Chapter 281: The Biggest Killer

How could one measure the sheer force behind Warner Brothers' promotional push for the Harry Potter series? The most direct metric was its popularity. With no other merchandise available yet, it ultimately came down to one thing: book sales.

Before Duke Studio and Warner Brothers formed the Harry Potter Studio, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone had sold just over 30,000 copies over the course of a year. But once the new studio mobilized every resource at its disposal—with Duke continually stepping up to personally endorse the series—the promotional blitz swept through book critics, bestseller lists, and major media outlets alike. In just a few short months, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone sold nearly 400,000 copies. And this was only the beginning; the true market impact would take time to fully materialize.

No one could deny the immense influence capital and media conglomerates wielded in this country, let alone across the entire Western world. Capital existed to chase profit. Once the series displayed its vast potential, a behemoth like Time Warner naturally threw its weight into the fray.

Even Duke had no idea what methods they had used to convince the National Parent Teacher Association to list the two Harry Potter books as highly recommended extracurricular reading.

In the special issues of the New York Times, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone quietly slipped onto the bestseller list, bolstered by joint endorsements from several prominent book critics...

Furthermore, after the promotional event in Los Angeles, Time Warner prepared a special Hogwarts School of Magic express train for Joanne Rowling. Departing from King's Cross Railway Station, it would tour every major city across the British Isles, kicking off a massive promotional book-signing campaign.

Warner was also heavily promoting the work across all English-speaking countries.

Even Duke had to admit that any literary or cinematic work that exploded across the Anglosphere often became a global phenomenon, easily projecting its influence into other countries and regions. Today's society, after all, was fundamentally dominated by Western culture.

As long as Harry Potter exploded across the English-speaking world, the rest of the globe would naturally follow suit.

During a subsequent interview, given his own vested interests in the matter, Duke naturally showered Joanne Rowling with praise.

"Jo is an incredibly admirable writer and a true hero. To craft such a brilliant work under such arduous circumstances makes her a living, inspirational legend."

Duke's words to the reporters provided perfect promotional fodder, and there was no way the Harry Potter Studio would pass it up. Leveraging Joanne Rowling's personal experiences to craft a media narrative, thereby boosting the book's popularity by promoting its author, was a textbook marketing strategy.

Duke had come fully prepared for the promotional event.

He soon dropped another bombshell topic: "I think Ms. Joanne Rowling's life story is an incredibly compelling subject. I've been fascinated by it ever since I first heard it. If the opportunity ever arises, I would love to personally produce an inspirational film about her."

The reporters surrounding Duke nearly went into a frenzy at the declaration. Given his current status in Hollywood, producing a biographical film about anyone—even a complete unknown—would guarantee them nationwide fame.

But some things were best left as teasers. After planting the seed, Duke casually chatted with the reporters about The Matrix before temporarily retreating from the spotlight.

He stepped back into the rear banquet hall.

Charlize Theron came up to greet him. "Are you really going to shoot a biographical film about Joanne Rowling? You can't be serious."

"News travels that fast?" Duke asked, ignoring her question.

"The news was just too sensational." Charlize Theron gave a subtle roll of her eyes. "I bet the moment it left your mouth, it reached every corner of the banquet hall."

Charlize Theron was far from stupid. Knowing Duke wouldn't give her a straight answer even if she pressed him, she simply pulled him toward a quiet seating area off to the side.

"Did you come here specifically for this series?"

Once they sat down, Charlize handed Duke a glass of champagne.

"Is it really that good?" she asked. "I remember this isn't your first time endorsing it, is it?"

"I've poured a significant amount of capital into it." Duke raised his champagne, took a sip with Charlize, and replied casually, "No one wants to see their investments fail. My recommendation is bound to have some impact, at least."

"More than just some impact."

Looking at Duke, Charlize Theron muttered, "Ever since Titanic became a massive hit this year, the media has been hyping you up. They're calling you, James Cameron, and Steven Spielberg the three greatest Hollywood directors of the nineties."

"You can't take the media seriously," Duke said, thoroughly unbothered.

Charlize Theron ignored his dismissal and pressed on. "Any work you formally recommend is bound to draw a massive amount of attention."

This beautiful Hollywood diamond was clearly trying to flatter him. Duke simply took another sip from his glass, opting not to say anything more.

Even though it had been playing in theaters for quite some time, Titanic still maintained steady promotional momentum, aiming to harvest as much box office revenue as possible before the new Summer Season officially arrived.

