Currently, Titanic has accumulated a North American box office total of $661 million, surpassing its previous lifetime earnings in the original timeline.
Its global box office has reached $1.842 billion, once again exceeding its original worldwide earnings.
Like a slow-moving snail, the film continues to climb bit by bit, and it seems like it will keep going for a while.
With such an astronomical box office haul, coupled with strong merchandise sales, Gilbert's $50 million investment has brought him a return of $200 million.
At this point, no media outlets were mocking him, nor were they ridiculing major investors like 20th Century Fox and Paramount. Instead, they were now praising Gilbert's keen eye for investments.
It was even rumored that several film investment funds on Wall Street had adjusted their strategies—whichever movie project Gilbert favored, they would invest in as well.
Gilbert had become a guiding light for Wall Street's financial elites when it came to film investments. It was as if any project he backed was destined for profit.
If Gilbert were feeling mischievous, he could pick a high-profile flop from his past life and see how Wall Street's vultures would react to it.
In truth, what Wall Street really wanted was to invest in Gilbert's own film projects. Not only was he a fast shooter, but his films also maintained top-tier quality, with staggering box office revenue and merchandising profits.
Unfortunately for them, Gilbert's productions never lacked funding. Even Chicago, which many doubted, had plenty of investors willing to finance it, leaving Wall Street with no opportunity to step in.
Beyond his film ventures, Gilbert also made some strategic changes in his investment portfolio. His investment company was officially rebranded as Fruit Group.
To align with the Fruit branding, his social media platform, Facebook, was officially renamed Watermelon.
Why Watermelon? Because the inside is red, symbolizing a heart devoted to...
Currently, Watermelon's market valuation has already surpassed $10 billion, making it the largest social networking site in the U.S. and the number one platform for image sharing.
However, Gilbert was still not satisfied. After discussing with Watermelon's CEO, Mark, and CTO, Honey Mars, they decided to develop a microblogging platform to complement Watermelon's social ecosystem.
Gilbert's ventures in social media investments didn't stop there. He had also made an early move in China's tech industry.
When Tencent was first established, Gilbert immediately provided its founder, Pony Ma, with a $1 million angel investment.
Pony Ma, in desperate need of capital, didn't hesitate for long before accepting the offer. As a result, Gilbert became one of Tencent's shareholders.
But that was just the beginning. Gilbert knew that Tencent's empire would go far beyond social networking—its real financial powerhouse would be its gaming division.
Although gamers often criticized Tencent's games, there was no denying that Tencent's gaming business was an absolute money-making machine.
At the moment, the massive mobile gaming market had yet to take shape, but the console and PC gaming industry was already enormous and would only continue to grow.
Thus, in November 1998, Watermelon officially launched its gaming division, recruiting talent and starting game development.
Gilbert also provided the division with a few suggestions and ideas. Who knows—perhaps one day, his company might create franchises like God of War or Grand Theft Auto.
More importantly, gaming could be integrated with filmmaking, becoming an essential part of the merchandising strategy.
For instance, Gilbert had always been uncertain about how to approach Cyberpunk 2077, but he realized it could work as both a film and a video game—allowing him to profit from both industries.
Gilbert also wanted to bring The Last of Us—the story of Joel and Ellie—to the big screen.
Even though it was a post-apocalyptic tale, at its core, it was deeply human, making it an incredibly compelling story.
He still vividly remembered playing the remastered version on the PS4 in his past life, savoring every moment. He wondered what it would feel like to experience the story in a cinematic format.
As for superhero films, to be honest, Gilbert felt that making a The Dark Knight trilogy would be enough.
Even though he had acquired Marvel and become its majority shareholder, he had no desire to direct superhero films himself—he simply found them too dull.
That being said, Marvel's current situation was looking good. Since Gilbert's takeover, the company had streamlined its operations by cutting unnecessary divisions.
And in June, Marvel Studios was officially established in Burbank.
However, Marvel Studios wasn't in a rush to start production on its first project.
Gilbert had already mapped out a detailed long-term plan for the studio.
Instead, Gilbert had devised a detailed development plan for the company. Currently, Marvel's screenwriters were exploring the feasibility of turning the Marvel Universe into a film franchise while also conducting technical validations.
The most successful company among Gilbert's ventures, however, was undoubtedly Banana, which specialized in search engines and portal websites. Its market value had skyrocketed to $53 billion, a remarkable surge. With his controlling stakes in Banana, Watermelon, and several other companies, Gilbert's personal wealth had surpassed $20 billion, placing him just behind a select few individuals like Bill Gates.
Of course, that was only the wealth known to the public. Many of North America's richest individuals actually operated through family dynasties and financial groups, keeping their true assets private. For example, the Federal Reserve, which controlled the money supply, had twelve major shareholder families, but Gilbert still had no idea who they were. If these families wanted to, disregarding inflation, they could activate their nuclear-powered printing presses at any time, instantly making each of their members wealthier than Gilbert.
For this reason, Gilbert never considered himself truly wealthy. Compared to the top-tier elites, he was practically a beggar. Strangely, not many people even noticed that he was among America's wealthiest individuals. His achievements in film were what drew public attention, making people focus more on his identity as a top director while overlooking his status as a billionaire.
At his level, Gilbert had already gained access to certain exclusive circles. He had received numerous invitations and selectively attended a few, even becoming a member of a particular liberal club.
