What does Leonardo DiCaprio want the most? Those who know him well understand it’s definitely not blonde long-legged supermodels, but the Oscar for Best Actor the little golden man!
Leonardo’s performance in Inception was dazzling enough.
Thus, Leonardo’s team also began gearing up for next year’s Oscars. Although it’s only May now, those aiming for Oscars or their films have long started their moves. Even right after the previous Oscar ceremony ended, movies and actors for the next Oscars appeared frequently in the media and at major film festivals, working hard to accumulate Oscar momentum.
Relatively speaking, Leonardo’s actions aren’t considered early, while Duke’s plan is rather delayed.
However, Duke is happy to see Leonardo win. Everyone has their likes and dislikes, and every Oscar ceremony has a Best Actor award to give. If the winner is his friend, of course, it’s a good thing.
"In Inception, Leonardo’s flawless transformation fully expressed the character’s inner struggle, shaping a vivid and lifelike role, allowing the audience to fully immerse themselves in the film and elevating its overall appeal."
Such articles are not rare in the media. More importantly, Leonardo became the cover figure of the latest issue of Time magazine.
With Inception’s hot release, many Western media have recognized Leonardo as a leading contender for next year’s Best Actor Oscar.
Under Leonardo’s half-length portrait on the Time cover is a direct quote from Duke about him:
"Leonardo made a tremendous contribution to Inception
Just as he once promised Sofia Coppola and helped pull Nicholas Cage out of the nightmare loop, Duke generally never stands idly by when it comes to helping his friends.
But his circle of friends is very limited. With his personality, those who don’t earn his recognition even if they fall right before him Duke would choose to ignore.
In fact, by the time Duke reached where he is in Hollywood, his "two-faced man" reputation was already widely known within the industry. Many people knew how beneath that seemingly calm face hid a hardness and coldness.
Duke’s success has also led countless people to analyze him, including many professional analysis agencies, such as Ed Mintz, a renowned Hollywood and film market analyst.
For most film fans, Ed Mintz is an extremely unfamiliar name. At 69 years old, he never attends any premieres, and his name never appears on Hollywood’s power lists. But over the years, he has made a huge contribution to the Hollywood film industry his company CinemaScore provides invaluable box office reference data for the whole industry.
Unlike some big studios’ test screenings, CinemaScore’s surveys are conducted immediately after audiences watch the premiere, and box office predictions based on these audience scores have proven astonishingly accurate.
In 2008, Superman Returns got an A-grade market score, and Ed Mintz predicted its North American box office would be about $230 million. The final actual box office was $228 million. Last summer’s Land of the Lost had a C-grade from CinemaScore, predicted $48 million, actual $49 million. G-Force also got a C-grade, predicted $57 million, actual $60 million. And classics like Paul Blart: Mall Cop with a C-grade were predicted to make $24 million and indeed made exactly $24 million.
Even more convincing was last summer’s hit The Hangover. At its premiere, even the boldest prediction was $150 million, but CinemaScore predicted around $228 million. The actual result was an even more astonishing $270 million-plus.
Of course, CinemaScore’s predictions are not 100% flawless, and mistakes happen. For example, Taken was predicted to make $70 million but earned $145 million. Ed Mintz was very optimistic about Fast & Furious 4, predicting $200 million, but influenced by Fury Road
Overall, compared to Rotten Tomatoes freshness and IMDb ratings which have little connection to the market, CinemaScore’s box office forecast report based on audience ratings immediately after premieres is much more convincing.
CinemaScore’s grading is easy to understand. A means success, B means okay or somewhat satisfactory, C means bad news signaling a box office disaster is coming. Audience ratings rarely give D or E on opening night, and very few films ever get an F. According to Duke, if a film gets an F, it shouldn’t even be released.
In the eyes of all Hollywood production and distribution companies, market researchers like Ed Mintz and CinemaScore carry far more weight than Rotten Tomatoes or IMDb. The latter two are almost meaningless to the film market, while the former quickly reveals a film’s market prospects, allowing studios to adjust accordingly.
