Chapter 132: The Eve of the Premiere

"Gilbert, have you ever thought about going for the Oscars?"

During dinner with Gilbert, Roger Ebert asked him this question.

Gilbert put down his fork and knife, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and smiled as he replied, "Mr. Ebert, I think no one would refuse the Oscar stage, and I'm no exception."

"Yeah, the Oscars are the dream of every Hollywood filmmaker." Roger Ebert agreed, then quickly shifted the conversation, "But with your current filmmaking style, you won't be too popular at the Oscars."

"True," Gilbert said nonchalantly, "There will always be special circumstances, Mr. Ebert."

"Perhaps," Roger Ebert made a phone gesture, "If you need my help, give me a call."

After parting ways with Roger Ebert, Gilbert sat in the car.

Having had a drink, it wasn't suitable for him to drive, but now Gilbert could afford a driver.

The driver was a second-generation Chinese-American, inheriting the good traits of the Chinese: quiet, hardworking, and most importantly, discreet.

White people generally didn't take on private driver jobs, black people were too talkative, and Latino people weren't as reliable. The Chinese were more trustworthy.

The car slowly started, heading toward Melon Manor.

Gilbert rested his chin on his hand, carefully considering the significance of Roger Ebert's words during their conversation.

Was he sincere? Or was he feeding him false ideas, leading him down the wrong path?

Such things were not unheard of. Take Frank Darabont, the director of The Shawshank Redemption, for example. After being praised by critics, he gradually lost himself and never made another film that received widespread recognition, eventually fading into obscurity.

Then there were the Wachowski brothers, who later became the Wachowski sisters after making The Matrix. After the success of the first Matrix movie, they lost themselves in the praise of critics, leading to the poor ending of The Matrix Revolutions. Their later works became increasingly mediocre, with V for Vendetta being the only one worth mentioning.

Gilbert had a deep impression of The Matrix trilogy. Back in 1991, when The Reef was successful, he had already registered a related script with the Screenwriters Guild, securing the idea.

Not only that, to avoid the situation where a well-known original script from a previous life was shelved, Gilbert registered many scripts early on.

Of course, this was back in 1991, when he hadn't yet reached the position of a top-tier Hollywood director.

Now, film companies had full confidence in him. Whatever film he wanted to make, they would support him, including original films.

The conversation with Roger Ebert made Gilbert stay alert and always remind himself not to become overinflated.

Otherwise, no matter how much experience he had from his previous life, excessive arrogance could lead a person down a bottomless pit and ultimately to failure.

After the test screening, the pre-release reviews of The Rock had already started appearing in the newspapers.

Roger Ebert gave it his signature thumbs up, and on his movie review show, he recommended the movie to the audience.

"If you ask me, the movie you must see this summer is The Rock. I've been to the test screening, and I can tell you, it's beyond expectations. It's almost the pinnacle of today's action films. So, I highly recommend you go see it in theaters for an exhilarating experience."

Roger Ebert's movie review show had the highest ratings in the US, so his influence over millions of moviegoers was not an exaggeration.

Another critic, Kenneth Turan, criticized the film for lacking artistry, not delving into the characters' inner worlds. The entire movie seemed to pass by with meaningless explosions, gunfights, and car chases.

But for summer moviegoers, they mostly had some judgment; they knew that a film with plenty of explosions and gunfights was exactly what they wanted for the summer.

Summer blockbusters were all about commercial films, and so-called art films didn't stand a chance in this season.

The two critics represented completely opposing groups of moviegoers: one group praised the film, while the other group criticized it.

This was normal; every commercial film would face similar situations, both praise and criticism.

The promotional department believed that one-sided praise or criticism wouldn't work. There had to be controversy, as it generated curiosity, prompting moviegoers to head to theaters.

During the final meeting before the premiere, Charles Roven and Gilbert discussed the details. "The promotional department thinks it might be a good idea to hold the premiere at Alcatraz Island. What do you think?"

"Alcatraz?" Gilbert considered the feasibility of setting up a large screen and holding an outdoor premiere on the island. "If the weather is good, it could be a great choice."

