"Since the most severe film source leak in Hollywood history occurred, the FBI has stepped in to investigate. Numerous websites and organizations distributing pirated content have become key targets of the investigation..."
Breakfast time is a critical segment for American television, especially news programs, giving rise to famous shows like "Good Morning America." The Jefferson family sat at the dining table, eating breakfast while watching CNN's news broadcast.
Anthony Jefferson, the head of the household, was already in his forties. Normally very busy with work, he rarely paid attention to the entertainment industry. But when he heard the words "the most severe in history," he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Which movie got leaked?"
His son, Little Jefferson, immediately answered, "Iron Man, Duke Rosenberg's new movie."
"Duke Rosenberg, huh."
Even though he didn't follow the entertainment circle, Anthony Jefferson had heard of the name. "That most famous director in all of America."
"Yeah." Little Jefferson nodded as if it were a matter of course.
However, he didn't elaborate further. As a young man who enjoyed this type of film, Little Jefferson had already seen the leaked version online. Driven by a curiosity that could not be satisfied otherwise, he was following the progress of the case very closely.
The film leak was clearly a top focus of CNN, which had been tracking the story for days.
"According to reliable sources, a major member of the well-known online piracy group SEPTIC has already been summoned by the FBI. The group's website and servers have been forcibly shut down, and a data warehouse of up to 120TB has been sealed..."
"Yesterday afternoon, the FBI launched a surprise operation, raiding a data center in Sacramento and seizing the servers of .Networks Inc. The company's CEO posted an update via Instant Share, stating that FBI agents pulled the plug on all the servers, confiscated all equipment belonging to the company's clients, and threatened to arrest anyone attempting to retrieve their equipment."
"The CEO angrily declared If you're running a data center in our great country, you'd better be careful, because the FBI can come and take whatever they want, at any time, without any reason."
"Although FBI agents did not disclose what they were looking for, sources believe this incident is related to the Iron Man leak a few days ago."
On the television screen, FBI agents carried out their operations without concealment, looking just like something out of a Hollywood spy movie.
Such scenes completely piqued Anthony Jefferson's interest. "This seems pretty serious. I haven't seen the FBI act this high-profile in over a decade."
He set down his knife and fork and added, "Iron Man? What kind of movie is that?"
"It's a shame the leaked version online wasn't anything to look at. Otherwise, you could've watched it after work today," Little Jefferson's eyes darted around as he suggested, "Dad, Iron Man is about to hit theaters. Why don't we go see it together then?"
Mrs. Jefferson, who had been silent, finally spoke. "Recently, my coworkers and the neighbors have all been talking about the movie. If we have time, we can go together."
"Hmm..." Anthony Jefferson nodded. "As long as I don't have to work overtime, let's go together then."
Those companies and websites under FBI investigation may not actually be related to this incident, but the FBI chose them not just because Warner wanted publicity these entities truly broke the law. And most of them were indeed involved in pirating movies online, severely infringing on the interests of a powerful alliance of capital.
This organization is called the MPAA, also known as the Motion Picture Association of America. It's not a government agency, but rather a coalition of traditional Hollywood powerhouses.
Seeing that the incident was becoming a focal point, the MPAA pushed hard behind the scenes, using the momentum to crack down on those damaging their interests.
In this highly developed commercial society, behind every hot topic, there are always many big hands pulling the strings.
Duke and Warner Bros. were just one part of the equation.
In less than a week, the Iron Man leak incident had already become a hot topic not only across North America but throughout the Western world. The FBI's actions were under the scrutiny of countless eyes. According to the information Duke received, the FBI would definitely catch and reveal the culprit before the film's official release.
As for whether the person was truly responsible? That didn't matter at all.
Although it was unrealistic for this to become a nationwide event on the level of 9/11 or the Iraq War, the number of people who knew about and were interested in Iron Man had undoubtedly grown.
These people couldn't get any satisfaction from the leaked version online, so their attention naturally turned to the soon-to-be-released film.
"I heard a few days ago that Iron Man had leaked online, but I figured it was just a rough cut without finished effects, probably not worth watching, so I left it alone. But today I finally watched it and realized I was wrong. It's actually really entertaining. The unfinished special effects and visible motion capture equipment—turns out that's what a half-finished product looks like... That just makes me even more excited to see the full version in theaters. Comparing it to the rough cut afterwards isn't that kind of fun?"
