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134: The Destruction Duke
🕑 Added 2024-10-21 20:46:39 +0000 UTCAlthough it didn't appear on the cover of *Vanity Fair*, the article still garnered quite a bit of attention. Without professional public relations and with Nancy Josephson busy negotiating, there wasn't enough communication between both sides beforehand. Fortunately, although the article was subtly sarcastic, it didn't contain overly harsh language and overall attracted readers with good-natured teasing.
"The Ultimate Guess of the Most Unlikely Event in Hollywood—Duke Rosenberg Filming an Art Film!"
This was the title of the article, fitting the style of *Vanity Fair*, which often focuses on celebrities and has a slightly exaggerated flair.
"Unlikely Reasons—We all know that Duke Rosenberg made his name in Hollywood thanks to his explosive demolition skills and stunning cinematography. Deafening explosions, thrilling car chases, tough men, and sultry women… Anything that can spike adrenaline levels is always present in Duke's films. There is absolutely no connection to the art films or auteur cinema."
"Ultimate Guess—Because he is so skilled at demolition, Duke Rosenberg has recently been rumored to be 'the man born when a comet struck the Earth'…"
"To dispel this rumor, Duke Rosenberg decided to film an autobiographical art film focusing on his high school life and youthful dreams. However, during the filming, Duke found the slow-paced campus youth film to be too boring, so he decided to personally star in a role—a campus security guard with a gun. With a strong male lead and a gun, the rest fell into place: gun battles, explosions, and raging fires… Everything just happened naturally. The only problem is, is this a small-scale auteur film or a campus version of *The Rock*?"
"Of course, all of this is the author's guess. One day in the future, if you are surprised to find Duke Rosenberg changing his career to make art films… don't doubt that you are dreaming; in Hollywood, this dream factory, nothing is impossible!"
Seeing this article, Duke could only smile. Indeed, nothing is impossible in Hollywood, and he wouldn't just stick to the path of explosions.
Moreover, this brought him another consideration: Should he hire a dedicated public relations manager like other big-name stars or directors?
"Definitely needed."
When Duke asked, Sofia Coppola provided a reason. "I think you need an excellent PR team to help you handle future gossip and scandals."
"Is it that exaggerated?"
Compared to other famous directors, Duke felt he was relatively restrained. "There's really not much gossip to create about directors."
"Provided you don't stay with those famous actresses." Sofia picked up her coffee cup, walked around the office, and stood by the window. "For instance, Cameron Diaz, who you had dinner with yesterday. She's on fire right now, and you two definitely got caught by the paparazzi."
Duke shrugged. When they left the restaurant yesterday, they did run into the paparazzi, but since they both had things to do, they only had dinner together.
"In fact, there's a tabloid gossiping about your relationship today."Sofia glanced this way, then turned back to look into the distance. "Perhaps one day, if you and Naomi Watts get photographed together, the tabloids will say you're two-timing."
"Let them be." Duke didn't care about that.
He had no intention of dating anyone in the near future and wouldn't be foolish enough to admit to being in a relationship. Being seen getting close to women wouldn't attract too much scrutiny. Even if they were photographed entering the same apartment, it wouldn't matter much.
Furthermore, once the hype around *Independence Day* passed, there wouldn't be much media attention on a director.
"Sofia."
As he was leaving the office, Duke instructed her, "Help me keep an eye out for a suitable PR manager."
Nancy Josephson had multiple clients and couldn't take on that role long-term; her time and energy were relatively limited.
Since entering August, with the release of *The Mask* and *The Chase*, the hype for *Independence Day* had significantly cooled. The North American box office for the first weekend of August had already dropped to $11.24 million, and the number of theaters screening it had fallen to just over 1,500, greatly slowing the box office's recovery—this was the inevitable rule for all films.
James Cameron's *True Lies* had seen an even quicker decline, with 20th Century Fox estimating that the North American box office would not exceed $150 million. Due to the film's huge investment, it would depend on the performance of overseas markets to break even.
Meanwhile, *The Shawshank Redemption* had long exited the top ten box office rankings, and with the continuous impact of new releases, it had less than 400 theaters remaining, so its North American box office would not exceed $20 million.
