In recent years, as comic book adaptations have become all the rage, more and more excellent comics have been brought to the big screen, and Iron Man is destined to be one of the lucky beneficiaries of this trend.
Comic book adaptations have a long history, but it wasn't until the movie Spider-Man that they truly entered the mainstream of commercial cinema.
In 2002, Sony Columbia achieved massive box office success with this film that told the abnormal coming-of-age story of a teenager who accidentally gained superpowers. The result was that film studio executives began to believe that the superhero craze once sparked by Christopher Reeve had been reignited.
As a result, large investment budgets were allocated to comic book adaptation projects, and one famous superhero after another was sent to the big screen to entertain audiences, leading to the growing popularity of comic book movies in recent years.
Of course, this phenomenon is also due to the strong popularity of these superheroes in the United States. When Americans see the characters from the comic books they grew up with come to life, it's only natural for them to flock to theaters and show their support.
Speaking of which, we must mention the two giants of the American comic book industry—MARVEL and DC.
These two comic companies, which were both founded back in the 1930s, have established the rules of American comics through decades of operation so long as people want to see a comic book hero, that hero will never truly die.
In North America, once a superhero is created by a comic artist, the comic company determines the hero's fate. To keep the character fresh and ensure continuous creative inspiration, the company will pass the character through multiple hands, letting different artists contribute to their development. As long as the basic design concept remains unchanged, different artists will add their own stylistic flourishes.
With the passage of time, more and more artists get involved in creating these characters, allowing a superhero to remain active in comics for decades—and decades of development builds a staggering fan base.
As long as the film's quality is guaranteed, it ensures a solid baseline of audience turnout.
Iron Man not only has all these qualities but does them even better.
So, when it was just past midnight Pacific Time, Duke was not surprised at all upon receiving the initial tally of preview night box office figures they had done a great deal of targeted promotion and marketing through various means.
"How much?"
In the room, Scarlett looked a bit impatient. The films she had appeared in before had garnered good critical reviews, but none of them had performed particularly well at the box office. This had left her with a reputation but little in terms of asking price.
Sacrificing for art? That thought had never occurred to Scarlett, nor had she seen anyone in the industry who genuinely believed that.
When even your expenses are a problem, how can you talk about creation and character development?
Everyone knows that the living costs of a famous Hollywood actress are astronomical. For example, outfits worn for public street photography absolutely cannot be worn a second time. Add in houses, cars, assistants, cosmetics, and more all of it requires a huge sum of money.
Without commercial sponsorships, this is overwhelming for many, especially someone like Scarlett. Because her previous career leaned heavily toward the art house genre, her actual income was quite limited. And she couldn't just accept commercial ads easily—she had to maintain her image. The hardship behind the scenes was something only she truly understood.
Why do all those so-called "artistic" and "independent" actresses rush toward commercial projects the moment they get the chance? The reason isn't hard to grasp.
Unless one wins a heavyweight award like an Oscar for Best Actress or Supporting Actress, no matter how good your acting is, if you haven't proven yourself in mainstream productions, it's hard to command a high salary.
In a country that values independence and freedom, no one wants to be completely dependent on someone else. Duke could more or less guess what Scarlett was thinking, and he didn't keep her in suspense. He said directly, "About 3,900 preview screenings brought in roughly $12.6 million."
"So, the market response is decent," Scarlett looked at Duke and asked.
Duke smiled, "It's actually very good."
He gently patted Scarlett's hand. "Go to sleep early. Don't you have a meeting with Rachel McAdams first thing tomorrow?"
Although the two of them were able to go to sleep with peace of mind, Marvel Studios was still brightly lit. When the initial preview numbers came in, Kevin Feige finally exhaled a breath of relief but he didn't start celebrating. Across North America, midnight screenings had already begun.
The previews had consumed a large number of Iron Man fans and others drawn in by the recent hot topics. The midnight screenings' performance would, to a certain extent, indicate the box office trend for Iron Man's opening weekend and even the film's longer-term prospects.
"Warner Bros.' distribution ability and Duke's production standards are both reliable."
He looked at Avi Arad, who was pacing back and forth in the office, and said, "We've already seen the film. Its quality is fully assured it's no worse than any of Duke's previous movies."
