Chapter 440: More Surprises

"What are you thinking about, Ivie?" A few blonde girls were drinking and chatting in a suite at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Jane Lauder walked over to Ivanka Trump, who was sitting alone on the sofa, and asked, "Is your mind already in Los Angeles?"

"I guess Ivie is worried!"

Nicky Hilton walked over from the bar with a bottle of sherry, "Her boyfriend just made it to the Forbes billionaire list, and there are so many beautiful actresses in Hollywood…"

She changed her tone to a strange one, "Sorry, Ivie, I didn't mean anything by it, but if it were me, I would also be worried. Just think about it— a 30-year-old super-rich guy, the most handsome and talented director in Hollywood... Oh, my God, just thinking about it is crazy!"

Ivanka didn't respond to her but felt that following Jane Lauder to this so-called childhood friend gathering was a huge mistake.

Paris Hilton also left the bar and walked over, holding a copy of Forbes magazine. She seemed to be a little tipsy and wobbled over, then flopped directly onto the sofa next to Ivanka.

"Darling, can I ask you a question?"

Ivanka furrowed her brow slightly but still said, "Of course."

"Ivie, when do you plan to break up with Duke…"

"Paris!" Jane Lauder seemed a bit angry but was gently pulled by Ivanka. Paris Hilton quickly added, "I was just asking casually."

Nicky Hilton took a sip from her bottle and said, "Paris, why are you asking this?"

"Don't you think Duke is attractive?" Paris Hilton flashed the magazine in her hand, "Just looking at the report in here, I'm already moved."

Ivanka's face turned a little unpleasant, but out of childhood friendship, she still held back and said nothing.

"You're starting to act wild again!" Nicky Hilton tossed the bottle aside, slumped next to Paris Hilton, and curiously asked, "What's written in there that has you so excited?"

Not only Nicky Hilton but also Ivanka and Jane Lauder perked up their ears.

"Cough… Let me read it out for everyone."

Paris Hilton cleared her throat, opened the Forbes magazine, and said with a rhythmic tone, "The article is titled 'Duke Rosenberg—The Wealth Behind a Hollywood Director!'"

"If you were to ask what the hottest movie of last year was, most people would choose 'The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring.' This epic fantasy masterpiece directed by Duke Rosenberg captivated countless audiences and also brought him enormous income. Before the Oscar ceremony in March, Warner Brothers and Duke's production studio, Duke Rosenberg Studios, settled the film's earnings. Excluding the basic payment of $15 million for directing and producing, he earned over $220 million from the global box office and all related revenue from 'The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring!'"

"This surpassed Steven Spielberg's earnings of over $210 million from 'Jurassic Park,' making it the highest director's earnings in Hollywood history!"

"Just like 'The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring,' over the past few years, Duke Rosenberg has accumulated a significant fortune by investing in his films and receiving top-tier director royalties. However, this is not all of his wealth; away from the film market, he has even more terrifying wealth!"

Upon reading here, Paris Hilton suddenly paused, pointed at her wine bottle, and Nicky Hilton immediately grabbed it for her.

Paris Hilton took a large gulp of wine, her eyes sweeping across the others before continuing, "Like other Hollywood stars and directors, Duke used his earnings from films to invest in other industries, but unlike others, his investments have been very successful so far."

"Although affected by stock market fluctuations and capital expansion, our statistics show that Duke Rosenberg has consistently held around 7% of Apple's shares, just over 10% of Victoria's Secret shares, 8% of Warner Brothers shares, 30% of Marvel Comics, and Google's shares…"

"The most conservative estimate puts the value of Duke's shares at around $2.5 billion. Adding in income from film rights and other sources, Forbes estimates his net worth at $2.9 billion! This figure ranks him 97th on the Forbes billionaire list!"

"Duke Rosenberg is also the only person under 35 years old in the top 100 of the billionaire list!"

Paris Hilton closed the magazine, "That's all, the rest is just data analysis, which you wouldn't understand if I read it aloud."

Having said that, she picked up the wine bottle and took another big gulp. Nicky Hilton's eyes were sparkling, "$2.9 billion! I don't even know if I'll inherit such wealth in my lifetime…"

"I'm sure of one thing." Paris Hilton said, "You'll never make such a fortune in your whole life!"

