Chapter 365: High-Spirited

The British Royal Secretary presided over this knighting ceremony. He first introduced the contributions made by Gilbert, and then invited him to take the stage.

"Let us welcome, Gilbert Landrini…"

Amid the applause of high society, Gilbert, dressed in a solemn suit, walked onto the stage with a confident, almost defiant stride.

"We're delighted to have Director Gilbert back in Britain, back in London," the Mayor of London took over to preside over the ceremony.

"Wherever there are people, the great art of cinema is being spread. Wherever there is a screen, Director Gilbert's films are being shown.

Today, Britain and London welcome a man who has made outstanding contributions to both film art and the promotion of British culture…"

"Her Majesty has decided to bestow the title of Knight on Director Gilbert, and the London City Hall has also passed a resolution to award him the title of Honorary Citizen."

With that, the Mayor of London formally presented the certificate symbolizing honorary citizenship to Gilbert, and the hall was filled with applause.

After receiving the certificate, Gilbert gave a short speech:

"Thank you, thank you. I've always liked the city of London. It has a rich cultural heritage and a deep historical foundation.

Through the art of cinema, I've formed a strong bond with London. I'm truly honored to become an honorary citizen of this great city."

Following the honorary citizenship came the official knighting ceremony.

First, a team of Royal Guards marched into the ceremonial hall, and the Royal Orchestra played the British national anthem God Save the Queen. Everyone stood in solemn reverence.

Accompanied by the anthem, Queen Elizabeth entered the hall slowly, supported by Prince Charles, and waved gracefully.

She took her seat on the Queen's chair, while Prince Charles acted as the master of ceremonies:

"Today, by order of Her Majesty the Queen, the British Royal Family formally bestows the title of Knight Bachelor upon Gilbert Landrini.

Gilbert Landrini, step forward and receive the Queen's investiture."

Gilbert stepped forward as instructed. He had previously been trained by a ceremonial officer, so everything went smoothly.

He performed a knight's bow before the Queen. The elderly Queen stood with some effort, gently tapping each of his shoulders with the ceremonial sword.

Throughout the ceremony, the clicking of cameras was constant as journalists captured every moment.

Afterward, Queen Elizabeth presented Gilbert with the official certificate and medal representing his knighthood, and offered him some kind words mostly formal pleasantries.

Then, Gilbert posed with the Queen for a photo, marking the end of the ceremony. He was now officially a Knight of the British Realm.

In the past, British knights had to swear loyalty to the Queen.

But nowadays, knighthood is more honorary in nature, awarded to those who have made significant contributions to the UK and the Royal Family.

Perhaps many people in Hong Kong envy this honor, but Gilbert didn't care much. It was fine to have it, and fine not to have it.

After the ceremony, Queen Elizabeth, feeling tired, went to rest.

A banquet followed. At the banquet, Gilbert and Prince Charles engaged in a warm and friendly conversation.

Prince Charles remarked that the UK and the US are like father and son steadfast allies. Hollywood cinema is popular in Britain, and Britain also has many outstanding filmmakers and actors.

He hoped that Gilbert would help promote more British talents and continue contributing to British film culture.

Gilbert responded that the UK had long been one of his most important markets. Almost every year, he would visit to promote his films.

He appreciated the enthusiasm of British film fans and had great fondness for London landmarks like Big Ben, the London Eye, and London Bridge.

At the end of the banquet, Gilbert took a group photo at Buckingham Palace's grand hall alongside Prince Charles and various British social elites.

Attendees from the Lord of the Rings crew included Sir Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, and Anne Hathaway.

The next day, Gilbert and Prince Charles attended the FA Cup final.

Worried that Gilbert might not understand the game, Prince Charles thoughtfully arranged a guide to explain the team lineups, league standings, and football rules.

Gilbert was a casual football fan more or less just knew the basics.

But still, watching a match live felt completely different than on TV. The crowd, the excitement it was exhilarating.

Even someone unfamiliar with football would get swept up in the passion and join the festive atmosphere.

Gilbert thoroughly enjoyed the match. He didn't fully understand the rules, but as long as he knew when the ball went into the goal, that was enough.

The stadium's big screen often showed him in the crowd, and many football fans were also fans of his films.

During halftime, Gilbert was interviewed and asked about his feelings watching the match live.

Gilbert replied, "It's very exciting, very passionate. I hope both teams give us a thrilling match. I'm looking forward to how the game unfolds."

After the interview, Prince Charles asked him,

"Would you be interested in buying a football club?"

