"Universal Pictures is interested in accepting my investment in The Fast and the Furious."
Standing opposite Duke, the French nobleman, Count Christopher Rokenkort, wore a confident and proud expression. "The amount is as high as 5 million dollars. As long as the film begins production, my funds will be in place."
"Are you planning to invest in the film industry?" Duke pretended to ask curiously. "I wonder what industry your family is involved in in France?"
Although there were certainly some hidden rich families in the world, and even though European nobility had fallen from their former heights, it didn't mean there weren't some wealthy families still intact. But since the Rokenkort family was from Europe, Duke had never heard his mother mention the surname Rokenkort.
"My family currently only has me," Christopher Rokenkort explained, "I inherited some money from my father." He went on to tell a lengthy story about his family history and added, "I have great faith in the profitability of Hollywood's film industry. With the currencies of various countries devaluing, investment is the wisest choice."
Seeing that Duke remained calm, he added, "I've been in Hollywood for several years. Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mickey Rourke, and others are my friends. Last year, ABC's entertainment channel even interviewed me..."
The credentials Christopher Rokenkort presented were certainly impressive. His network of contacts was quite broad, and his words carried an implied tone that being around him was a great honor.
If one only listened to what he said, this would seem like a capable, wealthy man.
Duke was certain that the mention of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Mickey Rourke in front of him wasn't something he feared verification of.
But what exactly did this suave French count want from him?
Duke was well aware of his own situation—he certainly wasn't more attractive than Jessica Alba to a rich man like Christopher Rokenkort.
Christopher Rokenkort's words had a lot of persuasion. Coupled with his good manners and outstanding looks, he made it easy to believe him.
But Duke, being the person he was, never hesitated to look at the world through a harsh lens. He was naturally cautious around strangers, always maintaining a healthy amount of skepticism.
He knew Christopher Rokenkort wasn't here just to flaunt his European noble status.
"Are you interested in working with me, Duke?"
Suddenly, Christopher Rokenkort asked enthusiastically. "I used to invest in smaller productions that relied on the video market to make a profit. I think it's time to invest in a big production."
Hollywood produces hundreds of films every year. Most of them go straight to the video market, and unless you're with the production company, it's hard to get data on some of these low-budget projects.
A very clever man, isn't he?
"What do you mean?" Duke asked, feigning confusion.
"I think we can cooperate and produce a big-budget movie like King Kong."
Christopher Rokenkort looked at Duke seriously, his face full of desire and sincerity. "I've had the idea of bringing the grand French Revolution to the big screen and creating a war epic, but I've never found the right director. Until I met you, Duke..."
Duke also looked at him, seemingly listening attentively.
"I have the financial power, and you have the talent. We would make the best partners." He was full of energy, as if the project had already succeeded. "We can co-invest and produce an epic blockbuster!"
Duke lightly nodded, and suddenly smiled. After all that Christopher Rokenkort had said, this final sentence was clearly the whole point of his pitch.
"Sorry, Christopher," Duke said after a brief moment of consideration. "I still have projects that aren't finished, and I don't have the time to work with you."
"What a shame."
Although he said that, he didn't give up. "Duke, will you have time after the premiere? We can discuss it further."
Not wanting to say more, Duke simply shook his head. "I'll be heading back to New Zealand soon."
Christopher Rokenkort was a very clever man, so he didn't continue to press. He left a simple yet elegant business card and quickly took his leave.
Watching him walk back to Jessica Alba, Duke wasn't entirely sure, but he had a feeling that Christopher Rokenkort was probably not as simple as he seemed.
The man was either from an exceptionally hidden family, or he was playing the trick of getting something for nothing.
Duke leaned more toward the latter. He had lived in North America for thirty years and had come from a respectable background. Over these years, he had interacted with people from Morgan and Rockefeller families, but he had never encountered a family with enormous wealth yet completely unknown to the public.
After all, this was an era of highly developed information.
As for the cooperation that Christopher Rokenkort suggested, Duke had no interest at all. Let's not even mention that it was all just talk—didn't he reject even Ivo Martin when the conditions were much better?
