"To be honest, since I’m not familiar with the comics, I can’t comnt on how similar the plot is."
Walking out of the cinema with a few companions, Martin Stanley looked up at the giant poster of Iron Man and said to the others, "But taken as a standalone film, the story is very strong. Duke Rosenberg’s production techniques are becoming more and more refined he’s definitely one of Hollywood’s top sci-fi directors. And of course, Robert Downey Jr.’s performance is also worth praising!"
Another companion clearly shared the sa opinion. "Duke’s imagination is admirable, and the dazzling high-tech visuals were amazing."
However, just as there are people who like a film, there will also be those who don’t.
Jas Vieri, who was walking at the end of the group, couldn’t help but curl his lips upon hearing this, and said with a hint of disdain, "It’s just a popcorn movie. The scenes and special effects are the only things worth watching there’s nothing morable after it ends. Another hero-saves-the-world cliché. Can Duke Rosenberg stop making such absurd movies?"
No one responded to his comnt. Martin Stanley and the others all knew this guy preferred niche art films and simply wasn’t on the sa wavelength as them.
Compared to Duke’s previous films, Iron Man was undoubtedly more of a popcorn flick. It could never be sothing like Saving Private Ryan or The Lord of the Rings trilogy—it was impossible for it to maintain sky-high word-of-mouth for a long ti. But becoming a short-term market sensation wasn’t a problem at all.
"One important point..."
Inside the sports car heading toward Malibu, Duke said to Scarlett, who was driving, "At the start of the sumr season, Iron Man won’t be facing any particularly strong competitors."
"A lot of people are wary of you now," Scarlett glanced at Duke and said, "There aren’t many as persistent as David Ellison."
That was one aspect. On the other hand, Duke also knew how to seek fortune and avoid disaster, deliberately steering clear of those blockbusters he rembered being huge hits.
For example, he would never launch a franchise opener like Iron Man against a sequel like Pirates of the Caribbean 2, which had massive appeal.
He truly wasn’t afraid of competing with anyone but that didn’t an he had to slam his head into a brick wall, especially not an extrely hard one.
"While I was out shopping and relaxing today, I read so reviews in the newspapers." Scarlett spoke to Duke again. "Robert Downey Jr. was ntioned a lot—many reviews said that his portrayal of Tony Stark was the biggest highlight of the film."
There was a bit of dissatisfaction in her tone.
Duke smiled indifferently. "That’s normal—Downey’s performance was indeed excellent."
Scarlett knew he hadn’t finished and pressed, "And?"
"It’s Tony Stark’s character design that’s the key."
Thinking for a mont, Duke said, "Tony Stark embodies nearly every man’s dream wealth, status, sports cars, a private jet, beautiful won, a super high IQ, courage, and a sense of justice. Of course, most importantly, he has a sense of realism that other superheroes lack."
"Not just n." Scarlett turned and winked at Duke. "Won like characters like that too."
Duke gave her a glare and reminded, "Eyes on the road."
Speeding up a little, Scarlett shifted her attention to driving as the road gradually beca busier.
Duke also stopped talking. Just as he had thought, in the short term, Iron Man didn’t just bring excitent to audiences it also brought a breath of fresh air to the dia.
On taCritic’s roundup of press reviews, 47 dia critics gave it an average score of 88.
Variety said Duke delivered a highly entertaining visual effects feast with Iron Man; Premiere directly stated that Duke gave audiences everything they wanted to see; USA Today declared that Duke had helped Warner Bros. and Marvel Comics unearth a weapon of mass destruction—Iron Man; The New York Tis claid Iron Man was a pure and magnificent escape from reality, worthy of the title of the sumr’s first blockbuster...
Although there were so critical voices such as those who dismissed it as a boring popcorn movie both dia and audience reception leaned overwhelmingly positive. So when Friday ended and Saturday arrived, the film grossed $37.41 million from 4,012 theaters in North Arica on its opening day, which ca as no surprise at all.
"The most pessimistic estimate..."
Inside the offices of Marvel Studios, Marvel’s executives weren’t participating in the promotional activities led by Duke’s crew, but were instead holding a closed-door eting. Kevin Feige’s face was glowing, and even his voice was much louder than usual. "Iron Man’s opening weekend box office won’t be less than $80 million."
Avi Arad imdiately shook his head, clearly disagreeing with Kevin Feige. He said, "Kevin, you’re being too conservative."