After watching Inception, this famous analysis master met with his old friend David Geffen, once one of DreamWorks’ "Big Three," and particularly mentioned Duke.
"He is growing very fast!"
In a mansion in Las Vegas, David Geffen shook his bald head and said to Ed Mintz, who was having tea with him, "By the time I noticed him, he was already one of the most outstanding directors in the industry."
"Outstanding director?"
Ed Mintz stood and poured another cup of tea for David Geffen, then sat down and shook his head, "Duke Rosenberg is much more than just a director. In my view, he’s also a top marketing master."
David Geffen was a bit taken aback, "Duke often gives Warner Brothers some pioneering marketing advice, but he doesn’t have the ability to formulate complete plans and implement them..."
"That’s not what I mean, David." Ed Mintz leaned against the sofa back, crossed his legs, and said, "The marketing I mean isn’t that. He integrates marketing directly into the film itself."
"Oh?" David Geffen’s interest peaked, "Tell me more."
"The essence of marketing is exchange, and the premise of exchange is touching people’s hearts. To touch hearts requires insight into human nature, and those who understand human nature are naturally marketing masters."
Taking a sip of tea, Ed Mintz spoke slowly, "Whether directing or branding, it’s the same. Duke Rosenberg has a very skillful grasp of human nature. The film’s gorgeous visual effects certainly deliver shock, but the core of his films always resonates deeply with mainstream audiences. This is where Duke succeeds brilliantly."
David Geffen immediately recalled several of Duke’s films and nodded in agreement it really was just as Ed Mintz said.
"Take the still-running Inception for example..."
After organizing his thoughts, Ed Mintz continued, "The film’s focus on dreams is itself a great subject. This area is a blue ocean. Audiences have become numb to the blunt and crude nature of typical sci-fi action films, feeling somewhat jaded. However, our understanding of dreams is very limited, which naturally piques great interest..."
Duke goes from stealing dreams, designing dreams, implanting dreams, to dreams within dreams, crafting a perfect brand story, forming a complete brand architecture, enriching the brand’s connotation. If you simply throw out the concept of a dream without digging into its supporting points, it becomes hollow and ungrounded. In this way, Duke’s ’dream theft’ subconsciously occupies the top spot among similar brands."
David Geffen understood what Ed Mintz was trying to convey and said, "From that perspective, implanting a dream is like planting a brand into the consumer’s mind."
"Not only that..." Ed Mintz added, "Have you noticed the emotions reflected in Inception? His previous films are basically the same in this regard. For branding, themes like love, family, friendship, and the realization of self-worth are eternal."
Hearing this, David Geffen sighed. Duke Rosenberg’s films always include these elements, which are some of the best marketing tools to attract audiences.
To a certain extent, Duke Rosenberg’s success isn’t because he’s inherently more talented, but because he is more market-aware and respects the market and audience more than others.
"There are two things in this world that are the hardest," Ed Mintz suddenly raised one finger, "One is how to put other people’s money into your own pocket."
When David Geffen looked over, he raised a second finger, "The second is how to plant your ideas into other people’s minds."
Ed Mintz emphasized, "In Hollywood, he is the best at both!"
Inception’s two consecutive weeks dominating the North American and global box office, along with the heated controversies it stirred, are the best proof of Ed Mintz’s words. However, during the third weekend of its North American screening, Inception faced a heavyweight challenger.
Directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett, and distributed by Walt Disney, Robin Hood fully opened in North American theaters on Friday.
Thanks to David Ellison’s acquisition of investment shares and further increased funding, the production cost of this epic reached $200 million, with promotional and marketing expenses approaching $150 million!
Whether the director and cast lineup, or the scale of investment and marketing, this is one of the rare super-productions in recent years.
From Disney to David Ellison, everyone was confident that Robin Hood had all the elements to become a blockbuster.
However, the actual development of events was quite surprising.
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