As a commercial film, as long as it ensures positive audience reception, the box office generally won't be too poor.
Captain America was undoubtedly a highly competent commercial film, even if the story was somewhat clichéd. But clichés exist because they work; otherwise, no one would use them, and they wouldn't become clichés.
Kenneth Turan praised the film highly, saying, "Almost half of the movie is about Steve Rogers' life before gaining superpowers.
Although many elements feel very familiar to North American audiences, Chris Evans' brilliant performance is one of the biggest highlights of the film.
He brings a believable, understated, and steady aura to the character.
Of course, the film is full of CGI, and the story itself can be quite absurd at times. But the narrative is well-structured, the direction meticulous, and it carries a charming, juicy, relaxed, and sincere spirit.
Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow is also a major highlight. Since Iron Man 1, she has been deeply involved in this film.
Now, Black Widow has become an indispensable character in the Marvel superhero series. Although she hasn't had a solo movie, she is very important to Marvel."
Indeed, this is true. In the past, much of Scarlett's popularity stemmed from Gilbert.
Everyone knows that from childhood, Scarlett followed Gilbert's lead, jokingly calling her Hollywood's princess. During her roles in Flipped and Lost in Translation, she still maintained the image of an artsy young girl.
But honestly, a female star's status is determined by her performance in commercial films.
Commercial films define commercial value, and only actresses with extremely high commercial value can be considered top-tier stars.
Meryl Streep has won countless awards, but few consider her a top-tier Hollywood star. Her highest-grossing film was last year's Mamma Mia!, earning $615 million worldwide.
The second highest was Knives Out, in which she played a supporting role, with a global box office of $413.35 million.
However, Meryl Streep's personal commercial value is not high, so she cannot be considered a top-tier actress, at most a good performer.
Charlize Theron became a top-tier actress because the Matrix series was a huge hit, greatly increasing her commercial value and making her a favorite for many major brands.
Later, winning the Oscar for Best Actress cemented her status.
Naomi Watts, from the mid-1990s, had one successful film after another, becoming the top Hollywood actress after Julia Roberts.
Although she has somewhat faded from public view now, her past glory remains.
Without a doubt, Hollywood is fiercely competitive. If one cannot prove their value, being replaced is inevitable.
Scarlett was following this path, steadily and safely.
As the summer season approached, the film market grew lively.
Riding this wave, Captain America did not lack audiences. Furthermore, the competing films during the same period lacked strong appeal, contributing to Captain America's blockbuster performance.
With proper promotion and creative events, Captain America grossed $70.52 million in its opening weekend.
Aside from the first Iron Man, this was the highest opening-weekend box office for any Marvel Studios film.
The release of this opening-weekend figure greatly excited Marvel Studios.
Kevin Feige happened to be in New York and convened a meeting with Marvel executives, which Gilbert also attended.
During the meeting, the executives unanimously affirmed Marvel Studios' current work and discussed the next steps.
"In terms of film operations, without a doubt, Gilbert is the authority. We should listen to his advice."
Sitting at the end, Gilbert noticed all the executives' eyes on him. He cleared his throat before speaking.
"Then I'll say just a few words."
Gilbert said, "This summer, we have Iron Man 2 releasing, and work on The Avengers can be scheduled. Coordinate the actors' schedules, and then comes the crucial moment. All the effort so far has been for The Avengers, and I hope everyone maintains this momentum."
All the prior efforts—film after film—were laying the groundwork for the final assembly. For Marvel, the biggest test was about to come.
However, the executives were confident, because they had Gilbert.
Returning to Los Angeles from New York, Gilbert remained busy. Using information revealed from the superhero chat group about The Avengers, he posted a design schematic on his social media account.
The design depicted the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, featuring The Avengers title.
Marvel fans instantly became excited—could Gilbert's next major project be The Avengers?
This speculation sent fans into a frenzy. Everyone knew Gilbert was a master of superhero films, with the sensational impact of The Dark Knight still fresh in their minds.
However, fans were also divided into groups. For fans of the Batman series, what they most wanted was a sequel to the Batman films.
It was clear that after The Dark Knight, there was still more story to tell—the trilogy that Gilbert himself had mentioned.
According to Gilbert's plan, The Dark Knight Rises would still need to wait a while. He intended to release it only after people had somewhat forgotten The Dark Knight, making it the right time to bring it back.
Another person who was anxious was DiCaprio.
After Gilbert released the rough sketch of the Helicarrier, DiCaprio quickly left a comment:
"Ah? Didn't we agree to collaborate on a film?"
But that wasn't all—DiCaprio also called Gilbert.
"Gilbert, didn't you tell me to keep my schedule open for a collaboration? Why are you suddenly working on The Avengers? Are you asking me to star in that film?"
"Don't get excited yet, listen to me first."
Hearing DiCaprio's accusatory tone over the phone, Gilbert could only laugh and soothe his friend's emotions.
"How can I not be excited? I already mentioned it, and then someone asks—aren't we collaborating? How am I supposed to answer?"
"All right, all right," Gilbert calmed him. "Listen, the collaboration will definitely happen, and it's happening this year."
"Then what's with that image you posted?"
"That was just Marvel asking me to help with some promotion. I casually drew a sketch, nothing more. Don't get worked up."
DiCaprio relaxed after hearing this. "That's better, but I have one request."
"Go ahead…"
"Draw another sketch, and make it say that the next film you'll be directing is this one, and then I'll forgive you."
DiCaprio's tone sounded almost like a long-suffering romantic, full of subtle resentment.
Gilbert agreed immediately. "No problem. I'll draw another sketch and announce our collaboration to the public."
After all, the film would need pre-release promotion anyway, so it was convenient to do it this way.
Soon, Gilbert released another sketch—a city turned upside down—which left fans utterly confused.
More importantly, the sketch included the title: Inception.
Fans were completely dumbfounded—what film was he actually making?
Fortunately, DiCaprio clarified on his behalf: "This year, I will be collaborating with Gilbert on a film. It's our first time working together since Saving Private Ryan, thirteen years ago.
This time, I am the lead, starring in Gilbert's sci-fi action film. Please look forward to it."
...
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