"One-take shot?"
After the banquet, Duke shook his head at Tina Fey's words. "Don't bother with him."
Then, Duke turned to his housekeeper, Emma, and said, "If we encounter people like that again, just have Bruce and the others kick them out."
"Let's go rest."
Duke took Ivanka out of the banquet hall and headed towards the living room. After a night of socializing, both of them inevitably felt a bit tired.
Pouring two glasses of water, Ivanka sat next to Duke, leaning against him. She asked curiously, "What is a one-take shot?"
"A one-take shot means the camera doesn't cut," Duke explained briefly. "In a real one-take film, the shooting process cannot allow any mistakes. If even one person messes up, the entire scene has to be reshot. The difficulty is immense. In Hollywood, when people mention one-take shots, they usually refer to films composed of extremely long takes."
True films without cuts or edits are extremely rare, and none of them have achieved wide recognition.
While one-take shots are highly praised by professionals, Duke had no interest in them at all. Not only because of the difficulty involved, but also because without editing, the films often become slow-paced artistic productions.
He had never considered investing in or directing an art film.
After the banquet, since the post-production of The Return of the King was already complete and its release was still far off, Duke was able to take a break from his busy schedule. He planned a vacation with Ivanka, starting in Hawaii and then traveling westward for a global tour, visiting major cities worldwide until returning to North America by Christmas.
Of course, there was no need to revisit New Zealand and Australia, as they had spent considerable time there in the past.
While Duke and Ivanka left North America, the follow-up products of The Two Towers continued to roll out without delay. In November, the film's official soundtrack album was released, and the Lord of the Rings concerts resumed. Both were even more popular than during The Fellowship of the Ring.
The situation was clear. With the releases of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, each better than the last, audience expectations for The Return of the King had reached unprecedented heights.
"This is a good thing, David,"
As the new awards season approached, critics from various regions began gathering in Los Angeles. Roger Ebert addressed David Denby, the chief film critic of The New Yorker. "The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment when the film fails to meet them."
David Denby sipped his coffee and said as a reminder, "Don't forget, he's Duke Rosenberg. Though I dislike him immensely, I must admit that his films, while vulgar, cater perfectly to the tastes of those shallow audiences."
"Why did the first two Lord of the Rings films succeed?" Roger Ebert asked before answering his own question. "The most crucial factor was undoubtedly the realistic special effects and grand scenes."
Seeing David Denby nod in agreement, Roger Ebert continued, "In The Two Towers, the special effects and grand scenes were nearly perfected. If Duke Rosenberg fails to surpass himself in The Return of the King, or even just maintains the same standard as The Two Towers, it's bound to disappoint audiences. That will be our chance!"
David Denby pondered for a few seconds before saying, "Don't forget, Roger, our influence during the summer box office season has already diminished significantly."
"That's true." Roger Ebert chuckled. "However, there must be plenty of people in Hollywood rooting for both him and Warner Bros. to fail. Do you think other companies are willing to watch Duke Rosenberg take the annual box office crown three years in a row, or even turn The Return of the King into the next Titanic?"
"As long as the film has problems, attacks from other companies will undoubtedly follow in waves. That's almost inevitable!"
Roger Ebert seemed to regain the glory of the 1980s, speaking with high spirits. "And as for us, we'll focus on sabotaging him during the awards season. As long as professional film critics exist as a group, we must not let him win Best Director!"
Just as Roger Ebert predicted, Hollywood's major companies were fully aware that a potential box office bomb was brewing and set to explode in the next summer season. Judging from the performance of the previous two films, the power of the upcoming bomb was bound to be astonishing. Any rational company would steer clear of it.
"Has Warner's release schedule been finalized?"
In Universal Pictures' office, Ron Meyer was visibly agitated as he questioned the head of the distribution department sitting across from him. "I don't care what method you use; find out the exact release date of The Return of the King as soon as possible!"
"Our team is working on it," the executive replied helplessly. "Warner Bros. needs to discuss the release date with Duke Rosenberg, but Duke is currently on a global trip with his girlfriend. He won't be back in North America until the end of December at the earliest."
