At this exhibition, the crew also released the second trailer following the Super Bowl. Unlike the first trailer, the Transformers had significantly more screen time.
On the highway, a yellow Camaro sped by, followed by Optimus Prime rumbling forward, ramming a massive mine-clearing vehicle Decepticon "Incinerator" to the side.
Optimus Prime and Incinerator collided head-on, the impact like Mars crashing into Earth. The two spun and fell off the overpass, and Optimus Prime's car-sized fist landed heavily on Incinerator's jaw. Suddenly, Incinerator's face turned into a dazzling whirling mass of shattered fragments.
The trailer ended there, leaving the audience stunned by the crew's sheer ruthlessness!
Hundreds of viewers crowded in front of the Transformers exhibit, demanding the crew replay the footage. Some trouble-stirring reporters hid among the crowd, fanning the flames. If the organizers hadn't dispatched a large number of security personnel, it's hard to say whether the eager fans would have torn down the booth.
"Why can just thirty seconds of footage create such a strong reaction?"
In a café on the second floor of the convention center with a view of the Transformers exhibit, Irene Lauder sat at a table, her sapphire eyes watching everything through the glass wall.
"Hardworking crew and visual effects teams, plus incredibly powerful computer systems."
Putting down his coffee cup, Duke didn't even glance downstairs as he said, "You know, darling, in scenes featuring multiple Transformers, producing just a single frame can take up to 38 hours."
Irene withdrew her gaze and smiled. "So that's how you achieved such a convincing transformation effect."
"But..." her tone suddenly shifted, "I heard many Transformers fans are unhappy with Optimus Prime having lips?"
Duke shrugged slightly. Sitting across from him was a friend, not a reporter, so there was no need for PR nonsense. He said bluntly, "I'm the director. I make the decisions. Even if others say the house should be painted white, if I think it looks best in green so be it."
At that, he chuckled.
"Quite right. Oh, and congratulations." Irene Lauder changed the subject, raising her coffee cup to Duke. "Congratulations on receiving another Oscar nomination for Best Director after so many years."
Though he wasn't particularly invested, Duke still said, "Thanks."
The two sipped their hot coffee. Irene Lauder asked with curiosity, "Will this year's Oscar ceremony be held on schedule?"
Duke shook his head. "Who knows."
It was February 2008. The Hollywood Writers' Strike had lasted for over a month. The Golden Globes had already been canceled. If negotiations between the Producers Guild and the Writers Guild broke down again, the March Oscars would also face the risk of shutdown.
"I read in the papers that the negotiations have been going on for a long time. Why can't they reach an agreement?"
Tilting her head slightly, Irene looked at Duke and asked, "I remember late last year the Producers Guild and Directors Guild signed a new agreement in less than a week."
"No one wants to give up their own interests. And..." Duke stated another fact, "Writers aren't actors or directors."
In fact, it wasn't just the Writers Guild whose contract had expired. The Directors Guild and two Actors Guilds were also involved. But the Producers Guild quickly accepted the terms proposed by those guilds, and new agreements were signed.
The Writers Guild's demands were similar to the other unions, but the Producers Guild refused to make concessions.
This also reflected the low status of writers in Hollywood.
Among the foundational elements of this industrial pipeline, writers and scripts undoubtedly rank lower. The 1988 strike had improved their conditions somewhat but hadn't changed things fundamentally.
In Hollywood, the most sought-after scripts are never original. They're adapted from other popular works. The scenario where a writer presents an original script and everyone from actors to directors to producers to agents to studios jumps at the chance to use it only exists in fantasy.
Especially in commercial films, the script's role is often severely diminished. Take Michael Bay's best work The Rock, for example. After the script left the writers' hands, Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Michael Bay altered it so drastically that it bore little resemblance to the original.
The biggest divide between the Writers Guild and the Producers Guild was profit-sharing from online distribution.
On this front, the Producers Guild and Directors Guild had already reached an agreement late last year.
"You could describe this agreement with two words—'breakthrough' and 'substantive progress,'" Duke said to Irene Lauder. "And the best part was, the directors didn't have to make any concessions, yet still got a huge slice of the online profits."
