"The Return of the King" will not surpass "Titanic." Michael Ovitz confidently made his conclusion.
"Oh? And why is that?" asked Kazuo Kojima, a senior executive from Sony Columbia Japan.
"This is based on my keen market judgment." Michael Ovitz sighed. "You've already seen Gilbert's power at the summer box office."
"Mr. Kojima, I believe that releasing Spider-Man in the same season as The Return of the King is a mistake. We must change the release date immediately."
Sony Columbia Pictures had originally planned to release Spider-Man at the start of next summer, but the final installment of The Lord of the Rings was also set to hit theaters in that window.
So Kazuo Kojima consulted an industry expert, Michael Ovitz, for his opinion.
Ovitz's advice was simple: don't go head-to-head with The Return of the King. If they were released at the same time, the best-case scenario would be mutual destruction—something that wouldn't benefit either film.
However, Kazuo Kojima was somewhat unwilling to back down. "Why should we be the ones to avoid The Return of the King? Why isn't it afraid of us?"
"Because The Return of the King's director is Gilbert," Ovitz said seriously. "Mr. Kojima, he's one of the top directors in all of Hollywood. There are fewer than five people who can compare to him."
Michael Ovitz had a complicated relationship with Gilbert—he admired him but had also lost to him multiple times. Despite the rivalry, he truly respected Gilbert, especially his dominance in the summer box office.
From the information available, next summer was going to be packed—not just with The Return of the King, but also Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, and Minority Report. The competition would be fierce.
That's why Ovitz recommended that Spider-Man avoid both The Return of the King and Attack of the Clones.
Ultimately, Kazuo Kojima decided to move Spider-Man to a late-May release date, dodging the two major sequel blockbusters.
This decision reflected a lack of confidence. In its original release, Spider-Man had performed exceptionally well—it was the first movie in North America to break $100 million in its opening weekend.
But The Return of the King was simply too intimidating. Additionally, due to the impact of the September 11 attacks, Spider-Man had to cut several scenes. Avoiding direct competition was a reasonable choice.
One of the most significant edits was the removal of a scene where Spider-Man climbed the Twin Towers—it was completely erased.
In reality, this was precisely the outcome Gilbert had hoped for. By announcing The Return of the King's release date early, he had scared off many potential competitors, securing a relatively open weekend for the film.
If Spider-Man had insisted on releasing at the same time, both films likely would have suffered.
Gilbert had even considered provoking Marvel Comics to release a dark, villainous version of Spider-Man just to tarnish the character's reputation.
However, such a move would have been too costly. Fortunately, Sony Columbia didn't make the mistake of stubbornly sticking to their original date.
As Michael Ovitz had warned, "Stay away from that lunatic of the summer box office, Mr. Kojima…"
Meanwhile, George Lucas had scheduled Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones for May 16, landing in The Return of the King's third weekend.
Gilbert had communicated with Lucas and made sure their films wouldn't collide.
That said, while Star Wars carried a legendary name, this particular trilogy wasn't of the best quality. If not for the Star Wars branding, the results might have been underwhelming.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was slated for a Thanksgiving release and wouldn't be part of the summer showdown. The other films posed no significant threat.
Interestingly, after finishing Chamber of Secrets, director Chris Columbus decided not to continue with the franchise.
Considering that Columbus's style leaned heavily toward family-friendly storytelling, while the later films took on a darker and more mature tone, Gilbert agreed to his resignation.
There were also a few other projects in the works.
First, Christopher Nolan's Insomnia had entered post-production.
Despite starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams, this suspense thriller wasn't suited for a summer release. After discussions with the distribution team, Gilbert decided to schedule it for the spring.
Another major project was 2 Fast 2 Furious, with the original cast returning—including Vin Diesel, who initially didn't want to participate.
Vin Diesel had a big ego. After reading the script, he felt that his role wasn't as important as Paul Walker's and intended to leave the franchise.
But Gilbert was never going to allow that. He immediately sent Sheena Boone to pressure Diesel.
No matter how much attitude Vin Diesel had, he wasn't about to risk offending Gilbert and ruining his career in Hollywood. He quickly changed his mind and agreed to return.