Many comments online reflected the mainstream moviegoer's view: the vast majority of the audience not only didn't lower their expectations for Iron Man, they actually became even more excited.
Seeing the online comments that Scarlett had brought over, Duke confirmed one thing—Twentieth Century Fox probably used this kind of risk marketing in the past.
"I had Linda ask her classmates yesterday..."
Closing her laptop, Scarlett turned her eyes to the sea beyond the terrace to relieve the fatigue from staring at the screen for too long, and said to Duke, "Linda is my intern assistant. The feedback she got was that many of her classmates and friends were discussing Iron Man, and almost all of them are interested. It seems like our strategy is really working."
"It had some effect." Duke poured a glass of water and placed it in front of Scarlett, also looking out at the ocean. "And although the leaked version was the sample cut by Mike Dawson and me, it wasn't the final edited version. For example, none of your action scenes were included."
In recent days, Duke had also revised the editing plan, especially for the opening of the film, basically changing the entire structure to bring a sense of freshness when shown in theaters.
Moreover, Scarlett Johansson's action scenes were also new content. During this time, as part of the standard publicity strategy, Warner Bros. had also increased promotional efforts for Scarlett.
Although the strategy was in place and the reaction so far looked promising, Duke wouldn't just stick to the same approach.
Due to time constraints, he couldn't make too many editing changes to the film, but he could still make proper adjustments.
Scarlett withdrew her gaze from the sea and looked at Duke. "You still seem a bit worried."
Duke nodded slightly. "Even though the buzz from the marketing has been great, whether or not the hype can turn into market power—we'll only know in a few days."
There were less than two weeks before Iron Man's North American release. In just a few days, the film's North American presales would begin via online and phone orders. From the presale situation, they could get a glimpse of Iron Man's box office trajectory.
"I have confidence in you."
With that, Scarlett stood up, walked over, pulled Duke up, and pointed toward the dock. "Let's go out to sea to relax."
Docked at the pier was the same small yacht they had bought a long time ago. From today's perspective, the yacht was a bit too small, incapable of sailing far from the coast, and its equipment hadn't been updated—it was rather outdated.
The waves were slightly rough today. Not long after they set out, Duke could feel the yacht bumping heavily, so he had no choice but to change course and steer along a route close to the coastline.
"The yacht should be replaced," Duke said, listening to the trembling engine. "Let's get a bigger one that can handle ocean crossings. We could gather our friends for parties on board and even take it to Hawaii or the Caribbean during vacations."
"Then let's have a bigger one custom-built." Scarlett twisted open a bottle of drink and placed it in front of Duke. "Didn't you hear? That old man Spielberg spent nearly two hundred million dollars to order a nearly 300-foot-long mega yacht. If you're going to replace yours, it's got to be bigger than his, right?"
She looked at Duke again and said, "You, though, are a little too steady. Sometimes I find it quite strange. You used to be like… never mind, let's not talk about the past."
That's just how this circle works. Scarlett had nothing more to say about it. She shifted the topic and continued, "These past few years, your life has been more like that of a Puritan."
"Because I'm old, darling."
Only Duke himself could understand the meaning behind those words. "Old people always prefer stability and a peaceful life."
"You? Old?"
As the yacht turned, it kicked up a few splashes. Scarlett grabbed the handrail tightly, ignoring the drops of water on her face and body. Her eyes swept over Duke. "Your body and energy are as vigorous as if you're still thirty."
"Thanks for the compliment." Duke looked down at the chart, slightly adjusted the yacht's course, and said, "Let's head to Santa Monica."
"Sure! I haven't been there in a long time." Scarlett looked fully in favor. "Let's spend the night there. Thinking back to the times I lived by the beach in Santa Monica as a child, I really miss it."
After Leah moved to New York, the house in Santa Monica had been left vacant but was never sold. It was Duke's earliest residence—he grew up there. Later, Scarlett Johansson also spent a lot of time there in her childhood due to her family's breakdown.
Of course, Duke's vacation time was limited. With Iron Man about to release and presales about to start, he still had a lot of work to do.