Made In Hollywood-Chapter 922: Head-on Confrontation

Since 1977, five out of the first six Star Wars films have topped the North American box office for their respective years. It is an unparalleled series, and now with Duke’s name attached, its appeal is naturally self-evident.

After a long wait, in mid-December as Christmas approached, the long-anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens finally arrived!

Duke chose to hold the film’s world premiere on the famous Hollywood Boulevard.

"This premiere far surpasses the Oscars," said Leonardo DiCaprio, standing in front of the Dolby Theatre, looking at the long red carpet. He turned to Duke and added, "Whether it’s the number of fans attending or the quantity of guests and media reporters present, it’s something the Oscars simply can’t compare to."

"You’re absolutely right," said Scarlett, holding Duke’s arm as she took Leonardo’s words, "Even the red carpet ratings are higher than the Oscars."

"My dear..." Duke couldn’t help but remind her, "It’s unfair to compare the Oscars to Star Wars."

Scarlett pouted and muttered, "Maybe in a few years, the Oscars’ viewership won’t even match the MTV Awards or the Saturn Awards."

Duke and Leonardo exchanged a glance and couldn’t help but laugh together.

Although Scarlett Johansson’s remark was somewhat exaggerated, it reflected the Oscars’ current awkward predicament. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

It was an undeniable fact that the Academy Awards’ ratings had been declining year after year.

Overall, the drop in Oscars viewership stemmed from multiple reasons. One major factor was the influence of the nominated films. When Titanic competed in 1998, it attracted an audience of 55 million viewers. The year Duke won his golden statue, the ceremony drew nearly 70 million viewers — a peak that has since proven impossible to surpass.

Secondly, with so many entertainment options now, who would care whether a movie they don’t like or haven’t seen wins or not?

Regardless of audience numbers, this premiere was destined to surpass the Oscars in every aspect.

For the red carpet setup and venue construction of Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ premiere, from 11 p.m. on December 10, Hollywood Boulevard between Highland Avenue and La Brea Avenue was closed for four consecutive days.

In comparison, the Oscars’ annual closure on Hollywood Boulevard only stretches from Highland Avenue to Orange Drive.

By contrast, the red carpet for The Force Awakens was 2,000 feet long — 2.5 times the length of the Oscars’ red carpet.

Even more interestingly, the invitations personally finalized by Duke did not specify which theater the premiere would take place in. The closed section of the boulevard included three theaters: the Dolby Theatre, the TCL Chinese Theatre, and the El Capitan Theatre.

Guests only learned upon arrival that Star Wars: The Force Awakens would premiere simultaneously across all three theaters — the largest-scale movie premiere in Hollywood history, with over five thousand invited guests!

The 2,000-foot red carpet in front of the Dolby Theatre stretched beneath a white tent, grand and majestic, like outer space itself. Overhead, dazzling lights created a glittering starry sky. Dozens of lightsabers stood tall along the carpet’s center, radiating power and energy, while both sides featured exhibitions of stormtroopers, main characters, and BB-8 statues. Every step revealed new sights, dazzling and overwhelming.

Even before watching the new film, many guests already felt deeply immersed in the Star Wars universe.

Though Duke and Scarlett Johansson had walked the red carpet earlier, the true ceremony was just beginning.

The first to appear were the Star Wars icons — C-3PO and R2-D2. The newly added character BB-8 rolled around the red carpet, and the trio of droids led the opening, stirring up a wave of excitement.

The next stars to appear sparked bursts of screams from the crowd.

At this premiere, Star Wars veterans Harrison Ford (Han Solo) and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), along with Episode VII’s new leads Daisy Ridley and Daniel Wu, and other old and new Star Wars cast members, all assembled together.

Also attending were Steven Spielberg, Francis Coppola, Sofia Coppola, Charlize Theron, Jaime King, Sofía Vergara, and many other stars. Even the mayor of Los Angeles showed up to lend support the brilliance of the star-studded lineup was truly unprecedented.

Meanwhile, surrounding the red carpet, fans holding signs begging for tickets formed a unique spectacle there were simply too many of them.

These people desperately wanted to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens as soon as possible, and since they had failed to secure tickets during pre-sales, they could only resort to this oldest of methods begging for tickets in person.

Without a doubt, The Force Awakens’ pre-sale total exceeding 120 million dollars was something unheard of, even in blockbuster-heavy Hollywood — a clear indication of the film’s massive weight and its record-breaking performance in the North American market.

