Chapter 458: The Matrix Strikes

"This is Warner Television reporting from the Mann Village Theater in Westwood. Right behind me, the highly anticipated premiere of Matrix Reloaded is underway..." The camera panned to the red carpet as the reporter provided a voiceover.

"It's a star-studded event today. Lead actor Keanu Reeves has arrived to drum up excitement, and his waves to the fans have pushed the crowd to a fever pitch. Lead actress Charlize Theron's gorgeous entrance has driven the male audience wild..."

"Other cast members such as Hugo Weaving, Monica Bellucci, and Jada Smith are also attending the premiere. Jada Smith is accompanied by her husband, Will Smith—a true case of the wife singing and the husband following. Additionally, many stars and directors have already appeared on the red carpet, including Demi Moore, George Clooney, and Steven Soderbergh. The sheer appeal of this film is clearly irresistible."

"We've learned that Keanu Reeves's most iconic scene in Matrix Reloaded involves him taking on a hundred Agent Smith clones all by himself. To prepare for this battle, Reeves underwent twelve weeks of intensive training with twelve martial arts choreographers. He confidently stated in an interview that his action scenes are much better than in the first film."

"This battle features over 700 continuous combat moves. Director Zack Snyder demanded that the choreography be not only thrilling but also hard-hitting. To fuse violence with aesthetics, Keanu Reeves, action choreographer Tiger Chen, and his stunt team worked tirelessly for months. After shooting, Reeves spent almost every day soaking in an ice bath to soothe his muscle fatigue."

"When filming the first movie, Keanu Reeves and the other main cast members underwent nearly six months of combat training. By the time they returned to training for Matrix Reloaded, everyone was mentally prepared. Director Zack Snyder claimed that the training for Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions was several times harder than for the first installment, with far more combat and special effects sequences."

"Zack Snyder has long served as Duke Rosenberg's deputy, and their filmmaking philosophies are perfectly aligned. The Matrix sequel, which he took over, received unanimous praise from media and audiences in test screenings, earning an A+ rating from theaters and viewers alike. It seems this sequel won't disappoint the Matrix fans who have waited so long..."

Duke had arrived relatively early. After reaching the interview area, he and Ivanka stood mostly in the back. The Matrix was already a resounding brand, and as merely the producer, he had no need to stand at the front and steal the spotlight from the cast and director.

Besides, the cast and crew were truly going all out to build hype and catch the public's eye.

Monica Bellucci and Jada Smith staged a black-and-white kiss. Their passionate French kiss drove the media and audience nearly insane. Twin actors the Lamont Brothers performed close-quarters combat on the spot, demonstrating their unique synergy with perfectly synchronized movements. Guardian angel Zou Zhaolong executed a jumping 360-degree flying kick in front of countless cameras, drawing cries of "Awesome!" from the crowd...

As for the leads, Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron, they didn't have to do a thing. These two currently scorching A-list stars just had to stand there to trigger wild cheers from their fans.

"Let's head inside."

After the cast and crew took a group photo, Duke took Ivanka's hand and led the way, entering the theater and heading toward the VIP lounge.

Duke had seen Matrix Reloaded long ago and wasn't worried about the film. Setting aside the expectations built up by the first movie, he and Zack Snyder had worked together for years. While their creative philosophies weren't identical, they were extremely close. The final theatrical cut had stronger commercial elements, while the deliberately mystifying aspects were kept brief. The so-called philosophical discussions never went beyond the level of the first installment.

In this world, ninety-nine percent of the time, the simpler a movie's plot, the less film critics liked it, yet the more easily it achieved commercial success.

Both Duke and Zack Snyder understood this very well.

Especially Duke. Holding final cut privilege, he was absolutely not going to let the film follow in the footsteps of the Wachowski Siblings.

No one could deny that many directors cared deeply about professional reviews from film critics. The Wachowski Siblings were likely among them. After their initial success, the duo had let the critics' praise go to their heads. In some ways, they were even led astray by that rather narrow circle of critics.

The works the siblings later wrote and directed, from V for Vendetta to Cloud Atlas, enjoyed quite decent professional reputations, but their market reception was mediocre at best. Mainstream audiences largely refused to buy in, trapping them in a vicious cycle of high critical praise and low commercial returns. In the end, they had no choice but to coast on the legacy of The Matrix.

They weren't the first directors to be led astray by critics, nor would they be the last.

Ultimately, a stellar professional reputation was useless if a director's films couldn't generate actual profits. Without that, it was impossible to secure investment from production companies.

