Chapter 427: The Shooting

Early May in Los Angeles was already sweltering. Even in the late afternoon, the heat offered little relief. Crammed into the press pit, Jarvis constantly adjusted his camera lens, snapping away at every figure strolling down the red carpet. He brought the same intensity to photographing the film's minor cast members as he would for an A-list superstar.

This was the most anticipated release of the year. Anything tied to The Lord of the Rings and The Two Towers was a massive draw for the public. For an ordinary film, bit parts could be ignored, but who knew which unknown actor might suddenly blow up and become extremely popular, just like Alessandra Ambrosio had after the first movie?

Jarvis remembered it perfectly: among all the characters in the first film, Arwen's action figures and models were second only to Legolas in sales.

"Why hasn't Duke arrived yet?"

Another photographer beside him seemed to be muttering to himself. Jarvis recognized him and replied, "Donnie, he's the soul of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Of course he's going to arrive last."

"I don't care about him arriving last," Donnie said, lowering his camera. He stood on his tiptoes to peer toward the far end of the red carpet. "I only care if he's going to show up with Ivanka Trump."

Just as he said that, a Rolls-Royce pulled up to the red carpet. Two people dressed in contrasting black and white evening wear stepped out and walked forward with their fingers laced together.

The press pit instantly erupted. Reporters surged forward, and if not for the human wall of security guards holding them back, they likely would have swarmed right onto the red carpet to surround the couple.

Donnie and Jarvis already had their cameras raised, their fingers firing off continuous shots. Unfortunately, the pair on the red carpet had zero interest in playing to the crowd. They didn't stop to sign autographs, didn't pause to pose, and definitely didn't dawdle like the previous guests. Instead, they breezed down the red carpet at a brisk, normal walking pace.

"Duke!"

Donnie shouted, hoping the director would stop in front of the press pit for a moment.

"Ivanka, over here!" Jarvis shouted at the top of his lungs.

The two of them were completely unlike typical Hollywood couples. They had no intention of turning toward the press. Without even a glance in their direction, they walked straight into the interview area in front of the Chinese Grand Theater.

Typical Hollywood couples would flaunt their affection in front of the cameras, eager to prove to the world just how deep their love ran. Unfortunately, neither Duke nor Ivanka had any intention of putting on a show.

"They don't even have the sense to put on a show!" Donnie muttered in frustration.

"Do they need to?"

The people they had been waiting for the most had already passed by. Jarvis lowered his camera and looked at Donnie. "One is a top Hollywood director and a billionaire in the top hundred of the Forbes list, and the other is a famous socialite, the heiress to a massive fortune. They don't need to put on a show. The media will chase them no matter what!"

Donnie shot a reluctant glance toward the front of the Chinese Grand Theater and sighed. "True."

He withdrew his gaze and asked offhandedly, "What do you think the final box office for The Two Towers will be?"

"I don't know..."

Though he wasn't a professional box office analyst, Jarvis sounded full of confidence. "It definitely won't be lower than The Fellowship of the Ring, right?"

"Not necessarily!" Donnie pointed to the fan area across the way. "Haven't you noticed? There are noticeably fewer fans at this premiere than there were for The Fellowship of the Ring last year. I suspect the first movie burned through a lot of the fans' enthusiasm..."

"Have you stopped keeping up with the news lately?" Jarvis handed his camera and tripod over to his assistant. "You really don't know?"

"Know what?" Donnie looked completely blank.

Although they worked for different media outlets, they had a decent relationship. Jarvis clued him in. "The release strategy for The Two Towers is completely different from The Fellowship of the Ring and Duke's previous films. Because the first movie was such a massive hit, there were no preview screenings for the second. Instead, alongside today's premiere, there are over 2,000 advance screenings happening across the country right now. A lot of the die-hard Lord of the Rings fans have gone to catch those..."

"So that's how it is," Donnie said in realization.

Brad Miller didn't attend the premiere. Instead, he and Peter chose to go to the nearby Nokia Square Theater. When the two of them walked into the theater lobby, even though they were early, they found the place packed. And there was only one topic of discussion on everyone's lips.

"Hey, hurry up and check the tickets! Don't make me late for The Two Towers!"

"I've been waiting for a year, man. Come on, hurry up!"

"We're all Lord of the Rings fans here, not terrorists. Just let us in already..."

With the lobby so crowded, Brad Miller and Peter found a relatively quiet corner to wait in peace, only to run into an unexpected acquaintance.

"Chrissy, what are you doing here?" Peter asked in surprise.

"Why can't I be here?" Chrissy didn't look embarrassed in the slightest. "This is a movie theater. I'm obviously here to watch a movie."

Brad Miller frowned. "The Two Towers?"

