"Who is this person?"
Inside the moving car, Scarlett Johansson frowned after listening to Tina Fey's translation from the passenger seat. Her delicate face showed a trace of irritation. "Our film isn't even in competition with his, right? Then why did he come out and say something like that?"
Her question, of course, was directed at Duke. Duke gently patted Scarlett's hand and said, "I know a bit about the film industry here. This particular director likes to criticize people or movies. That's why he's earned himself a nickname — 'Big Cannon.'"
"'Big Cannon'?"
Since Duke had translated the word directly into English, Scarlett immediately understood its meaning. After thinking for a moment, she couldn't help but smile slightly. "That's quite an accurate description."
Duke knew what kind of person Feng "Big Cannon" was. Every time he opened fire, it was for a purpose. Most people knew Feng was an excellent commercial director, but few realized that he was also a master of self-promotion.
The most typical example was his frequent declarations about quitting the film industry. He had said it so many times that even he probably couldn't remember how often. Practically every time he had a new film coming out, he would announce that he was about to retire…
Of course, Duke didn't mind that Feng was using his movie to stir up hype. After all, even such criticism could be turned into an advantage — something Warner Bros. Greater China could cleverly use to generate a "topic effect."
The Mercedes van gradually slowed and came to a stop in front of the Crowne Plaza Hotel. As the doorman opened the door, Duke's two bodyguards quickly arrived from the following car. They took over the luggage and, following Western custom, gave the doorman a modest tip.
Looking up at the Chinese characters on the hotel sign, Scarlett Johansson sighed softly. "For a city that isn't even that famous in China, it's still so congested."
No sooner had she said that than she coughed a few times, instinctively pinched her nose, and furrowed her brows.
Duke turned his head toward the gray, hazy sky. He hadn't forgotten that this city, known for its springs, also carried an indescribable odor in its air. Looking upward, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was blocking the sky.
He remembered very clearly that when he had lived here years ago, during this same period of time, this city's air pollution index was almost always ranked among the bottom three in the country.
Originally, Duke had left the film set and brought Scarlett Johansson here to see what his other homeland looked like. But today's air quality was clearly terrible, not suitable for going outdoors.
"Cancel the sightseeing plan for now…"
In the presidential suite, Duke told Tina Fey and Scarlett Johansson, who were unpacking their luggage, "Let's see if the air improves tomorrow."
Perhaps it was because she hadn't quite adapted to China yet, or perhaps the smog really was irritating, but Scarlett kept coughing lightly after going upstairs.
"Cough… cough…"
Clenching her fist to her mouth, Scarlett hung Duke's coat on the rack and said, "I just don't understand why you wanted to come here."
Tina Fey also looked at Duke curiously. She had been to China with Duke many more times than Scarlett, yet she had never seen him show such interest in this particular city.
Duke certainly wouldn't reveal the real reason. He simply shook his head slightly. "You wouldn't understand."
Scarlett walked over, pulling Duke down to sit on the long sofa. "Since when did you start liking all this mysterious talk?"
"A few days ago, I read a travel brochure about this city while I was in Shanghai…"
Seeing Scarlett's puzzled look, Duke casually added, "Then I had a dream about coming here to visit."
"That's your reason?" Scarlett shook her head repeatedly. She knew what kind of man Duke was and didn't believe it for a second. "You? Influenced by dreams?"
By then, Tina Fey had finished unpacking and headed toward the study. "I'm going to work," she said.
Duke nodded. Since arriving in China, his workload hadn't decreased — if anything, it had grown. Many aspects of Lucasfilm's collaborations with Chinese partners required review, and Tina Fey usually handled the preliminary processing before compiling everything for him to finalize.
Scarlett handed him a glass of water. Duke drank it and walked to the laptop Tina had set up on the desk. He pressed the power button.
As Scarlett poured another glass of water for him, she followed over. "You're still working?"
"Our PR campaign involving that 'Big Cannon' gentleman has already begun."
Clicking open the browser, Duke stared at the monitor. "I want to see what the online reaction looks like here."
Recently, the main promotional angle for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in China had been its record-breaking box office numbers. But such publicity couldn't stay hot forever — fresh, engaging topics were necessary.
