"They actually overlooked the important point of success in the Lord of the Rings trilogy."

Sitting in the small bar at Spielberg's house, George Lucas said to his old friend while tasting the wine, "The importance of direct communication with the audience."

Spielberg shook his wine glass gently, recalling the various marketing methods used in the trilogy, and nodded, "It is undeniable that Duke's personal website played an important role."

Then, he thought of other things, "There is also the social networking website he used before "Return of the King", the various information released by the Lord of the Rings Studio in his name, and the frequent interactions with supporters, which are also key."

"The Internet is no longer ignored by anyone." George Lucas put down his wine glass, stood up and walked a few steps. "The amateur video blog has just had some influence. Duke and Donald Trump's daughter has created an increasingly powerful publicity tool. It instantly narrowed the distance between Hollywood and movie fans and easily won the support of a large number of viewers."

Spielberg fully agrees with George Lucas's view, "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is not only a success in Duke's directorial career, but also a comprehensive success in film marketing!"

George Lucas sighed, "He is changing Hollywood!"

"That's right!" Spielberg echoed, "Duke is changing the inherent marketing model of Hollywood."

Speaking of this, Spielberg suddenly showed an extremely interested look, "The Return of the King is far beyond the success of "The Twin Towers". With a credit to that website, it seems that I also want to register a user and see how magical it is."

Times have changed. The Internet is bringing everyone closer and can even make any person's point of view. As the Internet spreads to all parts of the United States, Duke has never ignored the role of online publicity since the original "Ring Protection Expedition". He and Lord of the Rings Studio have always been a major driving force for online news reporting.

After the start of the new Monday, Duke left the exotic Brazil and flew to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. The data for the second weekend of "Return of the King" was also freshly released.

In North America, "Return of the King" drew a magical weekend box office trend chart, and the box office of the next weekend was only 35% lower than the first week, and he won 830,000 US dollars, and he won the North American box office championship without any suspense.

The second place was Paramount Pictures' "Memory Break", which opened with more than 2,700 theaters, but the box office in three days was only 13.12 million US dollars, which could not pose any threat to "Return of the King".

Overseas, although the number of films released has increased to 90, the newly added regional market volume can only be said to be average. The weekend box office fell to US$1.63 million, and it still maintains a leading position worldwide.

"Return of the King" was released for ten days, and the box office in North America exceeded the $300 million mark in one fell swoop, reaching as much as $34 million, and the global box office cumulative amount reached $846.35 million!

"According to our marketing department and cinemasore's survey estimates, the global box office of "Return of the King" is very likely to exceed the $1.5 billion mark!"

In Warner Bros.'s CEO office, Jamie Johnson looked at Doug Walter with excitement. "All North American theater chains are like us. Before Memorial Day weekend, the number of theaters and screening rates of "Return of the King" will not be reduced!"

"When Jeff and I first promoted this project, Duke was expected to succeed," Doug Walter sighed, "but I never thought the trilogy would be so successful!"

To be honest, compared to the investment of Lord of the Rings Studio, the profit in the box office is not very high, but the profit generated by the surrounding area is too amazing. Just the first two DVD discs, as of the release of "Return of the King", have brought a total of more than 300 million US dollars in net profit to investors from all over the world. If other surrounding areas are added...

Doug Walter naturally thought of the peripheral products that were released on the global market simultaneously with "Return of the King". In ten days, the sales volume was as high as nearly US$400 million!

For Warner and the Duke Studios, these trilogies are completely gold-making machines.

Thinking of this, Doug Walter's eyes drooped and fell on the four scripts in front of him. One was a small production, and the investment would not be very high. The other three were Batman trilogy, which was related to the fate of the DC movie.

The scripts of these trilogy have been discussed in Warner for a round. There are many different opinions within it. The biggest reason for opposition is too dark. Doug Walter actually agrees with this view. The plot seems not very friendly to the audience. If this is not the script Duke brought, he and Warner would definitely reject it.

But when he thought of the successful Lord of the Rings trilogy, Doug Walter suppressed all these ideas. Before the Lord of the Rings was made, how many people in Hollywood dared to touch Tolkien's blockbuster? It was hailed as the most difficult work to adapt into a movie, and in Duke's hands, it became a model of commercial success!

"Jamie..." Doug Walter made up his mind, "Talk these four scripts to the review committee. No matter what method I use, I must promote them to successfully establish the project!"

Perhaps, only Duke can save DC's superheroes! Doug Walter decided to take a chance.

