Made In Hollywood

After drying herself off and putting on a bathrobe, Kate Winslet walked out of the bathroom and into the dining room. As she passed by Duke, she bent down and gently kissed his cheek before circling the oak dining table and lazily sitting in the chair opposite him. Picking up her knife and fork, she skillfully began cutting into her breakfast.

"Dear," she asked Duke after swallowing a piece of fruit, "any good news?"

Their painting session last night had been interrupted halfway, but both had shown the greatest enthusiasm. She had also wanted to release all her stress. After a half-night of madness, they had gotten up late this morning. By now, the midnight box office numbers for last night would definitely have been out.

As one of the investors, Duke had received the notification early in the morning and already had the data. After taking a sip of oatmeal, he replied, "The midnight show did okay—$5.2 million."

"Five point two million?" Kate Winslet frowned. Compared to the investment, this number was a bit underwhelming.

"Don't worry, Kate."

In Duke's view, this midnight box office result was a significant improvement compared to the past. James Cameron's two iconic films had never truly exploded in terms of single-day or single-week numbers.

To be precise, from now on, original non-sequel films not adapted from popular comics or novels would never break $100 million in their opening weekends.

"What about the reviews?" Kate Winslet asked again. "Professional reviews."

"Unfortunately, the professional reviews are terrible," Duke said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Aside from Kenneth Turan of The Los Angeles Times and Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post giving it a perfect score, critics like Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times, Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter, Mick LaSalle of The San Francisco Chronicle, and David Denby of The New Yorker all gave it failing scores of five out of ten."

Unlike Duke's indifferent attitude, Kate Winslet's languid expression vanished, and her mood seemed to sour.

Shaking his head, Duke added, "Relax, Kate. Their reviews of you were still very positive. The criticism mostly targeted James Cameron and Leonardo DiCaprio."

"Really?" She sounded skeptical.

Duke spread his hands. "Why would I lie to you? Awards season is just around the corner. Have your agent and agency work with the production team to see if they can secure a few acting nominations for you."

At this, Kate Winslet's eyes immediately lit up.

Poor Leo…

Perhaps because Duke was partially involved, and critics couldn't directly target him as an investor, they vented their frustration on Leonardo DiCaprio and James Cameron. These two endured even more vicious attacks than during the original film's release.

After breakfast, Kate Winslet went to the balcony to call her agent. Soon after, she returned to the bedroom. Both she and Duke were well aware this was destined to be just a beautiful memory. Knowing this, they wanted to make it as unforgettable and wonderful as possible.

Soon, their clothes were once again scattered across the floor. Duke pinned Kate Winslet's hands firmly above her head, launching a powerful and wild charge. Kate Winslet's endurance and sensitivity were exceptional, fully matching his rhythm. After their battles from the previous night, they had developed a certain synergy. While enjoying the pleasures brought by each other, they also delivered maximum delight to one another.

By noon, Duke and Kate Winslet had lunch together in the downstairs dining room before parting ways. This brief relationship was destined to become nothing more than a memory.

After taking a short afternoon break, Duke returned to working on the post-production of The Matrix and continued discussions with the New Zealand team regarding the pre-production of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Still, with his substantial investment in Titanic, keeping an eye on its performance was essential.

As Duke had anticipated, Titanic did not ignite a viewing frenzy in its opening week. Its performance was even weaker than many summer blockbuster films earlier in the year. However, thanks to adequate marketing and distribution efforts, it did not suffer the indifference it once faced.

On its wide release Friday, the film's response and attendance rates were merely average. Including the midnight show, it only grossed $13.81 million for the day. But by Saturday, Titanic's word-of-mouth began to spread—not through media hype, but through personal recommendations. Major theaters screening Titanic across the U.S. saw a significant uptick in audience numbers. By the end of the day, the single-day box office saw a noticeable increase—$15.95 million!

Titanic faced competition, but films like Starship Troopers from Sony-Columbia, released the previous week, and Disney-Buena Vista's Flubber, released the same weekend, were no match. While these films had some commercial appeal, they couldn't hold a candle to the Titanic.

Generally, a film released on Friday doesn't see a true surge due to it being a workday. However, if the film's quality and marketing are strong enough, Saturday usually experiences a small peak, followed by a decline on Sunday.

This trend is particularly evident in non-franchise films, especially original works.

However, Titanic defied all conventional logic. Following Saturday's increase, its Sunday box office continued to climb, grossing $16.88 million for the day!

Over its first three days, Titanic grossed $46.64 million domestically.

For an average commercial film, this would be considered a successful opening weekend. However, given Titanic's $200 million production cost, it seemed underwhelming.

"Based on the opening weekend trends, Titanic's final domestic gross might range between $200 million and $250 million."

In the Duke Studios lounge, editing work had just wrapped up. Tina Fey brought in several newspapers and read aloud to Duke, "This film is destined to fail. This is a ship doomed to sink. While Paramount might escape unscathed, 20th Century Fox, Duke Studios, and James Cameron are bound to go under. Has Duke Rosenberg prepared for bankruptcy?"

Zack Snyder set down his coffee cup, smiling. "Duke, if you go bankrupt, we'll all be out of a job."

"Is that from The New Yorker, Tina?" Anna Prinz asked.

"David Denby," Tina Fey shrugged toward the group. "Typical of his style."

The others didn't seem to take it seriously, exuding complete confidence in Duke.

Only veteran Robin Grand frowned. With over two decades in Hollywood, he knew no one could guarantee perpetual success, especially since Duke had not been directly involved in Titanic's production.

"Duke, are you sure everything will be okay?" he asked with concern.

"I can't say for sure," Duke shook his head. "The trajectory of Titanic's box office performance will depend on the next three weekdays leading up to Thanksgiving."

The others nodded in agreement. If Titanic followed a typical box-office curve, it might struggle to break even.

Typically, after a wide release opening weekend, a film's weekday box office drops sharply. A decline of less than 30% is considered excellent.

However, Titanic's first weekday numbers delivered a slap in the face to its critics. On Monday, the film's box office dropped only 12% compared to Sunday, earning $14.85 million for the day!

The vicious criticism began to subside as the film's word-of-mouth gained momentum over the next few days. Starting Tuesday, despite being neither a holiday nor a weekend, theaters reported audience numbers double that of typical weekdays.

"We came just to see Titanic!"

This was the response many viewers gave when surveyed. Many young women were also swooning, saying, "We're totally in love with Leonardo DiCaprio!"

On Tuesday, Titanic's domestic box office didn't just climb—it surged by 11%, earning $16.48 million for the day!

By Wednesday, when the numbers came in, critics were left speechless.

On Wednesday, Titanic saw another increase, albeit at a slower pace, rising 8% to $17.8 million for the day!

In six days, Titanic had grossed $95.77 million domestically, on the verge of crossing the $100 million mark.

Thursday marked Thanksgiving, a uniquely American holiday and a national day off. On this day, Titanic expanded from 3,200 to 3,358 theaters in North America. The film's screening rate in major chain theaters increased to 68%, and it charged forward into the vast, ocean-like market with unstoppable momentum.

On Thanksgiving, Duke left Los Angeles and flew to New York to spend the holiday with his mother.

Post-production on The Matrix was progressing smoothly, and Titanic's market performance remained closely monitored.

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