Chapter 445: Breaking His Own Record

Sitting up gently and draping a shirt over her shoulders, Ivanka turned to look beside her. Duke was still fast asleep. She knew dealing with reporters last night had taken a lot out of him, so she didn't disturb him. She simply watched him with a sweet smile before tiptoeing out of bed. She went into the en suite to wash up, changed her clothes, and headed straight downstairs.

Because it was so early, the villa was completely quiet. Ivanka walked over to the computer by the floor-to-ceiling windows and booted it up, ready to check the reception for The Two Towers.

She didn't bother checking Duke's personal website. That was a fan hub; she knew without looking that it would be flooded with praise.

Opening Google, Ivanka did a quick search and navigated to IMDB. The Two Towers poster was displayed prominently on the homepage, and without hesitation, she clicked it.

The first thing she saw was the film's rating. With the advance and midnight screenings already concluded, a substantial number of users had weighed in. The page showed 25,788 reviewers, and the average score for The Two Towers sat at a whopping 9.6!

"This is perfectly normal, isn't it?" Ivanka murmured to herself with a slight smile.

She scrolled down. Many of the users had left reviews, including several veteran movie buffs.

"The transitions between the storylines in The Two Towers utilize classical montage techniques; the final shot of the preceding arc visually flows right into the opening shot of the next."

"In terms of character development, the film is full of highlights—Frodo's temptation by The One Ring and his psychological struggle add immense depth to the character, but the true standout is the newly introduced Gollum."

"The action scenes aren't as frequent or densely packed as in the first film, but the climactic Battle of Helm's Deep certainly doesn't disappoint. Its sheer scale is worth the price of admission alone. The sequence captures the full scope of the battlefield without neglecting the visceral details of clashing swords. The composition of the wide shots is absolutely majestic; it makes you hold your breath and forget that so much of what's on screen is actually just computer animation."

These were very fair assessments. Ivanka continued scrolling and saw that Duke's die-hard fans had flooded the comments.

"A groundbreaking masterpiece of fantasy cinema!"

"The visuals are so spectacular they demand repeat viewings."

"Even though I don't typically enjoy fantasy films, I have to admit the Battle of Helm's Deep was thrilling."

"This sequel bridges the story perfectly. The combat scenes are just right—epic in scale but never exhausting. While the dramatic scenes run a bit long, the story has fully unfolded, setting the stage perfectly for the final chapter."

"After watching the first one, how could I miss the second? And how could I possibly miss the third one next year!"

"The pre-dawn darkness in The Two Towers, the desperate siege defense, and the complexity and courage unique to humanity—it moved me to tears!"

"Director Duke Rosenberg is an absolute prodigy. He showcased his extraordinary talent in this installment, making the narratively challenging Two Towers flow smoothly and naturally, while leaving audiences full of anticipation for the rest of the story."

Footsteps echoed from the stairs. Ivanka turned to see Tina Fey walking down from the second floor, a document in her hand. It was likely a newly received fax.

"Morning, Evie."

"Morning, Tina."

After exchanging greetings, Tina Fey placed the document on the coffee table, looked over, and asked, "Is Duke still in bed?"

"Yeah, he's still sleeping," Ivanka said with a nod. "He dealt with too many reporters yesterday and wore himself out."

It wasn't just yesterday's reporters. She knew perfectly well that in the lead-up to the premiere, Duke had been constantly running around making appearances and promoting the film. His schedule was overwhelmingly packed. Even though she had arrived in Los Angeles three days ago, she had barely seen him.

If the premiere hadn't been held in Los Angeles, Duke might not even be sleeping in Duke Manor right now.

Ivanka was well aware of Duke's work ethic. It was only after the film officially premiered last night that he could finally relax a little.

The pressure of being a director was truly immense. It was no wonder Anna Printz didn't want to direct a film solo; that level of stress was genuinely terrifying for a female director.

"Tina," Ivanka asked, looking at the document. "Are those the latest statistics?"

"Yeah, The Lord of the Rings Studio faxed this over early this morning." Tina Fey picked up the document and walked over. "I've been exhausted these past few days too. I overslept and only saw it just now."

With that, she stepped over to Ivanka and handed the document to her.

It wasn't a trade secret. Ivanka took it, quickly flipped through the pages, and let out a heavy sigh.

"No surprises at all!"

Tina Fey pulled up a nearby chair, sat down, and shrugged. "Isn't a lack of surprises a good thing?"

Ivanka gave a slight nod, then heard more footsteps. Duke was walking down the stairs dressed in sportswear, seemingly getting ready for his usual jog around the garden.

