As a sequel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets saw its box office revenue soar all the way, becoming the last box office hit of 2002.
By January 26, 2003, the film had already grossed $257 million in North America. Since it was still in theaters, surpassing $300 million at the North American box office would not be a problem.
Its performance overseas was also solid, having been gradually released in multiple countries, with an international box office of $481 million. The global box office had reached $738 million, a very impressive result.
But the most crucial factor was the film's merchandise.
Wizard hats, magic wands, and other small accessories were selling extremely well. In the first week of the movie's release, merchandise sales reached $33 million in North America alone.
As of now, North American merchandise sales had exceeded $150 million, while global merchandise sales had surpassed $250 million.
As time passed, the proportion of revenue from merchandise would continue to grow, eventually surpassing the profit from the box office.
Along with the success of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the magical lands being expanded in various amusement parks by Disney and Warner World around the globe had officially opened.
The film's popularity caused the parks to be overcrowded. At the Magic Town in Orlando's Disney Park, there was even a stampede incident.
The fundamental reason was the positive word of mouth driven by the film, which boosted the value of visiting the Magic Town.
Magic Towns typically brought added value too. After all, people didn't just spend money on the rides. Food and lodging also cost money.
Moreover, after visiting, tourists often liked to buy souvenirs especially families with children. Souvenirs were a key source of revenue for amusement parks.
As is well known, prices are typically high in famous attractions or scenic spots. Magic Towns were no exception.
Meanwhile, the production cost of these items was very low, making it a highly profitable industry.
It was foreseeable that once Pirates of the Caribbean was released, it would similarly drive up the popularity of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride, continuing to generate massive profits.
In China, several attractions such as Zhangjiajie, Jiuzhaigou, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and the Hobbit Town at the foot of the mountain, as well as the Xilingol Grasslands and Minas Tirith at Gazi Mountain had already become world-famous destinations.
These spots alone attracted hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists each year, bringing significant income to the local regions.
The relevant authorities had also negotiated visa-free agreements with over a dozen countries. For countries without visa-free access, a 144-hour transit visa was available, offering great convenience.
Although the influx of foreign tourists had led to some minor negative effects, everything remained under control.
Compared to the huge revenue brought by tourism, these small negative effects were negligible. After all, the current top priority was economic development.
So if you visit the Hobbit Town beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain or Minas Tirith on Gazi Mountain and hear the locals speaking fluent English, don't be surprised.
People are smart. It's not that they can't learn it's that they lacked the motivation.
As long as the motivation is strong enough, English is not that hard to master.
This is the value that movies bring. Many times, a movie is not just a movie it's a commercial. The number of people benefiting from a film has continued to grow, and the scale of the movie industry is becoming increasingly massive.
Now, let's turn our attention to the Oscar nominations. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King swept the board with thirteen nominations, making it the most talked-about film of this year's Oscars.
During the earlier award season, The Return of the King dominated the MTV Movie Awards, the Saturn Awards, and Gilbert himself won the 2002 Director of the Year Award from the Directors Guild.
Charles Roven and Cain Wexman jointly took home the Producers Guild's Best Producer award.
Additionally, at the 2003 Golden Globe Awards in January, the film won Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director, Best Original Song, and Best Original Score four major awards.
Practically every major award during the season had gone to The Return of the King.
This seemed to suggest the film would dominate the Oscars as well.
On the day of the Golden Globe ceremony, Gilbert made a special trip back from the Pirates of the Caribbean crew to attend the event and personally accept the Best Director trophy.
However, he didn't return just for the Golden Globes. The main reason was that Oscar PR season had arrived, and he needed to discuss Oscar publicity strategies with Sheena Boone and public relations experts.
Although The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was undoubtedly a frontrunner, that didn't mean the film could afford to skip campaigning.
Oscar history is filled with cases of strong favorites ending up empty-handed.
What's more, Gilbert had heard that Miramax's Weinstein brothers were pushing Gangs of New York, trying to get Martin Scorsese the Oscar for Best Director.
Though Gilbert personally had great respect for old Martin, he absolutely couldn't allow the Best Director award, which was already within his grasp, to slip away just like that. The Academy must not hand out awards like slicing up a pie.
After returning to Los Angeles, Gilbert made a special appearance at the launch ceremony for the Melon Film Foundation.
The name says it all it was a foundation initiated by Gilbert, aimed at helping young and talented directors achieve their dreams.
In recent years, the Academy had been making efforts to promote youth development in the film industry, even though most of its members were elderly. If they truly wanted youth involvement, they should retire and make room for others.
But those old men in the Academy clung to their prestige as a way to maintain influence over the film industry. If they retired, who would pay attention to them?
So unless absolutely necessary, they were never going to retire.
Still, that didn't stop the Academy veterans from chanting slogans and pushing ideas like "youth engagement."
Thus, Gilbert's film foundation was a gesture to appeal to those Academy elders, improving his chances of winning the Oscar.
Of course, the Melon Film Foundation wasn't just symbolic. When encountering promising projects, the foundation would also invest, playing an active role.
But investment is not charity how much money you put in determines how much equity you get.
There's a saying in anti-corruption campaigns: "Go after both the tigers and the flies." Gilbert was after the big films and wouldn't ignore even the mosquito legs.
In addition to the Melon Film Foundation, the PR campaign went into full gear. The days leading up to the Oscars are the most intense period of public relations activity.
Though the word "publicity" sounds simple, putting it into action is quite complex. One must strike the perfect balance, or the effort could backfire.
Sheena Boone and PR expert Marco Wald were Gilbert's most trusted assets in the Oscar race. By this point, the two of them had begun going down their contact lists, calling every voting member and influencer one by one.
"Hello, Mr. Mark, this is Sheena..." Who knows how many calls Sheena Boone had already made, but her smile remained constant, and her naturally warm voice never faltered.
"I wonder if the new disc player we sent over the other day met your expectations?"
Hearing the other party respond positively, Sheena Boone's smile brightened. She continued, "The Academy has always been committed to technological innovation and talent development in the film industry. Director Gilbert has also made numerous contributions in these areas.
He has collaborated with top industry professionals to develop new technologies, revolutionizing 21st-century Hollywood cinematography, special effects, model making, and more.
At the same time, he's also deeply focused on nurturing talent.
Did you catch the news the other day? Director Gilbert just launched a film foundation dedicated to supporting young directors and fostering new talent..."
Sheena Boone continued to speak passionately, and after receiving a positive response, she finally ended the call with satisfaction.
.....
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