Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 431 Box Office, Nightmare

The cinema market was booming on April 26.

The Martian is like a ferocious beast, sweeping across cinemas nationwide with overwhelming force.

The cinema chains were overjoyed, their smiles practically reaching their ears:
"You've opened for business twice this year!"

"I wish there were more films like this."

"Come on, The Martian isn't an ordinary film. How long did Wu Chen film it, how much money did it cost? Which production company would dare to just throw around hundreds of millions of dollars?"

"That's true, it's a rare opportunity. Some people even complained that we gave them more than 50% of the screenings, suppressing other films. I ignored them completely and let them complain to the bureau first."

Amidst the laughter and merriment, some were happy while others were sad.

Zhang Weiping got anxious.

With "The Martian" poised to raise the ceiling of mainland Chinese box office revenue in one fell swoop, Zhang Yimou was extremely distressed, as his script was not yet finished.

"Yi, why don't we start filming first? We can fill in the unfinished parts of the script later."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi was stunned, his eyes filled with astonishment, as if he didn't recognize Zhang Weiping: "This is impossible! This is a movie, not a TV series."

Seeing Zhang Yimou's resolute attitude, Zhang Weiping immediately choked back his words, only muttering under his breath, "Back in the day, Hong Kong movies often didn't have scripts."

Meanwhile, the major cinemas were bustling with activity in the afternoon and evening, with long queues forming at the box office counters and crowds of people everywhere outside the cinemas.

Many netizens left comments online, marveling at the spectacular movie-watching event today:

"The cinema was packed with people; I almost couldn't even buy a ticket."

"I just realized that there are quite a few people watching movies in our county. Although it's not as crowded as in your big cities, it's still quite a considerable number."

"Ultimately, it's still a problem with movies. When a good movie comes out, people will naturally be willing to pay to support it."

"."

The online discussion is in full swing, and the buzz remains high.

The next morning, the box office statistics department of China Film Group was bustling with activity.

The staff member in charge of the data stared at the screen, their fingers flying across the keyboard, sweat almost pouring down their forehead.

Not only because today's data is extremely important, but also because several leaders are standing behind me, asking me the same question every few minutes:
"Has the data come out yet?"

"How long will it take?"

The staff were miserable, but secretly relieved that the top leader hadn't come in person.

"It's out! It's out! The data is here!"

Suddenly, a cry of surprise rang out, and everyone immediately gathered around.

A short while later, Han Sanping received a report from his secretary. His pupils dilated slightly, and he quickly picked up the phone and dialed.

At this moment in Chongqing, Wu Chen and Jiang Wen are sitting in a car, heading to their next promotional location.

This is the last stop of their domestic promotional tour. After finishing here, they will have to rush back to Beijing for a day of rest before flying to Los Angeles to begin the first stop of their global promotional tour.

"How much, how much?"

Jiang Wen watched as Wu Chen put down the phone and couldn't help but quickly ask him.

Wu Chen softly uttered a number:
"5178."

"Fuck."

The carriage fell silent, with only Jiang Wen's exclamation echoing for a long time.

Not only Jiang Wen, but countless directors, producers, and actors in the industry who received the news also exclaimed in surprise almost simultaneously:

"Really fifty million? My God!"

"This record is too high! When will it be broken?"

In an instant, the domestic entertainment industry was completely turned upside down.

The coverage was overwhelming, dominating the entertainment sections of all websites within just a few hours:
[A historic moment! "The Martian" raked in 5178 million yuan at the box office on its opening day, completely reshaping the Chinese film market!]

[Record Broken! 50 Million Yuan in a Single Day, "The Martian" Ushers in a New Era of Movie Box Office Success!]

Cinemas packed! Audiences rave about "sci-fi masterpiece," "The Martian" sends opening day numbers soaring across the internet!

[Expert Analysis: The Martian's $50 million opening day is just the beginning; its true box office potential lies in overseas markets!]

【.】

Various messages came in one after another, and Wu Chen's phone rang non-stop, with congratulatory calls coming one after another.

Zhong Lifang from Xiao Ma Ben Teng even called to congratulate him: "Congratulations Director Wu, you've set another new record!"

"Mr. Zhong, you're too kind," Wu Chen replied with a smile. "By the way, how's 'Lurking' doing lately?"

Zhong Lifang was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, but quickly replied, "Director Wu, don't worry. 'Lurking' has only been airing for three days, and the ratings are rising every day. CCTV has already said that this drama is a strong contender for the title of Best Drama of the Year!"

"Good news, thank you for your help, Mr. Zhong." Wu Chen said with a smile.

"No trouble at all, it's nothing."

Zhong Lifang waved her hands repeatedly. She thought that with Wu Chen's huge box office success, he probably wouldn't care about such a small matter as the TV series. But she didn't expect that he would still care so much.

The 50 million yuan opening day box office shocked the industry, but Wu Chen knew in his heart that this achievement could only be maintained for less than a year.
Meanwhile, Jiang Wen's phone kept ringing, with the call from Emperor Entertainment being the most crucial, as it not only offered congratulations but also discussed Jiang Wen's new script. Wu Chen's eyes flickered slightly, and after Jiang Wen hung up, he couldn't help but say, "Speaking of your script, do you think Emperor Entertainment and your matchmaker brother Ma Ke can finish it?"

Jiang Wen was taken aback and looked up at him: "What, are you interested in joining the game?"

"Nonsense, I also contributed to that script, so it's only right that I get a share."

