Chapter 133: Saving Duke

"Duke, we can't keep pouring massive resources into a single film."

In the Independence Day studio, Townsend Rossman, the CEO of 20th Century Fox, who had personally come over, explained to Duke, who was sitting nearby sipping coffee, "*Independence Day* has already built enough momentum. We just need to maintain the current buzz."

"I understand, Townsend." Duke wasn't the type to make unreasonable demands, nor was he naive enough to think he was the center of Hollywood. *True Lies* was about to be released, and Fox was bound to shift its promotional focus.

Townsend Rossman sighed in relief, clearly not wanting to cause any misunderstandings with Duke. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made the effort to rush over from Century City to the Warner Bros. lot.

Yes, he valued this young director very, very much, more than any other. In fact, he didn't think it was an exaggeration to call Duke one of the top directors in Hollywood at this point.

Putting aside the dazzling box office results from the last two weekends, just look at the box office from the past two weekdays. Monday brought in $7.86 million, and Tuesday $7.67 million, for a total of over $15 million across both days. *Independence Day*'s domestic box office had already surpassed $170 million. Even if God himself intervened, it seemed inevitable that the film would break $200 million in North America by the end of this week!

If a director with these results isn't worth investing in, then who is? Townsend Rossman kept reminding himself that Duke had also filed a similarly explosive war-themed script with the Writers Guild!

To say Fox wasn't interested in continuing to invest in Duke Rosenberg's films would be the biggest joke in the country.

"Townsend, I have just one request."

With sufficient capital now behind him, Duke wasn't going to hold back entirely. "Before the weekend arrives, *Independence Day* needs to stay in at least 2,600 theaters."

Without enough screens, no matter how good the movie is, it can't generate high box office numbers.

"This…" Townsend Rossman hesitated.

After all, with *True Lies* about to be released, Fox needed to secure enough screens to guarantee returns on this high-budget, big-production film.

"I understand that the number of screens in North America is relatively limited."

Although he understood this, Duke wasn't willing to give up. And there were other ways to secure more screens. "Townsend, have you noticed? Columbia Pictures' *The Shawshank Redemption*, released last week, has already dropped below $2 million in daily box office for both Monday and Tuesday, yet it's still in 1,600 theaters. Why can't we negotiate with theater owners to reduce its screen count?"

"If its box office doesn't pick up today and tomorrow…" Townsend Rossman's eyes gleamed. "Fox will definitely put pressure on the theater chains to cut down the number of screens for *The Shawshank Redemption*."

"You can reach out to Warner Bros.," Duke added. "I'm sure Warner would welcome such a move."

The number of screens in North America was limited and wouldn't increase dramatically in a short period. If 20th Century Fox wanted *True Lies* to have a large opening, they had probably considered cutting *Independence Day*'s screen count, which both Duke and Warner didn't want to see. The best way to protect their interests was to shift Fox's attention to other films releasing at the same time.

And aside from *Independence Day*, *The Shawshank Redemption* was the largest release with a poor box office performance, making it the best target.

In a fiercely competitive market, sometimes protecting one's own interests means harming others.

In the end, watching someone else fail is a hundred times better than failing yourself.

As Townsend Rossman was leaving, he politely invited Duke to the *True Lies* premiere, but Duke declined.

The media war with film critics was still ongoing, and the spotlight was on him. He wasn't foolish enough to steal attention at someone else's premiere.

Before *True Lies* hit theaters, the North American film market remained dominated by *Independence Day*. On Wednesday and Thursday, it grossed $7.43 million and $7.59 million, respectively, bringing its domestic total to $190.44 million, just shy of the $200 million mark, which it would surely surpass this weekend.

On the other hand, Duke's prediction came true. After two consecutive days of failing to surpass $2 million in daily box office, *The Shawshank Redemption*'s screen count plummeted from 1,600 theaters to just over 900, as theater owners received pressure from Paramount, Warner Bros., Walt Disney, and 20th Century Fox.

Columbia Pictures reduced the promotional budget for the film as well. At this point, the film was beyond saving. Columbia wasn't thinking about profitability anymore; they were just trying to minimize losses.

Duke only paid a bit of attention to this before moving on. At this rate, *The Shawshank Redemption* would likely take ten years or more to break even, just as it had in the past.

Nothing speaks louder than box office results. As the weekend approached, Nancy Josephson delivered some exciting news. The copyright agency in London finally agreed to work with Duke's production company and the rights holder, Saul Zaentz, to negotiate the rights to that massive epic!

