Chapter 841: The Avengers Are Just a Bunch of Brats

Throughout the history of Hollywood and world cinema, no director had ever amassed such a massive fanbase as Duke, whose followers had even been dubbed "Duke fanboys." That moniker alone showed just how fanatically this group adored and supported him. Taiwan Novel Network offers a great reading experience; visit .

Five superhero movies had already laid ample groundwork for The Avengers. Coupled with the practically insane marketing campaigns by Warner Brothers and Marvel Pictures, as well as Duke's own box office appeal, the film successfully broke the $600 million barrier in its eighth week of release in North America. It became the fourth film in North American history to gross over $600 million, following Titanic, The Lord of the Rings 3: The Return of the King, and Avatar.

Moreover, The Avengers surpassed the $604.45 million grossed by The Lord of the Rings 3: The Return of the King in one fell swoop, seizing third place in North American box office history.

Across all of North America, the only people standing at the pinnacle of the box office and commercial cinema were Duke and James Cameron.

The only difference was that James Cameron occupied the top two spots with Titanic and Avatar, while Duke's The Lord of the Rings 3: The Return of the King and The Avengers could only rank third and fourth.

By the end of June, however, the situation was reversed. With a cumulative North American total of $665.24 million, The Avengers successfully overtook Titanic's $658.72 million to become the second highest-grossing film in North American box office history.

At the same time, the global box office total for The Avengers reached $1.9 billion, slowly closing in on Titanic's worldwide record. Snatching the title of the second highest-grossing film globally was only a matter of time.

While these results were enough to thrill anyone, Duke remained calm. He certainly wasn't going to slow down; starting in late June, he began frequenting Warner Brothers to prepare for his next project.

On another front, Duke also traveled to San Francisco for several face-to-face meetings with Katherine Kennedy. They discussed the feasibility of unifying the Jedi Knights and the Avengers universe, and also touched upon future promotional work for Star Wars.

This was especially true for the Chinese market. The entire Western world, along with Japan and South Korea, shared a deep attachment to Star Wars, but Chinese audiences were entirely absent from those ranks.

At Duke's request, Katherine Kennedy flew to China alongside representatives from Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox, the two major distributors for the new Star Wars. Over the next two years, they would use various events to try to break open the Chinese market for the franchise.

Even though the new film was about to be greenlit and The Avengers had already achieved incredible results, Marvel Pictures and Warner Brothers never stopped their marketing efforts. Their drive was as relentless as capital's thirst for profit.

The North American daily box office for The Avengers had indeed dropped to just over a million dollars, but merchandise sales were blazing hot. At this stage, the promotional push wasn't just for ticket sales—it was for the entire industry chain.

Consequently, Duke and the Avengers simultaneously graced the cover of Time Magazine, which also featured an exclusive interview with him.

In the interview, Duke, as the director, revealed even more interesting behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Whether they were true or not hardly mattered.

The interview was printed in a documentary style on the very first pages of Time Magazine.

Time Magazine: "Earlier, Scarlett Johansson mentioned in an interview that the group of them were constantly roughhousing on set like little kids, giving you a massive headache. Is that really true?"

Duke Rosenberg: "Well, the Avengers are just a bunch of brats. But they're also very good friends, so the set was extremely fun and full of energy. I had to literally order them to quiet down so we could focus on shooting."

Time Magazine: "Does this relaxed and harmonious atmosphere actually help in making a good movie?"

Duke Rosenberg: "It definitely helps. Because they are close friends who know each other well, that relaxed camaraderie made the shoot go smoothly. Yet, in the film, they absolutely loathe each other—which really just highlights their acting skills."

Time Magazine: "The film features a multitude of important characters, each distinctly different. How do you highlight every character while ensuring they don't steal the spotlight from one another?"

Duke Rosenberg: "In my opinion, these characters are magnificent exactly because they are constantly trying to upstage one another. Of course, Tony Stark as Iron Man steals the most spotlight. Actually, the most interesting part is watching each character fight tooth and nail for dialogue or screen time throughout the movie. It is because of the others' presence, because of their joking arguments, their support, and their opposition, that each character becomes richer, more interesting, and infinitely cooler."

Time Magazine: "At the very beginning of writing the script and shaping the storyline, was there anything you wanted to focus on, or a particular character you wanted to prominently showcase?"

