"Starting today, people around the world will be divided into two groups: those who have watched The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and those who are about to watch it."
This praise from the latest issue of The New York Times serves as the best footnote to the viewing craze sparked by The Fellowship of the Ring in North America.
"The Fellowship of the Ring emerges as an unprecedented epic fantasy, transcending racial, linguistic, and age boundaries, captivating every American with an imagination."
Even The Washington Post, usually at odds with Duke, had nothing but praise for the film.
"There is a film creating miracles called The Fellowship of the Ring, and a group of people who turn heads wherever they go, called the Fellowship."
Since its release, The Los Angeles Times has not hesitated to lavish praise.
These accolades served as promotional fuel for the film. Over the following days, Duke led the entire crew on a promotional tour across North America. From the moment The Fellowship of the Ring secured an additional 200 theaters for its premiere, Duke's online PR team ceased their attacks on Pearl Harbor and redirected all their efforts toward hyping their own film.
Similarly, some protest activities against the film gradually came to an end.
At Nokia Plaza in Los Angeles, Chris listlessly looked at the sparse crowd behind him. He couldn't even be bothered to lift the protest sign in his hand. With so few people, how much attention could they attract even if they held up their banners?
Since Brad Miller's withdrawal, the number of participants in the protest group Chris led had been dwindling. Many members, out of curiosity, went to watch the film, and over 99% of those who did left the protest after seeing it. In less than a week, the crowd behind Chris had shrunk from over 500 people to fewer than 40.
"Boss, are we still protesting?"
The young black man walked over, glanced at the demoralized group behind him, and grimaced. "The morale's completely gone..."
Chris didn't respond. This wasn't a spontaneous protest he was leading.
Although it wasn't yet the height of summer, the Los Angeles sun was scorching enough. The young man shaded his head with a newspaper, but sweat still poured down in large drops.
Thinking of the breathtaking film he secretly watched the night before, he couldn't help but marvel. It was so spectacular that all he wanted to do was shout "F***!" Looking at his current situation, baking under the sun, he couldn't help but wonder: Was this worth it?
Protesting against such a brilliant film—was it really necessary?
Though he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, he wasn't incapable of reflection.
"Boss..." He lowered the newspaper he was using as a shade and said to Chris, "I'm done!"
Chris looked at him in disbelief. "Why?"
"Why are we protesting?" The young man spoke bluntly. "Because we love The Lord of the Rings and were worried the movie would mess it up. But Duke Rosenberg's film is amazing—better than the book even. Why are we still protesting?"
His voice grew louder, attracting the attention of the remaining protesters.
"You actually watched the movie!" Chris felt deeply betrayed.
"Yes, I did!" The young man admitted without hesitation. "I even watched it twice in a row. And tonight, I'm going for the third time!"
He turned to address the group. "Sorry, everyone, but I'm out!"
With that, he walked away from Nokia Plaza without looking back.
Watching the young man's retreating figure, the few remaining protesters began murmuring amongst themselves.
"Our numbers keep dropping."
"He makes a valid point. There's no reason for us to continue protesting."
"You watched the movie too?"
"I recommend everyone give it a look. If the film really is bad, we can resume protesting..."
As discussions continued, many dropped their signs and banners, casually bidding Chris farewell before leaving the group.
By sunset, only three people remained with Chris.
After sending those three away, Chris took out a bottle of mineral water from his backpack, chugged half of it, cautiously looked around, and then headed toward the AMC theater to the left. Once inside, he collected his ticket at the reservation desk. Seeing that he was early, he put on a pre-prepared baseball cap and hid in a corner of the lobby.
Sitting idly on a lounge chair, Chris took out his ticket and glanced at it. Written on it in bold letters was The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring!
Pulling his cap lower, he muttered, "Not even God can stop me from watching The Fellowship of the Ring for the fourth time!"
Strictly speaking, The Fellowship of the Ring's audience wasn't as broad as Titanic at its peak. However, there were many like Chris—secret fans who couldn't get enough of it and repeatedly watched it.
