Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 429 A Booming Screening Schedule and Midnight Box Office
With only one day left until the official release of "The Martian" on April 26, the entire film industry is already in an uproar.

Industry insiders have been engaged in heated discussions about the opening day box office and record of "The Martian".

The recent release of film schedules by major cinema chains has shocked countless people both inside and outside the industry.

Even the lowest-rated cinema chain gave up as much as 47% of the screenings, and even more outrageous, some large cinema chains gave up more than 50% of the screenings, with the highest reaching 52%.

This almost insane way of scheduling screenings has made some films very uncomfortable.

Many industry peers couldn't help but secretly wipe away a cold sweat, while also suppressing a smile and feeling fortunate.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness our film didn't clash with 'The Martian'."

"With this average screening share exceeding 50%, anyone who touches it is doomed!"

"That's not quite right. There's still a director in the industry whose big-budget film got uploaded, it's just a pity it was affected by public opinion in the first few days, otherwise it wouldn't have been so bad!"

"Hahaha"

At this time, the industry was naturally discussing Lu Xun's "Nanjing! Nanjing!"

Actually, if there hadn't been such a big public opinion impact beforehand, releasing the film on the 21st earlier would have given it five days, including a weekend, and given its special subject matter, the box office wouldn't have been bad. With continued box office success, becoming a director with a 100 million yuan box office would have been a natural progression.

However, things weren't going well for "Nanjing! Nanjing!" at that time.

With its box office performance so poor so far, the behemoth that is "The Martian" is about to pounce.

Lu Xun was completely bewildered and didn't know how to deal with it.

In the past few days, the media frenzy surrounding "The Martian" has overshadowed even major news such as the announcement of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival.

This year's Cannes Film Festival had two Chinese judges, Shu Qi and Zhang Ziyi, who were selected for the main competition and the Cinéfondation and Short Film sections respectively. This would normally be breaking news, but it was easily overshadowed by the popularity of "The Martian".

Even the crew of "No Man's Land," who were filming in the desolate Gobi Desert in the far west, couldn't help but discuss it.

"Industry insiders are guessing that 'The Martian' will likely gross at least 30 million yuan on its opening day."

"What 30 million? Which amateur media outlet wrote that? It's so unprofessional. It's probably starting at 40 million. Who are they looking down on with 30 million?"

The wind and sand howled, the distant desert was as hot as fire, the yellow sand blocked out the sun, and the setting sun dyed half the sky red.

After filming a series of shots under the scorching sun, Huang Bo, Xu Zheng, Yu Nan, and others sat on the sand-swept ground, gulping down mineral water. Xu Zheng, his face covered in dust, caught his breath and suddenly said:
"Could this be the start of a new era of 400 million yuan box office revenue in China?!"

"It's hard to say, but if it's Director Wu, the probability is quite high."

After saying that, Huang Bo suddenly turned his head, squinted at Ning Hao who was wearing sunglasses to shield his eyes, and shouted:
"Director, when can we find some time to go to the city to see it? It would be a shame if we didn't see this movie in a theater."

Ning Hao glanced around at the desolate and barren surroundings, where even a sapling was hard to find. His face darkened slightly. He patted the sand off his head and said irritably:
"What kind of movie theater is this? There isn't a decent one for dozens of kilometers around. Maybe next time I go to the city center to buy supplies, I'll check it out! Hurry up and take this picture, the sand and wind are so strong."

Finally, April 26th arrived, and in the early morning, "The Martian" officially premiered in China for the first time globally.

At the entrance of a cinema in Sanlitun, Beijing.

The night was deep, and the streets were brightly lit. The early morning breeze was still a bit chilly, but the cinema was already packed with people, and the noise was deafening. The dense crowd even made the ticket queue area impassable.

The ticket sellers behind the counter couldn't help but widen their eyes, staring at the dense crowd queuing up, and whispered among themselves:

"My goodness, this is a rare sight indeed!"

A girl next to me quickly tore off a movie ticket and said in a low voice:
"Who can argue with that? It just so happens to be the weekend today, but the main reason is that the online reviews are so high. Many people who saw the premiere raved about it, saying it's the pinnacle of domestic science fiction."

"And this is the world premiere! The US, Japan, and South Korea won't release it until a week later. After the shift changes, I'll find a screening room to check it out."

The boy next to him immediately became curious: "I'll sneak in and take a look later when no one's around."

The girl rolled her eyes at him: "Dream on, it's my turn to go first!"

At the cinema entrance, young moviegoers wearing loose sweatpants and carrying small bags slung over their shoulders were queuing in the crowd. He stood on tiptoe slightly and looked towards the direction of the screening room in the distance, and his heart was beating slightly faster—watching a movie in the early morning was a first for him.

But since he's a fan of Wu Chen and a science fiction movie enthusiast, he's been looking forward to this film for a long time.

After taking his seat, he quickly glanced around and saw that the entire venue was almost full.

After the crowd quieted down, the lights suddenly went out, the screen lit up, and the desolate red landscape of Mars instantly filled the screen, creating a dreamlike visual impact.
Outside the screening room, long lines of viewers continued to form as they waited for the next showing.

Even in the early hours of the morning, crowds continued to pour into the cinema, and the first wave of positive reviews for "The Martian" had quietly begun to spread.

In the morning, as dawn broke, the streets gradually became lively.
China Film Group building.

The spring breeze blows, and the red flags flutter in the wind.

Han Sanping called the head of the cinema department over early in the morning. Sitting in his office, he looked delighted and was clearly in a good mood.

"So, have the box office figures for the midnight screenings been released yet?"

"Mr. Han, the response to 'The Martian' is fantastic!" The other person looked excited. "The midnight screenings in Beijing were almost completely sold out. The box office figures for the midnight screenings are still being tallied, but breaking records is a foregone conclusion."

Han Sanping nodded slightly, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.

It's important to know that the box office performance of midnight screenings often reflects a film's popularity and audience anticipation.

Since there are usually fewer people during this time, being able to attract viewers to watch a film as soon as possible often means that the film has strong appeal and market potential.

This is of course exclusive to blockbusters, because only top-tier blockbusters can attract moviegoers to watch movies late at night.

Industry insiders know that the box office figures for the midnight screenings of "The Martian" are being tallied, and major cinema chains are cooperating in the data collection. Fortunately, the data is not extensive, and it was compiled by 10 p.m.

"How many?"

Ren Zhonglun, who was in the Shanghai Film Studio, couldn't help but ask again when he heard the number called out by his secretary.

"Chairman Ren, according to the data from China Film Group, it does indeed show 508 million."

(End of this chapter)