"Don't talk about me, you won't either!"

Although they used to play together a lot when they were kids, Ivanka felt that she had nothing in common with the Hilton sisters now, and they had no real topics to discuss as adults.

"Ivie, can I ask you something?" Jane Lauder asked, blinking her curious eyes and leaning in to ask softly, "Is that number really Duke's true net worth?"

"I'm not too sure."

Since it was her close friend asking, Ivanka still lowered her voice to say, "In my opinion, Forbes' estimate is rather conservative."

At this point, Ivanka realized how much farther she had to go to catch up with Duke, and instantly, her determination to work harder solidified. She didn't want to be left too far behind.

Meanwhile, the Hilton sisters were still chatting excitedly. Ivanka had lost the desire to stay, so she said a few words to Jane Lauder, and the two of them left together.

As they exited the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Ivanka saw a giant billboard across the street, with Gandalf on his white horse in white robes, leading a cavalry charging toward an orc army…

They got into the car, and along the way, saw plenty of advertisements for the movie. When they passed Times Square, the big screen was also showing the trailer for the film, making it seem like the movie was everywhere in New York.

"Are you going to Los Angeles for the premiere?"

Hearing Jane Lauder's question, Ivanka pulled her gaze away from the ad outside the car window, nodded, and said, "I'll go."

"Can you take me with you?" Jane Lauder's eyes were full of longing.

Ivanka didn't take the initiative, "The seats for the premiere should be arranged by now. I'll make a call…"

She took out her phone and dialed a number. No surprise, the person who answered was not Duke.

"Hi, Tina. I have a friend who wants to attend the premiere, Erin's sister. Ah, okay, thanks."

Turning to Jane Lauder, Ivanka made a "got it" gesture, then spoke into the phone, "What about Duke? Is he still busy with work?"

On the other side, Tina Pfeiffer looked inside through the glass door and saw Duke, saying, "He's doing an interview for Fortune magazine, and it'll probably take about another half an hour…"

After hanging up, Tina Pfeiffer looked at the inside, where Duke was talking confidently to the reporters.

This was a very targeted interview. After Warner got the news about Forbes' billionaire list, they specifically arranged this interview to promote Duke and his film.

"Director Rosenberg, you went from nothing to having your current fortune in just ten years. How did you do it?"

The reporter sitting opposite was a woman. After some sharp questions, the rest of her inquiries were beneficial to publicity, as Fortune magazine is under the umbrella of Time Warner.

Even though the questions hadn't been fully pre-discussed, Duke answered without hesitation, "Focus, hard work, persistence, and a little bit of luck."

"Why did you invest in Apple?"

"I believe in Steve Jobs. I'm a huge admirer of him, and I've always believed that Jobs would lead Apple out of its struggles. Now, Apple is headed in a positive direction."

"What's the most important thing to your success?"

"Movies!" Duke said seriously, "Movies are the foundation of my career. Without income from the film industry, I wouldn't be able to invest in other industries. Film is both my job and my passion."

"So you think movies are your greatest success?"

"Yes, I believe my biggest achievement is making films that most audiences enjoy."

The female reporter, with sharp intuition, kept asking, "Is making films that audiences like your guiding principle?"

"Yes, it's something I confirm before any project starts. If I feel the audience won't like it, I'm not interested, even if the script is excellent. I've always believed that movies with broad audience support are the truly successful ones."

"Will the next two parts of The Lord of the Rings continue this philosophy?"

"I'll say it again, this is the foundation for all my film projects. The Two Towers will follow the style of Fellowship of the Ring and offer even more surprises in its epic scenes…"

Forbes' billionaire list was just a reason for the interview, and the actual goal was to promote the film. Duke went all out, shamelessly hyping up The Two Towers!

As May approached, and with the release of The Two Towers drawing nearer, Duke and Warner used all available promotional methods, with some differences. For example, the Lord of the Rings studio did not plan to hold test screenings for the film, as the overwhelming positive word-of-mouth from the first film already made the sequel highly anticipated.

On the other hand, with no major competition in the same release period, The Two Towers' North American opening theater count broke records again, reaching 3,876 theaters!

In short, everything was ready, just waiting for the film's release.