Chapter 442: Divine Eagle Descends from Heaven

In the following days, despite receiving widespread negative reviews from both audiences and the media, Attack of the Clones relied on the influence of Star Wars and the momentum of its opening week to firmly suppress The Two Towers, which had been out for four weeks. Aside from strong performances on Memorial Day Monday, both films saw their daily box office drop below $10 million over the subsequent three weekdays.

The Two Towers in particular saw its massive moviegoing frenzy gradually cool down, with its daily weekday box office sliding under $5 million.

Entering the first weekend of June, although the box office gap between the two films remained massive—with Attack of the Clones claiming the weekend box office crown for a second week with an absolute advantage—their drop-off rates showed completely different trends.

The former had mediocre audience word-of-mouth, with a theatergoer approval rating of merely seventy-one percent and an emaScore audience grade of A-. This directly caused its second-weekend box office to dive by fifty-one percent, pulling in only $39.2 million.

Although The Two Towers earned less than half of that during the same weekend, compared to its fourth-weekend haul of $22.6 million, this weekend's $13.56 million represented a drop of only forty percent!

Keep in mind, Attack of the Clones had only been in theaters for two weekends, while The Two Towers had already reached its fifth.

Previously, many had pinned their hopes on the Star Wars Series to end Duke's unchallenged dominance of the Summer Season over the last few years. However, the box office trajectories of the two films proved with absolute clarity that their final North America and global box office numbers would not end up anywhere near the same level.

Even those outside the film industry could see that Attack of the Clones simply could not challenge The Two Towers in the box office market.

Duke and Ivanka's Australia vacation had also reached its end. The two met up with Tina Fey, who had flown in from New Zealand, and returned to Los Angeles together. However, upon exiting Los Angeles International Airport, they were besieged by reporters and paparazzi since they hadn't taken a private jet.

These maniacs even shouted for Duke and Ivanka to strike affectionate poses, eager for them to flaunt their romance for the cameras.

Unfortunately, neither Duke nor Ivanka had the slightest interest in doing so. They were vastly different from typical Hollywood couples. While their relationship was destined never to be low-profile, they had no interest in putting on a show. As for those couples who flaunted their romance in the media and in public, most people actually knew that their so-called affection was merely for show.

Duke didn't need to increase his exposure through such methods. Even though a director now needed to stand in front of the cameras most of the time, he had no interest in actively exposing his private life. Ivanka, on the other hand, was somewhat averse to becoming a star; her mind was focused much more on business.

Although Duke had never deliberately dodged the media back when he was playing the field, he was under no obligation to cooperate with them either.

Upon returning to Los Angeles, Ivanka began preparing to relocate her company. She ultimately chose Burbank City as the company's location. With Duke's coordination, she leased a small office building from Warner as their permanent address.

For the most part, Duke couldn't help with these matters. Besides, he had his own work to keep him busy. The visual effects production for Return of the King was nearing completion, and he needed to cut the rough edit down to his desired version.

Meanwhile, the already mediocre box office run of Attack of the Clones—which had enjoyed a mere two weeks of glory—was terminated by the newly released Spider-Man. Although this Marvel superhero film, produced and distributed by Sony Columbia Pictures, was slammed by countless critics upon release, it truly demonstrated the might of superhero movies.

Over its opening three-day weekend in North America, Spider-Man raked in $114.84 million, shattering the North American cinematic history record Duke had just set, and became only the second film in history to surpass $100 million in a single North American weekend.

However, while the impact this time was massive, the public uproar wasn't nearly as intense as it had been for The Two Towers. The reason was quite simple: the second film to break the hundred-million mark could never match the attention given to the pioneer who did it first.

That being said, The Two Towers didn't suffer much of an impact. After all, having played for over a month, both the film's screen share and its theater count had already dropped. Though both were massive blockbusters, assuming guaranteed film quality and marketing, there was no way a movie that had been out for a month could compete head-to-head with a brand-new release.

The explosive success of Spider-Man benefited not only Sony Columbia Pictures but also Marvel Comics. Peter Parker, along with Wolverine and his peers, instantly brought dazzling prominence to Marvel's superheroes. Countless film studios cast their eyes toward the Marvel Headquarters in New York. But after receiving Duke's investment, Marvel was not strapped for cash in the short term. In particular, the Ultimate Universe plan that Duke had tossed out left Marvel's higher-ups brimming with ambition, preparing to forge superhero films belonging to the Marvel brand.

Although this remained in the paper-planning stage, Marvel no longer wanted to sell off their children. Spider-Man and X-Men had already filled them with profound regret.