Chrissy nodded directly.

"Weren't you out protesting?" Peter asked.

"I'm not protesting anymore. I'm a Lord of the Rings fan now!" Chrissy declared openly. "If The Fellowship of the Ring could win over two die-hards like you, of course it could win me over too."

Peter wanted to say more, but Brad Miller stopped him. "We used to be friends. Let's just sit together."

On Thursday night, countless fans flooded into over 2,000 theaters across the country, ready to enjoy the film.

Due to the time difference, it was already getting late in New York when the screenings were about to start. As the chief film critic for The New Yorker, David Denby stepped out of his car and hurried into the theater. He had no intention of buying a ticket. He simply flashed his press pass at the checkpoint. Most of the time, critics enjoyed special privileges, relying on their status to watch movies for free.

"Sorry, Mr. Denby."

Unfortunately, his pass didn't work this time. The ticket taker blocked his path. "The distributor sent out a notice. All film critics must buy a ticket to enter, just like general audiences!"

"What?" David Denby's eyes immediately widened in anger.

The movie was about to start, making this the busiest time of the night. The ticket taker didn't have a second to spare to explain further. He simply left Denby standing there and went back to checking everyone else's tickets.

David Denby waited for a few seconds before turning toward the exit. But halfway there, he changed his mind. With the film this heavily hyped, he'd be a fool not to write something about it to garner attention!

Marching over to the box office, David Denby furiously bought a ticket and finally made his way into the screening room.

He really had come in too late, and the theater was packed. Standing by the entrance, David Denby searched for a while but couldn't find a single decent spot. Nearly every seat was taken.

'What an insane attendance rate!'

Sighing inwardly, David Denby had no choice but to head for the far right corner. However, he didn't take the most direct route. Instead, he strolled down the central aisle. It wasn't the first time he'd shown up late, and his face was his greatest asset. Older moviegoers would often recognize him and gladly give up their seats.

But as David Denby walked down the aisle, this audience—largely composed of fifteen- to thirty-five-year-olds—didn't so much as offer him a seat. Barely anyone even looked at him. In fact, a few shooed him away in annoyance.

"Hey, you! Move it, would you? You're blocking my view!"

"What are you dawdling for? The movie's about to start. If you make me miss a single shot, I swear I'll make you pay!"

David Denby wanted to snap back, but after taking one look at the guy's sheer size and fierce glare, he wisely sped up his pace and retreated to the far right corner.

There had been a few open seats here originally, but thanks to David Denby's dawdling, they had all been snatched up. Only a single seat in the absolute deepest corner remained empty.

Much like how film critics felt about the summer season in general, David Denby could only swallow his boundless fury and take a seat.

While the audiences inside the theaters eagerly awaited the start of The Two Towers, the people outside were waiting too.

At the Santa Monica Commercial Square, a newly opened chain gift shop was bustling. The owner, Peter Coe, was personally manning the floor, directing his staff to stock the shelves quickly. The advance screenings for The Two Towers were about to start. According to the intel Edward Yang had gathered beforehand, the film had a runtime of about two and a half hours, which meant a massive wave of customers would soon be pouring into the store.

Just as he had always claimed, Peter Coe's greatest business secret was selling all kinds of merchandise for Duke's films. He had connections at both Duke Studio and Warner Brothers, so even when stock was tight, he could guarantee his supply chains. And that always meant massive sales and massive profits.

Though his chain of stores only operated in the major cities on the West Coast, the merchandise for The Fellowship of the Ring alone had brought him nearly three million dollars in profit since late May of last year. Part of this success was due to his constant supply, but it was also because he could always get his hands on rare limited-edition items.

This time, for example, The Lord of the Rings Studio had teamed up with Tiffany to release a Lord of the Rings jewelry line. Even though the materials used were just crystal, gold, and platinum, the production run was strictly limited. Not only did they carry a hefty price tag, but they also offered plenty of profit margin for distributors.

Retailers everywhere fought tooth and nail to stock this merchandise. Outside of direct sales from Warner and Tiffany, it was nearly impossible for ordinary shops to get their hands on any inventory.

He, however, had used his connections to secure a batch. The only problem was that it hadn't arrived yet!

Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps rang out. His new partner, Edward Yang, walked in briskly alongside a tall woman, both of them carrying several boxes.

"You're finally here!" Peter Coe rushed over and had his staff take the boxes from them. "Did you get everything?"

"Ten sets, not a single one missing!"

Edward Yang replied, then introduced his companion to Peter Coe. "This is Miranda Kerr, a model I met while vacationing in Australia."

Peter Coe offered a polite nod before diving right back into his busy work. In his eyes, every time a Duke film hit the theaters, it was the perfect opportunity to expand his business empire!