Time does not shift according to human will. Having celebrated his 28th birthday, Gilbert had spent eight years in Hollywood and had already adapted to the industry's peculiar and ever-changing landscape.
Due to the release of Deep Impact, Naomi Watts had to temporarily leave the film crew.
Fortunately, her dance foundation was solid, and she had prepared for this film for two to three years in advance. Missing a week or two of training wouldn't have much impact.
Gilbert did not attend the premiere of Deep Impact. Although he had a good personal relationship with Steven Spielberg, this was a DreamWorks project.
Spielberg was still Spielberg, forever Hollywood's most beloved director.
If DreamWorks simply wanted to be another Lucasfilm, Spielberg would remain highly welcomed. But since DreamWorks aimed to become a major studio, it was bound to face opposition from Hollywood's traditional giants.
Personal relationships were one thing, but when it came to major business interests, Gilbert kept a clear distinction.
From this perspective, he was already a seasoned Hollywood director and, even without holding a camera, a mature businessman.
Deep Impact faced significant challenges, particularly in securing its rating.
After finally getting a PG-13 rating, the film encountered further difficulties in marketing and distribution.
Despite these setbacks, Deep Impact still managed to earn $41.15 million in its opening weekend, making it a relative success.
Perhaps due to audience fatigue—since Armageddon had already depicted an asteroid impact—the film seemed to suffer from a repetitive theme.
During the weekdays, Deep Impact experienced a sharp box office decline, exacerbated by competition from other studios, causing its performance to fall below DreamWorks' expectations.
In its second week, the film grossed $24.52 million, marking a nearly 45% drop—an unhealthy decline.
Still, it seemed likely that Deep Impact would surpass $100 million in North America, and with international box office earnings and merchandise sales, DreamWorks was expected to recover its investment and turn a profit.
This outcome was not what Hollywood's major studios had hoped for, and DreamWorks could expect further challenges ahead.
The film's moderate success did not affect Naomi Watts' status or earnings—her paycheck was secure.
Some even believed that if she hadn't starred in the film, Deep Impact might have flopped.
After completing promotional duties for Deep Impact, Naomi Watts returned to the Chicago production, resuming her dance training as the film neared its shooting schedule.
While Deep Impact was only moderately successful, The Matrix was a massive hit.
Since its opening weekend, The Matrix grossed $263 million domestically, breaking the R-rated North American box office record previously set by Gilbert's own film, Saving Private Ryan.
The film was also widely popular overseas, having already earned $240 million internationally, bringing its total global box office to $503 million.
For now, it was the top-grossing film in both North America and worldwide.
Barring any surprises, The Matrix was expected to be the highest-grossing film of the year, reaffirming Gilbert's reputation as the king of the summer box office.
More importantly, Disney and Warner Bros. estimated that The Matrix would reach at least $290 million in North America and exceed $600 million—perhaps even $650 million—worldwide.
For an original, non-sequel, R-rated film, this was an astounding achievement.
Previously, only two original films had surpassed $600 million globally, each directed by a different filmmaker.
One was Gilbert's own The Sixth Sense, which grossed $317 million domestically and $754 million worldwide.
The other, unexpectedly, was James Cameron's Titanic, which had already exceeded $1.8 billion globally and was still playing in select markets.
Although Titanic was based on a historical shipwreck, the love story of Jack and Rose was original, so it counted as an original film.
Losing to Titanic was nothing to be ashamed of. Any film that lost to it had no reason to feel bad—Gilbert had already done exceptionally well.
Now, with James Cameron out of the picture, Gilbert had once again dominated the market with The Matrix.
Some might say it was a case of "when the tiger is away, the monkey becomes king," but even a monkey had to be capable of claiming the throne.
Moreover, studios preferred Gilbert over James Cameron. If given a choice between a Gilbert film and a Cameron film, studios would undoubtedly prioritize Gilbert's project.
The name "Gilbert" carried a reassuring sense of reliability.
But the name "James Cameron"? Just hearing it was enough to raise one's blood pressure—people didn't want to deal with him.
Beyond box office earnings, The Matrix was also performing exceptionally well in merchandise sales. By July, its merchandise revenue had reached $180 million—a staggering figure.
With such outstanding commercial success, Warner Bros. and Disney had no intention of passing up the opportunity for sequels.
The film's ending had already hinted at a follow-up.
After some discussion, Robert Iger approached Gilbert to ask about his plans for a sequel.
At Warner Bros. Studios, Iger watched as the actors endured intense training under dance instructor John Myre. He took a moment to appreciate their dedication.
"Congratulations, Bob, on your promotion to Disney's vice president," Gilbert said, handing Robert Iger a cup of tea.
