Director in Hollywood

In its previous life, Titanic faced numerous challenges before its release—insufficient promotional resources, widespread media skepticism, and general predictions of failure.

Its eventual box office triumph was purely due to audience support, allowing it to persist in theaters for an extended period. Though its weekly earnings were never particularly high, the film managed to consistently appear on the weekly box office charts.

Now, with Gilbert's involvement, the Titanic project had received far more attention, and its opening weekend box office significantly outperformed its past trajectory.

In its previous life, Titanic debuted with a $28.638 million opening weekend. But now, it had grossed $43.892 million.

However, media coverage remained as harsh as before. Most outlets showed no mercy, acting as if the film was bound to fail any moment.

The reason was simple—its opening weekend earnings seemed disproportionate to its massive $200 million production budget. If the film had cost only $50–60 million, the media would likely be praising it instead.

But, of course, Titanic could never have been made on a mere $50–60 million budget.

Gilbert wasn't the least bit concerned. As he had said before, the very people mocking the film today would soon be singing its praises.

Unsurprisingly, Titanic dominated the box office in its first week. With no real competition, its opening numbers were solid.

After the first weekend, Christmas week arrived.

According to standard box office trends, a film typically experiences a sharp drop in earnings in its second week, following an explosive debut.

A decline of 40% or less is already considered an impressive hold.

If Titanic followed this pattern, its Monday box office would not exceed $10 million, and its final North American earnings would likely range between $200–250 million.

But to everyone's shock, Titanic's Monday earnings defied expectations—it actually increased by several hundred thousand dollars compared to Sunday, reaching $17.036 million.

Neither 20th Century Fox nor Paramount had anticipated such a phenomenon—Monday's earnings surpassing the weekend's was unheard of.

As for the critics and media? This number hit them like a hammer to the skull. All their predictions of failure, all their mockery and vitriol—suddenly, it had all vanished into thin air.

It was as if someone had pressed the mute button on the world. Apart from the film studio's celebrations, no other voices could be heard.

Some tried to dismiss it as a fluke.

But then came Tuesday, traditionally a half-price movie ticket day.

And Titanic pulled in another staggering $18.493 million.

The media and critics were left utterly dumbfounded once more.

This time, however, they did not remain silent.

After seeing Titanic's relentless box office performance, many media outlets quickly shifted their stance, abandoning their previous skepticism and launching into full-fledged praise.

But at this point, Titanic no longer needed their endorsement—audience word-of-mouth had already solidified its success.

In theater surveys, moviegoers spoke bluntly:

"We came just for this movie."

Theater staff noticed that tickets for Titanic were selling out faster than they could accommodate, prompting managers to request additional screenings.

Yet, even with extra showings, they still couldn't meet audience demand.

A group of four or five young women, when interviewed, admitted:

"We watched it last Saturday, then again on Sunday. Today is our third time."

A freckled girl, completely smitten, gushed, "Leonardo is so handsome—I love him!"

Male audiences were no different. A fan named Durant proclaimed, "My God, Kate is so beautiful—I'd drink her bathwater!"

On Wednesday, Christmas Eve, the rate of increase slowed slightly, with Titanic earning $19.034 million that day, pushing its total North American box office to $98.455 million.

At this pace, Titanic was sure to cross the $100 million mark on Christmas Day.

Seven days to reach $100 million—going from a film the media scorned to a box office phenomenon.

Though Titanic's daily earnings weren't astronomically high, they were remarkably steady.

As its numbers climbed higher each day, those who had dismissed the film were left dumbfounded, their shattered glasses littering the floor.

The media completely reversed course. What was once mockery, scorn, and criticism had now transformed into effusive praise, demonstrating the art of opportunism in real-time.

Charlize Theron, reading these articles, fumed, "These media outlets… Just days ago, they were attacking you, claiming your golden touch was gone, predicting a financial disaster.

"Now they've flipped their stance, and they don't even apologize!"

"If apologies worked, we wouldn't need guns," Gilbert joked in classic American fashion before waving it off. "That's just how the media is. Fortunately, the audience sees the truth. Their opinions matter far more than any critic's."

Charlize hesitated for a moment before finally admitting, "I have to say, I didn't have much faith in the film at first either.

"I shouldn't have doubted your judgment. I was wrong."

Gilbert paused, then smiled. "Sally, there's no need to apologize. Doubt is natural. Honestly, I'm glad you have your own independent judgment and didn't blindly trust me."

Charlize, visibly touched, leaped into Gilbert's arms. Clad in a sleek black bodysuit, she slithered against him like a seductive serpent.

"Gilbert, I'm so glad I have you…" she murmured, closing her eyes, revealing a rare, tender side of herself.

Meanwhile, Titanic continued its unstoppable journey through theaters.

