Chapter 786: Golden Globe Awards

The fierce clash between Justin Bieber and Orlando Bloom drew considerable attention in Hollywood, managing to steal the spotlight even in the midst of a busy awards season. Having taken a beating from Bloom, Bieber later posted several intimate photos of himself and Miranda Kerr on Twitter and Instant Sharing, seemingly to provoke the Elf Prince again.

As for whether the Elf Prince and the hobbit would go for a second round, that was none of Duke's concern.

Gravity was about to embark on its fourth weekend in North America. After weeks of one-sided dominance, the North American market finally welcomed a heavyweight blockbuster.

TRON: Legacy, co-produced by Walt Disney and Sky Film Studio, officially hit North American theaters.

This was also one of the four films David Ellison had originally taken over.

The production budget for TRON: Legacy alone reached a staggering $170 million, yet Walt Disney chose a relatively slow release window. This move showed that their confidence in the film itself was somewhat lacking.

Perhaps the North American market had been starved of heavyweight commercial films for too long, or perhaps the film genuinely suited the tastes of a certain audience segment. Despite the outside world having rock-bottom expectations for TRON: Legacy, its actual performance turned out to be decent.

After all, Gravity had already been in theaters for four weeks; it was an indisputable fact that the market had a certain appetite for commercial films.

During its three-day opening weekend, TRON: Legacy raked in $44.02 million across 3,566 North American theaters, ending the three-week box office reign of Gravity and becoming the new North American box office champion.

Over the same period, Gravity pulled in another $22.35 million, placing second on the weekend box office chart. Including the previous four workdays, its North American box office smoothly crossed the $300 million mark, accumulating $311.24 million.

Although TRON: Legacy had snatched the North American box office crown from Gravity, its situation was far from optimistic.

"CinemaScore audience approval is only at 71 percent, with an average audience grade of 'B.' Over on Metacritic, 55 media critics gave it an average score of just 66," Tina Fey told Duke in the car heading to the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel. She concluded, "The word-of-mouth for this film is average at best; its late-stage momentum can't possibly be as strong as Gravity."

"That's still enough to give David Ellison some breathing room," Scarlett Johansson said with a shrug. "I was waiting for this film to bomb just like Robin Hood, so Larry Ellison would withdraw his funding from Sky Film Studio."

"You're too impatient," Duke said to Scarlett, pulling his gaze back from the car window. "Darling, we have plenty of time to wait."

In today's Hollywood, David Ellison's closest collaborator was Walt Disney. However, Walt Disney had always been in a rather chaotic state of internal power struggles. Michael Eisner and Robert Iger had been locked in a bitter fight for years without a true victor emerging. If Larry Ellison withdrew his funding, David Ellison's Hollywood career would inevitably collapse in an instant.

This was exactly what Duke wanted to see. A powerful Disney did not align with his or Time Warner's interests. The situation Disney found itself in wasn't something he could have orchestrated alone. Media giants like Comcast, Viacom, Time Warner, and News Group—which of them wasn't secretly fanning the flames from behind the scenes?

Commercial competition never let slip any opportunity to strike at a rival. It could be said that these massive corporations were in a constant state of both cooperation and competition.

The car pulled to a stop in front of the Hilton Grand Hotel. Duke and Scarlett stepped out, waving to the surrounding reporters and crowds. They walked onto the red carpet and, just as always, quickly made their way to the interview area.

This was the 68th Golden Globe Awards ceremony, the biggest media event in the entertainment circle before the Oscars. The Golden Globe Awards didn't sway the choices of many Oscar voters, but they were an excellent opportunity to boost exposure. Exposure was absolutely crucial for anyone wanting to make a mark during the awards season.

Furthermore, Duke had received a slew of nominations.

Due to its late release date, Gravity missed the Golden Globe Awards, but Inception, another film Duke had released last year, scored multiple Golden Globe nominations.

That film had reaped both box office success and critical acclaim, snagging five nominations: Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, and Best Original Score.

In the interview area, Duke and Scarlett answered questions from reporters. However, neither of them breathed a word about Inception and its five Golden Globe nominations; the conversation almost entirely revolved around Gravity.

Duke knew very well that promoting Scarlett was the main objective. During the interview, he acted more like Scarlett Johansson's foil.

"Every single one of our scenes was meticulously choreographed," Scarlett explained. "That's why I needed such extensive training. I had to ensure my body could move effortlessly in a space environment. Even though everything felt like a dance rehearsal, I also had to improvise. That was the only way to perfectly capture the sensation of floating in zero gravity."

