"They actually overlooked an important aspect of the success of The Lord of the Rings trilogy," George Lucas said while sipping red wine in the small bar at Steven Spielberg's house, speaking to his old friend. "The emphasis on direct communication with the audience."
Spielberg gently swirled his wine, recalling the various marketing strategies used in the trilogy, nodding in agreement. "It's undeniable that Duke's personal website played a crucial role."
Then he thought of something else. "There was also that social website he used before Return of the King was released, the various updates and interactions with supporters posted on behalf of the Lord of the Rings studio—it was key."
"The internet is something no one can ignore anymore." George Lucas put down his glass and paced a few steps. "Amateur film blogs are just starting to have an impact, but Duke and Donald Trump's daughter have already created an increasingly powerful promotional tool. It instantly bridges the gap between Hollywood and movie fans, easily gaining massive support from audiences."
Spielberg fully agreed with George Lucas's point. "The Lord of the Rings trilogy wasn't just a success for Duke's career as a director, it was also a comprehensive success in film marketing!"
George Lucas sighed. "He's changing Hollywood."
"Exactly!" Spielberg echoed. "Duke is changing the conventional marketing model in Hollywood."
At this point, Spielberg suddenly showed a highly interested expression. "The success of Return of the King far surpassed The Two Towers. That website played a part in it. Looks like I should register as a user and see just how powerful it really is."
Times have changed. The internet is narrowing distances between people and even making anyone's opinion spread quickly. Since the release of The Fellowship of the Ring, Duke had never ignored the power of online promotion. He and the Lord of the Rings studio had become a significant driving force behind online news.
The following Monday, after leaving Brazil, Duke flew to Wellington, New Zealand. By the time he arrived, the second weekend box office data for Return of the King had just come in.
In North America, Return of the King had an almost mythical weekend box office trend. Its second weekend box office dropped only 35%, bringing in $82.33 million and easily holding onto the top spot on the North American box office chart.
The second place went to Paramount's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which opened on over 2,700 screens, but its three-day box office was only $13.12 million, far from challenging Return of the King.
Overseas, despite the film opening in 90 regions, the new areas brought in average earnings, and the weekend box office fell to $162.33 million. However, it still held a global lead.
After 10 days of release, Return of the King had crossed the $300 million mark in North America, reaching $304 million, with a global total of $846.35 million!
"According to market surveys and CinemaScore's estimations, Return of the King is highly likely to surpass $1.5 billion worldwide!"
At the Warner Bros. CEO office, Jamie Johnson looked excitedly at Doug Walter. "All the major theater chains in North America have guaranteed us that, before Memorial Day weekend, the number of screens and showtimes for Return of the King will not be reduced!"
"When Jeff and I pushed this project, we expected Duke to succeed," Doug Walter sighed. "But we never imagined the trilogy would be this successful!"
To be honest, compared to the investment made by the Lord of the Rings studio, the box office profits were not overly impressive. However, the profits from merchandise were simply astonishing. The DVD sales from the first two films had already brought in more than $300 million in pure profit globally before Return of the King was released. If you add in other merchandise…
Doug Walter naturally thought about the merchandise released worldwide alongside Return of the King. The sales in the first 10 days were roughly estimated to be around $400 million!
For Warner Bros. and the Lord of the Rings studio, this trilogy was essentially a money-making machine.
Thinking of this, Doug Walter's gaze lowered to the four scripts in front of him. One was a small production with low investment, while the other three were related to the fate of the DC movie universe—The Dark Knight trilogy.
The scripts for the trilogy had already been discussed within Warner Bros., and there was a lot of internal disagreement. The biggest criticism was how dark they were. Doug Walter himself agreed with this view. The storyline seemed unfriendly to the audience. If these weren't Duke's scripts, he and Warner Bros. would have definitely rejected them.
But thinking about the immense success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Doug Walter suppressed these thoughts. Before the trilogy was made, how many people in Hollywood dared to tackle Tolkien's epic? The work considered the hardest literary adaptation was turned into a commercial success by Duke!
"Jamie..." Doug Walter made up his mind. "Send these four scripts to the review committee. I don't care what it takes, we have to push them through!"
Perhaps only Duke could save DC's superheroes now! Doug Walter decided to take the risk.
