"If the timing is right, I will accept your invitation."
Duke didn't make any promises, only gave a vague answer.
The market on the other side was indeed tempting, but that was a decade away. The current value was barely worth mentioning. Even if the box office could reach $100 million, a share of just over ten percent would be negligible for his films.
Unlike traditional Hollywood directors, he clearly understood the psychological bottom line of the public. Although the films he had made over the years were all politically correct, pro-American productions, they never crossed boundaries they shouldn't, and in the future, he would certainly continue to avoid doing so.
Of course, after 9/11, Sino-American relations had greatly improved, and if there were official cultural exchange programs between the two countries, and they formally invited him, Duke would be happy to visit.
However, it would only be for a visit. Duke was well aware that, even if he were an American-born Chinese, any action he took would still label him as an outsider.
This was just a small episode during his trip to Europe. After spending the weekend at Cannes, Duke and his team flew to London, and the latest weekend box office data was sent to him by the Lord of the Rings studio.
In the first weekend overseas, the UK remained the top market. The Two Towers earned $27.85 million in its opening weekend, setting the highest opening weekend box office record in British film history.
Across Europe, The Two Towers almost invariably topped the box office charts in every country it opened, with the film earning $18.52 million in France, where Duke and the crew had visited, just behind the UK and Germany.
In Germany, Europe's traditional second-largest box office market, The Two Towers unsurprisingly claimed the top spot with a box office of $24.55 million!
Though the film wouldn't release in Asia and Latin America until the next weekend, in Europe alone, The Two Towers had already grossed $124.57 million in overseas box office!
Meanwhile, the film continued to perform strongly in North America.
Among the new films released that week, Universal's About a Boy opened in over 1,500 theaters, but this low-budget film was unable to make an impact due to the overwhelming presence of The Two Towers. Even with stars like Hugh Grant and Rachel Weisz, it couldn't pose a threat to The Two Towers.
Universal's marketing was also quite low-key, showing a clear lack of confidence. Otherwise, they wouldn't have scheduled it for release in the weekend following The Two Towers. The performance of The Single Mom's Club was in line with market expectations, grossing only $7.8 million in its opening weekend.
On the one hand, the film quality was subpar; on the other, it was overshadowed by The Two Towers.
The Two Towers had a strong second weekend performance in North America. Compared to the first weekend's box office, the drop was just 38%, earning an impressive $63.87 million!
Even now, in the year 2000, when many commercial blockbusters could surpass $50 million in their opening weekend, $63.87 million not only crushed most films' first-weekend earnings but also set the highest second-weekend box office record in North American history!
"Ten days in, the North American box office has accumulated $249.62 million, and the global box office stands at $374.19 million."
In Warner's office, Doug Walter and Jamie Johnson were smiling brightly. The latter continued, "Can you imagine such numbers?"
"I can!" Doug Walter said seriously, "Because the director is Duke Rosenberg!"
Jamie Johnson rolled his eyes, "Doug. How about we make a bet?"
"A bet? What about?" Doug Walter asked curiously.
"We'll bet for one week's use of your new villa," Jamie Johnson threw the bet down, "If The Two Towers' North American box office is under $500 million, I lose; if it exceeds $500 million, you lose. How about it?"
Doug Walter pointed to his head, jokingly saying, "Do you think I'm crazy enough to take that bet with you? If the roles were reversed, I'd totally agree."
"Reverse? No, no..." Jamie Johnson shook his finger, "Then you might as well say The Two Towers' global box office can't exceed $1 billion!"
"Do you know, Jamie," Doug Walter switched to a serious tone, "$1 billion is my lowest global expectation for The Two Towers."
"Duke has never let anyone down, has he?"
They looked at each other and laughed simultaneously.
The laughter faded, and Jamie Johnson asked, "How's the merchandise sales?"
"Very good!" Doug Walter immediately handed him a report, "In ten days, North American merchandise sales reached $187 million, and that's a conservative estimate!"
Jamie Johnson sighed, "Warner can't afford to lose Duke."
