Chapter 438: Record-Breaking Discs

"The first film in history to break a hundred million at the weekend box office! The first director in history to break a hundred million at the weekend box office!"

"Duke Rosenberg has undisputedly become the first person in North America to break a hundred million at the weekend box office!"

That same Monday, the press went practically rabid, placing the news of The Two Towers breaking a hundred million in its opening weekend on their front pages. It was a monumental event in North American cinematic history—undoubtedly far more compelling than some foreign royal like Prince William.

Countless mainstream newspapers—the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, and more—placed Duke's portrait and the poster for The Two Towers front and center, their front pages littered with endless waves of glowing praise.

"Ten Years in the Director's Chair: Duke Rosenberg's Ascent to Godhood..."

"Incomparable. Today, no one can compare to Duke Rosenberg. A magnificent work from a magnificent director!"

"$103.03 Million: Duke Rosenberg Crowned King of the Box Office Once Again!"

The media wasn't alone; the public response was just as fervent. This was the first film in North American history to break one hundred million dollars in its opening weekend!

"Congratulations, Evie."

"Ivanka, your boyfriend is really amazing."

Ever since she sat down in the library's computer lab, Ivanka hadn't known a moment of peace. People kept coming over to whisper greetings and offer congratulations. She knew perfectly well how much influence Duke's films held over younger audiences, but her feelings in this moment were quite complicated.

Joy was her strongest emotion, of course. Even though these congratulations were meant for Duke, she felt a deep sense of pride.

Yet that joy was mixed with a faint tinge of bitterness—an inevitable reaction for someone as ambitious as she was, but one that simultaneously fueled her drive to work even harder.

Ivanka logged into Duke's website and clicked on the section for The Two Towers. The comment board below was overflowing.

"The first movie to break a hundred million on opening weekend! As expected, only the great Lord of the Rings and our explosion maniac could pull this off!"

"Look back at Hollywood over the last decade, and it's obvious that Duke reaching this milestone was practically a given!"

"Anyone in the Chicago area still going to see The Two Towers? Let's get a group together for round three..."

Next, Ivanka pulled up IMDB. A quick glance showed that the rating had stabilized at 9.2, with virtually no negative reviews in the comments section.

After browsing through those, she logged into her Instant Sharing website with her admin credentials and immediately noticed something unusual.

On the homepage, a short post containing images had been pushed to the very top by an avalanche of replies. The view count beneath it displayed a staggering 170,000!

Ivanka frowned. As of yesterday, the entire site only had a little over a hundred thousand registered users. How could a single post generate this much traffic?

Her first thought was paid online shills, but Instant Sharing was still a small website—it simply had no value for astroturfing.

However, once she took a closer look at the images and the poster's identity, understanding dawned on her face and a sweet smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. The post had come from Duke's account, and the content was exactly what countless people were eagerly anticipating: The Return of the King!

She clicked it open with her mouse, understanding that her boyfriend was doing her a favor. There were only two or three pictures of the battles at the Black Gate and Minas Tirith, and the text he wrote was merely a simple "Two major battles in The Return of the King." But coming right on the heels of The Two Towers exploding at the box office, with countless people eagerly anticipating the third installment, it could easily attract massive attention.

"Classic Duke," Ivanka muttered, looking at the pictures.

The images were full panoramas of the battlefield, densely packed with the warring armies. This was especially true for the Mordor coalition—not only were Ringwraiths circling overhead on flying beasts, but countless massive trolls could be faintly seen in the ranks, and even further back, giant mammoths dimly revealed their towering forms.

Only then did Ivanka notice the top right corner of her admin dashboard. The site's registered user count had skyrocketed from just over a hundred thousand yesterday to 250,000!

Even the most oblivious person could see the massive contribution Duke and The Lord of the Rings had made to the website. This was simply what 9/11 had been to blogs.

Duke's goal was to leverage this incredibly popular phase to thrust the Instant Sharing website into the spotlight and slightly accelerate its growth. Much like his refusal to endlessly retread the paths of others and his desire to take on Christophe Rocancourt's script, he really wanted to see just how far this website could ultimately go.

Would it become just one of countless submerged websites, or would it skyrocket like those websites of the past?

That Monday, the reaction across Hollywood was intense. It wasn't just the major studios—many actors, directors, and producers had a strong response to history's first hundred-million-dollar opening weekend, and some even accepted media interviews.

"I've competed head-to-head with Duke's films before, so I know exactly what kind of terrifying pressure that is."

