Made In Hollywood-Chapter 936: The King of North America

On the final weekend of 2014, five large-scale new releases joined the fierce North American Christmas box office battle. However, compared with the unstoppable momentum of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, these films were nothing more than dim candlelight before the blazing sun. None of the new releases could slow down The Force Awakens from breaking even more records.

Although it had already been in theaters for a week, the film still achieved astonishing numbers. After breaking Sherlock Holmes’ 2009 Christmas Day record of 24.6 million dollars with 59.34 million on Friday, The Force Awakens went on to collect 68.92 million on Saturday and 58.17 million on Sunday. Its second weekend box office in North America totaled a staggering 186.43 million dollars, effortlessly smashing the previous record of 111.77 million set by The Avengers, lifting the bar two whole levels higher.

In fact, except for films directed by Duke himself—such as The Dark Knight and The Avengers—there was no other non–Duke Rosenberg production in the world whose opening weekend North American box office could even compare to The Force Awakens’ second weekend.

"Before Duke Rosenberg, there is only himself left!"

Many media outlets in North America and Europe impatiently published headlines like this.

Ten days after its release, Star Wars: The Force Awakens had already reached 729.41 million dollars in North American gross, surpassing The Avengers’ final total of 725.86 million, and standing proudly at second place on the all-time North American box office chart!

The reigning champion, Avatar, stood at 749.76 million dollars, but it was now inevitable that The Force Awakens would surpass it. The only remaining suspense was whether the film could achieve the same on the global box office chart.

During the same week—including the three-day weekend—the film expanded into more countries and regions. Even though it had not yet opened in China, the world’s second-largest film market, it still earned another 385.2 million dollars from overseas markets, pushing its global box office total to an astonishing 1.66921 billion dollars.

Undoubtedly, this marked the fastest any film in history had ever reached the 1.5-billion-dollar mark since the birth of cinema as a cultural commodity.

In the following week, with the New Year holidays approaching, The Force Awakens’ box office trend remained extremely strong, and the film lived up to all expectations. Even on the weekday Monday, its revenue only dropped by 25 percent from the previous Sunday, earning 43.63 million dollars.

This figure ensured that the film’s North American total climbed to 773.03 million dollars, surpassing Avatar’s 749.76 million, thus claiming the number one position on the all-time North American box office chart.

"A new King of North America is born—will the King of the World be replaced next?"

This became the front-page headline of numerous North American media outlets on Tuesday. The craze sparked by Star Wars: The Force Awakens had long transcended cinema—it had become a full-fledged social and cultural phenomenon.

Compared with other publications, The Hollywood Reporter, which focused more closely on the industry’s movements, pointed out, "Within the next two to three months, Duke Rosenberg will become the first director in history whose single film surpasses one billion dollars in North American box office!"

No one disputed this claim.

Duke himself also knew well that The Force Awakens’ North American performance would not be an issue. The key now was its global revenue. Only by maximizing overseas market performance could the film quickly push past the two-billion-dollar milestone.

After all, North America’s population was limited. The United States and Canada combined had a total of just over 350 million people. Even including immigrants and ticket-buying illegal residents, the market could not exceed 400 million. A one billion box office was nearly the ceiling. It was impossible for every North American to love Duke and The Force Awakens—no film could ever achieve such a feat.

Thus, Duke led the crew out of North America and began an international tour across Europe and other major markets. They tried every possible way to capture attention and public interest, motivating audiences to buy tickets and enter theaters.

Mainstream media in every country were filled with reports and features related to Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens and its director Duke Rosenberg are challenging records. The film has become the number-one box office hit in every distribution country, gradually forming a unique phenomenon—parents taking children to watch it, younger generations bringing their elders. It has become a cross-generational experience. The movie breaks barriers of language, culture, and religion, sparking a global wave of moviegoing enthusiasm that shows no signs of slowing..."

"Sitting casually on the subway, one can hear people around discussing the film, talking about BB-8, the Millennium Falcon, and Jedi Knights, or debating Duke Rosenberg’s possible designs for the heroine Rey’s origins..."

During the transition from 2014 to 2015, Duke, Kathleen Kennedy, and Charles Roven, together with the crew, spent nearly all their time traveling by air for promotional events. Starting from London—the first stop of their European tour—they visited major cities including Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Milan, and Madrid. Everywhere they went, they ignited unprecedented fervor.