This contributed to the film's relatively small weekday ticket sales drop despite the workweek.
As May approached its end, The Fellowship of the Ring faced its first weekday after its release. Compared to the $24.26 million earned on Memorial Day, Tuesday brought in $14.55 million—a drop of only 40%. This was an incredibly stable performance for a summer blockbuster.
None of the other films in the same timeframe, even the similarly stable Shrek, could compare.
On that day, Shrek grossed $3.93 million, The Mummy Returns made $2.05 million, and Pearl Harbor brought in $2.15 million.
The Fellowship of the Ring stood unchallenged.
By Wednesday, the film saw a slight drop, earning $13.52 million. However, Thursday saw a small rebound, with single-day revenue surpassing $14 million again at $14.09 million!
By the end of its first week in North America, the film grossed a cumulative $150.99 million!
This set another record, becoming the highest seven-day gross in North American film history!
"The Fellowship of the Ring has broken every record imaginable. Duke Rosenberg's new film once again proves he's the undisputed king of the summer box office!"
Warner Bros. naturally seized this opportunity to ramp up the hype. Through its media channels, the studio continued promoting the film aggressively.
"Fans are overwhelmingly praising The Fellowship of the Ring. On the renowned review site IMDb, the film maintains a score of 9.4, showcasing its incredible word-of-mouth reception!"
On Thursday, Warner Bros. intensified its marketing for another reason: The Fellowship of the Ring was about to face a major competitor in its second weekend. Paramount Pictures was releasing the highly anticipated Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, directed by Simon West and starring Angelina Jolie. With a production budget of $115 million, it was the most expensive video game adaptation to date.
"I saw Paramount's preview with Nancy."
Seated in a Chicago hotel suite, Duke was watching a talk show featuring his cast and chatting idly with Tina Fey, who was flipping through her emails. "It left quite an impression."
Tina Fey turned to look at him curiously. Having worked with him for so many years, she knew how rare it was for him to speak positively about a film.
"Is it impressive?" she asked.
Duke shook his head. "The story and action combined aren't nearly as compelling as Angelina Jolie herself."
Opening her browser, Tina Fey searched for "Lara Croft" and hit Enter. A curvaceous woman in a tight T-shirt immediately appeared on her screen.
As a woman, Tina Fey couldn't help but be intrigued by some of the gossip surrounding Jolie. She asked, "Is it true she had an affair with her brother?"
This rumor was widespread in the industry, though Duke didn't know if it was true.
"Tina..." He suggested with a smirk, "Why don't you ask Angelina Jolie yourself if you get the chance?"
Although Duke couldn't recall Tomb Raider's exact box office trajectory, he knew that even as the most successful video game adaptation, it wouldn't dominate the market. After all, video game films were never mainstream.
By Friday morning, as Duke led the crew from Illinois to Pittsburgh, he received surprising figures in the Thursday box office report.
Thanks to a substantial fanbase and its "female Indiana Jones" marketing, Tomb Raider surpassed media estimates of $12 million, grossing $18.06 million on its first day across 3,308 North American theaters.
Still, it paled in comparison to The Fellowship of the Ring, which rebounded strongly as the weekend arrived. On Friday, the fantasy epic returned to the $20 million range, raking in $20.97 million!
This weekend was shaping up to be an extraordinary one, with a rare summer box office surge. While The Mummy Returns and Pearl Harbor continued their decline, Shrek, in its third week, maintained a strong weekend trajectory.
On Friday alone, DreamWorks Animation's hit earned $12.65 million!
These three films clashed fiercely over the weekend.
For The Fellowship of the Ring, Tomb Raider posed a unique challenge. Unlike Shrek, which catered to a different demographic, Tomb Raider's magical adventure theme partially overlapped with its audience.
The competition between The Fellowship of the Ring and Tomb Raider was inevitable in the crowded summer box office.
When competition arises in the summer market, targeted marketing campaigns naturally follow without anyone needing to stir the pot.
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