Screenings and publicity in North America continue, while Duke walked into Wellington City Hall the day after arriving in New Zealand.

The morning sun was extremely bright, with hundreds of journalists including North America gathering in front of New Zealand City Hall. They held long guns and short cannons and aimed at Duke and Mayor Wellington standing at the highest point of the steps.

"I'm glad that director Rosenberg has come to New Zealand again, and he has left deep footprints in this country."

Wellington Mayor Claremont stood in front of the microphone and said in a slight silence, "Where there are people, there is great film art spreading; wherever there are screens, there are films directed by Rosenberg are being screened! Today, Wellington City welcomes a citizen who has made significant contributions to the art of film..."

Speaking of this, Claremont reached out to signal Duke next to him, "The New Zealand government and Wellington City Hall unanimously decided to make Mr. Duke Rosenberg an honorary citizen of Wellington!"

There was applause in front of the city hall.

Amid the applause, Duke took the certificate and golden key from Claremont, and then stood in front of the microphone. He said in due time, "Thank you, thank you New Zealand for your recognition of me. I am very happy to be the honorary citizen of Wellington. I like this beautiful country!"

This is not just about awarding honorary citizens. Duke and New Zealand have the intention to promote this. With good communication, the two sides have prepared a press conference.

As a newly promoted Wellington honorary citizen, Duke is naturally the protagonist of the press conference.

The venue moved to the press room next to the city hall, where Duke accepted an exclusive interview with Warner and New Zealand media.

The interview with New Zealand is of course focused on tourism.

"Director Rosenberg, if there are fans of the Lord of the Rings who come to New Zealand to travel and want to see the film's shooting attractions, which place or experience do you think is something that movie fans should not miss?"

In fact, many places used polystyrene in the outdoor locations built by the crew. This is not suitable for travel at all, and it cannot be placed in a natural environment for a long time. After the filming, the crew demolished it as soon as possible.

However, with the popularity of "The Rings Expedition", the New Zealand government quickly discovered the business opportunities. The Tourism Bureau of New Zealand reached an agreement with the Lord of the Rings Studio and obtained most of the design drawings. Under the guidance of the crew, the scenes and locations in the shooting were restored as quickly as possible.

These have become popular attractions for traveling in New Zealand now.

"New Zealand has many beautiful attractions. But for fans of the Lord of the Rings, it is definitely better to have a walk in Hobbiton. This was originally the set and construction area of ​​the movie, but now it has become the veritable Hobbiton."

This is a win-win publicity event, and Duke will definitely sell well. "I went to see Hobbiton yesterday. I was happy that it has returned to nature, and the grass and bushes have grown back. I remember that it was exactly the case when we first came here to shoot. After so many years, it is no longer a fictional set, but a real hobbit farm with cattle and sheep."

For Warner media reporters, they are more focused on the film and Duke themselves, and what they ask is not much related to New Zealand.

"Duke, now that the Lord of the Rings trilogy is completely completed, how do you feel now? What are some things worth remembering?"

"It's very stressful to end a movie, no matter what movie it is. I've been working on post-production for the past few months and have been looking forward to the release of the film."

After a moment of pause, Duke said again, "I am still working for more than ten hours a day, so I don't have time to recall. I just want to see the light at the end of the tunnel and go out as soon as possible. But I'm sure that six months later, when I think back to the past few years, I will definitely feel all kinds of feelings in my heart."

According to the agreement between the two sides, the next question was the New Zealand media turn.

“Why did you choose New Zealand as a big shot like the Lord of the Rings Trilogy?”

Why? Of course it is to save simplicity and save costs.

However, Duke would not say that. He thought for a few seconds and replied seriously, "What Tolkien created in the original work is the European style of the prehistoric era. According to his setting, it was about six or seven thousand years ago, a fictional era earlier than ancient Greece and ancient Egypt. Everything that happened in that era has now been forgotten."

"What I hope to find is a place with European style, rarely visited and full of primitive atmosphere. Therefore, New Zealand is my best choice. It has a very original charm. You can clearly feel the uninhabited place of the filming. This description is by no means an exaggeration."

"New Zealand has a population of 4 million, while the UK has a population of 60 million, but the two countries have almost the same area. Therefore, in New Zealand, you may not meet a person when you go to many places. There is no doubt that when shooting a movie, you will not want TV antennas, roads, houses and other things to appear in the picture, but you only want endless natural scenery, so this is the best place to shoot. Sparsely populated and pleasant scenery, this is the most suitable place to shoot." (To be continued...)
Chapter completed!