Riding the tailwind of Spider-Man, Marvel Pictures formally announced its establishment in mid-June. To be closer to Hollywood, Marvel specifically placed this film subsidiary's location in Burbank City. And with Duke's support, Kevin Feige became the first CEO of Marvel Pictures.

"Marvel has only one purpose in establishing a film company," Kevin Feige told the countless reporters at the press conference for the studio's founding. "To produce superhero movies that belong to Marvel. Our preliminary plan is to release our first superhero film within three to four years."

"May we ask about Marvel's specific plans?" a reporter immediately asked. "What is the first superhero movie?"

"We certainly have plans."

Just as Kevin Feige finished speaking, another reporter chimed in. "The film industry isn't the comic industry. Isn't Marvel venturing into the film industry too much of a risk?"

"We certainly know the risks involved, and we've developed a comprehensive plan to address them," Kevin Feige said, smoothly steering the topic toward Duke, who was seated beside him. "The entire plan comes from Director Rosenberg, and he will be one of the supervisors and executors of this whole cinematic endeavor. With Director Rosenberg on board, Marvel is full of confidence in our superhero films."

The reporters immediately turned their targets on Duke, but he chose to field a question from an old acquaintance.

Sarah from the Los Angeles Times asked the question they had already agreed upon in advance. "Could you reveal what Marvel Pictures' first superhero film will be?"

For Marvel Pictures, which was a complete novice in the field, the success or failure of its first superhero movie was of paramount importance. Thus, his answer came as no surprise.

"Tony Stark, Iron Man!" Duke announced.

"When is the earliest this film could be released?"

"We need three to four years to prepare!"

Marvel Pictures was a new company, and this was a series of plans. Rushing into production without making adequate preparations? Only amateurs would make that choice.

"Mr. Feige just mentioned that Marvel has a series of plans. May I ask what they are?"

"You'll see them when Iron Man hits theaters..."

After the press conference ended, there was a customary reception. The reception was held at the Annabel Hotel, which wasn't too far away.

This hotel was not only close to Marvel Pictures' headquarters, but it was also not far from the Warner Building—just a little over a mile away. Moreover, Doug Walter, who would be taking over as the CEO of Warner Brothers next month, had also arrived at the reception.

Even though Marvel and Warner's DC had a relationship of both cooperation and competition, they spent far more time competing. The two sides had been bitter rivals for decades.

Facing Marvel's largest shareholder and Warner Brothers' largest individual shareholder, Doug Walter felt rather helpless. "Duke, I don't even know what to say anymore. DC's Superman and Batman films are both waiting for salvation, yet you, a shareholder, have teamed up with Marvel."

Although his words weren't heavy, Duke still heard the dissatisfaction within them.

This was perfectly normal. Anyone about to step into the CEO seat would have some opinions on the matter.

"Doug, there are some things I originally wanted to wait until you became CEO to discuss in detail..." Duke began.

Just as he said this, someone came over to say hello. Duke had to cut off what he was saying to Doug Walter and exchange a few pleasantries with the newcomer. By the time he sent the person away and turned back, he saw that Doug Walter had his female companion intercept anyone coming to greet him. Evidently, he couldn't wait any longer.

Originally, Duke had wanted to wait until next month, when Doug Walter formally took over as CEO, to dive deep into matters regarding DC. But since the man was already confirmed for the position and had brought it up himself, he figured they might as well talk it out now.

However, this wasn't the place for a conversation.

Right beside them, Tina Fey had already called the hotel to request a private meeting room. Duke and Doug Walter lingered no longer; they left the banquet hall and walked straight into the meeting room.

The moment they sat down, Doug Walter spoke up with undisguised impatience. "Duke, do you have some ideas for DC's superheroes? Our superhero movies have been wallowing in obscurity for too long—so long that people have forgotten the glory they once created."

Before the new millennium, only Superman and Batman had achieved massive success among superhero films. It was just that both franchises had stumbled hard on their fourth installments. For the sake of the overall series, Warner Brothers had ultimately been forced to temporarily shelve them.

"I've been thinking about superhero movies ever since Batman and Robin failed," Duke said.

Hearing Duke's words, Doug Walter's eyes instantly lit up. "Does that mean you're interested in directing a superhero film?"

In his view, if anyone could save DC's comic adaptations, it was Duke.

"Doug, special effects technology is advancing at a blistering pace right now. It's becoming easier and easier to display superpowers on the big screen, and..." Duke explained briefly before continuing, "I believe that in the coming era, superhero films will become the mainstream of the market. Warner Brothers and DC should have a long-term, systematic plan for this!"