Chapter 572: Ski Vacation

"Hey, Duke, you're as slow as a snail."

Pushing off with her ski poles, Scarlett Johansson glided past him. With a sharp, clever turn, she expertly circled him. Ignoring the biting wind, she shouted, "Didn't you call yourself a sports prodigy? Why haven't you improved at all after practicing all morning?"

Planting his ski poles firmly in the thick snow, Duke carefully maintained his balance. He ignored Scarlett Johansson's teasing and kept moving at a slow, steady pace.

He had some athletic talent, but he was no skiing prodigy. His current skill level only allowed him to glide a few steps across flat ground.

"You're too slow." Scarlett exhaled a puff of white breath, circled Duke again, and pointed her ski pole at the crowded intermediate slope. "I'm going to check things out over there."

"Go ahead." Duke pushed up his sunglasses and nodded, warning her, "Don't come down too fast. Be safe."

"Got it."

Scarlett waved her hand, leaving Duke staring at the back of her down jacket.

This was the Whistler Mountain Ski Resort in the Vancouver area of Canada. After finishing the shoot for Iron Man, Duke hadn't rushed into post-production. He gave the entire crew a vacation after months of hard work, took one for himself, and—after consulting Scarlett Johansson—came to Canada for a winter getaway.

Canada's high latitude and heavily forested terrain made it an exceptional skiing destination. Its long winter was the perfect time for enthusiasts from all over to come and enjoy themselves. Whether they were experienced pros or families just looking for fun, everyone could find a place of their own here. This was especially true in British Columbia, nestled in the western Rocky Mountains. The area's unique natural conditions gave it a snow season that lasted half the year, boasting countless world-class ski resorts. From a purely skiing perspective, this region was enough to put Switzerland to shame.

The Whistler Mountain Ski Resort sat in Whistler Town, eighty miles north of Vancouver. Two connected peaks formed this internationally renowned skiing destination. Thanks to these twin mountains, Whistler had been named the "Number One Ski Resort in North America" and the "Best Ski Resort" for four consecutive years by Snow Country magazine.

However, given Duke's skill level, it was hard for him to truly appreciate the resort's charm. He had come here mostly for Scarlett. Since she wanted to go skiing, he naturally wasn't going to refuse.

After practicing a while longer without any noticeable improvement, Duke simply took off his skis. Carrying them, he walked into a small, privately rented VIP lounge nearby and sat beneath the veranda by a lit windproof fireplace. He gazed out at the snow-covered peaks and forests.

The ski resort was massive, featuring over 100 trails that included professional slopes, intermediate runs, and beginner paths. It boasted the most ski runs of any resort in Canada. The snow season lasted from November to May, and if the weather permitted, it could even extend into August.

"Thank you."

Taking the hot coffee from the waiter, Duke held the cup in his hands and continued to admire the scenery of the Whistler Mountain Ski Resort. Some of the ski runs here had deep snow, others had near-vertical drops, and some featured powder as fine as champagne bubbles.

In the distance, tourists sped across the endless snowfields, letting the kicked-up powder spray their backs. Duke looked out at the silver-clad coniferous forests, taking in the vast and magnificent expanse of Canada. Even though his skiing skills were mediocre, he still felt that the freezing season could bring people memories brimming with warmth.

After he had sat there for about half an hour, Scarlett Johansson returned, carrying her skis. Her red down jacket was dusted with a few snowflakes. Seeing this, Duke hurried over to take the skis from her hands and asked with concern, "Did you fall?"

"I'm fine..." Scarlett sat down casually by the fire, picked up Duke's cup of coffee, and downed it in one gulp before explaining, "I wasn't paying attention on the way back and got knocked over by someone."

That was just how it was when skiing in crowded areas. Being skilled yourself didn't mean you could avoid sudden surprise attacks from beginners coming from the sides or behind.

Duke called the waiter over for two fresh cups of coffee, then sat down next to Scarlett Johansson. "When did you learn to ski? How did I not know?"

"Did you forget?" Scarlett took off her thick gloves and, mimicking Duke, cupped the coffee mug in both hands. "There was a time when you wouldn't pay attention to me, so I had to follow my godmother all over Europe. I was in a terrible mood back then because my mother and father divorced, so my godmother often took me to scenic places to relax. France and Switzerland were definitely on the list. I learned to ski in the Alps."

"It seems I missed quite a few key stages of you growing up," Duke sighed softly.

Scarlett deliberately pouted. Perhaps because actors were more outwardly expressive with their emotions, she naturally revealed a hint of grievance. "As long as you know."

