Natalie Portman had been watching everything unfold over the past few days. She saw how the buzz around 'Chaos City' kept building, while 'Thor' was being completely overshadowed from the media to the internet and even in theaters, and there was nothing she could do about it.
"Murphy Stanton will stop at nothing to create buzz."
She put down her newspaper, her dissatisfaction evident on her face. "He's nothing but a shameless bastard!"
Natalie Portman considered herself quite pure compared to Murphy Stanton.
She took another sip of her milk, reflecting on the recent events. She had to admit that from the film's quality to its promotion and post-release discussions, 'Thor' had been completely outdone by 'Chaos City.'
As Natalie Portman was sipping her milk, the glass doors of the VIP dining room were pulled open by a waiter, and a yawning blonde woman walked in.
"What should I eat?"
Margot Robbie arrived at the self-service food area, picked up a white porcelain plate, and looked at the various delicate breakfast items, feeling as if her stomach was completely empty.
She had just flown back to Los Angeles last night. Since her new home was still being renovated, she came directly to the Four Seasons Hotel from the airport. Perhaps she was too tired, she had gone straight to sleep without dinner and was now awake because of hunger.
Pastries, bacon, sandwiches… all of these were tempting, but remembering the calories they contained, Margot Robbie quickly decided against them. She moved to the table with vegetables and fruits, grabbed a few strawberries and a banana, and asked a waiter for a glass of skim milk. Carrying her plate, she walked to the dining area.
It was meal time, and the restaurant was quite crowded, with almost every table occupied. Margot Robbie looked around for a suitable spot and soon spotted one, smiling slightly before striding over.
She had only seen the profile, but she recognized the person sitting at the corner teak dining table as Natalie Portman.
How could she not greet such an interesting person?
Margot Robbie navigated the wide path between tables and quickly arrived at the teak dining table. Natalie Portman, drinking her milk and seemingly lost in thought, hadn't noticed her.
"Hi, Natalie." Margot Robbie greeted politely. Natalie Portman looked up, finding the woman somewhat familiar but unable to place her immediately. She nodded, "Hello, can I help you?"
Margot Robbie pointed at the tables around them, all occupied, and asked, "Can I sit here?"
In public, Natalie Portman always maintained her perfect Harvard graduate persona. She smiled and gestured to the seat opposite, "Feel free."
"Thank you."
Margot Robbie put down her porcelain plate, pulled out the chair, and sat down. After eating a banana and taking a sip of milk, she noticed Natalie Portman seemed lost in thought again. Putting down her cup, she said politely, "Natalie, we've met before. I'm also an actress."
"Oh." Natalie Portman barely raised her eyes, nodding slightly.
She didn't care who the other person was. The woman looked familiar, but she couldn't recall her name. She must be a minor actress.
Margot Robbie continued smiling, "I'm Margot Robbie, an actress from Australia."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Robbie..." Natalie Portman initially didn't care and was just going through the motions, but as she spoke, she suddenly remembered who Margot Robbie was. She was slightly taken aback but quickly regained her composure. "Nice to meet you too, Miss Robbie."
"Nice to meet you too, Natalie." Margot Robbie's face almost beamed with a smile.
Natalie Portman nodded again, seemingly not wanting to continue the conversation. Though she didn't know much about this Australian actress, she had heard that Margot Robbie was close friends with Gal Gadot.
Margot Robbie was automatically added to her list of disliked people.
But Margot Robbie wasn't aware of this. After the event in Times Square yesterday, she had asked Gal Gadot for details and learned about the past events. Now that she encountered Natalie Portman, she couldn't just ignore her.
"I watched 'Thor' the other day. You were great." Margot Robbie acted as if she didn't notice Natalie Portman's displeased expression and continued, "What a coincidence, my starring film 'Chaos City' was also released this weekend."
Natalie Portman frowned slightly. The young, beautiful woman opposite her was clearly hinting at something.
Margot Robbie feared Natalie Portman might just stand up and leave, denying her the chance to speak. She quickly said, "It seems 'Chaos City,' which I starred in, has a much higher box office than 'Thor.' My role received far better reviews than Jane Foster."
