Chapter 591: High-Speed Operation

"To be honest, since I'm not familiar with the comics, I can't comment on how closely it follows the original plot."

Walking out of the theater with a few companions, Martin Stanny looked up at the massive Iron Man poster.

"But as a standalone film, the story is incredibly strong," he told his friends. "Duke Rosenberg's production skills are growing more and more mature. He is absolutely a top-tier sci-fi director in Hollywood. And, of course, Robert Downey Jr.'s performance deserves a lot of praise!"

Another companion clearly shared the same sentiment.

"Duke's imagination is admirable. Those dazzling high-tech displays were just amazing," he said.

However, for any movie, there would always be people who loved it and people who didn't.

Trailing at the very back of the group, James Vieri curled his lip at those words.

"It's just a popcorn movie," he said with a hint of disdain. "Only the spectacle and special effects are worth watching. There's nothing memorable after it's over—just another cliché display of one man saving the day with his heroism. Can Duke Rosenberg stop making such ridiculous films?"

No one responded to him. Martin Stanny and the others knew perfectly well that he preferred niche art films; they simply weren't on the same wavelength.

Compared to Duke's previous films, Iron Man was undoubtedly more of a popcorn flick. It could never become Saving Private Ryan or The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and maintaining explosive word-of-mouth praise for a long period was impossible. However, becoming a market hotspot in the short term would not be difficult at all.

"The important thing is..."

Speeding toward Malibu in a sports car, Duke spoke to Scarlett at the wheel.

"At the start of the Summer Season, Iron Man won't encounter any overly strong competitors," he said.

"A lot of people are wary of you right now," Scarlett said, glancing over at Duke. "There aren't many people as stubborn as David Ellison."

That was only one aspect. On the other hand, Duke also knew how to maximize his odds and avoid disaster, proactively steering clear of the massive hits he remembered from his past life.

For example, he would absolutely never take a franchise-launching film like Iron Man and pit it against a sequel with massive box-office appeal like Pirates of the Caribbean 2.

He certainly wasn't afraid of competing with anyone, but that didn't mean he wanted to smash his head against a rock—especially a particularly hard one.

"When we took a break from shopping today, I read some of the newspaper reviews," Scarlett told Duke. "Robert Downey Jr. was mentioned an awful lot. Many critics consider his portrayal of Tony Stark the biggest highlight of the film."

There was a hint of indignation in her tone.

Duke smiled, unbothered. "That's perfectly normal. Downey really did perform well."

Scarlett knew he wasn't finished. "And?" she pressed.

"Tony Stark's core characterization is the key."

After a moment of thought, Duke continued.

"Tony Stark practically embodies every man's dream," he said. "He has money and status. He has sports cars, private jets, and beautiful women. He has a genius-level intellect, courage, and a sense of justice. Of course, the most important thing is that he has a sense of realism that other superheroes lack."

"Not just men." Scarlett turned her head and winked at Duke. "Women really like characters like that too."

Duke glared at her. "Watch the road," he reminded her.

She sped up slightly. As the traffic thickened, Scarlett shifted her full attention back to driving.

Duke stopped talking. Just as he had expected, in the short term, Iron Man hadn't just thrilled audiences; it had also given the media a breath of fresh air.

On MetaCritic's review aggregator, forty-seven media outlets had given it an average score of 88.

Variety believed that Duke had delivered a highly entertaining visual effects extravaganza with Iron Man; Premiere stated plainly that Duke had given audiences everything they wanted to see; USA Today claimed that Duke had unearthed a weapon of mass destruction for Warner Brothers and Marvel Comics—Iron Man; the New York Times declared that Iron Man was a pure and magnificent escapist journey, well-deserving of the title of the Summer Season's first blockbuster...

Although there were some critical voices—such as those calling it a boring popcorn flick—the positive reviews for Iron Man held an absolute advantage among both the media and the audience. Thus, as Friday passed and Saturday arrived, it was only natural for the film to rake in a North American box office of $37.41 million across 4,012 theaters on its opening day.

"Even by the most pessimistic estimates..."

Inside the Marvel Pictures office, the Marvel executives had skipped the cast's promotional events led by Duke to hold a closed-door meeting. Kevin Feige's face was flushed red, and his voice rang out much louder than usual.

"Iron Man's opening weekend box office won't fall below $80 million," he said.

Avi Arad shook his head, clearly disagreeing with Kevin Feige.

"Kevin, you're being too conservative," he said.

Clearing his throat, Avi Arad continued.