In the days that followed, its momentum remained strong.

By December 28, after ten days in theaters, Titanic had amassed $157 million in North America.

The media constantly revised their box office predictions—initially estimating $200 million, then $250 million, then $300 million.

Now, the latest forecast suggested Titanic might reach $400 million domestically.

But even that, according to Gilbert, was an underestimate.

During a call with James Cameron, Gilbert confidently stated, "I believe the film will surpass $600 million domestically."

Cameron was baffled. Where did Gilbert get such confidence?

But Gilbert's conviction was unwavering. Even in moments of self-doubt, he had never wavered in his belief that the film would be a success.

Now, reality was proving him right. Titanic was performing just as he had predicted.

Seeing Gilbert's track record, Cameron couldn't help but believe him.

As Titanic's box office soared, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced the Golden Globe nominations.

Unsurprisingly, Titanic led the pack with eight nominations.

Gilbert's The Sixth Sense also secured five nominations—Best Motion Picture (Drama), Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Drama), and Best Supporting Actor.

The Academy Award nominations were still a ways off.

But based on the original timeline, Titanic was set to sweep the Oscars as well.

Its impact was simply too massive. The Academy wouldn't dare ignore it just because of earlier critical backlash.

To snub Titanic would only damage the Oscars' credibility—Titanic itself would suffer no losses. If anything, it would only gain more sympathy.

After Christmas, Titanic expanded to international markets, beginning with its homeland, the UK.

In its first weekend in the UK, Titanic grossed an impressive $30.215 million.

In France, it took the box office by storm. Countless French couples left theaters in tears, only to return for another viewing.

France's Minister of Culture, alarmed by Titanic's overwhelming success, urged French audiences to boycott the Hollywood film.

But the romance of Jack and Rose had already captured the hearts of French moviegoers.

Romantic French youth ignored their Minister's plea.

And so, in its opening week in France, Titanic dominated the market, grossing $28.563 million.

The same happened in other overseas markets where the film was released. Wherever Titanic went, it conquered. It successively captured Germany, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and other major markets.

Especially in Japan, Titanic achieved an astounding first-week box office of $45.068 million, surpassing even its North American debut.

This was largely due to the sensation Titanic had already caused in North America, rippling across the globe.

A film that caused such a stir in North America was almost always bound to be popular worldwide—unless it was an exception.

Titanic then arrived in Hong Kong and instantly crushed the local film industry. Hong Kong filmmakers found themselves in despair, realizing they simply couldn't compete.

Even mainland China was not spared. The scene where Jack draws Rose remained untouched by censors, allowing the film to be screened in its entirety. Audiences in China were captivated by the sheer quality of the film.

Countless young men and women would forever regard Titanic as the greatest movie of their lives—with no competition.

At this point, everyone understood that comparing Titanic to a normal film by standard industry rules was pointless. The film operated on its own unique principles.

And those principles could be summed up in two words: domination and endurance.

Titanic's box office endurance was astonishing. As it continued to shatter records globally, North America entered its third weekend, and the film's box office total officially reached $242 million.

Reportedly, the betting odds in Las Vegas had already shifted—wagering on a $500 million box office was now at 1:1 odds. Media predictions finally aligned with Gilbert's stance: Titanic was now expected to surpass $600 million in North America alone.

But the most surprising aspect was actually the overseas box office. In its first week of wide international release, Titanic grossed a staggering $256 million.

At this moment, the combined North American and international box office was still not enough for Titanic to break even.

But everyone knew one thing: it was only a matter of time. The question wasn't whether the film would turn a profit, but by how much.

During the first week of the new year in 1998, Titanic not only secured its third consecutive North American weekend box office crown but also launched a crucial revenue stream: the soundtrack album.

In its first week, the Titanic soundtrack album sold 560,000 copies in North America. In its second week, sales skyrocketed to 780,000 copies.

Just like its box office, the album's sales kept rising week after week, outperforming releases from some of the biggest pop stars. It climbed to the top of the music charts, leaving many industry giants in its wake.

While Titanic's financiers—20th Century Fox, Paramount, and Gilbert—reaped immense profits, one person in particular also benefited: Céline Dion.

After years of struggle, she finally made her breakthrough thanks to My Heart Will Go On. With this song, she joined the ranks of Madonna, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston as one of the four queens of 90s pop music.

Céline Dion even personally called Gilbert to thank him, as it was his recommendation that led to her singing the film's theme song—an opportunity that changed her career forever.

The soundtrack didn't just perform well in North America; it performed even better overseas, with sales nearly double those of the domestic market.

At the same time, Titanic-related merchandise, including Jack and Rose figurines, character-inspired clothing and hats, Titanic ship models, and more, began flooding the market—continuously generating massive revenue for the film.

