Chapter 921: Severed Hands

Even with so many fans lining up half a month in advance to grab seats, the North American media didn't consider it worth reporting. To them, it was perfectly normal.

"No one can deny that the Star Wars Series has spent over thirty years forging a top-tier commercial IP. When combined with the equally top-tier super IP of Duke Rosenberg, no unprecedented outcome can really be called a surprise..."

A commentary from the New York Times went even further: "Star Wars plus Duke Rosenberg means the global box office must start from a baseline of two billion dollars. Anything less can only be called a failure."

As the release date drew closer, countless fans across the country prepared for the film's arrival. Warner Brothers and Lucasfilm ramped up their marketing campaign, pouring nearly 200 million dollars into the initial promotional push alone.

A film like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with its massive audience base and deep cultural heritage, primarily utilized internet and offline channels to promote the brand itself, rarely touching on the story or characters.

But Duke refused to slack off on the marketing. He had his producers, Charles Roven and Robin Grande, employ more alternate reality game tactics to build suspense, deepening the audience's curiosity about the story and characters to draw them into the theaters.

Without a doubt, getting audiences to buy tickets was the ultimate goal of all these promotional efforts.

In this internet age, constantly battered by the waves of consumerism, the information explosion and pervasive mobile technology caused audiences to lose focus on a work's actual content. Duke's job was to redirect their attention, sparking their curiosity and their desire to watch—and consume.

Living in this prosperous, rapidly developing golden age was undeniably a stroke of luck.

However, Star Wars: The Force Awakens faced more than just the North American market. It had a vast global audience, and the undeniable differences between countries and regions meant that marketing strategies had to be tailored accordingly.

No one could deny cultural differences, and those backgrounds dictated the marketing strategy for Star Wars: The Force Awakens across different regions, particularly in the Far East. The region held immensely important Hollywood markets like Japan, South Korea, and China.

In the South Korean market, Lucasfilm and Warner Brothers spotted a major trend: savvy South Korean audiences tended to localize imported blockbusters, crafting their own cinematic interpretations of the material.

Japanese audiences had followed and loved the Star Wars films for a long time. Lucasfilm even created a custom movie trailer for The Force Awakens specifically for Japan.

But the hype for Star Wars in the Chinese market paled in comparison to South Korea and Japan. So, what was the solution?

Because Duke and Star Wars naturally commanded immense appeal in the North American market, Warner Brothers began focusing heavily on China starting in December, aiming to create a frenzied marketing wave.

Duke also produced a custom Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer for China. This version not only highlighted Daniel Wu's leading role but deliberately featured more grand spectacle to cater to the tastes of Chinese audiences.

At the same time, they manufactured controversy on the Greater China Regional Network. By highlighting the differences between the Chinese and international trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, they raked in clicks and attention.

An actor of Chinese descent taking a co-leading role in a super A-list Hollywood blockbuster would inevitably capture the attention of countless Chinese moviegoers.

And this was merely one part of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens promotional campaign in China. Starting in December, a dense barrage of events tied to the movie flooded the public eye.

With some time still left before the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the Warner Greater China Region used BB-8 to strike first, melting hearts across the entire country! By seizing the initiative with a brand-new character, BB-8 reached an astonishing level of popularity in China.

Starting a month before the premiere, the Warner Greater China Region continuously hosted real-life Star Wars replica events. National offline touring exhibitions rolled out across major commercial districts in cities nationwide, featuring various physical installations for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

As Star Wars geared up for its release, a massive wave of Chinese products co-branded with the franchise flooded the market. The Warner Greater China Region simultaneously targeted China's eight hundred million users, leveraging their partnership with the Penguin Company to broaden their marketing channels.

Then came the star effect, signing on popular Chinese idols to serve as brand ambassadors for the local market.

It had to be said that Lucasfilm and Warner Brothers had spared no effort on entertainment marketing for the Star Wars Series.

To build momentum for the new film, they boldly broke away from traditional marketing mindsets. To avoid fighting a solitary battle, they actively sought out partners outside the industry, leveraging brands across different sectors to aid in the movie's promotion.

The greatest benefit of entertainment marketing lay in allowing completely unrelated elements to intermingle and fuse, granting the brand a sense of three-dimensionality and depth. Duke firmly believed these measures would be a massive asset to the marketing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and to the success of the brand as a whole.

