Chapter 370: Please Show Some Respect

The last weekend of May, just after Memorial Day in the US, saw the release of two major films, *Madagascar* from DreamWorks Animation following their success with *Shrek*, and *The Longest Yard*, a movie about American football, a popular genre in North America.

Upon hearing Bella Anderson's report, Matthew didn't even lift his head. "Forward that email to me, please."

Within half a minute, his personal inbox received the data summary email from Universal Studios. He opened it quickly and skimmed through the contents.

Due to the release of *Madagascar* and *The Longest Yard*, *Mr. & Mrs. Smith* maintained its theater count but saw a significant drop in its screening frequency, the average daily frequency falling to just fifteen percent.

This was an unavoidable situation as audiences generally favor new releases over older ones.

Despite the reduction in screenings, the engagement buzz around Matthew and Charlize Theron's engagement continued to bolster the film, which still performed solidly. It grossed an additional $21.8 million over its third weekend in North America, plus another $16.5 million during the weekdays, pushing its domestic gross past the $200 million mark to a total of $210.4 million.

Internationally, *Mr. & Mrs. Smith* brought in another $66.8 million, raising its global box office to $378.2 million.

Universal Studios adjusted the domestic box office projection for *Mr. & Mrs. Smith* to $250 million and the global gross to $500 million.

Compared to *Mr. & Mrs. Smith*, other concurrent releases like *Danny the Dog* quickly dropped out of the top ten in the North American box office after just three weeks, and *Kingdom of Heaven* was also performing poorly, managing just $2.3 million this week for a total of over $30 million, with its prospects of reaching $40 million depending on luck.

*The Longest Yard* topped the North American box office this weekend with $58.6 million, a testament to the perennial appeal of football-themed movies in the region; *Revenge of the Sith* fell to second place with $55.2 million; and *Madagascar*, new in theaters, claimed the third spot with $47.22 million. *Mr. & Mrs. Smith* took fourth place with its $21.8 million weekend haul.

The upcoming weekend would see the release of *Cinderella Man* starring Russell Crowe and Renée Zellweger, followed by Warner Brothers' reboot of *Batman*. Each weekend was packed with major film releases.

Matthew understood that at this stage of *Mr. & Mrs. Smith*'s release, the large-scale promotions had mostly ceased. Universal and Summit Entertainment's goal was to ensure the film's performance remained stable without sharp declines.

Bella Anderson had shut down her computer, packed her briefcase, and was holding a large file bag. She stood up and said to Matthew, "I'm heading over to Helen's office to discuss the fan organization matter."

"Go ahead," Matthew gestured.

Once Bella left, the spacious office was left with Matthew alone. After reviewing some documents, his phone rang—it was the British actor Bill Nighy calling to express his gratitude.

Matthew exchanged polite pleasantries and was about to put his phone away when there was a knock at the office door.

"Come in," Matthew said casually.

The door opened, and a black woman with wavy long hair entered, closing the door behind her and smiling at Matthew, "Hello."

This woman was dressed in a tight white sundress that highlighted her athletic figure.

Matthew did not recognize her. Assuming she was lost, given his limited interaction with other offices on the floor, he said, "Who are you looking for?"

The woman replied with a smile, "Hello, Mr. Horner."

Realizing she hadn't mistaken the place, she introduced herself, "My name is Naomi Harris, and I'm an actress from the UK."

"An actress?" Matthew nodded, "What can I do for you?"

Naomi gestured towards a chair near Matthew's desk, asking, "May I sit?"

"Feel free," Matthew said, slightly frowning.

As Naomi sat down, she tossed her wavy hair back, revealing a meticulously made-up face.

In Matthew's view, she was just another actress seeking a favor. "Miss Harris, please get to the point."

Naomi gave Matthew a measured look, pushing down a surge of annoyance. She needed a favor, so she tried to ingratiate herself, "May I call you Matthew?"

"That's fine," he replied indifferently.

With a bright smile revealing her white teeth, Naomi said, "Matthew, you can call me Naomi."

Sensing where this was going, Matthew continued, "So Naomi, what brings you here?"

"I am an actress, and not yet a well-known one," Naomi quickly said, sensing Matthew

's impatience. "I recently auditioned for *Pirates of the Caribbean* and am about to go through the final round of auditions in costume."

She looked at Matthew with pleading eyes.

Matthew wasn't swayed by her appeal. "Miss Harris, you're looking in the wrong place. I'm just an actor; I have no say in casting decisions." His voice was formulaic as he added, "I'm sorry, I can't help you."

"That can't be true?" Naomi chuckled, disbelieving. "The role I auditioned for is the witch Tia Dalma. If I'm not mistaken, you recommended Eva Green to director Gore Verbinski, and now it seems Eva Green is almost guaranteed to win."

"You're talking about that?" Matthew felt no embarrassment; rather, he found it strange that she would confront him so directly. "I merely made a casual mention to Gore. I didn't intervene in the casting. Perhaps Gore just finds Eva more suitable."

Naomi watched him, speechless at his blatant dishonesty.

"As far as I know, you're not friends with Eva Green," Naomi played with her hair, asking suddenly, "Matthew, what did Eva Green offer you to make you support her?"

Before Matthew could reply, she stood up, "Whatever Eva Green offered you, I can offer you more."

Hearing this, Matthew understood she had misconstrued his intentions. "Sorry, Miss Harris, I have work to do."

Naomi, misunderstanding his cue to leave, stepped closer, "Matthew, I'm not joking. Whatever Eva Green can give you, I can give you more."

She knew mere words wouldn't suffice; she came here determined to seduce Matthew Horner. Confident in her appeal and prowess, she believed she could secure the role of Tia Dalma by winning him over.

Stepping closer, Naomi pulled down one strap of her dress, exposing part of her chest, and boldly invited, "Come on."

Matthew glanced at her and immediately looked away, uninterested. "Miss Harris, please show some respect."

Naomi paused, mistaking his indifference for pretense. She then pulled down the other strap, revealing more.

Before she could speak again, Matthew preempted, "Miss Harris, if you continue, I'll have to call security."

He stressed, "Please show some respect!"

"Uh..."

Naomi was genuinely taken aback, realizing Matthew wasn't just being polite.

How could this be? She couldn't comprehend. In Hollywood, her tactics had always worked—was he gay, to ignore such a proposition from a beautiful black woman?

Matthew repeated firmly, "Miss Harris, I have work to do." Not wanting any misunderstanding, he added, "You can go now. Don't waste any more time."

Reluctantly pulling her straps back up, Naomi stood conflicted. Should she just leave after such a failure? This wasn't how it usually went for her.

She lingered, unwilling to accept defeat. Her agent Ronald had told her about the immense opportunities in a blockbuster like *Pirates of the Caribbean*, where even a minor role could be incredibly beneficial.

Normally, stripping down had smoothly secured her roles.

This was an unprecedented situation for Naomi Harris, and she racked her brain for another way to handle it.

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