Chapter 548: Ellison

"Why did you drag me along to a premiere like this?"

In the VIP lounge, after exchanging pleasantries with a few people who had come over to greet them, Aerin Lauder turned to Duke.

"Haven't you noticed how many people are looking at us with hostility?" she asked.

Duke didn't care about those strange looks at all, completely ignoring the second half of his friend's remark.

"When we talked on the phone yesterday, didn't you say you were feeling a bit bored lately?" he said. "So I wanted to bring you along to watch a very interesting movie."

"Very interesting?" Aerin Lauder subtly rolled her eyes. "Could it be more exciting than your movies?"

Before Duke could answer, another man walked over. He was middle-aged, with brown hair and fleshy features. His eyebrows were raised so high they almost reached his hairline, giving him an incredibly arrogant look. Even someone who didn't know him could guess he had an egomaniacal personality.

This man was very famous. While his wealth couldn't compare to Bill Gates's, his fame was definitely on par.

Across the entire United States, there truly weren't many who didn't recognize a madman like Larry Ellison.

"Hello there, Duke."

The two had met on other occasions. Larry Ellison walked over and offered a brief greeting before turning to Aerin Lauder.

"Is this your new female companion?" he asked.

Hearing these rather impolite words, Aerin Lauder frowned slightly. However, she was well-mannered, and her brows smoothed out just as quickly as they had furrowed.

The man's personality was widely known across the country. Before he could continue, Duke spoke up.

"This is Miss Aerin Lauder of the Lauder Family. She is a good friend of mine."

"Oh..."

Larry Ellison took the initiative to extend his hand. Perhaps because they were both of Jewish descent, he switched to a slightly better tone.

"Hello, Miss Lauder," he said. "Please give my regards to Madam Estee Lauder when you return."

"Thank you," Aerin said coolly.

She clearly didn't like Larry Ellison's personality.

However, Larry Ellison hadn't come over for Aerin. He was obviously here for Duke.

"I heard you rejected David's investment proposals several times in a row?" The madman spoke very directly. "Why?"

A faint smile touched the corners of Duke's lips.

Instead of answering directly, he asked in the exact same tone, "Larry, if someone suddenly came out of nowhere and wanted to invest a large sum of money in your company, would you agree?"

"Why would I agree?" Larry Ellison's eyebrows shot even higher. "Do you think I'm someone who lacks money?"

"Then do you think I'm someone who lacks money?" Duke repeated.

Hearing this, Larry Ellison's raised eyebrows dropped. The arrogant expression on his face faded slightly, and the look in his eyes turned serious as he gazed at Duke.

Although he was arrogant and conceited, and spoke in a particularly aggressive manner, anyone who could become the third wealthiest billionaire in the United States as a self-made man was definitely no fool.

He immediately remembered that the person standing opposite him was not just a Hollywood director!

He was a member of the top tier of billionaires in North America, just like himself!

How could a director with a net worth of nearly ten billion dollars lack the funds to shoot a movie? Moreover, he was a director with a close partnership with a studio like Warner Brothers.

Larry Ellison knew very well that there was no point in saying too much in front of someone at this level. After thinking about it for a moment, he looked at Duke and suddenly started to laugh.

"I've seen David's movie, and it's absolutely brilliant." His eyebrows shot up high once again. "He's going to beat you."

Duke was never one to take things lying down, and he also began to laugh.

"Larry, is that your opinion?" he asked.

"Of course!" Larry Ellison scoffed.

"I'm just a film director. I'm an amateur when it comes to prophecies." Duke took Aerin's arm, preparing to leave. Before walking away, he added, "Just as your expertise lies in software design."

With that said, he and Aerin Lauder walked toward the hallway leading to the theaters.

Larry Ellison froze for a moment. Staring at their retreating backs, he suddenly realized the meaning behind Duke's words and couldn't help but snort again.

"To think he'd call me an amateur at movies," he muttered. "Just wait until Flyboys gets its wide release tomorrow, and you'll see who wins and who loses!"

He believed in David Ellison's abilities, not to mention he had the backing of Michael Ovitz and Walt Disney!

Entering the theater, Duke and Aerin found their seats. Just as they sat down, someone leaned over to say hello.

"Hi, Duke."

"Hi, Ralph."

Duke lightly shook Ralph Fiennes's outstretched hand.

The other man greeted Aerin Lauder with extreme politeness before turning back to Duke.

"I didn't expect to see you here," he said.