"You mean a Premier League club?" Gilbert asked.

"Yes. What about Burnley?"

Gilbert shook his head. He had never heard of Burnley. He had heard of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal clubs currently playing in the FA Cup final.

If he had to buy a club, it would be one like Arsenal or Manchester United.

Gilbert didn't know much about football, but even someone with no interest in the sport had heard of the big-name clubs.

Names like "Aviero" and "Youssi" sounded vaguely familiar to him probably still in youth training at this point.

Gilbert was curious:

"Your Highness, why do you want me to buy Burnley?"

Prince Charles replied a bit awkwardly,

"I'm a Burnley fan. But the team is struggling right now, and I was hoping someone could help rescue it."

As royalty, Prince Charles couldn't get directly involved, so it was better for an outsider to handle it.

But Gilbert had little interest in Burnley. He thought for a moment and said:

"I know a North American sports mogul, Mr. Kroenke. I can introduce him to you.

He has a sharp eye for sports and owns a team in each of the four major American leagues like the Denver Nuggets (NBA), the Colorado Avalanche (NHL), and the St. Louis Rams (NFL).

He also owns a lacrosse team and the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer.

I think he'd be very interested in the Premier League."

It wasn't something you could force. Prince Charles didn't insist either. An introduction to someone more experienced in the sports industry was good enough.

In the end, Arsenal won the match and lifted the FA Cup trophy.

Gilbert and Prince Charles attended the award ceremony and congratulated Arsenal on their championship.

After watching the FA Cup final, Gilbert didn't stay long in London. He soon set off for China.

As for the ram's head statue that Prince Charles had given him, Gilbert didn't bring it with him to China. Instead, he had it sent back to his Melon Estate in Los Angeles for safekeeping.

After all, Charles had just given it to him. If Gilbert immediately donated it to China, it would seem too bold and showy.

Prince Charles might feel that Gilbert was disrespecting him, and he'd be quite upset.

A young man could act recklessly and impulsively without worrying about consequences. But Gilbert had more to consider.

He still needed to navigate the Western world, and being too aggressive or showing too much favoritism wasn't in his best interest.

Better to wait a few years let people forget about the whole thing. Then, quietly donate the ram's head to China, without drawing too much attention.

By then, Prince Charles likely wouldn't care anymore.

At that time, all Prince Charles could think was: Why am I still a prince? When will I finally ascend the throne and become the King of England?

After all, has there ever been a crown prince who waited seventy years to take the throne?

This time, the Lord of the Rings crew came to China to promote the film as part of a tourism campaign related to the Lord of the Rings filming locations in China.

After all, some of these scenic spots have shares held by the Lord of the Rings studio. The more tourists come, the more substantial the profits.

Although it's not as quick as box office or merchandise revenue, it's a long-term income stream that continuously generates profit.

After wrapping up the promotional stop in Beijing, Gilbert held a press conference with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, attended by many Chinese journalists as well as those from Disney and Warner Bros.

The focus of the conference was on the tourist attractions. One journalist asked, "Director Gilbert, if Lord of the Rings fans come to China for tourism, where do you think are the must-visit places?"

Gilbert replied, "China has many breathtaking natural sites. If you want to experience the landscapes from the film, I recommend Jiuzhaigou and Zhangjiajie.

But if you want to feel the authentic Lord of the Rings story, I suggest visiting Bag End at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Minas Tirith, located in a branch range of the Lesser Khingan Mountains."

Gilbert even added, "I visited Bag End. It's barely changed it looks exactly like it did in the movie. All the props we used during filming are still there.

If visitors look carefully, they might even find Bilbo Baggins' discarded travel manuscripts, or the remnants of Merry and Pippin's pranks."

The second question was why Gilbert chose to shoot such a purely Western story in China.

Why? The biggest reason was to save money… plus a little bit of selfishness. But, of course, he couldn't put it that way.

Gilbert answered, "China has a profound historical heritage, and this kind of depth harmonizes with the tone of Lord of the Rings.

When we were scouting for locations, we were immediately captivated by the vast, majestic, and elegant natural scenery here.

So we decided to shoot here and looking back, it was absolutely the right decision."

After the Beijing promotion, Gilbert went on to do a promotional event in Shanghai, but he didn't stay in China for long.

At this point, the beach next to the Melon Estate in Malibu had already been converted into a dock capable of hosting a large yacht.

The original small yacht was no longer sufficient for a global trip, so Little Gilbert got himself a bigger one.

Originally, he would have had to wait a while for the new yacht to be built.

