Chapter 441: The High Attendance Rate

May in Los Angeles was already hot enough. Even in the afternoon, there was little relief from the heat. Crowded in the filming area, Jarvis constantly adjusted the camera lens, capturing the figures walking down the red carpet. Even if the person was just a minor character in the film, he treated them with the same attitude he would toward a superstar.

This was the most anticipated film of the year, with content related to The Lord of the Rings and The Two Towers, all of which were hot topics in the public eye. If it were a minor character in an ordinary film, they might not be worth so much attention, but who knew which unknown actor might rise to fame, like Alexandra Ambrosio from the first film?

Jarvis clearly remembered that the sales of action figures and models of Yawen were only second to Legolas among all the characters in the first film.

"Why hasn't Duke arrived yet?"

Another cameraman beside him seemed to be talking to himself. Jarvis recognized him and responded, "Tony, he's the soul of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, of course he's going to be the last to appear."

"Whether he's last or not doesn't matter," Tony said as he put down his camera and stood on tiptoe to look at the end of the red carpet. "I only care about whether he's bringing Ivanka Trump with him."

At that moment, a Rolls-Royce stopped in front of the red carpet, and two people dressed in black and white tuxedos walked toward the event, their fingers entwined.

The photographers went wild, with everyone pushing forward. If it weren't for the security personnel forming a human wall, they might have rushed onto the red carpet to stand in front of the two.

Tony and Jarvis had already picked up their cameras, and their fingers didn't stop pressing the shutter. Unfortunately, the two walking down the red carpet had no intention of cooperating, neither signing autographs for the fans nor posing for photos. Unlike the people who had walked before, slowly and with purpose, they merely walked at a normal pace, quickly passing by the red carpet and heading straight to the interview area in front of the Chinese Theatre.

Hollywood couples usually love showing off their affection in front of the cameras, almost eager to tell the world how deep their love is. But unfortunately, neither Duke nor Ivanka had any such intention.

"They don't even know how to show off!" Tony said bitterly.

"Do they need to?"

The most anticipated people had already passed, and Jarvis lowered his camera, turning to Tony. "One's the top director in Hollywood, and the other's the heir to a billion-dollar fortune. They don't need to show off. The media will follow them everywhere!"

Tony reluctantly glanced at the Chinese Theatre before sighing. "That's true."

He then asked casually, "What do you think The Two Towers' final box office will be?"

"Don't know…" Jarvis, though not a professional forecaster, said confidently, "It can't be lower than The Fellowship of the Ring, right?"

"That's not necessarily true!" Tony pointed to the fan zone across the way. "Don't you see? The number of fans at this premiere is clearly fewer than last year's The Fellowship of the Ring. I suspect the first film already wore out a lot of fans' enthusiasm…"

"Have you lost touch with the news recently?" Jarvis handed his camera and tripod to his assistant. "Didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?" Tony looked puzzled.

Although they worked for different media outlets, they had a good relationship, and Jarvis reminded him, "The distribution of The Two Towers is different from The Fellowship of the Ring and Duke's previous films. Because the first film was so successful, there was no preview screening. Instead, on the day of the premiere, over 2,000 screenings across the U.S. were scheduled to show the movie at the same time. A lot of hardcore Lord of the Rings fans went to the early screenings…"

"Now it makes sense." Tony's face lit up with realization.

Brad Miller didn't attend the premiere but instead went to a nearby Nokia Theater with Pete. When the two entered the theater's lobby, they found it crowded because of the early arrival. The crowd was focused on only one thing.

"Hey, hurry up with the ticket check! Don't delay me from seeing The Two Towers!"

"I've been waiting a year, please hurry!"

"We're all Lord of the Rings fans here, not terrorists! Let us in!"

There were too many people, so Brad Miller and Pete found a quiet corner to wait, but they didn't expect to run into someone they knew.

"Chris, what are you doing here?" Pete asked in surprise.

"Why can't I be here?" Chris wasn't embarrassed at all. "This is a movie theater. Of course, I'm here to watch the movie."

Brad Miller frowned and asked, "The Two Towers?"

Chris nodded directly.

