hollywood melon man

Chapter 367 High-spirited
The British royal secretary presided over the awarding ceremony. He first introduced the contributions made by little Gilbert and then invited little Gilbert to appear.

"Let us welcome Gilbert Landrini..."

Amid the applause of celebrities, little Gilbert, dressed in a solemn suit, walked onto the stage with a detached step.

"I am delighted that Director Gilbert Jr. has come to the UK and London again." The Mayor of London took over and presided over the awarding ceremony.

“Wherever there are people, there is the spread of great film art. Wherever there is a screen, there are films directed by Gilbert Jr. being shown.

Today, Britain and London welcome a knight who has made great contributions to the art of film and the promotion of British culture..."

"The Queen has decided to award Director Gilbert Jr. a knighthood, and London City Hall has also passed a resolution to award Director Gilbert Jr. the title of honorary citizen."

At this point, the Mayor of London officially presented Gilbert Jr. with the certificate of Honorary Citizen of London, and applause instantly broke out in the auditorium.

After receiving it, Gilbert expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, thank you, I have always liked the city of London, it has a profound cultural heritage and historical accumulation.

I am deeply connected to London through the art of film and I am delighted to be made an Honorary Freeman of the City of London."

After the awarding of honorary citizenship, the formal awarding ceremony will take place.

First, a team of royal guards marched into the ceremony hall. The royal orchestra played the British national anthem "God Save the Queen", and everyone began to look solemn and dignified.

Accompanied by the British national anthem, Queen Elizabeth walked slowly into the ceremony hall with the support of Prince Charles and waved slowly.

Queen Elizabeth sat down in the Queen's chair, and Prince Charles beside her acted as a ceremonial officer: "Today, by order of the Queen, the British royal family officially conferred the title of Sir Gilbert Landrini Junior.

Gilbert Landrini, come forward and receive the Queen's gift."

Little Gilbert moved forward as he was told. A special etiquette officer had taught him how to do it before, so it was not a big problem.

Little Gilbert saluted the queen with a knight's salute, and the queen stood up tremblingly, holding the ceremonial sword, and tapped little Gilbert lightly on each shoulder.

During this process, the reporters never stopped holding their cameras, and the sounds of taking pictures filled the auditorium.

Afterwards, Queen Elizabeth presented little Gilbert with the certificate of nobility and the medal representing the title, and also gave him some encouragement, all of which were just formalities.

Then, little Gilbert and Queen Elizabeth took a photo together in front of the reporters. The awarding ceremony was completed and little Gilbert officially became a knight of the British royal family.

In the past, members of the British royal family had to swear allegiance to the Queen.

However, today knighthood is more of an honor, mainly awarded to those who have made great contributions to the British nation and the royal family.

Many people in Hong Kong may be coveting this, but little Gilbert doesn’t care. It’s fine to have it, but it’s no big deal if he doesn’t have it.

After the investiture ceremony, Queen Elizabeth was tired and went downstairs to rest.

There was a reception dinner afterwards, at which Gilbert Jr. and Prince Charles had a cordial and friendly conversation.

Prince Charles pointed out that Britain and the United States are fraternal fathers and sons, and are firm allies. Hollywood film culture is also very popular in Britain. Britain also has many outstanding filmmakers and actors.

Therefore, Prince Charles hopes that Gilbert Jr. can promote more British filmmakers and actors and continue to contribute to British film culture.

Gilbert Jr. pointed out that the UK has long been his most important market, and he would come to the UK to promote his films almost every year when they were released.

Little Gilbert felt the enthusiasm of British movie fans and also liked famous London landmarks such as Big Ben, the London Eye and London Bridge.

At the end of the dinner, Gilbert Jr., Prince Charles, and British celebrities took a group photo in the hall of Buckingham Palace.

Sir Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Anne Hathaway and other members of the Lord of the Rings crew attended the related events and dinners.

After the awarding ceremony, the next day Gilbert Jr. went to watch the FA Cup final with Prince Charles.

For fear that little Gilbert might not understand, Prince Charles thoughtfully arranged for a tour guide to introduce the two teams' lineups, league results, football rules, etc. to little Gilbert.

Little Gilbert is a fan of the game, but he only has a limited understanding of it.

But you have to admit, the atmosphere of watching a game in front of TV is really different from watching it in person. It’s more crowded and lively in person, which makes people feel passionate.

Even if you don’t know much about football, you will be attracted by the atmosphere of watching the game live and join in this football feast.

Little Gilbert seemed quite happy watching the game. Although he didn't quite understand the rules, as long as he knew the ball went in, it was fine.

The big screen at the scene also frequently gave shots of little Gilbert, and there were many football fans who were also movie fans.

During the half-time break, Gilbert Jr. was interviewed and asked what it was like to watch football live.

Gilbert Jr. replied: "Very passionate and enthusiastic. I hope the players from both sides can give us a wonderful game and I look forward to the development of the next game."

After the interview, Prince Charles asked Gilbert Jr.: "Would you be interested in taking over a football team?"

"You mean the Premier League teams?" asked Gilbert Jr.

"Yeah, how about Burnley?"