Although the negotiations would take time, this was a major boost to Duke's spirits. He knew that after his next film, he needed to pivot. If he kept making explosion-filled blockbusters, audiences would grow tired of them sooner or later.

At the same time, Duke had a detailed discussion with the two screenwriters he had hired, giving them the Broadway play he had purchased and two outlines for a drama and a sci-fi film, both already registered. They would begin the long process of revisions and rewrites.

A successful pivot wasn't something that could happen overnight. It required a lot of preparation. While keeping an eye on *Independence Day*'s box office, Duke was also reviewing memoirs of the 101st Airborne Division and Ranger units, and researching materials on jazz musicals.

*Independence Day* entered its third weekend, and although its $24.57 million weekend box office was beaten by *True Lies*' $28.56 million, knocking it out of the top spot, it still crossed the $200 million mark, officially making Duke part of the $200 million club.

In all of Hollywood, there were only a handful of directors in the $200 million club.

Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox's media outlets were ecstatic about this achievement, eager to promote it worldwide and build momentum for *Independence Day* as it rolled out internationally. Meanwhile, the critics continued their assault, claiming that *Independence Day*'s success was due to Duke using the most shameful means. They argued the film had no depth or artistic value, only technical gimmicks and flashy effects.

Roger Ebert, in his column, even predicted that Duke Rosenberg and *Independence Day* were the top contenders for next year's Razzie Awards!

In his Chicago office, Roger Ebert was on the phone with a friend, John Wilson, the founder of the Razzies.

"John, we have a duty to remind Hollywood not to go overboard with commercial filmmaking! What the world needs is *The Shawshank Redemption*, not garbage like *Independence Day*! Please, give it some serious thought, my friend. I can't imagine a worse movie this year, or a worse director than Duke Rosenberg!"

"Roger, I promise I'll consider it carefully, but for such a young director…"

Hearing some hesitation in John's voice, Roger Ebert took on a more sincere tone. "This is about saving Duke Rosenberg's career. We can't just stand by and watch a young talent go down the wrong path…"

From his tone, one might think he was genuinely concerned about Duke's career.

After hanging up, Roger Ebert sat behind his desk with a dark expression. He could pretend not to notice *Independence Day*'s massive box office haul, and he could convince himself it didn't matter, as long as he could focus purely on the film's artistic flaws for some psychological comfort.

But that young director had stomped all over the dignity of critics like him. Even though his statements had become less frequent after the first weekend, it was clear that Duke and the film's studio were using the critics' harsh reviews to fuel more publicity for the movie!

Trampling on their dignity and then using that same dignity to profit? Who could tolerate that?

Moreover, Duke Rosenberg's actions directly affected the critics' livelihood. Take Roger Ebert, for example. He had been scheduled to attend advance screenings for *Clear and Present Danger* and *The Mask*, which would have earned him a decent fee. But after *Independence Day*'s massive success and Duke's statements criticizing the critics, the studios canceled all press screenings for critics…

That was a tangible financial loss!

How many years had it been? How many years had it been since a director openly clashed with the critics?

Roger furrowed his brow and thought back. When they had criticized George Lucas, he had simply kept quiet and made money. Ridley Scott hadn't uttered a word of defiance. Even James Cameron, known for his bad temper, hadn't directly confronted critics...

Since the 1950s and '60s, when faced with criticism, over ninety-five percent of directors had chosen to endure it or ignore it. When Duke's first two films were released, they hadn't been highly rated either, and the critics had voiced plenty of complaints. But Duke did not respond and chose silence.

This time, the reason why Duke chose to stand up is very simple. He signed a box office tiered share agreement. As long as it can ignite topics and boost box office numbers, he doesn't care about the feelings of the film critics.

Of course, one must have a strong enough psychological quality to become the public enemy of a film critic, otherwise those sarcastic comments can drive people crazy.

Time has slowly entered the end of July. The North American box office of "Independence Day" has just exceeded US$250 million. Just as it is trying to climb towards US$300 million, the film's overseas box office has also exceeded US$250 million!

The global box office totaled 500 million US dollars, which is already one of the top box office results in the history of movies. Entering August, even the media that had previously criticized Duke and "Independence Day" turned around and began to praise various Vocabulary was thrown at his head, especially the first published article in Vanity Fair, which made people laugh and cry.

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