The time had reached the third weekend of the summer season, and The Dark Knight finally faced a competitor: Disney's Buena Vista, The Chronicles of Narnia 2.
This film featured Anne Hathaway, and the previous installment had achieved impressive box office and reviews, so expectations were high.
During its opening weekend, the film grossed 55.03 million dollars, successfully surpassing The Dark Knight's third weekend gross of 32.37 million dollars, claiming the North American box office crown for the week.
However, by the end of the week, The Dark Knight's cumulative North American box office had reached 341.02 million dollars, temporarily holding the title of this year's North American annual box office champion.
Globally, although Narnia premiered simultaneously in fifteen countries alongside North America, it still could not compete with The Dark Knight, allowing The Dark Knight to achieve a global weekly box office three-peat.
Currently, The Dark Knight's global box office had reached 628.63 million dollars, becoming the fastest film worldwide to surpass 600 million dollars.
Las Vegas betting lines had long closed the odds for The Dark Knight reaching one billion dollars, as everyone knew it was inevitable.
Once it surpasses one billion dollars, The Dark Knight would become the first superhero film to achieve that milestone.
Don't be fooled by Sony's Spider-Man trilogy's popularity; none of those films broke the one-billion-dollar mark. Therefore, The Dark Knight was set to make history—there was no doubt about it.
Undoubtedly, the impact of The Dark Knight on both Marvel and DC was immense.
On Marvel's side, with Gilbert overseeing things, they could maintain stability by sticking to their style. But on DC's side, it was another story.
While The Dark Knight was dominating globally, Warner Bros. held a meeting about DC superhero films, and Gilbert was not invited to participate.
During the meeting, one executive excitedly said, "I believe audiences are tired of traditional, cliché superhero films.
Future DC superhero films should adopt a dark and heavy tone. Superman can experience pain and growth.
Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and others can also be developed in this direction."
"Exactly," another executive agreed, "The Dark Knight fully proves that the most popular superhero films today are those with a dark style.
I think Superman should also be produced this way, emphasizing the character's inner struggles and complexities."
Zack Snyder hesitated. He remembered Gilbert once discussing superhero films with him, but it was not like this back then.
Seated at the head, Kelly Rose had a different perspective. She wasn't necessarily opposed to the executives, but she had her own ideas.
Kelly Rose felt that since she was planning to get rid of Gilbert anyway, to assert her own power, she shouldn't blindly follow the style of Gilbert's films.
If she adhered to his style, wouldn't it mean that under her control, Warner Bros. still hadn't escaped Gilbert's influence?
So Kelly Rose spoke up: "Everyone, let's calm down and think about why The Dark Knight succeeded."
"Isn't that obvious?"
The executives were very displeased. One said, "It's simple—it's successful because the director is Gilbert, that's it."
Kelly Rose's expression darkened, but she remained calm: "I believe Superman can rediscover himself, and stories can be heavy, but it shouldn't be overused.
A dark style isn't omnipotent,. We have to determine the tone of a film based on its characteristics."
"But don't forget, The Dark Knight just achieved massive success. That proves films with this style will be highly popular in the near future," said one executive.
Kelly Rose firmly replied, "I know that, but blindly following the market is unwise.
Think about it—when has Gilbert ever followed the market? He creates the market; he doesn't chase trends."
The executives muttered among themselves. They knew this, but not everyone could be Gilbert. If you could just find a new Gilbert, this discussion wouldn't even be necessary.
In the end, the meeting ended on an uneasy note, and Zack Snyder did not speak at all.
He realized Warner Bros. was wavering; most executives clearly didn't want Gilbert to leave, but Kelly Rose's stance was resolute and extremely firm.
Feeling a bit confused, Zack Snyder called Gilbert to ask for his thoughts on DC.
Gilbert said over the phone, "Zack, Kelly Rose is trying to eliminate my influence, but what she's saying is correct.
If you direct a Superman film, you must not blindly follow trends. You need to make decisions based on the actual circumstances."
Zack Snyder asked, "Gilbert, Warner Bros. is targeting you like this, and you still speak in their favor?"
Gilbert smiled, "I'm still a shareholder in Warner Bros., and their interests are tied to mine. Of course, I don't want Warner Bros.' films to lose money."
"I understand. Thank you, Gilbert," Zack Snyder replied gratefully.
"No problem. You're always welcome back at Melon Studios," Gilbert added.
Gilbert still wanted to leave a position open for Zack Snyder. Zack couldn't handle original projects alone; he needed a good producer and a solid script.
Gilbert concluded that Zack Snyder wouldn't manage the DC Universe successfully and would likely have to return to Melon Studios in the future.
This phone call from Zack Snyder was taken by Gilbert just before boarding his plane. He was on his private jet, preparing to fly to Beijing, China.
After finishing the North American promotional tour, the original plan was for Gilbert to take Jennifer Connelly and Nicolas Cage to promote in Latin America.
Meanwhile, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, and others would handle European promotions, while Asia had no promotional plans.
However, a major event changed the original plan: a massive earthquake.
Gilbert, of course, learned of the event. Sometimes he felt an inexplicable sense of luck, but reality proved that what is meant to happen still happens.
As soon as the news arrived, Gilbert immediately instructed Ivanka to donate ten million dollars in his personal name.
He also changed his itinerary, taking Ivanka and Jennifer Connelly to China.
Naomi Watts, Cameron Diaz, and other sisters from the Melon estate organized disaster relief supplies and sent them through the Fruit Charity Foundation.
At the same time, they used their personal influence to mobilize full donations from American society.
So far, the Fruit Charity Foundation had received 5.3 million dollars in donations from various sectors of society.
Of course, this action drew criticism from reactionary media. Gilbert was once again labeled a traitor. Some media even suggested a thorough investigation by F.B.I claiming Gilbert was definitely involved in something suspicious.
Gilbert's response was simple: he invoked slogans about love and peace, and for the sake of all humanity.
"I donated based on humanitarian principles. This shows that I have compassion.
If you lack compassion, then please stand aside. But you cannot accuse a compassionate person of ulterior motives—that's unfair."
Not to mention, although North American citizens typically don't care about global affairs, Gilbert's network and offline media outlets continuously reported the story, attracting many compassionate people.
These donations came from these kind-hearted individuals, as well as contributions from Hollywood stars.
...
Hi For access to additional chapters of
Director in Hollywood (40 chpaters)
Made In Hollywood (Completed)
Pokemon:Bounty Hunter(30 Chapters)
Hollywood:From Razzie to Legend(40 Chapters)
The Great Ruler (30 Chapters)
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu