Although Transformers achieved an impressive box office performance in its opening weekend, it failed to hold onto the top spot the following weekend when X-Men: The Last Stand was released.
With a box office of $107 million in its first weekend, X-Men: The Last Stand became the new North American weekend champion and the first film of the year to break the $100 million mark in its debut.
This opening result was certainly enough to satisfy 20th Century Fox executives, but the film's word-of-mouth wasn't as strong, and a scandal soon broke out.
James Marsden, who played Cyclops, was reported on Sunday — the day the film was released for assaulting his girlfriend. The girlfriend appeared before the media with a bruised face, publicly playing the victim.
Although James Marsden issued an immediate apology under the instructions of 20th Century Fox, claiming that it had only been an argument, the incident still enraged a portion of moviegoers.
Many fans refused to watch the film because of it.
Combined with its mediocre quality and overly formulaic storytelling, X-Men: The Last Stand quickly lost audience approval, which inevitably affected its box office.
Transformers grossed $29.59 million over its second weekend in North America, and with weekday earnings included, brought in $65.52 million for the week.
Its total North American box office reached $160.71 million — quite a solid number.
Overseas markets continued to thrive, bringing in another $112 million this week. Including its previous earnings, the film's global box office reached $438.21 million.
The Da Vinci Code lagged slightly behind, earning $38.44 million this week including weekdays. Its North American box office rose to $105.76 million, while its global total hit $288.05 million.
Clearly, even with its massive fanbase from the original novel, The Da Vinci Code couldn't compete with the more visually spectacular Transformers on the world stage.
There was no helping it — the difference in genre alone made it impossible for The Da Vinci Code to match Transformers in global appeal.
Executives at Sony Columbia Pictures could only lament their bad luck. Had David Ellison been a bit more assertive, perhaps The Last of Us would have gone head-to-head with Transformers instead.
But a missed opportunity is still a missed opportunity. David Ellison himself regretted it later had he known Transformers would perform so well, he would've scheduled The Last of Us for that same release window.
To defeat Gilbert head-on not to mention the flood of media praise would have made Ellison so ecstatic that he might have thrown a model party to celebrate.
The Last of Us performed decently this week, earning $23.35 million and pushing its North American box office just over the $200 million mark.
Its overseas numbers dropped only slightly, bringing in $40.69 million, with a global total now reaching $493.96 million.
Given that its theatrical run would likely extend throughout the entire summer season, The Hollywood Reporter projected a final North American gross between $250 and $280 million, and a global total exceeding $600 million.
"Since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, we can see that every one of Gilbert's films has hovered around the six-to-seven-hundred-million-dollar mark globally.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl grossed $328 million in North America and $761 million worldwide.
Flipped, driven entirely by Gilbert's personal reputation, made $173 million.
The False brought in $720 million, and Batman Begins made $623 million.
Now, his latest collaboration with Tom Cruise, The Last of Us, may not surpass $600 million."
"We don't know what exactly has happened to Gilbert, but what's certain is that he's entering a low point in his directing career."
Following The Hollywood Reporter's box office forecast for The Last of Us, The Washington Post published the above commentary, sparking widespread debate.
Anti-Gilbert factions immediately celebrated, launching smear campaigns that ignored every objective fact.
Meanwhile, Gilbert's fans were puzzled. None of his films may have surpassed a billion dollars, but every single one of them made a profit.
One fan remarked, "I'd like to ask everyone — if we put that track record on any other Hollywood director, what kind of résumé would that be?"
Another fan replied, "No need to say more — a Hollywood director with that kind of résumé would already be considered top-tier."
"Exactly! Then why are the media and so many people saying Gilbert is in decline? If this is considered Gilbert's 'low point,' then what does that make every other director?"
And truth be told, many directors avoided answering that question.
On one hand, they didn't want to offend Gilbert. On the other, they didn't want to embarrass themselves.
Setting aside the art-house appeal of Flipped, Gilbert's films averaged six to seven hundred million dollars each, a level of consistent success that most Hollywood directors could only dream of. None dared claim he was going downhill.
It's true that The Lord of the Rings trilogy marked the peak of Gilbert's directing career. After that, none of his films surpassed those three.
But that didn't mean he was in decline — at most, he was on the mountainside, not tumbling down. Otherwise, wouldn't that imply the rest of Hollywood's directors were failures?
Of course, not everyone could keep quiet.
The outspoken African-American director Spike Lee publicly declared, "Gilbert's era is over. He's lost his passion for filmmaking."
Spike Lee was well-known for his big mouth and as a leading voice in the African-American film community, he often used race as a shield.
He was notorious for being unreasonable — once you argued with him, he'd immediately play the victim card and accuse others of racism.
As a result, mainstream Hollywood directors generally despised him, yet avoided confrontation to keep from getting dragged into controversy.
Perhaps it was this sense of "immunity" that gave him the confidence to speak up.
Gilbert himself hadn't responded, but the woman beside him was furious. The hot-tempered Charlize Theron immediately took to social media and wrote:
"Director Spike Lee, may I ask — do you have a single film that has grossed over $200 million?
How about one that even made $100 million?"
Spike Lee quickly responded, "What I value is the artistry of cinema. Box office numbers are not something I care about."
That was when the sharp-tongued Scarlett stepped in. "Then, may I ask the artistically driven Director Spike Lee—how many Oscars have you won?"
Spike Lee's résumé was certainly extensive. His films Jungle Fever, Clockers, and 25th Hour had all received nominations at Europe's three major film festivals.
But those were the European film festivals, not the Oscars. Hollywood never placed much importance on Europe's so-called "Big Three" festivals—especially when they were only nominations, not wins.
His documentary 4 Little Girls had earned an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature, but that category never drew much attention. It wasn't the same as a Best Picture or Best Director nomination.
And the director Spike Lee had mocked—Gilbert—was someone who had been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director four times and had won the award twice.
While that might not mean much in other parts of the world, in North America, the Oscars still carried tremendous influence.
For Spike Lee to mock Gilbert's films for lacking artistic merit, he needed a comparable record to back up his words—otherwise, he simply didn't have the right to say so.
Of course, as Naomi Watts once said, Spike Lee could always take another route: deny the authority of the Oscars altogether.
But to be honest, if Spike Lee ever dared to do that, those old men in the Academy wouldn't let him off easily and Spike Lee knew better than to cross them.
...
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