Made In Hollywood

Just as Hollywood constantly undergoes a transition between old and new eras, new releases inevitably encroach upon the space of films already in theaters. Most of the time, as long as the new releases boast high quality and effective promotion, they can easily overshadow previously released films.

The newly released Mission: Impossible is a case in point.

Despite criticism from the media and some competitors rallying fans of the original TV series to protest against the film adaptation, the movie's quality is solid, the marketing was well-executed, and Tom Cruise's star power remains immense. By the end of the weekend, Mission: Impossible emerged as the new winner.

The film opened in 3,055 theaters across North America and grossed $46.65 million over the weekend, taking the top spot on the weekly box office chart from The Matrix, which had previously held the title for three consecutive weeks.

Although The Matrix lost its box office crown, its earnings remained exceptionally stable and healthy, bringing in $18.55 million over the same weekend. Its North American box office total reached $252.14 million, still leading the annual rankings.

The impact of Mission: Impossible also affected Armageddon and Godzilla. Over the weekend, they grossed $16.25 million and $9.65 million, respectively, with their North American totals reaching $72.11 million and $82.33 million.

Despite the large-scale productions, these films vary greatly in audience reception.

After nearly a month in theaters, The Matrix saw a slight decline in audience reception but still maintained an impressive 87% approval rating. On IMDb, 3,025 users had rated the film, giving it a high score of 9.35.

Of course, with the active participation of a massive number of fake reviews, the IMDb rating held little significance.

Mission: Impossible, still in its opening week, received decent audience feedback with an approval rating of 85%.

Meanwhile, the audience approval ratings for Armageddon and Godzilla had fallen below 70% and 60%, respectively.

This summer, Tom Cruise, much like Duke, was destined to shine.

However, unlike Tom Cruise, who was embarking on a North American promotional tour, Duke missed The Matrix's promotional events in North America due to illness. Even as Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, and other cast members headed overseas, Duke remained in Los Angeles, preparing for his next phase of work.

An old acquaintance specifically visited the Duke Studio.

"Duke, we're old friends," said Christopher Lee, his tall frame seated beside Duke in the office. In a resonant voice, he declared, "I earnestly request the chance to play Gandalf. It's a dream of mine. I've been imagining this moment for twenty years. I'm willing to play the role for free."

Looking at Christopher Lee, with his white hair and age spots, Duke frowned. As a passionate fan of The Lord of the Rings, he had watched the films and behind-the-scenes footage countless times and naturally remembered that Lee's top choice was Gandalf, not Saruman.

However, Duke had no intention of casting him as Gandalf.

It wasn't that Lee wasn't suitable—it was simply that he was too old.

After some thought, Duke said, "Lee, Gandalf has a lot of action scenes…"

Christopher Lee started to speak but was interrupted by Duke raising a hand. "Let me finish. Action scenes can indeed use stunt doubles. But many of the scenes involving trekking through the wilderness or struggling against blue-screen backdrops require the actor to perform personally."

"Lee, don't forget—you're about to turn eighty," Duke stated bluntly. "As a director and producer, I must consider the safety of the actor and the welfare of the entire production team."

Duke's words were an unchangeable fact. Considering his own declining health, Christopher Lee couldn't help but show a trace of disappointment on his face.

"It's always been my dream to collaborate with you again," he said earnestly. "I'm willing to play any role in your films for free."

After The Rock, Christopher Lee's reputation soared, but in recent years, he hadn't had any outstanding projects or roles. At his age, the saying "the older, the wiser" described him perfectly. Starring in one of Duke's films meant attracting significant attention, with subsequent benefits likely far exceeding the lack of a paycheck.

Duke merely smiled. He wouldn't consider the offer of working for free; Hollywood never operated without expecting something in return.

"Lee, let your agent contact Charles Roven," he said slowly. "Start preparing for Saruman."

Christopher Lee didn't stay long after that. Duke turned to Tina Fey on the other side of the office and said, "Notify Charles—stick to the usual rules."