"Titanic conquered audiences using the most fundamental cinematic language. Undeniably, it is a commercial blockbuster with incredibly heavy commercial undertones. Yet the profound respect for life, the appeal to humanity, the praise for love, the proper positioning of wealth, and the affirmation of morality woven throughout it have benefited us greatly. It is a masterpiece worth savoring!"

"This magnificent film fully demonstrates how modern technology can contribute to creating highly dramatic cinema. James Cameron's Digital Domain and Twentieth Century Fox's Blue Sky Studio utilized the world's most advanced special effects technology. The breathtaking visuals of the sinking ship alone are worth the price of admission!"

"A mutation of the Romeo and Juliet tale, though here the conflict isn't between rival families, but rather the barrier of social class segregation against love. Frankly speaking, the film's story offers nothing new. James Cameron has once again shoehorned the most clichéd tale imaginable—a poor boy falling in love with a rich girl—into a new template. The only difference is that this time, the template is a massive historical maritime disaster. Yet, just as he has in the past, he succeeded once again. Combined with James Cameron's relentless pursuit of cinematic technology and massive set pieces, Titanic has achieved an epic theatrical run."

No matter how highly the public and critics praised it, the primary metric for measuring a commercial film's success would always be the box office. Otherwise, even if film critics lauded a movie to the heavens, if audiences refused to buy tickets, the film studio would still lose money—or even face bankruptcy.

In the minds of people like Duke, reviews from film critics were just something to glance over; there was no need to care too deeply about them. As long as the box office numbers achieved breakthroughs, the vast majority of people would still look at him with reverence. Besides, he knew exactly what ninety-nine percent of the media truly was.

The massive success of the big ship inevitably made many people jealous, and this mentality naturally seeped into the media's coverage.

"A love story even more disastrous than the sinking itself!"

"The Titanic is inherently a serious historical event worthy of our reflection, yet James Cameron forcibly shoehorned a vulgar, logically flawed love story into it. The film lacks any real creativity; it is merely a hollow replica of old Hollywood romance, filled to the brim with hypocrisy!"

"Even worse than the story are the male and female leads. In the film, Rose calls out 'Jack' eighty times—and that doesn't even count the times she calls him 'Mr. Dawson.' Meanwhile, Jack calls out 'Rose' a full fifty times."

"All of this merely proves that the script severely lacked actual dialogue for them to exchange. It is painfully obvious that James Cameron's supposedly endless inspiration has finally hit its limit. His talent and potential fall far below our estimates. Titanic will stand as the ultimate proof of his downward spiral and failure!"

"Historical inaccuracies are everywhere in the film. This massive production, which consumed years of time and hundreds of millions in budget, leaves viewers profoundly disappointed. Perhaps because James Cameron has never been able to find his own true love, Titanic focuses far too heavily on romantic ideals while completely ignoring the selfless virtues we constantly emphasize and value—such as honor, responsibility, and heroism!"

"Furthermore, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet's performances are absolutely worthless..."

These critical remarks, sandwiched between endless waves of praise, were slightly unpleasant to read but ultimately inconsequential. No matter how loudly the critics clamored or how fiercely they attacked the film, they could not stop the fanatic enthusiasm of audiences flocking to theaters for repeat viewings.

Some people had even gone to see Titanic more than twenty times—a level of dedication that bordered on sheer madness.

Regardless, the big ship had made cinematic history, and it was continuously rewriting the very history it had created. Even though many people racked their brains to sling mud at it, it did absolutely nothing to alter its monumental status in cinematic history—especially in the annals of Hollywood.

Just as the big ship launched yet another round of promotion, the fierce battle for the new Summer Season also officially began.

Burbank City was known as the media capital of the world. It wasn't just home to newly famous starlets; even a legendary director like Steven Spielberg had purchased a residence here.

The northern area of Burbank was a haven for the wealthy, primarily populated by major business tycoons, top-tier Hollywood elites, and massive celebrities. Spielberg's Burbank home was located right in the heart of it.

Normally, this residence was rarely open to guests, but tonight it was brightly lit. Spielberg had deliberately chosen this house to entertain a long-lost old friend—or perhaps 'old friend' wasn't quite accurate. He was a long-lost former agent.

"Michael."

Sitting together beneath the palm trees in the garden, the two men looked like familiar old friends.

However, there was a faint, almost imperceptible distance in Spielberg's tone. "I didn't expect that after coming full circle, you'd end up right back in the agent business."

Having been there for a while, Michael Ovitz decided to cut straight to the chase.

"Steven, I came here because of Deep Impact, which you are producing, and Godzilla, which I am representing," he said. "We have a mutual competitor!"