Stepping out of DreamWorks headquarters, Tom Cruise was stopped by reporters.

Speaking about his widely recognized good friend, he said, "No one wants to face Duke's work during the summer season. I'm not surprised at all that he achieved this result. Don't you all think this is totally normal?"

Steven Spielberg, standing right beside him, also accepted an interview. The old man had this to say:

"Among the younger generation of directors in Hollywood, Duke is the undisputed leader. He has produced one outstanding work after another. The various techniques he employs in the realms of action, sci-fi, and fantasy films are all groundbreaking. He has profoundly influenced filmmaking in Hollywood."

Meanwhile, Duke and the crew members became highly sought-after guests for television programs.

"This is a formal invitation from The Oprah Winfrey Show."

In the hotel room, Tina Fey placed a few invitations in front of Duke.

"Oprah Winfrey is inviting you onto her talk show for the third time."

Duke nodded, though he showed no intention of accepting. Instead, he looked across at the PR manager, as she was the professional in this area.

Penny Kalis picked up the few invitations, gave them a quick flip, and set them back down.

"Decline them all," she suggested directly.

"All of them?" Duke asked.

"Yes, Duke. With the exception of The Oprah Winfrey Show, none of these programs match your status. Participating in shows like these would only damage your prestige."

Hearing this, Duke thought for a moment and slowly nodded.

Penny Kalis went on, "Even though The Two Towers broke a hundred million in its opening weekend, there's no need for us to rush out and put on a high-profile show. Box office draw has never been an issue for your films, and the movie is excellent enough on its own. Warner's marketing and distribution doesn't need us to add this optional touch."

"The only one with enough prestige is The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Speaking of this program, Penny Kalis shook her head directly.

"Nearly ninety percent of that show's audience consists of housewives over the age of thirty-five. Perhaps others need the support of housewives, but your films, Duke..."

Duke couldn't help but laugh. His movies had never been a housewife's cup of tea. Nancy Josephson had warned him about this back in the early nineties—expecting older housewives to support his explosion-driven films was simply unrealistic.

No matter how good a film was, it could never appeal to the entire world. His movies were simply destined not to shine with the housewife demographic.

The fame The Oprah Winfrey Show could bring was entirely dispensable. Every program had its specific target audience, and for Duke right now, it was fundamentally like chicken ribs—offering little value, yet a pity to discard.

As for what Oprah Winfrey might think? With Duke's current status and position, he didn't need to care too much.

"I did receive one piece of news." Penny Kalis's expression suddenly turned serious. "Oprah Winfrey's people went to the Middle East and Northern Europe."

Duke frowned slightly. "What does she want to do?"

"It should be a measure aimed at your appearance on the show," Penny Kalis said. "Even if you refuse to participate, if she can invite the target person, she will still produce a sensational episode."

Anyone who watched The Oprah Winfrey Show could always see Oprah Winfrey's understanding and tolerant demeanor. After digging up a guest's supposed past and scars, she would cry along with them at the necessary moments. The hugs offered by her generous figure were even more famous.

But why was she always able to dig up the other side of celebrities? Did her words truly have magic?

Of course not!

As everyone knew, every episode was meticulously designed. Prior to this design, Oprah Winfrey's company and team would conduct a massive amount of targeted investigation. For instance, if a celebrity had been abused by their father since childhood, that father was highly likely to appear on the show and nakedly expose the guest's scars, after which she would jump out to play the role of a sympathizer or savior...

The Oprah Winfrey Show appeared to be a program very much endowed with a conscience, but like other media, the production and preparation process was as far removed from the word "conscience" as the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans combined.

Hearing what Penny Kalis said, Duke had already guessed what Oprah Winfrey wanted to do.

Although his mother never mentioned it and he had never investigated, Duke vaguely knew that his father seemed to bounce between Northern Europe and the Middle East.

But how difficult would it be for a talk show to invite someone who loathed public exposure and did not lack money?

Duke instructed Tina Fey to decline all the invitations, including the one from Oprah Winfrey, and promptly tossed the matter to the back of his mind. Even if Oprah Winfrey managed to invite his former father, he did not care. After all, the man had been missing for nearly thirty years.

If Oprah Winfrey could find him, all the better; Duke also wanted to see what the man looked like after not seeing him for thirty years.

Ending the discussion about television programs, Duke joined the cast and crew on a nationwide promotional tour to continue building momentum for The Two Towers. In every city they visited, the crew stirred up a tornado of frenzy, driving both the box office receipts and merchandise numbers ever higher.