The first X‑Men film in 2000 grossed $157 million in North America, ranking sixth among that year's domestic box office.
That year's top earner was The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which took in $517 million.
Now that the Lord of the Rings trilogy had concluded, X‑Men 2 made a strong return.
Actually, the first X‑Men recouped its costs through its box office, and went on to profit via merchandise and rights—which is why 20th Century Fox was able to develop a sequel.
Thanks to a solid foundation from the first film, X‑Men 2 had a splashy run this summer season.
The film opened on the second weekend after Pirates of the Caribbean and earned $95.9 million, dethroning Pirates and claiming the weekly box office crown.
That figure was actually about $10 million higher than X‑Men 2's first‑weekend take in its previous iteration.
This may have been due to Gilbert's influence, prompting 20th Century Fox to invest more and improve the film's quality.
The better the X‑Men franchise performs, the harder it becomes for Marvel to reclaim its rights—Spider‑Man faces the same issue.
Theaters' surveys showed X‑Men 2 received strong audience acclaim—87 percent favorable ratings, with an average grade of A.
Excellent word‑of‑mouth and quality, combined with visual effects rivaling Pirates of the Caribbean and sequel momentum with a built‑in fan base, made such opening numbers unsurprising.
Pirates of the Caribbean still performed respectably. On its second weekend, it pulled in $30.214 million; with the four weekdays combined, its weekly total reached $78.013 million—almost matching its opening weekend.
Ten days into its North American run, it had earned $157 million, surpassing previous releases to temporarily top domestic box office charts for the year.
Exhibitor analysts noted that Gilbert's films exhibit remarkable staying power—box office doesn't plummet during weekdays, but declines steadily in a healthy manner.
Other films typically drop 30 to 50 percent in their second weekends, but Gilbert's films fall much less, sometimes even rising.
Of course, that stems from strong weekday performance.
In fact, regarding second‑weekend drops, Pirates of the Caribbean performed on par with other films.
Hence many experts concluded: to achieve Gilbert‑level box office success, studios must pay attention to weekday performance, not just weekends. After all, even small gains add up.
Though Pirates of the Caribbean lost to X‑Men 2 in the North American market, it delivered a heavy blow globally.
Unlike Pirates's strategy, X‑Men 2 premiered simultaneously in 93 overseas countries along with North America—thanks in large part to Fox's parent company, News Corporation.
With strong domestic results, it garnered $88.45 million overseas in its first week—solid.
Combined with domestic earnings, its global box office for the week was $184.35 million.
Meanwhile, Pirates of the Caribbean also debuted broadly overseas, earning $112.5 million in its first international week.
Combined with its North American take, it amassed $191.213 million, narrowly surpassing X‑Men 2 to become the global box office champion that week.
X‑Men 2 was unlucky; despite its efforts, it failed to premiere simultaneously in France, Italy, and several European nations—its main downfall.
French filmmakers have long derided Hollywood directors—Spielberg and Lucas among them—as trash from their industrialized film perspective.
Yet French audiences, with genuine actions, show what they like—Hollywood films usually perform well in France despite cultural gatekeeping.
This summer was no different. Before the season began, French filmmakers urged the Ministry of Culture and film authorities to strengthen censorship and limit Hollywood imports.
Unexpectedly, excited Gilbert fans in Paris organized demonstrations with over 100,000 participants protesting these policies.
Remember, France has a tradition of revolutions and the Bastille—political protests might not sway authorities, but mass protests over cinemas shocked the film bureaucracy. Combined with diplomatic pressure from Washington, French film authorities had to relent.
Thus Pirates of the Caribbean entered the French market successfully.
But the proud Gauls wanted to save face—allowing one Hollywood film meant restricting another, so X‑Men 2 suffered and wasn't released in France.
French film industry professionals painfully realized that their so‑called Nouvelle Vague movement had effectively destroyed French cinema.
France and its filmmakers were once world‑renowned, producing many globally iconic directors.
But as the older generation aged, new filmmakers fell into the trap of New Wave ideology—losing their former cinematic glory.
Confronted with the Hollywood onslaught, they could only shout slogans—nothing changed.