Of course, to keep the cast happy, Gilbert instructed the producers to increase their salaries.
Pay raises for sequel films were standard industry practice, so this was a smooth decision.
Then there was Gilbert's personal side project—Flipped, a low-budget teen romance film.
For years, Gilbert had been making blockbuster after blockbuster, giving people the impression that he only directed large-scale productions.
Technically, Chicago wasn't a big-budget film, but with Tom Cruise and Naomi Watts leading the cast, it had the aura of a major production.
After directing so many large-scale movies, switching to a smaller, refreshing romance film seemed like a nice change of pace.
It might not fit his usual brand, but Gilbert had earned the right to be a little indulgent. As long as he wasn't shooting something in San Fernando Valley, he could make whatever he wanted—there would always be people willing to pay for it.
But before diving into his personal project, Gilbert had to complete a major signing ceremony and travel to China for casting sessions.
After a long and drawn-out negotiation, Disney and Warner Bros. had finally completed their joint acquisition of Melon Studios.
This acquisition involved billions of dollars and complex stock exchanges, making it an incredibly intricate deal.
Gilbert wasn't particularly skilled at handling such matters, but in the end, he emerged as a shareholder in both Disney and Warner Bros., securing a seat on both companies' boards.
Disney and Warner each obtained 50% of Melon Studios' shares, giving them full control over the studio.
"Breaking news: At Disney's headquarters in Burbank, director Gilbert signed the acquisition agreement alongside Disney President Robert Iger and Warner Bros. President Doug Walter.
This agreement officially marks Disney and Warner Bros.' acquisition of Melon Studios. Both giants now own 50% of the studio's shares." — Los Angeles Times
"According to reports, after the deal was finalized, director Gilbert became the largest individual shareholder in both Disney and Warner Bros., securing a seat on both companies' boards." — Wall Street Journal
"I don't know what this means. This is irresponsible. Gilbert should belong to all of Hollywood, but somehow, he didn't have more options?" — A jealous, envious, and frustrated film studio executive.
After the acquisition was completed, Gilbert gained the authority to oversee all business affairs of Disney and Warner Bros.
One of the first things he did was sign a new director's contract with both companies, with a key clause highlighted in red: the film studios were not allowed to interfere with his creative process or control over the film crew.
If a rookie director had made such a demand, the studios would have told him to get lost.
But Gilbert was different. His years of accumulated prestige had earned him enough trust from the studios.
Hollywood producers usually wield significant power, but not in Gilbert's productions. If there was a conflict between a producer and Gilbert, it would definitely be the producer who got replaced.
Moreover, those who could become producers in his film crews were all smart people—why would they ever risk offending Gilbert?
The acquisition itself was a major event, but the public's reaction was relatively muted. At most, the media reported on it, and netizens discussed it briefly before moving on.
However, the stock market reaction was anything but quiet. Almost immediately after the signing ceremony, Disney and Warner's shares began to surge on the New York Stock Exchange.
Disney's market value skyrocketed from $44 billion to $50.9 billion in a single afternoon—an increase of $6.9 billion, roughly half of Gilbert's personal net worth.
Warner Bros. also performed well, with its market value climbing to $12.9 billion, while its parent company, Time Warner, saw its valuation rise to $38.7 billion.
Initially, Warner Bros. did not have enough equity available to offer Gilbert.
Therefore, after consulting with its parent company, Doug Walter combined shares from both Time Warner and Warner Bros. to exchange for a 50% stake in Melon Studio.
This meant that Gilbert was now not only a shareholder and board member of Warner Bros. but also a shareholder of Time Warner, granting him a seat on its board as well.
Judging by the stock price movements, Time Warner believed they had made a profitable deal.
As long as their stock performance remained strong, every time Gilbert's films achieved massive success, it would be reflected in their share prices.
This was precisely why Wall Street tycoons, despite being repeatedly drained by Hollywood's so-called "vampires," still eagerly invested in the film industry.
One major box office hit could recoup all previous losses through the stock market.
After the signing ceremony, there was a celebration banquet, which Gilbert attended with Cameron Diaz.
