As a low-budget film released in November, Flipped did not open with a midnight premiere like those major summer blockbusters.
Instead, following the second day of its premiere, it was released directly in 2,800 theaters across the United States.
Though it was the off-season, Gilbert's strong appeal still managed to draw quite a few moviegoers to the theaters in support.
In New York, Ruiz didn't go see the film with his buddy Evans this time. He'd heard it was a romance film, and having just started dating someone new, it seemed like the perfect time.
So he went with his girlfriend, Raina, to see Flipped.
Raina wasn't exactly a fan of Gilbert. Compared to commercial blockbusters, she preferred romantic comedy films like those starring Julia Roberts.
Still, since Ruiz wanted to watch it, she agreed to go along.
However, once the film began in the theater, Raina realized Flipped clearly wasn't a blockbuster it told a fresh and elegant coming-of-age love story. She really liked it.
After leaving the theater, Ruiz was a little disappointed. "The movie was okay, but it's not really my thing! Why would Gilbert make a movie like this? I don't get it."
Raina, on the other hand, enjoyed it and had a different opinion. "Not at all, I thought it was great. Scarlett was really beautiful, and Robert Pattinson was so handsome.
The story was lovely really, really good."
"Really?" Ruiz shrugged. He wasn't the target audience for this kind of movie. Still, since it was a Gilbert film, he could give it a reluctant thumbs-up.
In fact, after the premiere, media reviews widely considered the film to be tailor-made for Scarlett by Gilbert, more of a passion project than a serious endeavor.
As Gilbert's number-one fan, Roger Ebert wrote a review for both the Chicago Sun-Times and his own online column.
"This nostalgic film feels completely out of step with today's box office hits.
Indeed, Flipped is steeped in nostalgia the entire soundtrack comes from the late 1950s or early 1960s light rock era, except for the final closing song.
The primary audience for this film may be Baby Boomers, not the demographic that Gilbert usually targets with his movies."
Even more surprisingly, Kenneth Turan who had long criticized Gilbert's films actually gave the film a rare positive review.
"This low-budget film Flipped may not have a groundbreaking storyline. In fact, it could be described as extremely simple or even clichéd.
Yet audiences come away from it feeling something unique, experiencing a calm yet deeply emotional resonance.
That's primarily thanks to the exceptional storytelling skills of the director, Gilbert, which elevate this modest film to something special."
Scarlett showed the review to Gilbert, who was genuinely surprised. "So he's actually capable of saying something nice about me?"
Sheena Boone chimed in from the side. "I think the old guy has an ulterior motive."
"Oh?" Gilbert was curious.
Sheena Boone explained, "Sure, Flipped is a good film. But clearly, as a renowned director, you can't keep making movies like this forever."
"So… he's baiting me?" Gilbert was amazed. "Does he think I'm an idiot?"
"Give it a shot. It's not like there's any real loss," Sheena Boone said, though she admitted she wasn't totally sure.
"All right," Gilbert said casually. Then he told Sheena Boone, "Keep a closer eye on the promotional stuff, and take care of that little troublemaker Scarlett for me."
"I am not a little troublemaker!" Scarlett protested from the side, clearly annoyed.
Sheena Boone smiled warmly and nodded, then asked, "Are you going to make it back for the premiere of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets?"
"Let me think… I should have time," Gilbert said after considering his schedule. "I'll bring the cast of Pirates of the Caribbean along and do some cross-promotion."
"Got it. I'll notify Warner Bros. and Disney," Sheena Boone replied, taking note.
Soon after, Gilbert left for Mexico to begin filming Pirates of the Caribbean, and the opening weekend box office results for Flipped were released.
To be honest, during an off-season like this, unless it's a sequel with a massive fan base, even with Gilbert's star power, a low-budget film isn't expected to rake in huge numbers in its first weekend.
And that was indeed the case. On Friday, Flipped earned $8.278 million Gilbert's lowest opening day box office since Final Destination.
And it didn't stop there. On Saturday and Sunday, Flipped brought in $13.086 million and $10.164 million respectively, totaling $31.528 million in its opening weekend.
Honestly, that opening weekend box office is higher than many similar low-budget films and even comparable to many B-tier commercial releases.
This result was entirely thanks to Gilbert's immense pulling power, along with the fact that the story was actually decent.
Not all moviegoers loved it, but at the very least, most didn't dislike Flipped.
Compared to something like The King's Return, which opened to more than $150 million in its first weekend, Flipped is still far behind. But with weak competition during the off-season, it still secured the number one spot at the box office.
Audience reviews for the film were mixed mainly because this wasn't the kind of movie many viewers were expecting or wanted.
But as Roger Ebert said, this film did manage to attract a group of viewers who normally wouldn't watch Gilbert's movies.
Surprisingly, that segment of the audience actually gave the film quite high marks.
Some fans were very supportive of Gilbert. One wrote online, "You can't always be eating rich meals at the movies. Sometimes a refreshing appetizer can be an enjoyable experience."
Once the workweek started, there really weren't any strong competitors in the market, and Flipped expanded its release to 3,200 theaters.
Although weekday box office numbers declined, the drop wasn't steep. Over the four weekdays, it made another $12.272 million. Then came the second weekend, still without strong competition.
With another $13.575 million over the second weekend, the film achieved back-to-back box office wins with a cumulative North American gross of $57.375 million.
Scarlett and Robert Pattinson are now hot names. Scarlett was already a well-known child star before this film and was one of the few who didn't lose her charm as she grew up.
But Robert Pattinson became an overnight sensation in the truest sense. His agent couldn't stop grinning.
Who would've thought that a newcomer like Robert Pattinson could stand out in such a competitive audition and become the lead in a Gilbert film?
Even though the public believes this movie was made to boost Scarlett Johansson, Pattinson's agent believes that Robert was actually the biggest winner.
Over the past two weeks, Pattinson and Scarlett have been doing promotional tours together. You could see the passion in some fans' eyes when they looked at his name it both scared and thrilled Pattinson.
His agent, well aware of the dynamics, reminded him: "Robert, you have to understand where all of this comes from."
"It's Gilbert. He brought you into Hollywood. You need to have a grateful heart."
"I know, I'll definitely thank Director Gilbert properly," Robert Pattinson replied.
"That's not enough. Not nearly enough. Robert, you need to do more."
His agent's words left Robert Pattinson confused.
Wasn't that enough? Don't tell me I have to offer up my body? Judging from how Gilbert acts, he doesn't seem to be into men or boys anyway!
...
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