Made In Hollywood

After the report passed through Martin Bob and Sean Connery's hands, the living room descended into a cold silence. None of them wanted to see that number, but they had known since yesterday that it was unavoidable, even with so many competitors trying to sabotage the results.

For two consecutive days, the film had grossed over $20 million in a single day. Although it hadn't broken the single-day record of $31.32 million set by *Jurassic Park*, its weekend performance was significantly stronger.

Friday: $22.54 million, Saturday: $24.29 million, Sunday: $16.25 million, totaling $63.08 million for the weekend!

Sean Connery's hands trembled as he held the report. What did that number signify? It meant that despite his efforts to influence *Independence Day*, the $3 million spent to sway the critics had been completely wasted! His actions couldn't halt the rise of that young director!

With a slight lowering of his eyelids to hide his frustration, Martin Bob showed no expression. The North American weekend box office record, which had originally belonged to *Jurassic Park*, to Spielberg, and to CAA, was now handed over to Duke and *Independence Day*?

He didn't want to admit it, but *Independence Day*'s opening weekend of $63.08 million utterly destroyed the $47.02 million that Spielberg had achieved with *Jurassic Park*!

"Lovett, that fool!"

Suddenly, Martin Bob felt a surge of anger. CAA had not only lost a director, but perhaps also a treasure that could one day rival Spielberg!

"If I were in charge of CAA, the first thing I would do is find a way to strip that fool of his partner status!"

Unable to suppress the thought any longer, Martin Bob left without caring about Sean Connery's grim expression. He walked out and headed back to Century City.

*Bang!*

Just as the agent disappeared through the door, a finely crafted ashtray smashed against the floor. Sean Connery's large hands ripped the report into countless pieces...

"Why? Why did this happen?"

The living room echoed with Connery's lion-like roar of anger, "Jack, I want to kill him! I want to kill that scumbag!"

*Crash...*

He flipped over the entire coffee table in his rage.

Jack, the PR manager, stood silently to the side. He didn't take Connery's words seriously and simply let him vent. Only when Connery had calmed down somewhat did he speak.

"Calm down, Sean!" he urged.

"Prepare more money, Jack. I want you to get the media on our side," Connery, still furious, wasn't thinking clearly. "I want all the media to attack Duke and his movie!"

"Wake up, Sean!" Jack finally raised his voice, "You may be rich, but can you buy off the media owned by Time Warner and News Corp? *Independence Day* is a film they've invested in! Based on the opening weekend numbers, the profits this movie could generate far surpass your net worth!"

Jack held back from saying what was on his mind: compared to the rapidly rising Duke, what was an aging star like Sean Connery? In this commercial world, from the media to the public, from individuals to corporations, everyone chases after success, and people love to kick those who are down.

"What should I do?" Sean Connery gradually calmed down. "Tell me, Jack, what should I do?"

"We made a mistake," Jack sighed, "We clearly overestimated the influence critics have over audiences. They barely wielded a third of the power we expected. Three million dollars..."

Another long sigh. Jack continued, "For now, don't engage in any more fighting unless you're ready to retire."

"Retire?" Sean Connery shook his head instantly.

"Then accept Mel Gibson's invitation. Only by showing your value can you regain respect in Hollywood and have the leverage to fight back."

These words applied to everyone in Hollywood, including Duke. This was a brutally realistic world. Anyone without value was destined to be discarded.

On Monday morning, as planned, Duke entered Warner's building for an interview with *Time* magazine.

"Hi, Duke…"

"Director…"

"Mr. Rosenberg…"

"Congratulations, Duke…"

From the moment he walked into the building, whether the people recognized him or not, they all greeted him. Their smiles were brighter than the Malibu sun, and their enthusiasm surpassed even the heat of July. Their congratulations seemed genuinely heartfelt, at least on the surface.

Duke responded with nods or waves. Nothing seemed different from usual, except that the pressure of the enormous investment had completely dissipated with the release of the opening weekend box office results.

*Independence Day* had fought its way through fierce competition!