Given the current situation, Duke estimated that even if the film were re-released for the Oscars, it would still be a box office failure.
Just as *Independence Day* was continuously cooling down, Warner launched one last major publicity blitz. Last month, *Time Magazine* had conducted a special interview with Duke, which finally published the feature and made him the cover story!
This was the simplest publicity strategy: leveraging previous hype to regain interest in the film through promoting the director.
In New York, at the headquarters of the Rand Group in Manhattan, Erin Rand took the *Time Magazine* she had bought that morning during her lunch break.
On the cover was a young man with brown hair and black eyes, arms crossed, gazing confidently into the distance. Beside him was the caption—"Hollywood's Destruction Duke!"
"Destruction Duke?"
Recalling the three films she had seen, Erin couldn't help but chuckle; this title was simply too fitting.
She then opened the magazine and began to read carefully.
"Loved by the public, despised by critics—Duke Rosenberg is such a director. His blockbuster films are known for dazzling rapid editing, relentless explosions and fights, and a hundred percent audio-visual enjoyment."
"To date, the three films he has directed have grossed over $1 billion globally, making him one of the most profitable directors in Hollywood! Especially with the ongoing *Independence Day*, which has successively broken records for North American midnight shows, opening weekend box office, fastest to hit $100 million, and fastest to hit $200 million, and is even about to set the record for the fastest to hit $300 million!"
"In stark contrast to the high box office, Duke Rosenberg's reputation among critics is generally low. Critics dislike him, even calling him a demon and a sadist…"
"But someone pointed out the key—Duke Rosenberg is a director who clearly aims for mass appeal. Among critics who always highlight high-end tastes, some reviewers must be very cautious if they want to praise Duke, for fear of being laughed at by their peers. But whether you acknowledge him, love him, or hate him, you cannot ignore him!"
"What makes Duke Rosenberg able to make most audiences worldwide go crazy? Why do big directors like Simon West and Ridley Scott line up just to buy a ticket for the critically reviled *Independence Day*?"
"What kind of director is he? Perhaps those who have worked closely with him have the most say."
"Naomi Watts, who has appeared in three of his films, said—Duke's films inject a dose of testosterone into American men."
"Oscar-nominated editor Mike Dawson said this—Duke realized early on that the continuity of action energy could replace editing logic. He is adept at using medium shots, mixing upward angles, to create a sense of excitement, and through rapid editing and camera placement, make the audience feel as if they are in the midst of the battle!"
"Film works are the best representatives of directors, and famous director George Lucas commented on Duke and his works—Duke's films have two notable characteristics: First, every detail in filming is polished to a shine, including those products that appear in the film in a product placement form, which all look so perfect. Second, every part of the film is excellent."
"These are Lucas's exact words—Generally speaking, a two-and-a-half-minute movie trailer will definitely compile the best footage, the best visual effects, and the most exciting moments from the film, but when watching Duke's films, you will find that every minute of the two-hour film is filled with such glamorous shots, like a row of labels, each one extremely exhilarating."
"You can tell in just a few seconds that a film is made by Duke Rosenberg. There's no doubt he is influencing the visual language of contemporary Hollywood blockbusters! This is the evaluation from famous producer Charles Roven."
"The CEO of 20th Century Fox, who once distributed Duke's first film, Tom Rothman, commented—Duke knows what audiences like because he is one of them; he has a great sense of what excites people and understands what makes a popular movie."
There were many more revelations about *Independence Day* and Duke, but Erin wasn't planning to read any further. She dialed her friend's number.
"Anna, see you at the AMG Cinema in the Upper East Side tonight!"
After closing the magazine, Irene was stunned for a while. If she were asked to evaluate the characteristics of Duke's movies, what would they be?
"In addition to the big scenes such as the explosive explosions and car chases, the biggest hallmark of a Duke Rosenberg-style film is probably the dazzlingly fast editing, right?"
With this thought in mind, Irene Lauder started her afternoon work and rushed to the cinema as soon as she got off work.
At the same time, looking across North America, many people made the same choice, and some people postponed this choice to the weekend. "Independence Day" ushered in a rare counter-trend growth in the short term!
