What happens in Hollywood when your debut film's first-week box office approaches ten million?
The answer is: you get famous.
That's right. After The Shallows raked in $9.854 million in its first week of wide release, its director, Gilbert Landrini, became a household name in Hollywood.
Initially, Gilbert's name was already circulating in Hollywood, but mostly as "Old Gilbert Landrini's son who got to direct through connections." Arrogant, conceited, overconfident – these were the labels plastered on Gilbert at the time. Some even wondered if Gilbert was Spielberg's illegitimate son, speculating that there was no other explanation for why Spielberg would support him so much!
However, as The Shallows' total box office surpassed ten million, all the previous doubts, mockery, and insults vanished. In their place came an overwhelming chorus of praise and commendation. Overnight, Gilbert transformed into a "genius director" and a synonym for "talented." Old Gilbert's "foolish son" became a "brilliant young man inheriting Old Gilbert's cinematic talent," and Spielberg became an example of someone with a keen eye for talent.
As for Universal Pictures, which invested in and distributed The Shallows, the media lauded their "accurate foresight," predicting they would "flourish for many more years." How many years? Well, that depends on whether Gilbert continues to deliver!
Although the film hasn't yet turned a profit, everyone knows this isn't its endpoint. In no time, Gilbert became Hollywood's hottest new personality.
As for Gwyneth Paltrow, her outstanding performance in The Shallows turned her into the "new sweet heart," garnering countless fans and officially establishing her fame.
Not just within Hollywood circles, but even among ordinary moviegoers, media reports revealed that the director of The Shallows was a twenty-one-year-old young man. Such a young age to direct a film like this immediately drew a lot of attention from movie fans. It's a shame the internet didn't have trending search terms back then; otherwise, Gilbert's name would surely have been at the top.
After the film exploded across North America, many leading newspapers and media outlets published related reviews. This was a stark contrast to the initial promotional period.
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times seemed to have a high opinion of Gilbert. Without any PR from Universal Pictures, he proactively wrote a film review:
" The Shallows is not a classic horror film meant for long-term appreciation, but it is definitely a very good popcorn movie. Director Gilbert and star Gwyneth Paltrow, along with that shark, delivered a long-awaited B-movie tension. Gilbert understands how to create suspense in this genre and showcase that thrilling yet suffocating atmosphere in multiple layers, all while delivering many beautiful ocean shots. After watching The Shallows, I am very much looking forward to his future film works."
At the end of his review, Roger Ebert gave his signature two thumbs up, indicating his strong recommendation for the film.
Roger Ebert was one of the most renowned film critics in the United States. His show, Siskel & Ebert, co-hosted with Gene Siskel, was the most commercially successful film review program nationwide. When talking about commercialization, it's clear that Roger Ebert wasn't just a pure film critic. Getting him to champion a film without any benefits was an impossible feat. Yet, this highly commercialized critic publicly endorsed The Shallows without any PR.
This situation made Gilbert himself wonder if he was Roger Ebert's illegitimate son. However, when he visited his old man at home, his father cleared up the confusion.
"I asked Roger Ebert to write that review," Old Gilbert said.
Looking at his father, dressed in flamboyant rock-star attire, Gilbert was still a bit incredulous. As if sensing Gilbert's skepticism, Old Gilbert further explained, "Roger Ebert owes me a favor; it was just the right time to use it as an exchange."
"Wow! Uncle Steven also owes you a favor. What did you do in your early years?" Gilbert even suspected his old man was a hidden big shot in Hollywood.
"Hmph," Old Gilbert looked very pleased. "When I was young, I was a producer that all of Hollywood courted, a VIP guest of film studio executives. Isn't it normal to have these connections?"
Gilbert gave him a thumbs up. "I now believe you really did date Audrey Hepburn and had a one-night stand with Marilyn Monroe."
"Of course! I never exaggerate; I only speak the truth," Old Gilbert said proudly.
Film critics have always had a limited impact on box office revenue. Their primary role is during awards season, particularly when aiming for an Oscar. However, receiving a recommendation from Roger Ebert did, to some extent, help The Shallows expand its audience.
The new week arrived, and perhaps due to a lack of competitive works in the film market, The Shallows' screening scale continued to expand, reaching 3,700 screens in 1,800 theaters. Under these circumstances, The Shallows' box office remained stable on weekdays, pulling in another $2.236 million on Monday alone.
And it didn't stop there. From Tuesday to Thursday, it earned $2.893 million, $2.035 million, and $1.897 million respectively. With Halloween approaching, the market for this type of horror-thriller expanded further. In the new weekend, The Shallows grossed $7.826 million. Adding the box office from the previous four weekdays, The Shallows claimed the North American box office crown for the week with a single-week total of $14.651 million.
This was the North American weekly box office champion! Though not during the summer blockbuster season, it was still a champion, and Gilbert's name once again echoed throughout Hollywood. This time, not only media reporters, but also major Hollywood film studios and talent agencies couldn't sit still.
After concluding his North American promotional tour, Gilbert returned to Los Angeles. Besides monitoring box office performance, he was constantly writing new screenplays. In fact, he had registered over a dozen screenplays with the Writers Guild, all planned for future films.
However, these past few days, major film studios and agents kept showing up at his door. Because the security at his apartment was poor, Gilbert was extremely annoyed and temporarily moved back in with Old Gilbert.
With his son achieving significant success, Old Gilbert didn't object to Gilbert moving back home. He even handed over the house keys, saying he was going on a vacation to Europe to meet up with old flames. Previously, he couldn't even afford food, and now he could vacation in Europe. This made Gilbert suspect his old man had received some benefits.
It's worth noting that ever since he started making a name for himself, even his aunt, who lived far away in San Francisco, had been disturbed. Agents kept approaching her, trying to secure Gilbert's management contract through indirect routes. His aunt was very annoyed, and Old Gilbert, after presumably collecting his "benefits," simply ran off on vacation, leaving the trouble to Gilbert. What an unscrupulous old man...
The Shallows' box office success was explosive. In ten days since its release, it had garnered $24.845 million in box office revenue, a massive success. Crucially, this wasn't the end. Both The Hollywood Reporter and the Los Angeles Times believed that The Shallows' final North American box office could reach between $40 million and $45 million.
Yet, even that wouldn't be the end. Given the film's excellent performance in the North American market, Universal Pictures decided to release the movie overseas. So, it can be said that The Shallows still has great potential abroad. It's important to remember that with the dramatic collapse of a certain large nation, Hollywood's global film market further expanded, becoming the center of the global film industry. Hollywood films that are popular in North America typically perform well overseas too.
And for the red-hot director Gilbert, Universal Pictures naturally wouldn't let him go. The previous $100,000 salary was indeed too little. President Akio Taniguchi and Vice President Lou Wasserman discussed it and decided to give Gilbert a $200,000 bonus. At this point, failing to build a good relationship with Gilbert would be a dereliction of duty for Universal Pictures.
Although the film was still showing in theaters across North America, Universal Pictures still decided to host a grand celebration for the film. Gilbert and lead actress Gwyneth Paltrow, of course, would be the stars of the celebration.