When it comes to describing the atmosphere at the premiere of Rush Hour 3, it can be summed up as the "three consecutive reactions of amazement."
"Oh my God," "Holy crab," "Unbelievable"… something along those lines.
For Jackie Chan to still be fighting at his age, even though some high-difficulty stunts already had to be handed over to doubles, most of the action in the film was still performed by him personally.
Those thrilling and dangerous action sequences would often trigger the audience's three-stage reaction of shock and amazement all at once.
Meanwhile, the interspersed comedic moments kept the fans laughing heartily.
This film maintained its usual level of quality, blending Jackie Chan's signature action-comedy with American humor very well.
There weren't too many complicated considerations—Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker bickering and fighting their way through, ending with the big battle in Paris, tense yet humorous, overall made for a pleasant viewing experience.
So when the film ended, the applause from the audience was truly heartfelt.
Charlize Theron, after watching the movie, felt very satisfied. "This movie was great! Jackie Chan's kung fu comedy is as outstanding as ever."
"Exactly," Gilbert laughed. "Last time Prince Abdul even told me he's a devoted fan of Jackie Chan. After acquiring MGM, he wants to invest in Jackie Chan's movies."
"Wow!" Charlize Theron knew how rich the Dubai prince was. "Looks like Jackie Chan won't need to worry about funding for his Hong Kong films anymore."
Jackie Chan had never fully devoted himself only to Hollywood; he often returned to Hong Kong to shoot local films. After finishing Rush Hour 3, he went back to make The Medallion.
According to schedule, once the second and third installments of The Adventures of Jackie Chan were shot back-to-back, Jackie Chan planned to make another film in his signature franchise, titled New Police Story.
The pace was incredibly fast, working without pause—nobody knew how Jackie managed to bear it.
But Charlize Theron wasn't interested in that; what she cared about was Gilbert's new project. "That crime film you told me about last time, with a decent role—what was it again?"
"Why? Are you interested?"
After handling some questions from reporters, Gilbert left the premiere with Charlize Theron.
Hearing her ask, Gilbert immediately knew she was very interested. She had even asked him earlier if he could change the two male leads into two female leads.
And honestly, it was quite an interesting idea, but from a box office standpoint, not realistic.
The story itself was simple: a crime plot about counterfeit money involving color-changing ink. Yes, it was Project Gutenberg.
Chinese-language cinema wasn't without great works—Infernal Affairs was an excellent one. Later Martin Scorsese would even remake it, and that adaptation would bring him his very first Oscar for Best Director.
Gilbert no longer had the desire to chase awards, so he wouldn't steal that project from old Marty. Besides, even if he filmed it, he wouldn't win awards—it had to be Marty.
But Gilbert was still very interested in Project Gutenberg's story. Usually, when Chinese filmmakers adapted foreign stories, they called it "Sinicization." For him, he would simply "Anglicize" Project Gutenberg—no problem at all.
The only question lingering was whether North American audiences would enjoy such a story.
Charlize Theron said, "If I can't be one of the two main leads, I wouldn't mind taking a small female role!"
"Of course not, you're an Oscar-winning actress," Gilbert agreed. "But I haven't decided yet whether to shoot it. Warner is pushing me to start preparing Batman, while I myself want to make a father-daughter story set in a post-apocalyptic world."
"A post-apocalyptic father-daughter story?" Charlize Theron was hearing this for the first time, so she asked, "What kind of story is that?"
"It's simple, just a struggle for survival after the apocalypse. I even thought of a title already—The Last of Us. How about that?" Gilbert tilted his head and asked Charlize Theron.
"Sounds interesting. Is there a role suitable for me?" Charlize Theron just wanted to be in one of Gilbert's films.
"Let me think…" Gilbert recalled the game's storyline. "Looks like most of the roles are too small—it'd be a bit of a waste for you."
"That's fine, I can just do a cameo! Oh, and when you shoot Batman, remember to save a role for me too." Charlize Theron wasn't picky.
"There's really no role in Batman that suits you," Gilbert looked at Charlize Theron. "If we're talking Catwoman, I think Jacqueline is more suitable than you."
"Why?"
"Because she's… bigger than you."
Charlize Theron froze for a moment, then realized he wasn't talking about age, but about that "big." Instantly flustered and angry, she pounced on Gilbert, scratching him in mock rage…
Endless springtime charm—everything left unspoken.
As for these three films, Batman already had a precedent in his past life, so for Gilbert it wasn't difficult—just follow the template.
The other two, however, were much trickier.
Among them, The Last of Us was something he had already discussed a bit with Tom Cruise while hunting together.
Tom Cruise was very interested in the story, saying he wanted to play the male lead.
