The showdown between Justin Bieber and Orlando Bloom attracted quite a bit of attention in Hollywood. Amid this busy awards season, it certainly grabbed a lot of spotlight especially with Orlando Bloom delivering a hefty beating to Justin Bieber. Afterwards, Bieber posted several intimate photos with Miranda Kerr on his Twitter and Instant Share, seemingly trying to provoke the Elven Prince again.
As for whether the Elven Prince and the Hobbit would have a second round, that was not something Duke cared about.
Gravity was about to enter its fourth weekend in North America. After weeks of dominating the market solo, the North American box office finally saw a heavyweight release.
Tron: Legacy, jointly produced by Walt Disney and Sky Movie Studios, officially premiered in North American theaters.
This was one of the four films David Ellison had taken charge of.
Tron: Legacy's production cost alone reached a staggering $170 million, yet Walt Disney chose a relatively quiet release window, which also reflected their lack of confidence in the film itself.
Perhaps the North American market hadn't seen a blockbuster for a long time, or maybe the film did appeal to certain audiences despite the low external expectations, its actual performance was acceptable.
After all, Gravity had been out for four weeks, and the market's appetite for commercial films was undeniably present.
In its first three-day weekend, Tron: Legacy was released in 3,566 theaters across North America and took in $44.02 million, ending Gravity's three-week reign as box office champion and becoming the new number one at the North American box office.
At the same time, Gravity earned another $22.35 million, ranking second for the weekend. Including the previous four weekdays, North American box office revenue had solidly crossed the $300 million mark, totaling $311.24 million.
Although Tron: Legacy took the crown from Gravity at the North American box office, the situation was far from optimistic.
"CinemaScore audience approval rating is only 71%, with an average audience grade of 'B,' and MetaCritic's 55 media reviews gave it an average score of 66," Tina Fey told Duke while riding toward the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel. Then she concluded, "The audience reception for this film is only average. Its later performance won't be as strong as Gravity's."
"That's enough for David Ellison to breathe a sigh of relief," Scarlett Johansson shrugged. "I was still waiting for this film to bomb like Robin Hood, so Larry Ellison would pull his investment from Sky Movie Studios."
"You're too impatient," Duke said, pulling his gaze back from the car window to Scarlett. "Darling, we have plenty of time to wait patiently."
Today in Hollywood, David Ellison's closest cooperation was with Walt Disney, but Disney was embroiled in internal power struggles. Michael Eisner and Robert Iger had fought for years without a clear winner. If Larry Ellison pulled out his investment, David Ellison's career in Hollywood would collapse immediately.
This was exactly the scenario Duke wanted to see. A strong Disney did not align with his or Time Warner's interests. Disney's current troubles were not caused by him alone. Comcast, Viacom, Time Warner, and News Corporation all these media giants were pushing behind the scenes.
Commercial competition never missed an opportunity to strike opponents. These major companies could be described as both collaborators and competitors.
The car stopped in front of the Hilton Hotel, and Duke and Scarlett stepped out, waving to the surrounding reporters and fans. They walked the red carpet and soon arrived at the interview area.
This was the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony the largest media event in the entertainment industry before the Oscars. While the Golden Globes did not significantly influence Oscar voters, they were an excellent opportunity to increase exposure, which was crucial for those hoping to make an impact during awards season.
Duke had also received a series of nominations.
Due to the late release date, Gravity missed the Golden Globes, but another of Duke's films released last year, Inception, had received multiple Golden Globe nominations.
The film was a box office and critical success, earning nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Drama Actor, and Best Original Score.
At the interview area, Duke and Scarlett answered reporters' questions but never mentioned the five Golden Globe nominations for Inception. The conversation focused almost entirely on Gravity.
Duke understood clearly the main goal was to promote Scarlett. The interview was more like Scarlett Johansson's spotlight moment, with Duke playing a supporting role.
