Huayu Entertainment: The Birth of a Succubus Top Star

The entire cast and crew of "Joy of Life 3" rented out a theater to watch "Love Letter to Grandma," and the theater was unusually quiet when they left.

Without the hustle and bustle of watching the blockbuster, everyone's eyes held a faint sense of emotion and melancholy.

Stepping out of the theater, a cool evening breeze blew as the group walked side by side toward the private restaurant they had booked in advance. They chatted in hushed tones about the movie, the plot, and the current challenging environment for the film and television industry.

The warm lights in the private room were turned on, and the food was served, but the lively atmosphere was slow to pick up.

Those of you here are all industry professionals who have been deeply involved in the field for many years. No one knows better than them that the film and television market in 2026 is undergoing its most brutal period of deep reshuffling.

Since the beginning of the year, the entire industry has visibly cooled down and the overall market has shrunk. In the first half of the year, the national box office declined sharply year-on-year, and many listed film and television companies suffered a sharp drop in revenue and continued losses.

The once foolproof blockbuster model has completely failed, resulting in an extreme market polarization.

This summer's film season witnessed an unprecedented phenomenon: a collective flop of major films and a wave of film withdrawals.

Many top-tier productions, big-budget special effects, and all-star cast films were abruptly withdrawn from theaters after only a few days of release due to dismal box office returns and poor word-of-mouth.

The highly anticipated films "The Battle of Luoyang" and "The Stars Shine" have both been withdrawn from the market, and even the sequel to the top IP "Avatar 3," which has been reaping huge market success for years, has had a particularly mediocre box office and popularity this year, completely shattering the industry myth that "big investment = high return."

Chen Daoming picked up his water glass, his tone tinged with weariness and helplessness: "To be honest, everyone is stunned this year. In the past, as long as you spent money, added special effects, and hired popular celebrities, you could basically guarantee a profit. But that doesn't work anymore. The audience has completely woken up."

"Audiences are already tired of formulaic narratives, unrealistic plots, and assembly-line blockbusters that prioritize packaging over content," Wu Gang sighed and added. "The market is too cruel now, with an extremely severe 80/20 split. Good works are absorbing all the attention, while bad works have zero room to survive. The industry is eliminating a large number of poorly made, opportunistic works."

The atmosphere in the private room was slightly somber.

Everyone can feel the industry's restlessness and distortion in the past two years: capital is eager for quick success and instant benefits, production teams pursue rapid production, scripts are perfunctory and padded, and shortcomings are covered up by gimmicks, publicity and star power, but no one is willing to settle down and polish the story and sculpt the emotions.

Just when the entire internet was pessimistic about the film and television industry, blockbusters were failing en masse, and everyone was uncertain about the future, the niche dialect film "Love Letter to Grandma," with a budget of less than 2000 million yuan, managed to carve out a path to survival.

Before it even finished its run in theaters, the box office had already surpassed 25 billion yuan, and it received a phenomenal 9.2 rating on Douban, making it the most incredible and resounding comeback of 2026.

During the gathering, someone murmured with emotion: "In the past, everyone in the industry said that low-budget films were doomed to fail and that dialect films had no market. But this film has overturned all the industry's preconceived notions."

Everyone's eyes instinctively turned to Gu Zhiyan, who had been listening quietly the whole time.

Those in the industry know that Gu Zhiyan is the only actor who has consistently bucked the trend and achieved both critical and commercial success during the industry downturn in recent years. He doesn't rely on hype, marketing, or shortcuts; he lets his work speak for itself.

Under everyone's gaze, Gu Zhiyan slightly raised her eyes, slowly opened her mouth, and revealed all the chaos and truth of the industry this year in one sentence.

"The fact that all the big-budget films this year have fizzled out and been withdrawn from release in batches is not because audiences have stopped watching movies, but because audiences are no longer willing to pay for formulaic and fake films."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, yet every sentence was clear and insightful, accurately pinpointing the core problems of the industry.

"The reason why blockbusters fail is that they are too industrial and too lacking in human touch. The special effects built up by capital, the formulaic power struggles and romances, and the superficial and empty characters may seem grand, but they are actually soulless and fail to touch people's hearts. Audiences have seen too much of this and are too tired of it, so they naturally suffer from aesthetic fatigue."

"The reason why 'Letters to Grandma' became the dark horse of the year is because it took a path that no commercial film would bother to take—sincerity."

Gu Zhiyan paused slightly before slowly explaining the film's logic behind its comeback, each sentence resonating with the current state of the industry.

"It has no industry advantages, 90% of the actors are in Chaoshan dialect, and apart from me, all the actors are amateurs. It has an extremely low production cost. In previous years, it would have been a cannon fodder configuration that cinemas were unwilling to give screenings to and that investors were unwilling to invest in."

"But the team made the film in the most down-to-earth way, visiting nearly 300 overseas Chinese families. Ninety percent of the film's plot comes from real-life prototypes. They have been deeply involved in local stories for ten years. They do not use sentimental tropes or create unrealistic conflicts. They only use the most simple and authentic shots to record the affection, perseverance and tenderness of ordinary people."

"This sincerity and purity, which is the rarest quality in the entertainment industry today, is the source of its confidence to turn things around."

He recounted the film's most legendary market comeback, and everyone in the room listened quietly, lost in thought.

"It had very few screenings on its opening day, but thanks to countless viewers' spontaneous recommendations and word-of-mouth, it managed to push its daily box office share to 78.3%, going from being ignored to a box office of over 2 billion yuan."

Gu Zhiyan summarized calmly: "This is the most straightforward answer from the current market."

"Tricks will fade, traffic will collapse, and special effects will become outdated, but sincerity and content will never be eliminated."

After he finished speaking, the private room fell completely silent, followed by heartfelt praise and sighs.

"Teacher Gu is so insightful!"

"No wonder you've always been at the top; you understand the audience, acting, and this industry so well."

Chen Daoming looked on with approval and sincerely praised, "This year, the entire industry is in a state of confusion. Everyone is chasing traffic, shortcuts, and popularity. Only you and this movie have always stayed true to your original intentions. Others rely on capital packaging, while you rely on meticulous details; others rely on formulaic acting, while you rely on empathy to move people."

"Your acting skills, your character, and your works are all a beautiful example of 'sincerity triumphing over routine'."

A young actor in the crew looked on with great admiration and couldn't help but chime in: "Teacher Gu has always been like this. He never puts on airs on set and is always gentle and patient with everyone, whether they are his co-stars, newcomers, or crew members."

When you're not in a good state, you patiently work with the actors and gently guide them. Your dedication and professionalism, consistent over ten years of filming, is why audiences always trust and love you.

Faced with a room full of praise, Gu Zhiyan simply smiled gently, her eyes warm and humble: "Actually, my original intention is the same as that of this film. The film and television industry is never a game of capital or a battle of traffic; it is an industry of people's hearts. The winter reshuffle eliminates not good works or good actors, but impetuous speculators. The more chaotic the market and the more tricks there are, the more precious sincerity becomes."

The night was deep, and outside the window was a desolate winter for the film and television industry, marked by a reshuffling of the industry and the fall of many films. Inside the window was a group of film and television professionals who remained true to their original aspirations and had a sincere passion for the craft.

The audience voted with their feet, telling the entire industry that glitz and glamour will eventually fade, but only sincerity will endure!