When a reporter asked how she managed such a brilliant portrayal of a female astronaut, Scarlett delivered her pre-prepared answer. "It wasn't easy. You need imagination, and every bit of preparation you do for the role might come in handy. In that environment, you can't see any hope, especially during the scenes where I'm all alone and helpless. I'd also think about what the director wanted to present and what I could see to help me tell the story. Moreover, I'd have the sound editor play specific music to get me into character as quickly as possible."

Duke and Scarlett had just left the interview area and entered the hotel when a heavily pregnant Natalie Portman walked over. Her eyes naturally gravitated toward Scarlett Johansson's retreating back, flashing with a complex emotion that only she herself truly understood.

With Gravity crossing $300 million in North America and $600 million globally, it had unequivocally cemented Scarlett Johansson as a Hollywood A-lister. For now, she had become the number one actress born after 1980!

And this position was something she had always dreamed of.

Even if she won Oscar Best Actress, could she still snatch that position back?

Natalie Portman had no confidence in that. She knew full well that a superstar needed more than just an Oscar Golden Statuette. Just how long had it been since she last proved her box office draw in the market?

The Golden Globe Awards were less of a traditional awards ceremony and more of a joyous mega-party, held in the style of a grand banquet. Duke escorted Scarlett into the ballroom, and they quickly found the table reserved for the Inception crew. Leonardo DiCaprio was already seated there, chatting casually with John Schwartzman.

"What are you guys talking about?" Scarlett asked curiously after taking a seat. "You seem to be disagreeing on something."

Duke looked at Leonardo first, then at John Schwartzman. The two of them were clearly arguing about something.

John Schwartzman spoke up first. "I just made a bet with Leo."

"I think Inception might win Best Motion Picture for the drama category," Leonardo chimed in. "But John doesn't see it that way. He thinks highly of David Fincher's The Social Network."

"To be honest, Leo," Duke said, siding with John Schwartzman. "I also think more highly of David Fincher's film."

Compared to the Oscars, the Golden Globe Awards were far more susceptible to the influence of public relations. Many Golden Globe voters even blatantly demanded gifts or other favors from the studios.

"The Social Network?" Leonardo shook his head. "Then we'll just have to wait for the results."

Perhaps due to the existence of Instant Sharing, the website Mark Zuckerberg founded was nowhere near as overwhelmingly popular as it had once been, though it still ranked among the famous social networks in the United States. And now, this adapted film about him once again appeared on David Fincher's resume.

It was well-known that David Fincher was a rather unconventional director. Many of his works could be said to run contrary to mainstream societal values. Much like Duke, he was not the type of director the School favored. The Social Network was a rare piece in his filmography directly targeting the Oscars.

The Social Network and The King's Speech were both considered the two hottest frontrunners for this year's Oscars, while David Fincher and Duke were seen as the strongest contenders for Best Director.

However, Duke knew very well that David Fincher would only brush past the Oscars.

For one, there was the School's deep-rooted prejudice; the School's bias against David Fincher was definitely deeper than their bias against him. Secondly, David Fincher was never eager to participate in various PR campaigns. Relying solely on the studio's PR efforts wasn't enough for individual awards. With today's Oscars, unless it was a highly exceptional case like Heath Ledger, a lack of active campaigning effectively meant waving goodbye to any awards.

This was a land that championed free competition. The School placed limits on the scope of PR campaigns, but it didn't oppose them; instead, it viewed PR as an expression of the will of free competition.

The curtain soon rose on the awards ceremony. Having done absolutely zero campaigning for the Golden Globe Awards, Inception predictably became a complete bystander for the entire night. All five of its nominations—Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor in a Motion Picture, and Best Original Score—fell flat, winning absolutely nothing.

Despite delivering outstanding performances in both Inception and Shutter Island and earning double nominations, Leonardo DiCaprio once again missed out on the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama.

Fortunately, Leonardo had played the bystander so many times over the years that he was already used to it and took it in stride.

"I have plenty of patience," he said to Duke. "Besides, how could a mere Golden Globe ever satisfy me?"

Indeed, how could a single Golden Globe possibly satisfy Leonardo DiCaprio?

However, Duke knew all too well that, much like the results of the Golden Globe Awards, Leonardo DiCaprio's hopes for this year's Oscar were also exceedingly slim.