But once New York real estate tycoon Donald learned that Gilbert needed a large yacht, he transferred one he had already completed and left at the shipyard to Gilbert.

For this world tour, everyone was joining except for Charlize Theron, who was busy with work, and Anne Hathaway, who still had to participate in the later stages of Lord of the Rings promotions.

Gilbert had been planning this trip for a long time, and he had made ample preparations.

Meanwhile, as he was busy with travel plans, The Return of the King had entered its fourth weekend in North American theaters.

That week, Return of the King brought in another $51.27 million at the North American box office, down about 46% from the previous week a very healthy drop.

That brought the North American total to $475 million. It now seemed inevitable that it would break the $600 million mark domestically.

Overseas ticket sales also declined, though it opened in more than a dozen new international markets. Still, those markets weren't expected to generate high returns.

This week, Return of the King earned $163 million overseas. Combined with the North American numbers, the film grossed $214 million globally for the week, bringing its worldwide total to $1.136 billion.

It crossed the $1 billion mark with the ease of soaking in a hot bath. This made people wonder could Return of the King actually surpass Titanic?

And honestly, judging by the trend, it just might.

Even though its weekly gross had dropped compared to earlier weeks, the film was still raking in numbers that most Hollywood blockbusters could only dream of.

However, this weekend's North American and global box office champion wasn't Return of the King it was Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.

On May 24, George Lucas's Attack of the Clones was released simultaneously in over 70 markets worldwide.

Perhaps out of trust in Star Wars or simple nostalgia, fans flocked to the theaters with great enthusiasm… and left deeply disappointed.

Many came out saying it was the worst Star Wars movie they'd ever seen. If it hadn't carried the Star Wars brand, they wouldn't have gone at all.

Honestly, the criticism wouldn't have been this intense if Return of the King hadn't just caused a global moviegoing frenzy right beforehand.

Compared to Return of the King, Attack of the Clones just looked that much worse.

Roger Ebert from the Chicago Sun-Times criticized it: "The film is merely a technical exercise, lacking the joy and energy of a real narrative.

Even the title 'Attack of the Clones' reflects the film's lifelessness. Lucas's work is clearly showing its age.

Compared to the smooth pace and emotional richness of Return of the King, this is long-winded and clumsy in its storytelling."

Though Gilbert and George Lucas had no personal feud in fact, they were friendly in private that didn't stop the media from using Little Gilbert's film to highlight how bad Episode II was.

The New York Times commented: "This is a 2-hour, 12-minute action-hero commercial—a showcase for the latest digital filmmaking technology.

An opportunity for talented actors to speak the worst lines of their careers, all for a hefty paycheck.

It's basically not a movie if your definition of a movie involves vivid characters, dramatic tension, and visual storytelling."

Although Attack of the Clones was torn apart by critics, it still had some highlights. As The New York Times pointed out, it was Hollywood's first film shot entirely with digital cameras.

Due to hardware limitations, the digital footage needed extensive post-production to avoid looking distorted.

Fortunately, Star Wars has always had an operatic, fantastical tone, so the digital look wasn't too jarring.

At the very least, George Lucas had tried something new and opened a new path for other Hollywood directors.

Despite the bad reviews, Attack of the Clones earned $88.3 million in North America, claiming the top spot at the box office.

Its overseas numbers were decent too, bringing in $138 million across 70+ countries and markets.

Although its international performance didn't match Return of the King, the combined total made Attack of the Clones this weekend's global box office champion.

But the coming week wouldn't be as easy.

The following weekend, Sony Columbia Pictures' superhero movie Spider-Man was set to release.

And with Attack of the Clones suffering from poor word of mouth and losing fan momentum, it was unlikely to draw in much of the general audience. Its box office performance was bound to decline.

Still, this is Star Wars. Like Lord of the Rings, Star Wars's real money comes from merchandise after all, who doesn't want a lightsaber?

Thanks to the merchandise market, Attack of the Clones wouldn't lose money on the contrary, it could still generate massive profits.

Interestingly, while chatting with Spielberg, Gilbert heard some insider news: George Lucas was planning to retire.

He believed he was falling behind the times and could no longer keep up with the current movie industry.

Twentieth Century Fox, however, was trying to convince him otherwise. They didn't want their golden goose the Star Wars IP to just disappear like that.

Spielberg even said, "George asked me to ask you are you interested in taking over the Star Wars series?"

Take over? Gilbert refused. He was not a Star Wars fan and was not very interested in taking over this IP.

...

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