The Producers Guild and Directors Guild only negotiated for six days, a sharp contrast to the Writers Guild.
The Directors Guild gained three main benefits: recognition of its authority over internet streaming and promotion of shows; for paid downloads, directors and crews now receive twice the previous amount; and for ad-sponsored streaming content and other web-distributed TV movies, the profit-sharing percentage between directors and producers was formally agreed upon.
Duke had long foreseen that the Writers' Strike might end in a worst-case scenario, and made preparations accordingly. Transformers' script had been finalized in the first half of the previous year. No further writing was needed. He even accounted for the possibility of actors going on strike. As soon as the Writers' Strike began to gain momentum, filming was wrapped up and post-production commenced.
As they were about to leave, Duke added, "Even if the world stops spinning, my work must go on."
Though the Oscars might be halted, after the nominees' luncheon, attention on major nominations remained high. Among them, Heath Ledger's Best Supporting Actor nod drew particular media and public interest—even more than the four major awards.
The death of an actor, undoubtedly, is the best form of PR. From traditional media to the internet masses, voices calling for the Academy to award Heath Ledger continued to rise, eventually forming an overwhelming wave.
If this had happened to someone else, it might have triggered a rebellious mindset among the Academy's core members. But since it involved someone who had passed away, none of that was an issue.
Just like society as a whole, Hollywood is extremely tolerant toward the deceased. Furthermore, Hollywood also needs such an image to promote the glamorous side of the industry.
Riding the wave of the nine Oscar nominations, The Dark Knight once again expanded its theatrical run—from fewer than 100 theaters to nearly 800. Many moviegoers were influenced by the buzz and decided to head to the cinemas.
However, this only brought a short-term heat to the theaters and wouldn't cause a radical surge in box office performance. Moreover, neither Duke nor Warner Bros. intended to let The Dark Knight stay in theaters long enough to burn through all the audience's enthusiasm. One week after the Nominees Luncheon, the film officially ended its North American run.
After nearly ten months of screening, The Dark Knight grossed a total of $591.21 million in North America, ultimately not surpassing The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Titanic, ranking third on the all-time North American box office chart.
At the same time, the film had also largely concluded its overseas release journey. It had been screened in over 150 countries and regions, earning a total of $619.87 million in overseas box office.
Thus, The Dark Knight bid farewell to global theaters, with a worldwide total box office of $1.21108 billion.
In Duke's career, this film ranks just below The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Return of the King, making it his second highest-grossing film.
On the global total box office chart, The Dark Knight ranks just behind Titanic, The Return of the King, and The Two Towers, taking the fourth place.
The film's genre and somewhat heavy themes resulted in relatively weaker overseas performance, which directly affected its final total box office.
However, The Dark Knight maintained a very prominent position in North America. After IMDb reopened its comments and ratings section, the film continued to top the Top 250 list with a score of 9.4.
Right after the film left North American theaters, Warner Bros. capitalized on the momentum to launch a DVD box set.
The disc set featured a large amount of exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and deleted scenes from the theatrical version, along with numerous secrets from behind the screen. In addition, there was a particularly valuable feature that allowed fans to view Batman and Joker's designs from a 360-degree angle, with zoom-ins showcasing detailed features of both characters. It also catered to comic book fans, presenting original comic character images in short video format.
Just two days after release, the Blu-ray version broke sales records and became the best-selling movie in Blu-ray history.
In its first week on the market, The Dark Knight's DVD sold over $132.5 million in North America alone, with estimated global sales reaching $250 million.
In today's era of declining DVD sales, this was already an exceptionally impressive result.
By the time the Oscars ceremony was held in March, the DVD had officially surpassed $200 million in North American sales, with global sales approaching $350 million.
Even without counting other merchandise, DVD sales alone could bring enormous profits.
According to the revenue-sharing agreement signed between Duke and Warner Bros., he held the right to an 8% share of DVD sales revenue.
However, all that could be set aside for now after several years, Duke would once again attend the Oscars ceremony.
....
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