Chapter 934: Exclusive News

In fact, within the industry on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, "box-office buying" was no longer a secret.

It wasn't just producers participating in "block-booking" and "box-office manipulation." Theaters, advertising partners, and the e-commerce platforms directly selling movie tickets could all step in to take a piece of the pie.

"Inflating" the box office had long been a standard promotional tactic. The most heavily manipulated figures—the first-day and first-week box office numbers—saw an average inflation rate of over fifty percent, all to "lure" audiences into the theaters. From reporting high initial numbers to driving up the actual box office, this practice was regarded as an unbreakable "axiom" by many distribution companies across the Pacific Ocean.

"Exaggerating" the box office for movies both large and small had become such a trend that it was hard to tell truth from fiction. Distributors dared to boldly inflate these numbers because box office taxes and revenue sharing weren't based on them; a separate set of official data handled that.

Bragging wasn't taxed, nor did it carry any penalties, encouraging distributors to boldly falsify their numbers.

By spending a certain amount of money to buy up a large number of screenings, producers could first establish a very high box office baseline. When reporting the numbers publicly, they could flaunt excellent results and use the hype to attract a significant number of casual moviegoers. Second, they could monopolize the screening schedules, ensuring other films releasing in the same window were pushed out.

Acting in their own long-term interests, distributors also inflated the box office to elevate themselves to top-tier status. Since most of these distribution companies were publicly traded, the boosted numbers could positively impact their stock prices. As for the theaters, the practice saved them screening costs and allowed them to earn direct profits without worrying about empty seats.

It was worth noting that for many movies, the investors and the distributors were the same company—such as a certain film company that had created a monster-catching box office miracle—while also possessing their own theater chains. This was equivalent to integrating production, distribution, and exhibition, fundamentally acting as a form of self-production, self-distribution, and industry monopoly.

During the last year of his previous life, an industry insider had revealed to Duke that a film's corporate partners would sometimes proactively buy up massive numbers of screenings to give out to their clients. For example, during the release of Switch, Audi had block-booked 300 screenings every day, spending 300,000 to 500,000 a day to forcefully prop the film up past the 300 million mark.

A telecom provider endorsed by a certain king of pop also block-booked tens of millions in tickets for a movie he starred in. When advertisers collaborating with a movie bought out screenings to treat people to a show, they were actually advertising their own movie-related products.

Following the rise of e-commerce, a new form of block-booking emerged in the industry. For major blockbusters with strong market prospects, e-commerce platforms sought exclusive partnerships. They would often throw down tens of millions to block-book screenings in advance, guaranteeing the film's scheduling volume before reselling the tickets to audiences at a low price.

This "low-price strategy" cultivated user habits. In the process, the e-commerce platforms could expand their channels, influence, and market share.

Of course, Duke knew very well that this wasn't an isolated phenomenon strictly on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. The film market in North America experienced the exact same thing. In the face of profit, capital would use every conceivable business tactic. Just like any other commercial sphere, the film industry was by no means a pure and innocent place.

The difference, however, was that regulations in North America were relatively strict, whereas both the film market and the regulatory measures across the ocean were still in their infancy.

The fact that box-office buying had reached such prominence in the market across the Pacific Ocean was directly related to this lack of regulation. For now, regulatory bodies had no highly effective measures against entities reporting false numbers. How high the box office figures were "inflated" relied entirely on the producers' own "self-discipline," without any truly binding oversight.

Even by the time Duke left that world, the phenomenon hadn't seen any improvement.

There was nothing Duke could do about it. He could only ensure that his own films proceeded cautiously in this regard to avoid stepping into a minefield.

After arriving in New York, Duke simply went home to rest for the night and had dinner with his mother before reuniting with the crew, who had already rushed over, to dive into their busy promotional work. Compared to the previous campaigns, the film's explosive opening meant more media outlets were now turning their attention to the two new actors, Daisy Ridley and Daniel Wu. Every media professional knew that these two had already skyrocketed to fame.

At the promotional event at the Waldorf Grand Hotel, Duke stayed almost entirely hidden behind the cast. The crew had shifted the promotional focus onto Daisy Ridley and Daniel Wu, specifically arranging an on-site interview with the New York Times for them.

Their current surge in popularity was entirely predictable. Daisy Ridley and Daniel Wu both had professional agents and PR managers. Under their guidance, the two newcomers' interview was full of selling points while remaining completely airtight.

When the New York Times reporter asked, "Rey is a phenomenal character. She combines the traits of Princess Leia and Han Solo. Where did the inspiration for your performance come from?" Daisy Ridley gave her answer.

