Made In Hollywood

Although the preview clip was only thirty seconds long, Michael Ovitz had already dispelled any unrealistic fantasies.

His fantasy wasn't complex. If The Fellowship of the Ring didn't turn out as expected, Pearl Harbor could still return to its original release slot. After all, there was no better time to release a World War II epic than Memorial Day.

At the same time, he couldn't completely dismiss the thought of seeking revenge on Godzilla.

However, things never go as planned. Duke Rosenberg clearly didn't make any mistakes, at least not in the preview.

He had also read the Lord of the Rings books, and while the world-building and cultural descriptions were excellent, the story was mostly told on a macro level, and the famous battles were barely mentioned.

If the film were made strictly according to the book's structure, with most of the battles barely covered, the adaptation might not fail, but its chances of big box office success would be significantly lower.

In fact, he had been hoping that Duke Rosenberg was a hardcore fan of the books, loyal to the original material, focusing on character relationships and cultural details, while ignoring the war scenes…

But Duke Rosenberg was, after all, Duke Rosenberg.

Michael Ovitz shook his head. The thirty-second preview of The Fellowship of the Ring already showcased a grand magical war scene, easily shattering all his fantasies.

Come to think of it, a director who had achieved continuous success during the summer blockbusters surely knew what the audience liked to see, right?

Dispelling these wild thoughts, Michael Ovitz made a call to Touchstone Pictures, emphasizing that the release date for Pearl Harbor should not be changed. With a weekend gap between the two films, there should be enough time to reduce the competition's intensity.

Although he didn't want to admit it, Michael Ovitz had to acknowledge that he didn't have the courage to face Duke Rosenberg directly this time.

"Wait a few years?" He was certain he could find the right opportunity. It was rumored that Steven Spielberg was still haunted by the failure of Armageddon and was constantly on the lookout for a powerful subject...

On Super Bowl Sunday, the halftime advertisement, like every other year, caused a strong reaction. The internet, as the fastest reflecting media, saw many active users by the third quarter, with a lot of activity on websites and forums.

Turning off the TV, Norman Shiller sat down at the computer. However, unlike before, he didn't enter the Explosive Maniac Chatroom but directly logged into Duke's personal website.

Since The Matrix, this site, where fans could leave messages and share thoughts, had become the most concentrated place for Duke's admirers.

Shiller went straight to the message board, where it was already bustling. The hot topic was the recently released thirty-second preview of The Fellowship of the Ring.

"I never doubted Duke would create a magical classic, but I didn't expect that just a thirty-second preview would be so shocking! Yes, shocking! That's a magical war scene I never dared to imagine!"

A lot of replies followed.

"It's just a preview, and yet I can't look away!"

"I swear, on my family's honor, I didn't blink once during those thirty seconds!"

"Blinking? Don't joke. Missing even a fraction of a second is a regret."

"When the film comes out, I'm definitely going to watch it!"

"Does anyone know when the pre-sale tickets will start? I can't wait!"

Reading these posts, Norman Shiller pressed his hands on the keyboard and, using his Duke of Destruction account, posted his own message.

"I'm not a Lord of the Rings fan, but after thirty seconds, I decided to become one. It's not because the original is so great, but because the Fellowship of the Ring trailer has fascinated and driven me crazy. I've decided to temporarily set aside my complaints about Duke regarding The Matrix and enjoy a Middle-Earth journey this summer!"

While enjoying the magical journey, not just ordinary fans were involved, but many actors as well.

"Why can't I be part of such a grand production?"

In an apartment on the outskirts of Beverly Hills, Jessica Alba had just changed the channel and complained to Christopher, who sat beside her, "Only by working with top directors and being in top productions can I become a big star…"

Thinking about the grand preview just now, and comparing it to Fast & Furious, Jessica Alba felt the two were incomparable. The former was like a Michelin three-star meal, while the latter was nothing but cheap popcorn.

Though she was the lead actress in Fast & Furious, Jessica Alba didn't like the film at all. The director wasn't famous, the actors weren't well-known, and the investment wasn't impressive. It would be hard to become famous with such a film.

