After wrapping up promotions in Chicago, Gilbert bid farewell to the crew and hightailed it back to Los Angeles. The rest of the publicity tour was left to Bruce Willis, Ryan Gosling, Naomi Watts, and the others.
At Warner Bros. headquarters, Gilbert met with the delegation from across the Pacific, led by Tian Congming, whom he'd met once before.
"Director Gilbert, nice to meet you again." Knowing that people in North America were more used to calling him "Director Gilbert," Tian Congming had adjusted his address.
"Hello, Mr. Tian, how have things been?" Gilbert shook Tian Congming's hand politely, not overly enthusiastic.
Tian Congming replied, "Not bad. The jet lag's a bit tiring, and I'm still getting used to the food, but otherwise, everything's fine."
"Fine" was an understatement. The dazzling world of America almost made the inexperienced officials and representatives from China Film Group lose their footing. You don't realize until you step out; it's startling how vast the gap is between us and developed countries. This stark contrast, undoubtedly, delivered a huge shock to their worldview.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Gilbert had his assistant, Anna, contact a Chinese restaurant in L.A.'s Chinatown, then took the delegation there for dinner. Though it was a Chinese restaurant, it had actually blended with local tastes, differing significantly from authentic Chinese cuisine. But dinner wasn't the main goal; discussing business was.
"Doug mentioned you're looking to import Hollywood films?" Gilbert's way of talking business made Tian Congming feel like he was dealing with someone from back home. Communicating in Chinese made things less awkward, no translator needed, and they were even negotiating over drinks.
"That's right," Tian Congming explained. "In January this year, during our meeting, we decided to reform the domestic film market. I remembered our pleasant conversation last year and thought about importing Hollywood films to show our audience what good movies should be like."
Even though Chinese directors had been winning international awards frequently in recent years, the higher-ups felt it wasn't enough. Plus, some films were going too far, essentially airing their dirty laundry for outsiders. They even had a fancy way of putting it: "exposing the bloody reality." So Tian Congming felt it was time for Chinese filmmakers to see what truly popular international films were like. Importing Hollywood movies and implementing market reforms would let the market decide where Chinese cinema should go. Of course, these were things only to be discussed behind closed doors, not with Gilbert, who was a foreigner.
Currently, the quota for imported films was limited, and the revenue-sharing ratio was only about eight percent. Tian Congming and his team had visited Paramount and Universal before, but those studios weren't very interested in the Chinese market. With only ten slots a year and such a small revenue share, how many tens of thousands of dollars could they even make? Only Warner Bros., thanks to Gilbert, was willing to talk with them. So Tian Congming figured he'd persuade Gilbert first, take a roundabout approach, and then negotiate the quota.
After explaining the ins and outs of the negotiation, Tian Congming continued, "I hope Director Gilbert can help us out. The quota is limited, and the revenue share can't be too high. Or, we could just do a buyout; China Film Group could pay a lump sum and buy the rights outright."
Gilbert didn't agree directly. Instead, he asked, "Mr. Tian, do you happen to know about Jurassic Park?"
"Of course, I've even seen a bootleg disc of it!"
"Bootleg?" Gilbert sounded confused.
"It came in from Hong Kong. Not just Jurassic Park, but your Speed too," Tian Congming replied.
That made sense. Back then, there were tons of bootleg disc operations in Hong Kong. Many local Hong Kong films were hit by piracy, let alone foreign movies that had nothing to do with them.
Gilbert continued, "Do you know how much Jurassic Park grossed worldwide? Nine hundred thirty million dollars."
"This..."
Before Tian Congming could finish, Gilbert cut him off. "Do you know how much my Speed grossed worldwide? Four hundred five million dollars. Frankly, Mr. Tian, the success of a film, besides its quality, depends on market size."
Gilbert continued to explain, "I'm one of the few Hollywood filmmakers who understands China a bit."
That was certainly true; after all, he could speak Chinese and knew a lot of Chinese history.
"At this stage, the Chinese film market lacks appeal for Hollywood, so everyone's not very interested. But the market potential is there. As long as there's some compromise on the revenue-sharing ratio and the import quota, I think Hollywood film companies will be interested."
