Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 105 First Day Box Office
Two days later, the program aired, and sure enough, the issue of film rating systems was brought up again.

Chen Shouzhe was immediately surrounded and attacked by a group of directors.

Because he does not support a rating system.

Too many directors in China like to make films that are not widely known. In order to get them released, they have to cut and modify them. If only there were a rating system.

It specifies which groups of people can watch it.

As a director, Chen Shouzhe felt that he should stand with them and work together to promote a film rating system.

However, he didn't say much about Chen Shouzhe. After all, he had said that as a director, he was on that side, but as a citizen, he should follow the lead of those in power.

The audience doesn't care about any rating system; it's Chen Shou who's criticizing the censors and making them happy.

"Using goji berries as blood? That's fine. It's the same as sprinkling dog blood instead of goji berries."

"I want to see if the main theme gets blocked then."

"I guess they're waiting for Chen Shouzhe's 'A Chinese Ghost Story' to finish filming so they can stab him a few times."

"You know what, it's really possible to get stabbed, just like Director Kaning, who was stuck for two or three years."

"They have knives in their hands, they can cut whoever they want. Luckily, guns are banned now, otherwise the whole world would have to see what a fighting nation is like."

"Rumor has it that someone is trying to block 'The Martian'."

"Really? Who's so bold as to be so daring?"

"Why would I lie to you? It's true."

"No wonder Chen Shou is determined to fight them to the death."

Entering July, Chen Shouzhe did not stop promoting the film. He now regretted that he should be a fat guy like his uncle Sun Yue, so he could lose weight and at least attract a group of men to the movie theater after the promotion.

Look how dedicated I am to losing weight; I even lost weight while filming a movie.

Shouldn't they give us 3 billion in advance for this box office revenue?
After running through several programs, the pre-release promotion has finally come to an end, and the show will premiere promptly at midnight on July 6th.

Chen Shou stayed up all night writing in his study.

He couldn't sleep until dawn, waiting for news to arrive.

"Director Chen came out on the first day."

It was a Sunday when Tao Lat called.

"How many?"

“1.7 million,” Tao Le said, unable to contain his excitement.

"Phew, I'll take a nap. If I wake up this afternoon, I'll go to the company for a meeting." Chen Shou let out a long sigh.

"You didn't sleep all night?" Tao Le asked nervously.

"I can't sleep. I'll take a nap now. I'm a little sleepy," Chen Shou said.

"Then you should go to sleep quickly," Tao Le said.

Chen turned off his phone, lay down on the sofa in the study, and finally got a good night's sleep.

The weather in July was very hot. At noon, Chen Shou woke up because of the heat. He opened his eyes, raised his hand, and glanced at the time.

It's 3 PM.

The air conditioner in the study was on, and there was a cup covering her body; the housekeeper must have come in and put it there.

He got up to take a shower and brush his teeth. The aunt was from his hometown; she was a very simple and honest person. When she saw Chen Shou get up, she asked him what he wanted to eat.

"Auntie, cook me some noodles and add two eggs," Chen Shou said.

"Okay, beef broth noodles. You stayed up late yesterday, so don't eat spicy food, it's easy to get a sore throat."

"Thank you auntie."

Sitting at the dining table, Chen Shouzhe turned on his phone and was immediately bombarded with countless text messages. Instead, he opened Weibo.

As expected, the box office figures for the first day appeared at the top of Weibo's trending topics.

Of the fifty trending topics, thirteen were related to "The Martian".

Money is naturally involved here. Zhong Lifan is in charge of the operation. Some posts may not even make it to the trending topics even with tens of thousands of replies, while others only need a few hundred.

Money is always the key to anything that can be controlled by humans.

If the money is enough, even if you kill your opponent in the boxing ring, the referee can still say that the deceased won.

Thirteen of the Weibo posts were about the movie, and with its record-breaking box office on opening day, it broke the domestic record for the highest-grossing opening day for a film. In addition, the movie was of high quality, and there were countless recommendations from viewers. Even on a Monday, many people went to the cinema.

While eating, Chen Shou made a phone call, telling Zhong Lifan and Tao Le to continue promoting the event, and then drove back to the horse farm.

After each period of restlessness, he would return here to seek peace and quiet.

He took the comb and groomed the miniature horse, while his master's wife and child watched him from the side.

"What would you like to eat tonight?" the teacher's wife asked.

"I want to eat stewed meat," Chen Shou said.

"Okay, I'll make it for you, Master's wife." Master's wife smiled.

I casually took a picture of Chen Shouzhe and posted it on her Weibo.

The teacher's wife usually posts pictures of the animals at the horse farm on Weibo, and she doesn't have many followers, only tens of thousands.

However, when this photo was posted, it immediately caused a small sensation, with many people leaving comments.

"Director Chen, you have such refined tastes. No wonder I couldn't get through to you on the phone; you were with Teacher Yu." "Brother, let's go out for drinks. My movie is about to wrap up."

"Is that a miniature horse? It's so cute, I'll go in a couple of days too."

"Wait for me, I need to turn on my computer in a couple of days, I'll come find you now."

Huang Xiaoming, Jiang Wen, Liu Yifei, Zhou Xun, and others left comments below.

