Chapter 169: The Key to Success

"Hi, Duke." Just as he walked into the VIP lounge of the Chinese Theater in Hollywood, someone came over to greet him. Standing behind Duke, Tina Fey let her eyes sweep over the newcomer's face before immediately leaning in closer.

"This is the deputy head of distribution at Twentieth Century Fox, Andy Hill," she whispered. "Those close to him call him Andy."

Prompted by his assistant, Duke warmly reached out and shook the man's hand. "It's been a while, Andy."

"It has. The last time was at the test screening," Hill replied warmly, naturally oblivious to anything amiss. "This is truly a breathtaking film. It's bound to be another successful collaboration for us."

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the Fox executive, Duke moved to the other side of the room. Perhaps because of the massive success of Independence Day, or perhaps due to this film's stellar test screening word of mouth, many people came over to greet him today. He didn't recognize a significant number of them, but fortunately, Tina Fey—having been trained by Penny Kalis—was always there to offer timely reminders.

The VIP lounge was star-studded. Tom Hanks and Eno Martin stood in a corner, their eyes tracking Duke's figure as he moved around the room.

"Tom, you saw the movie during the test screening," Eno Martin said with a smile. "Are you at ease now?"

"Only about the box office." Tom Hanks flashed his signature good-natured smile.

Eno Martin shook his head. "I think the box office is the last thing you need to worry about with a Duke movie."

"True enough."

Hanks clearly agreed with his agent. Beyond his appreciation for the script and the role itself, Duke Rosenberg's commercial success was exactly why he had joined the production. To firmly cement his status in Hollywood, two Best Actor Oscars weren't enough; he also needed substantial box office draw.

Working with a successful commercial director was undeniably the right move.

"The film can't possibly match the towering box office of Independence Day," Tom Hanks murmured. "Word of mouth shouldn't be a problem, though. A lot of people worried Duke would just turn it into a World War II version of Independence Day. I bet the actual content will take them completely by surprise."

"A director who loves making popcorn flicks suddenly produces a film with profound thematic depth." Eno Martin's eyes never left Duke. "And he did such a brilliant job of it. I really wonder how the critics will react."

"How will they react?" A faint trace of mockery touched the corners of Tom Hanks's mouth. "With unbridled attacks? Don't forget that this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of victory in World War II, and the movie is scheduled to release right before Memorial Day. If they attack the film's theme..."

With a cold scoff, Tom Hanks shook his head. If anyone was stupid enough to bash the movie's theme and the ideology it reflected, they would be asking for trouble.

"The critics might not let Duke off the hook," Eno Martin chimed in. "They can always pick at his cinematic techniques or look for plot holes. Of course, the smartest approach would be to stay completely silent."

Walking into the VIP lounge, Aerin Lauder looked around and saw nothing but familiar faces, many of whom were renowned figures in Hollywood. Unfortunately, she was an outsider. She knew them, but they didn't know her. Plus, since she wanted to introduce her close friend to that young director, she had no intention of cozying up to the big stars anyway.

"Anna, over here."

Sweeping her gaze across the lounge, Aerin spotted the man who had invited her to the premiere. Pulling her friend along, she walked straight over.

"Miss Lauder is heading this way."

Hearing Tina Fey's tip, Duke turned his head just in time to see Aerin Lauder approaching with another blonde woman of about the same age. He raised a hand in greeting.

"Duke, this is my friend, Anna Printz. She works as an assistant director at a production company in Hollywood," Aerin said, introducing them. "Anna, this is Duke, the director of Saving Private Ryan."

After shaking hands with the young director, Anna quietly observed him as he chatted with Aerin. She had been in Hollywood for a while now, and although this was her first time meeting him in person, she had heard far too many rumors about him.

With the massive success of Independence Day, this major director had risen like a comet over the past few years. It was no exaggeration to call him a Hollywood legend, and he stood as a role model for young, ambitious directors like her.

Perhaps his success couldn't be duplicated, but certain precedents could always be learned from.

While Duke remained busy socializing, over at the theater entrance, a large crowd was lining up to head inside.

Kenneth Turan, a critic for the Los Angeles Times, and Todd McCarthy, a critic for The Hollywood Reporter, had come together. Although the organizers hadn't provided them with any complimentary accommodations, the two old friends had managed to secure tickets to the premiere anyway, all so they could be among the first to see Duke Rosenberg's latest masterpiece and launch their targeted critiques.

Walking into the screening room and taking adjacent seats, the two chatted as they waited.