Little Gilbert shook his head. He really didn't know which team Burnley was. He had heard of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and so on. At this time, Arsenal was playing in the FA Cup final.

If you have to buy a Premier League team for fun, you might as well buy one of Arsenal and Manchester United.

Gilbert doesn't know much about football, he has only heard of famous teams. Even if a person doesn't care about football at all, he has heard of famous teams such as Arsenal and Manchester United.

Duoduo has heard of the names of Aveiro and Yosi, but they are probably still training in the youth training camp now.

Little Gilbert was very curious: "Your Highness, why do you want me to buy Burnley?"

Prince Charles said embarrassedly: "I am a fan of Burnley, but the team is not in a good situation now, so I hope someone can save it."

It is not easy for Prince Charles to intervene, so it is better to find an outsider to do this.

However, Gilbert Jr. was not very interested in Burnley. He thought for a moment and said, “I know a North American sports tycoon, Mr. Kroenke, and I will introduce him to Your Highness.

Mr. Kroenke has an excellent vision and owns a team in each of the four major North American sports leagues, including the Denver Nuggets basketball team, the Colorado Avalanche ice team and the St. Louis Rams football team.

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

I think he would be interested in the Premier League."

It's hard to force such a thing, and Prince Charles didn't insist. It would be nice if Gilbert Jr. could introduce him to a tycoon who is more familiar with the sports industry.

Arsenal ultimately won the game and won the FA Cup.

Gilbert Jr. attended the event with Prince Charles, presented Arsenal with the FA Cup trophy and congratulated them on their FA Cup victory.

After watching the FA Cup, Gilbert Jr. did not stay in London for long and immediately set off for China.

As for the sheep head given to him by Prince Charles, little Gilbert did not take it to China with him, but sent it back to the Cantaloupe Manor in Los Angeles for collection.

After all, Prince Charles had just given him the sheep's head, and he immediately gave it to China, which was a bit too conspicuous and arrogant.

Prince Charles might think that little Gilbert is insulting him and would be quite unhappy.

Young people only need to be full of vigor and take revenge without considering the consequences, but little Gilbert has a lot to consider.

After all, little Gilbert still has to survive in the Western world, and being too arrogant and having too obvious tendencies is not a good thing for him.

It is better to wait a few years until everyone has forgotten about this matter, and then Gilbert Jr. can donate the sheep head to China in a low-key manner that will not attract attention.

Of course, Prince Charles probably had no time to pay attention to the sheep's head at that time.

At that time, Prince Charles would only think: Why am I still a prince? When will I be able to ascend the throne and become the King of England? After all, how can a prince be a prince for 70 years?

This time, the "Lord of the Rings" crew came to China for promotion as part of a tourism promotion plan for China's "Lord of the Rings" filming locations.

After all, The Lord of the Rings Studio also has shares in these tourist attractions. The more people come to travel, the more considerable profits can be generated.

Although they are not as profitable as box office and peripheral products, they are long-term gains that can bring in a continuous stream of income.

After finishing the roadshow in Beijing, Gilbert Jr. and the Cultural and Tourism Bureau held a press conference, attended by many Chinese reporters and reporters from Disney and Warner.

This press conference was centered around the topic of tourist attractions. A reporter asked, "Director Gilbert, if there are fans of The Lord of the Rings coming to China for tourism,

Where do you think fans of The Lord of the Rings should not miss and experience? "

Gilbert said: "There are many beautiful places in China. If you want to experience the natural scenery in the film, I recommend going to Jiuzhaigou and Zhangjiajie.

But if you want to experience the authentic story of The Lord of the Rings, I recommend going to Bag End at the foot of Yulong Snow Mountain and Minas Tirith, located in the branch of Lesser Khingan Mountains. "

Gilbert Jr. also said: "I went to see Bag End, it has hardly changed, it is exactly the same as in the movie, all the props we used when we filmed are there.

If visitors are careful, they may find the abandoned manuscript of Bilbo Baggins' travel notes, or the scene of Merry and Pippin's pranks. "

The second question was to ask Gilbert Jr. why he chose to come to China to shoot this purely Western cultural film.

Why? The biggest reason is to save money, and there is also a little selfishness, but I can't say that.

Gilbert Jr. replied: "China has a rich historical heritage, which coincides with the temperament of The Lord of the Rings.

When we were investigating the filming locations, we were immediately attracted by the vastness, grandeur, and elegance of the scenery.

So we decided to shoot here, and it turned out to be the right decision.”

After finishing the promotion in Beijing, Gilbert Jr. went to Shanghai for a roadshow, but he did not stay in China for long.

After finishing the promotional tour in Shanghai, Gilbert Jr. went to Tokyo with the crew, where he met up with his three girlfriends and their best friends, all of whom are actresses known for their beauty in the island country's entertainment industry.

After that, Gilbert Jr. took the women back to Los Angeles and began preparing for a trip around the world, temporarily putting aside work and spending his vacation.

At this time, the beach next to Malibu Cantaloupe Manor has been transformed into a pier capable of berthing large yachts.

The original small yacht could not meet the requirements of traveling around the world, so little Gilbert switched to a larger yacht.

