Chapter 476: Ink to Render Dreams

Due to time zone differences, the simultaneous global release rolled out in stages. But after Friday and Saturday's explosive screenings, The Lord of the Rings 3: The Return of the King ignited a phenomenal moviegoing craze around the world. From Japan to Mexico, from Sweden to Brazil, from Russia to Australia, audiences were stunned by humanity's courage to fight to the death and awed by the majestic, sweeping spectacle.

The media never missed a hot topic, and The Lord of the Rings 3: The Return of the King quickly became the subject of glowing reviews from press outlets worldwide.

"Every film in the Lord of the Rings series has been excellent, but The Return of the King reaches the absolute pinnacle of classic cinema. Key characters are elevated, the battle scenes are even more intense, and the emotional layers are deeper and more moving."

—New Zealand's New Zealand Herald

"It is rare for the third installment of a trilogy to be its best. The epic conflicts, stunning battles, outstanding landscapes and visual effects, and resolute characters give this nearly nine-hour masterpiece a perfect conclusion."

—Britain's The Times

"Every cinematic scene crafted by the unseen elf, Duke Rosenberg, shows us its brilliance. Never has a filmmaker aimed so high and achieved so much!"

—Spain's Madrid Daily

"The Return of the King might be the most astonishing masterpiece in epic cinema. Duke Rosenberg spent seven years creating an unparalleled, magnificent work. This is not just a film; it is a gift—the greatest gift to movie fans all over the world!"

—France's Le Figaro

"Though The Return of the King tells a simple story, the impact it delivers is truly unparalleled, especially its visuals, its score, and its epic clashes of tens of thousands. The individual stories surrounding everyone in The Fellowship of the Ring move us through their moments of joy and sorrow... until the very end. Every single person is indispensable, especially the companion who stays by your side until the end, never abandoning you. This is a film that gives people strength. This is a fantasy journey. This is a beautiful memory."

—Japan's Asahi Shimbun

Beyond the media, the response from overseas fans was equally enthusiastic.

During an interview, Vieira from France said, "The Lord of the Rings trilogy is the most inspiring, majestic, and deeply profound film series I have ever seen. Calling it an epic is no exaggeration at all."

Facing a reporter's microphone, Morientes from Spain was also full of praise: "The Return of the King shows audiences the absolute peak of cinematic spectacle. As fans, we are undoubtedly lucky and blessed."

Milner from Cambridge University in Britain directly credited the director for the film's success. Standing before the Sky Television cameras, he said, "Through this trilogy, Duke Rosenberg has showcased his unparalleled cinematic talent and his profound love for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. What he makes are truly great films. He deserves every bit of his success!"

While hard data was the only true proof, overseas box office statistics would take time to compile due to time zone differences and other factors. However, the Saturday figures from North America alone were enough to show just how explosive The Return of the King really was.

On Saturday alone, The Return of the King raked in $44.21 million across 4,013 theaters, breaking the North American single-day box office record once again. As soon as these numbers came out, every studio in Hollywood knew one thing for certain: without a sufficiently powerful competitor in the market, the explosive momentum of The Return of the King was simply unstoppable.

Furthermore, since last year, not a single company had been willing to schedule a major production anywhere near The Return of the King. No one wanted to serve as the backdrop for the explosive finale of the Lord of the Rings.

The only two new films opening the same week were Harbor Entertainment Company's Late Night Chill and Ferrero Studio's Outskirts. Neither film had even 500 theaters to its name. How could they possibly compete against The Return of the King?

"Have our internet PR department pull back."

Inside Walt Disney headquarters, Dick Cook was on the phone with the head of the promotional department. "Shift all our resources and energy to the marketing and distribution of Finding Nemo and Pirates of the Caribbean."

Although Disney had taken the opportunity to smear The Return of the King, they hadn't actually invested many resources into it. Even with Michael Ovitz's cooperation, they weren't going to focus their main efforts there.

The momentum behind The Return of the King was so fierce now that it couldn't possibly be hindered by petty scandals or obstacles. Disney had absolutely no need to waste manpower and energy on it anymore.

Thinking about that $44.21 million, Dick Cook allowed himself a daydream. How wonderful would it be if the single-day box office for Finding Nemo and Pirates of the Caribbean could reach those same heights?

That would mean their opening weekend box office in North America would inevitably smash through the $100 million barrier!

Unfortunately, he knew this was an impossible task. From the birth of Hollywood until now, not a single non-adaptation, non-sequel film had ever broken $80 million at the North American box office. Even heavyweights like James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, and Duke Rosenberg had never managed it.

Could Pixar Studio and the Walt Disney Studio really pull that off?

"Looking at the May release schedule..."