She wasn't exaggerating. Jay Rachel's shrewd and capable performance had garnered much praise from professionals, whereas Natalie Portman's portrayal of Jane Foster had been criticized by fans, media, and professionals alike.
Some media even commented that Natalie Portman's greed for money had caused her to lose face as an Oscar winner.
Before Natalie Portman could respond, Margot Robbie, adopting an innocent girl's tone with a hint of sarcasm, said, "'Chaos City' earned $62.25 million in its opening weekend, while 'Thor' only made $47.8 million. They aren't even in the same league."
'Chaos City' could truly be said to have counterattacked to the top.
Natalie Portman frowned. Since Saturday, she had known 'Thor' would lose to 'Chaos City,' but she hadn't expected the box office gap to be over $10 million.
"So what?" Natalie Portman maintained her nearly perfect image and said flatly, "That doesn't mean anything."
Margot Robbie kept her innocent girl act, her face full of undisguised mockery.
Perhaps provoked by this, Natalie Portman couldn't help but say, "Even if 'Thor's' box office isn't as high as 'Chaos City's,' I'm still an Oscar-winning Best Actress, while you're still an unknown minor actress!"
"Yes, you're an Oscar-winning Best Actress." Margot Robbie tucked her golden hair behind her ear and said, "But that's your past, not your future. 'Thor' has shown everyone in Hollywood that you're on a decline. Your Oscar title doesn't hold much sway anymore. How many people will be willing to pay you a high salary in the future? As for me..."
Margot Robbie pointed at herself and laughed, "I'm younger than you. The TV show I star in is a ratings hit, and the films I'm in are box office successes. I have a bright future ahead, while you're outdated! Have you forgotten? You're the kind of old woman people wouldn't touch even if you threw yourself at them!"
"You..." Natalie Portman seemed to be hit in a sore spot, and her anger flared up, but noticing the many eyes on her, she suppressed it.
This was a public place. Many might not recognize Margot Robbie, but everyone knew Natalie Portman.
Since her conflict with Murphy Stanton, she had spent years rebuilding her good image. She couldn't throw it away because of an ignorant minor actress.
"You are very rude, Miss Robbie," Natalie Portman said coldly.
"Manners? Ah..." Margot Robbie glanced around, unconcerned, "Natalie, you're a Harvard graduate, famous for being proper and decent. Apart from that conflict with Murphy, you've had no scandals, known as a good girl and a nice person."
Though she said this, the sarcasm was clear.
Seeing Natalie Portman preparing to leave, Margot Robbie quickly added, "You're a good person, I'm a bad one. Aren't bad people supposed to be like this? Good people should be like Miss Portman, carrying someone else's child..."
Before she could finish, Natalie Portman had already stood up and walked away.
"How dull..." Margot Robbie watched Natalie Portman's back, shrugged, "Left before I could finish."
She finished her milk, checked her watch, and left the restaurant to record a promotional show for 'Chaos City.'
The first weekend of the North American summer season had ended. On Monday, like Margot Robbie and Natalie Portman, some people were happy and proud, while others were gloomy and worried.
Marvel Comics executives were undoubtedly among the worried.
"'Chaos City' earned $62.25 million in its opening weekend in North America, while 'Thor' only made $47.8 million..."
In the Marvel Studios conference room, Kevin Feige reported the box office statistics and said, "The situation is not favorable for us!"
"It's not that bad, is it?" Stan Lee interjected, "Nearly $50 million is still a good number, even if it didn't meet expectations."
"Not that bad?" Kevin Feige looked at the old-fashioned, out-of-touch man who refused to retire and kept meddling, and raised his voice, "We missed our $65 million target by $15 million. That's good?"
He pulled out a document and threw it in front of Stan Lee. "Audience ratings have dropped to a B-, negative reviews are everywhere online, and CinemaScore predicts a final North American box office of less than $150 million. Is that good?"
Stan Lee, unaccustomed to such treatment, immediately stood up and pointed at Kevin Feige, saying, "Fine! If the film failed, as the producer, you bear the main responsibility!"
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter]