Chapter 369: A New Player, A New Movie

"The shotgun uses buckshot. It doesn't require high accuracy, but the recoil is quite strong. Still, with your arm strength, controlling it shouldn't be a problem.

Once we find the prey, try taking the first shot."

The two of them proceeded through the woods, with several hunting dogs occasionally darting out barking, then circling back to their masters.

The lead hound kept its ears pricked up, using its sharp hearing and keen sense of smell to help its master locate prey.

Just as the sun passed its zenith, the lead dog suddenly barked loudly and signaled the other dogs to charge in a certain direction.

Moments later, the sound of hounds barking and animals crying came from that direction. A few wild deer, startled, dashed out from the underbrush.

The well-trained dogs drove the deer straight toward Gilbert and Tom Cruise.

"This is it," Tom Cruise signaled for Gilbert to prepare to fire.

Gilbert leaned against a fallen tree, propped the shotgun on it, loaded it, and fired. But the massive recoil knocked the barrel upward, and no one could tell where the shot landed.

He quickly took a second shot—this time luck was on his side. He hit a deer.

The rest of the deer scattered and vanished, while the one that had been hit ran several hundred meters before collapsing from blood loss and exhaustion, chased relentlessly by the hounds.

"Well done, Gilbert! Let's go see what you bagged," Tom Cruise said in admiration.

Gilbert sighed, thinking he was lucky to have landed that second shot. It was pure chance, no doubt.

The two of them hurried to the last known location of the deer, where the dogs stood guard over it.

"Nice work," Tom Cruise said, pulling some meat from his bag to reward the dogs before stepping forward to inspect the game.

"Not bad at all. This is a sika deer. Looks like it wasn't released from a ranch it's a second-generation wild one," he noted.

Deer farming is popular on Australian ranches. Originally, deer were introduced for recreational hunting.

But over time, some escaped, leading to the current plague of wild deer, which has caused significant damage to the local ecosystem.

Lacking natural predators, the deer population exploded. As a result, the Australian government often organizes deer hunting seasons, hoping that human hunters can restore balance to the food chain.

From the looks of it though, the efforts haven't been particularly effective.

Gilbert admired the deer's beautiful spotted coat and said to Tom Cruise, "These antlers and hide will make great keepsakes. Let's eat the venison tonight."

"Of course," Tom Cruise responded, and he contacted the hunting ground's staff. Soon, workers arrived to take the deer away for processing.

They were experienced and didn't need Gilbert to lift a finger.

Of course, if Gilbert wanted to process it himself, that could be arranged too but it required skill and technique. Gilbert had only ever handled chickens and wouldn't know what to do with a deer.

With the game collected, Gilbert and Tom Cruise continued their hunt.

Perhaps all of Gilbert's luck had been used up with that one successful shot he didn't bag anything else for the rest of the outing.

Earlier, hitting a target was just beginner's luck. Now, even if the prey stood still ten meters in front of him, Gilbert still couldn't hit it.

Compared to Gilbert the novice, Tom Cruise displayed shades of Ethan Hunt he easily bagged several rabbits and even a fat wild boar.

As the sun set in the west, the hunting trip came to an end.

Although they didn't return with a huge haul, they didn't come back empty-handed either.

After the hunt, Gilbert and Tom Cruise rode back to the resort ranch, enjoying the scenery along the way.

Tom Cruise said, "This whole area, along with the nearby lands, all belong to the Kidman family. What do you think?"

Gilbert nodded. "It's nice. A ranch like this would be perfect for retirement."

"Hahaha, I agree," Tom Cruise laughed. "I heard they're looking to sell some land near Sydney. If you're interested, I can have Mary reach out to them."

Though Nicole Kidman shares the Kidman surname, she's distantly related to the Kidman family just a distant cousin, really.

Still, ever since Nicole Kidman became famous, the Kidman family has actively maintained contact with her that's the power of celebrity.

Gilbert thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "Better not. I probably won't have the time. My work keeps me too busy."

"Speaking of work," Tom Cruise said with anticipation, "our last collaboration on Chicago was a blast. I keep hoping we can work together again."

It was a great experience. Chicago had earned Tom Cruise his first Best Actor Oscar. In his previous life, Tom Cruise had never won that award.

Maybe in that past life, the Tom Cruise of that status no longer needed an Oscar to prove himself. But in this one, he still did.

"We'll see, Tom. But are you sure you'll have time anytime soon?"

Tom Cruise thought about it. He had Minority Report coming out soon, and he was already committed to The Last Samurai, Collateral, and Mission: Impossible 3. He really didn't have much time.

