Hollywood Production

The banquet hall of the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel was brightly lit, every inch of space filled with men and women in formal evening wear, sitting or standing. Duke held a glass of champagne, continually clinking glasses with those who came to greet him. Prompted by Nancy Josephson, he tailored his responses to each visitor's status—offering a polite nod or shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries.

Ever since he stepped into the massive banquet hall, the stream of people around him hadn't ceased; he drew them in like fresh blood attracting flies.

Executives and representatives from top-tier studios—Paramount, Universal Pictures, Warner Brothers, Sony Columbia Pictures, and Twentieth Century Fox—as well as second-tier companies like Carolco and Miramax, flocked over to congratulate Duke, simultaneously probing for the possibility of future collaborations.

While it was unlikely these studios would immediately invest the moment Duke pitched a new film project, they would absolutely fast-track the review and preliminary research at the highest speed their procedures allowed.

This was the aura that came with back-to-back successes.

This land might not place much stock in the concept of "superstition," but it was undeniably one of the most frantic nations on earth when it came to chasing winners.

"Even though Duke Rosenberg has only directed three movies..."

Standing a short distance away, Dick Cook watched Duke seamlessly work the room, waiting for the right moment to approach. He turned to another Disney executive beside him and said, "But the box office of those three films has climbed higher with each release. Independence Day is an absolute explosion. Our marketing department projects it could hit 350 million dollars in North America and 800 million dollars globally."

"Bob, Duke deserves our full attention!" he added.