George Lucas's purpose in seeking out Gilbert was much simpler—he was full of praise for The Dark Knight.
"Earlier, I discussed with other directors who the best director in Hollywood is. There were many arguments, but I believed it was you. And now, you've proven it."
"You flatter me too much, George. I'm one of the outstanding ones, but there are many other directors who are just as excellent."
"No, I don't think so." George Lucas shook his head. "I believe that in all of Hollywood, the only person who could have made The Dark Knight is you."
Actually, there were two—more precisely, one.
George Lucas continued, "I can't wait to see the new Star Wars films get underway. Once the acquisition is complete, we'll announce the news to the public."
Gilbert expressed his agreement. "Of course…"
Many of Lucasfilm's assets were being eyed by major conglomerates. However, once George Lucas himself showed a clear preference for Gilbert, there was little suspense left in this acquisition.
In reality, this was a three-party acquisition deal, with Disney also involved. Robert Iger was ambitious and wanted to turn Lucasfilm into a subsidiary of Disney.
Still, this acquisition was destined to be a drawn-out tug-of-war. Without several years, it would be impossible to reach a conclusion.
Aside from Lucasfilm, Gilbert also newly established a kiwi media company under the Fruit Group.
This company held equity stakes in more than twenty influential North American media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Business Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Sun-Times, and others.
Of course, kiwifruit operated quite discreetly, mainly to avoid letting people discover exactly which media outlets were actually under its control.
With experience from a previous life, Gilbert understood what media discourse power meant. This was something you had to fight for and control yourself. Otherwise, no matter what you did, others could use the media at any time to smear you.
Especially in the future's bizarre world, which to a large extent would be the result of capital manipulating the media. At the very least, Gilbert needed to control part of the media and allow normal voices to be heard.
And then tell the world that normal people like beautiful women and handsome men—DEI can get the hell out of here!
Of course, all of these arrangements were carried out very secretly. A think-tank expert might research and predict the future, but accuracy was never guaranteed. History in this timeline had already changed, yet overall it was still moving in the same general direction.
Returning to The Dark Knight, after the premiere ended, online media and internet film critics were the first to release their reviews.
Peter gave The Dark Knight a perfect ten on IMDb, calling it a flawless masterpiece.
"Dark, cold, ghostly, and dreamlike, The Dark Knight cannot be described merely as 'excellent.'
It may very well be the best and most terrifying—comic book adaptation you will see this summer, or even this entire year, standing at least two levels above Batman Begins.
This sequel represents one of Director Gilbert Landrini's most successful and mature works. Personally, I believe it surpasses The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
"Although the entire film is filled with profound reflections on crime and punishment, good and evil, right and wrong, by the time I was one-third of the way through, I thought: My God! This film is absolutely worth seeing at least once!
But put simply, The Dark Knight is still a relentlessly thrilling entertainment experience. Perhaps due to the increased budget, the scale and spectacle on display are unprecedented.
The meticulously planned Joker and the Batman who follows close behind take us almost all over the city. We don't see many brand-new combat moves from Batman, aside from that incredibly cool Batpod motorcycle.
The most heart-pounding moments are instead the intellectual duels between Batman and the Joker. Director Gilbert Landrini excels at playing with narrative structure.
This time, he pushes it to the extreme, with every step unfolding unexpectedly yet logically.
Without a doubt, this is the greatest Batman film I have ever seen—bar none." —Michael Komp, Watermelon Movies.
"Batman: The Dark Knight is the perfect fusion of cinematic art and superhero elements, showcasing outstanding performances, masterful direction, profound themes, and stunning visual effects.
This film is undoubtedly an important milestone in modern film history and is well worth revisiting again and again." —Russell Maris, IMDb.
On the night the premiere ended, The Dark Knight was, without question, met with universal acclaim. When all the media outlets that attended the premiere joined in the next day, the critical world erupted into outright celebration.
The Washington Post had always been a staunchly anti-Gilbert outlet, yet after its reporter watched The Dark Knight, it surprisingly awarded the film a highly positive score of nine out of ten.
"The Dark Knight, directed by Gilbert, unquestionably reaches the pinnacle of superhero cinema. No matter what, Tim Burton's flamboyant, gothic Batman cannot be compared with this Dark Knight.
The film surpasses every previous Batman movie and even transcends all superhero films. In my view, The Dark Knight feels more like a crime thriller wearing the outer skin of a Batman movie."
It renders the debate between commercial cinema and art cinema meaningless, elevating comic book adaptations to an exceptionally high level.
From this point on, comic book movies will no longer have any excuse to be bad. After seeing The Dark Knight, those films should feel ashamed."
Even The Washington Post had been won over, making film fans even more curious.
Most viewers who had seen the film were full of praise. Although a small number of viewers walked out early and disliked the film's style, they still felt that the movie itself was actually quite good.
Lewis and Sarati Merton returned to Los Angeles and shared their viewing experience in the film fan chat group they had created.
Lewis focused more on the viewing experience itself. "I recommend watching it in IMAX format—it's an absolute treat. The intense car chases and action scenes are definitely worth the ticket price."
"How's the story?" one group member asked.
Lewis replied, "The story is even better. I think this is a superhero movie that has achieved tremendous artistic success so far.
Now I understand why Gilbert continued directing the second installment. This is a superhero film series that is capable of becoming a classic."
"Sarati, why aren't you saying anything?"
Sarati Merton remained silent, and Lewis answered on her behalf. "Actually, Sarati walked out halfway through."
"What happened?"
Only then did Sarati Merton speak up. "It was too heavy and oppressive. Watching it was exhausting, and I didn't like it."
"Well then!"
No reason is stronger than simply saying, "I don't like it." If you don't like it, there's really nothing that can be done.
Warner Bros.' early promotional efforts were extremely well executed, with very strong marketing. Even though the film had not yet been released, it already felt as if the entire United States was discussing The Dark Knight.
During the pre-sale period before release, The Dark Knight had already sold 64.9 million dollars in tickets, setting a record for advance ticket sales.
The midnight screenings opened in 3,150 theaters, also setting a record for midnight openings.
At the same time, The Dark Knight would be shown in 187 IMAX theaters across the United States. Globally, that number would rise to 253 theaters, once again setting an IMAX record.
IMAX pre-sales alone generated 4.25 million dollars in North America.
Everyone was praising the IMAX experience. Although ticket prices were considerably higher, for viewers seeking a better cinematic experience, IMAX was an excellent choice.
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