"According to the pattern of normal commercial films and Duke's past movies, Saturday's box office will be higher than Friday's. Even though Sunday will see a drop, the margin will be extremely small," he said.

"How much do you estimate?" Stan Lee asked with keen interest.

The film's box office was directly tied to his personal income.

"One hundred million dollars for the opening weekend is my most conservative estimate," Avi Arad said without hesitation.

The conference room fell silent, but many clenched their fists in obvious excitement.

This project, which they had poured years of blood and sweat into, was poised to break the landmark $100 million threshold in its opening weekend. Even disregarding the bonuses that would follow, the sheer sense of accomplishment was immense.

For the sake of their company and their own futures, Duke Rosenberg had essentially used Iron Man to pave a wide, sweeping road forward.

That director had already placed success right in front of them; all they needed to do was grasp the opportunity and expand upon their victory.

Kevin Feige spoke up again. "Gentlemen, I think it's time to launch the entire Marvel initiative."

If this were merely a massive investment plan formulated by Marvel alone, he would have proceeded with extreme caution. But everyone knew Duke Rosenberg had participated in the planning from start to finish, providing many crucial suggestions along the way.

"Can we invite Duke to continue directing?" Avi Arad simply didn't have much faith in other directors.

"Not in the near future." Kevin Feige shook his head.

"I've had a detailed discussion with Duke," he said slowly. "His work schedule is already booked several years in advance. It's impossible for him to continue helming the Marvel Series anytime soon."

"Then invite him to be a producer," Avi Arad said decisively. "If he doesn't agree, I'll take all of Marvel's upper management to Malibu and block his front door!"

"And," he emphasized, "if the plan goes smoothly, he is the only candidate to direct the final ensemble film. Kevin, you have to remind him that he's still a major shareholder of Marvel!"

Everyone at Marvel knew perfectly well that it was impossible for Duke Rosenberg to jump off the Marvel war chariot. With him involved, the Marvel Series practically had a double layer of insurance.

Perhaps because it had sparked a moviegoing frenzy in the Summer Season, or perhaps because the film truly delivered a refreshing feeling compared to past superhero movies, the media published positive reviews one after another. Even outlets that Warner Brothers' PR team hadn't reached out to joined the ranks of those hyping up Iron Man.

"Iron Man is the most stylish, best-written, and best-directed superhero movie of all time!"

— New York Post

"It has been years since we've seen a superhero so intensely passionate, yet so endearing and fun."

— Rolling Stone

Due to the lack of strong competitors, combined with explosive word-of-mouth praise from both the media and the audience, Iron Man's screen share in mainstream commercial theater chains had climbed to nearly seventy percent by Saturday afternoon. In popular theaters like those in Manhattan, the San Francisco Bay, and Santa Monica Commercial Square, a screening of Iron Man started at least every fifteen minutes. Even so, individual showtimes were still completely sold out.

The high enthusiasm of the audience prompted theaters to add more screenings, which squeezed the showtime allocation for other films. This, in turn, led many relatively neutral moviegoers to choose Iron Man. And the film's hot reception naturally attracted relevant media attention, which subsequently drew in even more people...

As a result, just like other mega-hits, Iron Man formed a virtuous cycle after Warner Brothers and Duke had put in more than enough groundwork.

This cycle also allowed another element to be added to the mix—merchandise.

Some blockbuster films could barely sell any merchandise—movies like Saving Private Ryan, for instance—but superhero films were absolutely not in that category.

Almost every prop in the film related to Tony Stark became a hot-selling piece of merchandise. Things like the Mark II and Mark III Iron Battle Suits sold out in many theaters and storefronts.

On Saturday evening, even more people flocked to the theaters, and the vast majority of them shared the same goal: Iron Man.

They entered the theaters and watched the movie with tremendous enthusiasm, walked out of the auditoriums with satisfied smiles, generously opened their wallets, and bought up merchandise with obsessed expressions...

When Sunday arrived, the latest statistics revealed that Iron Man's single-day box office on Saturday was $39.01 million. Everyone knew then that the film's momentum was unstoppable. Even if God Himself descended to Earth, He couldn't change the fact that Iron Man's opening weekend box office was destined to break the hundred-million-dollar mark.

Meanwhile, various real-time online metrics for Sunday showed that although Iron Man's average attendance rate had indeed slipped slightly, the drop wasn't overly obvious. It maintained an incredibly healthy trajectory, continuing its run with high box-office numbers.

By now, everyone knew that Marvel's opening act would undoubtedly be a massive success, but they were all waiting with bated breath to see just exactly how much success Duke Rosenberg could bring to Iron Man.