Still, Gilbert said, "But if you can carve out a slot sometime in 2005 or 2006, I do have a project in mind that I think would suit us both perfectly."

Tom Cruise's eyes lit up. "That's great! It's a deal, then."

"It's a deal."

After spending three days in Australia, Gilbert parted ways with Tom Cruise and his wife and headed north to visit Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and other countries.

He later reunited with Sophie Marceau in Hong Kong before continuing on to Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and other locations.

Sophie Marceau hadn't done particularly well in Hollywood, but there was no doubt that she remained immensely popular back in Europe.

At the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong, Sophie Marceau unabashedly showed off her beauty in front of Gilbert. They also spent some time enjoying the vibrant street life of Hong Kong together.

Later, in Sri Lanka, they experienced the country's unique milk tea and went on a gem-hunting adventure.

Originally, they had also planned to swing by India and visit the Taj Mahal, but India's ports temporarily refused to allow their yacht to dock in Mumbai, insisting that they switch to an Indian-registered vessel.

Given the poor conditions of Indian ships, Gilbert prioritized safety and decided not to board any of them. Instead, he sailed directly to Dubai.

This world tour mostly focused on coastal cities.

They traveled all the way through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, into the Mediterranean, then the Atlantic, and finally back to Los Angeles via the Panama Canal.

It was, undeniably, an extraordinarily luxurious private journey. After all, to embark on such a global voyage, one would first need to own a large yacht.

While Gilbert was traveling around the world, the movie industry was in a whirlwind of activity.

Although Spider-Man was still immensely popular, the momentum wasn't going to last forever.

In mid-June, The Matrix: Recode Revolution, directed by James Gunn and starring Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron, officially hit theaters.

As the final installment of the classic sci-fi series The Matrix, this film discarded much of the philosophical and religious exploration that defined the first movie and leaned heavily into commercial appeal.

The upside to this approach was that it retained most of the franchise's fan base.

James Gunn still faced heavy criticism, especially from diehard fans who felt that he had completely ruined The Matrix series.

But with a North American opening weekend box office of $92.358 million, The Matrix: Recode Revolution proved the commercial direction was the right call.

No matter how much the critics and media who clung to their lofty notions of art and complexity trashed The Matrix: Recode Revolution, they couldn't ignore one fact

In the film market, simple movies often outsell complex ones.

And the reason is simple: audiences go to the theater to relax, not to work hard. So often, as long as you get their adrenaline pumping and get them excited, that's more than enough.

Many of the films that seem complex and do well at the box office are, in fact, deceptively simple designed to stimulate the senses, like the original Matrix.

The following weekend after The Matrix: Recode Revolution, Steven Spielberg's sci-fi thriller Minority Report, starring Tom Cruise, premiered.

In recent years, Spielberg had directed A.I. and Minority Report back-to-back.

Minority Report was one of those "complex" films and received widespread praise from critics, with some even claiming it surpassed The Matrix.

For instance, Kenneth Turan, who had frequently criticized Gilbert, lavished praise on Minority Report in his column, to the point where it felt like he was ready to crown it a masterpiece.

"Minority Report is a thrilling film that doesn't insult your intelligence, and it surpasses The Matrix in sheer brilliance.

Like The Matrix, it features the thought-provoking qualities that define great sci-fi, and at the same time, it's a sensory onslaught of nonstop action.

So when watching this movie, bring your eyes, your ears and your brain.

Every scene in Minority Report is dazzling, and the performances are no exception.

Spielberg's casting is impeccable every small role shines. Colin Farrell looks like he's ready to steal Brad Pitt's thunder, and Tom Cruise finally gets a role that lets him shine across the board.

Of course, he won't be taking home an Oscar, but this role truly showcases his charm and potential to the fullest."

Even though Kenneth Turan praised the film to the skies, Minority Report earned $45.77 million in its opening weekend less than the $56.92 million that The Matrix: Recode Revolution pulled in that same week.

For Spielberg and Tom Cruise, this was actually a somewhat underwhelming opening, although the film's critical acclaim was excellent.

Tom Cruise, who wasn't weighed down by any messy divorce drama, still had strong box office pull. It's worth noting that in the original timeline, this movie opened to less than $35 million. The current figure was over $10 million higher.

Thanks to Cruise's star power, the film grossed more than $10 million extra in its first weekend a huge win.

Following The Matrix 3 and Minority Report, other strong contenders this year included Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Ice Age, Men in Black II, and more.

However, these films were unlikely to challenge The Return of the King for the box office crown. It looked like Gilbert was well on his way to achieving a North American and global box office three-peat.

.....

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