Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 324, Section 322: Overwhelmingly Positive Reviews

The morning sunlight in December shines through the glass curtain wall of the Jingxin Building, adding a touch of warmth to the winter city of Beijing.

On Monday, December 11, 2000, as the morning newspapers were delivered to newsstands, offices, and homes, news about the film market began to spread quietly.

From north to south, numerous media outlets with national or regional influence, including China Film News, Beijing Youth Daily, Wenhui Daily, and Yangcheng Evening News, published reports on the film market last weekend in prominent positions, with the core focus on the urban romantic comedy "Fake Marriage," produced by Shengying Media and directed by Wang Sheng.

报道称：在12月首个周末（12月1日至12月3日），假结婚》斩获了令人瞩目的票房成绩。

According to preliminary statistics, the film grossed approximately 1879 million yuan in its opening weekend nationwide (based primarily on data from cinemas that have reported their figures). The report specifically points out that this achievement was made despite the relatively limited number of cinemas nationwide and the fact that it occurred at the start of a weekend, demonstrating the strong market appeal of domestically produced genre films.

The report highlighted the contributions of the newly established "China Film Grand Cinema Circuit".

Data shows that among its 49 modern multiplex cinemas nationwide, "The Proposal" generated approximately 450 million yuan in box office revenue in the first three days of its release, accounting for nearly a quarter of the film's total box office revenue in its opening weekend.

The report analyzes that this is due, on the one hand, to the superior hardware facilities and comfortable viewing environment of "China Film Grand Century" cinema, which attracts a large number of viewers, especially young people who pursue quality consumption; on the other hand, it also proves the cinema chain's accurate film scheduling strategy and efficient operation capabilities.

It is worth noting that the report also mentioned that even during non-prime time periods (such as morning and later screenings), the "China Film Grand Cinema" theaters performed well in terms of occupancy, breaking the traditional cinema convention that non-evening screenings are not sold out. This is considered strong evidence that modern multiplex cinemas have activated potential movie-watching demand.

With the publication of the newspaper, the box office news quickly sparked discussion in streets, offices, schools, and other places.

……

At a securities firm in Beijing's Guomao area, several young white-collar workers were passing around copies of the Beijing Youth Daily during the break before the market opened.

"Wow, 'The Proposal' has grossed almost 19 million in just three days? Wang Sheng's box office appeal is truly undeniable," exclaimed a man in a suit.

"I went to the new cinema in Oriental Plaza on Saturday night, and it was really good," a female colleague chimed in. "The screen was big and bright, the chairs were comfortable, and most importantly, it was clean, without the smell of old cinemas. It's just that the tickets were a bit hard to buy; I only managed to book them a day in advance."

"I've heard that there are more and more new cinemas like this now. It would be great if one opened near our company. It would be so convenient to catch a movie after get off work."

……

At the ticket counter of "China Film Grand Cinema - Jinling Road Store" on Jinling Road Pedestrian Street in Shanghai, which had just opened, there were still a few viewers asking about movie schedules, even though it was a weekday.

An elderly gentleman who brought his grandchildren to watch an early morning animated film remarked to the cinema manager while holding a copy of the "Shen Bao" newspaper: "Look, the newspaper is praising your cinema! I've lived most of my life, and I never imagined a cinema could be so comfortable. My child loves it, and we'll come more often in the future."

……

In a tea restaurant in Tianhe District of Guangzhou, several business owners chatted while drinking morning tea.

A shop owner who had just finished reading the newspaper said in Cantonese, "The Proposal is doing quite well at the box office! My wife and I went to see it last Saturday at the new cinema in Tin Ho City. It's really great, comparable to cinemas in Hong Kong. The mainland is developing really fast now, and these entertainment facilities are becoming more and more professional."

...In Chang'an, a college student surnamed Zhang, who was watching a movie with his girlfriend at the Bell Tower branch, praised the convenience of the cinema: "Before, we had to travel a long way to see a movie, but now this new cinema is right in the city center, which is very convenient. There are several screens inside, so there are many choices. The movie we watched, 'The Proposal,' was both funny and touching. Watching a movie in this kind of environment is relaxing and enjoyable."

……

Media reports not only focused on box office figures, but also delved into the positive feedback from audiences regarding the newly built, modern multiplex cinemas.

A commentator article in Guangming Daily pointed out: "The success of 'The Proposal' and the initial achievements of 'China Film Prosperity' cinema chain are not just a victory for a single film or a single cinema chain, but also a microcosm of the deepening reforms and initial successes of infrastructure construction in the Chinese film market."

These comfortable and standardized multiplex cinemas are gradually changing the entertainment consumption habits of Chinese people, transforming "watching movies" from an occasional entertainment activity into a regular, high-quality lifestyle.

Behind this lies the consumption upgrade brought about by economic development, and it is also a vivid manifestation of the supply-side reform of the cultural industry in meeting the growing spiritual and cultural needs of the people.

Local media, on the other hand, tend to focus more on their local perspective.

The Yangcheng Evening News interviewed several citizens who watched movies at the "China Film Grand Cinema - Tianhe Store".

Professor Wang, who teaches at a university, said, "In the past, it was difficult to find a decent cinema when organizing activities for students. Now it's much better. This new cinema meets very high standards in both hardware and software. I hope there will be more cultural facilities like this, which will greatly benefit the improvement of the city's image and the enrichment of citizens' cultural life."

When reporting on the grand opening of Hangzhou's first "China Film Grand Cinema," the Qiantang Evening News quoted a viewer as saying: "I never expected to be able to enjoy a movie-watching experience that rivals that of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou right here in my hometown. This has greatly enriched the cultural life of Hangzhou. I am grateful to the relevant departments for introducing such a high-quality cinema project."

In addition to ordinary viewers, some industry insiders also expressed their views through the media.

An executive from a provincial film company, who declined to be named, frankly told reporters, "The 'China Film Grand' model has indeed put pressure on us, but it has also pointed us in the right direction. In the past, we may have relied too much on the traditional distribution and exhibition model. Now it seems that embracing change and improving the quality of cinemas is the way out. They have proven with their box office results that audiences are willing to pay for a good experience."

This has become a hot topic of discussion on university campuses.

A graduate student from the Department of Sociology at Peking University posted a discussion on the campus BBS: "The box office of 'The Proposal' and the popularity of new cinemas can be seen as a micro-case of the changes in China's social consumption structure."

Once basic material needs are met, people place higher demands on the quality, experience, and social attributes of spiritual and cultural products.

This shift in demand is forcing the cultural industry to upgrade and transform.

Many mainstream media outlets quoted officials from relevant departments—an unnamed official from the cultural bureau of a provincial capital city said: "Introducing high-standard cinemas like 'China Film Grand Cinema' not only enriches the cultural life of citizens and enhances the city's cultural taste and commercial vitality, but it is also a concrete measure for us to respond to the call of higher authorities, promote the development of the cultural industry, and meet the people's growing needs for a better life. Seeing the recognition and welcome of the citizens for the new cinema, we feel that all the efforts we made in the early stages were worthwhile."

Of course, there are also some dissenting voices.

Some commentary articles cautioned that while celebrating new cinemas and box office success, attention should also be paid to the continuous innovation and diversification of film content to avoid falling into homogeneous competition.

Meanwhile, how to enable more viewers in third- and fourth-tier cities to enjoy high-quality movie-watching services remains a direction that needs to be worked on in the future.

(End of this chapter)