"All our scenes were carefully choreographed, which is why I needed such extensive training. I wanted to ensure my body could adapt freely in a zero-gravity environment. Everything was like a dance rehearsal, but I also had to improvise so I could perfectly portray the floating sensation in zero gravity," Scarlett explained when asked how she brought such an amazing female astronaut role to life.
"That's not easy," Scarlett said, reciting a rehearsed answer. "You need imagination. Everything you prepare for your role could come into play. In that environment, you see no hope there were scenes where I was completely helpless, and I would think about what the director wanted to show, what I could see, to help tell the story. I even had the sound editor play specific music to help me quickly get into character."
After leaving the interview area and entering the hotel, a pregnant Natalie Portman approached them. Her eyes naturally followed Scarlett Johansson's figure, and the complex emotion in her gaze was something only she understood.
Gravity had grossed over $300 million in North America and more than $600 million worldwide, undoubtedly making Scarlett Johansson a top-tier Hollywood star, temporarily the leading actress born after 1980!
This position was exactly what she had dreamed of.
Could she still snatch this spot even if she won the Oscar for Best Actress?
Natalie Portman had no confidence. She knew well that being a superstar required more than just a little gold Oscar statue. How long had it been since she proved her box office appeal?
The Golden Globes were less of an awards ceremony and more of a joyful party. The ceremony was held as a banquet. Duke, arm in arm with Scarlett, walked into the banquet hall and quickly found the table where the Inception crew sat. Leonardo DiCaprio was already there, chatting casually with John Schwartzman.
"What are you two talking about?" Scarlett asked curiously after sitting down. "It seems like you have different opinions?"
Duke glanced at Leonardo, then at John Schwartzman; these two were clearly debating something.
John Schwartzman spoke first, "I just made a bet with Leo."
Leonardo continued, "I think Inception might win Best Picture in the drama category, but John disagrees. He's rooting more for David Fincher's The Social Network."
"To be honest, Leo," Duke sided with John Schwartzman, "I also favor David Fincher's film."
Compared to the Oscars, the Golden Globes are more influenced by PR; many voters openly expect gifts or favors from the studios.
"The Social Network?" Leonardo shook his head, "Then let's just wait for the results."
Maybe because of instant sharing, Mark Zuckerberg's site isn't as popular as before, but it still ranks among America's well-known social networks. The adapted film about him is once again part of David Fincher's resume.
It's well known that David Fincher is a rather unconventional director. Many of his works go against mainstream social values. Like Duke, he's not the kind of director the academy favors. The Social Network is one of his few films aimed at the Oscars.
The Social Network and The King's Speech are considered the two hottest contenders at this year's Oscars. David Fincher and Duke are seen as the strongest candidates for Best Director.
However, Duke knows well that David Fincher will likely just miss out on the Oscars.
On one hand, the academy holds deep-rooted biases its prejudice against Fincher is even stronger than against Duke. On the other, Fincher doesn't enthusiastically engage in PR activities. Individual awards can't be won just through studio PR. Nowadays, the Oscars require active PR unless you're a special case like Heath Ledger; without it, you have no chance.
This land advocates free competition, limiting the scope of PR, yet paradoxically sees PR as an expression of free competitive will.
The awards ceremony soon began. Inception, which hadn't done any PR at the Golden Globes, unsurprisingly became a full-time runner-up, missing out on Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Drama Actor, and Best Original Score—no wins at all.
Though Leonardo DiCaprio performed well in Inception and Shutter Island and received two nominations, he once again missed out on the Golden Globe for Best Drama Actor.
Fortunately, Leonardo has been a perennial runner-up for years; he's used to it and takes it in stride.
He said to Duke, "I have enough patience, and how could one Golden Globe ever satisfy me?"
Indeed, how could one Golden Globe satisfy Leonardo DiCaprio?
But Duke knew clearly that just like the Golden Globes results, Leonardo DiCaprio's chances at this year's Oscars were also slim.
...
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