While North American screenings and promotions were continuing, Duke, upon arriving in New Zealand, attended an event the next day at Wellington City Hall.
The morning sunlight was particularly bright, with over a hundred reporters from both North America and New Zealand gathered outside the city hall. They held long and short lenses, aiming at Duke and the mayor, who stood at the top of the steps.
"We are very pleased that Director Rosenberg has returned to New Zealand once again. He has left a deep mark on this country."
Wellington's mayor, Clement, stood at the microphone and said in a rhythmic tone, "Wherever there are people, there is great film art spreading; wherever there is a screen, there are films by Director Rosenberg being shown! Today, Wellington welcomes a citizen who has made a significant contribution to the art of film..."
At this point, Clement gestured to Duke beside him. "The New Zealand government and the Wellington City Council have jointly decided to award Director Duke Rosenberg the title of Honorary Citizen of Wellington!"
Applause echoed in front of the city hall.
Amid the applause, Duke took the certificate and golden key from Clement and then stepped up to the microphone. He said at the right moment, "Thank you, thank you to New Zealand for this recognition. I am very happy to become an honorary citizen of Wellington. I love this beautiful country!"
This was not simply about being granted honorary citizenship; both Duke and New Zealand had promotional intentions in mind. Through good communication, they had already prepared a press conference for this event.
As the newly minted Honorary Citizen of Wellington, Duke naturally became the star of the press conference.
The event moved to the press hall beside the city hall, where Duke took interviews from both Warner Bros. and New Zealand media.
The New Zealand media focused, of course, on tourism.
"Director Rosenberg, if Lord of the Rings fans come to New Zealand, what filming locations do you think they shouldn't miss?"
The actual filming locations used by the crew were mostly made from expanded polystyrene, which wasn't suitable for tourism and couldn't stay in the natural environment for long. After filming, the crew had quickly dismantled everything.
However, with the success of The Fellowship of the Ring, the New Zealand government quickly recognized the potential, and the New Zealand Tourism Bureau reached an agreement with the Lord of the Rings studio, acquiring most of the design blueprints. Under the guidance of the crew, many of the filming locations were restored as quickly as possible.
These locations had become popular tourist spots in New Zealand.
"New Zealand has many beautiful scenic spots, but for Lord of the Rings fans, walking around Hobbiton is certainly a must. It was originally a filming set and construction area for the movie, but now it's become a true Hobbiton."
This was a win-win promotional event, and Duke surely would sell it well. "I specifically visited Hobbiton yesterday. What makes me happy is that it has returned to nature. The grasslands and shrubs have grown back. I remember when we first came here to film, it looked just like this. After all these years, it's no longer a fictional set, but a real Hobbit farm with herds of cattle and sheep."
For the Warner Bros. reporters, their focus was more on the film and Duke himself, with questions mostly unrelated to New Zealand.
"Duke, now that the Lord of the Rings trilogy is complete, how do you feel? Are there any memorable moments?"
"Ending the production of a movie comes with a lot of pressure. That's true for any film. I've been working on post-production for the past few months, always looking forward to the completion and release."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "I'm still working over ten hours a day, so I haven't had time to reflect. I just hope to see the light at the end of the tunnel and get out as soon as possible. But I'm sure that in six months, when I look back on these past years, I will have all kinds of emotions."
According to the agreement, the next question was from New Zealand media.
"Why did you choose New Zealand as the filming location for such a massive project as The Lord of the Rings?"
Why? Of course, it was for simplicity and cost-saving.
However, Duke wouldn't say that. He thought for a few seconds before answering seriously, "Tolkien created a European landscape in the original work, a time period about six to seven thousand years ago, which is a fictional era predating Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt, a time when everything has been forgotten."
"I wanted to find a place that had a European look, yet was remote and full of primal energy. So, New Zealand was my only choice. It has a distinct primal charm, and you can clearly feel the desolation of the filming locations. This description isn't an exaggeration."
"New Zealand has a population of 4 million, while the UK has 60 million, but the two countries are nearly the same size. Therefore, in New Zealand, you can go to many places and not encounter a single person. Without a doubt, when you're filming, you don't want television antennas, roads, or buildings in your shots. You want endless natural scenery, and this place is the best location. It's sparsely populated but scenic, the perfect filming spot."
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