Chapter 254: The Little Witch

"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone?" Duke subconsciously repeated. The girl opposite him nodded earnestly. "Yes, it's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone!"

Has it already been published?

Thinking for a moment, unable to recall anything clearly, Duke smiled at his curious mother beside him and then turned back to the girl. "Can I take a look, Scarlett?"

"Of course."

Without hesitation, the little girl handed the book over. Duke first glanced at the cover, and the name Joanne Kathleen Rowling stood out prominently.

Then, Duke opened the book and skimmed a few pages. Although he had only seen the movies and never read the original novels, the information was enough for him to judge that this Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was indeed that Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Closing the book, Duke returned it to Scarlett Johansson, his brow furrowing unconsciously. This was an exceptionally delicious piece of meat—something that had once created over $100 billion in global revenue. Its merchandise sales easily crushed George Lucas's Star Wars series. To say he wasn't tempted would be a blatant lie.

However, turning this meat into something edible was a daunting challenge for him.

Why did Harry Potter become a phenomenon?

If you were to ask this question, Duke believed most people's first reaction would be that both the books and movies were excellent, high-quality, and aligned with market preferences—thus naturally becoming a success.

This is indeed the basic condition. Duke also remembered a global literary debate sparked by the Los Angeles Times and elite writers in America. The latter, much like professional film critics, blamed the Harry Potter craze on the poor taste of the masses.

In the eyes of these elite writers, literature belonged solely to certain inherent classes, while the ignorant masses needed guidance from these elites, who deemed themselves suitable to influence or even dictate public appreciation and reading habits.

In summary, it boiled down to this: elite literary circles stubbornly refused to prioritize their audience.

This actually shares similarities with certain film circles, where creators forget that the success of popular movies and literature stems from public enthusiasm, not the other way around.

Why do people read or watch anything? If what they consume doesn't enrich their minds or spirits, what's the point or necessity? This argument, championed by elites, is their most dignified justification for dismissing mass culture.

However, they often forget—or deliberately ignore—a simple truth: people choose these works purely for entertainment, for simple joy, not to seek life's meaning. In fact, the public's choice is often a daydream they'll never realize in real life.

Among these literary and artistic elites, there's also an insufferable assumption that readers of popular novels or viewers of commercial films are detached, disinterested in societal, intellectual, or political life.

While belittling Harry Potter and similar mass culture, these elites are doomed to draw lessons from the series' success or face inevitable decline.

Harry Potter catered to the public's tastes, offering an excellent daydream to readers—laying the foundation for its success.

However, was it the only comparable work in the market? Certainly not. So why did Harry Potter triumph while others didn't?

The reason is simple: Warner Bros. acquired the rights and believed it had the potential to succeed.

As someone who graduated in a related field, Duke naturally studied the Harry Potter phenomenon in analytical courses. A closer look reveals a crucial fact: Warner Bros. identified the series' potential after extensive observation and research, then used its entire group to promote it. Years of relentless hype laid the groundwork for its success before the first film even began production.

Having Warner Bros., a media giant ranked among the top five—or even top three globally—was the key to Harry Potter's success!

Just like with films: if a product has quality but lacks adequate promotion, success is possible but highly unlikely.

Harry Potter didn't become a natural success; without a massive corporate backing, its future would have been uncertain.

As for the naive belief that quality alone can conquer the world, only fools in today's era still think that way.

This was why Duke frowned. If Warner Bros., Fox, Paramount, or even Disney had handled the Harry Potter series, it might have followed its original path to success. But in his hands, what would the future hold?

He was a successful director—undoubtedly one of the most successful in Hollywood today. But could a director compare to a massive media conglomerate? Even if Duke were a hundred times more arrogant than Tom Cruise, he wouldn't entertain such an absurd notion.

In the distant East, audiences came to know the books through the movies. However, in the West, novel readers were key to the first film's success, which was essentially a fan-centric movie.

A tempting piece of meat dangled right before him. Taking a bite might be overwhelming, but not taking one would leave him regretful. That was Duke's current dilemma.

