Dreams of Stardom (Hollywood SI)

[Echoes of You] shattered all expectations, earning a staggering $21 million on its opening day, including Thursday night's paid previews. This collection grew slightly to $23 million on Saturday before settling at $19 million on Sunday, bringing the weekend total to an impressive $63 million.

That three-day performance was sufficient to recover the film's production costs, excluding marketing and distribution expenses. Warner Bros. had spent $50 million on global promotion, pushing the combined production and marketing budget to $75 million. The budget had significantly exceeded the initially promised $30 million due to a unique marketing strategy suggested by Troy Armitage—a strategy implemented in every country where the film was released.

(Break)

Bobby was tired of his job. After the exhausting day he'd had, all he wanted was to go home and relax. People could be such assholes sometimes, especially rich clients who think they own you just because they are paying you top dollar. He shook off the errant thought and continued walking out of the mall—the same one where his client's business was located.

"Hey, Bobby!" A female voice called out from across the courtyard, stopping him in his tracks. He turned back, surprised to see someone he hadn't expected to run into again.

"Amy?" he asked, genuine astonishment coloring his tone. Seeing his ex-girlfriend from their undergrad days made him smile. He crossed the courtyard quickly, reaching her and giving her a light hug. She looked just as he remembered, though there was one major difference. Not that he cared—they'd parted on amicable terms, so there was no bad blood between them.

"What are you doing here?" Bobby asked, excitement evident as he pulled back from the hug.

"Well, I'm shopping for this little guy here," she said, gesturing to her very obvious baby bump.

"Wow," Bobby said, his disbelief evident. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks!" Amy replied with a smile.

"I never thought I'd see you settle down."

Amy shrugged. "I didn't either, but Patrick is such a caring man."

For a moment, neither spoke. Then Amy broke the silence. "It's funny that neither of us became actors. Heck, our only claim to fame was a short film no one even remembers now."

Bobby chuckled at the mention of the short film, [Sex Education], which was eventually remade into a feature-length TV movie. "Those were the days. I really thought we'd rule Hollywood together. After all, Troy's doing just that now. Instead, you became an accountant, and I became a lawyer."

"Aah, Troy," Amy said with a fond shake of her head. "He was such a cute little boy back then, but he's huge now. I doubt he even remembers us."

Before they could continue, loud music suddenly blared through the mall.

"Isn't that the music from the song 'We Found Love' on Troy's album?" Amy asked rhetorically as the addictive opening beats echoed through the space. In the mall's atrium, a girl began dancing with perfectly choreographed moves. Then, a man joined her, and they danced together. An older man and woman followed, joining the duo with equally synchronized steps. As the moments passed, more and more people joined the impromptu dance group, all moving flawlessly to the music.

"Holy shit!" Bobby exclaimed in realization. "It's a flash mob! I've always wanted to see one. This is so cool!"

Amy shook her head at his childish glee but refrained from commenting as they continued watching the live group dance. The performers had created a medley of songs from the movie [Echoes of You]. 'We Found Love' transitioned seamlessly into 'Sugar,' which flowed into 'Blinding Lights' and 'What Makes You Beautiful,' before culminating in the most youth-oriented song of the album: 'Bad Guy.' The dance itself was a little generic but undeniably entertaining, keeping the mall-goers thoroughly captivated.

When 'Bad Guy' ended, the group struck a dramatic, cinematic pose, prompting loud applause to echo through the atrium. Before the crowd could disperse, two dancers from the front brought forth a large banner that read: "Liked our dance? Go watch [Echoes of You] in theaters. It's even better."

Bobby chuckled, turning to Amy. "That is a genius marketing idea."

"It is," Amy agreed. "I haven't seen the movie, but now I'm thinking maybe I should go with Patrick. Those songs were amazing."

"I saw it," Bobby confessed. "The plot's a bit clichéd, but the songs are incredible. Worth every penny. I might even go again for a second viewing."

(Break)

This wasn't an isolated incident. In every major city worldwide where the film was showing in multiple theaters, random flash mobs appeared in malls, train stations, airports, and any open spaces that permitted them. The largest flash mob was orchestrated in New York's Times Square.

Flash mobs were a relatively recent phenomenon, the first being organized in New York in 2003, so until now, no one had thought to use them as a promotional tool for a musical film. To top it off, some spectators recorded the performances on their camcorders and uploaded them to YouTube, which had quickly become the world's largest video streaming platform since its launch.