After gathering with Tina Fey and Nancy Prinz, Duke walked with them toward the screening hall. Jessica Alba and Christopher Rokenkort walked ahead of them. The girl, who was so eager to become famous, may have already become quite foolish and naïve.
However, considering the tricks she had played, it was clear that she wasn't the brightest either. Hollywood was filled with actresses who liked to have fun, but playing dirty was a rare specialty.
If Duke's guess about Christopher Rokenkort was right, then this pair was really something special... and quite a match.
Shaking off his thoughts about this unrelated couple, Duke entered the theater and sat in the third row with Nancy and Tina Fey, ready to relax and watch this remake.
King Kong had once caused a sensation in North America. Even before Peter Jackson's version, there had been several remakes, but none reached the same height. Now, with advanced special effects technology, the King Kong remake, using motion capture, had already whetted the audience's appetite with its trailers. However, they soon realized that the film's lengthy pace made it almost unbearable!
At around two and a half hours, it was technically the mainstream length for commercial films today. But the problem was, the buildup took too long. Forty minutes into the screening, the audience still hadn't seen King Kong yet.
Let's not talk about building suspense or character development—the audience came to the cinema to see the monster!
Unfortunately, the monster appeared too late, causing many viewers to grow impatient. Luckily, Peter Jackson salvaged the movie in the second half. While there were scenes that many couldn't accept, like the strange human-animal romance, the special effects were beautifully crafted, representing Hollywood's best standards of the time.
Peter Jackson was a typical technical director. To exaggerate a bit, if you removed the special effects, his filmmaking would be significantly less impressive.
The main selling points of King Kong were its special effects and nostalgia.
However, today's moviegoing audience is primarily made up of people born in the late 70s and 80s, so relying on nostalgia was clearly not going to work. As a result, the film's box office didn't meet Universal's expectations.
As it concerned the investment in Mission: Impossible 2, Duke kept an eye on the North American box office trends. Over the three-day weekend, King Kong unsurprisingly topped the North American box office, but its earnings didn't meet the expected 60 million dollars.
King Kong's opening weekend brought in 50.11 million dollars!
In previous years, this would have been a bright number, but with the booming North American movie market, increasing screen counts, and rising ticket prices, films making over 50 million dollars in their first week were becoming more common.
Given the production cost of 180 million dollars, the opening box office of 50.11 million dollars barely passed.
In the background, Mission: Impossible 2 was still performing well. Tom Cruise's latest film dropped only about 50% in its second week, with a box office of 32.28 million dollars, securing the second spot and bringing its North American total to 141.44 million dollars. It was almost certain that the film would surpass 200 million dollars in total.
Of course, as a fast-paced popcorn movie, Mission: Impossible 2 had already seen its peak, and after the first ten days, its box office would begin to decline rapidly. This was a normal trend for movies, especially with more films entering the market, giving audiences more choices.
After receiving the second-week box office data for Mission: Impossible 2, Duke took a private jet back to Wellington, where he resumed shooting The Lord of the Rings trilogy's final scenes. The remaining shots weren't many, but they were very fragmented. He and Anna Prinz split into two groups, planning to complete their respective filming tasks before reconvening in the Wellington studio for a final scene.
The North American stock market continued to fluctuate. Perhaps the ten-day holiday gave some people a chance to adjust, or perhaps Duke's warning had played a role. When the crew reconvened, although it wasn't quite back to the pre-March state, the mental condition of the cast and crew was much better than before the break.
Duke led the main crew to shoot on the North Island of New Zealand, while Anna Prinz led a smaller group on the South Island. The filming locations were mostly unpredictable, and staying in one place for three to four days was considered a long duration for exterior shooting.
For this round of filming, all the actors with unfinished scenes were called to New Zealand, and apart from limited weekends, Duke wouldn't give the crew long breaks. The busy work would continue until all the shots were completed.
Some scenes were adjusted accordingly. For example, after returning to the set in July, Alexandra Ambrosio, who played Arwen, had Duke veto the original location for a shot in which she sniped a Ringwraith by a river. The river was currently in a dry season, making it too narrow.
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