Chapter 623: Verifying IMAX

Per Duke's suggestion, the entire cast and crew, along with the attending guests, all made a point to wear dark clothing. More than that, when Scarlett Johansson stepped out of her car on the afternoon of the premiere, she realized the traditional red carpet had been replaced by a black one.

She couldn't help but glance at Duke, whose arm she held, sighing inwardly without a word.

Whether it had to do with Heath Ledger or not, this was already a film steeped in dark aesthetics; a black carpet suited the occasion perfectly.

Furthermore, the guests attending the premiere dressed much like the cast and crew, their outfits consisting primarily of dark blues and blacks.

Knowing Duke's habits, Scarlett kept a brisk pace on his arm. They hurried down the black carpet to the interview area in front of the theater, where the biggest attractions were undoubtedly the Batmobile and the Batcycle, surrounded by a swarm of reporters frantically snapping photos.

When Kim Ledger and his wife stepped onto the carpet to represent Heath Ledger, the fans lining both sides raised their Joker posters. The originally noisy space in front of the IMAX Cinema instantly fell dead silent, everyone seemingly using this moment to honor the late Heath Ledger.

Even though he could never again attend a premiere, Heath Ledger still stole the show. Even a director like Duke was overlooked by the fans.

Duke didn't mind in the slightest. Compared to the commercial interests at stake, this was nothing at all.

Aside from the crew and the guests invited by Duke and Warner Brothers, a number of people connected to Heath Ledger had also come to the premiere.

This included many actors from the Australian Gang.

"Hi, Duke."

A blonde woman in a dark blue evening gown walked over. Ignoring Scarlett Johansson standing right beside him, she opened her arms and gave Duke a gentle hug. "It's been a while."

"It has been a while," Duke said, lightly patting Naomi Watts on the back.

Over the past few years, the contact between them had grown increasingly sparse.

Pulling back to create a little distance, Naomi Watts looked Duke up and down. "You haven't changed a bit."

Duke just smiled, declining to return the compliment. Naomi Watts had noticeably aged; even through her makeup, the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes were visible.

Hollywood had no ageless actresses. The same held true all over the world. As for those stars who supposedly aged backward—if it weren't for cosmetics and Botox, who would actually believe it?

Naomi Watts turned toward Scarlett Johansson. "You're all grown up, Scar."

"Yeah, Nami."

Even though she had strongly disliked Naomi Watts in the past—and had even spit in her Gatorade—Scarlett now carried herself with complete grace. "Let's grab coffee sometime."

"You're very lucky," Naomi Watts said with a smile, shaking Scarlett's extended hand. She then turned back to Duke. "We haven't had a meal together in ages. Let me treat you to dinner when you have the time."

Knowing Naomi Watts didn't mean anything else by it, Duke replied, "I'll give you a call when we get back."

"I won't hold you up, then." Naomi Watts smiled. "I'll head inside first."

She knew perfectly well that the once-young director had already become one of the top filmmakers in the world.

Watching Naomi Watts's departing figure, Scarlett's eyes darted around before she suddenly lowered her voice. "Why did you stop keeping in touch with her? And Charlize Theron, Alessandra Ambrosio..."

Duke turned his head and looked at her.

"Why are you looking at me so weirdly?" Scarlett gave a slight shrug. "Haven't I said it before? Monogamy is completely against human—"

Duke glared at her, and Scarlett shrank her neck back, obediently snapping her mouth shut.

Just then, an exceptionally tall blonde girl walked over behind Nancy Josephson. She looked to be about eighteen and was incredibly tall, almost on par with Uma Thurman.

"Duke, Scar." Nancy greeted them casually and pulled the girl forward. "This is a singer Warner Records signed last year. She's already released a single, and I think she has a lot of potential..."

As Nancy Josephson spoke, the girl just smiled sweetly, looking for all the world like an oversized Barbie doll.

When Nancy Josephson stepped aside, she offered her hand to Duke and introduced herself. "I'm Taylor Swift, from Pennsylvania. You can just call me Taylor."

Duke shook her hand and gave a slight nod. "Hello, Taylor."

She then greeted Scarlett Johansson.

The girl was very perceptive; after saying her hellos, she took the initiative to excuse herself. Duke's gaze shifted slightly as he cast a glance her way.

During their brief interaction, she had left a strong impression of being quiet, polite, and refreshing. Judging purely by first impressions, she seemed like a wonderful girl.

But Duke never trusted first impressions. Even he misjudged people frequently.

