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Chapter 108: Visitor from Across the Shore
🕑 Added 2024-11-07 18:28:32 +0000 UTCThe night at Twin Peaks left Charlize Theron cursing Gilbert as a pervert. The next day, she almost couldn't make it to the film set.
When Gilbert rejoined the cast for promotions, Naomi Watts immediately noticed something was up. She sniffed around Gilbert and asked directly, "Did you sleep with Charlize?"
"Uh…" Gilbert felt caught off guard by Naomi's bluntness, so he admitted it honestly.
"I knew it," Naomi said with a smirk. "That girl's been thinking about you for ages; it was only a matter of time before you two ended up in bed."
Naomi was used to Gilbert's flirtatious nature. To date, he'd only been involved with five women, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Winona Ryder.
Among them, only she and Cameron Diaz had been in long-term relationships with Gilbert—now, Charlize Theron was added to the mix.
Compared to other Hollywood directors and actors who hosted wild, uninhibited parties, Gilbert seemed almost like a puritan.
Naomi once heard from Sofia Coppola that her cousin, Nicolas Cage, frequently hosted parties with a dozen models and a few friends. The details of those parties were left to the imagination.
Of course, while Gilbert avoided such chaos, Naomi was also careful not to attend any wild parties. Last time, Mel Gibson invited her to a private gathering, and she didn't go.
Mel Gibson, who'd taken an interest in her since an Australian gathering, was a bit annoyed by her rejection. Naomi had to use Gilbert as a shield.
On one side was Mel Gibson, a Hollywood eccentric and a star actor-director with CAA, and on the other, the up-and-coming director Gilbert. The two were evenly matched.
However, Mel Gibson seemed sensible enough not to let a woman cause conflict between them.
It might have had something to do with Gilbert's formidable reputation—after all, he was the man who took down Michael Ovitz.
Without directly affecting his interests, Gibson found no reason to clash with Gilbert. It wasn't worth it.
Even the playful and free-spirited Cameron Diaz would only go on a little adventure with Gilbert and Naomi, but she, too, steered clear of Hollywood's wilder parties and events.
Gilbert didn't control their choices, but both Naomi and Cameron sensed that Gilbert disapproved of such scenes, so they were mindful.
Famous as they were, they owed a lot to Gilbert's support. Without him, they would be nothing in Hollywood.
And now, perhaps, Charlize Theron would join their circle.
Despite his various relationships, Gilbert's commitment to his work remained unwavering.
After wrapping up promotions in San Francisco, Gilbert led the cast north, stopping in Salem and Portland before arriving in Seattle.
During their Seattle promotions, the North American opening weekend box office for Real Steel was revealed.
After an impressive $18.573 million on opening day, the film grossed $22.513 million on Saturday and $17.132 million on Sunday.
Adding the $4.275 million from its midnight premiere, Real Steel scored $62.493 million in its North American opening weekend.
This success broke Gilbert's own opening weekend box office record and claimed the first box office champion title for summer 1994 in North America.
A few years back, Gilbert might have celebrated this victory, but now he could face it calmly.
Still, the outcome exceeded expectations. Disney and Warner Bros. had anticipated around $55 million, so the $62.493 million debut was a pleasant surprise.
Moreover, the film excelled in its merchandise sales, generating $3.62 million from model kits, sunglasses, watches, headphones, and personal computers over the first weekend.
While not as high as box office revenue, these products provided long-term gains, continuing to profit as the movie gained popularity.
If the film performed well, it could pave the way for sequels and more merchandise.
Of course, despite the promising start, there was no room for complacency.
Many films had strong openings only to collapse the following week.
Real Steel owed its initial success to the right timing, high interest from its public spat with animal rights activists, and a Super Bowl promotion.
While its core storyline was typical of Hollywood, the mech-fighting theme brought a fresh genre to audiences.
Hollywood had never offered a film about battling robots before, adding a unique appeal.
The North American film market was growing, with rising ticket sales and higher ticket prices.
With Gilbert and Bruce Willis's box office pull and weak competition in the same release window, Real Steel dominated the screens.
