Chapter 467: The Ultimate Tearjerker

As April arrived and the release of Return of the King drew closer, Duke adopted a much higher profile. He made frequent media appearances and constantly dropped new updates online through his personal website and Instant Sharing account. Even though The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers had already built massive hype for the finale, he couldn't afford to slack off on marketing during this critical pre-release window.

Duke also sat down for exclusive media interviews. With the internet's ever-growing influence, he didn't just stick to traditional outlets—he specifically hosted a live interview broadcast online.

As for the host platform, he naturally kept it in the family and chose the Instant Sharing website.

Although the interview was conducted entirely through text and images, the live broadcast easily attracted nearly 800,000 participants. Opportunities to ask questions and interact directly with a top Hollywood director were rare.

During the final interactive Q&A segment, traffic on the Instant Sharing website spiked to nearly a million users!

Naturally, Duke couldn't answer everyone, so the site selected a handful of questions.

"Duke, do you go online often?"

"Of course. The internet is an essential hub for me to track fan trends and understand what audiences want. Plus, I actually read the comments you leave on my personal website and Instant Sharing. For example, after the Oscars, I saw everyone speaking up on my behalf. I want to thank you all for your support!"

This response triggered a flood of replies.

"Duke has been paying attention to us all along!"

"He actually sees what we're saying."

Skipping past those comments, the host selected another question.

"The DVDs and the released trailers both show epic battle scenes. Will they surpass the Battle of Helm's Deep?"

"Compared to the Siege of Minas Tirith, the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and the final Battle of the Black Gate in Return of the King, Helm's Deep was just an appetizer."

"Could you share some behind-the-scenes secrets with us?"

"Let me think... ah, I have one. When filming wrapped, the main cast all received gifts from me. For example, Viggo Mortensen took Aragorn's sword, and Orlando Bloom got Legolas's bow. Andy Serkis and Elijah Wood each received a prop pendant of The One Ring. To this day, both of them still think they got the only one..."

The online interview lasted a full three hours. It didn't just draw in ordinary fans; many reporters from traditional media outlets also logged in with Instant Sharing accounts to secure firsthand scoops. At its peak, the site's traffic surged past the one million mark.

It was, without a doubt, a win-win event.

However, Duke was just one cog in Warner Brothers' massive promotional machine.

With three weeks left until the release of Return of the King, Warner Brothers and the New Zealand Government co-hosted a massive Lord of the Rings parade in the capital city of Wellington. Over 5,000 people participated directly in the march, and every actor from the fellowship made an appearance. The sheer scale of the parade, along with the massive crowds of spectators and tourists it attracted, even eclipsed New Zealand's National Day parade.

Originally, the New Zealand Government had tried to secure the global premiere of Return of the King. But Duke wasn't Peter Jackson, that portly New Zealander. Whether weighing overall influence or considering practical promotional impact, he kept the film's premiere firmly in North America.

North America was his stronghold, as well as the largest box office market in the world.

Even so, the New Zealand Government continued to cooperate enthusiastically with The Lord of the Rings Studio. The reason was simple: since The Fellowship of the Ring premiered, the number of international tourists flocking to New Zealand had more than tripled!

This staggering growth motivated the New Zealand Government to throw its full weight behind the crew's promotional efforts.

Barely a week after the grand parade in New Zealand, right around late April, Warner Brothers deployed a massive ultimate weapon.

"Welcome to the NBC Television Network. The song featured in this broadcast is from the upcoming Return of the King..."

Brad Miller had known from the commercials that an important Return of the King program would air tonight, so he had camped out in front of his television early. The host's long-winded rambling was rather annoying, but fortunately, they didn't drag it out for too long.

"That's right, this is the theme song for Return of the King. Please enjoy The Last Goodbye!"

The Last Goodbye?

Just hearing that title made Brad Miller's heart skip a beat. It was true—Return of the King was the final chapter of the trilogy. The series that had accompanied them for three years was about to bid them a final farewell this summer!

"I saw the light fade from the sky, on the wind I heard a sigh, as the snowflakes cover my fallen brothers, I will say this last goodbye..."

The gentle humming drifted out, the vocals carrying a faint sorrow that inevitably made listeners recall scenes of parting with their own friends and loved ones.

Then, the screen lit up, and familiar characters and scenes appeared one after another.

Frodo Baggins flashed an innocent and kind smile, yet he shouldered the crushing burden of The One Ring as he embarked on his arduous journey.

Sam was a hobbit of few words, yet he always managed to lend Frodo a hand at the most critical moments.

Merry and Pippin were two troublemakers, but when the time called for bravery, they were never lacking in courage.

Aragorn's face was weathered by hardship; the death of Boromir had set him firmly on the path of the king's return.