A mere art film—even if it features bare artistic sacrifice—can't compete with a mega commercial blockbuster.
Pirates of the Caribbean exemplified this. When it premiered, France also released an art film.
Though its leads gave performances sacrificing their bodies for art with many passion scenes—
Even with the actress flaunting her exquisite figure, it failed to capture French men's interest.
They were far more captivated by pirates, treasure, and skeletons on the big screen—like excited children.
And you can't overlook French women.
Pirates of the Caribbean features Orlando Bloom, a global super‑idol. French women had long been enchanted by Orlando Bloom's smile.
Moreover, Captain Jack exudes irresistible charm. Women who favor an edgy aesthetic were rendered speechless upon seeing him.
Since the art film could neither attract men nor women, it was destined to flop.
This served as a resounding wake‑up call for French filmmakers. Led by Luc Besson, they proposed a new strategy: vigorously develop France's domestic film industry and move toward commercialization.
Although many conservative French filmmakers criticized this, Luc Besson argued that French cinema had reached a point where change was imperative.
The proud Gallic rooster still had ambition, whereas other countries lay passive.
It seemed as if they were saying to Hollywood, "Go ahead, I won't resist—you may do as you please."
In fact, Hollywood films did release freely in those countries, then swept up a vast share of the box office.
This week's battle was split: X‑Men 2 won North America, while Pirates of the Caribbean triumphed overseas, making their combined results evenly matched.
Judging by box office performance, 20th Century Fox's decisions were sound.
If it weren't for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, X‑Men 2 still stood a chance. But against The Lord of the Rings, X‑Men 2 would undoubtedly fall far behind.
After two weeks in North America, the Pirates team split. Johnny Depp and Gilbert headed to Central and South America for promotion, while Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley traveled to Europe.
"Why are you coming along?"
On the flight to Rio de Janeiro, Gilbert spotted an unexpected person—Paris Hilton.
"I'm part of the crew too. Why wasn't I invited to the promotional events?" Paris Hilton was noticeably displeased.
"Uh…" Gilbert hesitated, then explained, "Usually only principal actors participate in promotional activities."
Paris Hilton looked upset. "I thought you'd say it was because I'm busy at work. That would hurt my feelings."
Gilbert shrugged dismissively—he didn't want to engage with this princess‑disease woman.
Paris Hilton, however, didn't back down. "I'm going to Brazil with you, and I even brought my good friend."
"Who?"
From the seat in front of Gilbert, someone popped up and said hello, "Hi, how are you…"
"Ivanka—you're here too…" Gilbert was surprised. It turned out to be Donald's daughter, Ivanka, whom he'd met a few times in New York.
Friends with Paris Hilton? Gilbert quickly deduced that the New York socialite circle was small, so it made sense they knew each other.
"So…" Gilbert asked, "Aren't you attending Wharton Business School?"
"Yes," Ivanka explained, "this semester just ended, and Paris invited me to Rio de Janeiro to hang out."
Gilbert shot a skeptical glance at Paris Hilton. "You two clearly aren't alike—how do you even get along?"
Paris Hilton bristled. "What do you mean? Am I a bad person or something?"
"Not a bad person, but close enough," Gilbert replied bluntly.
Paris Hilton was furious and refused to talk to Gilbert. But seeing how well he and Ivanka were chatting, she couldn't help but join the conversation.
During the South American promotional tour, Paris Hilton and Ivanka served as temporary female companions, traveling with the crew across major cities.
Paris Hilton expressed a desire to sleep together a few times but was consistently rebuffed by Gilbert.
At first, he might not have refused—after all, no commitment—but now he had children, so he had greatly restrained himself.
The South American tour went smoothly. On the return to North America, Ivanka said she wanted to gain work experience and find a job.
Seizing the moment, Gilbert offered, "How about coming to work for me as an assistant?"
"An assistant?" Ivanka considered whether it was feasible.
"Don't worry—Anna will train you. The job is simple," Gilbert said.
"I'll think about it!" Although Gilbert's offer enticed Ivanka, she decided to discuss it with her father before giving an answer.
....
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