On the first day tickets went on sale, frenzied fans crashed the two largest early-sale platforms in the UK — Odeon and Cineworld.

Cineworld’s website still hadn’t fully recovered, its page still displaying: "We are experiencing unusually high traffic volume."

In North America, websites weren’t spared either. The U.S. ticketing platform Fandango released Star Wars: The Force Awakens tickets early, and within minutes, all midnight IMAX screenings were completely sold out. Fans attempting to buy afterward were redirected straight to the website’s maintenance page.

Across Australia, within just 90 minutes of opening sales, every IMAX midnight screening on the continent was sold out — and even the 3 a.m. screenings were already more than halfway booked...

The explosive presales fully demonstrated the incredible appeal of Duke and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Almost every media outlet believed that this film was destined to create a series of remarkable box office records.

Aside from the red carpet ceremony, for promotional purposes, Duke also had Lucasfilm organize a number of fan events along this stretch of Hollywood Boulevard. Naturally, they sent representatives to visit and comfort the fans camping in tents in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre, but the fan gatherings and celebrations were even more essential highlights.

Recalling the year 1977, when the original Star Wars film first met audiences, it caused an unprecedented sensation across the globe—something even director George Lucas himself had never predicted.

Lucas had actually gone on vacation to Hawaii on the day of the film’s release. It wasn’t until he saw the evening news on CBS that he learned the movie had become a massive box office hit, drawing enormous crowds and long lines outside theaters nationwide, all eager to witness this new sci-fi phenomenon.

That very scene has been recreated today.

Tonight, massive crowds of fans gathered in front of the world-famous Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. They patiently waited in long lines and even dressed elaborately as characters from the movie.

The Chinese Theatre holds a highly significant place in Star Wars history—the first film premiered there in 1977. Even iconic characters such as Darth Vader and R2-D2 have left their handprints on the theater’s concrete steps.

The premiere of a Star Wars film is always a time of celebration for fans. From Australia came two devoted Star Wars superfans, Caroline Liet and Andre Porter, who flew all the way to the United States to complete their life’s most important event—exchanging wedding vows right on the red carpet in front of the Dolby Theatre, becoming the first couple in history to be married there.

Accordingly, Duke himself served as the witness to their marriage.

"Congratulations to you both!"

In front of countless camera lenses, Duke presented the ecstatic couple with two Jedi lightsabers and added, "Tonight, I’m honored to attend your wedding. Thank you for inviting me and allowing me to surprise everyone here."

A wave of ecstatic cheers erupted around them. The noise was so overwhelming that it was impossible to distinguish what anyone was shouting. Still, the passionate fans were incredibly eye-catching—their colorful cosplay costumes turned the front of the Dolby Theatre into a dazzling showcase for Star Wars devotees.

Beyond the glittering stars and elaborate decorations rich in Star Wars imagery, the Dolby Theatre behind Duke had been specially transformed into a customized IMAX cinema by IMAX Corporation. In just twenty-four hours, they completed construction, installation, screen mounting, and calibration, ensuring that the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens would be nothing short of stunning.

After the lengthy red carpet ceremony came the traditional part of a Hollywood premiere—the interviews with media outlets. Following the press session, Duke proceeded according to plan, asking for George Lucas, Daisy Ridley, and Daniel Wu to join him.

The most special and eagerly anticipated segment of the entire premiere was about to begin.

All the reporters turned their attention toward Duke, George Lucas, Daisy Ridley, and Daniel Wu, while every camera and video lens focused intently on them.

The four of them walked together to the circular control console set up at the foot of the Dolby Theatre’s steps. Around them, the trained staff began to shout in unison—

"Ten! Nine! ..."

The fans, not knowing exactly what was happening, instinctively joined in the countdown, shouting enthusiastically, "Eight! Seven! ..."

The sound spread outward immediately, and soon, everyone gathered along Hollywood Boulevard was shouting in perfect rhythm: "Six! Five! ..."

The roar was deafening—it seemed as if the entire City of Angels resonated with one united voice: "Four! Three! Two! One!"

As the countdown ended, Duke, George Lucas, Daisy Ridley, and Daniel Wu activated the lighting device. Two laser projectors positioned in front of the Dolby Theatre fired simultaneously, launching brilliant beams into the sky. The two rays transformed into the Star Wars emblem—two gigantic "lightsabers," one red and one blue—cutting through the night sky of Los Angeles, symbolizing the clash between the light and dark sides of the Force within the film.

The battle of the Force had begun anew, and the saga of the Skywalker family was set to unfold once again.

....

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