"I am the king of the world!"
When James Cameron raised the Best Director Oscar and shouted this line, he ignited all the media. Some commentators called him arrogant, others said he was conceited, but no one questioned his qualification to make such a claim.
Fourteen Oscar nominations and eleven statuettes were enough to prove the greatness of James Cameron and Titanic.
Moreover, an even greater achievement was the steadily accumulating box office revenue!
The 70th Academy Awards ceremony was undoubtedly the moment James Cameron was crowned a legend. The former truck driver and self-taught director now stood at the pinnacle of Hollywood. Though the public and media might mock Cameron himself, they rarely targeted Titanic. Even those in Hollywood who had conflicts with the notoriously tough director refrained from openly criticizing him. In fact, to some extent, the entire Hollywood production industry owed him a debt of gratitude.
Because Titanic not only raked in an astronomical box office but also opened the doors to countless previously closed markets, pushing Hollywood’s global strategy to its zenith. Hollywood films now dominated the global market, leaving other countries scrambling to protect their own industries rather than directly competing.
If Spielberg’s Jurassic Park initiated a revolution in the global film market, Cameron’s Titanic completed it.
Seeing James Cameron basking in glory, Duke couldn’t help but feel envious. However, he was clear-headed enough to understand the significant gap between them. After all, he had always been "cheating."
Even with his advantage, Duke knew he still couldn’t match James Cameron or Steven Spielberg—Spielberg’s cumulative box office numbers overwhelmed him, while Cameron’s rival was only himself in terms of single-film box office.
As for the media’s hype about the so-called "Three Great Directors of the ’90s," Duke had never taken it seriously. The gap between him and the other two was still glaringly obvious.
However, having a gap also brought motivation. A world without competitors would be far more terrifying. Having strong opponents was, in a way, a blessing.
Duke was never one to shy away from competition. A lofty goal standing in front of him constantly reminded him to stay humble and diligent. Even with an extra lifetime of experience, he knew he was no match for this world’s top elites without relentless effort.
The Oscar ceremony of that year had left a deep impression on Duke, but now it was just a symbol to him. Apart from paying attention to James Cameron’s "King of the World" declaration and the red carpet appearances of Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron promoting The Matrix, Duke’s focus was primarily on his work. Much like the past few months, he spent weekdays in Los Angeles overseeing the post-production of The Matrix and weekends flying to New Zealand to participate in the pre-production of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Such high-intensity work might drive others insane, but Duke remained full of energy and ambition for his future career. He never lacked the determination and diligence required for success.
At the same time, the ongoing revenue from Titanic greatly boosted Duke’s morale. How many people in this world could resist the allure of fame and fortune? Duke wasn’t one of them.
From last November to this April, Titanic had been in theaters for nearly six months, amassing $587.95 million in North America and a staggering $1.57524 billion globally—an unparalleled achievement.
The 11 Oscars also had a significant promotional effect. Theaters in North America expanded screenings once again, and many overseas markets that had previously concluded screenings began second runs.
In early April, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, and Duke’s Duke Studio held their first overseas box office revenue sharing session. Duke Studio received $35 million, bringing its total Titanic investment returns to nearly $110 million!
Discussions regarding merchandise and ancillary products were also underway, and Duke Studio’s first share of the profits came from the wildly popular soundtrack album.
To date, Titanic had held the top spot on the North American box office chart for 16 weeks. Meanwhile, the soundtrack album achieved an eight-week reign on the Billboard charts, selling 10.14 million copies in North America alone.
The overseas market was even broader. Although the album’s sales weren’t as exaggerated in non-English-speaking regions, it still sold over 16 million copies globally.
Due to sharing with various distributors, by mid-April, Duke Studio received its first portion of overseas soundtrack sales, totaling $21.2 million!
Although this was just the initial revenue, with more substantial profits expected later, the income Duke Studio received seemed relatively small compared to the astronomical gross. However, given the complexity of overseas operations and the numerous middlemen involved, this was an inevitable aspect of commercial activities.
