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Chapter 405: A New Weekend Box Office Record
🕑 Added 2025-03-27 17:51:39 +0000 UTCThe Monday sun had just risen over Los Angeles when Tyro Wood left his apartment. Walking through this middle-class neighborhood in North Hollywood, his mood was exceptionally good. Occasionally, he would lift his head and look into the distance. Through the faint morning mist, he could glimpse the silhouette of the affluent neighborhood next door.
That area was home to countless wealthy elites. It was said that Duke Rosenberg also lived there in his early days.
"Before long, I'll be moving there too," Tyro Wood thought confidently.
His confidence came from the fact that his son had just starred in a new film by Duke Rosenberg, one of Hollywood's top directors. The film was receiving extraordinary acclaim and showed every sign of becoming a massive box office hit. Tyro was about to become the proud father of a future superstar!
"Hey, Tyro…"
As he reached the main street of the community, a BMW pulled up beside him. The normally aloof dentist inside rolled down the window and greeted him warmly, "Out so early? Didn't Elijah come to visit you?"
"Morning, Gonzalez," Tyro nodded reservedly, deliberately emphasizing his words as he replied, "Elijah is traveling across the U.S. with Duke for promotions."
He deliberately stressed the name Duke!
The dentist's grin grew even wider. "When Elijah returns, can you get me a few signed posters? My kid absolutely loves The Fellowship of the Ring. Preferably posters signed by the entire fellowship cast."
"Sure," Tyro casually agreed, "That's just a small favor."
After bidding farewell to the dentist, Tyro continued walking down the main avenue of the neighborhood. Everyone who recognized him greeted him politely, always mentioning Frodo Baggins or The Fellowship of the Ring.
Even though Tyro wasn't particularly vain by nature, he couldn't help feeling a little light-headed. Every father would be proud of his child, especially one like Elijah Wood, who had given him so many reasons to boast!
Thinking back to the decision to part ways with Elijah's former agent, Martin Bob, for Duke Rosenberg's audition, Tyro felt he had made the perfect move. Only a fool would turn down an opportunity to work with Duke Rosenberg in favor of sticking with a washed-up agent like Martin Bob.
Come to think of it, didn't Martin Bob live in that affluent neighborhood too?
Tyro glanced again toward the upscale area, his gaze calm. It wouldn't be long before the Wood family joined them there.
"Hey, Tyro."
At a newspaper stand, the vendor smiled at him. "The usual today?"
Over the past two days, Tyro had bought a copy of every newspaper there.
"No, I'm heading out for breakfast," Tyro shook his head. "Just give me today's Los Angeles Times."
With a copy of The Los Angeles Times in hand, Tyro left the community. He walked in the direction of the affluent area but soon turned left. There was a restaurant nearby that served excellent food and was popular among local residents. Tyro had been there a few times before.
Entering the restaurant, Tyro ordered a simple breakfast. As he carried his tray to find a seat, he spotted someone of great interest.
The man had just sat down and was preparing to eat. Dressed in a formal black suit with a perfectly tied tie, he looked like one of two types of people common in Los Angeles: a stockbroker or an insurance agent, or someone from the entertainment industry.
This man was definitely the latter, and Tyro recognized him.
Tyro walked straight over and sat down across from him without hesitation. The man looked up, slightly startled, as Tyro extended a hand with feigned politeness.
"Hello, Martin. Long time no see."
Martin Bob frowned slightly, trying to place the somewhat unfamiliar middle-aged man in front of him.
Realizing Martin might not remember him, Tyro introduced himself. "I'm Tyro Wood, Elijah Wood's father. Remember Elijah? He used to be one of your clients."
Elijah Wood? Martin Bob's frown deepened.
Of course, he knew that name. Following the success of The Fellowship of the Ring, it was a name no one in Hollywood could ignore.
Tyro continued, "Thanks for looking after Elijah back then. If it weren't for your obstruction, he might not have decided to break his contract with you, wouldn't have had the chance to work with Duke Rosenberg, and certainly wouldn't be where he is now."
Martin's expression darkened.
Elijah Wood had severed ties with him over Duke Rosenberg's audition, and his subsequent success had turned Martin Bob into a laughingstock in Hollywood.
"Shut up!" Martin snapped, using the same commanding tone he used with junior actors.
