Chapter 295: The Rules of Success

The summer movie season of 2000 was kicked off by Gladiator.

Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, the film was produced by DreamWorks and distributed by Universal Pictures.

However, upon its release, Gladiator faced strong resistance from Hollywood's major studios.

The reason was simple: the film was a DreamWorks production.

From the very beginning, the three founders of DreamWorks had made it clear that their goal was to ascend to the top tier of Hollywood.

Yet, while the major studios competed and collaborated with one another, they shared a common understanding—they would not allow any new players to join their ranks.

Even though United Artists had collapsed, even though MGM was no longer in its prime, Hollywood had shrunk from the Big Eight to the Big Seven and was now on the verge of becoming the Big Six.

But no matter what, the major studios would not accept DreamWorks entering their territory.

Thus, although Gladiator was distributed by Universal, the studio did not allocate sufficient resources for its promotion.

As a result, the film's release scale resembled that of an oversized B-movie rather than a major blockbuster.

Even so, Gladiator managed to secure a respectable $34.81 million at the box office in its opening weekend.

For an R-rated film, this was a solid debut—after all, not every R-rated movie could be The Matrix, nor could every one of them become a massive hit.

Considering its $100 million production budget, Gladiator stood a good chance of breaking even and even turning a profit if it could maintain a steady box office trajectory.

But this was precisely what made the major studios nervous—if DreamWorks' films were successful, it meant DreamWorks could survive longer, and that was something the industry giants did not want.

Behind closed doors, the major studios conspired to allocate more resources to suppress Gladiator.

During the film's release period, the industry was on high alert, and both Ridley Scott and the three DreamWorks founders were deeply anxious.

Fortunately, while the theater chains had close partnerships with the major studios, they were not controlled by them entirely. After all, antitrust laws were not to be ignored.

For the theater chains, profit was the priority.

Since Gladiator was performing well at the box office, it maintained a solid number of screenings, allowing it to continue drawing audiences.

While the summer season was crowded with new releases, only a few films posed real competition.

In the absence of strong rivals, Gladiator topped the box office for two consecutive weeks.

However, on May 19, that changed.

A new film entered the fray—produced by Melon Studios, distributed by Warner Bros., and produced by Gilbert.

Directed by Rob Cohen and starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Liv Tyler, and Jessica Alba, the racing crime film The Fast and the Furious made its debut that weekend.

Initially, Warner Bros. had planned to release this $38 million film in the spring or fall, avoiding the fierce competition of the summer season.

But Gilbert believed the movie had strong commercial potential and insisted on testing it in the summer lineup.

There was no special premiere for the film, nor did Gilbert organize one.

At its core, The Fast and the Furious was still a B-movie, and while Gilbert was the producer, hosting a grand premiere for it felt unnecessary.

There were no plans for a promotional roadshow either—the film's marketing relied primarily on online campaigns and traditional advertising.

Warner Bros. decided to wait for the opening weekend's box office results before determining whether to invest further in marketing.

This cautious approach was understandable—the film's director and cast were largely composed of second- and third-tier Hollywood names, making it difficult to predict audience reception.

Even though Gilbert was attached as a producer, he had minimal involvement in the film's actual production. Warner Bros.' skepticism was justified.

However, what Warner Bros. did not expect was that this mid-budget action film turned out to be a perfect fit for the summer audience.

It had everything—fast cars, beautiful women, explosive action, and intense stunts—exactly the kind of entertainment that resonated with summer moviegoers who just wanted to have fun without overthinking.

As a result, in its opening weekend, The Fast and the Furious stormed the box office with an impressive $40.89 million, seizing the third-weekend summer box office crown.

Warner Bros. was taken aback—was this film really that popular?

Realizing its potential, the studio immediately reached out to Melon Studios to boost its marketing investment.

The main cast was scheduled for promotional tours, talk show appearances, and other publicity events to further capitalize on the film's success.

During the first weekend of the film's release, Liv Tyler happened to be staying at Melon Manor.

However, upon seeing Anne Hathaway, who was already living there, she was visibly displeased.

"I originally planned to bring Mary over as well, but she has a French boyfriend now. When he heard about your reputation, she decided not to come," Liv Tyler said while munching on a pastry.

Gilbert shrugged. "What reputation?"

"A reputation for being a womanizer, of course. Look, you weren't paying attention, and now another one has moved in." Liv Tyler pointed at Anne Hathaway, who was walking down the stairs.

Gilbert defended himself. "I only let Jacqueline move in to coordinate the movie's promotion."