Duke Rosenberg: "I genuinely wanted every character to shine, but it was tougher for characters like Thor, The Incredible Hulk, and Hawkeye Clint Barton. Especially Hawkeye Clint Barton, who had very little screen time in the first movie, so I felt I owed his character something. Naturally, showcasing these heroes was an entertaining process. Because we knew so little about them, I got the chance to be the one to excavate their potential."

Time Magazine: "I feel the hardest thing is challenging oneself. Your previous string of films achieved immense success; how do you manage to surpass yourself under the weight of such massive public expectations?"

Duke Rosenberg: "To me, every movie is a new beginning, and I purposely stop myself from thinking about how to surpass my past work. The only thing on my mind is making a good film. Whether I actually achieve that is unknown, but it remains my goal. This goal has nothing to do with a larger production scale or making more money. I mean, of course I want to make more money, but I can't control that. The only things under my control are whether I can tell a new story, whether the content is thrilling enough, whether it's worth rewatching, and whether there is a creative justification that sets it apart from other films. These are my true sources of pressure, not a grander scale or higher quality. Though, admittedly, this movie is indeed on a much larger scale."

Time Magazine: "We are currently in the golden age of superhero movies. Are you worried that moviegoers will gradually experience audience fatigue toward these blockbusters? What should filmmakers do to prevent that from happening?"

Duke Rosenberg: "I think Marvel wants every film to stand on its own. Kevin Feige once said that Marvel doesn't make superhero movies; they make genre films that happen to feature superhero characters. Marvel loves diversity and variety, which is certainly highly beneficial. At the end of the day, I'm not worried about whether superhero movies will last forever. After all, I've already seized the opportunity to make my own. If they truly are replaced by other genres eventually, a great story will still make a great movie."

Time Magazine: "Many people feel that The Avengers can be interpreted from many different angles. Among all of them, which aspect do you value the most or take the most pride in?"

Duke Rosenberg: "To me, this is a story about power and how it affects us, including our power over others and over our children. That's why I explore humanity, interpersonal relationships, and society within a blockbuster format. Delving into these themes and telling a moving story excites me. Obviously, I prefer action sequences and setting up grand scenes—those are my favorites. Furthermore, Marvel specifically wanted me to join the creative process for this film, and that strange, deeply personal invitation was what excited me the most."

Time Magazine: "What do you think are the biggest similarities and differences between Marvel and DC?"

Duke Rosenberg: "Aside from both featuring superheroes, the two are wildly different. People always habitually view them as competitors, but in reality, they aren't alike at all. DC's superhero roster has a long, storied history, mostly composed of towering, god-like icons, whereas Marvel characters are largely a bunch of dorks. DC movies are more mysterious and carry a strong sense of continuity, while Marvel movies are everywhere and can feel a bit geared toward younger audiences. Honestly, I love both of them. They can each find their own place in the market; there's no need for one to step on the other to get ahead."

Time Magazine: "In your eyes, what is the core appeal of superhero movies? What draws so many people to go crazy over them?"

Duke Rosenberg: "In truth, they come from us. Superheroes represent mortals at their absolute best—their vision is the broadest, and their physiques are stronger than ordinary people. Especially Chris Hemsworth; they really are larger than humans. Therefore, superheroes are the most perfect manifestation of humanity. But at the same time, they also possess humanity's most foolish and terrible qualities. Embodying both extremes, they plunge into all kinds of perilous situations. People aren't just watching; they feel fully immersed, imagining themselves right there in the thick of it. That is the joy that superheroes bring me."

Time Magazine: "Many people believe that Star Wars is also a superhero movie in a certain sense. Do you agree?"

Duke Rosenberg: "In some respects, they aren't wrong."

Time Magazine: "As everyone knows, you've already purchased Lucasfilm. Will Star Wars be rebooted?"

Duke Rosenberg: "Actually, the new Star Wars Series is already in the planning stages. We will reboot the franchise and continue telling the story of the Jedi Knights."

Just as Duke had stated in his interview, the new Star Wars had been put on the agenda immediately after Lucasfilm completed its restructuring. Even though the entire franchise lacked so much as a basic script framework, promotional plans—like Katherine Kennedy's trip to China—were already underway.

After this exclusive interview was published, the eyes of many moviegoers returned to The Avengers. The film's box office saw a minor rebound, while merchandise sales remained as scorching as ever, showing not the slightest sign of cooling down.

On July 1st, Duke and Warner Brothers officially announced simultaneously through Instant Sharing and their official websites that his new film had been greenlit.