By the weekend following the releases of Cars and The Breakup, The Last of Us had entered its fifth week in theaters, earning $233.59 million in North America and $515.3 million worldwide.
Placed against this summer's lineup, particularly with Transformers achieving $585.5 million globally, the performance was fairly average.
However, the film still had additional box office potential, and the earnings to date had fully recouped its costs, marking it as a highly successful project.
Most importantly, from an outsider's perspective, this movie was entirely an original story. Gilbert had, through years of success, proven that he could make original films profitable.
In fact, many top-tier directors in Hollywood usually lacked originality, and the extreme risk of original films was a major reason studios hesitated to greenlight them.
During this week, Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan finally made adjustments to District 9, a project Gilbert had proposed, and officially submitted it to him.
After reading the script, Gilbert forwarded it to Disney and Warner, recommending that they approve the project.
From a purely script perspective, the original District 9 wasn't particularly grand. By rough estimates, a budget of $40–50 million would have sufficed.
However, the Nolan brothers felt that larger-scale scenes and a more intense, immersive atmosphere were necessary to fully capture the film's theme.
Once the script adaptation was complete, Christopher Nolan boldly requested a $100 million production budget, placing it firmly within the A-list film category.
If Gilbert himself were to direct, neither Warner nor Disney would have hesitated. But with Christopher Nolan at the helm, both studios had to pause and consider.
Nevertheless, Gilbert managed to convince Disney and Warner to proceed, keeping himself as the producer. District 9 passed approval and officially entered production.
Gilbert had immense confidence in Christopher Nolan's abilities, entrusting him entirely with the film crew and day-to-day operations.
Gilbert only concerned himself with the casting of lead actors, otherwise acting purely as an overseer.
Upon receiving confirmation of the project's approval, Christopher Nolan did not rush into casting but instead flew to South Africa again, intending to shoot on location, which required extensive coordination.
Another Gilbert-related project was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, with the three main Gryffindor leads returning.
The production team remained largely consistent: Robin Gend continued as producer, and David Yates remained as director, with the film slated for release in next year's summer season.
By now, the Harry Potter franchise's earnings had long surpassed those of The Lord of the Rings, with the young wizard enjoying immense global popularity.
Of course, neither Warner nor Disney could ignore The Lord of the Rings franchise. Executives had already urged Peter Jackson to begin work on The Hobbit, another trilogy.
Peter Jackson had ideas for The Hobbit, intending to adopt Gilbert's three-film consecutive shooting approach.
For Gilbert, it was beneficial to initiate the project early, and Orlando Bloom was confirmed to return as the elven prince.
Ian McKellen expressed strong interest in reprising Gandalf, and Oscar-winning Nicole Kidman confirmed in interviews that she would return as Queen Galadriel.
Familiar actors from The Lord of the Rings would return, with new characters also introduced, drawing attention from Hollywood's acting community.
Everyone knew that once The Hobbit entered production, assuming quality remained high, the films would inevitably succeed.
For many actors, this was an exceptional opportunity to add a prestigious entry to their resumes.
Although Peter Jackson was a die-hard fan of the novels, ultimate project approval rested with Gilbert.
After this week, the weekend for the release of Iron Man officially arrived.
Prior to release, Iron Man held multiple test screenings and limited previews, steadily building word-of-mouth. Before the premiere, media reviews were lifted and overwhelmingly positive.
"Iron Man's entertainment and storytelling are top-notch. The character is charming—brilliant, carefree, humorous, and confident—highly appealing to audiences. Coupled with heavy metal rock and explosive chase scenes, it delivers a thrill comparable to Spider-Man swinging among skyscrapers." — San Francisco Chronicle
"Robert Downey Jr. is the perfect Iron Man. Early doubts about the casting proved unfounded. Gilbert made the right choice." — The Californian
"All characters in the film are excellent, the scale is grand, and the visual effects are dazzling and intense. The standout is undoubtedly Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. Though her screen time is limited, she draws the attention of every male viewer. By comparison, Kate Beckinsale's Pepper Potts seems to pale in presence." — Hollywood Reporter
"The film vividly presents every detail of the Iron Man suit as it attaches to the human body, making viewers almost believe such armor could exist.
The scenes of Iron Man, accompanied by heavy metal music, blasting tanks and walking away without a backward glance, are absolutely cool.
Compared with other comic book heroes who often favor hand-to-hand combat with their foes, Iron Man's destructive power clearly surpasses them, with weapons integrated throughout his suit providing ample capability.
Other superhero characters often appear as saviors, rarely showing the same visceral impact.
From this perspective, Iron Man is undoubtedly the most formidable of all heroes." — Variety
Of course, the film did receive some criticism, primarily focused on the final battle between Iron Man and the villain.
Many reviews considered the climactic fight slightly underwhelming, though the movie remains an outstanding big-screen entertainment experience.
Online, numerous viewers who attended the early screenings discussed the post-credits scenes. Judging from the content, it seems Gilbert intentionally aimed to build a Marvel universe.
These discussions, combined with media praise, sparked anticipation among fans for this first self-produced superhero film from Marvel Studios.
Before the premiere, advance ticket sales for Iron Man had already surpassed $25 million. With contributions from early screenings, total pre-release earnings exceeded $30 million.
On Thursday, Iron Man held its grand premiere at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
In the film, the Chinese Theatre's façade is destroyed, but this did not affect the real-world premiere event held there.
After all, many of North America and Europe's iconic landmarks have been destroyed multiple times in Hollywood films—only then can they truly be considered iconic.
Moreover, compared to the Chinese Theatre, landmarks like San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge or New York's Statue of Liberty have clearly been destroyed on-screen even more frequently.
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