The Martian is currently a huge hit, but director Chen Shouzhe has gone into hiding, leaving many reporters helpless. The security at the horse farm is even more formidable than that at some companies.

Because they keep a large number of dogs, they can't get in without knowing someone. They are paparazzi, and it's their own fault if they encounter real dogs on someone else's turf and get bitten.

Chen Shouzhe played with the dwarf horse for a while, and then played with several dogs, many of which he had raised. They wagged their tails happily when they saw him coming.

It was hot, so everyone played indoors. The greenhouse was comfortable even without air conditioning, thanks to the natural breeze.

Eating watermelon and watching the animals, it was quieter than ever before.

"Master's wife, has Xiao Meng moved out yet?" Chen Shou asked.

“He’s already married, how can he still live at the horse farm? He’s moved to the house he bought,” the master’s wife said.

When Meng Hetang got married, Chen Shouzhe went to drink with him. The fellow apprentices had a lively time together. Meng Hetang only joined Deyun Society in 09. Before that, he studied acting and was a good dancer. He knew his wife, Chen Shouzhe, and they had been together for several years.

The last time I came back, I was at the horse farm; this time, I'm not there anymore.

“They’ve all grown up, and he’s quite well-known now,” Chen Shou said with a smile.

“Yes, they’re all grown up now. When will Yang Mi give birth?” The master’s wife glared at Chen Shou.

"At the end of this month," Chen Shouzhe said softly after a moment's hesitation.

"How come I never realized you were such a bastard before? To be honest, I've heard the entertainment industry is dirty, and now I see it in you." The teacher's wife poked Chen Shouzhe's head in annoyance, looking at him with a disappointed expression.

"You should ask my master about that," Chen Shou said with an awkward smile.

Do you want to get beaten up again?

"Never mind what I said. I'll bring the child over for you to take care of. Thank you for your help," Chen Shou said.

"It's alright, you paid for the nanny anyway," the teacher's wife sighed.

Chen Shou glanced at Weibo, picked up his phone and sent a few messages on WeChat. He didn't want to be disturbed; he would feel very uncomfortable if a large group of people came to the horse farm.

Yu Qian returned later. There was no performance today, but there was other work. Meng Hetang was no longer the assistant; someone else had taken over.

With Chen Shouzhe included, the family had dinner together. Chen Shouzhe rested at the horse farm for one night and drove to the company the next day.

July 7th was a Monday, and everyone thought the box office results would decline. However, when the box office figures were released, countless film companies in the industry were stunned.

1.95 million, almost broke 200 million.

It reversed its downward trend.

The fact that the film's box office revenue declined on Monday indicates that it's poised to be a huge hit, with 3.65 million yuan in just two days, almost covering its production costs.

All seven production companies posted on Weibo to congratulate the box office on its soaring success.

Xi'an Film Studio, in particular, was very poor at the time but gritted its teeth and kept up, and now it seems it must have made a profit.

Guo Wengui was also cheering them on, after all, they had also invested a little.

There's been even more praise online; the audience paid for tickets, so they have the right to say whether the movie is good or not.

Is the movie really that good?

"To put it simply, this film opened the door to a new era of science fiction films in China and broke the monopoly of foreign science fiction films. From now on, we will have films that belong to our country."

"Director Chen is right. We can make our own sci-fi blockbusters. The special effects are all done by our own people. I was so nervous watching it."

"Plot: 9/10, Special Effects: 9/10, Actors: 9/10, Total Score: 999."

"It brought tears to my eyes. We can't give up on anyone. We have to save them no matter what it takes."

“I was abroad and I watched the movie. It was fast-paced and didn’t have any melodramatic romance. It was about the loneliness of a person on Mars and a group of people working hard for him.”

"It's hilarious, many foreigners say it wasn't filmed by Chinese people."

"It's unbelievable that someone would have to pay such a high price to save others after landing on Mars. The plot is absurd and it's a stupid movie."

"Wouldn't it be less outrageous if it were your American daddy?"

"The kneeling tribe".

The film was released worldwide, and thanks to its connections with Columbia Pictures, it opened many theatrical screens in North America.

Despite leveraging his fame, tickets sold quite well. In addition to domestic and Southeast Asian markets, the opening day box office in Europe and America was $2301 million, and it is estimated that breaking $100 million will not be a problem.

According to the cinemas, they will continue to increase the number of screenings, and it's clear that more and more people are watching the movies.

When the news reached China, all the actors were very excited. It was their first time going international. Gong Li, of course, already had a great international reputation, followed by Liu Yifei and Huang Xiaoming.

The lead actor, Zhang Hanyu, became an instant sensation, and his rugged image immediately attracted the attention of several suit brands.

The movie also featured some advertisements, such as for cars. Of course, the advertising patches allowed Chen Shou to make a profit.

Once the actors became famous, they promoted themselves even more diligently, visiting several cities.

The other actors are all eyeing the film company's projects, hoping to propel domestic stars onto the international stage. Which star would refuse?
The Painted Skin movie has already started filming, so forget about animated films. That leaves only two: A Chinese Ghost Story and The Taking of Tiger Mountain.

It's impossible for mainstream films to go international, so the only option is A Chinese Ghost Story, which is a huge market opportunity.

(End of this chapter)