Thanks to Troy's ownership of the platform, those videos were pushed to the top of YouTube's algorithm. This step significantly boosted the film's visibility. Within the first week of release, nearly everyone seemed to know about the little film called [Echoes of You] which was receiving rave reviews about its acting, music, and direction. The word-of-mouth was also super strong. People loved the movie, not just teenagers, but everyone who walked in found something or the other enjoy. Something they told their friends and family about. Combined with the buzz from its Golden Globe nominations, the movie's second-week collections saw only a minimal drop of 5%—a rarity for most films, especially musicals.

In its second week, the film earned $59.5 million, followed by $55 million in the third week, before dipping to $23 million in the fourth week. Warner Bros. contributed to this consistency by releasing a second version of the movie—a sing-along version—several weeks after the original release. This version featured the song lyrics displayed on-screen as captions, enticing audiences for repeat viewings.

By the end of its theatrical run, [Echoes of You] had amassed a staggering $303 million in North America alone. In its home country, the UK, the film earned an impressive $85 million, while Japan became the second-largest market with $93 million. Other major markets included Russia, South Korea, Mexico, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, and Australia, with each market bringing in upwards of $10 million.

All in all, outside of North America, [Echoes of You] grossed $429 million, bringing its worldwide total to a staggering $732 million—29 times its original budget of $25 million. Among movies released in 2005, it ranked third in worldwide collections, behind [Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith] and [The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe], making it the highest-grossing live-action musical ever and the second-highest-grossing musical overall, following [The Lion King].

In terms of profitability, after accounting for the theaters' cut, films typically receive around 50% of box office revenue from the U.S. and approximately 40% from international markets. This left the producers with $323 million in gross profits. From this amount, Warner Bros. took a 10% cut for distribution, amounting to $73 million. After deducting $75 million for production and marketing expenses, the net profit stood at $175 million.

Stephen Daldry, the director, received 2% of the profits as part of his deal, earning $3.5 million. Evan, the writer, received 5%, amounting to $8.75 million. This left Troy with an extraordinary $162.7 million for himself, making him the highest-paid actor for a single movie by a considerable margin. And this figure didn't even account for future revenues from TV broadcast rights and home video sales.

(Break)

I stepped out of the limousine confidently, clad in a heavily embroidered off-white suit paired with dress shoes from my sub-brand collaboration with Crocs. A reporter stood eagerly in the middle of the red carpet, waiting to interview me. I was about to walk over to her when I noticed a group of fans to the side, shouting my name as if their lives depended on it.

Smiling, I turned toward them. The noise intensified dramatically as I approached, almost as if someone in the crowd was having a heart attack. All eyes turned to the group of girls who were practically screaming as I got closer. One girl, somehow jumped over the barrier and stood in front of me.

"Oh my God! I can't believe you're here!"she exclaimed excitedly. She was on the shorter side, practically bouncing with excitement.

"I am," I replied with a grin before stepping forward to give her a quick hug. But then, something embarrassing happened—the girl went limp in my arms.

Alarmed, I gently separated from her, checking to see if she was okay. Her eyes were half-open as she mumbled, "What? It's obvious I'd faint. You're, like, the hottest guy I've ever touched."

I chuckled, helping her stand upright. "You're a little psycho, you know that?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Everything's fair in love and war. And you're the love of my life."

Before she could latch onto me again, the security team at the Globes stepped in, gently preventing her from getting closer again.

Shaking my head in amusement, I moved on to greet the rest of the fans. There were around 30 to 40 people—about 70% girls. The next few minutes passed in a blur of handshakes and autographs on posters, CDs, and even vinyl records. It was my first time signing records for obvious reasons, and it felt surreal.

"I love you, Troy!" "Marry me!" "You and Rihanna look so hot together!" "Loved your movie!"

Comments like these were typical from fans, and tonight was no exception.

After a few minutes, I had interacted with enough fans to walk away without feeling guilty. Turning back toward the reporter I had spotted earlier, I noticed she had moved on to interview other stars. At the moment, she was speaking with none other than the stunning Scarlett Johansson.

Not in the mood for yet another interview after weeks of relentless press, I decided to bypass the red carpet media frenzy. I simply walked behind Scarlett, waved politely at the reporters calling my name, and made my way inside the venue.

Once inside the hotel, I spotted my family, who had already arrived. Since Dad, Evan, and I were all nominated, Mum had decided to join us for the ceremony.

