Chapter 742: Going Downhill

In recent years, George Lucas hadn't directed any major blockbusters. After he used modern technology to alter the visuals of Star Wars, some die-hard fans of the original trilogy had even slammed him as a "Sith Lord."

Within the industry, however, it was widely agreed that George Lucas and his Lucasfilm had laid the foundation for the modern Hollywood blockbuster model.

Even someone like James Cameron was full of praise for him.

During the Avatar promotional event that Duke and James Cameron attended together, the "King of the World" expressed his boundless gratitude and respect for Lucas.

"He used available resources to pioneer digital effects, digital editing, digital sound, and digital cinematography. He opened a door for me, allowing me to turn my imagination into a film."

Though he made no mention of Lucas's storytelling abilities, James Cameron spoke highly of his innovations in Hollywood film technology. "I think everything he contributed to the entire film industry far exceeds the rewards he received. He is the Thomas Edison of the film world."

As a director, George Lucas wasn't exactly top-tier. As a screenwriter, some of his works bordered on incompetent, and his handling of emotional dialogue sat at a kindergarten level. But as a filmmaker, George Lucas was an absolute genius—a god-tier pioneer.

His influence on cinema was in no way inferior to that of Coppola, Cameron, Hitchcock, or anyone else.

More importantly, George Lucas hadn't just revolutionized the entire industry with special effects technology; he had also driven the massive growth of film merchandising.

After George Lucas, James Cameron was arguably the next great pioneer of Hollywood film technology.

On December 16, a massive sea of people gathered in front of the Hollywood Chinese Theater. The scale and excitement of the premiere were in no way inferior to the Oscar Awards Ceremony. Over a hundred famous Hollywood figures had already filed into the theater. Just like ordinary moviegoers, these stars seemingly couldn't wait to watch the most expensive production in history.

"Can one person truly change the entire world? At least with James Cameron, the answer we get is a resounding yes."

In the press area, facing a thicket of microphones, Duke didn't hesitate to hype James Cameron up. "Because Avatar will elevate the entire industry to unprecedented heights!"

He poured his effort into promoting the film without worrying about becoming a laughingstock later; the quality of the movie itself was his source of confidence.

In the days leading up to the release of Avatar, quite a few strange voices circulated across the internet and the media. For instance, the few remaining old-guard film critics ruthlessly spat on the heavily publicized production budget. But their current influence was little better than nothing, practically incapable of swaying the film's market reception.

Others also published their opinions in the media. Certain independent directors claimed that Hollywood studios were absolutely insane for investing such a massive sum into a single movie. If those funds were redirected to the independent film circle, how many arthouse flicks or low-budget indies could they have produced?

But anyone with a clear head knew that if Hollywood studios actually sank that kind of money into arthouse films, that would be true insanity.

Furthermore, many people and media outlets expressed pessimism about the film, believing the investors' money would certainly go down the drain.

Duke, Warner Brothers, Twentieth Century Fox, and the other investors couldn't even be bothered to respond to such remarks.

Looking back at James Cameron's filmography—from Terminator 2 to True Lies, and then to Titanic—he had repeatedly shattered blockbuster budget records. Every time, right before release, hordes of so-called professionals would predict a miserable box office failure.

The most classic example was Titanic. Critics at the time called James Cameron the biggest fool in the world and declared Titanic would be the greatest box office disaster of the century... Yet once the film hit theaters, those critics collectively lost their voices. The box office numbers ruthlessly crushed their last shred of dignity, making everyone fully realize that professional critics were actually nothing at all.

Everyone knew James Cameron was a money-burning machine, but the man just had the ability to earn back the invested funds several times over. Furthermore, he was willing to throw in his own directorial salary just to achieve the perfect result he envisioned.

When he walked over to take a picture in front of the poster, Duke witnessed an interesting scene: Suzy Amis and Kathryn Bigelow stood on either side of Cameron, happily taking photos with the "King of the World" without the slightest hint of bad blood.

For Hollywood ex-spouses or ex-lovers, this was perfectly normal. The circle was only so big, and in the uppermost echelons especially, it was always the same people coming and going, frequently bumping into each other at public events.

Duke wasn't well-acquainted with Kathryn Bigelow, who mingled in the independent film scene. They merely nodded to each other before he followed the cast and crew into the theater.

The main hall of the Hollywood Chinese Theater had long since been converted into an IMAX auditorium by the IMAX Company. The IMAX Company pinned massive expectations on Avatar, hoping this super-blockbuster would push the global IMAX 3D craze that had rapidly spread after Transformers straight to its absolute peak.

He had just sat down in his seat when someone beside him called out, "You're late, Duke."