Tina Fey understood the meaning behind Duke's words and noted it in her work log.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy required a massive cast. While temporary actors and minor roles could be recruited closer to filming, the main actors and their stunt doubles needed to be finalized early to undergo extended physical, swordsmanship, and archery training.

In particular, swordsmanship and archery required professional instructors. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a purely Western work, and Duke wouldn't consider incorporating any elements of Eastern martial arts or other combat styles.

Including Eastern martial arts or similar styles in a classic Western fantasy work like this would only be laughable.

Sitting behind his desk, Duke reflected on the cast of the original The Lord of the Rings and said to Tina Fey, "Send audition invitations to Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Ian McKellen, Sean Davies, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Billy Boyd, Sean Astin…"

It had been so long that some names inevitably escaped his memory.

After listing the names, Duke suddenly thought of another key figure—the original Hollywood master of motion capture.

"Also, Tina," he added, "find me a profile on Andy Serkis."

"Andy Serkis?"

From her expression, Tina Fey seemed familiar with the name. She said, "I heard Naomi Watts mention him when we were having tea. I think he's working on King Kong."

"Working on King Kong?"

Duke frowned, then chuckled. That was good news. If he guessed correctly, Peter Jackson was likely using motion capture technology, which would only enhance Andy Serkis's expertise in that field.

"Make sure to send an audition invitation to Andy Serkis as well."

After a moment's thought, Duke added, "As for new projects, besides Gerard Butler, send an audition invitation to Liam Neeson."

Tina Fey jotted down everything in her work log. However, when Duke mentioned new projects, she asked, "Doug Walter called me. Warner Bros. is asking about the script's progress. They want to expedite the review process."

"Tell them I'll deliver the draft script by the end of June."

After completing the first third of the script and outlining the plot and character settings, Duke handed the project to the Duke Studio's earliest department—the Script Review Division. Multiple writers were now filling in the details according to the template.

This highly experimental film was already slated for review by Warner Bros., which had decided to greenlight the project after procedural approvals.

As a commercial enterprise, Warner Bros. wasn't engaging in charity. The overwhelming success of The Matrix gave them immense confidence in Duke. When they learned he had a smaller project planned before The Lord of the Rings trilogy, CEO Jeff Robinov visited Duke Manor three times, insisting the project be handled entirely by Warner Bros.

This was the inevitable result of continuous success. Duke's aura was now on par with that of Spielberg and James Cameron. Although the new project was a small, real-life-based production, Warner Bros. was clearly confident it would yield high returns, just like Chicago, which Duke had successfully commercialized.

Duke didn't object to someone funding his uncertain project.

However, their agreement was only tentative. Everything depended on the completion of the script and its approval by Warner Bros.' review committee.

While Duke prepared for his new film, the summer box office competition remained fiercely contested.

On the second weekend of June, Walt Disney's four-year hand-drawn animated epic Mulan debuted in the North American market, joining the fray of this chaotic battle. Disney's animation studio pinned high hopes on the film to end its recent slump.

However, Mulan fell short of such expectations.

Although the animated film opened in 2,888 theaters with a weekend gross of $22.74 million, taking the top spot on the North American box office chart, its per-theater average of $7,876 was far from stellar.

The decline of hand-drawn 2D animation was inevitable.

In its second weekend, Mission: Impossible grossed $21.62 million, narrowly missing the top spot.

Meanwhile, The Matrix, still screening on a large scale, saw its theater count drop significantly for the first time, reducing to 2,655 theaters this weekend. It earned $11.2 million over the three-day period, and including weekday earnings, its North American total reached $270.2 million, closing in on the $300 million milestone.

By Monday, the film's theater count fell below 2,500—a common scenario for any commercial film as its popularity wanes.

Internationally, The Matrix was also cooling down. However, its overseas gross officially surpassed $200 million, bringing its global total to $470.55 million. Moreover, starting this week, the film was set to release across major markets in East Asia, including Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Philippines.

International revenue was expected to climb further, likely pushing The Matrix past the $500 million global milestone.

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