As previously mentioned, over time, a film's biggest revenue stream comes from its merchandise, with box office contributing only about 30%.

But in this case, the film was still in its theatrical run, yet merchandise sales were already catching up to box office earnings.

This was an unprecedented level of profitability. The investors were making an absolute fortune, celebrating their overwhelming success.

Initially, everyone thought that 1997 belonged to Steven Spielberg and Gilbert, the master and apprentice duo. But no one expected that, in the end, James Cameron would be the one to dominate.

Cameron had his moment of triumph, overcoming past struggles and returning to the spotlight—proving once again that he was the unrivaled king of blockbuster filmmaking.

As Titanic continued to sweep across the global box office, a different film quietly wrapped production after the new year—The Matrix, at Warner Bros. Studios.

Gilbert casually posted a few wrap-up photos on Facebook, but aside from his loyal fans, no media outlets covered it.

All eyes were still on Titanic. Nobody had the time to focus on other films.

But the promotional campaign for The Matrix was moving forward steadily. Gilbert had already discussed marketing strategies with his PR manager, Marco Wald, assembling a dedicated team of internet shills.

This was likely the world's first organized online viral marketing campaign.

Their primary task? Spreading conspiracy theories online—subtly drawing in curious internet users.

Suddenly, a mysterious group emerged on the internet, promoting the idea that the world was fake—that humanity was trapped inside a simulated matrix.

They claimed that to escape, people had to "wake up."

When curious users followed their breadcrumbs and clicked on a provided link, they were taken to a website with a constantly flickering green code-like interface.

The homepage featured a man and a woman, standing back-to-back, guns in hand, dressed in sleek leather coats and sunglasses—exuding a cool, mysterious aura.

Beneath them, a line of text read:

"Do you want to know the truth about the world? Join the Matrix Resistance. We will wake you up..."

Clicking further led to various enigmatic fables questioning the nature of reality, along with philosophical references from Buddhism, Taoism, and other belief systems.

It all seemed profound—just obscure enough to make people curious and eager to learn more.

Needless to say, this was the official website for The Matrix.

Since the film revolved around a digital matrix, Gilbert fully embraced the rapidly growing internet as a marketing tool.

With the internet as his battlefield, the virus of The Matrix spread effortlessly.

As a result, while mainstream media was still fixated on Titanic, a subset of internet users had already been drawn into The Matrix.

One such user was Butcher Ruth, a die-hard fan of Gilbert in New York.

After watching Titanic twice, Butcher Ruth decided he had seen enough.

He admitted it was a good film, but unlike many women, he wasn't obsessed with it.

It simply didn't hit his adrenaline-fueled sweet spot.

Gilbert's films, however, always did.

Even The Sixth Sense, with its mind-blowing twist, had thrilled him.

At home, he heard about some hacker-related website. Curious, he clicked on a banana forum link that led him to the so-called hacker site.

There, he saw cryptic images—not just lines of matrix code, but also mechanical squids and strange crops grown by the machines.

Beneath them was a bizarre paragraph, with one phrase standing out:

"Wake up! You are being enslaved by the Matrix. Seek the truth—you are the chosen one."

This completely thrilled Butcher Ruth.

He wasn't naïve—he knew it was fictional. But he loved the interactive mystery and was excited to be part of it.

No doubt, this was a promotional campaign for The Matrix.

At that moment, Butcher Ruth finally understood what The Matrix was about.

It wasn't about traditional "hackers." It was about a hidden, digital reality beyond human comprehension.

With cyberpunk aesthetics, mechanical threats, and enigmatic philosophical ideas, this film was nothing like The Sixth Sense.

It had all the makings of a massive summer blockbuster.

Knowing this, he eagerly checked Gilbert's Facebook page and found confirmation—the first trailer would premiere during the Super Bowl.

He immediately marked the date on his calendar.

And he wasn't alone.

Many other fans were now completely hooked.

And this was exactly the effect Gilbert wanted.

A successful blockbuster didn't just need a great film—it needed great marketing.

Gilbert may not have been a marketing expert, but he had seen all the best tricks in action.

Now, he was applying those strategies to this era—a textbook case of a "low-dimensional" marketing massacre.

As the promotional efforts continued, the Golden Globe Awards ceremony arrived. Gilbert attended the event alongside Bruce Willis and young Haley.

However, the film only secured one award—Best Supporting Actor—which went to Haley.

This made him the youngest recipient of the Best Supporting Actor award in Golden Globe history, leaving audiences amazed.

Meanwhile, Titanic emerged as the night's biggest winner, sweeping multiple categories, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song.

After the Golden Globes, Titanic continued its unstoppable box office dominance. Soon, February arrived, and with it, the announcement of the Oscar nominations.

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