The premiere of Iron Man was held at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Although the theater's front porch was destroyed in the film, that didn't stop the premiere from taking place. After all, when it comes to landmark buildings in North America, if they haven't been destroyed a few times in Hollywood films, can they really be considered landmarks?
That said, compared to the TCL Chinese Theatre, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Empire State Building, and the Washington Monument have been destroyed far more frequently.
The sun had already moved westward, but it was still shining brightly. A long red carpet was rolled out to welcome the cast, crew, and guests attending the premiere. Not only were Duke, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, and others directly involved in the film's production all present, but even Stan Lee, Avi Arad, and other senior figures from Marvel Comics rushed over from New York.
This was the opening blockbuster of the Marvel series. A series of events had occurred before its release, and the premiere being held smoothly had not come easily.
Only the veterans of Marvel Comics truly knew how difficult the journey had been to get Marvel to where it was today.
Although the director in the interview area nearly stole all of Marvel's thunder on his own, the executives at Marvel didn't mind, because the eye-catching pre-sale numbers told them that under his leadership, Marvel was about to usher in a new era on the big screen—
An era belonging to Marvel's superheroes.
"When making movies, adding a bit of mystique from legendary figures can be quite interesting."
Standing in the interview area, Duke briefly said a few words to the reporters. "It wasn't a coincidence that we chose Howard Hughes' two old airplane hangars as shooting locations. When Mr. Stan Lee originally created the male lead Tony Stark, the character was based on Howard Hughes, so the character in the film merges the traits of wealth, genius, and fame."
As always, unless necessary, Duke didn't say much to the media. He soon gave up the interview spot to the actors who needed exposure more than he did. He then walked over to the sponsor backdrop to take routine photos with the organizers and sponsors.
Although the film is set in a parallel world, it's still a modern society. Various products could appear in it, such as Tony Stark's Audi sports car.
The film received substantial sponsorships. As the film's director and producer, Duke was fully aware of this and cooperated very well in taking photos with the sponsors.
The content of Hollywood premieres may vary, but the structure is largely the same. After the routine interviews and group photos, Duke led the cast and crew into the TCL Chinese Theatre. Since there was still some time before the screening, they first went to the VIP lounge.
"Hello, Director Rosenberg."
A middle-aged man with a somewhat unfamiliar face suddenly approached to greet him. Duke shook his outstretched hand and politely said, "Hello."
Tina Fey, who was following behind, immediately whispered a reminder, "This is Claude Lance, the FBI agent in charge of the Iron Man leak case."
Though they weren't familiar with each other, Duke chatted with him for a bit.
Just before the film's release, the FBI announced preliminary investigation results. The leaders of several piracy organizations had become the main suspects in the case. It could be considered an answer to the recent high-profile operation.
To some extent, the result also aligned with Warner Bros.' interests.
Of course, all the constituent members under the MPAA were beneficiaries of this operation.
In North America, although piracy isn't rampant, it's still far from being eradicated. Hollywood fights piracy groups every year. The list of infringers or organizations sued by the MPAA could form an enormous record.
This outcome was exactly what the MPAA had hoped for.
On the other hand, Warner Bros. fired a few employees. Although there was no direct evidence, FBI agents still had their eyes on a few targets.
Duke wasn't particularly concerned about who was eventually caught. If his suspicions were correct, it would be impossible for the real masterminds to be implicated. Even if the FBI did find clues and evidence, those ultimately brought to light would only be a few insignificant figures unrelated to Walt Disney.
Besides, Walt Disney wouldn't just stand by. Since Duke had a relationship with Warner Bros., Disney might also have had its own motives.
Still, Duke wasn't about to let it go. He was never the kind of person to be overly forgiving.
Across the Pacific, Time Warner and News Corp had stepped up their public relations efforts, and Walt Disney was essentially out of the game.
Just last weekend, a large batch of toys and dolls outsourced by Walt Disney to be manufactured in India was exposed by several newspapers for having serious quality issues in their stuffing materials. The excessive bacteria levels might even endanger minors' development. This batch of products had already been detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and was under further investigation, with a formal case expected to be filed.
This directly led to a sharp drop in sales of Disney-related products. According to the information Duke had received, in the past few days, Disney merchandise at Downtown Disney in California's Disneyland had been left largely unsold.