Using scandals to generate buzz for a movie was nothing new in Hollywood. Among the Lord of the Rings cast, Gilbert was the biggest name; the others weren't as well-known. Naturally, the task of stirring up gossip fell on him, and the tabloids began spinning stories about his rumored romance with Anne Hathaway.

Some gossip magazines even crafted a heart-wrenching love story, depicting Anne Hathaway's courageous pursuit of love—so touching that it could have been made into a movie itself.

Playing along with the media narrative, Anne Hathaway didn't move out of Melon Manor after the Oscars. Instead, she packed her bags and officially moved in.

Liv Tyler, however, wasn't convinced. She mercilessly teased him, "A beauty like her, right in front of you, with those long legs… I don't believe for a second that you can resist temptation."

"Uh..." Gilbert was momentarily speechless.

Liv Tyler wasn't wrong. A stunning woman living with him, showing admiration and affection—any normal man would find it hard to resist.

And Hollywood wasn't exactly a place where people exercised strong willpower against temptation. Compared to others who were even more indulgent, Gilbert felt no guilt at all.

So, on a certain night, after Anne Hathaway made her move, Gilbert naturally ended up having an intense night with her.

He particularly liked seeing Anne Hathaway in a tight-fitting outfit. Like Charlize Theron, she had a tall and leggy figure, which was exactly his type.

Her look reminded him of her Catwoman appearance in The Dark Knight Rises—seductive and irresistible.

"What are you two talking about?" Anne Hathaway approached, noticing how lively their conversation was and deciding to join in.

"We were discussing your journey to Hollywood stardom," Liv Tyler smiled, though there was a hint of jealousy in her tone. "Congratulations on starring in Gilbert's film."

Anne Hathaway blushed slightly. "You're doing pretty well yourself. I heard The Fast and the Furious had an amazing opening weekend in North America."

"Yeah, over $40 million. I'm exhausted. Next week, I have to travel nationwide for promotions." Liv Tyler stretched her toned waist, subtly showing off.

Although both had accepted the situation, they were still young—unlike Naomi Watts and others, who were more mature—so there was an underlying competitiveness between them.

But Gilbert stepped in just in time. He playfully ruffled their hair and said, "I heard there's a great new restaurant nearby. Let's go have dinner!"

"Sounds good!" Both women agreed, following Gilbert out for a meal.

The next day, a gossip magazine published photos of Gilbert having lunch with Liv Tyler and Anne Hathaway.

The headline was eye-catching: Gilbert's Two Lovers.

Some curious reporters even managed to interview Liv Tyler's father, Steven Tyler, the lead singer of Aerosmith.

The rock legend didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was quite approving. "Liv has always had great taste. She's grown up and has the right to pursue love."

The reporter pressed on. "But Gilbert has many women. There are five living at Melon Manor."

"Are they married?" Steven Tyler asked.

The reporter was stunned for a moment before shaking his head. "No, they're not."

Steven Tyler then replied, "Then it doesn't matter. Besides, even if they were married, so what? Monogamy goes against human nature."

The reporter was shocked by such a bold statement and decided to push further. "So you think polygamy is better?"

Steven Tyler remained ambiguous. "Or maybe even polyandry. Who knows?"

Naturally, his remarks were met with backlash from moralists.

But rock musicians had a different mindset from most people. They had said even crazier things before.

In some ways, Liv Tyler's bold and free-spirited personality was likely inherited from her rockstar father.

Despite the swirling rumors, with more women like Naomi Watts and Jennifer Connelly—both confirmed to be Gilbert's lovers—joining the mix, his reputation remained untarnished. Many people even admired his lifestyle.

There was an old Chinese saying: A talented man is always charming.

By definition, it meant that someone with exceptional talent would naturally attract many admirers and lead a romantic life.

To the general public in North America, Gilbert embodied that very concept.

At the heart of it all was the secret of success.

Gilbert was simply too successful in the film industry. His aura was overpowering.

Because people naturally gravitate toward successful individuals, anything unusual about Gilbert was seen as completely normal.

The summer box office race continued to heat up. Many assumed The Fast and the Furious would stay at the top for at least two weeks.

However, on May 26th, The Mummy Returns, the sequel to The Mummy, was released. The original cast returned, and it had been two years since the first film.

This time, Universal Pictures went all in on promotions—unlike the half-hearted efforts for Gladiator. They had immense confidence in the sequel.

And The Mummy Returns did not disappoint. It grossed an impressive $68.3 million in its opening weekend, setting a new summer box office record for the year.

Rachel Weisz, who had interacted with Gilbert before, secured her place as a top Hollywood actress thanks to the sequel's success.

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