"He's Warner's largest individual shareholder," Doug Walter said, "Warner's interests are often his personal interests."
Nodding, Jamie Johnson whispered, "Has your matter made progress?"
"Don't bring it up to anyone else."
After a quick reminder, Doug Walter said, "The revenue from The Fellowship of the Ring and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which I was in charge of last year, accounted for 37% of Warner's annual revenue. The company has basically confirmed that starting in July, I will take over Jeff's position."
"Congratulations on becoming the new CEO."
At this point, Jamie Johnson reminded him, "Doug, I think it's very necessary to inform Duke in advance."
"Without his support, I wouldn't have gotten this position," Doug Walter gave him a reassuring look, "I had someone notify Duke yesterday."
In fact, in this CEO battle without gunfire, Doug Walter felt that his victory had been relatively easy. His biggest strategy was, aside from using his connections, to latch onto the strongest internal support at Warner Brothers, and he did so without hesitation.
To outsiders, it seemed like it lacked sophistication.
There were even rumors spreading in Hollywood — the real person who could decide Warner Brothers' CEO was Duke Rosenberg!
Duke had heard these rumors but didn't care much. Doug Walter becoming Warner Brothers' new CEO was entirely in line with his needs. The two had worked together for many years, understanding each other's habits and patterns, which also helped ensure their continued cooperation.
After spending nearly a week in Europe, Duke and the crew flew to the Far East. Starting in Tokyo, Japan, they traveled through Seoul, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taipei in China, Manila in the Philippines, and finally arrived in Sydney, Australia, for promotional activities for The Two Towers' release in the Far East.
Even without including Australia, this trip was far from the Western world where The Lord of the Rings novels had gained popularity, but every place Duke and the team visited stirred up waves of excitement. When Orlando Bloom was recognized during promotional events in Tokyo, thousands of young Japanese men and women surrounded him, even causing a stir with the Tokyo police, who took a long time to rescue Legolas.
Among the most popular stars in The Lord of the Rings series, Duke had always brought Orlando Bloom, not Alessandra Ambrosio, which was a precautionary measure.
Since agreeing to officially date Ivanka Trump, Duke had decided to take the relationship seriously. He knew that if he continued like before, even though Ivanka might forgive him once, she would not tolerate it endlessly. No woman would have unlimited patience in this regard.
When he was single, he could do as he pleased, but now that he had a girlfriend, Duke had decided to settle down.
He knew his self-control was sometimes lacking, so reducing interactions was undoubtedly a good approach.
Duke's Far East promotional tour was a great success, sparking intense reactions everywhere. After the first week of The Two Towers' popularity in Europe, its heat inevitably waned, but the Far East and Latin America took over, and the results were outstanding.
In the second overseas weekend, The Two Towers grossed $189.23 million, with its overseas box office totaling $372.57 million!
In North America, there was no doubt. The Two Towers continued to dominate its third weekend. The number of theaters didn't shrink; in fact, it increased again, reaching a record-breaking 3,977 theaters. The average screening rate remained close to 80%, ensuring the box office held strong with a drop of only 40%, bringing in $38.32 million.
Combined with the $32.11 million earned in the previous four weekdays, The Two Towers' North American box office successfully surpassed the $300 million mark, reaching $320.05 million.
In just under 20 days, The Two Towers' global box office had reached $692.62 million!
At this point, even outsiders could easily see that the global $1 billion mark was just a checkpoint for The Two Towers, not the end!
Duke knew that the film's success, which was accumulating wealth at a faster pace than The Fellowship of the Ring in both box office and merchandise, was due to several factors.
First, although The Two Towers wasn't a traditional sequel, it enjoyed the same treatment as any big-selling film sequel.
Second, the film's quality, marketing, and theaters were all strong, and the director had spent ten years establishing his solid reputation.
Lastly, in a month that should've been filled with fierce competition, The Two Towers had no substantial competitors and easily achieved three consecutive weekends at the top.
However, this advantage was about to disappear. Next weekend, George Lucas's blockbuster Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones would make a strong debut.
...
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