Legolas was agile and ethereal, Gimli was fiery and brave, Gandalf was wise and steadfast...

Listening to the song and watching the flashing images, a deep reluctance to let go welled up in Brad Miller's heart. Was this three-year companionship really coming to an end? Was this magical journey truly over? Why was he feeling so much sorrow...

"Many places I have been, many sorrows I have seen, but I don't regret, nor will I forget, all who took that road with me...

Though we traveled this road together, the party is over."

Amidst vocals heavy with the sorrow of parting, the footage shifted from the actors on screen to the behind-the-scenes crew. This was a genuine farewell, filmed right after shooting wrapped. One by one, the actors walked up and shared deep embraces with the young director. None of them wanted to leave; it seemed none of them wanted to cut this magical journey short.

However, no matter how long the road, it had to have an end. Even though they had traveled it together, the party is over!

The vocals combined with the visuals made for an absolute tearjerker. At nearly fifty years old, Brad Miller could obviously see the blatant emotional manipulation, but he was more than willing to let himself get swept away by it. He couldn't bear the thought of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy ending here. He needed to taste more of Middle-earth's fantasy. He wanted this series to go on forever!

Saying goodbye was easy in theory, but when it actually stood right in front of him, he realized how difficult it truly was!

The final chapter of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy had finally arrived!

When the song ended and Frodo closed the parchment book, the screen faded completely to black. Brad Miller suddenly felt a lump form in his chest—a mix of anticipation, reluctance, and a bitter ache...

His favorite film series was really ending!

How could it end so quickly? It felt like it had only just begun, yet he suddenly realized they had already reached the final chapter...

And it wasn't just Brad Miller. Duke's carefully crafted music video was pushed out to every corner of the globe at an insane speed via television networks and online video platforms.

In New York, after Laura watched it, she picked up the phone with red eyes, calling her friends and classmates to organize a group trip to an advance screening!

In Los Angeles, Chrissy—who had once protested against The Lord of the Rings—now desperately wished they could keep filming so it would never have to end!

In Britain, David quietly wiped away his tears, swearing that even if the end of the world arrived, he would still walk into a theater!

In France, Nasri rushed out onto the streets, screaming and shouting to vent his reluctance to say goodbye!

In Japan, Nakamura Senjiro decided he wouldn't touch a single adult film for the next few weeks, all to ensure he had enough energy to welcome the finale!

In New Zealand, after Patterson finished the music video, he decided to revisit all the filming locations one more time before the movie premiered!

In Brazil, Renato pulled out all his saved-up coins, calculating exactly how many times he could afford to see it!

While doing these things, they were all simultaneously engaging in one shared action: calling to book tickets for Return of the King!

The Summer Season hadn't even started yet, but the theater chains were already plunging into a frenzy of activity.

At AMG headquarters, Lynch, who oversaw the theater chain operations, was screaming into the phone, "I don't care what methods you use! On the official opening day of May 2nd, the theater counts and screen share for all other films must be reduced to the absolute minimum allowed by their contracts! I want AMG to pour every available resource into Return of the King! Don't tell me you can't see the profits this movie is going to bring the company!"

Far away at the Regal Entertainment Group headquarters, the newly appointed CEO, Rodriguez, was assigning similar tasks to his subordinates.

"There is only one principle: anywhere there's a theater owned by the Regal Group, Return of the King must be playing! I don't care if it's an arthouse theater or a commercial one. Single-screen theaters will only screen Return of the King! Multiplexes must dedicate no fewer than three screens to Return of the King! Regal Entertainment Group's auditoriums with the most seats and the most advanced facilities will all be allocated to Return of the King!"

The three largest theater chains in America completely ignored calls from other film studios or talent agencies. All those subtle hints and suggestions fell on deaf ears. Even an idiot could see that after the hype generated by The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, market anticipation for Return of the King had reached an absolute peak. This film was bound to bring astronomical profits to the theater companies!

"The theater companies are all actively cooperating." Doug Walter, the new CEO of Warner Brothers, beamed a particularly radiant smile at Duke. "We hardly have to do any work at all."

Duke remained calm. Theater companies were just like film studios—they were sharks that only moved when they smelled blood.

"How many theaters do we have this time?" he asked.

"4,013!" Doug Walter said, visibly thrilled. "This is the first film in North America to open in over 4,000 theaters! Even for the advance screenings, we have 3,000 locations lined up!"

Similarly, Return of the King didn't hold any test screenings. It employed a release strategy identical to that of The Two Towers. Furthermore, outside of North America, the film would premiere simultaneously in over 70 countries and regions across Asia, Europe, Australia, and Latin America.

A knock suddenly echoed on the door. Tina Fey pushed it open, walked in, and said to Duke, "I just got some news. After the press event ended last night, Orlando Bloom was beaten up!"