Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 685 Box Office
August 10, early morning.

As the first rays of sunlight illuminated the land of China, a carnival for the Chinese film market officially began.

Zhang Lin's call came very early.

"Director Wu, congratulations! Congratulations!"

On the other end of the phone, Zhang Lin sounded exceptionally cheerful.

"I just received the data statistics for all cinemas across the country from Wanda Cinemas this morning."

"30 Days of Warmth" is a bit scary! It's not like what you and Yifei said during the promotion, that the target was only 200 million.

The attendance rate was very high, far exceeding the average for the same period. Some screenings were already sold out starting yesterday afternoon.

"Oh? Then it seems like the two hundred million is a sure thing."

"Haha, that's definitely a sure thing."

Zhang Lin burst out laughing. He guessed that Xiao Wuchen and Liu Yifei had deliberately understated the figures to some extent.

Not long after, Han Sanping from China Film Group called.

"Will there be another film like this next time?" Han Sanping's words were as direct as ever.

"Looks like the box office is doing well?" Wu Chen asked with a smile.

What could Han Sanping possibly want to talk about at this hour?

That must be China Film Group, which compiled the box office data for the first day nationwide.

"Hmm." On the other end of the phone, Han Sanping's voice carried an undisguised surprise, "The opening day box office was over 2800 million. Very good."

After saying that, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

He knew that Wu Chen's claim of 200 million was unreliable.

But he didn't expect that this seemingly uncommercial romance film would have such a terrifying box office performance on its opening day.

The previous few movies were all shouting slogans like "300 million" or "400 million" at the top of their lungs.

The result was not as good as Wu Chen and Liu Yifei's casual remark of "two hundred million".

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of Shanghai Film Group.

"How much?" Ren Zhonglun stood up from behind his desk.

"Chairman Ren, I just got the data. Director Wu's film '30 Days of Warmth' did indeed gross over 28 million on its opening day."

It broke the previous single-day box office record for domestic art films.

Upon hearing this, Ren Zhonglun felt a pang of envy.

However, the thought that China Film Group had also failed to invest in this film made him feel inexplicably more at ease as he looked out at the Huangpu River.

But he didn't have time to envy others.

Because his own book, "The Xinhai Revolution," is being fiercely criticized by the market.

From the very beginning, the screening schedule and box office performance were far from ideal.

Today, it's at the very bottom, with daily box office revenue of less than ten million.

"A cursory glance," "touching the surface," "a video version of a history textbook."
Negative reviews from viewers came in waves, one after another.

Thinking about this, Ren Zhonglun suddenly felt a headache coming on.

The media coverage has gone completely mad.

[The box office results for the first day of the National Day holiday are in! "Warm Thirty Days" raked in 2800 million yuan, taking the top spot! Breaking the record for the highest-grossing opening day for a domestic art film]

[Word-of-mouth reigns supreme! Wu Chen and Liu Yifei's new film stages a textbook comeback, crushing all competitors in the same release window!]

[What happened to the promised "laid-back" 200 million? Netizens are urging Wu Chen: If he continues at this "laid-back" pace, the box office will break 400 million!]

【.】

The entire industry is paying close attention to this astonishing data.

"The opening day box office figures are a bit too high."

"It's all because the other movies were too helpful. What kind of garbage were they all making? Each one was worse than the last. As a result, moviegoers all flocked to see '30 Days of Warmth'."

"How come Starry Sky Pictures is so profitable? Damn, this film was invested in by Wu Chen and Liu Yifei, they must have made a fortune!"

"."

Amidst the murmurs of discussion, there was inevitably envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Especially the actresses in the industry, when they saw Liu Yifei not only showing off her love with Wu Chen in the movie, but also achieving both fame and fortune in real life, they were so jealous that their eyes were almost red.

Did she save the galaxy in her past life?

"She gets all the good things!"

"I'm so angry, I'm really so angry!"

"."

Under close scrutiny from the industry, "The Warmest Thirty Days of My Life" still managed to gross over 3000 million yuan on the second day of the National Day holiday, although it failed to break the 2900 million yuan mark again.

Although those in the industry already knew that Wu Chen's films would be quite strong.