"A global trip?" Ron Meyer seemed on the verge of losing his temper. "Call Nancy Josephson and use whatever means necessary to determine Duke's intended release date within a week!"
The executive left the office reluctantly, while Ron Meyer grabbed a glass of water and drank it in large gulps to quell his rising anger.
It was no wonder he was so anxious. Universal had three high-budget films scheduled for release next summer: Van Helsing, Bruce Almighty, and The Fast and the Furious 2. To minimize impact, these films would need to be spread across May, June, and July. Without knowing the release date of The Return of the King, Universal couldn't finalize the exact release dates for its films.
However, based on previous patterns, The Return of the King would likely premiere in May. His plan was to schedule The Fast and the Furious 2, a relatively low-budget niche film, in May. As long as it was released one or two weekends apart from The Return of the King, it wouldn't suffer significant losses.
Although the Thanksgiving and Christmas movie seasons of 2002 had not yet begun, many companies were already preparing for the summer of 2003. Walt Disney was among them. The company's executive vice president for film operations, Cook Dick, faced challenges similar to those of Ron Meyer.
Disney also had major productions slated for the summer of next year, all of which were over $100 million in budget. There was no room for error.
In recent years, the success of The Lord of the Rings had sparked a trend in epic fantasy films. Major companies were rushing to produce such films. Universal had created Van Helsing, while Walt Disney's contribution to the genre was Pirates of the Caribbean.
Cook Dick wasn't optimistic about Pirates of the Caribbean, but Disney had invested heavily in it. Even if he had reservations, he couldn't let it directly compete with The Return of the King. A derivative work clashing with its inspiration would undoubtedly lead to disaster.
The other Disney film fared slightly better. Pixar's Finding Nemo had a vastly different target audience than The Return of the King and would face less impact. Based on North American screening and viewing habits, animated films typically released in late May or early June. The exact date for Finding Nemo would depend on whether The Return of the King premiered in early or late May.
A phone call interrupted Cook Dick's thoughts. He answered to hear Steve Jobs' voice on the other end.
"Cook! Finding Nemo will be completed on schedule!" Steve Jobs informed him. "And let me remind you, keep Pixar's release schedule as far away from Duke Rosenberg's film as possible. I don't want our work to clash with that lunatic's project in the summer season!"
"Steve, I was already thinking the same," Cook Dick replied helplessly. "The problem is, we don't know the exact release date of The Return of the King."
"I'll remind you of one thing: Duke is a Marvel shareholder."
Hearing Steve Jobs' words, Cook Dick's eyes lit up. After ending the call, he dialed another number and quickly learned that 20th Century Fox had adjusted the release date of X-Men 2 to early June. He immediately deduced that The Return of the King would likely follow the same pattern as The Two Towers, premiering in early May.
Relieved, Cook Dick shook his head as he thought about the current turmoil in Hollywood.
A single film that hadn't even been released yet was causing such chaos with its scheduling alone. Who else but Duke Rosenberg could achieve this?
He was certain that while many were hoping for Duke Rosenberg's downfall, no one dared to pit their films directly against The Return of the King.
When Duke received Nancy Josephson's call in Dubai, he briefly communicated with Doug Walter. It was officially decided that The Return of the King would premiere at the beginning of next summer, and the announcement was immediately posted on Instant Share.
"How should I thank you?"
In the presidential suite of the Burj Al Arab, Ivanka lay on the soft, thick rug, staring at the laptop screen. Within half an hour of Duke's post, it had received over 50,000 views. She turned her head towards him, raising an eyebrow.
Duke was lying on one side, as naked as Ivanka. His eyes, which had been fixed on the ceiling, shifted to her snow-white, upturned hips, then slowly moved upward until they settled on her plump, red lips.
Noticing his gaze, Ivanka suddenly extended her pink tongue and slowly licked her lips…
"Are you seducing me?" Duke murmured, moving closer to her. Staring at her luscious lips, he said, "Could you do it again, darling?"
Ivanka leaned over and gave him a light peck on the lips. A trail of kisses followed, moving from his chin to his neck, then down his chest, until her long golden hair cascaded over his entire abdomen.
...
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