Clearing his throat, Avi Arad continued, "According to the normal pattern of comrcial films and Duke’s past works, Saturday’s box office is always higher than Friday’s. Although Sunday will dip, the drop is usually minimal."
Stan Lee asked with concern, "What’s your estimate?"
The film’s box office performance directly affected his inco.
"One hundred million dollars on opening weekend is my most conservative estimate." Avi Arad spoke without the slightest hesitation.
The conference room instantly fell silent, but many people clenched their fists tightly, obviously stirred with excitent.
The project they had worked hard on and poured years of effort into might break the landmark figure of one hundred million dollars in just the opening weekend. Even without considering the bonuses to follow, this alone was incredibly fulfilling.
For the company they belonged to and for their own futures, Duke Rosenberg had basically carved a wide road for them through Iron Man.
Success had already been placed in front of them by that director. What they needed to do was seize the opportunity and expand upon that success.
Kevin Feige spoke again, "Gentlen, I think it’s ti to launch the entire Marvel plan."
If it had only been Marvel formulating such a massive investnt plan, he would definitely have been cautious. But everyone knew Duke Rosenberg had been involved in the plan’s formulation from start to finish, and had made many important suggestions.
"Can we keep inviting Duke to direct?" Avi Arad didn’t really trust any other director.
"Not possible anyti soon." Kevin Feige shook his head and slowly said, "I’ve had a detailed discussion with Duke. His work schedule is packed for several years ahead, and it’s not possible for him to take on the Marvel series again in the near term."
"Invite him to be the producer," Avi Arad said firmly and decisively. "If he refuses, I’ll take all of Marvel’s senior executives and block his front door in Malibu!"
"And..." he emphasized again, "If everything goes smoothly, the final ensemble piece he’s the only choice to direct. Kevin, rember to remind him he’s still a major shareholder in Marvel!"
Everyone at Marvel knew that Duke Rosenberg could never be separated from the Marvel train. Having him involved in the Marvel series was essentially like installing two layers of security.
Perhaps it was the sumr release sparking a moviegoing craze, or perhaps the film really brought a fresh new perspective compared to past superhero movies, but the dia continued publishing positive reviews. Even outlets that Warner hadn’t reached out to with PR efforts were joining in the praise for Iron Man.
"Iron Man is the most stylish, best-written, best-directed superhero film in history!"
— New York Post
"It’s been years since we’ve seen a superhero so wildly intense and yet so charming and fun."
— Rolling Stone
Due to the lack of strong competitors, combined with the film’s booming word-of-mouth from both dia and audiences, by Saturday afternoon Iron Man had already taken up nearly seventy percent of the screening slots in major comrcial cinema chains. In popular theaters such as those in Manhattan, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Santa Monica shopping centers, a showing of Iron Man would occur every fifteen minutes or less and even so, so showings were sold out entirely.
With audiences this enthusiastic, theaters added extra screenings. These additional slots squeezed out other films, prompting many neutral viewers to opt for Iron Man instead. And with Iron Man’s strong performance, more dia outlets were drawn to cover the film. In turn, that coverage attracted even more attention...
Thus, like other blockbuster films, Iron Man, supported by Warner Bros. and Duke’s comprehensive efforts, began generating a positive feedback loop.
Another factor could be added into that loop—rchandise.
Hit films often struggle to sell rchandise—like Saving Private Ryan but superhero movies are not part of that category.
Every prop in the film related to Tony Stark beca a hot commodity. The Mark II and Mark III Iron Man suits, for instance, sold out in many cinemas and retail stores.
On Saturday night, more people flooded into the theaters. The vast majority of them had the sa goal Iron Man.
They entered the theaters with imnse enthusiasm, watched the film with joy, and exited with satisfied smiles. They opened their wallets generously and bought rchandise with obsessed expressions...
By the ti Sunday arrived, and the latest statistics showed Iron Man’s Saturday box office reaching $39.01 million, everyone knew this film’s montum was unstoppable. Even if God descended to earth, nothing could change the fact that Iron Man would break $100 million on opening weekend.
anwhile, real-ti Sunday data from various online sources showed that while Iron Man’s average attendance rate had slightly dropped, the decrease was marginal. It maintained an extrely healthy trend, continuing to perform well at the box office.
By now, everyone knew Marvel’s opening film was bound to succeed. They were just waiting eagerly to see how big a triumph Duke Rosenberg would deliver with Iron Man.
.....
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