Especially with the subject matter of "30 Days of Warmth," although it's not a purely commercial film, it's particularly appealing, especially to couples.

Couples are one of the main moviegoers during the National Day holiday.

"It's really beautiful! Liu Yifei looks absolutely stunning in it! Every frame is like a painting!"

"It's very heartwarming. After watching it, I felt very comfortable. There's a lingering feeling that gently touches my heart. Highly recommended!"

"."

Thanks to the spontaneous efforts of movie fans, the ratings for "30 Days of Warmth" on Mtime and Douban have risen rather than fallen, remaining firmly above 8.5.

"Director Wu, the two hundred million you mentioned to Yifei, you weren't referring to the box office during the first week of the National Day holiday, were you?"

Wang Changtian couldn't help but joke over the phone.

He was deeply moved after reviewing the data.

Although the cost of "Warm Thirty Days" is unknown, it certainly won't be too high, at least not exceeding 100 million like "Painted Skin".

This rate of return is truly enviable.

"Haha, I really didn't expect that."

Wu Chen burst into laughter.

He was about to say something more when he unexpectedly heard Wang Changtian on the other end of the phone say, "Come in."

Wu Chen thought that Wang Changtian would continue to exchange pleasantries with him.

Unexpectedly, just a short while later, Wang Changtian's voice came again, his tone becoming unusually urgent and angry.

"Director Wu, I'm sorry, something urgent has come up. I have to talk to you later."

"Oh?"

"Someone is breaking the rules."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Changtian looked at his secretary who was giving a report.

"Are you sure that Yang Zi from Juling Films posted that on Weibo?"

"Yes, Mr. Wang."

The secretary handed over the phone.

On the phone screen was Yang Zi's personal Weibo account.

Half an hour ago, it suddenly updated its content, directly targeting Enlight Media's "Painted Skin".

"Some movies will stop at nothing to boost their box office! They've even started 'box office theft' in theaters!"

They manually changed our tickets for "The Legend of the White Snake" to yours! This behavior is a disgrace to the industry! I hereby lodge my strongest protest!

"Furthermore! Some film producers have hired 'internet trolls' to maliciously flood our 'The Legend of the White Snake' with negative reviews! The evidence is irrefutable! You'll be receiving lawyer's letters soon!"

This public accusation was like a bomb, instantly detonating the internet.

The accusations were accompanied by several so-called "evidence" images.

One of them was a handwritten movie ticket. The original title of the movie was "Painted Skin," but someone had scribbled it out and changed it to "The Legend of the White Snake."

The other document was a screenshot of a so-called chat log. The content was a conversation between a "paid troll" and a "buyer".

Judging from the conversation, it seems that someone took on a job of "criticizing 'The Legend of the White Snake' and supporting 'Painted Skin'" on various online forums.

The incident was like a bomb, instantly exploding across the internet.

Looking at the flawed "evidence," Wang Changtian was so angry that he slammed his hand heavily on the table.

"Nonsense."

"This is outrageous! No wonder there were so many negative reviews in the comments section of our 'Painted Skin' movie! Turns out, they were the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes!"

Wang Changtian directly pinned the blame for the negative reviews on Yang Zi.

Does he not know in his heart whether he cheated on box office revenue or hired online trolls?

He's seen this kind of despicable, thieving, and hypocritical tactic before!

"Mr. Wang."

"Call all the people in charge of publicity and the supervisors here."

Wang Changtian simply waved his hand dismissively.

Damn it! He refused to believe that his film and television company, which started in the media and was most skilled at manipulating public opinion, could be no match for a new company that started by "marrying a rich woman."
He wanted to see just what Juli Film Industry was capable of!
Wu Chen naturally learned of Yang Zi's actions on Weibo.

He looked at the few pieces of "evidence" riddled with flaws and could only shake his head helplessly.

"Still too young."

Trying to rip off "Painted Skin" at the box office using such underhanded tactics is acceptable.

But if you're going to use a method, you have to use it cleverly.

Now, this method of striking a snake but missing its vital point;

So, it's only a matter of time before someone seizes on your weakness and beats you to death.
(End of this chapter)