Made In Hollywood-Chapter 915: A Collapsing Situation

It wasn’t just the exclusive interview. After that conversation with Duke, the reporter named Gao Fangfang also went to visit Lucasfilm. A special program was broadcast by a national TV station across the Pacific, and there were also written, photographic, and video reports circulating online, which drew considerable attention from Chinese audiences.

Apart from the report submitted by Warner’s Greater China division, Duke, while busy with the post-production of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, would also log into the Greater China regional network from time to time to see the reactions of movie fans and netizens across the ocean.

In the living room of the Duke Manor, dressed in a formal suit, Duke sat in front of his computer, browsing comments online about the recent interview, while waiting for Scarlett Johansson, who was still putting on makeup and changing into her gown in the dressing room.

Even though they were about to attend George Lucas’s wedding at Skywalker Ranch in Los Angeles, Duke still made full use of this waiting time — after all, women’s makeup and wardrobe changes were always measured in hours.

By reading the comments from movie fans overseas, Duke could also get a sense of the first-hand market trends.

"Never knowing the Skywalker family, even if called a hero, is still in vain."

Obviously, this was a standard Star Wars fan. Because of Duke’s involvement, the overall tone of the comments remained quite positive.

"As a little 80s kid who was shocked by Star Wars growing up, I’ll definitely watch it! For those of us who believe movies are an essential part of life, watching Star Wars is a required course! Will it be good or not? When has Duke Rosenberg ever let anyone down?"

Duke wasn’t self-deprecating — he knew very well that he had strong influence across the Pacific.

"The domestic box office shouldn’t be bad. There are countless loyal fans from the 70s and 80s, plus many 90s and 00s followers. My advice: if you haven’t seen or haven’t finished the previous films, catch up first — watch the prequel trilogy, then the original trilogy! That way you won’t be confused when you watch Episode VII."

It wasn’t just Star Wars fans — general audiences were also paying attention.

"I’m not really a fan. I watched the old trilogy years ago — it was pretty good. Sure, the character setups feel a bit dated, the pacing is a little slow, and the plot somewhat formulaic, but there’s nothing seriously wrong. The story is solid, and the effects — come on, that was in the days when few people even had computers! R2-D2 was absolutely adorable. With Duke at the helm this time, it should at least be an enjoyable watch." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

There were also people who didn’t care about previous installments:

"Star Wars isn’t just a few movies anymore. It’s become a cultural symbol. Everyone knows Star Wars. Wearing a Star Wars T-shirt, whether you’ve seen the films or not, doesn’t stop you from liking the Star Wars universe. So why worry about understanding every detail? Just enjoy the movie!"

And of course, there were those who knew absolutely nothing about the series:

"Um... can I ask a dumb question? Is Star Trek related to Star Wars?"

At that moment, Duke heard the familiar sound of high heels clicking on the floor. He closed his laptop and turned around. Scarlett Johansson, elegantly dressed, was walking toward him with her handbag.

Seeing Duke rise from his chair, Scarlett asked curiously, "What were you doing?"

"Nothing much." He took Scarlett’s hand and led her toward the door. "It’s about time. We should get going."

This was George Lucas’s wedding, and Duke’s mother had already gone ahead early in the morning to help with preparations. Given the closeness between the two families, they couldn’t afford to arrive late.

Once Duke and Scarlett got into the car, the Rolls-Royce waiting at the manor gates started its engine and slowly drove away from Duke Manor.

Half an hour later, the car pulled directly into Skywalker Ranch, which George Lucas had specially purchased for the wedding. Duke and Scarlett stepped out, arm in arm, and walked toward the villa’s lawn, where they soon spotted George Lucas himself.

After greeting his mother nearby, Duke walked over and gave George Lucas a light hug. "Congratulations, Uncle Lucas."

"Thank you." George Lucas gently patted Duke’s arm. After Scarlett greeted him, he added, "Feel free to look around, you two. I won’t keep you."

Duke nodded politely and, without hesitation, led Scarlett over to where his mother was standing.

The wedding began shortly after, though it was fairly brief. Sitting on the long benches on the lawn, Duke noticed that Scarlett Johansson’s gaze was fixed intently on Mellody Hobson, the bride in her wedding gown. The hand linked around his arm subconsciously tightened.

Duke could more or less guess what Scarlett was thinking, and he found himself considering whether it was time to prepare a ring.

After all, their relationship was extremely stable. Neither of them had any intention of changing that. Taking the next step felt only natural.

He also glanced at Mrs. Leia on the other side. His mother had never liked Hollywood celebrities, but her goddaughter was clearly an exception. She was genuinely hoping Duke and Scarlett would eventually end up together.

