Capítulo 111: Chapter 111: Inadequate Opponent
The relatively relaxed post-production work allowed Duke a bit of free time. Taking advantage of the weekend, he met with a stockbroker recommended by his mother and obtained a wealth of materials regarding the stock and financial markets. He then sequestered himself in his apartment to study them carefully. He discovered that, aside from well-known companies like General Electric, General Motors, and Mobil Oil, the emerging IT stocks he could recall clearly were mainly Microsoft and Apple.
Although he knew giants like Intel from advertising bombardment and frequent interactions with computers, he wasn't clear about their future directions. With Microsoft and Apple in play, why bother with others?
Duke's investment goal was straightforward: preservation and appreciation of capital. Holding a large amount of cash was undoubtedly the dumbest investment strategy.
Microsoft was undoubtedly a hot stock in North America. After considering, Duke decided to temporarily pass on it and shifted his focus to Apple.
Of course, Duke wasn't foolish enough to buy a large amount of Apple stock outright. He consulted a market research firm to investigate Apple's status and that of Steve Jobs, just to ensure the situation was not as vague as his memory suggested, preventing him from ending up going bankrupt alongside Apple.
A few days later, the research firm provided enough information for him to make some judgments. Apple was currently in deep trouble, reportedly facing a possible bankruptcy reorganization at any moment, and its stock price had plummeted to the point of being largely ignored.
Meanwhile, Steve Jobs was holed up in San Francisco working on his Pixar studio, and his first animated feature film was over halfway completed, telling the story of a group of toys...
Due to his limited memories of movies outside North America, this information was not sufficient for Duke to form a clear judgment. However, just like with film investments, all investments came with risks. Apple's current dire situation made it a good time to buy stock at low prices.
Despite the stockbroker's incredulous look, Duke insisted that in just a week, his $3 million would be converted into corresponding Apple stocks.
It wasn't that Duke wanted to invest more money; he simply didn't have any extra. Some overseas earnings had yet to arrive, he had just repaid his mother's overdue loan, needed to pay Nancy and others' commissions, and had to set aside enough money for potential film rights transfer negotiations...
Duke had also been planning to buy a mansion instead of continuing to rent an apartment, but his financial situation had not been resolved.
In Duke's mind, the house he wanted had to be spacious and surrounded by sufficient cover to prevent paparazzi from peeking in. The internet age was approaching, and directors would not remain behind the scenes as they did now. Even if they were not as appealing as stars, they would still be targets for paparazzi.
A villa in Malibu or Santa Monica, perched on a canyon or cliff, was Duke's ideal choice, but such properties wouldn't even be considered without ten million dollars.
However, he knew there was no rush; every road is traveled step by step, and he was currently on the right path.
Post-production was ongoing as Duke prepared for the release of *Independence Day*. Meanwhile, the film set to release closest to *Independence Day* and with relatively high investment was also preparing. After multiple discussions between the production team and the original author Stephen King, they finally confirmed the official title—*The Shawshank Redemption*.
This film was slated to premiere on July 7 and publicly release on July 8, just one week after *Independence Day*.
"Nowadays, summer blockbusters increasingly rely on their opening weekend box office."
In the Columbia Pictures conference room, distribution department head Jack Musker was explaining the competitive landscape to the board. "Based on the trailers already released, *Independence Day* is undoubtedly a standard commercial blockbuster. No one dares to underestimate Duke Rosenberg now. His trailers and promotional clips are certainly not the only highlights of the film; judging by the styles of *Speed* and *The Rock*, *Independence Day* will likely be filled with scenes similar to those in the trailers."
"Then why are we choosing to release so close to *Independence Day*?" asked Peter Peterson, an independent director at Sony Columbia, seeming puzzled. "Can't we choose another weekend in the summer?"
"We don't have a choice," the company's vice president, Mitch Schurhoff, stood up, signaling the staff to turn on the projector. He pointed at the film titles and their corresponding release dates on the screen. "In the summer schedule, including August, every weekend has films being released that have investments not less than *The Shawshank Redemption*. Originally, we couldn't find a weekend without strong competitors, but Paramount proactively adjusted the release date of *Forrest Gump*, leaving this weekend without any films of the same caliber."
