Made In Hollywood-Chapter 921: Really Like It
In the six Star Wars films, the scenes of important supporting characters and passersby having their hands cut off are too numerous to count. As for the main characters, Anakin and Luke, father and son, their experiences are even more tragic — Anakin’s hands were chopped off twice in Star Wars: Episodes I–III, and in Episode VI, his mechanical hand was again severed by his son Luke. Luke, in Episode V, also had one of his hands cut off by his father, Darth Vader.
This heavy "hand-cutting" motif has undoubtedly influenced many other films. For example, in Marvel’s superhero movies, throughout the Phase Two series that have already been released, each film contains at least one real or fake scene of someone losing a hand. As a result, audiences have seen characters like Iron Man, Thor, Groot, and the Winter Soldier all having their hands cut off — the "Avengers" heroes have clearly suffered the same fate.
As time passed, the generation that grew up with Star Wars has gradually aged, while a new generation has risen. Yet Star Wars remains timeless and enduring.
The plot and fate of the characters in Star Wars have always been kept under strict secrecy. Other than Duke and a few core members, very few people knew the specific storyline.
However, after nearly a year of tight confidentiality, Star Wars: The Force Awakens finally lifted its mysterious veil.
Warner Bros. had full confidence in both Duke and Star Wars, and Duke knew exactly what to do to win the hearts of Star Wars fans. Therefore, before the film’s release, Star Wars: The Force Awakens invited numerous media outlets and famous figures in the industry, such as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, to attend an advance screening.
Without a doubt, this preview screening became the focal point of attention for the media and fans across the United States.
For the sake of publicity, George Lucas once compared his relationship with Star Wars: The Force Awakens to that of "a separated couple," saying that the two would go their separate ways and no longer contact each other.
However, that was ultimately just for promotional purposes. On the day of the screening, George Lucas still appeared at the theater on time.
The invited reporters, after undergoing extremely strict security checks — surrendering their microphones, recorders, cameras, and even mobile phones — happily entered the cinema, becoming the first audience to witness Star Wars: The Force Awakens with their own eyes.
The reporters who were not invited refused to give up. They surrounded the area outside the screening theater, ready and waiting to interview every Hollywood celebrity who came out after the preview.
The number of these reporters far exceeded that of the lucky few inside. Around the screening theater, there were over a thousand people gathered.
They waited outside in torment for nearly two hours. Every minute felt like an eternity. When the theater doors finally opened, they surged forward like a tidal wave stirred by a storm, surrounding every single person who walked out.
The reporters clustered most densely around George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
One reporter’s voice stood out above all others, almost completely drowning out the noise: "Mr. Lucas, you’ve just watched Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Could you share your thoughts on this film?"
It was too crowded, and George Lucas, being older, couldn’t handle such a chaotic scene. Protected by more than ten security guards as he exited, he only left behind a single sentence: "I really like this Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Duke made the most appropriate choice!"
Perhaps for the same reason, Steven Spielberg, who wasn’t far from Lucas and also surrounded by reporters, left a similar comment: "Really like it. Very good."
This was only the beginning of the screenings. In the following days, Duke and Warner Bros. successively held several more preview events for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, fully leveraging media coverage and fan enthusiasm to conduct word-of-mouth marketing.
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens just held its first audience screening yesterday, and the first wave of reviews has already come out. On the famous movie rating site IMDb, 367 people have rated it, with an average score of 100 points; on Rotten Tomatoes, there are 57 reviews with a 100% positive rating; on another rating site, Metacritic, 32 media outlets across the U.S. have given the film a high score of 98."
Just like The Dark Knight and other films before it, well-timed word-of-mouth promotion was also a major factor in the movie’s success.
As everyone knows, while a movie’s quality is indeed the foundation of its reputation, its publicity and marketing are also of great importance.
With the combined efforts of Warner Bros. and Lucasfilm, media and internet buzz like this became countless.
"The quality and entertainment value of Star Wars: The Force Awakens are beyond doubt. Director Duke Rosenberg has artistically merged the themes and character traits of past installments into a brand-new setting and narrative. Even those who have never seen Star Wars will enjoy The Force Awakens, but if you have, you’ll better understand its subtle twists and just how successful it is."