Don’t forget about varying tax policies in different countries.
This also meant that the overseas revenue Duke Studio received was essentially pure profit.
Although Duke’s investment team and other institutions would take a 10% cut, investing in Titanic was undoubtedly a lucrative deal.
As long as the film continued to generate income, Duke retained a quarter of the earnings.
Duke’s success with Titanic brought additional ripple effects, the most direct being the Harry Potter series.
"Duke may be clueless in other industries,"
In a conference room, everyone at Warner Bros. knew Jeff Robinov was referring to Duke’s decision about Apple.
"But his insight into films is spot on. I think we should treat his Harry Potter proposal with the utmost seriousness!"
Everyone at Warner Bros. nodded. The success of Titanic said it all.
This was a world that followed the winners.
"How’s The Matrix progressing?" Jeff Robinov asked.
Doug Walter, one of the project’s co-managers, responded, "Post-production is basically complete. I spoke with Duke this morning. Only the opening and closing credits remain."
"What about the rating?"
Doug Walter shook his head. "The sample has been sent to the MPAA’s rating committee."
Warner Bros.’ MPAA representative Robert Solomon added, "There’s some resistance against us. Getting a PG-13 rating will be very difficult."
Jeff Robinov pondered for a moment before asking, "What’s Duke’s opinion?"
"He’s prepared for this," Doug Walter replied. "PG-13 is just an attempt. If it’s still rated R, we’ll proceed with the established marketing strategy."
Jeff Robinov nodded. "Hold the test screenings as soon as possible. Launch the promotion at full throttle and inform all partners that pre-release merchandise can hit the shelves starting late April."
"One more thing!" He added, "Doug, keep an eye on competitors’ movements. I agree with Duke’s suggestion. CAA’s Ino Martin has been reaching out to us. Martin Bob’s departure aligns with Warner’s interests, and the projects under his packaged services—like DreamWorks’ Deep Impact—are our primary competitors." Content orıginally comes from 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝓷𝓮𝓽
It wasn’t just Warner Bros. making moves; other companies were also taking action.
Finally, Jeff Robinov reminded everyone, "Don’t relax on Sony Entertainment either!"
On the last day of early April, Duke completed the credits and theme music for The Matrix, marking the end of the film’s post-production. Whether this heavily modified film would surpass expectations or disappoint audiences would depend on the market.
Promotion and hype were indispensable tools for success.
In mid-April, the second trailer for The Matrix hit major TV stations. Like the first, it downplayed the slightly mystical elements, focusing instead on action, collisions, and the cyberpunk culture that young people praised during early promotions.
Posters, newspapers, magazines, billboards, TV, radio ads—Warner Bros. spared no expense on traditional media and allocated a $30 million promotional budget.
Beyond traditional media, the internet played a role too. Major sites like Yahoo featured news and reviews of The Matrix, while Duke’s personal viral marketing site saw a surge in traffic after he personally posted replies and a few candid photos. Though directors couldn’t compare to stars in popularity, his efforts brought over 50,000 daily visits to the site.
These were potential viewers for The Matrix.
By late April, as the summer season approached, two test screenings were held for audiences, theaters, and media. Feedback from surveys targeting viewers under 30 indicated a 97% approval rating for the film!
Marketing continued, and a third and final test screening was planned before release.
To maximize publicity, Warner Bros. set up in-person registration points in Los Angeles and online sign-ups through Yahoo and Duke’s website. The buzz from previous screenings already generated word-of-mouth, especially among younger audiences, where the film spread like wildfire online.
On the eve of registration, people began gathering near registration points in Los Angeles. By nightfall, nearly 2,000 people had assembled at Warner Studios in Burbank, spending the night for a chance to secure a seat at the screening and be among the first to experience the highly anticipated and intensely cool movie.
Online registration was equally overwhelming. Yahoo handled the traffic well, but Duke’s site was unprepared for the surge and crashed due to the influx of visitors!