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Chapter 137: Michael Bay's Mental Journey
🕑 Added 2024-12-10 17:47:00 +0000 UTC007 has been interpreted by different actors, each bringing their own feel, but the foundation of the character remains the same, leading to some aesthetic fatigue.
However, John Mason is completely different. Though he's still set as a British agent, he bears no resemblance to 007 whatsoever.
Because of this, British film critics praised Roger Moore's performance and acknowledged the scriptwriting of Gilbert.
"Roger Moore perfectly portrayed John Mason, with no trace of 007 in his performance. It's flawless. But we can't ignore the important role of the film's director and screenwriter, Gilbert, who created this iconic spy character."
There aren't many spy characters that can be considered classics in film, especially since Ethan Hunt and Jason Bourne hadn't yet emerged. At the time, only 007 could be called a classic.
Yet, this British film critic elevated the character of John Mason to the same level as 007. Although 007 fans found this comparison questionable, many viewers of The Rock agreed with the praise.
With high recognition and popularity, The Rock earned $10.23 million in its opening week in the UK, successfully topping the box office in the local market.
The film also performed well in several other markets, although not as intensely as in the UK. However, the love for good films was undeniable.
In its opening week, the film grossed $7.425 million in France and $6.529 million in Germany. Though these two European countries don't have the same size film markets as North America, they still contributed significant box office numbers.
In fact, these markets have traditionally been strongholds for Hollywood films since World War II.
Though French filmmakers, post-New Wave, have been critical of American films, French audiences expressed their love for The Rock through their ticket sales.
When Jurassic Park was released in France, the French Minister of Culture even called for a boycott of the film. Yet, it ended up grossing $28.9 million, becoming the top film of the year in the French market.
Similarly, despite some French filmmakers calling for a boycott of The Rock, French audiences still showed their support with their ticket purchases.
Perhaps it's because of the arrogance of French filmmakers, unwilling to humble themselves, that the French film industry struggles in Hollywood compared to other countries, like Germany.
In Italy, The Rock earned $5.37 million in its opening week.
Italian audiences highly praised the film, and the director, Gilbert, is of Italian descent, with his grandfather having lived in Italy. This connection resonated with Italian viewers, showing their support for the director.
Unfortunately, Italy's economic struggles impacted its film industry, so its box office contribution was limited and even less than France's.
Spain contributed a smaller amount—$2.43 million—but every small market helps build the overseas box office.
While the film only released in five countries, which doesn't amount to a global release, it still accumulated $31.99 million from overseas markets. When combined with North American box office totals, the film claimed the global box office crown for the week.
In many cases, films that top the North American box office also end up being global box office champions.
Markets like France and Italy don't lack great filmmakers; it's simply that their smaller markets can't support the film industry as much as larger ones like North America can.
This is evident in the example of Hong Kong cinema. As its market shrinks, its traditional audiences in Southeast Asia, including Japan and Korea, are critical to its survival. If these markets turn to other content, Hong Kong cinema will likely fade away.
Conversely, Chinese-language films have survived by relying on a vast domestic market, continually expanding despite not always being embraced internationally.
This is a remarkable achievement in the film industry.
It's worth noting that Gilbert's films have been major focuses of the Chinese film industry. His two previous films, Real Steel and Speed, earned strong box office numbers in China—¥1125 million and ¥86.6 million, respectively.
As a result, The Rock became a priority for Chinese distributors. However, it wouldn't release in China until July or August, which is relatively quick. Some films take a year to reach Chinese audiences after their North American releases.
In the CAA president's office in Century City, Martin Bob was speaking with Michael Bay: "This is a good result, Michael. Bad Boys has earned $54 million in North America. With the trends in overseas markets, the global box office might surpass $100 million. For a mid-range budget film, this is enough for you to establish yourself in Hollywood."
Michael Bay responded confidently, "Not just establish myself—I want to become one of the top directors in Hollywood."
Martin Bob praised Bay's potential but also cautioned, "Becoming one of the top directors in Hollywood isn't easy. There's a lot more for you to learn."
Michael Bay asked, "Learn from Gilbert?"
"Exactly, learning from him is a good path," said Martin Bob with a sigh.
Bob was hopeful about Bay's potential, but he couldn't help but fantasize about how things might have been if Bay were more like Gilbert. Gilbert's success was beyond his reach, and Bob could only dream of such glory.
Gilbert didn't just target CAA; he was more focused on his own group, and was very friendly with others like Pat Kingsley and Ino Martin's circle.
Bob had heard that Gilbert invited Tom Hanks, one of Ino Martin's main clients, to his film's premiere.
Normally, Bob wouldn't think much of a director's invitation, but Gilbert's new movie was an exception. To give such an invitation to Ino Martin felt like a direct affront to Bob and his agency.
Bob tried to communicate with Ino Martin, hoping that he would promote a package deal with Gilbert, but Martin flatly refused.
To make matters worse, Bob found himself feeling envious of the success of The Rock and Gilbert's triumphs, wishing that Sean Connery had taken the role in The Rock instead of Gilbert.
When Michael Bay asked about The Rock's box office, Bob didn't know the exact numbers but mentioned it had already grossed over $100 million in North America.
Bay felt a pang of envy but didn't lose confidence. He believed that if he had directed The Rock, he could have achieved even better results at the North American box office.
After leaving Bob's office, Bay, intrigued by the film, went to see The Rock for himself to compare his skills to Gilbert's.
After watching, Bay admitted that Gilbert was indeed a master at pacing and had creative camera work, but he didn't think it was insurmountable. He believed that if he had directed it, he could have achieved the same, if not better, results.
Bay's confidence grew even more after the screening. Seeing Gilbert as a highly praised director didn't faze him; he felt he could have done the job just as well.
After the movie, Bay was stopped for an interview. When asked about the film, he said, "It's a top-tier action movie with a rich style and plenty of humor. It draws on elements from other films, but it doesn't present anything new. Yet, every aspect has been finely polished, from the gunfights to the explosions, close combat, interrogations, and more."
A reporter asked, "Are you a professional film critic?"
Bay hesitated before shaking his head, "No..."
Before the reporter could ask further questions, Bay lowered his hat and quickly walked away.
The next day, footage of Bay's interview was broadcasted, and the TV station even aired it unedited, perhaps because they found Bay's comments insightful and didn't want to cut anything.
However, no one recognized that the enthusiastic "citizen" being interviewed was actually Michael Bay, the director of Bad Boys, still a relative unknown in Hollywood.
This was Bay's first time observing Gilbert's film from a more objective perspective, and it left a significant impression on him.
As Bob had said, in Hollywood, one needs a goal, and Gilbert was now Bay's goal.
