Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 362 40 Billion+ Class Leap, *The Wandering Earth*, Launch
The Martian grossed over 6 million yuan on its second day of release.

This is just the beginning.

Annual leave varies in length, but during this period, which is widely recognized both inside and outside the industry as the biggest holiday season, "revenge spending" is far more than just this one wave.

Especially with the release of the box office figures for "The Martian" on its second day, the era of discussions and discussions about "Mars" has arrived across the internet and even offline.

On the third day, the box office of "The Martian" declined slightly, reaching 5.5 million yuan in a single day.

"The Moon's Surface" grossed 400 million, and "Star Trek III" grossed 250 million.

The two "strongest" competitors continued to decline, and "The Martian" once again topped the daily box office charts.

On the fourth day, various official accounts, marketing accounts, cinemas, and stakeholders joined in, and the popularity of "The Martian" reached a new historical high, rising from 5.5 million to 6 million, breaking its own box office record set not long ago.

Then came the fifth day, the sixth day...

In just seven days, during its seven-day run during the Spring Festival, "The Martian" has grossed a total of 39.8 billion yuan.

This box office result has already broken Ikeno's highest box office record since he started working (the global box office of "Flu" is not included).

In contrast, the screening share and popularity of blockbusters such as "The Moon Surface," "Star Trek III," and "Super Lizard" have been visibly eroded...

Perhaps "invasion" is not the right word, because it is more like a blatant, face-to-face plunder. Behind the box office miracle of "The Martian" lies the sorrow and crash of almost all the big films in this year's Spring Festival season.

Screening slots were snatched up, ad space was snatched up, and popularity was stolen...

The self-deprecating sentiment that "domestic science fiction films are no good," which was initially sparked by films like "The Fortress of Shanghai" and "Bureau 749," has been completely swept away.

Before the seventh day was up, seeing the explosive popularity and positive reviews of "The Martian," all of Ikeno's rivals and competitors knew that the "test results" for this film were already in.

As for who came in first and who got the opportunity, there's no need to say more.

On its eighth day of release, The Martian's box office reached over 44 billion yuan, officially launching its assault on the record-breaking figure of over 50 billion yuan.

Whether it can surpass previous box office champions like "Wolf Warrior 2" and "The Battle at Lake Changjin" remains uncertain.

But one thing is certain: after this battle, Ikeno is no longer the Ikeno of the past—just like the heartwarming male star back then, the movie "Wolf Warrior 2" directly propelled him to the altar of the Chinese entertainment industry.

Compared to Ikeno, he is much better off, not only because of his face, but also because of his own popularity and the accumulation of his previous works.

Yes, compared to Wu Jing, he has never been an unknown. Even without "The Martian," he would still be the only undisputed top star in the Chinese entertainment industry, a super celebrity.

……

"Chi Ye, it's me, Jiang Kaige... Haha, yes, Arthur keeps mentioning you to me... Hmm... Congratulations on this box office hit, it wasn't easy... Nothing else, just calling to congratulate you... I heard your company signed a few new talents... Oh yes, I have a project here, and I happen to have a suitable role..."

"President Chi, I just contacted Ran Qiao's team. What's going on? Wasn't this script already agreed upon? How could they just cancel the performance like this... Yes, yes, I didn't know about this. It's ridiculous! Don't worry, I've already taken action against those who did this..."

"Okay, I'll wait for your news... By the way, are there any plans to make 'The Martian 2'?"

"..."

"Hello? Is this Mr. Chi? This is Huang Yang, CEO of Tencent Pictures... Yes, I've known you for a long time... There's a dinner party for industry insiders the day after tomorrow, all old acquaintances, would you like to come over for tea?"

"..."

Huang Bo once said that once you become famous, you'll be surrounded by good people.

But Ikeno felt that this statement was not accurate enough.

In the entertainment industry, once you become famous, you will indeed have good people around you, but definitely not all of them. Because once you become famous, you will "encroach" on the interests of others and form a competitive relationship with more interest groups.

For example, Mahua Films.

Chi Ye's relationship with Mahua FunAge wasn't bad, but it wasn't exactly hostile either. In fact, he and Shen Bin had a personal relationship because they had participated in a few variety shows together, though it wasn't deep; they were just ordinary friends.

But this did not affect the latter's reaction and attitude when Ikeno Company's project clashed with Mahua's.

