The summer box office was never short of blockbuster films. In May, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers got things off to a great start, followed by Shrek, which also performed well.
Although Pearl Harbor did not meet expectations, Rush Hour 2 managed to keep the summer season's momentum strong in the North American market.
The only regret was that Rush Hour 2, despite performing well in North America, East Asia, and Southeast Asia, did not meet expectations in Europe and Latin America.
But that was understandable. While Hollywood films dominated the global market, not every Hollywood movie was universally welcomed. When it came to worldwide box office appeal, Jackie Chan still couldn't compare to Hollywood's top-tier superstars.
Jackie Chan was certainly well-known across the world, but fame didn't always translate into box office success.
Jackie Chan's Adventures was meant to give him the opportunity to turn that global recognition into true box office power and become a genuine Chinese superstar.
An interesting thing about Pearl Harbor was that since Gilbert had also made Saving Private Ryan, another World War II film, comparisons between the two were inevitable—just like how the media constantly compared Michael Bay to Gilbert.
To be honest, though, this was unfair to Pearl Harbor.
One was one of the greatest World War II films of all time; the other was a melodramatic war movie with a love triangle. There was no real comparison.
Yet, anti-Gilbert media still tried to hype up Pearl Harbor, hoping to knock Gilbert off his pedestal.
This was much like a certain LeBron in later years—calling himself the GOAT, dismissing Kobe, Curry, and Durant, and barely acknowledging Jordan.
The key difference was that LeBron called himself the GOAT, whereas Michael Bay was forced into comparisons by the media.
It was unclear what Michael Bay himself thought about this, but he rarely claimed to be better than Gilbert in public.
Gilbert, having watched the Chicago Bulls play in person at the invitation of their owner, knew basketball well.
Frankly, even in those two years when Jordan played baseball, Gilbert figured LeBron would have been easily swept by Scottie Pippen's Bulls.
LeBron had the media hyping him up, while Michael Bay was manipulated by the media to be pitted against Gilbert.
By now, LeBron had already gained a lot of fame in high school basketball, and Gilbert frequently saw reports about him in sports newspapers.
Every time he saw LeBron's face, Gilbert couldn't help but think of the classic Planet of the Apes franchise.
Speaking of which, the Tim Burton-directed Planet of the Apes, starring Mark Wahlberg, was set to release in July this year.
As for media hype, Michael Bay would probably say: I'm not the GOAT. Stop comparing me to Gilbert—I can't win.
The media's anti-Gilbert agenda ended up backfiring. Pearl Harbor's box office numbers declined quickly, struggling to cross the $100 million mark in North America, and only barely managing $120 million overseas.
For a big-budget World War II film, this revenue was far from enough to break even.
Recouping its costs would require a long time—just like how The Shawshank Redemption took a decade to turn a profit.
But Hollywood didn't have many standout young directors. Michael Bay was the tallest dwarf in a short crowd, so to speak.
If they didn't want to praise Gilbert, and they didn't want to remain neutral, the anti-Gilbert media needed to find someone who could rival him.
There was more to this than just media narratives. Some members of a certain island club had long wanted to teach Gilbert a lesson.
Yet despite all their efforts, Gilbert's films continued to dominate globally, making these people feel humiliated.
In their worldview, no one had ever dared to ignore them like this before. But Gilbert refused to engage with them, refused to communicate, and severed all ties with anything related to them.
This left the people on that island wondering—was Gilbert actually an anomaly?
If he was part of the liberal crowd, then why did he behave so differently from their usual devout followers?
Back on that island, Nate and Marvell were having another conversation. This time, though, they hadn't summoned a dozen young women to accompany them.
Nate's expression was particularly unpleasant. "We've done so much to stop Gilbert's success, but it hasn't worked at all.
Just last week, on June 24th, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers reached $478 million at the North American box office, with a global total of $988 million.
It's performing just as well as the first film—maybe even better.
Are we really powerless to stop him?"
Marvell's expression looked somewhat grim. Although he did not agree with Nate's methods, he believed that Gilbert's temperament would never accept such coercion.
But unexpectedly, Gilbert simply did not care. No matter how they tried to threaten him, it was useless.
And the truth was, Gilbert had no reason to care. Ultimately, though their ideologies differed, Gilbert was an undeniable member of their own ranks—one of their own.
Some of the harsher measures that could be used against outsiders could not be applied to Gilbert. Otherwise, it would cause severe backlash.
After all, if they even went that far against one of their own, who would dare to associate with them in the future? No one would trust them anymore, fearing that they might be targeted next.
However, this created a problem—since they couldn't resort to extreme measures, whatever they did was nothing more than scratching an itch for Gilbert. He simply did not care.
Marvell spoke in a heavy tone: "Many people are watching us now. If we fail to deal with Gilbert, it may have negative consequences."
"Nate, you miscalculated."
Nate understood exactly what Marvell meant. Their group had always maintained a kind of mythical aura—instilling the belief that those who did not join them would suffer the consequences, making others afraid.
But now, Gilbert ignored them entirely, giving outsiders the impression that their threats were ineffective against him.
As a result, the myth would shatter, and people would no longer fear them. This was incredibly dangerous for their group because, in the process of doing things, they had naturally made a lot of enemies.
Before, those enemies had been too afraid to retaliate. But now, seeing Gilbert remain unscathed, they might gain the courage to strike back.
Nate suddenly found Gilbert extremely frustrating—he just stood there openly, and yet they could do nothing about him.
After thinking for a while, Nate asked Marvell, "How did Gilbert's father leave Hollywood back then?"