"Another point," Jack Musker added, "is that *The Shawshank Redemption* and *Independence Day* have completely different styles and themes, with nearly no overlap in audience. Even if *Independence Day* proves to be more popular than *The Rock*, it won't impact us significantly."
"Before setting the release date, we held a screening for critics."
The film had been completed by the end of last year. Columbia was not only the distributor but also held a portion of the investment, and they were eager to recoup their costs. "A total of 178 critics and journalists rated the film, averaging 9.8 out of 10!"
After this statement, the room fell silent. Everyone understood that critics' ratings didn't necessarily reflect market acceptance, but since Jack Musker had mentioned it, it was clearly not just public relations ratings but genuine data. Such a high score from those who were known for their discerning tastes? Even the highly praised *The Godfather* hadn't achieved such a high professional rating!
"Roger Ebert, Kenneth Turan, David Denby, and Todd McCarthy all gave the film a perfect score at the screening!"
Jack Musker continued, "They guaranteed that they would wholeheartedly recommend this film after its release!"
While professional critics might not represent the market, Columbia's upper management knew that the critics at the top had a substantial following; their influence should not be underestimated. If they wholeheartedly recommended the film, its prospects would undoubtedly exceed Columbia's expectations.
"It's almost April," said David Yetnikoff, the CEO sitting at the head of the conference table. "We need to hold a theater screening soon and keep an eye on *Independence Day*."
As soon as *Forrest Gump* switched its release date, Duke had noticed *The Shawshank Redemption* occupying the weekend slot ahead of him. Though it differed somewhat from his memories, he guessed it had to be that great film based on the production company.
If the competitor in the following week was *Forrest Gump*, Duke would definitely worry and feel somewhat anxious. But with this film, he tossed the thought aside. In theaters, *The Shawshank Redemption* had no qualifications to compete with *Independence Day*
However, Duke then thought of another aspect: having such a film as a comparison might mean that *Independence Day*'s critical reception would likely hit a new low for him.
Critics could influence some moviegoers, a fact Duke could not deny. A commercial film like *Independence Day*, which was heavy on commercial elements, would definitely not appeal to critics.
Of course, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox could play the critics' game, but the film's subject matter determined that to get the critics to say good things, they would need to invest even more resources than before...
"Jeff..."
In his office at Warner Bros., Duke looked across at Robynov. "I suggest we don't invite critics to the screening; instead, invite theater representatives, ordinary moviegoers, and media we can influence."
"Critics?" Jeff Robynov frowned slightly.
It should be noted that inviting critics to watch films before release had become a routine practice in Hollywood, an unspoken understanding between the two related industries.
"Critics will accept public relations." Duke thought for a moment before replying, "But the top batch are still relatively fair."
He emphasized 'fair' as if mocking, "Jeff, you know what *Independence Day*'s selling point is. If we want these critics to praise the film, we will need to invest more, but I believe it's better to increase our advertising spend instead of wasting too many resources on these leeches."
What Duke mentioned was basic reality; some films that suited critics' tastes would receive praise for minimal costs since it wouldn't affect their image.
In contrast, a commercial film like *Independence Day* would inevitably require more cash to win over critics known for their unique tastes and artistic standards.
Especially the top critics, who were often the most demanding in terms of fees.
In Duke's view, throwing millions of dollars at these leeches was less efficient than spending on ads during prime time across the big four TV networks. Though this might provoke a strong backlash from the critics, his past experiences told him that such reactions were not necessarily bad.
"I'll consider it," Jeff Robynov did not agree immediately.
"Alright then..." Duke stood up to leave. If it weren't for the promotional impact of the film being tied to its box office, and the box office directly impacting his income, he wouldn't have bothered discussing these matters.
"Duke, wait a moment."
Just as Duke was about to shake hands and leave, Jeff Robynov handed him an invitation. "April 4th is Warner's anniversary; there's a celebration party at the Hilton in Beverly Hills."
This was the most normal kind of social interaction, and Duke had no intention of refusing. He accepted and said "I'll be there on time "
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