The influence of Star Wars: The Force Awakens had long surpassed the scope of film itself—it had evolved into a cultural and even societal phenomenon.

Despite the envy and resentment of some European directors, who used every means to criticize The Force Awakens as lacking any artistic value—claiming it was nothing but advanced CGI technology and overly sentimental melodrama—the film’s march forward could not be stopped.

Their opinions held no sway over mainstream audiences. What kind of movies do most people love? The answer was obvious without even asking.

Even the mainstream European media, when faced with endlessly lengthening ticket lines and increasingly terrifying box office numbers, had no choice but to offer words of praise—whether they liked it or not.

Especially Fleet Street—those journalists who would do anything to grab attention cared little whether they were exalting or tearing down a person.

"Duke Rosenberg—the Number One Director in Hollywood! The Leader of Global Pop Culture!"

To cater to public opinion and attract massive attention, Fleet Street spared no effort in showering Duke with extravagant praise. Bold and enlarged front-page headlines, accompanied by striking photos of The Force Awakens promotion in London, made for an eye-catching display.

"Even though 2015 has only just begun, we can already confirm—no one is more influential than Duke Rosenberg. Wherever he appears becomes the focal point and center of the world! Every word he says, every move he makes, easily captures the public’s gaze and dominates the front pages of major media outlets."

"Everyone already knows how brilliant he is, but who could have imagined that after the globally sensational Batman trilogy and The Avengers, he would team up with the Star Wars series to bring the world such an enormous surprise!" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Although he doesn’t hold British citizenship, Duke Rosenberg has made tremendous contributions to global cultural exchange. The royal family should consider granting him the honor he deserves!"

Although the entire article was filled with the typical British sense of self-importance, it was nonetheless unreserved in its praise of Duke.

Of course, in the eyes of Duke’s fans, all of this was nothing more than the simple truth.

As the crew traveled across major cities, they received treatment that even the world’s top political leaders could hardly hope for. When arriving at airports, there were always thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of fans who gathered spontaneously to welcome them. Whenever a fan meeting was held, the entire city would fall into paralysis, and upon departure, thousands of devoted fans would cry and beg the crew to stay longer.

Among them, Duke was the most popular figure — countless Duke fans came solely for him!

Since the birth of cinema, no director had ever built a level of commercial influence stronger than that of Hollywood’s greatest superstars until Duke.

Furthermore, led by the North American media and Fleet Street, hundreds of journalists followed the crew wherever they went. Even when Duke and the others left the center of the entertainment world for the Far East, these reporters remained relentless, swearing to dig up every detail of the crew’s private lives!

In fact, after arriving at a hotel in Hong Kong, a female paparazzo from The Sun bribed a maid and almost managed to sneak into Daisy Ridley’s room...

Incidents like this happened repeatedly throughout the entire promotional campaign. To ensure safety and privacy, Lucasfilm specifically hired a highly professional security team to accompany The Force Awakens crew throughout the journey.

"Hollywood’s most influential super-director in the Far East!"

Star Wars: The Force Awakens had already been released in Hong Kong for some time, and the crew’s arrival sent the city—recently shaken by unrest—into a frenzy, with media outlets competing to report on it.

"This is Duke Rosenberg’s second visit to Hong Kong. His outstanding works have allowed us to truly understand this young super-director. His influence has spread to every corner of the world..."

Perhaps those reports were somewhat exaggerated, but in several Far Eastern regions long influenced by Hollywood culture, Duke Rosenberg’s name had been etched deeply into people’s hearts through one major blockbuster after another.

The uproar caused by the crew across the Far East was no less than that in North America. Cities like Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul, Tokyo, and Manila were completely conquered by Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

When the crew left Tokyo to head for Sydney, a few female fans who learned the news tried to stop Daniel Wu from leaving and, in a shocking scene, slit their wrists in public—an act both tragic and absurd.

More than ten days later, after a long and exhausting journey, the weary crew finally arrived at the last stop of their global promotional tour and the only major market where Star Wars: The Force Awakens had yet to be released China.

Although China’s traditional New Year and New Year’s Day film seasons had just ended, which normally would mean a cooling-off period for the market, Duke and his team’s arrival still triggered a massive wave of excitement.

...

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