After that, Duke met a heavyweight figure—James Cameron had also come to attend the Iron Man premiere.
The reason he accepted the invitation was simple: Duke had already confirmed his participation in the investment for Avatar.
This project was about to officially enter the preparation stage, with the main investors consisting of Duke, Warner Bros., and Twentieth Century Fox. Excluding Twentieth Century Fox, which held 40% of the investment share, Duke and Warner Bros. each held 30%.
Such an investment agreement was also closely related to a series of recent collaborations among the three parties.
Because of the Warner-Fox World project, Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox had grown increasingly close. Their parent companies, Time Warner and News Corporation, were also conducting a series of collaborations.
Of course, the executives at Time Warner were well aware that Rupert Murdoch had plans to acquire Time Warner.
This plan caused mixed reactions within Time Warner some opposed it, while others supported it.
After all, if the two media giants truly merged, it would create an unprecedented behemoth in media history. Moreover, since Rupert Murdoch could only pursue a stock-for-stock acquisition, it remained uncertain who would hold real power in the future group.
However, everyone with a rational mind understood that a successful merger would be extremely difficult. Even if it could pass the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission, it would take a long time.
"You look like you're in a good mood."
A familiar voice sounded beside him. Duke turned his head to see Irene Lauder already walking over. She smiled and said, "Looks like what I told you about the presale numbers was true."
"Of course it's true." Duke looked at her and said, "Actually, I didn't expect the results to be this good either."
"Then tell me…" Irene Lauder leaned in slightly, lowered her voice, and curiously asked, "Was this all part of a marketing campaign you guys planned?"
Duke rolled his eyes helplessly. "Do I look that bored? Why would I create that kind of trouble for myself?"
The risk was far too high. Iron Man wasn't like the former Wolverine, and the early reviews weren't bad at all. There was no need to take such a risk.
After a brief chat, Duke saw it was about time and signaled for Irene Lauder to head toward the screening room with him.
Meanwhile, in many theaters across North America, the early screenings of Iron Man were about to begin, with many moviegoers flocking in.
In the suburbs of San Francisco, accompanied by the sound of braking, a black Ford stopped in front of a theater. Seeing the crowd entering, Drake quickly parked by the roadside and rushed into the theater.
There had been a traffic jam on his way from work in San Francisco. He had rushed the rest of the way and thankfully wasn't late.
Entering the Iron Man screening room, Drake checked his watch—less than three minutes remained until the film officially started.
"Finally going to see this movie!"
Drake felt a sense of relief. Over the past few days, the urge to watch the full version of Iron Man had tortured him nearly every hour, making him regret ever clicking on that leaked link out of curiosity.
After choosing his seat, he looked around. It was a small theater with a relatively small screening room, but the attendance rate was shockingly high. At this moment before the movie started, Drake estimated that the occupancy rate was at least 80%.
For a theater not in a prime location, such a rate was already an impressive figure.
In Long Island, New York, the Jefferson family was already seated, waiting for the movie to begin.
"This movie stirred up a big commotion," Anthony Jefferson was still talking about what he had seen in the news. "The FBI arrested so many people a few days ago. Even the White House is paying attention. I've never seen a film trigger such a strong reaction before."
"That's totally normal!" Little Jefferson sipped his cola and said, "Because the director is Duke Rosenberg! His influence is massive."
He suddenly changed the topic, "If he ran for president, I believe he'd actually have a shot at winning."
Clearly, he was a die-hard Duke fan.
"All right, enough talking," Mrs. Jefferson reminded, "The movie is about to start."
Logos of Warner Bros., Marvel Comics, and Duke Studio flashed by one by one. After the Iron Man title appeared, the screen showed a Black man.
Little Jefferson recognized him. That was Don Cheadle, who had worked with Duke before.
"Tony Stark. Dreamer. Genius. Patriot. Since boyhood, as the son of legendary weapons developer Howard Stark, he quickly gained attention through his brilliant intellect…"
The film opened with Rhodey's perspective, providing a side view introduction of who Tony Stark was.
"As the military liaison of Stark Industries, I've had the honor of working with this true patriot. Ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to announce that this year's Apogee Award goes to Tony Stark."
"Please welcome Tony Stark!"
Rhodey's voice echoed in the award venue, but no one came up to accept the award. Where had Tony Stark gone?
.....
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