Tom Cruise and his agent, Pat Kingsley, also deserved some thanks. Without their decision to move Interview with the Vampire to a different release date, both films would've fiercely competed at the box office.
Tom Cruise was a box-office powerhouse of the time, capable of driving significant sales. Gilbert wasn't confident he could go head-to-head with him.
From the media's perspective, Real Steel's opening weekend earnings weren't surprising given its $80 million budget.
If the film hadn't made $50-60 million its first weekend, it would've been considered a failure—a major story for the press.
A box office flop for Gilbert would have stirred the media for weeks. Unfortunately for them, Gilbert hadn't provided that opportunity.
As the film entered its second week, Gilbert finished Seattle promotions and took the crew east.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros. began arranging international promotions for the film, set to release in overseas markets the following weekend.
In a suite at Chicago's Fairmont Hotel, Gilbert opened his door in a robe and slippers, took a newspaper from room service, tipped the attendant, and closed the door.
Naomi Watts was still asleep in the bedroom after an intense night, leaving marks on her smooth back and reddened skin.
Gilbert tried to cover her with the blanket, but Naomi stirred awake.
"Did I wake you?" he asked.
"No," she replied, struggling to get out of bed. Her legs wobbled, and she almost fell, but Gilbert caught her in time.
"You're the one who went too hard," she shot him a glance.
"Oh? Who was it that kept begging for more?" Gilbert teased, making Naomi flush with embarrassment. She bit his shoulder, leaving a neat set of teeth marks before stumbling off to the bathroom.
Gilbert ordered breakfast and read the paper.
Just then, a call came from the hotel front desk. "Sir, Mr. Doug Walter is on the line for you."
Each stop on the tour was known to Warner's head of distribution, Doug Walter, whose team coordinated with the film crew, so the call was no surprise.
"Put him through…" After a brief wait, Doug's voice came through. "Gilbert, just waking up?"
"Yeah. You had breakfast?"
"Already did…"
After some small talk, Doug got to the point. "Gilbert, I wanted to get your opinion on something."
"Sure. Go ahead."
"It's like this…" Doug paused, weighing his words.
Finally, he explained, "We received a delegation from China Film Group, led by their director, Mr. Tian. They're interested in bringing Hollywood movies to China, and both Real Steel and Speed are on their list."
"Oh?" Gilbert's interest was piqued. Could it be that market-oriented reforms were already taking shape across the Pacific?
"How many films do they plan to import?" Gilbert asked.
"The preliminary plan is for ten, and you're up for two slots. We're still considering, though, as their market is small, and the profit share is only eight percent," Doug explained.
Gilbert quickly responded, "Doug, start negotiations, but push for a higher percentage."
"What's your reasoning?" Doug inquired.
Gilbert carefully explained, "That's a market of over a billion people, with immense future potential, even though it's small now.
"We can't just look at the present—we should consider the long term. Imagine if Warner consistently gets slots each year. As the market matures, think about the audience loyalty we could build."
Doug was swayed by Gilbert's forward-thinking argument.
Focusing on the bigger picture instead of short-term gains was a novel perspective.
"You're making sense, Gilbert," Doug admitted. "By the way, that director Tian said he knows you; apparently, you met in China.
"He'd like to discuss this with you."
Gilbert thought this was also a good opportunity. Riding this wave to enter the overseas market might even make him the most famous Hollywood director in that region one day.
"Alright, after I finish the promotional activities in Chicago, I'll head straight back to Los Angeles," Gilbert agreed.
After a bit more small talk, they ended the call.
Naomi Watts, who had just finished freshening up, sat across from Gilbert for breakfast. Noticing his serious expression, she asked, "What's up?"
"Doug called. Some representatives from overseas are here. They're looking to import Hollywood films," Gilbert said.
"Overseas?" Naomi Watts, not particularly familiar with that market, showed a look of curiosity.
"Yeah, overseas..." Gilbert looked out the window, his gaze seeming to travel beyond the limits of the view, reaching far into the distant East.
