Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion-Chapter 674 - 488: Buried Premieres

The New York Post, Variety, and the San Francisco Chronicle analyzed the reasons behind the film's successful box office performance and concluded three points.

The first was Link's good acting and fame, which gave him strong box office appeal. The second was the buzz from winning the Berlin Film Emperor, which made audiences curious about the movie.

The last point, deemed key by the New York Post, was that Link's appearance was very striking. Watching him perform for over ninety minutes in a wooden box, the audience never grew tired of looking at him. Few actors could achieve this, but Link could.

Another statistic supported this third point: the film industry analytics company Rentrak noted that of the audience who watched "Buried" in the past three days, 68% were women, a figure far surpassing that of other films.

On social media, female fans openly expressed their love for the movie, saying spending over ten dollars to watch Link perform solo was very worthwhile. They got to enjoy the plot and also see Link's handsome face and strong, sexy body; it was a film worth collecting.

Because of this, there were many criticisms in the media aiming to drag "Buried" and Link down, claiming Link's biggest role in the movie was similar to a vase, with acting a secondary concern. They also believed Link should not have won the Best Actor award at the Berlin Film Festival.

A few tabloids even cited a French report, stating that among the jury members at the recent Berlin Film Festival, there were four female judges, one of whom was British actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, who had publicly expressed she was a fan of Link's music, greatly enjoying his songs and his film "Midnight in Paris."

By such standards, the tabloids argued, Link only needed to secure the support of one more male jury member, like American actor Jack Gyllenhaal, to win Best Actor, which they deemed somewhat unfair to other candidates.

Although the tabloids' analysis had some merit, the Berlin Film Festival had already ended, and "Buried" received positive word of mouth post-release. Link's performance was positively reviewed by the majority of critics, so this negative publicity would not affect the box office of "Buried," nor would it change the fact that Link had become the Berlin Film Emperor.

In its second week, "Buried" expanded to 1,565 theaters, and the box office reached $24.75 million, with an average per theater still above $8,000, projecting a North American box office slightly above $60 million.

The international box office had already accumulated $18 million.

The distribution department of Lionsgate Films predicted that the film had a good chance of breaking through one hundred million dollars worldwide.

Compared to a production cost of three million, "Buried" undoubtedly became a 'box office dark horse' and was the first 'surprise hit' movie in North America's 2012 film market.

This situation caused those who were hostile towards Link to grind their teeth in darkness, sinking into a sullen state.

"Link, don't celebrate too soon. At the Oscars ceremony, I will make sure you leave with your head hung in shame," Harvey said bitterly, staring at Link's photo in the newspaper.

Plop!

In the hillside villa, Link finished his training and stood by the pool, shaking his arms before gently leaping and diving into the expansive swimming pool, causing the blue waters to ripple and splash.

After swimming a few laps, Link grabbed the handrails to get out of the pool and saw Ivanka with her belly protruding, coming over.

She wore a loose-fitting long dress, flat shoes, and her golden medium-length hair draped over her shoulders. Her makeup was light yet exquisite. Since she was tall, her baby bump wasn't very pronounced. From a distance, she still looked tall, sexy, and voluptuously beautiful.

At the same time, she also carried a more dignified and gentle quality than before, and her smile seemed warmer, making her look even more sensual and alluring.

"Dear, do you want to swim? I can heat the water a bit for you,"

Link said, draping a towel over his shoulders.

"No need, I don't feel like touching the water right now."

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Ivanka walked over, holding her waist.

Fearing she might slip, Link dried the water from his hands and went over to help her sit under the shade.

The sunlight from Los Angeles was just right, coming through the Santa Monica mountains. The thin mist that wrapped around the mountains was gradually dispersed by the wind, revealing the luxurious mansions scattered among the lush trees. Spanning nearly a kilometer from east to west, with an extravagant and stately style, the residences boasted wide entry halls, impressive colonnades, circular arched windows, and corner stone masonry, demonstrating opulence and grandeur.

"Do you feel unwell today?"

Link asked while stroking Ivanka's round and full abdomen.

"Not at all, I feel great,"

Ivanka said, with her lips curled upward and her head lightly shaking, her rosy and beautiful cheeks looking very healthy.

Link let out a sigh of relief. They had been in a good mood the previous night and had sneakily been a little naughty. Although it was said in books that ML after the third or fourth month of pregnancy is beneficial for the mental and physical health of the pregnant woman, worry was unavoidable after the fact.

The couple leaned in and chatted about work at Lionsgate Films. The new year brought new arrangements, and with the completion of films such as "The Hunger Games" and "The Evil Invasion," new movie projects were also progressively entering the preparation phase.

Under his influence, Lionsgate had secured several good film projects that year, including Matthew McConaughey's "Dallas Buyers Club," Leonardo's "The Wolf of Wall Street," South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's "Snowpiercer," and the movie "Now You See Me," which was recommended by the production department of Lionsgate Films.

Added to the ongoing productions of "The Conjuring," "Buried," "Insidious: Chapter 2," "Escape from Tehran," "The Vow," and the "Crazy Black Lady" series, the production department of Lionsgate had over a dozen projects to complete.

With a plan to release fourteen films that year, the number was less compared to the previous year's twenty-two, but since several projects had larger investments, having more would strain the company's finances.

"The Oscars ceremony is coming up soon, and based on current media assessments, the Weinstein Company's distributed 'The Artist,' 'The Iron Lady,' and 'My Week with Marilyn' are hot contenders, with high chances of winning several major awards.

On our side, although films like 'The Help,' 'Bridesmaids,' and 'Happiness Line' also have the potential to win awards, we still can't compete with the Weinstein Company in best picture, best director, best actor and actress, and other categories."

Ivanka said calmly and tenderly as she leaned back in her chair.

"It's okay. I provoked Harvey deliberately. On one hand, I don't really like him, and on the other, I wanted to get Lionsgate Films a rival and, at the same time, promote a few of our films.

As for winning awards, we shouldn't care too much. As Hollywood's largest independent production company, with us around, there will be more and more good movies. Even if we don't win this time, we surely can next time or the time after that,"

Link said softly while caressing her smooth shoulder.

Ivanka nodded slightly, leaning closer to him, and lifted her beautiful face, her long eyelashes fluttering like fans. Her lips, plump as roses, turned a strawberry shade, as if emanating a faint fragrance.

Link smiled gently, lowered his head, and captured her lips, savoring them intimately.