"I know. The film is even better than I imagined," Avi Arad finally sat down. "But this is a movie that determines the company's fate."
Kevin Feige said in a deliberately relaxed tone, "I think we should start planning the next film."
Iron Man didn't just carry Marvel's hopes it was also the key to its future development. Before the success or failure of this film was determined, Marvel didn't have the resolve or courage to invest huge amounts of money in preparing new superhero movies.
Now, their confidence was growing.
In this office, there was also another important figure from Marvel.
Perhaps due to his age, Stan Lee didn't seem as anxious as Kevin Feige and Avi Arad. He looked very calm, quietly sitting in front of the computer, browsing online comments.
Though he was old, his heart remained young. He skillfully logged into his instant sharing account, and numerous popular viewer comments about Iron Man immediately appeared on the screen.
Stan Lee understood very well what Marvel's superhero films were aiming for no matter what the professional media said, nothing was more direct and important than the opinions of the audience.
"Yet another comic book superhero from Hollywood makes their debut on the big screen. Tony Stark's entrance as Iron Man is absolutely arrogant—charming, intelligent, and charismatic. Women? They're like clothes he's worn—left on the bed in the morning, and he never remembers their names. The government's Outstanding Contribution Award? Something you could hand out to just any passerby. Weapons? He casually built invincible high-tech armor in a cave that others couldn't manage in a lifetime."
"Duke once again showcases his talent. His depiction of a hero's journey and psychological transformation is outstanding. From a playboy and warlord to a super iron-clad hero, the transition is convincingly portrayed. Iron Man is a surprisingly brilliant piece of work."
"To sum up the strengths of Iron Man, I think there are four key points thrilling action, witty performances, fresh ideas, and it's absolutely worthy of a sequel."
Reading this, the old man couldn't help but nod slightly. The comments on Instant Share were clearly skewed.
Of course, they were skewed in favor of good word of mouth.
"Letting Duke Rosenberg direct Marvel's opening film was definitely a very wise decision."
Stan Lee sighed quietly and closed Instant Share, then logged into IMDb. The first thing he looked at was the IMDb rating. For people of his generation, these ratings still mattered.
With 32,114 users, the film had a rating of 8.8 already quite impressive.
Such a score was enough to place it in the top 30 of IMDb's Top 250. However, Stan Lee was well aware that the rating would inevitably drop over time.
For example, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King—Duke's film—held the top spot on IMDb after its release, but earlier this year it slowly slipped to second place, with Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather reclaiming first.
But this didn't affect Duke's standing on IMDb. On this largest film site in the world, the Top 250 was undoubtedly a favorite topic among movie fans.
Except for Critical Emergency, all of Duke's other films were on the list, and notably, among the top ten: The Return of the King, The Matrix, The Two Towers, and Saving Private Ryan were all prominently featured.
He alone held four spots.
In the eyes of fans who revered IMDb ratings, Duke was unquestionably a phenomenon-level director.
Such a director was like a certain legendary filmmaker of the past someone with legions of crazed fans, both in North America and globally.
Stan Lee knew this well. That's why Marvel Comics had made this latecomer a key player in their grand cinematic strategy.
After all, everyone knew that the number of fanatics usually equated to massive market value.
And for a commercial film director, what metric was more important than market value?
Then Stan Lee's gaze shifted to the IMDb comments.
"Although I'm tired of superheroes saving the world, I must admit Iron Man is seriously, seriously cool! The visual effects in this movie are incredible probably the best out there right now. That's the biggest reason I watched it. The gear OMG! That house, that lab full of gadgets, those voice-activated robotic arms, those sports cars, the missile firepower, that new suit's flight test, his first battle everything was insanely cool!"
"The process of creating Iron Man was full of metallic beauty—very flashy. The refined effects blended in seamlessly, providing an outstanding viewing experience. The plot flowed smoothly, with no drag, no obvious loopholes, and more than enough appeal. Duke Rosenberg's production is as excellent as always."
After browsing online reviews for a while, perhaps feeling reassured, Stan Lee actually dozed off. By the time someone woke him up, the window was already glowing with white light dawn was breaking.
Stan Lee suddenly sensed something was wrong. Strange growling echoed throughout the entire small Marvel Studios office building, as if demons and spirits had crawled out of hell.
...
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