— Los Angeles Times
"The return of the original cast certainly adds to the film, but the real credit goes to Duke Rosenberg, who has restored Star Wars: The Force Awakens to a vibrant, humorous atmosphere."
— The Detroit News
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens not only contains mature and respectful tributes but is also an inspiring first-rate Hollywood adventure film. This much-anticipated movie provides motivation far greater than the Force itself. Under Duke Rosenberg’s direction, every frame bursts with the joyous spirit of George Lucas’s original trilogy."
— The New York Times
"For Duke Rosenberg and everyone involved in the film, bringing the Star Wars saga back to the big screen was an impossible mission — yet they did it, and did it extremely well. They made the film into something beautiful, honest, and truly fun. This movie, and the promise it represents, has given me great energy."
— The Washington Post
"Duke Rosenberg understood what George Lucas failed to grasp: we are not that interested in the future of science fiction stories — we long to return to the past. We don’t really want to see what happens next in a distant galaxy; we just want to relive that feeling we had in 1977, the first time we watched Star Wars. We want to go home and The Force Awakens takes us there."
— The Boston Globe
"In terms of the number of products currently waiting for our authorization, we’ve hit the highest record in history," said Lucasfilm CEO Kathleen Kennedy in a meeting at Warner Studios. "If nothing unexpected happens, next year American consumers’ spending on Star Wars movie merchandise will see explosive growth — sales will definitely surpass this year’s 3.4 billion dollars."
This news undoubtedly filled everyone at the meeting — including Duke — with great anticipation.
"We need to decide during this meeting the final plan for next year’s market execution with our partners," Kathleen Kennedy continued after glancing at Duke and seeing he had no special comment. "These decisions include how many products to produce, how they’ll be displayed in retail stores, which regions will feature them, and how to promote the brand online. Anything imaginable any marketing strategy that can push the Star Wars brand into the market we must consider."
In this regard, Duke trusted the expertise of Lucasfilm’s professionals. Moreover, Warner Bros. and Tina Fey, who had just returned from China, would also join in these efforts.
Of course, the production company, the merchandise manufacturers, and the retailers still had to take a gamble when it came to budgeting their investments.
"The risk lies in the fact that none of us truly know how large this market will be."
Duke lightly tapped the table, drawing everyone’s attention, and then emphasized, "We must conduct a risk assessment in advance — including the purchase of materials, the quantity of orders, and so on. Even for large-scale production orders, risks remain, because all of this inevitably depends on consumer response to the products. And as everyone knows, consumer preferences are often unpredictable."
Since the release of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer, although related merchandise sales had skyrocketed, Duke was not about to recklessly formulate an operational strategy. Like all major corporations, the film company made bold yet cautious decisions, never allowing anyone to act on mere impulse.
As the meeting gradually approached its end, Duke knew that Warner Bros., Lucasfilm, and his entire team had been working tirelessly for an entire year. At this moment, a morale boost was necessary.
He nodded at Tina Fey, who opened a folder and said, "As of last night, the North American pre-sale box office for Star Wars: The Force Awakens has already surpassed 100 million dollars."
Hearing that figure, John Schwartzman, who had been half-asleep earlier, suddenly perked up. Having worked with Duke for so many years, this was the first time a film they made had exceeded 100 million dollars in pre-sale box office.
But Tina Fey didn’t stop there. "Our BB-8 product has become extremely popular. Its current sales in North America have already exceeded 100 million dollars — roughly around 124 million."
The previously quiet conference room instantly erupted in a wave of exclamations and discussion. Charles Roven and Kathleen Kennedy immediately turned their gaze toward Duke. While Star Wars merchandise had always sold well in North America, never before had a single product surpassed 100 million dollars in sales in less than half a month.
And now? The two circles Duke had drawn had somehow created a commercial miracle. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
Don’t forget — this was just a piece of merchandise!
Tina Fey continued, "Stimulated by the upcoming release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, from October until now, total sales of related merchandise have reached nearly 600 million dollars, and by the premiere day, that number will definitely be surpassed!"
Even before Star Wars: The Force Awakens was officially released, it had already recouped its production costs. The only remaining question was how high the final box office would climb.
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