But Tyro was no pushover. A former mechanic from the lower-middle class, he wasn't easily intimidated. He raised his eyebrows. "Oh, Bob, I heard you got kicked out of CAA. Elijah was so right to choose Duke over you."
He gestured around the restaurant. "Ask anyone here. If they had to choose between Duke Rosenberg and Martin Bob, who do you think they'd pick?"
"Bang!" "Crack!"
Martin slammed a stainless steel knife onto his plate with such force that the porcelain shattered. The sudden noise made it clear just how frustrated and angry he was.
Tyro blinked in surprise before glaring. If Martin dared escalate things, Tyro wouldn't hesitate to slap his breakfast tray in his face.
However, before Tyro could act, a waiter approached. With professional politeness, they said to Martin, "Excuse me, sir. You've damaged the tableware and will need to pay for it."
Martin's face turned green. Pulling out his wallet, he threw a large bill onto the table and stormed off without a word.
Watching Martin's retreating figure, Tyro chuckled, holding up his copy of The Los Angeles Times. "Hey, Martin, the latest box office numbers are here. Don't you want to hear how your Pearl Harbor compares to Elijah's The Fellowship of the Ring?"
"No need!"
Martin Bob squeezed the words through his teeth and left without looking back.
Watching his retreating figure, Tryo Wood shook his head, turned to the entertainment section of the newspaper, and continued to enjoy his delicious breakfast while reading the cheerful article.
"Due to the rapid decline in popularity of The Mummy Returns and Pearl Harbor, and despite Shrek achieving an unexpectedly strong opening weekend, an animated film alone is not enough to support the North American summer box office. In the fourth week of May, the overall box office remained in a slump. After four consecutive days of low box office numbers, the North American market finally saw a rebound last weekend."
"Produced by Duke Studios and distributed by Warner Bros., The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring officially premiered last weekend. This fantasy epic directed by Duke Rosenberg made a phenomenal debut, setting a new North American midnight screening box office record with $9.47 million. This is just the beginning of a magical journey, much like the Fellowship of the Ring is for the trilogy itself."
"On Saturday, the second day of its release, The Fellowship of the Ring broke the North American single-day box office record with $32.24 million! After three days in its opening weekend, the film unsurprisingly shattered the previous weekend box office record held by Spielberg's The Lost World: Jurassic Park, raising the number from $78.55 million to $84.57 million!"
"With an opening weekend box office of $84.57 million, The Fellowship of the Ring took the top spot on the box office chart by an overwhelming margin! What delighted the producers and distributors even more was the film's stellar audience reception!"
"CinemaScore ratings gave it an 'A+,' and the Popcorn Index audience approval rate reached 95%. Online media reactions were equally enthusiastic, with IMDb users scoring it an impressive 9.4 based on 38,678 votes. On MetaCritic, the film achieved an average score of 91 from 47 mainstream media outlets."
"Undoubtedly, Duke Rosenberg's five-year effort on the fantasy trilogy has started with a bang. This Monday is Memorial Day in the United States, and the North American box office for The Fellowship of the Ring will undoubtedly surpass $100 million, setting a new record for the fastest film to reach that milestone in just four days!"
"This film stands out in terms of plot, special effects, audience feedback, and box office success, making it one of the most remarkable productions in recent years. We have every reason to look forward to the upcoming The Two Towers and The Return of the King over the next two years!"
"The second spot on the box office chart belongs to DreamWorks Animation's Shrek. Due to their different audiences, the massive popularity of The Fellowship of the Ring has not significantly impacted it. The animated film displayed a strong trend, with its second weekend box office dropping less than 5% compared to its opening weekend. With $40.11 million, its cumulative North American box office has now exceeded $90 million!"
"The films most affected by The Fellowship of the Ring are Pearl Harbor and The Mummy Returns. Michael Bay's explosion-filled movie is no match for the explosion master's fantasy epic. Pearl Harbor saw another significant decline in its third weekend, earning only $11.21 million and dropping to fourth place on the box office chart. In third place was The Mummy Returns, which also suffered heavy losses. However, its weekend earnings of $13.11 million pushed its cumulative North American box office past $150 million!"
"Next weekend, the only major release in North America will be Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, adapted from the popular video game. This film is unlikely to pose any threat to The Fellowship of the Ring, which is expected to claim its second box office crown."
"The Fellowship of the Ring has already set several records. Whether it can surpass Independence Day and become Duke Rosenberg's highest-grossing film remains to be seen!"