He remembered clearly that Warner Bros. had acquired the rights to the first book and its merchandise for just $250,000. Even after the films succeeded and Rowling received additional compensation, it remained an incredibly lucrative deal.

Thinking about the $250,000, Duke suddenly smiled. Even if it failed, the loss wouldn't be significant. Moreover, partnerships could be sought.

With his and the Duke Studio's capabilities, turning Harry Potter into a money-making machine was impossible alone.

Getting out of the car, Duke called Tina Fey over. "Scarlett has a children's book. Get in touch with the publisher and the author, and try to secure the film and all non-novel merchandising rights."

Tina Fey nodded, ready to find Scarlett. Duke stopped her and added, "Handle this personally, and as quickly as possible!"

"I understand." Tina Fey gestured for Scarlett to come over. When the little girl approached, Tina said, "I'll take care of it now."

Rejoining his mother, Duke walked into the Hilton London's Ballroom No. 1. The room was bustling with celebrities and beautiful women. Most of the guests and models from Victoria's Secret's annual show were present.

After greeting a few Victoria's Secret executives with his mother, Duke moved around on his own. In such settings, being single was the wisest choice. However, after a lap, he noticed that models like Heidi Klum, now full-fledged angels, hadn't appeared.

There were still some decent faces, but with Sophie Marceau's precedent and being in London, Duke decided to maintain his distance from anyone under 18.

Even after the Gibson incident, Martin Bob, though somewhat suppressed by the combined forces of Eno Martin and Pat Kingsley, remained the actual leader of CAA. Duke wouldn't underestimate anyone.

He did find familiar faces at the party, such as Tom Cruise and his wife, who were invited by Victoria's Secret.

"Duke, I've never properly thanked you."

Tom Cruise walked up proactively and smiled. "Thank you for giving me the chance to compete for Best Actor."

"You're too kind, Tom." Duke returned the smile, briefly glancing past Cruise to see Pat Kingsley. After silently exchanging looks with her, he refocused on Cruise. "It's the result of your hard work."

"No, no, no, Duke."

Suddenly, Tom Cruise extended his right hand sincerely. "In this industry, competition is sometimes unavoidable. We've had misunderstandings in the past, but with successful collaborations like Chicago, I think it's time to put those behind us."

After a brief hesitation, Duke made a decision. After all, there were no irreconcilable conflicts between them. He firmly shook Cruise's hand and responded candidly, "Chicago showed me a different Tom—a hardworking, driven actor."

This handshake marked the end of the feud between Duke and Tom Cruise.

"What's next on your agenda?" Duke casually asked during the small talk. "If you're still willing to take $5 million as your pay, you could continue as the lead in my new film."

"You're too greedy, Duke." Tom Cruise shook his head before adding, "I've got a series adaptation from a TV show—the one I invited you to direct. It's been delayed for too long, and I'm preparing to relaunch it. I'm negotiating with Paramount Pictures."

When Tom Cruise mentioned Mission: Impossible, Duke knew that Tom and his team had made the best choice.

This wasn't surprising. With the feud behind them, Duke no longer held onto certain thoughts. He wasn't omnipotent or the center of the world; things wouldn't always align with his desires.

However, he did catch an interesting piece of information from Cruise.

"Tom, I remember you originally planned to collaborate with Disney." Duke asked curiously. "Why Paramount now?"

"You don't know?" Tom Cruise leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz's conflict has escalated. Disney isn't a suitable partner for now."

Duke frowned slightly and asked tentatively, "I recall Paramount Pictures has been financially tight lately."

"They have been, which is why I'll personally invest most of the funds," Tom Cruise said confidently. "While the rest of the funding is unsettled, there will always be a way."

"This is also thanks to your help." Cruise seemed genuine. "Even with me starring in a film like Chicago, it succeeded, which further convinced Paramount of my marketability. That's why negotiations and approvals for this project went so smoothly."

"You're too polite, Tom."

Though Duke was responding to Cruise, his mind had shifted to Mission: Impossible. Insufficient funds?

.....

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