"That was so harrowing," Evan said the moment he saw me. "I don't know how you do this red carpet thing all the time. I felt like every pair of eyes in the world was on me."

He looked sharp in a black designer suit. We had both gone to the same high-end tailor in London to have our suits custom-made for the occasion. This time, I had chosen to forego wearing a brand and opted instead for one of the best bespoke tailors in London, whose craftsmanship truly spoke for itself.

"You get used to it," I said with a shrug. "There's no way around it. Or, you could pull a Woody Allen and just not show up at all."

While I joked about it, the reality was that filmmakers today couldn't afford to be as reclusive as Woody Allen or, worse, Terrence Malick. Directors were now a significant part of a film's brand and heavily involved in promotions. Stephen Daldry and Stephen Chbosky, for instance, had both participated in numerous promotional events for their respective films during their releases and throughout award season.

"Don't worry too much about it," Dad said reassuringly. "Like Troy said, you'll get used to it over time. Now, why don't we all head in?"

"You go ahead," I replied. "I need to use the restroom."

"Alright," Dad said as the three of them headed into the ballroom.

I made my way to the restroom, grateful for a moment of solitude.

Being a superstar had its challenges. For instance, I'd completely forgotten to take care of myself before leaving home. Traffic to the venue had been horrendous tonight due to the Globes, and it took nearly an hour to get here. Most big stars book a hotel room nearby to avoid such delays, but Mum had insisted we'd be fine getting ready at home. It was only luck that we had still made it on time.

The bathroom was a bit crowded, as many attendees opted to take care of business before the ceremony to avoid interruptions later. It was better than the Oscars in one regard—there were no seat fillers here at the Golden Globes, and even if you left your seat for a moment, you could return anytime without waiting for an ad break.

I recognized a few familiar faces: Paul Giamatti, Jeff Daniels, and Hugh Laurie. There were others I didn't know, but thankfully, no one treated me like a big deal. These guys were used to being around celebrities, which I appreciated.

I headed to the only free urinal and nodded at the man to my left. "Hey, Captain Sparrow."

"Hi, Harry," Johnny Depp replied casually, as if greeting me in a restroom was the most normal thing in the world.

We finished our respective business and moved to the sinks to wash our hands.

"I loved your film, by the way," Johnny said offhandedly as we lathered up. "The Perks one. If you get nominated for an Oscar, I'll definitely vote for you."

I chuckled. "Thank you. Though, shouldn't you save your vote for yourself?"

He flashed his signature charming smile. "No chance I'm getting nominated this year. Honestly, I didn't even deserve this nomination. The fucking Globes hand them out like candy once you're a big enough star with the right studio backing you."

It was an interesting take—and not entirely wrong. From what I'd learned about the Golden Globes, they were far more generous with nominating popular films than the Oscars. No way would my three films rack up the same recognition at the Academy Awards.

As we left the restroom, I ran into a familiar face from [Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets].

"Troy!" Kenneth Branagh greeted me warmly, pulling me into a hug.

"Ken!" I grinned. "It's so good to see you!"

The last time I'd seen him, I was still a tiny kid who had to stand on a stool just to reach Jamie's height during filming.

Kenneth shook hands with Johnny next.

"Kenneth," Johnny said with a small nod. "Excuse me, Troy, my girlfriend's waiting for me."

"Of course," I replied, and Johnny departed.

I wish I could have brought Rihanna along for this. Unfortunately, her new found fame because of the movie meant that she had blown up through the roof, because of which she had sold out multiple concerts across the States. Currently she was on a tour with her manager.

"You know, I'm still a bit miffed you didn't call me back for the fifth movie," Ken teased, bringing me back to the reality. "I read the book. There was a scene with me in it."

"I wanted to," I said sincerely. "But it wasn't up to me. The book was already so damn long. If you're upset, take it up with Dad. Maybe they can still reshoot it to include you."

"Steve's here too?" he asked, intrigued.

"Of course. He's nominated as well as the producer of [Echoes]."

"I've got to talk to him about another project," he murmured, half to himself. "This might be the perfect opportunity. Anyway, let's grab our seats before it's too late."

He gestured toward the hall and stepped forward, but before I could follow, someone collided into me from behind.

Years of martial arts training allowed me to maintain my balance gracefully.

"I'm so sorry!" a woman said in an apologetic voice. "I didn't see—" She froze as her green eyes locked onto mine.

It was none other than Scarlett Johansson, the same person I'd avoided outside alongside the reporters.

___________________________________

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