Many media outlets were already amplifying Feng's remarks. However, on social media, under the skillful direction of Warner Bros. Greater China's PR team, Chinese audiences and netizens were showing an overwhelmingly one-sided response.
Feng "Big Cannon" had said that Star Wars: The Force Awakens was "lively enough, but lacked soul."
"You've shown me liveliness," he wrote, "but I am not satisfied — I seek the human spirit. Whether in film or on stage, one must have heart."
That was what Feng later posted on Weibo — and he was immediately bombarded by countless fans and netizens. Of course, many replied, Private Customization — I walked out before it even finished.
More and more sharp comments began appearing online, flooding social media with attacks against Feng.
"Whether or not Director Feng's opinion has merit, the truth is that Chinese film production standards still have a long way to go before catching up to Hollywood. Every country has its own cinematic style, but no one can deny that Hollywood blockbusters are unmatched. China's film industry is technically behind that can be improved with effort but what we also need to learn is Hollywood's sincerity in filmmaking."
"Nowadays, Chinese films are often crudely made and overly commercialized — exactly what audiences complain about. Watching one bad movie means being fooled once; watching another means you're just stupid. Supporting domestic films is fine and commendable, but blind nationalism only spoils our film industry. Chinese cinema has disappointed audiences again and again, becoming more profit-driven each time. If this continues, fewer and fewer people will be willing to pay for tickets."
In Duke's view, Chinese cinema could develop in two directions — either establish its own unique style (avoiding repetitive and meaningless imitation), or move toward a more commercial model but with true sincerity. A blockbuster should feel like a blockbuster. Don't use the label of a "big film" to produce something neither here nor there. That would only damage the reputation of all Chinese cinema.
Some Chinese netizens were still quite rational not blindly attacking for the sake of it.
"Director Feng is sometimes insightful, sometimes confused. Not long ago, when he criticized those Running Man variety movies, he earned a flood of likes and praise. Now, after belittling Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he's getting nothing but scolding. Everyone is free to judge a movie — Feng included — but it's like a bad student blaming the top student for studying too well."
Some movie fans, however, were far less polite…
"Domestic directors have only themselves to blame. Now that Duke Rosenberg is raking in money, they can't stand it. But they should think about it—if all their box office totals were added together, could they even match the amount Duke Rosenberg alone has earned?"
Movies have never been about production quality alone determining success. The outstanding marketing and publicity of Star Wars: The Force Awakens were undeniably key to its current box office frenzy. From a certain perspective, Feng Da Pao's remarks actually helped Star Wars: The Force Awakens gain more attention.
After achieving a record-breaking 1 billion RMB in just three days, during the following ten days, Star Wars: The Force Awakens still faced no competition in the Chinese cinema market—completely dominating the box office.
Of course, Star Wars: The Force Awakens could not maintain that extraordinary three-day pace of 1 billion RMB indefinitely—that was impossible. After the first three days of screening, the initial heat inevitably dropped somewhat, but even so, it still earned a full 1 billion RMB within those ten days.
In just thirteen days of release, Star Wars: The Force Awakens soared past 2 billion RMB in box office revenue—unquestionably surpassing Duke's other film, The Avengers, which had grossed 1.997 billion RMB—becoming the highest-grossing film in Chinese cinematic history!
Likewise, the Chinese market became The Force Awakens' highest-grossing region outside of North America.
The title of the world's second-largest box office market was, without a doubt, well deserved.
Although Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a global sensation, with both its box office and merchandise sales skyrocketing, Duke's mood wasn't particularly good. In this city famous for its springs, after only half a day of sightseeing, Scarlett Johansson's throat began to feel sore, and her coughing grew increasingly worse.
Though the doctor said it wasn't serious, Duke decided to end this not-so-pleasant trip.
"I want to go back to Los Angeles."
The perpetually hazy sky dampened Scarlett's spirits. "I miss Malibu and our Duke Manor."
By now, Star Wars: The Force Awakens had been released in China for nearly half a month, earning more than 2 billion RMB—exceeding both his and Lucasfilm's expectations. With most of the promotional work completed, staying any longer served little purpose.
"All right, darling," Duke gently tapped her forehead. "Let's go home."
The past was, after all, the past. Duke was never one to dwell on what was gone—he had made peace with such matters decades ago.
...
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