Duke had gotten to know this highly distinctive actor through Liam Neeson. Ralph was a good friend of Neeson's and had visited the set multiple times during the filming of Taken and Batman Begins.

"I was invited," Duke replied casually, before asking, "What brings you here?"

"My brother, Joseph, plays a role in this one."

Having said that, he proactively changed the subject.

"Has Batman Begins crossed the hundred-million mark at the North American box office yet?" he asked.

"It should have by now," Duke answered.

As of yesterday, Wednesday, Batman Begins had grossed over 94 million dollars in North America. Breaking the 100 million threshold by today, Thursday, was practically a certainty.

As the Flyboys cast and crew entered the theater, both Duke and Ralph Fiennes stopped chatting and turned to look at them.

In Duke's eyes, this production team was full of familiar faces. The lead was James Franco, and the supporting cast included Joseph Fiennes and Jean Reno. Compared to the average film relying on warfare as its main selling point, the lineup was far from bad. Moreover, with an investment exceeding 100 million dollars, the visual effects were bound to be spectacular.

In Hollywood, visual effects were the clearest reflection of a production company's investment level. Outstanding effects simply required money.

The difference between 10 million dollars in effects and 30 million dollars in effects was plainly obvious on the big screen.

"It's starting."

In the front row of the theater, watching the silver screen gradually light up, David Ellison's face was filled with irrepressible excitement. This was his Hollywood career; it was the first film he had ever invested in and acted in, and it would mark the beginning of his glory!

Although he hadn't seen Duke Rosenberg in the VIP lounge, David Ellison still glanced backward. He knew the man had attended the premiere, which meant he was definitely sitting somewhere in the back.

This was fine, too. He would let him witness his success with his own eyes.

If he couldn't defeat his rival right in front of his face, the thrill of success would undoubtedly be greatly diminished.

Turning his head back around, David Ellison fixed his eyes on the big screen. The crucial moment of his life had finally drawn back its curtains.

As the screen lit up, Duke ended his whispers with Aerin Lauder and directed his gaze forward, focusing on this film depicting the aerial battlefields of World War I.

To be precise, he hadn't seen this film in his past life. He only knew it was a notoriously bad movie, and the only reason a terrible film like this had stuck in his memory was because it had been funded by David Ellison.

Anyone who understood Hollywood knew that the arrival of the Ellison siblings had brought a new kind of change to the industry—a change that the traditional giants did not want to see.

The vested interests of Hollywood had no desire to witness this shift, and Duke was undoubtedly one of them.

To a certain extent, he disliked the personalities of the Ellison father and son, much in the same way he could never bring himself to like Donald Trump. However, his initial rejection of David Ellison stemmed more from a conflict of interests.

As a member of the established elite, Duke naturally didn't want any new factions jumping in to take a slice of their pie.

Still, Duke's word didn't dictate whether Flyboys succeeded or failed, nor did David Ellison's brimming confidence matter. The ones who truly held the power of life and death over this film were the ordinary audience members sitting behind them.

Thanks to the powerful promotional platform of Walt Disney, Flyboys had drawn plenty of attention. At the very least, every seat at the premiere was filled, and many people were looking forward to a spectacular aerial combat film.

After all, ever since Top Gun, there hadn't been a single aerial combat film that had truly won over audiences.

Billy Emerson was a huge fan of aviation movies. From the moment he noticed Flyboys, he had been filled with anticipation, even going out of his way to drag two of his friends along to the premiere.

"Why didn't we just go watch Batman Begins again," one of them grumbled, "instead of looking at these antique airplanes?"

"Haven't you read the test screening reviews online?"

Limited by his age and experience, the teenage Billy Emerson clearly didn't yet know about paid online shills.

"A lot of people are praising this movie," he added, "calling it an era-defining aerial combat film."

"Is that so?"

His other companion was still somewhat skeptical. However, since they were already here, there was no reason to leave. He settled comfortably into his seat.

"If the movie is exciting enough, I'll rally everyone around me to come see it, just like I did for Batman Begins last week," he said.

Was this movie exciting?

Perhaps the internet and other media had praised it to the heavens, and perhaps the aging Michael Ovitz believed the film would be a success. But barely thirty minutes into the screening, Billy Emerson was already looking around in boredom. The people around him wore almost the exact same expression—they looked highly impatient, as if they were desperately enduring something.

Between the vintage biplanes, the male lead's Western cowboy demeanor, and the completely baffling, idiotic sci-fi plot points, Billy Emerson really wanted to curse and ask just what kind of bullshit they had filmed.