On the eve of the Super Bowl, Gilbert's holding company, Watermelon, launched its latest video-sharing website.
This video-sharing site was similar to YouTube and Bilibili in the previous life, though the interface was still quite basic, and video playback resolution only reached 720P at most.
Even so, after its launch, thanks to the traffic from Watermelon, the Banana search engine, and various portals, it quickly became the largest video-sharing site in the United States.
According to a plan discussed between Watermelon's CEO, Mark Ruel, and Gilbert, this site—named Grape—would eventually add many features.
For example, options to purchase rights online and stream movies, as well as live streaming and gift donations.
But these were all future plans; currently, due to hardware and bandwidth limitations, real-time stable streaming and high-definition playback were not yet possible.
Still, this did not prevent Gilbert from uploading movie trailers to Grape, promoting the films while also driving traffic to the site.
Dante Cortez was a devoted Batman fan, having followed everything from comics to anime to movies.
However, the 1997 Batman starring George Clooney had broken his heart, and he vowed never to watch any Batman comics or animated films again.
When news arrived that the famous director Gilbert had taken over the Batman film series, Dante Cortez felt a flicker of hope.
If it was Gilbert directing, maybe he could save Batman.
Hearing that the latest Batman trailer was available on a site called Grape, Dante immediately turned on his computer, found the site via a Banana link, and clicked in.
Sure enough, the homepage recommended a video showing Batman with his back turned, his head slightly twisted, a play button at the lower left corner.
Excited, Dante clicked it, only to be met with a long loading period.
Dante was used to this; videos on the site always started with long waits, so he felt a bit impatient.
But for Batman, Dante endured it.
After a seemingly endless wait of maybe five minutes, the two-minute trailer finally loaded. Dante clicked play eagerly, hands fidgeting, full of anticipation.
The trailer opened with a flurry of bats forming the vague shape of a giant bat, with a dark tone suggesting the film's heavy theme.
"Why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to rise."
With music and dialogue in sync, the images flickered, followed by a montage: training on icy plains, Batman standing in the dark atop skyscrapers overlooking the city.
The previously revealed Batmobile charged like a beast, its dark body and aggressive lines eliciting awe.
Finally, with Henry Ducard's voiceover, the title and release date appeared.
Dante Cortez was stunned. Although the resolution was not cinema-quality, the epic and fateful tone immediately struck him.
"Seems… seems pretty good!"
Having seen Joel Schumacher's two Batman films, Dante considered those childish, especially Batman & Robin.
But Gilbert's version, even in a brief two-minute trailer, looked remarkably well-made.
Hearing from friends that Warner Bros. would host a few test screenings, Dante called them immediately.
"Hey, Matt, I heard there are test screening tickets. Are there any left? What? None? Never mind."
Dante hung up, not a hardcore Gilbert fan; he had seen a few of his films in theaters as a casual viewer.
He didn't expect Gilbert's test screenings to be so popular—the tickets were gone quickly.
Still, it gave Dante a bit more confidence in the movie. He marked the release date on his calendar, planning to watch it.
Besides uploading the trailer on the video site, Gilbert also prepared a 30-second trailer for the Super Bowl.
This year's Super Bowl wasn't as thrilling as last year's, perhaps due to some unforeseen events, and seemed more conventional.
Nevertheless, Gilbert's Lamborghini ad and the Batman trailer were both featured in the Super Bowl ad lineup, making a noticeable impact.
After the Super Bowl, both ads and trailers were gradually distributed to commercial plazas, television programs, and video sites.
A week later, Gilbert completed post-production on Batman:Begins, and the film officially entered the promotion phase.
Before this, lead actor Christian Bale had another film released.
This film was The Prestige, directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, a suspenseful mystery.
Gilbert specifically attended the premiere to support the film.
It was clear that Nolan's mastery of time manipulation and non-linear storytelling made the film feel like solving a puzzle, immersive and thoroughly entertaining.
Gilbert gave high praise: "Even during filming, I knew this was an extraordinary film. Seeing the final cut confirmed it.
Nolan's handling of suspense and the plot development were exceptional.
Both lead actors' performances were excellent, adding great value to the film."
After the premiere, Scarlett, who had participated in filming, teased Gilbert, "Why don't you praise me?"
"Were you in it?"
"Of course I was! I'm the best-looking, most beautiful one in the film."
"I see, that's why I noticed you in the cast list…"
Before he could finish, Scarlett grabbed Gilbert's waist and spun him 180 degrees. "I'll twist you to death…"
"Ow, ow, that hurts!" Gilbert shouted. "Alright, alright, I get it! You acted very well, even better than Bale and the others."
"That's more like it,"Scarlett said, letting go.
Gilbert rubbed his waist and asked Scarlett, "Has David Ellison tried to bother you again?"
"Hmph," Scarlett replied proudly, "Does he dare? Next time, it won't be a few big spiders—it'll be dozens of them."
Gilbert shuddered imagining the scene. He couldn't handle too many spiders at once and felt a bit claustrophobic.
Although The Prestige was a very good film, it was still the kind of movie mainly appreciated by niche film enthusiasts.
Additionally, it was released in the less popular spring season. On its opening weekend, it only made $32.35 million at the box office, yet it still easily claimed the top spot in North America's weekly box office.
Nolan's early achievements were not as spectacular as Gilbert's; he had started with Memento and Insomnia, progressing steadily, step by step.
As a B-level film director, Nolan's abilities were already quite impressive.
However, Gilbert knew that Nolan's potential went far beyond this—there was much more to tap into. With the success of this film, Nolan would gain more opportunities.
....
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