Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 450, Section 448: Night at the Museum

Friday, December 13, 2002.

The early morning in Beijing was shrouded in the crisp, cold air typical of winter, but the newsstands were busier than ever.

Newspapers, still damp with ink, were quickly distributed and snapped up, and the numbers jumping on the front page foreshadowed an extraordinary weekend.

The China Economic Observer featured a prominent front-page article titled "Embroidery Spring Spreads Over 80 Million Yuan: Cultural Consumption Drives New Engine for Endogenous Growth," providing in-depth coverage.
According to official authoritative data, as of December 11, the martial arts blockbuster "Brotherhood of Blades" has grossed over 80 million yuan, reaching 8092 million yuan! Since its release on November 29, the film has continued to ignite the market with its excellent production and profound content, becoming another testament to the vitality of China's cultural consumption market at the end of the first year of China's WTO accession.

Experts point out that against the backdrop of a steady and positive macroeconomic environment after China's accession to the WTO, there is a clear trend of upgrading in residents' consumption structure.

Cultural and entertainment consumption, represented by movies, is gradually transforming from a mere "embellishment" to a "necessity".

The success of "Brotherhood of Blades" and the series of works produced by Shengying Media not only reflects the effectiveness of supply-side reform in China's cultural industry, but also reveals the enormous potential and resilience of the domestic market, especially in the field of spiritual and cultural consumption.

This "warmth" brought by light and shadow undoubtedly added a bright touch to the year-end economic landscape and provided a vivid example for exploring the "endogenous growth" model..."

The fact that economic newspapers have characterized and interpreted a film's success in a way that elevates it to the level of macroeconomics and the achievements of China's accession to the WTO is extremely rare.

Behind this was the skillful guidance of Shengying's public relations team, and it also truly aligned with the national policy at the time, which aimed to boost domestic demand and showcase the achievements of opening up.

However, what ordinary citizens and movie fans are more directly experiencing is another movie-watching storm that is about to sweep the entire city.

At 10:00 a.m. sharp, "China Film Grand Cinema" and other affiliated cinemas, located in major cities across the country, opened their doors on time.

The audience, who had been waiting in the cold wind for a long time, immediately poured into the warm cinema lobby.

Everyone's goal is almost the same—to see "Night at the Museum" released globally today.

According to real-time data from the Maoyan platform and information compiled by various cinemas, this Chinese fantasy blockbuster, directed by Wang Sheng and starring Jackie Chan, secured 70% of the screenings on its opening day, December 13, out of 3072 effective screens nationwide!

The screenings started around 9 a.m. and continued until late at night. In some cinemas in core cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, midnight screenings were even opened!

3072 screens meant 3072 theaters (according to the statistics at the time, one theater corresponded to one screen).

If we calculate based on an average capacity of 120 viewers per theater, this means that "Night at the Museum" had a massive supply of over 25 seats available for a single screening on its opening day.

For the early morning screenings around 10:30 a.m., many theaters already had an astonishing 40% occupancy rate!

This is an almost unbelievable number for a weekday morning that is not a holiday.

Among the moviegoers, besides some young people and students who don't have to work, there were also quite a few middle-aged and elderly viewers who took advantage of their weekdays off to "try out" the movie.

"I heard this movie is really fun, the antiques in it even move!" an elderly woman who accompanied her grandson to the early morning screening said happily to the people around her.

During the midday showings after noon, the attendance rate soared further, exceeding 60%!

Many cinemas near office buildings have seen a surge in white-collar workers making the trip during their lunch break.

They were in a hurry, grabbing a quick lunch at a fast-food restaurant near the cinema before eagerly checking in and entering.

The real frenzy began in the afternoon.

As word-of-mouth spread, starting at 2 PM, the attendance rate for subsequent shows began to climb at an astonishing rate!
70%! 80%!

90%!

Even before the prime-time screenings from 5 pm to 7 pm began, many cinemas' ticket windows and the Maoyan app already displayed red "sold out" signs.

During the prime time slot from 7 pm to 9 pm, the attendance rate for "Night at the Museum" shows across the country is approaching 100%!

The scene of tickets being hard to come by was playing out simultaneously in multiple cities.