This is simply a matter of who earns more and who earns less; there's no right or wrong involved.

So, becoming famous is just that—becoming famous—it doesn't mean anything.

Only when you become a true big shot, able to bring terrifying benefits that everyone, even your competitors and enemies, envies and can't resist, will you be surrounded by "good people".

Capital is always profit-driven.

The drama "My Love from the Star" has allowed the KuYing platform to continue to thrive, made top luxury brands a fortune, and even transformed several previously unknown small companies into national brands.

How much profit was generated during this period? How many people were given the opportunity to transcend social classes?

Therefore, the three major platforms and several first-tier TV stations were eager to hire Chi Ye. The newly appointed CEO of Kuying seemed to have a brain fart and did many unreasonable things, but behind this was the fact that Chi Ye had already planned to "part ways" with Kuying at that time.

Having enjoyed "My Love from the Star," KuYing couldn't bear the loss of it. Coupled with industry norms that "the first season" is never as good as "the second season," the platform war ensued.

The drama "Goblin" completely stunned KuYing, caused the stock price of kiwifruit to soar, and TV stations no longer had any "opinions" about Ikeno, but instead transformed into amiable old friends, begging to cooperate with Ikeno.

Similarly, the television and film industries have always looked down on him. "Girl" and "Big Boss" were only minor hits, and "Flu" was more of a hit overseas. It wasn't until "The Martian" achieved a box office of nearly 40 billion in seven days that everyone's worldview was completely refreshed. It was shocking and impactful to everyone in the industry, whether they knew Ikeno or not.

People from the Northwest Circle came, people from Mahua FunAge came, people from Alibaba and Baidu came, and even Tencent's CEO personally called to "congratulate" Chi Ye and warmly invited him to participate in the circle's "top" dinner party.

Several talent agencies that had previously targeted Ikeno's company suddenly changed their tune and began to actively, even proactively, invite several artists under Ikeno's company.

Ran Qiao and several other students from the Beijing Film Academy were still a little confused – how did they, who had always been targeted by the industry, suddenly become so sought-after overnight?

Chiye Company's talent management is actually quite poor. Apart from Ran Qiao, they don't have any decent actors. When they're on camera, the audience can't even name them.

Originally, they would have stayed in this "situation" for a while longer, until they acted in Ikeno's project and encountered a suitable role, which might have brought about a change in their situation.

But now, it seems everything has changed.

"Ranran, Ranran."

within the company.

Aunt Ran Qiao pushed open the door to the break room, her face beaming with smiles. She looked at Ran Qiao, who was sweating profusely and soaking her feet inside, and said, "Jiang Kaige sent us a script. The third female lead! Wow, we really made the right bet this time. Chi Ye... President Chi is different!"

"Auntie, look, he's in a hurry again."

Ran Qiao picked up a towel and wiped her smooth forehead, saying seriously, "President Chi is indeed different. Everyone else praises me for being healthy, but he only praises my age." Aunt: "?"

"Auntie, let's cancel this invitation. I probably can't act in it."

Ran Qiao dried her feet, put on her slippers, picked up her thermos and took a sip: "I just received another notebook."

"Another notebook?"

Auntie was stunned, then panicked: "This is Jiang Kaige! Ranran, things are so good outside right now, don't tell me you're getting cocky! I heard Jiang Kaige is going to be filming a sci-fi blockbuster this time, and the competition for the third female lead role is fierce. They said they can just pre-select us. Do you know what a great opportunity this is...?"

"The new book features the female lead."

Ran Qiao spoke calmly.

"The female lead... even the female lead won't work."

The aunt was taken aback again, and was about to speak.

Ran Qiao interrupted her: "She's the female lead in President Chi's new project."

"Even President Chi won't do it, President Chi... What?!"

The aunt was completely stunned. It took her several seconds to react, and her voice trembled as she asked, "What did you say? Mr. Chi... Mr. Chi's leading lady?! You're not kidding, are you?"

Her voice came out like a machine gun: "It's a TV series? If it's a TV series... that's fine too! We'll go for the traffic route first, with President Chi around, and then we can do movies later..."

"The leading lady in the movie."

Ran Qiao added: "A science fiction movie, the female lead."

Auntie: "..."

She didn't want to talk anymore because she felt Ran Qiao was joking.