During the banquet, Cameron Diaz asked, "Darling, before, your films were split among the three parties. But now that the three have merged, how will the revenue be divided?"
Gilbert chuckled and explained, "It'll be a 50-50 split, of course. After all, Melon Studio now belongs to both companies."
"Does that mean you won't have any direct earnings from the studio anymore?" Cameron Diaz asked in surprise.
"Not exactly," Gilbert clarified. "I'm now the largest individual shareholder of both companies. When they make money, I make money. The difference isn't much, in fact, I'll probably earn even more."
Previously, Melon Studio was not publicly traded, so its value wasn't reflected in the stock market.
But since Disney and Time Warner were both publicly listed, a blockbuster film would drive their stock prices up. While stock prices fluctuate, as long as the overall trend is upward, the profits would be substantial.
At this point, Gilbert patted Cameron Diaz on her perky backside and said, "See? You really haven't been paying attention in class. Why do I, a so-called outsider, have to explain this to you?"
"Ahhh," Cameron Diaz pouted, "I was just testing you! Looks like you do understand, after all."
"Of course I do! I'm not an idiot." Gilbert rolled his eyes.
Noticing Robert Iger and Doug Walter waving at him from across the room, Gilbert turned to Cameron Diaz and said, "Michelle, you go ahead and enjoy some food. I need to talk with Bob and Doug about something."
"Mm-hmm!" Cameron Diaz, already eyeing the desserts, waved him off as she grabbed a fork and plate, ready to battle the sweets.
Gilbert walked over to Robert Iger and Doug Walter, and the three of them moved to a private lounge to discuss business.
"As you predicted, after we announced the release date, other films immediately avoided clashing with us," Doug Walter said cheerfully. He knew that next year's The Return of the King was bound to be another massive success.
Robert Iger added, "We'll continue with the same strategy—aim for Oscar nominations. By the third film, the Academy has no choice but to reward you, Gilbert."
"Absolutely," Doug Walter agreed. "Congratulations, Gilbert. You're about to win your second Oscar for Best Director."
Even though The Return of the King hadn't been released yet, barring any unexpected circumstances, the Academy couldn't ignore it. Recognition was inevitable.
This would place Gilbert on equal footing with Steven Spielberg in terms of Best Director wins.
Meanwhile, directors like Ridley Scott and Martin Scorsese had yet to win their first Oscar for Best Director, while Gilbert was about to claim his second.
The Academy wasn't entirely comfortable with this situation. After all, The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a non-realist fantasy series, which traditionally didn't align with the Academy's usual preferences.
However, if they refused to acknowledge it, the foundation of the Oscars' credibility would be shaken. And with Gilbert as the director, both sentiment and reason dictated that he should be recognized.
But Gilbert himself was uninterested in the award talk. He said, "When we release the DVD in late December, I'll edit a three-minute preview and include it in the deluxe edition."
"That's a great idea. Last time, the The Two Towers preview helped boost DVD sales significantly. I'm sure it'll work again this time," Robert Iger said.
"Not to mention, after the trilogy wraps up, we can release a collector's edition—extended director's cuts—to keep sales going," Doug Walter added.
The two executives were already envisioning future profits, while Gilbert had another idea.
Once James Cameron perfected 3D technology, The Lord of the Rings trilogy could be converted into 3D for a theatrical re-release, generating another wave of box office revenue.
The last time Gilbert had met James Cameron was six months ago. That tech-obsessed filmmaker had been diving deep into the ocean, filming 3D underwater documentaries.
Cameron had told him that he loved the sea, he loved water—no wonder Avatar 2 would eventually be called The Way of Water.
James Cameron also personally asked Gilbert to support his upcoming project. He already had a rough concept for a 3D film, but the investment required would be enormous.
Of course, Gilbert was willing to support him.
After all, when James Cameron's name was attached to a project, few studios would hesitate to back it.
The real question was which studio could afford to do so—James Cameron's films were notoriously expensive.
After the signing ceremony and celebration banquet, Gilbert set off for China to begin casting auditions for Jackie Chan Adventures.
Meanwhile, across the Pacific, normally high-and-mighty stars were tearing each other apart for a role, fighting tooth and nail.
....
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