Marvell's eyes flickered. "You're saying we should target Gilbert's father?"
"That's right." Nate paced back and forth. "If we bring Gilbert's father to the island, I don't believe Gilbert will remain unmoved."
"That makes sense," Marvell hesitated, "but his father is retired. Doing this… won't it be too much?"
Nate cut him off. "We can't afford to care about that now. If Gilbert neither joins us nor faces any consequences, the fallout will be disastrous."
Marvell was silent for a long moment, seemingly weighing the situation.
Finally, he made his decision. "Alright, Nate. I hope your plan is the right one. I'll get someone to investigate."
"Thank you, Marvell..." Nate said solemnly.
While Nate and Marvell were discussing their strategy, Gilbert was not idle either—he had gone back to stay with the old man for a couple of days.
"Ellie will be graduating from university next year. We need to arrange a job for her," the old man said.
Gilbert thought of the adorable Ellie—before he knew it, she had already grown up.
Finding her a job was a simple matter. Gilbert nodded. "No problem. What does she want to do? Join Melon Studio, or another company?"
"Meryl wants to place her at Banana, but Ellie idolizes you and Sophia. She wants to break into the film industry. The two of them are arguing about it right now." The old man sighed, looking a little helpless.
Gilbert chuckled. "On my birthday, Aunt's family will be coming over from San Francisco. We can discuss it then."
"Alright, I'll leave it to you." The old man was not worried about this matter.
He quickly brought up something else. "I heard you bought a house in China?"
"Yes, a traditional courtyard home, quite spacious. I lived there for a while during my work in China," Gilbert replied curiously. "Why do you ask?"
The old man, with his sharp instincts, gave Gilbert a warning. "You've had a conflict with those people on the island, yet nothing has happened to you. That's not something they want to see.
I think they may take action soon. I was considering going to China for a while after your birthday."
The old man was not certain about everything, but when it came to sensing danger, he was almost never wrong.
At the same time that Nate was formulating his plan, the old man had already prepared to leave.
Gilbert knew that it was the people from the island, but he was unclear about who exactly was involved.
So, he asked, "I want to know—who, specifically, is targeting me this time? The people on the island aren't completely unified, right?"
"That's true," the old man reassured him, "Don't worry. I've already asked some friends to investigate. We'll have an answer soon."
"In that case," Gilbert thought for a moment and said, "Once we find out, arrange a meeting with the person responsible."
"You want to go to the island?" The old man thought Gilbert was planning to surrender.
But Gilbert immediately dismissed the idea. "Go to the island? I might as well go to the moon. I just want to meet them somewhere, smooth things over, and settle this.
I'll make my movies, they can continue ruling their island, and we won't interfere with each other."
"That might be difficult," the old man said doubtfully. "Your refusal has already caused a chain reaction.
They've been too aggressive over the years, making a lot of enemies, but those enemies were too afraid to retaliate.
If they can't deal with you, their so-called invincible image will collapse, and that will put them in danger."
"So, this is an irreconcilable conflict?"
"Yes," the old man nodded. "What do you plan to do?"
"What do I plan to do?" Gilbert smirked. "I won't go to the island, but I can make them come to me."
June 29th—Gilbert's 31st birthday. On his personal website, countless fans sent him birthday wishes.
However, Gilbert did not attend any commercial events that day, even though The Matrix Reloaded was premiering nationwide.
Ever since the first Matrix film in 1998, fans had been eagerly anticipating The Matrix Reloaded.
Even with a different director, seeing Keanu Reeves in his iconic trench coat and sunglasses alongside the long-legged Charlize Theron reassured fans—it still had the same feel.
Earlier trailers had been dissected by "Matrix scholars" online, and audiences had long been waiting for the full release.
Gilbert did not attend the premiere, but at the event, fans still held banners wishing him a happy birthday, and the interviews kept bringing him up.
Keanu Reeves, during his interview, said, "This time, my action scenes are even more intense—there's a fight against a hundred clones."
Regarding Gilbert, he added, "Gilbert has always had a special place in my heart. My breakout role in Speed was directed by him.
I'm very grateful to him. Happy birthday, Gilbert."
Director James Gunn remarked, "When making the Matrix sequels, Gilbert gave me a lot of advice.
He was involved as a producer, and the story was already mapped out for us. I believe fans won't be disappointed."
Italian goddess Monica Bellucci teased, "If I were ten years younger, I would definitely chase after Gilbert.
He's a genius—charming and full of mystery..."
She might have been trying to ride the hype, but it also showed Gilbert's immense appeal. She even shared a playful black-and-white kiss with Jada Pinkett Smith, igniting the crowd.
Martial artist Collin Chou showcased a 360-degree spinning kick, drawing gasps from the audience.
Charlize Theron made a stunning entrance, sending male fans into a frenzy, her cheers rivaling Keanu Reeves'.
However, her next words left them heartbroken: "After the premiere, I'm heading to celebrate Gilbert's birthday."
The beautiful Trinity had long belonged to Gilbert, leaving male fans to rage helplessly.
When The Matrix Reloaded hit theaters nationwide, it received a strong reception. The film leaned more towards commercial appeal, cutting back on the excessive philosophical musings.
Because of this, it drew criticism from some reviewers, who felt James Gunn failed to capture the philosophical depth of the original.
But that was precisely Gilbert's intent.
Learning from past mistakes, he was sure that if they delved too deeply into philosophy, audiences would dislike it—even resent it.
So, shifting slightly towards commercial appeal was necessary.
And judging by the box office and audience reactions, his decision was a success. Most viewers approved of the sequel.