Chapter 450: Front Page Headline

Night cloaked the skies over New York. At the Times Company building on 8th Street in Manhattan, the lights still blazed in the early hours of the morning. A new week had begun. The New York Times was waiting for its final layout before being sent to printing plants across the country. Once dawn broke, it would appear before countless households and businesses.

As the editorial director of The New York Times, Dean Baquet determined the layout most of the time. Unless something extraordinary happened, executive editor Howell Raines generally didn't interfere with his work.

As the time edged toward two in the morning, Dean Baquet roughly reviewed the newspaper's layout and breathed a slight sigh of relief. Today's work was coming to an end, and he could finally go home to rest.

"Amanda!" Dean Baquet called his assistant in and instructed, "Have someone take..."

Before he could finish, the office door was suddenly pushed open. Dean Baquet frowned slightly, ready to voice his displeasure, but immediately swallowed it when he saw who had walked in.

It was executive editor Howell Raines. For him to visit at this hour, Dean Baquet was certain it wasn't for a casual chat.

Sure enough, Howell Raines asked directly, "What's the front page headline?"

"Prince William traveling to Afghanistan to support the troops..." Dean Baquet waved a hand at his assistant.

Amanda was very observant and immediately stepped out.

"Pull that news from the front page headline," Howell Raines said, leaving no room for negotiation. "Put it on page two!"

"Is there breaking news?"

Though he didn't object, Dean Baquet found it a bit strange. What could possibly grab more attention than Prince William supporting the troops?

"News I just received." Howell Raines wasn't an overly dictatorial person, so he offered a brief explanation. "Duke Rosenberg and his movie. They've opened a new chapter for North American cinema. A brand new era has been born!"

Dean Baquet immediately understood what the executive editor was talking about. He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"I want Duke Rosenberg and The Two Towers on the headline!" he shouted. "Listen closely. Not the front page of the entertainment section! The front page headline of The New York Times!"

Although The New York Times was a daily newspaper published in New York, America, it was distributed across the entire country and even the world. It held considerable influence and was one of the top choices for newspaper subscriptions for many companies. Universal Pictures was also among its audience.

Walking into his office, Ron Meyer tossed his copy of The New York Times onto the desk. He sat down and pressed the intercom.

"Has Michael Ovitz arrived yet?" he asked.

"He arrived ten minutes ago. He's currently in the lounge."

Hearing his secretary's reply, Ron Meyer immediately said, "Send him in!"

Even though their relationship had ruptured after their time as founding elders of CAA, it didn't affect the collaboration between Universal Pictures and Artists Management Company. Moreover, Ron Meyer understood Michael Ovitz's capabilities; the massive success of their previous collaborative project, Fast & Furious, proved exactly that.

The two sides were currently collaborating on a major project with an investment exceeding $150 million. In the face of such a massive investment, personal conflicts amounted to nothing.

But looking at that number on the front page headline of The New York Times, and then recalling the release date Michael Ovitz had suggested for Van Helsing, Ron Meyer simply couldn't trust him blindly.

Someone knocked lightly on the door. Michael Ovitz pushed it open, walked in, and sat down directly across from him.

The two had once been friends, only to later become enemies. Now that they were working together in partnership, there was no room for pleasantries; they merely nodded to each other.

"Michael," Ron Meyer said, not wanting to waste words as he cut straight to the chase, "have you seen last weekend's box office data?"

Michael Ovitz nodded gently.

Raising his voice slightly, Ron Meyer asked, "Do you still think Van Helsing should be scheduled for release next May?"

"Have a little faith in yourself, Ron!" Michael Ovitz didn't seem to have any intention of giving up. "Our movie might not necessarily fail to shake Duke Rosenberg! Yes, his performance in the Summer Season has been outstanding, but don't forget that Stephen Sommers has also achieved massive success in the Summer Season two times in a row. His ability to direct fantasy is second to none!"

Ovitz spoke slowly, but with supreme confidence. "Hugh Jackman is already an A-list actor, and one with incredibly strong box office appeal at that. Our total investment is as high as $160 million, and the main characters in the film are famous figures like Count Dracula..."

"Stop right there, Michael!" Ron Meyer grabbed the copy of The New York Times and threw it directly in front of him. "Nothing you say is more convincing than the numbers on here!"

Michael Ovitz's bold words instantly died in his throat. Indeed, no matter how much he talked, it was all just a joke in the face of Duke Rosenberg's epoch-making box office numbers.

He sighed softly, his eyes falling on the front page headline of The New York Times.

