Chapter 633: An Untouchable Dog

"Will Smith's acting was great."

In Times Square, a few people walked out of the AMG Cinema, chatting about the movie they had just watched.

"Both films kicking off the summer season are pretty good. The Dark Knight is fantastic, and while I Am Legend is a bit weaker, it's still excellent."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..."

A young girl agreed, "I absolutely love Will Smith's movies."

"The movie really is good."

Suddenly, one of the people in the middle spoke up with a hint of dissatisfaction. "But there was one really annoying scene. Will's character actually killed a dog!"

Reminded of that, the others recalled the scene and chimed in. "That's true. The director is so inhumane to actually kill a dog!"

"Even if it's a movie, it's an unforgivable act!"

"Yeah, it's too cruel. A dog just died like that."

In their discussion, killing a dog on screen was simply an unforgivable sin.

As they reached the square directly opposite the theater, the girl who had spoken first suddenly pointed at a crowd. "Look, people are protesting I Am Legend."

At least a few dozen people had gathered there. Some held up banners, others carried signs, and their expressions were agitated—as if I Am Legend had deeply hurt them and their families.

"Relying on the brutal killing of a dog to provoke emotion is despicable!"

"Please treat man's best friend—the dog—well on all occasions!"

"Calling on all dog lovers to boycott this dog-killing movie!"

The protesters quickly caught the media's attention, chanting slogans in front of reporters and camera lenses. Seeing the scene getting a bit chaotic, the group of moviegoers didn't linger and left Times Square.

This was only one of the protests I Am Legend faced on Saturday. Across North America, the Animal Protection Organization and dog lovers appeared at popular theaters and hotspots, protesting I Am Legend in various ways.

In Los Angeles, hundreds of protesters blocked the entrances to Sky Studio and the Hilton Grand Hotel where David Ellison was staying, demanding an explanation from the film's producer and director.

Some even protested to local governments and the North American Theater Alliance, demanding that I Am Legend be forcibly pulled from theaters.

Of course, this demand was obviously impossible. I Am Legend had already generated enough market heat, and the theater chains would never give it up.

But it would inevitably bring a lot of trouble, especially by affecting the viewing choices of dog lovers.

"It's just one dead dog, isn't it?"

In the hotel suite, David Ellison had to use all his strength to suppress his anger.

"There wasn't even a direct shot of it, and it was meant to highlight the film's theme. Was there really a need to run to the hotel and protest the crew?"

The others didn't say much, merely looking at David Ellison.

"Do they have nothing better to do?"

Walking over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, David Ellison looked down, able to clearly see the protesting crowd in front of the hotel.

Choking on his frustration, he said, "So many people died in the movie, and they didn't protest that? Instead, they're protesting over a dog?"

The people in the room, including the director Francis Lawrence, maintained their silence.

After a good while, Michael Ovitz, who had been sitting on the sofa, stood up and walked over. Standing shoulder to shoulder with David Ellison by the windows, he advised, "These people are very troublesome. We still need to find a way to appease their protests."

David Ellison was in a fit of pique. He crossed his arms and said nothing.

Although I Am Legend was not a packaged project for the Artists Management Company, they were still involved in it. For the sake of their profits, Michael Ovitz continued, "David, if these protests spread completely, it will inevitably affect the box office of I Am Legend."

His gaze also turned to the protesting crowd below. "I know you don't care about box office revenue, but this will affect your competition with Duke Rosenberg!"

Hearing Duke Rosenberg's name, David Ellison took several deep breaths in succession, suppressing the anger in his heart, and began to consider their current situation from a more realistic perspective.

It was true that the opening weekend box office of I Am Legend couldn't compete with The Dark Knight's opening weekend, but that didn't mean they couldn't suppress The Dark Knight's second weekend. If the protests caused a loss at the box office, it would inevitably affect his plans.

David Ellison thought it over for a few minutes before speaking up slowly. "Call a press conference."

This weekend, North America's commercial theater chains were basically dominated by The Dark Knight and I Am Legend. The former maintained a high operational level across 4,460 theaters, and its screen share was close to 55 percent; the latter was showing in 3,600 theaters, reaching a screen share of 30 percent.

The rest of the movies could only struggle to survive in the cracks between these two massive blockbusters.

Entering its second weekend of screenings, The Dark Knight's draw had dipped slightly, yet it still commanded audience attention. Many people who originally had no plans to watch a movie were drawn in by the overwhelming word of mouth and stepped into theaters.

