Chapter 114: The Final Sprint

After Warner's anniversary party, Duke shifted his focus back to the post-production of "Independence Day." From mid-February to mid-April, he and Mike Dawson basically completed the initial and further edits of the film. However, since the CGI effects were far from complete, the unedited version of the film still appeared very rough.

Lucasfilm's Skywalker Sound also provided the first version of the score. After Duke listened to it, he discussed it with the responsible party and roughly confirmed the tone of the score. However, this was just the initial version, and Skywalker Sound still needed to refine and expand upon it.

In addition, other sponsors, including Morskus Brewery, also joined the ranks of advertisers for the film. During post-production, Duke also had to consider integrating them into suitable scenes.

By the end of April, Duke, who had been busy with post-production, received another piece of news. After careful research and consideration, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox accepted his suggestion that no professional film critics would be invited to the preview of "Independence Day," thereby saving a significant amount on public relations expenses to invest in the film's advertising.

At the same time, at the request of the producers and in cooperation with the special effects department, Duke edited the film's first official trailer. The trailer maintained Duke's signature style: explosive and thrilling, with the invading aliens making a strong impression at the end.

Before the summer season arrived, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox utilized a vast array of resources to heavily promote the trailer on cinema screens and television ads, generating significant interest among fans, especially regarding the dialogue between the president and the aliens at the end of the trailer.

"Can we coexist peacefully?"

The ferocious-looking alien appeared on the screen. "Peace? There is no peace!"

"What do you want from us?"

"Die! Die…"

This dialogue was filled with contempt from a superior species towards an inferior one, easily resonating with audiences.

After the trailer gained traction for a while, the public relations departments of Warner and Fox began to ramp up their efforts, leading to a surge of related media coverage to capture public attention.

As noted in the *Los Angeles Times*, the public was very interested in the battle between aliens and humans.

"Although humanity constantly explores the universe in search of other possible life forms, our knowledge of the cosmos remains limited. Many films depict visiting aliens as cute, kind, and intelligent beings, such as in *E.T.* But what if one day, the aliens that visit Earth are brutal, powerful, and view humans as inferior beings that must be destroyed? Would humanity's civilization be rewritten? *Independence Day* showcases this theme: aliens and humans finally confront each other openly, rather than spreading terror discreetly!"

The polling company hired by Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox conducted random surveys on the streets of major American cities to gather firsthand data.

At Times Square in New York, James from TPP Consulting stopped a young man in his twenties, introduced himself briefly, and asked directly, "Have you heard of the movie *Independence Day*?"

"Yes, I've seen the trailer. It's the new movie by explosion fanatic Duke Rosenberg."

"What do you think of the trailer? Will you go see the movie when it's released?"

"Better than I expected," the young man seemed to really enjoy this genre. "As long as time permits, I'll definitely go to the cinema to see this movie."

Next, James approached a student-like boy and asked similar questions.

"I haven't seen the trailer, but my friends and classmates are all talking about it. Most people want to see it as soon as possible, and I think I will too."

By the end of the afternoon, James had surveyed over 60 people, with nearly 50 having heard of or seen the advertisements for *Independence Day*, and more than half of them stated they would go to the cinema to watch how humans would combat the aliens and how explosion-crazy director Duke Rosenberg would destroy the White House and major cities in North America. A considerable number of people mentioned they would decide whether to buy tickets based on the film's quality.

In the days that followed James's survey, a similar scene unfolded in major cities across the U.S., and the specific situation quickly converged to Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, and the *Independence Day* studio through the increasingly developed computer network.

After the results came in, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox held a joint meeting to discuss.

"This is the latest market survey result."

As the project leader, Jeff Robinov stood behind the projector, switching between materials while speaking to the CEOs of both companies, "In this random survey, we queried 45,678 people, primarily aged 15 to 40. Eighty percent have heard of or seen news related to *Independence Day*, and 41% indicated they would go to the cinema to watch it. An additional 19% stated they would decide on ticket purchases based on the film's quality."

"Very optimistic data."

