Chapter 178: Striking the Competition

The sun had just crested the eastern sky when the motorcade carrying the main cast and crew of Saving Private Ryan departed from the Hilton Grand Hotel in Washington D.C. They rolled down the broad avenues, passing the Lincoln Memorial and crossing the Aton Bridge over the Potomac River, heading straight for Arlington National Cemetery on Arlington Ridge.

Since today was Memorial Day, Arlington National Cemetery was hosting a special event organized by the Federal Government. Traffic was exceptionally heavy, and during one of the gridlocks, Tom Hanks switched over to Duke's car.

"We've been flying all over the place these past few days, so I haven't had a chance to congratulate you yet."

Tom Hanks smiled, his honest face radiating what appeared to be genuine sincerity. "Congratulations, Duke! Saving Private Ryan just set the best opening weekend box office record of the year!"

"Thank you," Duke replied with a faint smile. "You deserve a share of the credit for that, Tom."

Tom Hanks exchanged a few pleasantries, chatting casually while observing the young director's reaction. Duke remained utterly calm and unfazed. To him, the massive opening weekend of Saving Private Ryan seemed like the most ordinary thing in the world—a monumental achievement that barely warranted a glimmer of excitement or pride.

'He definitely has the right to be this calm!' Tom Hanks sighed inwardly.

When he saw the fresh box office numbers that morning, even he couldn't help but pump his fist. $20.54 million on Friday, $21.14 million on Saturday, and $17.56 million on Sunday meant a three-day opening weekend total of $59.24 million! It was the best opening performance since Independence Day last year!

Even across the entire history of cinema, $59.24 million ranked second for all-time opening weekends. And the record holder for first place was directed and produced by the very same young man sitting right next to him!

According to estimates from multiple forecasting agencies, the North American box office for Saving Private Ryan was highly likely to push past $250 million, or perhaps even $300 million. Duke Rosenberg was about to forge yet another brilliant success.

Beyond his awe and admiration, Tom Hanks felt incredibly lucky. He was deeply thankful he hadn't turned down the initial audition invitation. He had already won the Oscar for Best Actor twice in a row, and last year's Forrest Gump had surpassed $300 million at the North American box office. If Saving Private Ryan could also break the $300 million mark, he would cement an unprecedented record of his own: starring in two consecutive films that grossed over $300 million in North America!

If he pulled that off, whenever people looked back at the nineties, the very first Hollywood actor to come to mind would undoubtedly be Tom Hanks!

And all of this stemmed from their current collaboration. Tom Hanks knew perfectly well that without Duke Rosenberg, the classic character of John Miller and the masterpiece that was Saving Private Ryan simply wouldn't exist. Without this film, his march toward becoming Hollywood's number one leading man would have been drastically slower.

Amidst their lighthearted banter, Tom Hanks's gaze swept over Duke's face once more. He made up his mind to cultivate a strong relationship with the young man, because Duke was much more than just a successful director.

Unlike Speed, which no one had initially paid attention to, Duke Rosenberg's subsequent three films had all emerged victorious against fierce competition. Hanks had heard rumors of the behind-the-scenes strategies and plans Duke orchestrated. The man seemed naturally suited for the cutthroat environment of Hollywood. He always knew how to seize the advantage and fight his way out of an encirclement, employing tactics that were sometimes even more seasoned than Spielberg's.

This was especially true this time around. Braveheart, which he had previously pegged as a formidable rival, hadn't stood a chance when pitted directly against Saving Private Ryan.

Thinking about that film's box office, Tom Hanks realized he had severely overestimated Braveheart. In terms of acting, Mel Gibson could leave Duke twenty blocks in the dust. But when it came to directing skills—especially the production of commercial blockbusters—the gap between Mel Gibson and Duke was as vast as half the Pacific Ocean.

Hanks knew that if the media ever printed such a comparison, Mel Gibson's fans would dismiss it in a heartbeat. But in Hollywood, numbers were the ultimate proof.

What was the opening weekend box office for Braveheart? It was something like $2.75 million on Friday, $2.33 million on Saturday, and $1.78 million on Sunday. The three days combined barely scraped together $6.86 million. Never mind comparing it to Saving Private Ryan—even Die Hard 3 in its second week of release, which pulled in $17 million, effortlessly crushed it!

As a director, what did Mel Gibson have that could even compare to Duke Rosenberg?

Perhaps there would be a battle at next year's Oscars? Tom Hanks had vaguely heard that Braveheart would make a run for the Academy Awards. At the same time, the joint production committee composed of Warner, Disney, and Fox certainly wouldn't pass up an opportunity like the fiftieth anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II!

The two films were bound to clash again in the future. As they headed down the path toward the school faction awards, the biggest advantage Braveheart held over Saving Private Ryan might just be how utterly abysmal its box office was.

