After six months of screening, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was basically coming to the end of its theatrical run.
In North America, it concluded in the third weekend of April, earning a total of $353 million at the box office, still unable to shake Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith's position as last year's North American box office champion.
Globally, it reached $1.084 billion, successfully surpassing Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith's $850 million worldwide gross, becoming last year's global box office champion.
More importantly, the merchandise once again sold extremely well. From the release until now, it had generated over $546 million in merchandise sales.
This does not even include DVD sales, TV broadcast rights, or online distribution rights.
Box office revenue still has to be shared with distributors and theaters in various regions, but aside from necessary costs, merchandise sales are almost pure profit. Moreover, this is continuous, long-term revenue—a very stable source of income.
Financial media treat the Harry Potter series as a commercial phenomenon, analyzing all reasons for its success and ultimately attributing it to having an outstanding producer.
This added a layer of success to Gilbert, making it seem as if any movie associated with him, as long as it is positive, would inevitably perform well.
Countless past examples have proven this point.
After the massive success of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, plans for the sequel were set in motion. This installment was titled Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Following Voldemort's appearance in the previous film, this one would showcase his abilities and include a battle with Albus Dumbledore, demonstrating why he is the ultimate villain.
Christopher Lee, who would portray Dumbledore, was already eighty-four years old. Remaining active at the forefront of acting at such an age was truly impressive.
Gilbert had visited him; Christopher Lee's physical condition was still good, allowing him to continue in the role of Dumbledore.
In addition, the three Gryffindor leads would return. Generally, unless there are extreme demands, once actors become mainstays of a series, the production rarely replaces them.
Moreover, Zhang Qiu, who appeared in the previous film, would naturally continue to have scenes in this installment, meaning the "Fairy Sister" would appear again.
Because of the global success of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the Fairy Sister no longer needed to envy Shu Chang. Although she was not a lead, the film's global $1 billion box office was enough for the media to boast for a while.
Shu Chang did not need to worry either. Although The Adventure of Jackie Chan 3 only grossed $623 million worldwide, the trilogy combined reached $1.848 billion.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix would introduce a new important character, Luna. Gilbert was more familiar with the Luna from his previous life, having once thought Harry Potter and Luna were a couple.
Later, discovering this was not the case disappointed him for a while.
However, producer Robin Gland decided to hold an audition. Gilbert did not know the name of the actress who had previously played Luna, so he agreed to Robin Gland's plan.
Mike Newell, director of the previous film, decided not to continue as director for the series, so this installment would be directed by another British director, David Yates.
He was a rookie director with limited previous work, mostly in short films and television series.
Gilbert recalled that David Yates later seemed to continue as the director for the Harry Potter series and the prequel Fantastic Beasts series, achieving good results.
However, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix would have to wait a year, allowing fans to slightly forget the previous film and increase anticipation for the new installment before production started.
After wrapping up matters related to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Gilbert held several meetings with Marvel Studios executives.
During the meetings, Gilbert clearly stated, "Superhero films have box office potential comparable to Harry Potter, and may even surpass it.
I want our superhero films to be visually exhilarating on the big screen while embodying justice, purpose, and a series of other admirable qualities."
Kevin Feige said, "After Iron Man, we have planned a series of films including Thor, Captain America, and The Hulk."
"The script for The Hulk needs major revision. What does Universal say?" Gilbert asked.
Feige replied, "They agreed for The Hulk to return to Marvel, but the solo Hulk film must be co-produced with them."
"Those greedy vampires," Gilbert muttered, then continued, "Communicate with them that Edward Norton is unsuitable for the role; replace him."
"Okay, what about Liv Tyler?"
"Keep her. The core issue is the actor for the Hulk; Edward Norton seems neurotic, not like Bruce Banner.
By the way, send an invitation to Mark Ruffalo to attend Bruce Banner's audition."
Gilbert didn't immediately finalize Mark Ruffalo, even though his portrayal of the Hulk had been impressive. At this point, Mark Ruffalo was still a supporting actor in films or a second- or third-tier actor in music videos.
Without the audition, people might think Mark Ruffalo had an improper relationship with Gilbert!
As for Liv Tyler, she had been persistently pursuing Gilbert recently. She wanted to find roles outside the Fast & Furious series.
So Gilbert conveniently placed her in The Hulk, which was now retitled The Incredible Hulk.
This time, no one needed to suspect an improper relationship between the two, because, in reality, their relationship was indeed improper.
Recently, Liv Tyler had been openly introducing girls to Gilbert, but he strictly forbade it. He wasn't a stud; why would he need so many girls?
Since Gilbert wasn't interested in new girls, Liv Tyler kept pestering him. She had heard that several of the sisters at the Melon Estate already had children, so naturally, she wanted to contribute one as well.
However, her good news never came. Instead, Jennifer Connelly had some positive news.
By Gilbert's generation, the scarcity of people in the Landrini family had improved. Jennifer Connelly was already expecting their fourth child.
Clearly, once this child and future children grew up and expanded the family, the Landrini family would immediately become powerful.
The core of a family is its people. Even in the twenty-first century, forming strong family ties based on region and lineage was still common in Europe and America.
A family with many members has a higher chance of producing talent, and the family can continue to prosper over generations.
Eventually, the Landrini family would become an influential force in the Western world, on par with the Morgan family or the Rockefeller family.
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