Duke smiled and replied, "You're just early, Doug."

The man next to him was none other than Doug Walter, CEO of Warner Brothers. "It's a pity such a massive production doesn't belong entirely to Warner," he sighed.

Duke just smiled and didn't say a word.

Doug Walter turned back to Duke. "By the way, the first-week DVD sales figures for Fury Road are out. They didn't break 100 million dollars."

"It will only go lower in the future," Duke said, not surprised in the least. "The entire DVD industry is going downhill."

Even though the hype for Fury Road had long passed in North America, it hadn't fully exited local theaters specializing in cult films until early December. The film's final North American box office reached a staggering 272.88 million dollars—an absolute titan among R-Rated Films.

Furthermore, the movie had largely concluded its overseas theatrical run. With an accumulated overseas box office exceeding 350 million dollars, the global gross successfully crossed the 600-million-dollar mark, closing at 642.1 million dollars!

For an R-Rated Film, this was an incredible feat, and that box office figure was high enough to rank it among the top five highest-grossing R-Rated Films of all time.

After chatting a bit more with Doug Walter, Duke didn't have to wait long before the screening of Avatar began. Aside from some minor tweaks, the film wasn't much different from the test screening he had seen in Wellington. It was undeniably a colossal breakthrough in cinematic technology, but the story and plot remained thin, which left someone like Duke—who vastly preferred humanity—feeling rather helpless.

No matter what profound meaning James Cameron tried to attribute to the Na'vi, in the minds of people like Duke, being human was a million times better than being some weird, messy alien thing.

As for the film's visuals and technology, words completely failed to capture them. Even piling on the thickest, most gorgeous prose wouldn't be enough to describe the Pandora Star depicted on screen.

Then again, when watching a movie, very few people actually wanted the protagonist to die—after all, that was their point of immersion. But even though Duke had already watched the rough cut, sitting there looking at the male lead, he still desperately hoped the guy would get blasted to pieces by the human mechs.

Time gradually crept past midnight. Inside a brightly lit villa in Beverly Hills, Vin Diesel sat on the lounge sofa, quietly waiting for relevant information to be sent over. All his attention was focused squarely on Avatar!

From what he knew, Duke Rosenberg had poured a massive 200 million dollars into this project. If the film flopped, even with Duke's immense net worth, a loss like that would undoubtedly sting to the bone.

People were always influenced by their environment. The media and fans were constantly comparing Fast and Furious 4 with Fury Road, endlessly throwing around adjectives like "girly" and "soft." It had severely soured Vin Diesel's perception of Duke. Seeing Avatar turn into a box office massacre was an outcome he deeply and eagerly wanted to witness.

He didn't know how long had passed, but Vin Diesel gradually grew drowsy, his eyelids constantly drooping. Just as he was in a daze, teetering on the edge of sleep, a sudden knock on the door jerked him awake. He immediately stood up and shook his head to clear his mind.

The door was pushed open from the outside, and Vin Diesel's personal assistant walked in.

"Are the numbers out?" he asked.

Seeing the fax in his assistant's hand, Vin Diesel took two quick steps forward and snatched it directly. Upon seeing the numbers on the page, even a composed man like him couldn't stop a surge of joy from welling up inside. Had his wish actually come true? Were two men who had never missed on a commercial blockbuster before really about to face their Waterloo?

In a moment of relaxed guard, Vin Diesel's hands actually trembled slightly with excitement. Avatar's midnight screening box office was an absolute disaster.

6.75 million dollars!

That was the total midnight screening box office Avatar had raked in across 3,652 theaters in North America. For a sci-fi film without a prequel, without an original novel, without an A-list starring cast, and with a story lacking any existing audience awareness, this result was actually hard-won.

But!

Compared to the movie's colossal production budget and the audience's lofty expectations for this "most expensive film in history," that number was incredibly disappointing.

A faint, relaxed smile crept onto the corners of Vin Diesel's mouth.

At the same time, in a luxury apartment far away in New York, Natalie Portman untangled herself from the limbs of the man beside her. Ignoring the startled look of the abruptly awakened ballet instructor, she slipped into a robe and strode out of the bedroom like a queen in total control. She dialed her agent, Martin Miller, and after a brief inquiry, she received the exact same number Vin Diesel had.

Hanging up the phone, Natalie Portman's lips curled into an incredibly beautiful arc. Reality seemed to be proving to her that no one could succeed forever—not even Duke Rosenberg.

True, he wasn't the director of Avatar, but the fact that he had dumped a massive fortune into it was common knowledge across Hollywood.

To see Duke Rosenberg lose an astronomical investment—that was something Natalie Portman was more than happy to watch.