Generation Z Artists

Chapter 314 This is a cultural phenomenon

June 16th is Monday, and the latest North American box office figures are out.

The top-grossing film of the week is "Finding Nemo," which raked in another $6255 million in its second week of release. No one expected that an animated film would have such strong stability and staying power.

The second-place film on the weekly chart is not "Fast & Furious 2," which has been released for over a week, but rather "The Young Ones."

The film grossed 1242 million, 1568 million, and 1435 million yuan on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday respectively, and ultimately ranked second with a total box office of 4245 million yuan.

Feverish Chicken 2 earned 3502 million in box office revenue over the full week, which is not bad, but it could only rank third.

The fourth film on the weekly chart is "The Matrix Reloaded," which has been in theaters for a month and is in its final stages, so it no longer has any impact on any other film.

If we change the statistical method and only list weekend box office revenue, then...

"The Younger Ones" is the box office champion this weekend.

A champion that wasn't particularly dominant.

The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Better Days' box office performance wasn't as strong as we expected. Compared to The Matrix Reloaded's $91.7 million opening weekend or Finding Nemo's $70.2 million, its three-day total of $4245 million is hardly outstanding. The final box office figure is roughly around $120 million, far from Star River's bold claim of $200 million..."

It's obvious that Hollywood still strongly rejects you, Fang Ge.

But CNN stood up for "The Young Ones"—it's a WarnerMedia-owned media outlet, so it was expected.

"This is a miracle!"
Don't forget, Better Days is not only a teen movie, but also a non-native film starring Chinese actors.

What was the last foreign film to achieve such results?

It's "Hero," also an SR work.

What about the next time?

No!

Better Days has created a miracle for non-English films, demonstrating Star River's unparalleled influence.

Before its release, who would have believed that a youth campus film directed and starring Chinese people could actually top the weekend box office in North America?
Admit it, Star River has completely conquered North American teenagers!

To say that you've completely conquered them is pure bragging.

While both films target teenagers, "The Matrix Reloaded" grossed 91.7 million in its opening weekend, which represents the upper limit of moviegoing for the teenage demographic.

The fact that "You Are My Destiny" is only half-finished proves that there are still a large number of teenagers who are not interested in the subject matter or have limited pocket money.

But this doesn't mean that "Better Days" has a poor influence. No, on the contrary, when the new week came, the box office performance of "Better Days" was completely decoupled from its cultural influence.

Over the weekend, the media talked about the story, the director, the acting, the box office and gossip. On Monday, the daily box office dropped, but they started talking about bullying.

In North America, the New York Daily News fired the first shot.

"From the very beginning of the promotional period, Hollywood experts have been trying to tell us one thing—Better Days is unlikely to achieve high box office returns."

Now, the impossible is happening right before our eyes. After eliminating the reasons they listed, which are indeed quite reasonable, what's left?
It is a terrible and sad fact that American teenagers are far too sensitive to the topic of bullying.

This is the only reason that can fully explain the box office performance and audience composition of "Better Days".

Some experts believe that the star power of "Better Days" boosted its opening weekend box office; they were indeed the main contributors, but not the sole reason.

Data shows that women make up 72% of the moviegoers, but only 65% ​​of them are truly female…

The New York Daily News did not describe their complex statistical process because it involved the sensitive topic of skin color and race.

The main body of North American Asian women is white women and Asian women, accounting for 37% and 28% respectively. The reason why Asian women make up a smaller proportion is because the population base is too small. In fact, five out of ten Asian American girls are Asian.

Next are Latina women and Black women, accounting for 16% and 4% respectively.

The remaining 15% are male baby stars.

The composition of North American mid-to-high-grade starfish is roughly like this, and it is very unbalanced, which indicates a problem in the purification process.

The New York Daily News didn't understand, but they "manufactured" the truth through data.

"Of the 4235 million in the first week's box office, nearly 1700 million was contributed by non-fans, and the only reason they were so enthusiastic about the movie can be explained in one word: bullying."

The numerous school shootings in the United States have already served as a warning: under the extreme and violent destruction, school bullying in the United States has deteriorated to an alarming degree.

It was that string that could snap at any moment that led to the occurrence of one heinous incident after another, and also led to the instant popularity of a foreign film upon its release.

according to……"

The various data presented quickly made readers feel the shocking nature of bullying in American schools.

The New York Daily's ultimate logic is: we must change all of this, and everyone should start with themselves and examine whether we are doing far too little.

The topic immediately became a hot topic once it was started.

Finding Nemo still dominates the daily box office of Finding Nemo, completely crushing it, but in terms of buzz, Finding Nemo is nowhere near as popular.

Opposing media outlets quickly launched an attack: the current government bears a huge responsibility for the rampant bullying in schools across the country.