Duke reached out and gently ruffled her blonde hair. "I won't anymore."

Feeling Duke gently smooth out her blonde curls, Scarlett narrowed her eyes slightly, looking like a Persian cat.

After a short rest, the two took the cable car back up the mountain. Scarlett was clearly fascinated by skiing, and Duke attentively kept her company. During that time, Scarlett even suggested heading to the neighboring Blackcomb Mountain. There were two glaciers at the summit that remained frozen year-round; tourists could rent snowmobiles to experience the thrill of gliding down the glacier.

They stayed on the mountain until mid-afternoon before returning to their base in Whistler Town. It wasn't far from Vancouver, and there were daily trains running back and forth, but like most tourists vacationing here, the pair chose to stay at a hotel in town.

Duke and Scarlett were staying at the Fairmont Castle Hotel, the most iconic hotel in Whistler Town. Shaped like a castle, it offered amenities such as hot spring baths and a golf course.

Even though quite a few documents had been faxed over from Los Angeles, Duke was dragged off by Scarlett Johansson to soak in the hot springs for a while. Only after enjoying the hotel's high-end buffet dinner did he return to the suite's study, ready to handle the latest work emails and faxed documents.

"We're on vacation and you're still busy with work." Sitting bored across from Duke, Scarlett Johansson muttered a complaint, "Every single night you..."

Duke looked up and shifted his gaze to her. Scarlett immediately covered her mouth and mumbled, "Fine, I'll shut up."

With that, she stood up, walked into the living room, brewed a cup of coffee for Duke, and brought it back. Returning to her chair, perhaps truly bored out of her mind, Scarlett let her gaze land on the faxed documents Duke was skimming through.

She asked curiously, "Can I take a look?"

Duke gave her another look, then nodded slightly.

Scarlett took the documents. Her eyes swept over the pages, and a happy smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

It was a box office bulletin for Batman Begins. The film had ended its overseas theatrical run after the New Year. The specific box office figures had clearly just been finalized and were only faxed to Canada today. Although the numbers on it were far inferior to The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Scarlett Johansson was an industry insider herself; she knew very well that achieving this was already no easy feat.

After an eight-month overseas run, Batman Begins had pulled in a total of 329.87 million dollars at the international box office.

Looking at this number, Scarlett recalled the North American box office for Batman Begins. She did some quick mental math and rapidly arrived at the global box office—612.43 million dollars!

"He's succeeded again."

Scarlett looked at Duke, but she didn't feel the slightest bit of surprise. Ever since she was ten, she had watched the guy sitting across from her succeed time and time again, constantly setting all sorts of brand-new box office records. She had grown completely used to it all.

In her eyes, it would only be strange if Duke's films were met with a cold reception from the market.

Flipping past the box office bulletin, Scarlett Johansson continued skimming. This next document was a briefing on the North American DVD sales for Batman Begins.

After the New Year, both the standard and deluxe edition DVDs for Batman Begins had simultaneously hit the shelves in North America. Now, a little over ten days later, total sales had reached over 115 million dollars. This single revenue stream alone would bring in a staggering profit.

Scarlett also noticed something very particular on the report. For the Batman Begins DVDs, sales on websites like Amazon and Ebay accounted for nearly a third of the total revenue...

She had bought things from online stores before, so she knew just how convenient this purchasing method was.

"Duke..."

Seeing Duke look up from his laptop and pick up his coffee cup, Scarlett asked curiously, "Did you increase your resource investment in online merchandise sales?"

Compared to the Scarlett Johansson in Duke's memories, her biggest difference now was actually her business acumen. Having grown up alongside Mrs. Leah since childhood, she had been heavily influenced by her.

Setting down his coffee cup, Duke gently rubbed his temple. "That's right. Warner and Duke Studio have already formed a strategic partnership with Amazon and Ebay."

"The internet represents the future?" Scarlett furrowed her blonde eyebrows, clearly pondering the issue. "I saw the DVD sales for Taken. Compared to Batman Begins, its online portion accounted for less than a quarter. The growth rate of online sales is way too fast."

"It will only get faster in the future."

The rapid development of the internet brought more than just an increase in DVD sales. Duke knew very well that in a few short years, the DVD industry—one of Hollywood's major sources of revenue—would shrink drastically. Various high-definition online streaming services would deal a severe blow to the industry. It would be impossible for future films to replicate the current era, where a hit movie could easily break a hundred million dollars in North American DVD sales during its first week.

After vacationing in Canada for a week, Scarlett went to Europe to visit Mrs. Leah, while Duke returned to Los Angeles to begin post-production on Iron Man.