Finally, Gilbert added, "Oh, by the way, I heard you're negotiating to join the WTO. If you can successfully bring in Hollywood films, it would be very helpful for your WTO accession."
Tian Congming immediately understood; this was a major political achievement. If he was responsible for introducing Hollywood films and it helped with WTO accession, he would be a huge contributor.
---
### Deals and Deliveries
After getting Gilbert's support and listening to his advice, Tian Congming re-opened negotiations with Warner, 20th Century Fox, and other Hollywood studios. This time, he had communicated with his superiors back home and secured authorization, making the terms much more flexible.
First, the quota for imported films was expanded to twenty, and second, the revenue-sharing ratio rose from eight percent to fifteen percent. While still not high, this share was already quite significant. With just this percentage, Hollywood film companies would only make a small profit; if a film performed well in the Chinese market, the majority of the earnings would go into China Film Group's pockets.
From what he remembered, in his previous life, the revenue share for imported Hollywood films was only thirteen percent until 2012, and it only increased to twenty-five percent after a new memorandum was signed.
Once the terms were mostly settled, both parties signed the import film agreement at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, witnessed by reporters. This was something that hadn't happened in his previous life, but now, under Gilbert's influence, it had truly come to pass.
As a pioneer, Gilbert's currently showing film, Real Steel, and his previous movie, Speed, were confirmed to hit the Chinese market in July. Also being imported were James Cameron's True Lies and Harrison Ford's The Fugitive.
Gilbert, who facilitated this, was praised by industry insiders, especially the old timers at the Academy, as well as the Directors Guild and Producers Guild. They believed Gilbert had made a remarkable contribution to promoting Hollywood films. It was a shame he was too young; otherwise, he might have received one or two awards. But this was good too. This credit would be noted, and when he aimed for an Oscar in the future, those old Academy members and other voting members would likely cast a vote for him because of this.
This might not seem too important now, but Gilbert believed it would play a significant role in the future. He and James Cameron were effectively the first Hollywood directors to enter the Chinese market.
---
### Box Office and Celebrations
While negotiations between China and Hollywood film companies were in full swing, Real Steel finished its second weekend run. Over the four weekdays of its second week, the film raked in a total of $28.595 million at the box office. On its second weekend (three days), the film pulled in another $30.213 million. For the entire second week, it amassed $58.808 million, once again topping the weekly box office.
The only real competition that week was Brandon Lee's posthumous film, The Crow, which had a decent opening weekend of $14.425 million. That movie had quite the story; apparently, the original author, James O'Barr, initially wanted Johnny Depp for the role, but Depp declined. Then they approached River Phoenix, but he tragically died after a scandal. They eventually had no choice but to cast Brandon Lee. But then, unbelievably, Brandon Lee was fatally shot by a prop gun during filming. Perhaps because he was Bruce Lee's son, or out of sympathy for the deceased, or maybe because The Crow was actually a good movie, its opening weekend performance was pretty solid. Considering the film's low budget, turning a profit wouldn't be difficult.
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### Real Steel's Performance and Future Plans
Meanwhile, Real Steel, with its opening weekend and second-week box office combined, hit a total of $121 million. The box office was good, but the film's budget was a whopping eighty million dollars, and with promotion and marketing costs, the total budget was nearly one hundred million. Disney analysts estimated that the final North American box office would be somewhere between $180 million and $200 million. It looked like it wouldn't be able to achieve huge profits from North American box office alone, like Jurassic Park did.
However, the film could cover its costs just from the North American market and make a small profit, meaning the overseas and merchandise markets would be pure profit. This estimated profit outlook actually satisfied Disney, Warner, and the other investors. This was the normal state for Hollywood commercial films; Gilbert's previous low-budget, high-grossing movies were exceptions in Hollywood.
So, neither company had any complaints about Gilbert. In fact, after the North American box office crossed the hundred-million mark, they even threw a celebration party for him and the crew.
After wrapping up promotions in New York, Bruce Willis and the crew returned from New York to Los Angeles for the celebration. The star of the party, of course, was Gilbert, who kept hitting box office gold.