"I really want to see a pure popcorn flick in the vein of Independence Day," Todd McCarthy said. "Ideally, a quintessential Duke movie."

"Don't you completely despise those kinds of movies?" Kenneth Turan asked with mild confusion. "Why?"

"Because Independence Day was too successful. That level of success simply can't be replicated, nor can it be sustained."

Hearing Todd McCarthy's reasoning, Kenneth Turan nodded. "That's true. Duke pushed sensory stimulation to its absolute limit with Independence Day. It's impossible to top that."

"So, if Saving Private Ryan turns out to be just another piece of pure popcorn," Todd McCarthy said, narrowing his eyes slightly, "and if it still uses explosions as its main selling point, people will inevitably compare it to Independence Day, and then..."

"It will trigger aesthetic fatigue," Kenneth Turan finished for him. "The box office will fall short of expectations, or perhaps bomb entirely?"

Todd McCarthy laughed. "Haven't we been waiting to watch him fail?"

"You have, not me." Kenneth Turan quickly distanced himself. "I've always liked his movies. If he hadn't gone too far last time, I wouldn't have gone along with you guys..."

"Kenneth, criticizing Duke Rosenberg is the consensus of the entire film criticism community!"

After his old friend said that, Kenneth Turan fell silent and quietly waited for the movie to start. According to his sources, Duke Rosenberg had made quite a few stylistic shifts in this film. He was a very smart young director who clearly understood the problems he might face after Independence Day.

The commercial performance of Independence Day was genuinely terrifying. Even now, it was still playing in some overseas markets, and its global box office was infinitely close to $910 million, inching ever closer to the record held by Jurassic Park.

In Kenneth Turan's view, Duke Rosenberg had reached the pinnacle of commercial success, achieving a milestone he likely wouldn't surpass for another ten, twenty, or even more years. For a director, this was both an honor and a shackle. If he didn't pivot his style at the right time, his lifelong achievements would probably peak right here.

A few rows behind him, more and more ordinary moviegoers filled the seats. Allen, Jones, and Kunitz—who had all graduated and entered the workforce by now—had reunited and shown up at the premiere.

"Same old rules: no water, no popcorn."

Kunitz muttered as he settled into his seat, "Even though Duke's movies are standard popcorn flicks, they're also the worst movies to eat popcorn during."

Allen and Jones couldn't be bothered with him and huddled together to whisper. Instead, a young viewer who looked like a student sitting next to Kunitz asked curiously, "Why is that?"

"Have you never seen a movie directed by Duke before?" Kunitz turned to ask. The student shook his head. "I have. I saw Independence Day."

"Then when you looked down to eat popcorn or take a drink, didn't you miss some amazing shots?"

"I think... yeah, I did."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kunitz, a textbook fan of Duke Rosenberg-style films."

"I'm Owen. I really loved Independence Day..."

More and more people packed into the Chinese Theater in Hollywood, waiting for their highly anticipated movie to begin. Meanwhile, not too far away, a massive crowd had also gathered at the Shrine Civic Auditorium, similarly waiting for a screening to start.

Two massive premieres held concurrently highlighted the superficial glamour and the fierce underlying competition of Hollywood.

Shaking off the pestering reporters, Mel Gibson walked into the theater and found his agent, Martin Bob. With a tacit understanding, the two moved to a quiet corner.

"Is it all set?" Mel Gibson asked.

"With Paramount and Viacom helping out, it was pretty easy," Martin Bob said, lowering his voice. "We managed to score tickets to the Saving Private Ryan premiere for those people. They're already sitting in their theater."

Since they didn't have the upper hand with the theater chains, they had to tackle it from another angle. Mel Gibson had no intention of losing to the young director who had caused him so much trouble, and he felt zero guilt about doing this. After all, the underhanded tricks their rival had pulled on Braveheart were no fewer than their own.

As Mel Gibson made his way inside, the screening on their end was about to begin.

Over at the Chinese Theater, the lights were dimming row by row. Sitting near the back, Luther kept his eyes glued to the screen, looking as though he wanted to pick out the movie's flaws right then and there.

He was black, and a representative for a certain black rights organization. Today, he was going to put on his tinted glasses and thoroughly scrutinize this movie shot by those white folks!

At the same time, sitting two rows from the front, Rodriguez shared the exact same thought. Latinos had made tremendous sacrifices in World War II—how could mainstream society ignore them?

Amidst the iconic score, the Twentieth Century Fox logo appeared, followed by Warner Brothers and Walt Disney. Then, a worn and faded American flag fluttered in the wind!