Chapter 594: IMAX Company

Although Iron Man's reputation in North America rivaled that of Superman and Spider-Man, Tony Stark's global audience was relatively limited. To some extent, this impacted the film's overseas box office. Opening simultaneously in over seventy countries and regions, Iron Man pulled in 110.11 million dollars in its first overseas weekend.

If Duke hadn't been the director, breaking the 100-million-dollar mark in its first overseas weekend would have been impossible.

Regardless, Tony Stark remained a relatively unfamiliar character to most audiences outside North America. Since it was a brand-new production, it couldn't rely on the massive built-in audience of a sequel.

In fact, with the exceptions of Britain and Australia, Iron Man failed to break the 15-million-dollar mark in its opening weekend in any other overseas market.

Even Duke could not defy the normal laws of the film market.

Of course, even he and James Cameron combined could not go against market trends.

Duke knew very well that if this wasn't a comic book adaptation with a massive established fanbase, the North American opening weekend box office wouldn't have crossed 100 million dollars, even with his name attached as director.

A quick look back at films like Titanic, Avatar, and Inception made it easy to see: original, non-sequel films never posted massive numbers in their opening weekends.

This was the rule of the market. Not even James Cameron at his absolute peak could overcome it.

Perhaps one day Duke might break that pattern, but doing so would require the film, the theaters, the screens, and the ticket prices to all align perfectly.

After touring North America with the crew for ten days, Duke returned to Los Angeles. He had no plans to travel overseas. The film's promotional campaign already had two massive draws in Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson, so it wouldn't lack attention. This was especially true for Robert Downey Jr., who wasn't just playing Tony Stark—he was incredibly witty in real life as well.

Letting the actors soak up the spotlight was enough.

Furthermore, Marvel Pictures and Warner Brothers successively announcing their grand Marvel plans added a significant amount of buzz to Iron Man.

Duke returned to Los Angeles for two reasons: to take a short vacation, and to hold detailed discussions with Warner Brothers.

It was obvious. The final box office of the fun, straightforward popcorn flick Iron Man was destined to surpass the dark, realistic tone of Batman. With Marvel's massive success, Warner Brothers, as the owner of DC Comics, naturally harbored ambitions to take things further.

Naturally, Warner Brothers looked to Duke to make those ambitions a reality.

"Doug, I already told you on the phone. I submitted the script outline to the editorial team at Duke Studio back in March."

Inside a Warner Brothers reception room, Duke and Doug Walter sat alone. Duke didn't stand on ceremony, speaking plainly.

"The final draft of the script hasn't been locked in yet. You need to be a little more patient."

"I have enough patience, otherwise I wouldn't have waited until now," Doug Walter said, a hint of worry showing on his face. "I've read your concepts and the outline. Duke, I think you've gone a bit to the extreme. The Dark Knight leans even more toward darkness and rationality than Batman Begins. A style like this..."

Duke understood exactly what he was worried about.

"It uses the approach of a realistic cop film to package a hyper-realistic superhero story," he explained.

"But..."

Doug Walter didn't finish his sentence. After all, Duke's track record was far too successful.

"Yes. This will be a very heavy film."

Anything said now was just empty talk.

"A production budget of 150 million dollars certainly means taking a massive risk," Duke added flatly.

Doug Walter knew he had to make a choice.

This wasn't just any project; this was Batman, an intellectual property wholly owned by Warner Brothers. If Warner Brothers refused to greenlight the project, there was little Duke could do. The Dark Knight could never become a cheerful popcorn flick.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Doug Walter thought back on everything that had happened in the past and finally made up his mind.

"I'll push the review committee to evaluate it as soon as possible," he said.

Duke gave Doug Walter a slight nod. He wasn't displeased in the least. Any executive faced with a commercial film sporting such a heavy theme and an astronomical budget would inevitably be cautious.

If Doug Walter were the type to make rash, snap decisions without hesitation, he never would have reached his current lofty position.

No one would hastily approve a film's investment based solely on a script outline and a few words from a director. Even given the strong relationship between Duke and Warner Brothers, they couldn't skip that step.

Warner Brothers wasn't Duke's personal company. The shareholder structures and power dynamics of all major Hollywood studios were immensely complex.

After discussing a few more details with Doug Walter, Duke didn't linger. He soon left the Warner Building. Just as he walked out the main entrance and prepared to get into his car, someone suddenly approached from the side.

The man was moving incredibly fast, practically jogging. While still some distance away, he called out.

"Director Rosenberg! Director Rosenberg! Can we talk? I'm Richard Gelfond from the IMAX Company."

