Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 284 Film Review, First Day Box Office

The box office figures haven't been released yet, but the first batch of reviews from those who have seen the film are already out.

People have been asking what movies to watch since yesterday, and the answer is out this morning.

Some film review websites have seen hundreds of longer reviews, along with movie tickets as evidence.

[First, here's a photo of the movie tickets. I went to see The Mermaid as soon as possible yesterday. After all, Stephen Chow's movies are worth watching, and I believe they won't disappoint me, so I went to see The Mermaid first, and then went to see The Wandering Earth.]

I'm so glad I made that decision; going to see The Mermaid first was definitely the right thing to do.

I should have watched The Mermaid first. If I had watched The Wandering Earth first, I probably wouldn't have been able to get into The Mermaid. But I watched The Mermaid first, and after leaving the theater, I almost forgot the plot. There were some funny moments, but without Stephen Chow in the lead role, Deng Chao's humor still reminded me of his comedy films, with his usual forced and awkward laughter.

It's just average, a very good movie, but it would definitely be better if Stephen Chow had starred in it.

As for the actress, I have to say that Dilraba's portrayal of the mermaid was stunning. She was really beautiful, especially when she entered the water and transformed into a mermaid; she was simply breathtakingly beautiful.

There's no denying that The Mermaid is beautiful. Next, I want to talk about The Wandering Earth. I admit that I underestimated this movie and also underestimated director Guo Fan.

Director Chen Shouzhe entrusted the film, with an investment of 400 million yuan, to director Guo Fan. Director Guo Fan lived up to expectations and completed the task, presenting us with an epic science fiction blockbuster.

I never expected to see such hard science fiction after Mars Gravity; it exceeded my expectations. I heard that the second part is about to start, and I'm incredibly excited. I've already read the novel; it's a unique kind of Chinese romance.

Luckily, I went to see *The Mermaid* first. Otherwise, if I had seen *The Wandering Earth* first, I might not have wanted to see *The Mermaid*, at least not in the short term. I might have watched *The Wandering Earth* again; I've already bought the tickets. Tomorrow, after I wake up, I'll think about watching it again tonight, and then I'll give everyone a detailed explanation of the messages contained in *The Wandering Earth*.

[I remember the famous police station scene in The Mermaid, and I still remember the line from The Wandering Earth: "There are thousands of roads, but safety is the first priority. Reckless driving will bring tears to your loved ones' eyes." It's so well said! The plot is tense and fast-paced, a visual feast, and a romantic journey.]

[Let me make it clear first, I'm not a shill. I bought tickets and watched both movies. I can only say that Chen Shouzhe is truly a master of his craft. Even though he didn't direct, the script and production are consistently excellent. The Mermaid was a bit lacking, but I think the problem wasn't with Chen Shouzhe's script, but rather with Stephen Chow's absence. If he had acted in the movie himself, like he did with Kung Fu Hustle, the audience would have been more willing to pay for tickets.]

Unfortunately, he did not star in the film. Perhaps it was because of his age; with his full head of white hair, he was indeed not suitable for the lead role in The Mermaid.

The only highlight was Dilraba; her beauty underwater was simply breathtaking.

I heard that the role was originally intended to be cast from non-celebrity actors, but Chen Shouzhe ultimately decided to cast Dilraba Dilmurat. It seems she did a good job, and finally she has a representative work of her own.

The film received high praise online, with many professional film critics joining in the reviews. Of course, other film companies were also constantly promoting their films, with various announcements flying around and competing with each other for publicity on various platforms.

Marketing and distribution cost a lot of money; production is one thing, but film promotion costs an even greater amount.

Normally, it might cost around ten thousand yuan to buy a trending topic, but at this point in time, millions are being spent on it.

Among the top 8 trending topics, eight were about The Wandering Earth and The Mermaid, and three were in the top ten: The Wandering Earth, The Mermaid, and traffic slogans.

The movie "The Wandering Earth" has gone viral online thanks to a traffic slogan; everyone's sharing it, and the production team even released a video of it, which was then reposted by the transportation department, making it a hot topic. After all, it's Chinese New Year, and who wouldn't drink alcohol? It's perfect for use as a promotional slogan, fitting the current time of year.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the box office results were released. I wonder how many people stayed up that night. The film market is becoming more and more mature, and the box office is getting higher and higher. The films in the Lunar New Year season are fighting tooth and nail to promote them. Almost everyone is talking about a few movies, which seems to have become a trend.

As expected, The Wandering Earth grossed 2.27 million yuan and The Mermaid grossed 2.72 million yuan, bringing the total to 5 million yuan. The overall box office reached a staggering 6.3 million yuan, with the remaining 1.3 million yuan share going to other films.

The two films had 35% and 33% of the screenings respectively, and after this data came out, everyone's attention was focused on Chen Shouzhe.

Both films are produced by Shougang Pictures. This year's release is the same as last year's, or even more terrifying. Last year there was only one film, "Hello Mr. Billionaire," but this year there are two films being released at the same time.

"They're not giving us any way out," Ning Hao said to his screenwriter wife at his mother-in-law's house.

“It’s really scary that Chen Shouzhe Film Studio will continue to operate the same way as last year.” His wife shook her head. Chen Shouzhe is like a warehouse, constantly producing movies and getting audiences to buy them.

Both The Mermaid and The Wandering Earth were released simultaneously worldwide, but The Mermaid fared less well in Europe and America, while it did better in Southeast Asia. Stephen Chow is also a celebrity in Southeast Asia.

With Chen Shouzhe's efforts, The Wandering Earth was released in various regions around the world. Knowing that he was the producer, screenwriter and executive producer of the film, theaters around the world gave it a lot of screenings. It is said that it was also well received overseas, and many people were deeply moved by The Wandering Earth.

If we were thinking like Americans, we'd probably use the Fireseed Project to preserve a portion of humanity.

However, the Chinese are different. They take their families with them and run away, using planetary propulsion to take the entire Earth on a journey.

Another masterpiece by Chen Shouzhe after "Gravity".

The poster also featured Chen Shouzhe's name, which attracted many overseas science fiction fans to the cinema.

This is an advantage that only Chen Shouzhe has; no one else has such a strong appeal overseas.

"I heard that there was another animated film that was supposed to be released, but it was blocked by the authorities. Otherwise, there would have been three films released during the Lunar New Year season," Ning Hao said with a wry smile.

"Isn't this way of eating really disgusting?" Ning Hao's wife exclaimed in shock.

"It's not a matter of how they behave. It seems like they're putting pressure on the higher-ups to release the last Ghost Blows Out the Light movie. After all, everyone is working hard to ruin the Ghost Blows Out the Light IP, so they naturally can't let the movie have any problems. That's why they plan to release three movies. If you push them too far, you might have to face an even more insane one in the future. That's why you haven't noticed that some experts who are talking about Ghost Blows Out the Light have kept quiet lately," Ning Hao said with a smile.

"I see. No wonder it was all over the news before the New Year. How come there's no news at all now? Chen Shou is not someone to be trifled with. Luckily, our movie didn't run into him."

"It's hard to say. We might run into them tomorrow, even if we didn't encounter them today. Of course, we definitely won't have time for Journey to the West."

(End of this chapter)