"You were protesting before, weren't you?" Pete added.

"I'm not protesting anymore. I'm a Lord of the Rings fan now!" Chris said boldly. "If The Fellowship of the Ring can conquer you two stubborn guys, it can certainly conquer me."

Pete wanted to speak, but Brad Miller stopped him. "We've all been friends before, so let's sit together later."

Countless fans flooded into over 2,000 theaters across the U.S. on Thursday night, eager to watch the film.

Due to the time difference, when the screenings started in New York, it was already late. As the chief film critic for The New Yorker, David Dunby got out of his car and hurried into the theater. He didn't intend to buy a ticket; instead, he showed his media pass at the entrance. Most of the time, film critics had privileges and could watch films for free with their special status.

"Sorry, Mr. Dunby."

But this time, his pass didn't work. The ticket clerk stopped him and said, "The distributors have notified us that all critics, just like regular viewers, must purchase a ticket to enter!"

"What?" David Dunby stared wide-eyed.

The film was about to start, and the ticket clerk was too busy to explain further, so he just ignored David and continued checking other people's tickets.

David waited for a few seconds, then turned and walked toward the theater entrance. Halfway there, he changed his mind. Such a hot film — if he didn't write something about it, to gain some attention, he'd be a fool!

He bought a ticket at the box office and finally entered the screening room.

He was very late, and the theater was crowded. Standing at the entrance, he looked around for a while but couldn't find a suitable seat. Most of the seats were already taken.

Such a high attendance rate!

He sighed inwardly and made his way to the far right corner. He didn't take the shortest route but walked through the aisles in the middle of the theater, thinking that he could use his face to get an older fan to give up their seat.

However, as David walked through, the audience, mostly aged between 15 and 35, didn't give up their seats for him. They didn't even look at him. Some even angrily asked him to move.

"Hey, you, hurry up and move! You're blocking my view!"

"Stop dawdling! The movie's about to start, and if I miss a single shot, I'll never forgive you!"

David Dunby wanted to yell at them but, seeing their huge size and fierce expressions, could only walk faster and sit in the farthest corner.

There were still a few seats left in this corner, but after his slow walk, all the other seats were taken. The last available one was in the farthest corner.

Much like film critics during the summer blockbusters, David Dunby had no choice but to endure his frustration and sit there.

Outside the theater, people were waiting as well.

At the Santa Monica Commercial Plaza, a newly opened chain gift store had its grand opening. The owner, Pete Kerr, was personally overseeing the store, instructing the employees to quickly stock the shelves. The early screenings of The Two Towers were about to begin, and according to the information that Edward Yang had received earlier, the film's length would be about two and a half hours, meaning they would soon be receiving a wave of customers.

As promised, Pete Kerr's biggest business secret was the sale of various Lord of the Rings merchandise. He had connections with both Duke's studio and Warner Bros. Even if the supply was tight, he could ensure that he got the products, which meant enormous sales and profits.

Although his chain stores were only in cities on the West Coast, from late May to the present, the merchandise from The Fellowship of the Ring had brought him nearly $3 million in profits. This was partly due to his always having a steady supply, and partly because he could get rare, limited-edition items.

For example, this time, the Lord of the Rings studio had collaborated with Tiffany to launch a special jewelry series. Although the materials were just crystal, gold, and platinum, the limited edition meant high prices and huge profits for distributors.

These were the products that many businesses were scrambling to get. Aside from direct sales from Warner Bros. and Tiffany, it was extremely difficult for other merchants to get the goods.

But Pete Kerr had managed to get his hands on a batch. However, the goods hadn't arrived yet at this time!

At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps approached. His new partner, Edward Yang, entered with a tall woman holding a few boxes. They walked quickly into the store.

"You finally made it!" Pete Kerr greeted them and immediately took the boxes from their hands. "Did you get everything?"

"Ten sets, not a single one missing!" Edward Yang replied, then introduced the woman. "This is Miranda Kerr, a model I met when I went on vacation to Australia."

Pete Kerr merely nodded politely before returning to his busy work. In his eyes, every time Duke's films were released, it was the best opportunity to expand his business empire!

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