In fact, according to the construction progress of a yacht, little Gilbert would have to wait for a while before he could get the yacht.

However, when New York real estate tycoon Donald knew that Gilbert Jr. needed a large yacht, he transferred the one he had built and was still parked in the shipyard to Gilbert Jr.

For this round-the-world trip, all the crew members went out except Charlize Theron who was busy with work and Anne Hathaway who had to participate in the follow-up promotion of "The Lord of the Rings".

Little Gilbert had been planning this round-the-world trip for a long time and had made ample preparations.

While Gilbert Jr. was busy traveling around the world, "The Return of the King" was in its fourth week in North American theaters.

This week, "The Return of the King" once again earned 5126.6 million in North American theaters, a decrease of about % from the previous week, which is a very healthy curve.

So far, the North American box office of "The Return of the King" has reached 4.75 million US dollars. It seems that breaking the million US dollars in North American box office is no longer a problem.

Overseas box office also declined this week. Although more than a dozen overseas markets have been added, the box office contribution from these markets is generally not high.

This week, "The Return of the King" earned $1.63 million at the box office. Combined with the North American box office, "The Return of the King" took in a total of $2.14 million this week, and the global box office reached $11.36 billion.

The Return of the King grossed over $1 billion worldwide with ease, as easy as taking a hot tub, which makes one wonder if The Return of the King will surpass the box office of Titanic.

Not to mention, according to this curve, "The Return of the King" is really possible.

Although this week's box office has declined compared to previous box office performances, "The Return of the King" has declined.

But for other Hollywood blockbusters, this box office data is still an unattainable result for many movies, it is really too high.

However, this week's North American and global box office champion is not "The Return of the King", because this week, the very influential "Star Wars" series of films was released.

On May 2, "Star Wars Episode : Attack of the Clones", directed by George Lucas, was released simultaneously in North America and more than countries and markets around the world.

Perhaps due to their trust in "Star Wars" and sentimental factors, fans walked into the cinema with great enthusiasm, but then left disappointed.

Many fans said after the movie came out that this was the worst "Star Wars" movie they had ever seen. If it wasn't for the "Star Wars" title, they would not have watched it at all. It was so disappointing.

In fact, the criticism was not that serious at first, but the movie before "Star Wars Episode 2" was "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King", which had just set off a wave of global movie-watching.

Compared with "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King", the quality of "Star Wars Episode 2" seems very poor.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times criticized it, saying: "The film is just an attempt at technology, but lacks the fun and vitality of a feature film.

The title "Attack of the Clones" is a simple portrayal of the rigidity of the entire film. Lucas's work has shown its age.

Compared to the smooth, emotionally rich The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, it feels long and stilted in its narrative.”

Although Gilbert Jr. and George Lucas have no grudges against each other, and even have a good relationship in private, this does not prevent the media from using Gilbert Jr.'s work to point out the badness of the movie "Star Wars Episode 2".

The New York Times commented: "This is a 2-hour and 12-minute action hero commercial and a model of the latest digital film-making technology.

A chance for talented actors to say the worst lines of their lives and get paid well for it.

This is barely a movie—if your definition of a movie is one with vivid characters, dramatic plot, and visual storytelling.”

Although "Star Wars: Episode 2" was criticized to pieces, it at least had its bright spots. As The New York Times said, it was the first Hollywood film to be shot entirely with digital cameras.

However, due to functional issues, the images captured by digital cameras still require a lot of post-processing, making the images look somewhat distorted.

Fortunately, the story of "Star Wars" itself is very operatic and dreamy, and there is not much sense of incongruity.

In any case, at least George Lucas tried new technologies and provided a new possibility and direction for other Hollywood directors.

Despite its bad reputation, "Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones" still grossed $8829.6 million in North America, successfully winning the North American weekly box office championship.

Its overseas performance was also decent, earning 1.38 million in more than countries and markets around the world.

Although the overseas box office is not as good as "The Return of the King", combined with the North American box office, "Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones" still won the global box office championship this week.

But things won't be so easy next. The weekend after "Attack of the Clones" is the weekend when the superhero movie "Spider-Man" produced and distributed by Sony Columbia Pictures will be released.

"Attack of the Clones" also had a bad reputation. After exhausting the enthusiasm of its fans, it failed to attract a large number of passers-by, so its box office was destined not to be very good.

But this is "Star Wars" after all. Like "The Lord of the Rings", the profit focus of "Star Wars" also lies in its peripheral products. After all, who doesn't want to own a lightsaber?

Relying on the surrounding market, "Attack of the Clones" will not lose money and may even achieve huge profits.

It's just that when Gilbert Jr. was chatting with Spielberg, he heard an inside story that George Lucas was planning to retire.

He believes that he has fallen behind the times and cannot adapt to today's film market.

20th Century Fox is trying to persuade George Lucas that Star Wars, its cash cow, is not something they want to let go.

Spielberg also said: "George asked me to ask you if you are interested in taking over the Star Wars series?"

Take over? Gilbert Jr. refused, saying he was not a "Star Wars" fan and was not very interested in taking over the IP.

(End of this chapter)