At the same time, Duke had Tina Fey fly to China to personally formulate further promotional strategies with his partner media outlets.

Duke knew perfectly well that while Lucasfilm and Warner Brothers had worked hard to push the first six films in recent years, many Chinese viewers had still never seen them. Not having seen the films wasn't a big deal; his biggest fear was that they lacked even a basic grasp of the lore and history of Star Wars. If such audiences went into Star Wars: The Force Awakens completely blind, they inevitably wouldn't generate good word-of-mouth.

Spreading this fundamental background knowledge ahead of the Chinese premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens was Tina Fey's primary mission on this trip.

And so, shortly after Tina Fey arrived in China, a viewing guide personally penned by Duke appeared across local media and the internet.

"Seven Things You Should Know Before the Seventh Star Wars Film Releases."

This was the title Duke had come up with. The content itself might not perfectly reflect the previous six Star Wars films, but it was a custom-tailored guide designed specifically for the Chinese market and its mainstream fans.

"Fans all over the world have suddenly started talking about Star Wars again. This badass sci-fi series is back! In early January 2015, the seventh installment, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, will hit theaters in China. This franchise has influenced countless filmmakers and directors. The fact that we have such thrilling Hollywood blockbusters to watch today is largely thanks to the Star Wars Series."

"The historic Star Wars Series is about to be revitalized, and the plot of the upcoming Star Wars 7: The Force Awakens directly follows Star Wars 6: Return of the Jedi. For those of you who haven't had time to binge the first six movies, pay close attention to what follows."

"First, what are the first six Star Wars films about?"

"The Star Wars prequels (Episodes 1-3) mainly tell the story of the gifted Anakin Skywalker, chronicling his journey from an innocent boy into the evil Empire's greatest enforcer: Darth Vader. Meanwhile, the original trilogy (Episodes 4-6) follows his son, Luke Skywalker, who teams up with his friends to resist the Empire's tyranny and ultimately bring peace to the galaxy."

"Simply put, the main plot of the first six films is: 'Dad walked down the dark path and reached an alternative peak in life, only for his bratty kid to come along and wipe out his workplace.' Built on this foundation, the clash between the light and dark sides of the Force, the political maneuvering between factions, the heroes' loves and hatreds, the wildly imaginative worlds scattered across the endless cosmos, and the countless droids and spaceships—these are what make the Star Wars Series so captivating."

"Second, a few famous characters you absolutely must know."

"Jedi Knights: They wield non-red lightsabers and are basically all good guys. The most famous among them is Master Yoda, a little green alien who could easily get by on being cute, but insists on letting his power do the talking. Then there's Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was Anakin's master and later became Luke's mentor. If you want to side with the good guys, keep this in mind: don't choose a red lightsaber when you cosplay."

"Third, why is Star Wars such an unstoppable force in Western pop culture?"

"Simply put, Star Wars influenced almost every blockbuster director we see today. Cinematic titans like Spielberg, James Cameron, and Luc Besson were all profoundly impacted. The famous director Duke Rosenberg is also a massive fan of the series; he received his earliest cinematic education right on the set of Star Wars."

"The Star Wars Series also spearheaded an era of development in the film industry: director George Lucas founded the Industrial Light & Magic Company in 1975 because of Star Wars, effectively inventing the modern visual effects industry, and it remains the industry leader today. Star Wars is one of the most profitable films in history, boasting a staggering array of merchandise. The Western audiences who flocked to theaters in the seventies have long since settled down and started families, passing their love for the Star Wars Series down to their children and even grandchildren. In Western daily life, Star Wars cultural references are as commonplace as using oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar at the dinner table."

To spark the interest of Chinese audiences and generate explosive box office numbers in what is now the world's second-largest film market, Duke, Lucasfilm, and Warner Brothers had truly racked their brains. Most notably, at the end of this seven-point guide, Duke deliberately brought up a running gag frequently seen in mainstream North American blockbusters.

This trope originated in the Star Wars Series and had gradually evolved into a unique trend of its own.

"Why is it said that the 'severed hand' scenes that appear so often in North American movies today are a terrible trend started and popularized by the Star Wars Series?"