"Hi, honey." Ivanka immediately stood up and walked over to him. "Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"

"I couldn't sleep." Duke rubbed his forehead as he came down the stairs. "My biological clock woke me up."

He continued toward the door. "I'm going for a run... actually, I'll just go for a walk today."

"I'll go with you." Ivanka followed him, bringing the statistical data along with her.

The two crossed the stone path in front of the villa and entered the garden. Following a small trail lined with palm trees, they headed toward the beach. The rising sun had just climbed above the treetops and had yet to bake the cool sea breeze, making it a rare, perfect time for being outdoors.

"Faxed over from The Lord of the Rings Studio," Ivanka said, gesturing with the document, though she made no move to hand it to him. "Want to hear it, honey?"

Duke pointed to his ear. "Looks like I get to give my eyes a break from now on."

Ivanka smiled, stepping off the trail and heading over to a wooden table beneath a pavilion. She sat down in a wicker chair and opened the document. Duke followed and sat across from her.

"On the theatrical side, 27,662 people submitted survey feedback. The positive rating is 96 percent, and the emaScore is an A+."

Pausing, Ivanka looked up curiously. "What's emaScore?"

"emaScore is a market research company based in Las Vegas. It surveys audience ratings after they've watched a movie, and the resulting reports serve as a basis for predicting box office revenue. The highest grade is an A+, and the lowest is an F."

After his brief explanation, Duke added, "It's a professional research firm that has grown very rapidly in recent years. The data it releases is one of the key indicators theaters and distribution companies use to make adjustments."

Ivanka nodded and continued reading the stats for Duke. "Rotten Tomatoes has collected 48 professional reviews, with a freshness rating of 78 percent. Quite a few critics gave negative reviews, including big names like Roger Ebert and David Denby."

She deliberately blinked at him. "Do you want to hear their reviews, honey?"

"I'm not in the habit of torturing my own ears," Duke said, waving a hand. "Tell me about the rest."

"Alright then." Ivanka knew perfectly well that Duke didn't care about the critics' opinions anyway. "The popcorn audience score is 94 percent, and MetaCritic compiled scores from 77 entertainment journalists for an average of 88."

Duke knew exactly what such high audience and market indices meant.

Sure enough, Ivanka stopped keeping him in suspense and stated directly, "Yesterday, across 2,145 advance screening theaters, the average attendance rate was 84 percent. It brought in 4.07 million dollars at the box office, averaging over 1,800 dollars per screen!"

Duke pinched his chin. Following the massive explosion of The Fellowship of the Ring, both he and Warner had somewhat anticipated this result. Even though the advance screenings hadn't utilized every single theater, the chains were extremely confident in the film. Nearly every screening of The Two Towers was held in the largest auditoriums available; otherwise, they wouldn't have achieved such an outstanding advance box office.

"Congratulations, honey." Ivanka's voice pulled Duke from his thoughts. "The Two Towers has broken your midnight screening box office record!"

"What?" Duke hadn't quite caught that.

"Across 3,876 midnight screening locations, The Two Towers pulled in 9.89 million dollars, shattering the previous record of 9.47 million set by The Fellowship of the Ring!"

"That is great news!" Duke gently squeezed Ivanka's hand. "We should head back and have a drink to celebrate."

"Sorry, I'm on a diet lately." Ivanka offered an apologetic smile. "Alcohol is strictly forbidden!"

"Evie, you don't have to do that."

Duke was well aware that Ivanka had always been self-conscious about a comment he'd once made regarding her figure. Because of that, working out, dieting, and weight loss had never disappeared from her daily schedule.

Ivanka completely ignored his input on the matter. "It's something I want to do."

She checked her wristwatch, grabbed Duke's hand, and pulled him to his feet. "It's about time. Let's go back and have breakfast. You need regular meals and rest."

The two walked back arm in arm, but they hadn't gone far when they saw Tina Fey hurrying toward them, clearly bearing urgent news.

"Did something happen, Tina?" Duke asked.

Tina Fey caught her breath and quickly said, "Nancy, Penny, and The Lord of the Rings Studio all called. A massive wave of negative reviews for The Two Towers suddenly exploded online. Not only are they flooding IMDB, but they're also threatening to spread to other sites. Even your personal website has been bombarded with tons of bad reviews!"

Her words instantly caught Duke's attention. He quickened his pace back toward the villa. The internet could make a movie, but it could also exert a tremendously negative impact on one.

Ivanka followed closely behind, finding a moment to ask Tina Fey, "I just checked IMDB a little while ago. While there were negative reviews, they were very rare."

"They were all posted just now while you two were on your walk," Tina Fey replied. "A massive cluster showing up in a very short span of time!"