Xiaoshi quickly issued a statement: We will never tolerate the existence of school bullying, but this is a complex issue that requires long-term governance from multiple perspectives. I urge all sectors to pay more attention to this issue and reach a consensus as soon as possible...

In her latest episode, Oprah Winfrey brought up the past again: When I was a teenager, my life at school was just like Chen Nian's, no, even worse. The sad thing is that I didn't meet my own Xiao Bei and could only struggle on my own.

From a realistic perspective, *Better Days* is so beautiful it's almost like a fairy tale, so unrealistic. But it possesses a special power, offering immense comfort to someone like me who's been through it all, and tremendous encouragement to young people still experiencing bullying. This makes its social value transcend the subject matter itself, blah blah blah...

Warner Bros. mobilized its media empire to quickly make school bullying a hot topic this week.

At the same time, public opinion around the world has subtly interacted with the North American trend.

Europe... uh, remove Europe.

Compared to the United States, the situation of school bullying in Europe is quite chaotic.

School bullying exists in some countries, but it is not severe.
Some small countries simply don't have this concept;
In major countries like France, Italy, and Spain, schools in slums are not just places of bullying; they're like gangster nurseries.

Therefore, public opinion in European countries is not unified, and viewers mainly watch "Young Love" to see handsome men and beautiful women falling in love.

Africa... uh, let's drop Africa too.

This place isn't a box office powerhouse at all; it only has a few countries like South Africa and Egypt that generate some revenue, so let's not even mention it.

The Middle East... uh, let's remove that.

Fang Xinghe's personal influence never extended to this point. Although "Hero" performed well at the box office, he was just an ordinary kung fu star.

"The Young Ones" only had a mere 400 screens throughout the Middle East, barely making a splash.

South Asia... Mild, moderate, severe...

Because the Indian film industry practices strict protectionism, "The Younger Ones" could not be publicly released here and was instead bought out for $200 million.

The money is small, but if he doesn't sell, others will openly sell pirated copies, and Fang Xinghe won't even get 200 million.

Now that the copyright has been sold, at least it can be publicly screened, telling my third brother and sister-in-law: the most popular idol in the world right now is a Chinese teenager.

Their public opinion is the most bizarre; no one discusses school bullying, and the general consensus is to ridicule the "simplistic, childish, and unrealistic story."

The reasons are as follows:

First, even if Chen Nian's family fell on hard times, Wei Lai had no right to bully her; it was utterly absurd.

Secondly, given Wei Lai's family background, it's an honor for him to have taken a liking to Xiao Bei; he's ungrateful.

Third, manslaughter is nothing, it's making a mountain out of a molehill. Fourth, Chinese police are incompetent.

Fifth, the ending is like a pile of crap. Xiao Bei should have gone to jail gratefully after sacrificing everything, while Chen Nian should have proudly returned to her social class...

In short, it's a terrible film; I don't know how Cannes judged it.

Sigh, so this is the level of Cannes. The gap between us and Bollywood is getting wider and wider...

Is it outrageous? No, it's not.

Anyway, news about Third Brother's family can't get out at all; it's just for fun.

Latin America... Latin America is quite popular.

For some reason, Latin America generally prefers Eastern aesthetics more than Europe and America. Fang Xinghe's looks are considered the pinnacle of young heartthrobs and cute guys in Latin America, and "Young Love" was highly anticipated before its release.

After its release, the bullying topic didn't make much of a splash; the theme of redemption and love dominated.

Does school bullying not exist in Latin America?
No, it not only exists, but it is extremely serious.

However, compared to the threat and recruitment of teenagers by gangs, the minor conflicts between classmates are probably hard to take to heart.

Every place has its own national anthem... no, its own unique characteristics... so achieving global consensus is extremely difficult.

Asia is different; Asia and North America are now highly unified.

Southeast Asia has historically been a hotbed of school bullying due to its complex ethnic issues, so major cities have followed the trend of public opinion and begun to discuss the issue of bullying.

China's domestic system is self-contained and will not be discussed for the time being.

The two bullying nations with real international influence, Japan and South Korea, contributed voices almost as loud as those of the United States.

Japan, the world's second-largest single box office market, raked in 14.65 billion yen in box office revenue in just three days, sweeping the market and sparking heated debate.

The affirmative side persisted in deceiving themselves: "Our campus environment, at present, far surpasses that of China."

Kuku, the opposing side, slapped him in the face: "Come on, there are at least 10,000 junior high school students who drop out of school or even commit suicide every year because of being beaten!"

Slogan from politicians: "School bullying must not be tolerated!"

An official from the Ministry of Education stated, "We have long implemented an absolute zero-tolerance policy, and the report shows that the percentage of school dropouts due to bullying is extremely low."

Left-wing intellectual: "They're blatantly lying!"