The club's New York headquarters had even prepared a permanent private suite for Gilbert, where he could stay whenever he wanted and engage in activities not meant for outsiders. However, since most of his business was in Los Angeles, he usually opted to stay in hotels when visiting New York rather than using the suite.
There was also another gathering Gilbert attended once, where he ended up spending $500 on ice cream and never returned. This was a fundraising event for a certain three-letter country on the Mediterranean coast. Since he was already there, he felt it would be inappropriate not to donate, so he contributed $500 to buy ice cream for everyone at the gathering. This simple gesture made it clear to everyone where he stood, and the liberals happily announced that Gilbert was one of their own.
Naturally, the other side was not pleased, but there wasn't much they could do about it. At Gilbert's level, as long as he didn't violate any fundamental principles of the "squid," the opposing side of the "squid" had no way to challenge him.
There was another incident that had been quite infamous in his past life—a certain New Yorker had purchased a private island and even invited that "person" for a visit.
Gilbert, too, had received an invitation. But as soon as he realized what kind of island it was, he immediately declined. His excuse was rather unusual—he claimed that the area was prone to tsunamis and earthquakes and that Chinese feng shui masters had said the place had bad energy. That was his reason for not going.
At this point, that island hadn't yet gained the kind of influence it would later have. Since Gilbert refused to go, no one could force him. As a result, he was fortunate enough to avoid ever being associated with that particular island.
This experience made Gilbert realize that as his status continued to rise, he would gradually gain deeper insight into the true nature of Western society. He had to mentally and practically prepare himself for what lay ahead. In the Western world, nothing was impossible if the stakes were high enough. If something seemed impossible, it simply meant that the incentive wasn't big enough yet.
Gilbert's strategy was to continually expand his network of vested interests, turning himself into a formidable entity. That way, if any unfortunate events were to occur in the future, anyone attempting to take action against him would have to think twice.
Of course, security was also a major concern—convertibles were completely out of the question. Every new car Gilbert purchased was of the highest security grade, equipped with bulletproof features. His security team was also operating at maximum efficiency.
Naomi Watts was puzzled about why security at Melon Manor had been significantly tightened. Gilbert didn't know how to explain it, so he simply told her that it was a precautionary measure.
Gilbert had also prepared an escape plan, with a safe retreat located far across the Pacific. His courtyard residence in Beijing was a comfortable place to stay, and if danger ever arose, he would flee there. Money was just a worldly possession—as long as he had enough to live on, that was enough. But life itself was irreplaceable.
After all, Gilbert couldn't guarantee that he would be lucky enough to reincarnate a second time. That was why it was crucial for him to maintain strong ties with those on the other side of the world.
Fortunately, relations between them were going well. The Lord of the Rings had already been Started there, and Gilbert had a massive fan base in the region. He was even an honorary dean at the Beijing Film Academy. His ties were strong—it was just a matter of securing a set of official state-commissioned porcelain as a diplomatic gift.
In mid-November, Chicago officially wrapped filming at Warner Bros. Studios, and post-production had already progressed significantly in parallel with filming.
According to the schedule, the film would begin limited screenings in late December and continue showing in this format until the Academy Awards ceremony before expanding into a full theatrical release in North America.
Although Chicago was designed as an Oscar contender, it was still a commercially appealing musical. Gilbert was confident that the film would be a major hit in the North American market.
Naomi Watts was now in full promotional mode, preparing for the Oscars. Meanwhile, after several open and candid discussions with Naomi and Gilbert, Catherine had set her sights on the Best Supporting Actress award.
Tom Cruise was also busy campaigning. Determined to win his first Oscar, he had started making public appearances with Nicole Kidman to generate buzz.
Gossip magazines frequently featured images of Tom Cruise gently holding Nicole Kidman's hand while out and about. Meanwhile, Nicole's pregnancy was now visibly showing.
The media had begun crafting an image of Tom Cruise as a dedicated actor, a loving husband, and a caring father—all part of his Oscar campaign.
Nicole Kidman wasn't without her own gains, using her pregnancy to attract attention. Whenever she and Tom Cruise were caught by reporters, they always put on a display of happiness. During one such interview, Nicole even stated, "Tom and I have decided that after our child is born, we want Gilbert to be the godfather."
When reporters later relayed Nicole's statement to Gilbert, he wasn't surprised. Tom Cruise had already mentioned this idea to him before. Naturally, Gilbert didn't deny it.
And so, even before the child was born, they already had Hollywood superstar parents and a world-renowned director as their godfather—making them more privileged than even Gwyneth Paltrow had been.
One could only imagine the level of media attention this child would receive once they were born.
Tom Cruise even joked with Gilbert, "I'd like to be a godfather too. When are you going to have a kid?"
Gilbert shrugged. "I'm working on it."
All of these efforts were necessary. Even though Gilbert's status gave him a strong advantage at the Oscars, that didn't mean he could take anything for granted.
Awards didn't just come on their own—if you didn't put in the effort or engage in the right networking, you wouldn't win.
This year's competition was no joke. The Weinstein brothers were backing Shakespeare in Love, a film that, in Gilbert's past life, was considered one of the most undeserving Oscar winners ever. The fact that such a film had won an Oscar was proof of the Weinstein brothers' lobbying skills.
Thinking he had the award in the bag and neglecting necessary work would be a huge mistake. Fortunately, Gilbert knew better than to underestimate the Weinstein brothers' capabilities. He was never one to let his guard down.