The film had a budget of $23 million, and if it made $10 million in the first week, it would likely gross another $20 million in the following four weeks. Adding international sales, a total box office of $50 million would mean the film broke even.

"Haha, you can aim higher."

Old Hall laughed.

"Is it $15 million?"

Naomi asked.

"Haha, more than that!"

"Really? Old Hall, stop teasing and tell us!"

Richard said excitedly. If the film grossed $15 million in its first week, it would exceed everyone's expectations.

"Ahem, listen carefully. The first-week box office for 'Chronicles of Riddick' is $21.08 million!"

"$21 million?! Are you serious?"

"Yes, $21 million, placing it second for the week, just behind 'Mission to Mars.'"

"Haha, that's fantastic!"

$21 million was more than double the $10 million that the distribution company had expected, which was an incredibly surprising result.

"Old Hall, let me see the numbers for the other films."

Richard took the folder from Old Hall's hands.

"'Mission to Mars' took in $27 million in its first week. Its production cost was as high as $90 million, and it was promoted for over three months before release. It accounted for 35% of the screenings, while 'Chronicles of Riddick' only had 21%. So, to achieve this result is very impressive."

Old Hall laughed.

"Yes, it's quite impressive!"

Richard looked over the week's box office data. "Mission to Mars" was first, "Chronicles of Riddick" was second, "The Beach" took in $15.27 million, "Proof of Life" was fourth with $10.6 million, and "Romeo Must Die" earned $8.2 million in its second week.

"Our film's occupancy rate was also very high, 75%, ranking second."

Naomi leaned on his shoulder, looking at the data.

"Yes, overall, the first-week box office numbers are quite good."

Richard smiled faintly.

"Not just good, they're excellent. 'Chronicles of Riddick' had a production cost of only $23 million, with modest promotional efforts. To achieve this result is largely due to the promotional campaign we ran last time. Richard, you deserve the most credit for this."

Old Hall laughed.

"It's not just me; it's a team effort. Director Twohy, Naomi, Graham, everyone played a part."

Richard smiled.*The first week brought in $21 million, which means the film has already recouped its production costs. For a movie to break even in its first week is a significant success.*

Even if the box office performance drops sharply in the following weeks, it won’t have a major impact. Richard could now breathe a sigh of relief.

*Ring, ring~*

"Hey, Richard, did you see the box office numbers? Hahaha, $21 million! That result was completely unexpected," Director David Twohy laughed over the phone.

"Yes, it’s a great result, David. Congratulations," Richard said with a smile.

"Haha, same to you, Richard. We really have you to thank for this. If you hadn’t been the lead, the first week's box office wouldn’t have been this high."

"Haha, I don’t have that much power. It was a team effort," Richard chuckled. Though he couldn’t remember how much Vin Diesel’s version of Chronicles of Riddick had earned, he was sure it didn’t perform as well as his own version. So, claiming some credit wasn’t an exaggeration.

After chatting a bit, Richard hung up the phone. But before he could put it down, the phone rang again—this time, it was producer Ted Field.

"Haha, Richard, did you see the first-week numbers? $21 million! That’s incredible," Ted said excitedly, echoing Director Twohy’s sentiments.

Richard smiled lightly. "Ted, don’t get too excited. $21 million is far below my expectations. I thought the first-week box office would be at least $30 million."

"Thirty million? You sure aim high."

"Why not? But too bad it didn’t hit $30 million."

"Haha, no need to be disappointed. The company will continue to ramp up promotion, so the box office won’t drop off much. But it will require more effort on your part."

"Alright. By the way, there are a lot of unfriendly reviews in the papers. Isn’t the company doing anything to control them?" Richard asked.

"We’ve noticed that too, and we’re dealing with it. Don’t worry."

"Got it!"

After a few more words, Richard ended the call.

*Ring, ring~*

The phone rang again, with many people calling to offer their congratulations.

At first, Richard was quite excited, but after answering several calls, he became more composed. $21 million didn’t seem like much anymore; now he hoped that his next film could surpass $50 million at the box office.

While Richard was taking calls, Naomi also received two. She looked very happy.

Previously, she had been an unknown actress. Now that Chronicles of Riddick was a hit and had secured the runner-up spot at the box office, the benefits for her as the leading lady were evident.

"Naomi, we did it," Richard said with a smile.

"Yes, thank you!"

Naomi gently hugged him, feeling a surge of emotion. In 1993, she had arrived in Los Angeles alone with just her luggage, hoping to land more and better roles.

But reality was harsh. She had to work various jobs while auditioning, and after years of struggling, she could only land small, unnoticed roles.

Just last year, she had gone six months without work, with no health insurance, no financial security, and barely scraping by while living with roommates.

At that time, she was disheartened and almost ready to give up on her acting career.

But then Richard came along—not only offering her a job and a leading role but also giving her the security and emotional support she so desperately needed, along with a sense of fulfillment she had never experienced before.

"Richard~"

Naomi looked up at him.

"Why are you crying?"

Richard wiped her cheek.

"I’m just so happy!"

Naomi smiled faintly, then suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

"Uh~"

Old Hall, who was nearby, watched the two in surprise. Earlier, when he had seen Richard hugging Naomi, he had planned to quietly warn him about being too open at the company, to avoid any potential trouble.

But now that Naomi had initiated a kiss, was there even a need to say anything?

Not at all.

Ah, youth is wonderful!

Old Hall sighed, gently closing the door.

——

With the movie’s first-week box office booming, the distribution company was thrilled and increased its promotional efforts. In the second week, Richard and Naomi continued to tour different locations for promotions.

Unlike the first week, where they encountered many cold receptions, this time the promotional team was much better prepared, and both Richard and Naomi received the attention they deserved.

During the promotional events, besides Richard’s martial arts fans, many of Naomi’s fans also started showing up, which made her very happy. It was clear she was no longer an unknown actress.

After a week of promotions, the second-week box office numbers were released: $16.29 million. Although the drop was significant, for a low-budget sci-fi movie, this result was still very impressive.

According to the data department’s estimates, the North American box office would reach around $60 million, with the global box office approaching $100 million. This film was considered a small dark horse of the year.

"Sigh, what a missed opportunity!"

In the office, Anthony sighed softly. "If we had known the movie would perform this well, we should have asked for more money when negotiating the contracts for Miss Congeniality and The Fast and the Furious. With your current fame, $6 million would have been reasonable."

"Don’t be too greedy. I’m only a supporting actor in Miss Congeniality, so $3 million is fair. Besides, Weinstein has been targeting me, making it hard for me to get roles. Sandra Bullock giving me this role was a favor."

Richard smiled as he flipped through a script.

"Now that you’re famous, you’ve repaid that favor," Anthony laughed.

Richard shook his head. "Let’s not dwell on that. You should focus on what my next movie should be. Remember, action films should be the priority, and I’m particularly interested in spy-themed action movies."

"Got it. You focus on filming, and leave the rest to us."

Anthony extended his fist with a smile.

Richard smiled faintly and bumped fists with him.

Miss Congeniality was about to start filming, and Richard was entering a new round of busyness, training in boxing every day, working with Gwen at New Century, rehearsing scenes with Naomi, and spending a hectic and intense March.

In April, it was time to report to the Miss Congeniality set.

(End of Chapter)