Despite being somewhat affected by the protests, I Am Legend remained the viewing choice for many. Will Smith's star power was immense, the original novel had a broad fan base, and the film's overall attendance rate was generally optimistic.

However, Duke didn't focus his energy entirely on North America. Charles Roven had already led the crew on a week-long promotional tour in Europe, and The Dark Knight would also make a massive debut in overseas markets this weekend.

How such a dark and heavy film would be received overseas was truly hard to predict.

In Duke's view, even if The Dark Knight's overseas box office really did surpass its North American box office, it wouldn't exceed it by much.

The overseas market was too scattered, and gathering the data took time. North American statistics, on the other hand, were relatively easy to track, and rough figures for the previous day could usually be obtained by the next morning.

On Friday, the day I Am Legend officially opened, the film successfully overtook The Dark Knight's $25.66 million with a single-day haul of $27.25 million, crowning it the daily box office champion.

But as the novelty wore off, I Am Legend's lead came to a halt.

On Saturday, The Dark Knight saw a strong rebound. Attendance that day surpassed 4 million, raking in a box office of $32.88 million!

I Am Legend, meanwhile, experienced a slight decline, ending the day's run with $26.64 million.

Although Scarlett Johansson had suggested meeting David Ellison for a face-to-face chat when she called, Duke simply had no time to entertain the idea. He boarded a flight out of New York early Sunday morning and returned to Los Angeles. The rest of the crew flew to East Asia and Southeast Asia to drum up hype for The Dark Knight's overseas screenings.

David Ellison, who remained in New York, was quite temperamental at the moment. He still hadn't vented his anger over the protests from the day before yesterday, and seeing the significantly lagging box office figures almost drove him mad.

"What method can close the box office gap between the two films in a single day?"

Holding back his fury, he stood across from Michael Ovitz and asked loudly, "Aren't you the best agent in Hollywood? Didn't you claim that the projects you service never fail? Tell me, what else can be done now?"

"I'm very sorry, David," Michael Ovitz said, keeping a clear head. "At this point in time, there is nothing we can do, unless..."

"Unless what?" David Ellison asked again.

Michael Ovitz raised his head, looked at him, and said, "Unless you shell out a massive sum of money yourself to buy box office."

David Ellison was certainly clear on what that meant. He stopped roaring, seemingly wanting to consider its feasibility.

"However," Michael Ovitz reminded him, "if word gets out, you will become a joke to all of Hollywood, and even the global film industry."

David Ellison was arrogant and proud through and through. After brief consideration, he slowly shook his head. "That's not a choice a smart man should make."

With that said, he walked over to the sofa opposite Michael Ovitz and slowly sat down.

'David, you should look at it this way—I Am Legend hasn't failed!' A self-comforting voice popped into his mind. 'Based on the current trend, the film's opening weekend box office will definitely exceed the projected $70 million. As long as it maintains a relatively steady momentum, it won't be difficult for I Am Legend to turn a profit relying solely on the box office.'

If the film could turn a profit, he would be able to answer to his father and the other financiers, which meant there would be another chance to try again.

Stepping into Hollywood's circle, even with his wealth and status, David Ellison realized just how vital opportunities were. To achieve massive success in Hollywood, opportunity was far more important than talent or even money.

As long as he had another chance, he believed his day of victory would eventually come.

On this very day, a major event that shocked the entire American film industry also occurred on the internet. The famous Internet Movie Database, IMDB, officially announced the temporary suspension of ratings and reviews for The Godfather and The Dark Knight to quell the mutual attacks between the two factions of movie fans.

The battle between the two fanbases over the IMDB ratings had reached a boiling point. A barrage of attacks and countermeasures emerged endlessly, reaching a point where even the site administrators, who could normally tolerate paid online shills, couldn't stand it anymore. They were forced to intervene to stop this mutual harassment, which threatened to collapse the entire IMDB rating system.

However, in the eyes of Duke's fans, they were the absolute victors. Not only did The Dark Knight sit atop the TOP250 rankings with a staggering 9.6 rating, but they had also used their overwhelming numbers to drag The Godfather's score down to 8.8. This allowed The Lord of the Rings 3: The Return of the King, sitting at a 9.0, to pull off an overtake in one fell swoop and take the number two spot on the charts.

But even with the relevant IMDB sections closed, the conflict between fans was far from over. Relying on social networks and major forums, both sides continued to exchange fire. Many rumors leaked onto the internet—some believed it was fans of The Godfather giving one-star reviews that first triggered this war, while others thought it was the "Duke fanboys" who struck The Godfather first...

The truth would only be drowned out in the internet's war of words.