The chaotic life of his younger days was long behind him. Duke had no intention of returning to that lifestyle.

However, now wasn’t the right time. He was still busy with everything related to Star Wars, while Scarlett was preparing for Avengers: Age of Ultron. They would have to wait until this hectic period was over.

Thinking that, Duke’s gaze, like Scarlett’s, fell upon Mellody Hobson.

To be honest, he — like many others present — hadn’t expected that George Lucas and Mellody Hobson’s black-and-white relationship would truly reach the wedding stage.

Of course, no one thought Mellody Hobson was unworthy of George Lucas. On the contrary, she was widely recognized as an elite.

In addition to serving as Chair of DreamWorks Animation, Mellody Hobson was also the President of Chicago’s renowned investment company, Ariel Investments, as well as Chair of the Ariel Mutual Funds Foundation and a sponsor of ABC’s Good Morning America.

She had even created her own investment and financial management show. Her career spanned multiple fields, and she was especially passionate about the film and television industry. Before dating George Lucas, Mellody Hobson had never been married, making this her first step into matrimony.

The wedding went smoothly, without any of the dramatic or unbelievable twists often seen elsewhere. Moreover, George Lucas and Mellody Hobson received the heartfelt blessings of Lucas’s children.

After the ceremony came a typical Western-style celebration party.

Because Scarlett Johansson was taken by Duke’s mother, Mrs. Leia, to meet some friends and expand her network, Duke had to move around on his own. Besides George Lucas’s relatives and close friends, there were also many guests from Mellody Hobson’s side.

Among them was Jeffrey Katzenberg of DreamWorks Animation Studio.

After facilitating the collaboration between Warner Bros., Twentieth Century Fox, and DreamWorks Animation on Kung Fu Panda, Duke had once considered acquiring a portion of DreamWorks Animation’s shares. After all, the studio’s total market value was only a little over one billion dollars — not exactly a massive deal.

Although Jeffrey Katzenberg had long wanted DreamWorks Animation to become part of a large corporate group, he was unwilling to sell his shares to Duke. He knew Duke’s character all too well — once Duke got involved in the studio’s affairs, Katzenberg’s influence would inevitably be diminished. It wasn’t impossible that one day DreamWorks Animation might even end up being renamed "Rosenberg Animation."

Marvel Comics served as a clear precedent.

Duke didn’t mind Katzenberg’s refusal to sell. After all, not every good opportunity would fall into his lap, and it wasn’t realistic to expect others to sell him whatever he wanted.

After exchanging a polite greeting with Jeffrey Katzenberg, Duke joined the circle of George Lucas’s friends and family. The center of this group was, without question, Steven Spielberg and Francis Coppola.

These seasoned veterans of the film industry were clearly discussing something important. Duke found Sofia Coppola among them and asked in a low voice, "Dear, what are they talking about?"

Sofia Coppola turned her head to glance at Duke and whispered, "Steven is talking to people about the future of Hollywood blockbusters."

Hearing that, Duke became interested. He stepped forward, stood beside Sofia Coppola, and pricked up his ears.

"Hollywood is betting every year on high-budget blockbusters that cater to mass appeal," said Steven Spielberg. As the owner of a production studio, he had deeply studied the entire industry. "But it’s losing those viewers who now prefer to watch movies through the internet or television. One day, this strategy will backfire, and when it does, the entire industry will suffer a devastating blow."

"Indeed, all of Hollywood is throwing money into big-budget productions," Francis Coppola said, clearly agreeing with Spielberg. "But this model won’t last forever. Its focus will keep narrowing, audiences will eventually abandon it, and when that happens, studios won’t know what to do next."

A wave of discussion spread among the surrounding crowd, which included famous directors such as Duncan Jones and Ron Howard.

Spielberg spoke again, and the group fell silent. His tone wasn’t loud, but every word was clear. "The reason we’ve reached this point is that countless forms of entertainment are now competing with film for audience attention. Yet studios would rather spend 250 million dollars making one movie than fund smaller, more personal projects."

He sighed. "In the end, the film industry will face a large-scale collapse. There will be an ’implosion’ within the system — at that time, three, four, or even five or six massive productions will crash simultaneously."

"I agree with Steven," came a familiar voice.

The groom of the day, George Lucas, had walked over at some point and had clearly overheard the conversation. "I think the cinema industry will evolve. Before long, it will become something similar to Broadway."

When Lucas finished speaking, Sofia Coppola turned to Duke and asked, "What do you think?"

...

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