Wu Chen chuckled and put his arm around Jiang Wen's shoulder. "Besides, 'The Martian' is about to be released worldwide. The whole world will recognize your face, and the international rights will fetch a higher price in the future. That's a contribution."

"All that talk is just to get involved, isn't it? So tell me, how much are you planning to ask for?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wen immediately understood. Without hesitation, he knew that bringing Wu Chen in would only bring him benefits and no harm.

He knows very well what kind of person he is when he makes movies, so having another helper is definitely a good thing.

"I can just ask for whatever price you want?" Wu Chen asked in surprise. "I want 30%, can you give me that?"

"crazy?"

Jiang Wen was so shocked that he took a half step back. "It's not that I don't want to give it to you, brother, but what about Yinghuang if you ask for this? It doesn't matter if Ma Ke gets a little less, but I spent 80 million of Yinghuang's money last time."

"That settles it then, go ahead and tell me." Wu Chen clapped his hands.

Jiang Wen pondered for a moment: "20%, I can make the decision. I can talk to both sides, and I think it should be fine."

"Okay, then 20% it is."

Wu Chen readily nodded.

The news that "The Martian" grossed over 50 million on its opening day has sparked waves of excitement among movie fans.

The discussion forums of major movie websites are flooded with comments:

"To be honest, I deserve credit for this result. Yesterday, I invited five brothers to team up and go for the midnight show!"

"Only fifty million? To be honest, I still think it's a bit low."

The movie theater in my hometown is really run-down; the screen is like a burlap sack, and the sound system is still mono. I guess a lot of people wouldn't want to go. And if you want to go to the county town, it's too far. So we've lost a lot of people here.”

"There weren't enough screens. 'The Martian' didn't get enough screenings. If it had been shown more widely, the number of screenings would definitely be much higher."

"."

Lu Xun couldn't find a way to salvage "Nanjing! Nanjing!" for the time being, but he was good at criticizing "The Martian".

"The story is too old-fashioned, at best it's a space version of Robinson Crusoe, relying entirely on special effects and a little bit of bland science education to keep it going."

The film's forceful occupation of a large portion of theater screenings, leaving no room for other domestic films to survive, is a devastating blow to other Chinese films and is truly unfortunate.

He had barely finished criticizing the film, and before netizens could even respond, the evening news anchor unusually reported on the release of "The Martian."

Yesterday, "The Martian," directed by young Chinese director Wu Chen, was officially released. The film, with its superb production quality and innovative science fiction narrative, has aroused enthusiastic responses from audiences.

According to the latest statistics, the film grossed over 5000 million yuan on its opening day, setting a new record for single-day box office for a domestic film and demonstrating the vigorous vitality and cultural confidence of my country's film industry.

The news footage cuts to the movie theater, where crowds are packed and several interviewees are in high spirits: "The special effects are amazing," "The story is profound," "This sci-fi is well made."
The final broadcast segment felt more like an expectation:
"The Martian has not only sparked a viewing frenzy in China, but will also be released in North America, Europe, and other global markets next week. This global distribution marks a solid step forward in the 'going global' strategy of Chinese filmmakers."

After reading it, Lu Xun was stunned for three seconds, and then fell into a near-collapse-like silence.

He suddenly grabbed the phone on the table and dialed the media contact: "Could you please delete the part about my interview today?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"I'll pay you," Lu Xun said, his voice almost a growl.

If it hadn't been reported, he could have just vented his anger; he would have only been criticized by a large number of viewers and fans, and perhaps even received some support from haters. But since the news broadcast reported on it, wasn't he being criticized for nothing?
This won't work!
The second day of the film's release was a weekday, so logically, box office revenue should have declined.
However, thanks to positive word-of-mouth and audience enthusiasm, the box office still managed to maintain a figure of nearly 50 million, earning 4833 million, which is somewhat of a defiant attempt to resist the downward trend.

It broke 100 million in two days.

This achievement makes the director, whose films have all failed to break 100 million at the box office, feel somewhat ashamed.

Headlines across major media outlets immediately followed:

[The Martian raked in 100 million yuan at the box office in just two days, breaking the record for the fastest film to reach 100 million yuan in China!]

[A New Benchmark for Chinese Sci-Fi Directors! "The Martian" Surpasses 100 Million Yuan in Two Days; China Film Group: Box Office Exceeds Expectations!]

[“50 Million is Just the Beginning”: “The Martian” Sweeps the Market with 100 Million in Two Days, Global Release Imminent]

Even Han Sanping couldn't sit still anymore. Faced with the other party's expectations, Wu Chen smiled wryly:

"Chairman Han, it's not easy to get this box office on Monday. It's because a lot of movie fans who didn't get to see the movie went to see it, which is a backlog of demand. It's impossible to have this kind of counter-trend performance every weekday."

"It would be great if we could maintain around 30 million; the second surge will start next weekend."

"That's true, I was greedy." Han Sanping rarely admitted his impatience.

At this point, the industry is eagerly anticipating how far this film will go and what kind of ceiling it will set for the domestic box office.

Wu Chen felt a little regretful; if this film had been in 3D, it might have been worth looking forward to breaking various records.

After all, 3D films are naturally resistant to piracy, many moviegoers will seek an immersive experience, and pirated copies will have ghosting, resulting in a very poor viewing experience.
the other side.

Lu Xun was extremely anxious.

Two days after the release of "The Martian," the box office performance of "Nanjing! Nanjing!" has been dismal, only reaching around three million yuan.

In comparison, it's a nightmare.

It's only been seven days since it was released. At this rate, forget about making 100 million, even 50 million is in doubt.
(End of this chapter)