The motorcade parked on the outskirts of the cemetery. After Duke and the rest of the crew stepped out, they began walking into Arlington National Cemetery. Fox Television's camera crews, having set up well in advance, immediately swarmed them. Surrounding reporters noticed the group, their camera shutters clicking frantically as they trained their lenses on the approaching stars.

In that moment, the crew seemed to steal the spotlight even from the President, Zipper-ton, who was preparing to lay a wreath at the cemetery.

Indeed, Duke wasn't here to mourn fallen soldiers or martyrs. He had zero interest in that. The crew was attending this solemn occasion—appearing before countless reporters and camera lenses—solely to steal the spotlight, grab headlines, and farm attention to promote their movie.

Dressed in a sharp black suit and dark sunglasses, Duke walked over to the spot prearranged by the producers. Standing beside Tom Hanks, he struck an incredibly pious pose, letting the media snap away to their hearts' content...

As for the actual memorial ceremonies, he was just going through the motions.

Just like during the promotional tour for Independence Day, Duke didn't mind personally stepping into the PR trenches if it meant boosting the box office and his own bottom line.

If the payout was large enough, he would even consider faking a romance with a female celebrity.

Though the crew was there for exposure—and tying their presence to Saving Private Ryan certainly achieved that goal—the absolute center of the memorial event was still Zipper-ton. When he stepped up to the memorial tower to lay his wreath, everyone's attention naturally shifted toward him.

Duke stood in place, his face an unreadable mask of solemnity, looking like the most devout of believers. Any misstep or disrespectful gesture in a setting like this would instantly invite the wrath of public opinion.

What Duke didn't expect was that after the event wrapped up, they would run into Zipper-ton on their way back to the parking lot. The President glanced in their direction and actually walked over to greet them.

"Director Rosenberg, I really enjoy your films."

Surrounded by a swarm of reporters, Bill Clinton shook Duke's hand. "Especially the brilliance of humanity and humanistic care reflected in Saving Private Ryan. It's exactly what I've been advocating for!"

"Thank you, Mr. President!" Duke flashed a bright, practiced smile.

Over the past few days, Saving Private Ryan had been universally praised by the mainstream media. Bill Clinton's decision to compliment the film at an event like this was clearly an attempt to piggyback on its popularity. When it came to exploiting every available opportunity, politicians were far savvier than Hollywood bigwigs.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Bill Clinton offered a parting remark. "I hope to see you at the White House reception dinner next year."

"I hope to have the honor," Duke replied politely.

Amidst the flashing cameras of the press, Duke concluded his first close-quarters encounter with the leader of the country. If this had been his past life, he would have been too thrilled to sleep. Unfortunately, his extra decades of life experience allowed him to see right through these surface-level interactions.

As Bill Clinton's entourage walked away, Duke kept staring in their direction, seemingly searching for something.

"Time to get in the car."

Tina Fey reminded him as she approached. Noticing his lingering gaze, she couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Duke... what are you looking at?"

"Nothing. Let's go!"

Duke shook his head and withdrew his gaze. He turned, walked to the car, and got in. Peering through the window, he cast one last look at the distant presidential motorcade before quickly looking away.

'Hmm... I don't think I saw a certain White House intern?'

Of everything that happened today, that was his biggest regret. But before his wicked sense of humor could act up again, Tina Fey turned slightly from the passenger seat and started updating him on work.

"We have the latest bulletin from the theaters."

Duke nodded at his assistant, signaling her to continue.

"Starting today, the North American Theater Alliance has drastically reduced the screening scale for Braveheart. Its theater count has dropped to 1,225."

Even Tina Fey clicked her tongue at the number. The box office for Braveheart had been so abysmal that half its theaters had been slashed overnight. "Our theater count has increased. The latest tally is 2,895! Also... the theater count for Die Hard 3 has rebounded slightly."

A smile tugged at the corners of Duke's mouth. The power of cooperating with the three major studios was on full display. In his previous life, this film had struggled to rapidly expand its theater count due to its ties with DreamWorks. That bottleneck had prevented it from fully unleashing its market potential during its hottest theatrical window.

He wasn't DreamWorks or Spielberg. Though he also faced encirclement from CAA and Paramount Pictures, he was backed by equally powerful companies.

With its theater count halved, terrible per-theater averages, and rapidly plummeting word-of-mouth, Braveheart would no longer pose a substantive threat to Saving Private Ryan. It seemed it was time to shift focus to their new main competitor.

"Tina, notify Nancy," Duke said without a second of hesitation. "Tell her to contact our partners immediately so we can discuss how to suppress Die Hard 3 next!"

The premature decline of Braveheart meant it had effectively dropped out of the race. Until the next wave of new releases hit the weekend box office, Saving Private Ryan and Die Hard 3 would be locked in direct competition.

As Memorial Day drew to a close, Duke and the main cast embarked on their North American promotional tour. As a statutory holiday and the first day of their expanded release, Memorial Day's numbers would serve as the ultimate barometer for the film's future trajectory.