Bruce Willis, thanks to Real Steel, firmly cemented his position as a top-tier Hollywood leading man. He specifically sought out Gilbert to express his gratitude: "Seriously, Gilbert, I don't know what to say. Thank you for choosing me."
"Bruce, I chose you because you fit the role. As for the movie's success, that's thanks to everyone's hard work," Gilbert said.
"Anyway, thank you. If you ever need my help with anything, as long as I can do it..." Bruce Willis made a phone gesture.
"Okay, I'll give you a call if I need anything," Gilbert nodded.
After Bruce Willis, Ryan Gosling's mom also brought Ryan Gosling over to express their thanks. "Thank you, Director Gilbert. Our Ryan has a gift for you." Ryan's mom motioned for Ryan Gosling to hand it over.
Ryan Gosling held the gift box and handed it to Gilbert, then looked at him expectantly. Gilbert opened the gift box and found a clay sculpture, depicting Gilbert holding a megaphone and directing on set, with Atom, the robot from the movie, standing behind him.
"Wow," Gilbert exclaimed, "That's beautiful, Ryan, did you make this yourself?"
"Yeah," Ryan replied, "I practiced for a long time to make this. I hope you like it."
"I love it," Gilbert had his assistant take the gift, then patted Ryan's head. "I'll keep this model in my office and look at it every day."
Ryan Gosling was thrilled that his hard work wasn't for nothing; the director really liked it.
Besides chatting with the crew members, there were, of course, other film company executives who came to speak with Gilbert. Sheena Boone acted as his temporary date, constantly introducing Gilbert to various Hollywood film industry professionals, most of whom had Oscar voting rights. Knowing Gilbert's plan to aim for an Oscar, Sheena Boone naturally had to think ahead and lay the groundwork for him.
---
### Next Project: Alcatraz Action
It wasn't just about the Oscar push; these film company executives attending the celebration were actually more interested in Gilbert's next project. Paramount CEO Sherry Lansing inquired of Gilbert, "Gilbert, for your next film, could you let Paramount handle it?"
For such invitations, Gilbert typically deferred to his agent: "You can talk to Ms. Boone about that." An agent was a convenient shield for dealing with such troubles.
Sherry Lansing clearly understood this was Gilbert's polite deflection and wanted to press further. However, Warner Bros. CEO Jeff Robinov arrived just in time, forcing Sherry Lansing to drop the topic. Warner Bros. and Disney were firmly holding onto their opportunities to work with Gilbert, leaving no room for other film companies to get involved.
Watching Sherry Lansing move aside, Jeff Robinov approached Gilbert and asked, "Gilbert, what are your thoughts on your next film?"
"Jeff, Real Steel is still in theaters. I need a vacation," Gilbert rolled his eyes.
Jeff Robinov looked a little embarrassed but still said, "I'm not rushing you; I just wanted to hear your thoughts."
Gilbert already had a plan and nothing to hide, so he directly stated, "I want to blow up Alcatraz."
"San Francisco?"
"Exactly," Gilbert nodded. "I'm planning to make a super explosive action movie."
---
While Real Steel satisfied the various investors, Gilbert himself wasn't entirely pleased. Through this film, Gilbert had gained experience directing A-list commercial blockbusters. However, the film's performance and perceived quality still left Gilbert feeling like something was missing.
This made Gilbert realize that some conceptual films could be brought out early without issue, as they weren't too difficult to make and primarily relied on their innovative concepts to attract audiences. However, some mainstream commercial films weren't suitable for being brought across eras. For example, The Avengers, if made now, would be technically incredibly difficult to achieve. Therefore, when choosing a film project, one had to consider the film's background, current technological developments, market acceptance, and other factors.
Because of this, future material selection couldn't be taken for granted; it needed careful analysis and research before making a decision. That's why Gilbert decided to return to his preferred genre, action films, and planned to blow up Alcatraz.
Jeff Robinov's mouth couldn't help but twitch into a smile when he heard Gilbert planned to make an explosive action film, thinking of the massive profits from Speed. Gilbert was truly a cash cow, and Warner Bros. had to hold onto him tightly.
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