After dinner, sitting on the living room sofa, Ivanka held a densely packed release schedule and said to Duke, "Only Fast & Furious 2, opening on May 23rd, and Finding Nemo, opening on May 30th, can actually be called our rivals."

Duke, who was peeling an apple for Ivanka, didn't say anything. He merely nodded.

Ivanka set the schedule down and asked curiously, "Can Pixar Studio's blockbuster break a hundred million in its opening week?"

"Hm?" Duke looked up at her.

Standing up, Ivanka walked over to Duke's side. She sat down, took the half-peeled apple from his hands, and smoothly resumed peeling it as she said, "You place so much importance on Pixar Studio, which means the films they make must be incredible. So, I was wondering if their big release could cross a hundred million its first week."

"It won't!" Duke said with absolute certainty. "Given the current state of the North American film market, no original film can cross a hundred million in its opening weekend."

It wasn't just the current market. Duke remembered clearly that, even in his final memories from his past life, North America had never seen a non-adaptation or non-sequel film surpass $100 million in its opening weekend. James Cameron, Peter Jackson, and Christopher Nolan had all failed to achieve this. However, the record for an original film's opening weekend had indeed belonged to Pixar Studio—an animated film called Inside Out, which pulled in over $90 million in its first week.

In fact, it wasn't just original films, but even non-sequel adaptations. If one excluded the serialized magic of Marvel, only a sparse handful of films—like Spider-Man and Alice in Wonderland—had ever managed to break a hundred million with their first installments.

An original film breaking a hundred million its first week? Even with his unique memories, Duke couldn't guarantee it. Was he really more formidable now than James Cameron, or Christopher Nolan at his peak?

Even after learning the craft from his youth and fighting his way up to this point, Duke still wouldn't dare claim he was better than those two legendary masters.

Fundamentally, the fact that the first installment of a non-adaptation couldn't break a hundred million wasn't something directors or actors could control. It was an inevitable rule of the market. Perhaps in the future, with higher ticket prices and more theaters, original films would inevitably start crossing the hundred-million mark in their opening weeks. But that wasn't something that would happen in the next three to five years.

The market had its inevitable laws of development. If a single person could change market rules at will, that would be pure fantasy.

"Do you want some?"

Ivanka finished peeling the apple, cut off a large piece, and offered it to him.

Duke shook his head. "I prepared this for you. You barely touched your dinner."

"I'm on a diet," Ivanka replied very seriously, cutting off less than a fifth of the apple and eating it in small bites.

Duke had no good solution for a woman on a strict diet. He kissed her gently on the forehead and said, "Let's go take a walk in the garden."

"Wait a moment." Ivanka checked her watch, picked up the remote, and turned on the television. "The NBC Television Network is airing a program about your movie. I want to watch it."

"It's all just flattery," Duke said, sitting back down.

Ivanka shrugged. "I don't think so. I think you deserve it all. Besides, I love hearing people praise you."

This was just one of the countless promotional plans finalized by The Lord of the Rings Studio. The person appearing on the program was an important member of Duke's team: Charles Roven, the production manager for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Since Ivanka wanted to watch, Duke stayed on the sofa with her. In truth, there wasn't anything particularly special about the interview. Like most variety shows, it followed a pre-written script. Charles Roven was an old hand at this; while answering serious questions, he frequently tossed in amusing anecdotes and behind-the-scenes secrets from the production to draw more attention.

The only surprise came right as the program was about to end. The live talk show played a pre-recorded interview segment. The interviewee was George Lucas.

He was universally acknowledged as the man who had guided Duke into Hollywood.

George Lucas's remarks were relatively objective overall. "As everyone knows, film franchises only get sequels after a successful first installment. But The Lord of the Rings greenlit all three films at once. Duke left himself no way out. Just like the Fellowship of the Ring trekking forward on their journey, Frodo Baggins spent 13 months destroying the Ring in the flames of the Mountains of Doom, and Duke spent 15 months just to shoot his final frame."

"The Duke I know is confident, resilient, and hardworking. Only a director like him could spend five years preparing this franchise. He spent three years writing the script, two years on pre-production set building, and the final runtime approaches nine hours. That level of sheer boldness and determination alone is enough to put everyone else in Hollywood to shame."

"Many people say that the Lord of the Rings trilogy is actually a victory for the film industry. In some ways, that view isn't wrong. Only the modern era could provide the technical possibilities for The Lord of the Rings to be born, allowing Duke to recreate the vast Land of Middle-earth and his rich imagination on the silver screen. But this series is absolutely not as simple as mere visual effects. Because only in The Lord of the Rings are the special effects not treated as tricks to show off, but as the ink Duke uses to render dreams!"