"Your new client?" Duke asked Nancy Josephson.

"Our agency signed her after an introduction from the folks at Warner Records," Nancy explained briefly. "Warner Records acquired a small label in Nashville called Big Machine, then brought her from Nashville to Los Angeles. Having her attend your premiere is just to get her some exposure."

She gestured with her eyes toward Duke's back. "Some media are coming over for an interview. I'll leave you to it."

Like other agents, Nancy Josephson generally avoided standing in front of the media unless absolutely necessary.

"I'll head in too."

Seeing Duke nod, Scarlett Johansson followed Nancy Josephson into the IMAX Cinema.

Since it was an interview, it was bound to revolve around Heath Ledger. This was also part of Warner Brothers' strategy; just two days before the film's release, the studio had rolled out a massive blitz of Heath Ledger's past television appearances and exclusive interviews, once again stoking the nostalgia of the media and the public.

If he were still alive, such a tactic might have backfired as over-promotion, but society as a whole was always forgiving to the departed.

Although he had said it many times already, Duke faced the camera lens and once again shared his thoughts on Heath Ledger.

"Heath's performance is monumental. When I watched the finished film, Heath wasn't an actor, and he wasn't my friend and colleague. He was the Joker. He had completely inhabited that role."

Sounding especially moved, Duke added, "He molded the Joker into a thoroughly deranged and violent lunatic, yet he remains human. He's simply terrifying, because if he weren't human, we wouldn't believe him."

The reporter from Fox Television followed up. "Are there any scenes in the film that you can't wait to show the audience?"

Duke thought for a moment. "You could say I cherish every single frame I shot. There are many scenes I can't wait to show the audience, especially the action sequences filmed in the IMAX format. They are truly spectacular—particularly the life-and-death showdown between Batman and the Joker."

The IMAX Company had poured massive resources into The Dark Knight. The film would open on 125 IMAX screens across North America, with 50 IMAX Cinemas showing it around the clock, and at least 73 more IMAX theaters would be added worldwide next week.

This move would not only set a new record for IMAX screen counts but also shatter its all-time box office record. Conservative estimates currently projected that the IMAX opening weekend for The Dark Knight would exceed 4 million dollars.

In fact, the film had already broken one record: opening in 4,466 theaters, the widest release in North American history.

Similarly, as of yesterday's tally, the 62.5 million dollars for The Dark Knight had also set a new North American record for advance ticket sales.

The reporter from Fox Television suddenly pivoted to another question. "You once said that Superman is how Americans view themselves, while Batman is how other countries view America. Is that true?"

Glancing at Michael Caine not far away, Duke decided to shift the reporter's attention to him. "That's a very accurate statement, but I'm not the one who came up with it—Michael Caine did. I was just relaying his insight, which is why some reporters thought it was my quote, but I think he's absolutely right."

This was what Michael Caine had said to him during a conversation about America's War on Terror.

Applied to Batman, a "vigilante" operating above the law, it was, to a certain extent, quite fitting.

As expected, the reporter's attention shifted to Michael Caine. Duke left the interview area and waited in front of the sponsor backdrop for a while, as the main cast members, along with Kim Ledger and his wife representing Heath Ledger, gradually gathered around.

What followed were the standard formalities. The cast and crew took group photos, posed with the sponsors, and took pictures with several guests. It wasn't until the sun fully dipped beneath the horizon that Duke led the entire crew into the IMAX Cinema, accompanied by the deafening cheers of countless fans.

Since it was getting late, they bypassed the VIP lounge and went straight into the screening hall.

The moment Duke and the others stepped inside, all the guests and audience members in the hall stood up in unison, treating the crew to thunderous applause.

Among them, seated in the front row, James Cameron was also clapping.

Even though he was in the middle of preparing Avatar, he had flown to Chicago specifically for this because he knew full well that Duke Rosenberg was constantly utilizing new technologies, and those innovations could provide him with immense inspiration.

Despite his own collaboration with the IMAX Company, Cameron still wasn't sure exactly how effective IMAX technology would be when applied to a commercial film.

The Dark Knight would undoubtedly verify whether or not IMAX technology could be embraced by the commercial market.

In the row directly behind James Cameron, Taylor Swift was clapping as well. As she watched the director walking at the very forefront of the crew, her sapphire-blue eyes instantly lit up.

Yes, this was exactly the effect she wanted—to become the absolute center of attention!

Meanwhile, all across America, countless moviegoers were filing into theaters, while a lucky few stepped into the limited number of IMAX Cinemas.