Having known Gilbert for a long time, Robert Iger had grown accustomed to this strange Chinese beverage. Its fragrance was refreshing, and he had even taken a liking to it, often brewing a cup for himself.
Robert Iger had a certain flair—he had even sought out a tea master from a small island nation to learn proper tea-drinking etiquette.
First, he would bring the cup close to his nose, inhaling deeply to let the aroma penetrate his senses. Then, he would take a slow sip, savoring the sweetness that followed the initial bitterness, emphasizing a sense of elegance and romance.
If one ignored his foreign identity, Robert Iger might easily be mistaken for a true tea connoisseur.
In contrast, although Gilbert loved drinking tea, he had none of Robert Iger's formalities. His approach was more like a cow drinking water—straightforward and unceremonious.
Once the tea had cooled slightly, Gilbert downed it in one gulp, then let out a satisfied burp.
He confidently declared, "Only those who don't understand tea culture treat these external rituals as the essence of drinking tea.
For the Chinese, tea has always been a natural part of daily life. It was never meant to be overcomplicated.
It's only the people from that small island nation who pretend to understand it, creating a bunch of superficial rituals that miss the true essence of tea culture."
Of course, their differing tea-drinking styles didn't affect Robert Iger's growing fondness for tea under Gilbert's influence.
Whenever he visited Melon Manor, he would always take a pack or two of tea leaves back home.
Gilbert, too, often gifted tea leaves brought from China. Over time, everyone knew Gilbert was a tea lover.
In an effort to share a common hobby and topic with him, Hollywood suddenly experienced a surge in tea culture.
Unfortunately, most people adopted the small island nation's tea-drinking style. Unintentionally, Gilbert had helped promote their tea culture, something he hadn't anticipated.
After finishing their tea, Robert Iger spoke to Gilbert.
"I have to thank you for helping me secure my promotion to Vice President.
The massive success of The Matrix played a key role in getting me this position.
In a few years, when Mr. Eisner steps down, I will take over as President of Disney."
Without a doubt, by overseeing The Matrix, Robert Iger had successfully cleared all obstacles on his path to becoming Vice President.
Many vice president roles were merely honorary titles with little real power, but Robert Iger's position was different.
He was not only Disney's Vice President but also remained in charge of Touchstone Pictures, giving him significant influence.
After all, when it came to Disney's entire live-action business, no one was more knowledgeable than Robert Iger. Those who wanted to oppose his continued leadership at Touchstone had no solid grounds to do so.
This was also part of Michael Eisner's strategy. His control over Disney was weakening, so he needed to expand Robert Iger's authority.
And Robert Iger was worthy of such trust—his capabilities were beyond question.
After exchanging pleasantries, Robert Iger finally brought up the real reason for his visit.
"I can see that The Matrix is clearly set up for a sequel. Do you have plans to make one?"
Gilbert nodded. "To be precise, this is a trilogy. But I don't plan to direct the sequels myself."
"You want someone else to take over?" Robert Iger asked.
"Yes." Gilbert turned to his assistant, Anna. "Go and get James."
James Gunn arrived shortly, and Gilbert introduced him to Robert Iger.
"This is one of my assistant directors. He has been learning under me for a long time. He's talented and has both writing and directing skills.
I plan to entrust him with directing the next two films in The Matrix series."
Hearing that Gilbert wouldn't be directing personally, Robert Iger felt some concern.
"For a film like this, if you're not the director, I'm not sure it can achieve the same level of success."
"Don't worry, Bob," Gilbert said with a smile. "I'll be the producer and will also participate in writing the screenplay."
"As long as you're overseeing it, I feel reassured." Robert Iger then asked, "When do you plan to start?"
"We'll wait a bit. After next year's Oscars, we can officially begin work on the sequels to The Matrix."
Since Gilbert had already planned everything out, Robert Iger felt more at ease and soon took his leave.
James Gunn was still a bit dazed, unsure of what the two industry giants had been discussing. But he quickly found out.
"James, congratulations—you've landed a directing opportunity." Gilbert congratulated him.
"I got a directing opportunity?" James Gunn was stunned by the unexpected news.
It wasn't until the people around him started offering their congratulations that he realized this wasn't a dream—he had truly been given the chance to direct his own film.
Gilbert patted James Gunn on the shoulder.
"The next two Matrix films will be directed by you. Don't let me down."
James Gunn was ecstatic. "Thank you, Gilbert! I won't let you down—I'll work hard!"
Hard work was one thing, but whether or not he would succeed depended on his future performance.
However, Gilbert had confidence in James Gunn.