"Don't worry, it's almost always sunny in San Francisco in May, with rare rain." Charles Roven assured him.

"That's good," Gilbert agreed with the plan. "Let's hold it on Alcatraz Island. By the way, don't forget the guest list, especially Tom Hanks."

Having worked with Gilbert on several films, Charles Roven knew that Gilbert wanted to invite Tom Hanks for his next project.

He nodded. "Don't worry, I'll personally invite him." Holding the premiere on Alcatraz Island was going to be a unique experience.

Moreover, as a summer blockbuster, the film's premiere would have a luxurious guest list.

But before the premiere of The Rock, Gilbert attended the premiere of," While You were sleeping ", a romantic comedy starring Naomi Watts.

This was a low-budget romantic comedy released by Buena Vista under Disney, originally starring Sandra Bullock, but due to Gilbert's influence, Naomi Watts took the lead role.

The director of the film, Jon Turteltaub, was an unknown filmmaker who had only made two unsuccessful films. The male lead, Bill Pullman, had been a minor actor in Hollywood before"While You were sleeping "

Given the low budget and the relatively unknown cast, the premiere was not a big affair, but Gilbert was by far the most famous person there.

Of course, Cameron Diaz and Charlize Theron also showed up to support their friend Naomi Watts.

Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio also came to support the film after receiving invitations from Gilbert.

At this point, the guest list might not seem impressive, but looking back a few years later, you'd realize that all the guests were Hollywood superstars in the making.

Naomi Watts was happy, knowing that Gilbert still thought of her. Despite his busy schedule with his upcoming film, he still took the time to attend her premiere.

As she introduced Gilbert to the film's cast while holding his arm, Naomi Watts beamed with pride, her smile almost crooked with joy.

" While You were sleeping " wasn't anything particularly special. It was just another typical romantic comedy with some humorous and heartwarming moments.

Naomi Watts might not be tall, but she was full of charm, especially when she smiled. She looked stunning.

At least the male moviegoers in the back were voicing their admiration, which proved Naomi Watts' charm in the movie.

After watching the film, Gilbert told Naomi Watts, "This film has a bit of a Sleepless in Seattle vibe. It's perfect for a date night. It would have been even better if it had been released around Valentine's Day."

Naomi Watts was thrilled and asked, "So, will you watch the film?"

"Of course," Gilbert knew how to flatter women. "It would be best to watch it with you."

Naomi Watts glanced at Cameron Diaz and Charlize Theron behind them, then smiled, "Ha, if you watch this film with me, I think Michelle and Sally will want the same treatment."

Gilbert, being generous, replied, "Then we'll do one per day…"

Although he said that, in reality, with his busy schedule during the summer blockbuster season, Gilbert wouldn't have time to accompany all three women.

As Gilbert had predicted," While You were sleeping " turned out to be quite good.

Though it hadn't reached the peak of the summer season, the movie theaters were starting to recover from the off-season.

In its first week," While You were sleeping " grossed $9.29 million, a solid start, making it the top movie of the week.

By the second week, just in time for April 30th, the film had already earned $23.565 million in North America, covering its costs and making a modest profit.

Before the summer blockbuster season even began, this small-budget romantic comedy had already earned some surprising returns.

More importantly, this movie boosted Naomi Watts' value.

The director was an unknown filmmaker, and the male lead was basically a small player in Hollywood, so it could be said that Naomi Watts carried the film at the box office.

Being able to carry a film on your own was an important indicator of becoming a top-tier star. Julia Roberts didn't become an A-list actress just because she was pretty.

Sure, many adult film actresses were probably more beautiful than Julia Roberts, but she became America's sweetheart, the dream of many American men, while the adult film actresses only played their roles when men needed their services.

The reason was simple: Julia Roberts proved her commercial value at the box office.

So, being beautiful was just the foundation. Beyond that, there were many decisive factors.

Of course, Nicole Kidman might be an exception.

Many actresses at the bottom of the industry waited for opportunities but ended up fading away without recognition.

In contrast, while Naomi Watts had struggled at the bottom, she was much luckier.

.....

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