Tim Fisher from 20th Century Fox wore a satisfied smile. "Duke Rosenberg is establishing his director brand like Spielberg, and our promotional efforts have also been timely."

"I suggest…"

Charles Roven, representing the *Independence Day* studio, said, "We should continue to increase our promotional efforts. Duke's films won't disappoint us! He has never let us down."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment before everyone nodded in agreement.

In Hollywood, nothing is as persuasive as data and the recently obtained results. Just a few days prior, *The Rock* finally wrapped up all overseas screenings, achieving a worldwide box office total of $408.4 million, making it the second highest-grossing film of the year, just behind the blockbuster *Jurassic Park*!

It's worth noting that *Jurassic Park* not only had a base of novel readers but also had the famous director Steven Spielberg, who had been established for twenty years!

What about Duke Rosenberg? Even counting this year, he was only twenty-four years old and had been in Hollywood for just three years, with his future in the commercial film domain being immeasurable.

Moreover, the executives present were all acutely aware of one thing: Duke Rosenberg's explosion scenes had significant marketability!

After much discussion, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox decided to intensify pre-release promotions and, depending on the market response after *Independence Day* premiered, consider additional funding for promotions.

A new summer season was approaching, and if one were to look solely at promotional efforts, the film that appeared most frequently and prominently in the media and public eye was neither the all-ages film *The Rock* released in May, nor the nostalgic and inspirational *Forrest Gump*, nor the Disney animated studio's long-awaited *The Lion King*. Instead, it was Duke's *Independence Day*, which many fans jokingly referred to as the film of the explosion fanatic.

Although this film wouldn't be released for another two months, the four major television networks, three major newspaper groups, professional magazines, and other influential media had consistently highlighted this film. Even the now rising internet was abuzz with discussions about *Independence Day*.

As May approached, the summer blockbuster season of 1994 began with intense competition. As the CGI effects were gradually completed, Duke entered the busiest phase of post-production, temporarily putting aside all trivial matters and fully focusing on post-production, even declining Charlize Theron's invitation to a gathering.

Yes, with accumulated experience and accustomed to working under pressure, Duke indeed felt a bit more relaxed than before. However, that didn't mean he could spread his focus too much; this was Hollywood, where competition was so fierce that one might as well be prepared for a fight. Overindulging oneself could lead to failure.

He never believed that just because he had experienced more in one lifetime, everything would automatically lead to success, nor did he think success was ever an easy thing.

Adding special effects, finalizing the score, assembling voice actors, and conducting appropriate sound editing were all tasks Duke didn't need to do himself but had to supervise each carefully. Any flawed aspects would be sent back for rework.

Throughout May, although he wasn't living in the studio like Cameron, by the end of the month, Duke found that he had successfully lost nearly ten pounds. He didn't know whether to congratulate himself on his fortune or misfortune.

However, he could feel satisfied with his work. Even though post-production wasn't complete, it was nearing its conclusion and would not delay the preview in June.

While Duke was busy, the new summer season was engaged in fierce competition. The early-release film *The Stone Age* garnered $29.68 million in its first week, accumulating $60 million at the North American box office in ten days, setting a good tone for the 1994 summer season.

By June, *Forrest Gump* opened with a seemingly average first-week performance of $24.45 million. However, as time progressed, a wave sweeping across North America was just beginning. This film, although not a blockbuster, showed remarkable stability, and during its first two weeks, there seemed to be no noticeable drop in box office numbers.

As mid-June approached, Disney's animation studio welcomed the pinnacle of 2D animation with the explosive arrival of *The Lion King*, raking in over $40 million at the North American box office in its first week, indicating it would dominate the entire June schedule with *Forrest grump* which has shown an extremely stable but not high box office performance.

Amid all this chaos, "Independence Day" has completed all post-production work, including adding the opening and ending credits, and the preview is about to begin. What the outside world did not expect was that Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox, as co-producers, invited ordinary movie fans, theater representatives, and media reporters to attend the preview, but excluded the group of professional film critics!