Hearing that last sentence, Duke waved a hand to stop his bodyguards, who were moving to block the man.

The middle-aged man strode up to him and offered his hand. Not wanting to be impolite, Duke gave the offered hand a light shake.

"Hello, Mr. Gelfond," Duke said.

"Could we talk, Director Rosenberg?"

As if fearing Duke would refuse, he quickly added, "Five minutes is all I need."

Duke thought for a moment, then turned and gestured back toward the inside of the Warner Building.

"This way, please," he said.

Stepping into the front lobby of the Warner Building, the bodyguards trailing him immediately secured a reception room from the front desk. Duke led the way, and the two men were soon settled inside.

"Director Rosenberg, I assume you've heard of IMAX?"

The man named Richard Gelfond cut straight to the chase. "Are you familiar with this cinematic technology?"

"Of course," Duke replied simply. "It's a film production and projection technology that features larger formats and much higher resolutions than traditional film."

"Exactly..." Richard Gelfond wasn't there to waste time, either. "Compared to traditional film and the currently rising digital technologies, IMAX holds a distinct advantage in the viewing experience..."

Before he could finish, Duke raised a hand to stop him.

"Mr. Gelfond, I am well aware of the pros and cons of IMAX compared to other technologies. Please state your business directly."

Richard Gelfond briefly organized his words.

"I understand you are preparing to shoot the second installment of the Batman Series with Warner Brothers," he said.

Seeing that Duke didn't deny it, he continued.

"Director Rosenberg, have you considered shooting it with an IMAX Camera?"

Duke couldn't help but give Richard Gelfond a measured look. He did, in fact, plan to shoot with an IMAX Camera, but he had never mentioned that plan to anyone. He hadn't expected someone from the IMAX Company to approach him first.

He didn't speak immediately. Instead, a thoughtful look crossed his face.

The current IMAX Company was nothing like the behemoth it would later become. In reality, IMAX technology had yet to be truly accepted by Hollywood. It was far from a mainstream production and projection standard. The IMAX Company was pouring massive effort into promoting the technology, but to do so, they first needed enough source material. Post-converted films simply couldn't utilize the true advantages of IMAX.

IMAX technology had been around for years, previously relegated to planetariums and documentaries. The IMAX Company knew very well that to push this technology forward, Hollywood was a fortress they had to conquer. And to breach Hollywood, the industry's top directors were their primary targets.

A few years ago, the IMAX Company had partnered with Warner Brothers to sponsor Robert Zemeckis's The Polar Express. While the film delivered an excellent viewing experience, its market impact fell far short of a massive success, leaving a considerable gap from the IMAX Company's expectations.

In recent years, the IMAX Company had also sponsored several other projects, but none had managed to become a blockbuster hit that caused a true sensation. Even though the IMAX theater network was constantly expanding, there was a glaring lack of outstanding IMAX films capable of establishing the brand's reputation on a global scale.

Richard Gelfond carried a critical mission on this trip. He had done his homework beforehand and understood the working style of the director sitting across from him. Thus, he didn't beat around the bush.

"Director Rosenberg, the IMAX Company wants to participate in your new project," he said directly. "If you decide to use IMAX technology to shoot and produce the film, the IMAX Company will provide you with two IMAX Cameras for filming entirely free of charge, and our professional technicians will be permanently stationed with your crew."

Duke was equally direct.

"I am personally very interested in IMAX technology," he said. "But if you want this film to utilize it, you'll also need to secure approval from Warner Brothers."

Shooting and producing the film with IMAX technology would bring nothing but benefits to The Dark Knight. However, Duke would not use 3D. 3D technology was certainly helpful for certain films—like when James Cameron needed to showcase the landscapes of Planet Pandora.

But 3D technology inherently dimmed the lighting and wasn't well-suited for intense action sequences. Since the vast majority of The Dark Knight's scenes took place at night, 3D technology was completely unsuitable.

Of course, as long as the film called for it, Duke would definitely use 3D technology.

Duke and Richard Gelfond spoke for less than ten minutes. The two sides merely reached a preliminary understanding. The Dark Knight hadn't even entered pre-production yet; the specific details of their collaboration would have to be hammered out item by item by their subordinates.

However, IMAX technology also had its drawbacks. The most glaring issue was that the IMAX Camera was excessively heavy and bulky. A significant number of shots—especially in relatively complex environments—would be extremely inconvenient to film.

If the two parties reached an agreement, John Schwartzman's camera crew would definitely have to spring into action first to familiarize themselves with this entirely new equipment.

Leaving the Warner Building, Duke temporarily set aside his work and officially entered vacation mode.