"I didn't play her like that; I just played my own character," she said. "As for the question of inspiration, I didn't think about the other characters. I just acted the way I was supposed to. Because this is a new character, she has the traits of other people, but she isn't anyone else. If I were to think about those things, it would actually affect my performance. I was simply playing Rey."

Sitting not far from Daisy Ridley, Duke heard her clearly and couldn't help but give a slight nod. Daisy Ridley was undoubtedly a very smart actress, possessing a maturity and calmness rarely seen in her peers. Clearly, she hadn't let the sudden fame go to her head. Her words promoted the film and her character while simultaneously highlighting her own individuality and uniqueness.

In her, Duke vaguely saw the shadow of Natalie Portman in her youth.

Thinking of this, Duke couldn't help but chuckle. His former idol really had influenced his casting choices.

The voice of the New York Times reporter drifted over as they directed a question at Daniel Wu. "When you got the role after the audition, was it hard to keep it a secret?"

"Yes. The moment I got the role, I wanted to tell the whole world," Daniel Wu said.

Daniel Wu's agent, much like Daisy Ridley's, had joined ICM the moment their client passed the audition. The answer he gave now had been carefully drafted by ICM's professionals.

"I did tell a cab driver, but he probably didn't believe me," he continued. "He just said, 'Sure thing, man.' So after keeping my mouth shut for so long, being able to finally announce that I'd gotten the part felt incredible. I'd been holding it in for far too long."

The reporter then asked, "What's your impression of Duke? Was there a difference between the first time you met and after you started working together?"

"The first time I met him was a few years ago in Las Vegas. He approached me and said he really wanted to work together, that he wanted to find a suitable role for me," Daniel Wu said with a laugh. "From then until now, we've maintained that same natural dynamic from the audition. Even though it was a tryout and there were other actors around, I didn't feel their presence. That was because it was just me and Duke, working together to build a character and show it to everyone. They thought it worked, so I was selected, and the results have been great."

The reporter then asked both of them, "Were there any moments on set when you suddenly turned into fans?"

Daniel Wu made a "go ahead" gesture.

Daisy Ridley answered first. "Yes! I was absolutely amazed. My God, I actually joined Duke Rosenberg's crew! I actually met Duke Rosenberg himself! He's my favorite director. I had so many questions to ask him, but I had a job to do, so I couldn't. You can't indulge yourself, otherwise you'll make yourself look..."

She laughed.

Daniel Wu picked up where she left off. "That only speaks for yourself, Daisy. I had a lot of fun on set. I worked hard, but the moment we wrapped for the day, my inner nerd burst out. The Millennium Falcon, the Lightsaber... I even brought my own action figures for Duke to sign. I really milked this opportunity for all its perks."

Listening to the interview the entire time, Duke was quite satisfied with their performance.

Moreover, the reporter, who had been briefed beforehand, knew how to play ball and continued asking, "Do you think Rey and Finn will have more of their backstories expanded upon?"

Daisy Ridley nodded first. "Yes."

Daniel Wu gave a more detailed answer. "Absolutely. One thing that really surprised me is that a lot of audiences are very interested in the stories of the two leads. They want to know more, but we honestly don't know any more than you do. Actually, I want to talk to Duke and Lucasfilm about it. Since we're continuing to play them, it doesn't seem right if we don't know their backgrounds."

"We have to know where these characters came from," he said deliberately. "We definitely need to know Luke's stance. It'll be incredibly interesting. I'll tell you a secret..."

Daniel Wu intentionally lowered his voice. "I think Rey is a distant cousin of Chewbacca. That's an exclusive piece of news!"

Daisy Ridley immediately chimed in. "I've heard some rumors about that too."

With that, she and Daniel Wu burst into laughter.

The interview wrapped up smoothly. The reporter stood up and began packing away their equipment with the cameraman. Daisy Ridley and Daniel Wu walked off toward their respective agents. The smiles from moments ago had vanished from their faces. Let alone talking to each other, they didn't even exchange a glance, acting as if the other were a complete stranger.

To be more precise, they were simply people who shared a working relationship.

Whether it was Duke, the rest of the crew, or the reporter, seeing this didn't strike anyone as strange in the slightest. This was simply the norm in Hollywood. There were cases where the male and female leads, or the director and the actors, became friends or even lovers after shooting a movie, but it wasn't the standard.

Within this circle, in most cases, a working relationship was exactly that—a working relationship.

As long as it didn't affect the work, Duke and the crew wouldn't interfere with the private relationships between the actors.

Of course, if Daisy Ridley and Daniel Wu actually hit it off, Duke would definitely intervene, as that would create a negative impact.

After the opening weekend passed, the promotional marketing for Star Wars: The Force Awakens remained red-hot. Duke, Lucasfilm, and the distributor, Warner Brothers, all wanted to prevent the film's weekday box office from taking a massive plunge.