Why is it climbing so fast?
The answer lies in those audience members who walked out of the theater, their faces still filled with excitement, surprise, and laughter, and who couldn't wait to pick up their phones (or mobile phones) to call their friends.

"My God! That's amazing! The Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang has really come to life! They can even march in formation! The scene was incredible!" A college student who had just come out of the Haidian Theater in Beijing excitedly shouted into the phone.

In the movie, when Chen Dabao, the unemployed martial arts instructor played by Jackie Chan, is on his first night shift, the ancient bells of the museum ring, and mysterious starlight emanates from the bronze artifacts, as if the national treasures housed in the museum have been breathed into life—

The taotie patterns on the bronze tripod flowed and emitted a deep hum; the Han Dynasty terracotta figures stretched and yawned, complaining to each other, "We've been standing for two thousand years, our backs are about to break!"; the Tang Dynasty tri-colored glazed pottery ladies danced gracefully, their water sleeves fluttering, as if they had stepped out of a mural; most breathtakingly, the Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Army, silent for a thousand years, suddenly gleamed with a ghostly light in its deep eye sockets amidst a cloud of dust, and then began to patrol the museum hall with uniform, powerful steps!
The solemnity and awe that spans a thousand years, mixed with a sudden sense of comedy, creates an indescribable visual and psychological impact!
"Hahaha, that porcelain vase from the Ming Dynasty is such a chatterbox! It kept pestering Jackie Chan with all sorts of questions, like whether there were still emperors outside. When it learned that it was now a republic, it actually exclaimed, 'Finally, I don't have to lose my head so easily anymore!' It cracked me up!" In the lounge area of ​​a cinema in Shanghai, several young white-collar workers were having a lively discussion while waiting for their friends.

The film's imaginative concept far exceeded the expectations of almost all viewers.

They anticipated that the artifacts would "come alive," but they never expected them to "come alive" in such a vivid, interesting way, and so closely integrated with the historical context.

A knowledgeable but somewhat pedantic scholar using bamboo slips; a fortune teller who loves oracle bone script and tortoise shells; a chubby Tang Dynasty terracotta figurine who is secretly saddened by her "out-of-shape figure"; and a terracotta general who shoulders the responsibility of protection, with a cold exterior but a loyal and righteous heart...

Each cultural relic character, imbued with "life," possesses a distinct personality, and their interactions with Jackie Chan are full of sparks, featuring both hilarious comedic moments and heartwarming touching scenes.

"It's not just funny! When the international thief attacks at the end, Jackie Chan fights alongside the resurrected artifacts, and the Terracotta Army unites to fight the enemy. That scene was both thrilling and moving! It felt like our thousands of years of culture came alive and was protecting its heritage!" A bespectacled, seemingly quiet girl left a long movie review online, which quickly garnered a lot of likes.

Spectacular! Hilarious! Heartwarming! Cultural pride!

"Night at the Museum" is like a precise emotional blender, perfectly combining various elements that attract audiences to create a fantastic feast suitable for all ages and with a strong Chinese flavor.

Audiences were utterly shocked and captivated by this unprecedented, imaginative yet deeply rooted storyline within the profound Chinese civilization. Their first reaction upon leaving the theater was to enthusiastically recommend it to their friends and family.

"You absolutely have to watch this! You'll regret it for a year if you don't!"

"Buy your tickets now! They'll be gone if you wait!"

"I'm planning to watch it a second time, there are just too many details!"

The power of word-of-mouth, coupled with the high ratings on the Maoyan platform (quickly reaching 9.3 points at the start) and the convenient ticketing system, created a nuclear fission-like effect.

The occupancy rate in the afternoon and evening skyrocketed, completely igniting cinemas across the country.

According to preliminary statistics, with the average ticket price of "Night at the Museum" as high as 20 yuan (due to its special effects blockbuster positioning and the higher ticket prices in some IMAX/giant screen theaters, which raised the average), its opening day box office is rushing toward a number that is suffocating and unbelievable to the entire industry.

Calculators were clicking on countless desks: 70% screening rate, 3072 screens, operating at near full capacity, and an average ticket price as high as 20 yuan...

Each number is like a heavy weight, and together they foreshadow the birth of a new record in the Chinese film market.

(End of this chapter)