Chapter 476: Rendering Dreams with Ink

Due to time zone differences, the global simultaneous release of the film had varying schedules, but after two days of intense screenings on Friday and Saturday, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King created a phenomenon-level viewing frenzy worldwide. From Japan to Mexico, from Sweden to Brazil, from Russia to Australia, audiences were all stunned by the courage of humanity to fight back to the death and the grandiose scenes.

The media never misses a hot topic, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King became the subject of enthusiastic reviews across many countries.

"Every movie in the Lord of the Rings series is excellent, but The Return of the King has reached the pinnacle of classic cinema. The key character depictions have been elevated, the battle scenes are more intense, and at the same time, the emotional depth is even more touching."

—New Zealand New Zealand Herald

"It is rare that the third part of a trilogy is the best of the entire series. The epic conflicts, astounding battles, outstanding landscapes and special effects, and steadfast characters give this nearly nine-hour masterpiece a perfect conclusion."

—UK The Times

"Every scene in the movie created by the invisible elf Duke Rosenberg showcases its brilliance. No filmmaker has ever set such high goals and achieved so much!"

—Spain Madrid Daily

"The Return of the King might be the most astonishing masterpiece in epic cinema. Duke Rosenberg spent seven years creating an unparalleled great work. This is not just a movie; it is a gift, the best gift for movie fans around the world!"

—France Le Figaro

"Although The Return of the King tells a simple story, the impact it brings is truly immense, especially the scenes and music, the epic battle of thousands. The stories around the Fellowship of the Ring are moving, joyous, and sad... until the very end, each person is irreplaceable, especially the companion who stays with you until the end, never leaving. This is a movie that gives people strength, a fantastic journey, and a beautiful memory."

—Japan Asahi Shimbun

In addition to the media, overseas audiences were equally enthusiastic.

Viera from France said in an interview—The Lord of the Rings trilogy is the most inspiring, grand, and profound film I have ever seen. Calling it an epic is not an exaggeration.

Morentes from Spain also praised the film—The Return of the King shows the extreme limits that cinematic spectacle can achieve. As movie fans, we are undoubtedly fortunate and happy.

Milner from the University of Cambridge in the UK directly credited the success of the film to the director. He said on Sky TV's camera, "Duke Rosenberg demonstrated his unparalleled cinematic talent and profound love for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He has created a great film. Well-deserved!"

Although the numbers are the real proof, due to time zone differences and other factors, the box office data from overseas has not yet been released. However, the Saturday statistics in North America were enough to show how popular The Return of the King was.

On Saturday alone, The Return of the King earned $44.21 million from 4013 theaters, breaking the North American single-day box office record again. With this figure, all Hollywood companies knew that, in the absence of strong competitors in the market, The Return of the King's momentum could not be stopped.

Moreover, since last year, no company has dared to release a big production around The Return of the King, as no one wants to act as the background to the final chapter of The Lord of the Rings.

The two films released this week, Deep Midnight Chill from Harbor Entertainment and The Wilderness from Ferrero Studios, both had fewer than 500 theaters. How could they compete with The Return of the King?

"Let's pull our network public relations team back," Cook Dick from Walt Disney Headquarters called the publicity department. "Redirect all resources and energy to the promotion of Finding Nemo and Pirates of the Caribbean."

Even though Disney took a subtle dig at The Return of the King, the actual investment in resources was minimal. Even with Michael Ovitz's collaboration, they wouldn't place the main focus on this.

Now that The Return of the King's momentum is so overwhelming, no small scandals or entanglements could hinder it. Disney saw no need to waste manpower or energy on this.

Thinking about the $44.21 million, Cook Dick couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if Finding Nemo and Pirates of the Caribbean could achieve this kind of single-day box office.

That would mean the film's first weekend box office in North America would undoubtedly exceed $100 million!

Unfortunately, he knew this was an impossible task. Since the birth of Hollywood, no non-adapted or sequel film had ever exceeded $80 million in a North American opening weekend, even directors as powerful as James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, and Duke Rosenberg had never achieved that.

Could Pixar Studios and Disney Movie Studios accomplish this?

"Looking at the May release schedule…"

After dinner, sitting on the living room sofa, Ivanka picked up a detailed release chart and said to Duke, "The films releasing on May 23, The Fast and the Furious 2, and on May 30, Finding Nemo, are our real competitors."

Duke, who was peeling an apple for her, didn't say much and simply nodded.

Ivanka put down the chart, curious, and asked, "Will Pixar's big movie break 100 million in its opening weekend?"

"Hmm?" Duke looked up at her.

She stood up, walked over to him, and sat down next to him, taking the apple he hadn't finished peeling. As she skillfully peeled it, she said, "You seem to think highly of Pixar, so I was wondering if their big movie will surpass a 100 million in its opening weekend."

"No!" Duke replied firmly, "In the North American film market today, no original film has ever broken a 100 million in its opening weekend."

Not just today, Duke remembered clearly that in his most recent memories, there had never been a non-adapted or sequel film that broke $100 million in North America on its opening weekend. Not even giants like James Cameron, Peter Jackson, and Christopher Nolan had managed that.

Could Pixar Studios and Disney Movie Studios do it?

Even from a young age, Duke had been learning and grinding his way up to the present. He wasn't about to claim he was more impressive than the two legendary directors at their peak.

Even though the market's development had its natural course, and in the future, if ticket prices increased and more theaters were added, an original film might break $100 million in opening weekend, it would not happen in the next three to five years.

Markets have their inevitable development patterns. If a single individual could change the market, it would only be fantasy.

"Want a bite?"

Ivanka finished peeling the apple, cut a large piece, and handed it over to Duke, who shook his head. "This is for you, you hardly ate dinner."

"I'm on a diet," Ivanka said seriously as she cut off less than one-fifth of the apple and took small bites.

Duke had no way to deal with strict dieters. He gently kissed her forehead and said, "Let's take a walk in the garden."

"Wait a minute," Ivanka checked her watch, grabbed the remote, and turned on the TV. "NBC is airing a show about your movie, I want to watch."

"It's all flattery," Duke said, sitting back down.

Ivanka shrugged, "I don't think so. I think you deserve it, and I enjoy hearing all the praise about you."

This was just one of many promotional plans finalized by The Lord of the Rings studio. Charles Rowen, who was an important member of Duke's team and the producer of the The Lord of the Rings trilogy, participated in the show.

Since Ivanka wanted to watch, Duke stayed with her. The interview wasn't anything special, just like all variety shows, following a pre-designed script. Charles Rowen, being an old hand, answered serious questions while occasionally sharing fun stories or secrets from the set to gain more attention.

The only unexpected moment came when, towards the end of the show, a pre-recorded interview clip was played, and the interviewee was George Lucas.

George Lucas is recognized as Duke's guide into Hollywood.

His words were generally objective, "As everyone knows, all film series have sequels only after the success of the first movie, but The Lord of the Rings launched three parts at once, Duke didn't leave himself any way out. Just like the Fellowship of the Ring, who struggled for 13 months to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, Duke spent 15 months filming the final shot."

"I know Duke as confident, persistent, and hardworking, and only a director like him could spend five years preparing for this series. He spent three years on the script, two years on set design, and the final film runs close to nine hours. Just this kind of resolve and determination alone would make other Hollywood filmmakers feel ashamed."

"Many people say that The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a victory of the film industry. From some perspectives, this is true. Only in today's era could the technology exist to bring The Lord of the Rings to life on screen, allowing Duke to present Middle-Earth and his rich imagination on film. But this series is definitely not just about special effects. In The Lord of the Rings, special effects are not used to show off technology, but to render dreams with ink!"