"A Great Moment Forged by a Director! A New Era Created by a Movie!"

"In recent years, the North American film industry has developed rapidly, and the market capacity has continued to expand. This has also forged directors with extremely outstanding commercial achievements like James Cameron and Duke Rosenberg. The latter in particular has boundless creative energy, with a new movie coming out almost every year. The fantasy craze stirred up by The Fellowship of the Ring last year hasn't even passed yet, and The Two Towers, which opened last weekend, has already set another magnificent record!"

"Over the past three-day weekend, The Two Towers grossed $103.03 million in North America, thereby becoming the first film in North America to break $100 million at the weekend box office. Duke Rosenberg has also become the first person to achieve this feat..."

Reading up to this point, Michael Ovitz looked away. He really didn't want to read the rest of the flattering words that followed.

"Greatness, glory, super director..."

He truly didn't want to see words like these!

"Over $100 million in its opening week!" Ron Meyer spoke up again, his voice gradually growing louder. "And it earned that $100 million while under siege by your Artists Management Company, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney, and several other companies. Doesn't that tell you something?"

He didn't give Ovitz a chance to speak. "If it weren't for our online siege, how much would the box office for The Two Towers have been?"

Thinking of this, Ron Meyer felt thoroughly humiliated. So many companies had participated in the online siege, whether overtly or covertly, yet Duke Rosenberg had still fought his way out and set such a terrifying box office record. It was simply a vicious slap across all their faces!

Why wouldn't Duke Rosenberg just fail? Michael Ovitz's brows furrowed tightly. He desperately wanted to teach that young man a profound lesson, only...

"Michael, I don't want to say anything discouraging," Ron Meyer said, having already made his decision. "But! From the box office data, to the market response, to the number of supporters, what does Stephen Sommers have to compare to Duke Rosenberg? You don't honestly think he can defeat Duke Rosenberg, do you?"

If Michael Ovitz still claimed that a work produced by Stephen Sommers could go head-to-head with Duke Rosenberg, he and Universal Pictures would definitely figure out a way to kick Artists Management Company out of the picture.

Because that would likely mean one of two things: either Michael Ovitz had turned into an idiot, or he had been severely compromised by his personal grudge against Duke Rosenberg.

Michael Ovitz was deeply unwilling to accept this. He had done so much, yet he still couldn't stop the man. He had mobilized such immense power—half of Hollywood had even participated in the online war—but the opposing party's film still became a massive hit, and a record-breaking one at that...

Ron Meyer stopped beating around the bush and said, "Van Helsing absolutely will not be released anywhere near Return of the King's timeframe. There's no room for negotiation on this."

He bluntly drove his guest away. "That's all for today, Michael."

'Van Helsing must be kept as far away from that Summer Season madman's movie as possible!' This was the only thought Ron Meyer had right now.

When a movie became a massive blockbuster, it would inevitably damage some people's interests, but it would also bring profits to others.

The Two Towers had exploded in its opening week. Including the $4.07 million earned from advance screenings, it had already raked in $107.1 million in North America. This severely squeezed the box office performance of other films released during the same period. The Eye, which ranked second on the box office charts for the same weekend, only managed to bring in a little over $17 million.

Such a box office ratio directly caused theater chains to make decisions that heavily favored The Two Towers.

Similarly, on Monday morning, AMG's weekly meeting kicked off at its headquarters, and there was only one focus of discussion—The Two Towers.

"I only have one recommendation!"

As the vice president in charge of theater operations, Lynch was a staunch supporter of The Two Towers. In fact, pretty much everyone in the entire conference room was a supporter of The Two Towers.

"Wherever there is an AMG Cinema Line, there will be screens showing The Two Towers!" he declared. "All of AMG Cinema Line will join the ranks of those screening The Two Towers!"

No one voiced any objections; instead, voices of support echoed continuously.

"Our theater chain should continue to increase the screen share for The Two Towers. I feel that a 70 percent screen share is still too conservative. Eighty percent or even higher is the appropriate choice!"

Another executive chimed in, "According to the news I received before the meeting, Regal Entertainment hasn't just committed its commercial and art house theaters—they've already raised their screen share to 78 percent. We have to move fast!"

"That's right, I agree with continuing to increase the screen share."

And it wasn't just the screen share. Amidst the flurry of discussion, the top executives at AMG also decided that before Star Wars Prequel: Attack of the Clones was released, they wouldn't reduce the number of theaters screening The Two Towers by even a single one!