Right-wing commentator: "Don't elevate regional governance issues to the national level!"

Japanese public opinion reveals a striking characteristic of tripping over one's own feet.

On the one hand, society believes that the problem of school bullying should be taken seriously; on the other hand, many institutions and related personnel refuse to acknowledge the facts and criticize the outside world for exaggerating the situation.

As the debate intensifies, leftists, rightists, and rational neutrals are arguing fiercely.

It sounds fantastical, but it actually reflects the current situation in Japan.

After years of economic stagnation, the pressure and resentment among all levels of society are immense. Gangs are rampant, and juvenile criminal groups such as the Yakuza are at their peak of activity. School problems are like a powder keg ready to explode at any moment.

Even if Fang Xinghe doesn't point it out, the relevant Japanese departments will still issue a "Stress Report for Middle School Students" next year.

Twenty years from now, things will be very different. The otaku will have been living peacefully for years, the yakuza will have aged, the Yakuza will have disappeared, and the new generation will have grown up in the world of anime and manga, living as isolated islands of people.

At that time, school bullying in Japan transformed into covert psychological bullying, primarily in a "non-face-to-face" manner, which surged in number but lessened in severity.

Currently, physical bullying is still predominantly conducted offline and face-to-face, just as depicted in the film "Les Young".

The strong resonance sparked a wave of enthusiasm among teenagers who felt they had to see it no matter how difficult it was.

As a result, while the media and politicians argued fiercely, teenagers flocked to cinemas like a silent torrent, pushing box office numbers ever higher.

……

South Korea is a different story altogether.

South Korean media and politicians are very straightforward, fully acknowledging the widespread existence of bullying.

They not only acknowledged school bullying, but also military bullying, workplace bullying, and gender bullying.

In the newspapers, you won't see anyone covering up the problems.

The only difference between the left and right wings is...

The left-wing said, "We must resolve this issue properly through multi-party cooperation."

The right wing said, "Ashiba, why aren't those irresponsible politicians taking decisive action? How long will our children have to suffer?"

Public sentiment was aroused, the whole nation was alerted, and everyone united as one.

Ran and egg.

Who should be responsible for this kind of thing?

To which department should the authority be granted?
How can we reform the system to address the root cause?

What specific measures can be taken to alleviate the negative atmosphere on campus?
Once they started discussing the specific details, they began arguing—their visions were aligned, but their philosophies differed, and it was necessary to carefully consider who was right and who was wrong.

……

In short, the media in Japan and South Korea were abuzz, but the ultimate effect was only to cause the box office of "Les Young" to explode, which had no other significance.

The problem is this: as the world's second and sixth largest economies, and also a staunch ally of the US system, their domestic public opinion is fully capable of expanding outwards, launching a counterattack, and thus influencing the direction of public opinion in the United States.

Therefore, The Washington Post published a serious and lengthy article with detailed data.

"Better Days is becoming a cultural phenomenon sweeping the world. It may not be the highest-grossing film this summer, but its profound social significance and cautionary value are destined to give a shot in the arm for the mental health of teenagers around the world..."

It's ridiculous that a youth romance film that isn't even a weekly champion has transformed itself into a cultural trendsetter by using the anti-bullying theme.

But it doesn't matter, it will be soon.

On Monday, June 16, "Les Decades" grossed $782 million at the box office.

Tuesday, June 17th, $808 million.

Wednesday, June 18th, $855 million.

Thursday, June 19th, $828 million.

Friday, June 20th, $963 million.

On the same day, "Hulk" was released, easily raking in a record-breaking daily box office of $2081 million.

On Saturday, June 21, "Better Days" returned to the $6 million mark at the daily box office, grossing $1378 million.

On Sunday, June 22, "The Younger Ones" secured the top spot at the box office with $6983 million, remaining remarkably stable despite the challenge from "The Incredible Hulk".

At the same time, the audience expanded rapidly, and the proportion of those with "stars" (referring to a large number of viewers) further decreased.

Parents began bringing their younger children (8 to 12 years old) to the cinema to experience the charm of this anti-bullying classic.

In its first full week, it raked in 7000 million, bringing its total box office to 1.12 million, not far from the upper limit predicted by Hollywood for "The Young Ones".

But what exactly is a cultural trend?
A large number of people spontaneously talk about it, most of the readers approve of it, a large number of professionals study it, and the media are keen to report on it.

Fang Xinghe's publicity strategy has propelled "Young You" to the forefront of cultural trends. The potential of its anti-bullying theme remains untapped, and the core power of its beautiful love story has yet to be fully realized. How could a mere 1.2 million yuan be its final destination?
In the new week, Fang Xinghe forges a new path, his spearhead aimed directly at "The Hulk"!
(End of this chapter)