Of course, Duke didn't credit himself entirely for the success. It was the teamwork that ensured the film's quality, and the marketing efforts of Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox were crucial to its promotion.

Especially the latter. With high-quality, market-appropriate content, their vast platform unleashed the film's full potential.

Even Duke had to admit, if a second- or third-tier company had handled the distribution and marketing, *Independence Day* wouldn't have flopped, but achieving such massive success would have remained a fantasy.

"Hi, Duke..."

Just as Duke reached Warner's press room, he spotted Jeff Robinov, who was clearly waiting for him. Before Duke could say anything, the Warner Bros. executive pulled him into a hug.

"Our record-breaking director has arrived!" Robinov exclaimed to those around them.

The room filled with cheerful laughter as people escorted Duke into the press room, with words of praise filling the air.

"*Independence Day* brought Warner back the opening weekend box office record!"

"*Jurassic Park* only raised the record by $1.5 million from *Batman Returns*, but Duke's film widened the gap by $16 million!"

"The first film in history to break $50 million and $60 million in a weekend…"

Despite setting records, Duke didn't feel overjoyed. With North American screen counts rapidly increasing, it wouldn't be long before *Independence Day* was surpassed.

While Duke was being interviewed by *Time* magazine, film critics' columns were filled with heated debates.

Despite their scathing reviews, audiences had flocked to see Duke's film. *Independence Day* had achieved a record-breaking weekend, leaving the critics furious. Their opinions had been ignored by most moviegoers.

The hard truth was that professional critics didn't have nearly as much influence as they believed, nor did their critiques hold the sway over the film industry's development that they claimed.

Perhaps even more terrifying than being ignored by audiences was the fact that their future earnings could be directly impacted. Duke's interview with the *Los Angeles Times*, which exposed the critics' superficiality, added fuel to the fire.

So, after the first-weekend box office numbers came out, the critics' attacks escalated beyond the scope of the film.

"The worst movie in history! Watching it will make you furious. What was Duke even thinking?"

"Staring at yourself in the mirror for two hours would be more entertaining than Duke's films."

"Don't expect any plot, intelligence, or creative action sequences. Only then do you stand a chance of surviving one of Duke's trashy movies."

Critics, like a group of cats whose tails had been stepped on, lashed out with vicious reviews, doing everything they could to label Duke as the worst director in history.

These scathing reviews were hard to miss, as they appeared in many media outlets. If handled well, they could easily become a social hot topic. Warner and Fox, both media powerhouses, understood the potential benefits of creating buzz. Fox certainly wasn't going to overlook it.

Utilizing every available resource to promote their products and generate more revenue is the most basic function of any commercial company.

"Was the interview smooth?"

As Duke left the press room, he saw Nancy waiting for him. He shrugged and said, "Nothing I couldn't handle."

The two declined Warner's offer to stay, chatting about the interview as they left the building. Once they got into Duke's Bentley, Nancy brought up another topic.

"Did you read today's papers?" she asked.

"I feel like I've become the critics' public enemy," Duke replied nonchalantly.

Hearing Duke's relaxed tone, Nancy was reassured and said, "Fox also sent an invitation. They want you to appear on one of their late-night talk shows."

"What do you think?" Duke asked, glancing at her from the driver's seat.

"Since we can't avoid it, we might as well escalate the conflict. The bigger the fuss, the better it will be for us. The critics have already crossed the line with their personal attacks. We need to strike back."

Duke nodded.

Nancy continued, "*Time* magazine's feature won't be published until next month. Judging by the slight dip in yesterday's box office numbers, the critics have had some effect on *Independence Day*. The faster we respond, the better."

Yes, *Time* was preparing a cover story for Duke, but such a high-profile interview wouldn't be published immediately.

"It's not just Fox's talk show," Nancy handed him two more invitations. "I just received an invitation from *The Oprah Winfrey Show*."

Duke knew little about talk shows, but even he was aware of Oprah's global fame.

"I suggest we go with Fox and decline Oprah," Nancy said, surprising him.

"Why?" Duke asked.

....

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