In all of Hollywood, directors like Duke who invested in their own films were exceedingly rare. Whether it was top-tier directors like James Cameron and Steven Spielberg, or obscure B-movie directors, most followed the unspoken rule of the directing circle: a director never invests in the movie they are shooting.

The majority of Hollywood directors would rather invest in the stock market, real estate, or other industries than put a single dollar into their own productions.

To put it bluntly, making a movie was, in a sense, akin to gambling.

Upon entering the VIP lounge, Duke had just finished a brief round of greetings when Steven Soderbergh walked over.

"I never got around to thanking you," the bald director said amiably. Though his face wore its usual smileless expression, his tone carried a touch of warmth. "If there's ever anything you need, just say the word."

"You're too polite, Steven," Duke replied courteously, aligning himself with the man. "We're both victims here."

"Yeah, Duke is right." George Clooney walked over just then. "We're all victims here."

With that, he offered a hand to Ivanka. "Hello, Miss Trump. A pleasure to meet you."

Ivanka shook his hand lightly. "Hello, George. Nice to meet you too."

Unlike George Clooney, Steven Soderbergh was a relatively quiet man. After exchanging a few more words, he excused himself. Clooney, on the other hand, was highly conversational, and his words carried a faint undertone of currying favor with Duke.

This actor, who now exuded the faint aura of an A-list star, had weathered quite a rocky career. His rapidly ascending trajectory in the nineties was nearly destroyed by Batman and Robin. It wasn't until last year's Ocean's Eleven, when he latched onto Steven Soderbergh's coattails, that he completely shook off his slump.

Frankly speaking, Duke didn't like him very much. In the future, George Clooney would resemble a politician more than an actor. His films and market appeal were only part of the reason he was able to become an A-list star.

Much like winning Best Actor or Actress at the Oscars, there were many ways to become and remain an A-list star. For instance, Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron used fashion to maintain their presence. George Clooney, however, had chosen a much easier path to success for male actors: using politics to elevate his prestige.

Of course, it wasn't impossible that he harbored thoughts of becoming the next Ronald Reagan.

Similar to Harrison Ford, George Clooney possessed an extensive network in the political sphere. Duke had no conflict of interest with him; even if Duke disliked him due to some past viewpoints, there was no need to make an enemy out of him.

If Duke used the stances and viewpoints of his past life as a measuring stick to choose sides, then practically all of Hollywood would be his enemy.

Standing in his current position, Duke knew exactly what course of action best served his interests.

"Oh, right, I haven't congratulated you yet, Duke." George Clooney was quite smart, keeping the conversation strictly on film matters. "The Two Towers is a massive hit at the box office and in merchandise. It's definitely going to surpass The Fellowship of the Ring in the end."

"Thank you." Duke smiled and nodded at him.

After chatting for a bit longer, George Clooney tactfully excused himself.

Later, Demi Moore, Mickey Rourke, and others came over to say hello. Eventually, all of them brought up the box office and merchandise sales of The Two Towers. After all, no matter how you looked at it, Duke's film was bound to be the biggest winner of the summer season.

Following the release of Spider-Man, the box office numbers for The Two Towers had steadily declined, but they still maintained a solid baseline. Over the past three-plus weeks, it had grossed nearly 60 million dollars, bringing its cumulative North American box office to 436.79 million dollars and its global total to a staggering 995.22 million dollars.

The momentum and drop-off rate of this fantasy epic were extremely healthy. Even the bookmakers in Las Vegas had stopped accepting wagers on The Two Towers hitting 500 million dollars in North America and 1.1 billion dollars globally as early as half a month ago.

People both inside and outside the industry could see it clearly: The Two Towers was destined to surpass The Fellowship of the Ring at both the North American and global box offices. In the eyes of professional media like the Hollywood Reporter, it had already locked in its spot as this year's box office champion domestically and worldwide.

As for merchandise, even though a majority of the licensing rights had already been sold during The Fellowship of the Ring—resulting in a sharp decline in new licensing revenue—the sales volume of various products remained astounding. Over the span of two months, global merchandise sales had climbed incredibly close to 400 million dollars!

By now, a consensus had long since formed in Hollywood: the profit margins on merchandise were far higher than those at the box office.

Speaking of merchandise, one had to mention one of the current major pillars of Hollywood cinema: DVDs.

By the time the Oscars rolled around, The Fellowship of the Ring had sold over 24.2 million disc sets globally, racking up a staggering 497.3 million dollars in sales!

Later, the rest of the cast and crew entered the lounge. Before long, everyone in the room began filtering into the theater auditorium. The Matrix was striking once again!