To become famous, she needed to work with top directors like Duke Rosenberg.

"Don't worry, darling, you'll have a chance soon."

Christopher, being a master of sweet-talking, seized the opportunity when he heard Jessica Alba's complaints and threw out a new bait. "When we met last time, I talked to Duke about his interest in the French Revolution and his desire to make a film about it."

His words were filled with confidence and sincerity. "Jessica, you know I'm French, and I have some connections in France. I can help Duke realize his vision. I'm planning to find a suitable historical epic subject related to French history and start a collaboration."

"Is this true?" Jessica Alba asked, her voice filled with suppressed excitement.

Christopher nodded solemnly, "If the project succeeds, I'll definitely recommend you for the lead role!"

Jessica Alba's face lit up with joy, but then she pouted slightly, "It won't turn out like Fast & Furious, right?"

"Of course not." Christopher replied patiently, "It's precisely because I might have a collaboration with Duke that I canceled my investment in Fast & Furious. That new project needs too much money."

Seeing that Jessica Alba was about to ask more, Christopher quickly added, "Don't ask about the specifics of the time or the amount, darling. I made an agreement with Duke to keep everything confidential before the project is officially announced."

"Mm~" Jessica Alba nodded happily, "I'll keep it a secret."

As she dreamed about her future as a big star, the man beside her was dreaming about his own future as well.

Some methods could only be used once or twice, but never too many times. From entering Hollywood in 1991 to becoming a millionaire, he had always been searching for the right targets—people who were both rich and had dreams.

Dreams often blind people's eyes, and that's when he saw his opportunity.

Duke Rosenberg was undoubtedly such a person. In recent years, his investments in film had been in the tens of millions of dollars. If he succeeded with Duke, he could retire comfortably.

Opportunities were rare!

In Hollywood, every opportunity was hard to come by. Since he had acquired the rights to adapt The Lord of the Rings trilogy and spent a huge sum on production, Duke certainly wanted to make the most of this rare opportunity and ensure its success.

After Super Bowl Sunday, while continuing to work on The Fellowship of the Ring's post-production, he also actively cooperated with Warner Bros. on their promotional plans. From time to time, he would appear in the media, mentioning topics related to The Lord of the Rings, and even attended this year's Golden Globe Awards to present the award for Best Drama Film.

Thus, the promotional campaign for The Fellowship of the Ring was in full swing. With only a few months left before the summer release, Warner Bros. rolled out various promotional strategies—from the internet to radio, magazines to newspapers, outdoor ads to TV commercials.

Yahoo, IMDb, and Duke's personal website became the main focus of online promotions. Particularly Duke's personal website, which became a central place for The Fellowship of the Ring updates, regularly posting behind-the-scenes images and videos, attracting significant attention from netizens. Even traditional entertainment media frequently re-shared these.

Warner Bros.' TMZ website also took advantage of its gossip strengths, regularly publishing stories about Elijah Wood and two models' conflicts on set in New Zealand…

Duke made his first appearance as a character in his own film, further sparking fan interest.

The movie posters, too, became key elements in the intensive promotional bombardment.

This was an ensemble film with many characters, and with the popularity of The Lord of the Rings, many characters already had some degree of fame. These character posters and their designs also had great promotional value.

Warner Bros. used a strategy of releasing the character posters in batches, with Gandalf, Frodo, Aragorn, Saruman… their posters began to dominate cinemas and outdoor advertising in February.

Among these, a poster released on Duke's personal website stole all the attention.

It depicted the leader of the Uruk-hai with a little red flower in his hair, standing before the human-king-portrayed Viggo Mortensen, as though trying to kiss him.

This parody poster completely exceeded what most people could tolerate, and even those who didn't understand the characters couldn't help but laugh, thus paying attention to the film's title and release date!

Many behind-the-scenes photos from New Zealand, directed by Duke, also became valuable promotional tools.

However, when it came to an event that could impact the entire Western world, the next big show was still the Supermodel Show. Based on an agreement between Time Warner and Victoria's Secret, the upcoming fashion show would feature the theme of Angel Elves!

This show would take place in the birthplace of The Lord of the Rings, the UK.