Before "The Martian," although the competition for the leading lady role in Ikeno's films was fierce, it would never have given my aunt any "magical" ideas. But after "The Martian," the name Ikeno has now become a golden brand in the industry.

Countless investors practically fawned over Ikeno to make "The Martian 2." Ikeno, who used to struggle to find investors, can now secure huge investments for one or even several top-tier special effects blockbusters without even needing any contracts.

If possible, some might even want to "own" the business and enjoy the profits all by themselves.

Therefore, from a business perspective, the competition for the "leading lady" position is so fierce that it can be considered the "number one" level in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Secondly, and most importantly, is Li Qian's development during this period.

If "The Martian" boosted Chi Ye's status and class, then for the female lead, Li Qian, it was a substantial rise in stardom, especially in the film version.

Although "The Martian" is a male-centric hard science fiction film, and Li Qian's role is actually quite small, not to mention any highlights, there's a saying that goes, "the genre doesn't matter, what matters is whether it's popular enough."

Is The Martian a hit right now?

It's an explosion! A phenomenal explosion!
I heard that on the fifth day of the Spring Festival film season, overseas distributors and theaters had already secretly increased the screenings of "The Martian". Now it has squeezed out the original "crown prince" "Super Lizard Man", and "Star Trek 3" has also been affected.

After its domestic success, "The Martian" also enjoyed a boom overseas.

This is another unprecedented feat. Following "Flu," Ikeno has once again proven his influence in the overseas market, and... the "get-out-of-jail-free card" for the great success of Chinese science fiction films going overseas.

That's the charm of science fiction movies. Isn't all the big fuss that China has made for this result?

This is a sci-fi blockbuster that could be a global phenomenon. Even if Li Qian plays a dog in it, she will gain exposure and popularity that she never dared to dream of before.

Besides, her acting skills, looks, and figure are all excellent.

Therefore, the most talked-about male star in the Chinese entertainment industry recently is Chi Ye, and the most talked-about female star is Li Qian.

Before starring in "The Martian," Li Qian's status had long been "in name only" for various reasons. However, after the film's release, she did not become an overnight sensation, but she definitely rose to the top tier of actresses in the Chinese film industry in an instant.

The Northwest Film Circle is now going crazy trying to get her another Best Actress award. If it works out, combined with her previous Best Actress awards, Li Qian may become the first young actress to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Four Great Actresses.

And all of this started with her starring in "The Martian".

There are even rumors circulating in the industry now that Chi Ye is a rising star in the Chinese entertainment industry, and the leading lady he has his eye on is a female rising star... because history has shown that it seems that none of the female artists who have worked with Chi Ye have failed to become famous.

Ran Qiao, Shang Youshu, Jin Xia, Shi Jinwei, Li Qian…

These female celebrities either experienced a career resurgence or a meteoric rise in status after collaborating with Ikeno.

—The results are verifiable; if you're not convinced, let's cooperate once.

Auntie felt that Ran Qiao was not convinced. This aunt not only took away Chi Ye's "first time", but now she actually wanted to do it a second time?

An advanced version of the movie? That's interesting.

"A sci-fi movie... the lead actress... we made the right choice... Ranran, we really made the right decision with this contract...!"

My aunt is going a little crazy.

Ran Qiao understood her aunt very well. Although she was a rather easygoing person, she was excited for a long time when she received this "notice" yesterday, and only after being advised that "staying up late will kill you" did she finally fall asleep—but she couldn't.

So today I soaked my feet and drank sleep-inducing tea, all so I could fall asleep tonight.

"Actually, it's not a great role. Judging from the billing order, I probably won't even get second billing. And my role is similar to Sister Li Qian's this time, more like a supporting character..."

After her aunt calmed down, Ran Qiao spoke up.

"No, no, no, Ranran, you can't calculate it like that..."

My aunt waved her hands excitedly, saying, "This is The Martian 2! The first one was such a success, so the second one..."

Who said it was the second Martian movie?

"Ok?"

The aunt was taken aback, then exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this... the second one? I've never heard of that new sci-fi movie before... was it suddenly announced?"

Ran Qiao shook her head: "It wasn't a project that was suddenly launched. It was a project that a team had been preparing for before the filming of 'The Martian' even started. It was called... yes, it was called 'The Wandering Earth'."

(End of this chapter)