Since his collaboration on Chicago had earned him his only Oscar for Best Actor, Tom Cruise had been longing for another chance to work together. This was a rare opportunity.
For another project, Gilbert's first choice was also Tom Cruise.
It might sound unbelievable to outsiders, but Gilbert actually wanted to bring together two Toms who had never worked with each other before, in one film.
The first-ever collaboration between Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise—add Charlize Theron into the mix—and you'd have two Best Actor winners and one Best Actress winner all in one movie. The prospect was dazzling.
With a lineup like that, no matter what the story was, at the very least it would grab massive attention. There would definitely be plenty of publicity angles to hype up.
Still, Gilbert hadn't yet decided which project to shoot first. He'd think about it later.
Besides, it wasn't even certain if the two Toms would be willing to appear in the same film.
Even if neither ever said it aloud, both had their own views on who truly reigned supreme as the brightest star of the 1990s.
After the premiere, Bad Boys II officially went head-to-head with Rush Hour 3.
Although the two films had been flinging mud at each other beforehand, which was common behavior, once the films were actually released, everyone went quiet instead, focusing only on praising their own movies, creating a seemingly friendly and harmonious atmosphere.
But once the fight had started, things were not going to end so easily.
In recent years, Will Smith, thanks to his excellent performances in multiple films, had gradually become the leading representative among Hollywood's Black male stars.
Jackie Chan was not far behind either, and the reputation of the Rush Hour series was also quite strong.
For a while, no one really knew which of the two films would emerge victorious.
But the first to take the lead was Rush Hour 3, earning $3.27 million in midnight screenings, higher than Bad Boys II's $2.83 million.
However, when it came to opening day box office, Bad Boys II beat Rush Hour 3 with $11.025 million compared to $10.272 million, temporarily claiming the opening day crown.
When Gilbert was out at sea fishing, he also received the survey reports for both films.
In terms of screening share, the two films were nearly identical, with differences only beyond the decimal point—basically negligible.
As for media reviews, although some outlets were clearly biased, most agreed that Rush Hour 3 was the stronger film in terms of quality.
Audience feedback was also telling. Rush Hour 3 had gathered 11,322 questionnaires, with an average grade of A–, a solid word-of-mouth result.
Bad Boys II was slightly weaker, earning an average grade of B+, which was still reasonable enough for a popcorn movie.
While audience scores can reflect a certain level of fondness, they cannot always be relied upon to predict box office potential.
Independence Day was proof of that—critics, media, and audiences alike had panned it, yet it went on to gross $900 million worldwide.
Clearly, audience surveys don't always represent the market response. In the box office world, a movie that earns big money is a good movie—this has been proven countless times.
On the second day, the battle between the two films continued, but this time Rush Hour 3 came out laughing last, surging to $21.306 million.
Bad Boys II also performed well but ended up second with $18.576 million.
By the third day, both sides showed off their tricks, launching all kinds of publicity offensives.
But obviously, when it came to connections and resources, how could Michael Bay ever compare to Gilbert?
Naomi Watts and Cameron Diaz teamed up to organize a "Melon Manor Sisters" movie-watching group, which the media conveniently caught attending Rush Hour 3.
Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted leaving the cinema with yet another new girlfriend, telling reporters that the movie was great and recommending fans to go see it.
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, along with their daughter Suri Cruise, also watched the film. Little Suri happily said she loved the movie produced by her godfather Gilbert.
And others too—Matt Damon, Johnny Depp, Keanu Reeves, Orlando Bloom, even Tom Hanks and his wife, and many more A-listers…
Either they were "accidentally" caught by media going to see Rush Hour 3, or they posted on social media to help promote it.
The key thing was, Gilbert didn't even have to ask. These people were all doing it voluntarily, simply out of goodwill toward him.
As for Gilbert himself, he merely posted three pictures on social media with a single question mark—and nothing else.
This tweet baffled fans. What did it mean?
Speculation about the three hand-drawn images flooded the internet, countless theories swirling around. On one side it was lively, on the other side it wasn't quiet either—everywhere was buzzing.
Facing this crushing blow, Michael Bay could only shout "Shameless!" but deep down he knew Bad Boys II was no match for Rush Hour 3.
Sure enough, the first-weekend box office results came out fresh: Rush Hour 3 topped the charts with $54.384 million.
Meanwhile, Bad Boys II fared worse, taking in $42.5 million, failing to meet Columbia Pictures' expectations.
In Rush Hour 3, Jackie Chan played Officer Li, while Will Smith had once played Agent J in Men in Black.
So this time, the box office war earned a witty nickname among netizens: "Officer Li vs. Agent J."
It even sounded like the title of a movie—who knew, maybe some director would find it amusing enough to actually film it, and maybe someone would even invest.
....
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