Huayu: Starting with Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu

024. Huabiao Award

On its opening day, "Silent Snow" only had 8% of screenings.

This was expected.

Art films have never had many screenings.

Especially for directors like Zhou Mu who don't compromise on commercial aspects, his films lack popular stars, big IPs, and popcorn-style thrills, so theater managers are naturally conservative when allocating screenings.

The box office reached 12 million on the first day.

In the context of the overall summer movie season, this number is almost negligible.

But things started to change the next day.

The word-of-mouth reputation has emerged.

Bean sprouts received a rating of 9.2.

This score is already considered "phenomenal" among domestic films.

The first clip to go viral on short video platforms wasn't any major drama, but rather the scene of "eating noodles after being released from prison."

Someone edited together that three-minute-long noodle-eating scene without a single line of dialogue and posted it online.

It garnered over eight million views in a single day.

The style of the comments section is completely different from that of "The Legend of Chu and Han".

The key words for the Chu-Han Contention period are "burning," "explosive," and "Investiture of the Gods."

The keywords have changed this time.

"pain."

"After watching it, I sat in the movie theater for ten minutes before standing up."

"When he burned himself while eating that bowl of noodles, my tears just started flowing. I know it wasn't acting; it was something so real it was frightening."

"That scene of him touching the scratches on the wall reminded me of my grandfather. Before he developed Alzheimer's, he often touched the old furniture in our house, and then he would laugh, though I didn't know what he was laughing at. When I saw that scene, I suddenly understood. He was touching his memories."

This comment was eventually shared over 100,000 times.

The box office of "Silent Snow" has begun to decline.

The second day was higher than the first day.

The third day's temperature was higher than the second day's.

On the fourth day, the percentage of screenings increased from 8% to 15%.

By the second weekend, the daily box office had exceeded 50 million.

The final box office figure was 480 million.

For an art film, this number is already a miracle.

The film "Flowers in the Mud," released a month later, grossed 120 million yuan on its opening day (due to Gu Chenyang's fan base), but its reputation collapsed.

Bean sprouts received a rating of 5.1.

The audience's comments were very sharp.

"Gu Chenyang's portrayal of a food delivery driver is like a model walking the runway in a delivery uniform. His skin is so fair, his movements are so refined, and when he looks at the delivery order, it's like he's looking at a fashion magazine."

"Look at Chen Mo's portrayal of the truck driver in 'Silent Snow.' He has calluses on his hands, sunspots on his face, and sits in the cab exactly like a real truck driver. That's the difference between 'becoming a character' and 'pretending to be a character.'"

"Some people say that Gu Chenyang 'experienced life for three days' for this role. Three days. Chen Mo got his B2 driver's license and spent a month learning to drive large trucks at a driving school to play a truck driver. Three days vs. a month. Think about it carefully."

"Flowers in the Mud" ultimately grossed 230 million yuan.

The numbers seem smaller than those of "Silent Snow," but the investment in "Flowers in the Mud" was three times that of "Silent Snow."

In terms of return on investment, "Silent Snow" is far superior.

In terms of reputation, the difference is like night and day.

Gu Chenyang's "transformation" has failed.

His management team posted a statement on Weibo, which roughly said, "Acting skills need time to be honed. We appreciate the audience's criticism and will continue to work hard."

The most upvoted comment in the comment section is:

"Don't bother trying. The gap between you and Chen Mo can't be bridged by effort. It's something ingrained in your bones."

Chen Mo didn't look at these.

He eats rice porridge at home.

Xu Zhinian called, so excited he was incoherent.

"Do you know how much it grossed? 480 million! 480 million for an art film! Are you crazy?! Zhou Mu is crazy?! This world is crazy?!"

"Um."

"You only said 'hmm'?"

"What else can we do?"

Aren't you upset?

"I'm excited. But as excited as I am, I still need to eat."

"What are you eating right now?"

"Rice porridge".

Xu Zhinian was silent for three seconds on the other end of the phone.

"You've made millions and you're still eating instant noodles?"

"I'm used to it."

"Are you planning to eat rice porridge until you die?"

"It's not impossible."

Xu Zhinian hung up the phone.

He simply couldn't continue the conversation.

September.

The nomination list for the Huabiao Awards has been announced.

Chen Mo received a Best Newcomer Award nomination for his role in "Silent Snow".

He was also nominated for Best Actor.

It is extremely rare in the history of the Huabiao Awards for one person to be nominated for two acting awards at the same time.

After seeing the message, Xu Zhinian made seventeen phone calls to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo didn't answer any of them.

Because he was running.

I only saw the seventeen missed calls and twenty-three voice messages when I got back from my five-kilometer run.

He only listened to the first point.

"You're nominated for both Best Newcomer and Best Actor, do you even know that?!"

Okay, I understand.

He replied with a text message.

"I need a formal suit."

Xu Zhinian replied instantly.

"So you finally remembered you don't have a suit?"

"Could you borrow one for me?"

"Borrow? You can afford it now, why don't you buy it?"

"Borrowing is fine. It's a waste to buy something you'll only wear once."

Xu Zhinian broke down on the other side of the screen.

"Can't you act like a Best Actor nominee?"

"Prestige isn't important. Face is something you put on, not something you wear."

"You're here again."

"What's coming?"

"Face, status, you're playing with puns."

No, you're overthinking it.

"I wasn't thinking anything of it! You're just using a pun!"

That night of the awards ceremony.

Chen Mo walked the red carpet wearing a suit that Xu Zhinian had borrowed from a senior alumnus of the Central Academy of Drama.

The sleeves of the suit jacket were about two centimeters too long.

But it's not very noticeable under the light.

When he stood on the red carpet, the photographers' shutters clicked incessantly.

He has indeed changed compared to the unemployed actor a year ago who wore 9.9 yuan slippers and had 20,000 yuan in his bank account.

But only the appearance has changed.

The Chen Mo standing on the red carpet and the Chen Mo sitting in his rented room eating instant noodles are, at heart, the same person.

The Best Newcomer Award will be presented first.

When Chen Mo's name was called, he stood up.

He walked onto the stage.

He accepted the trophy.

Stand in front of the microphone.

There were several hundred people sitting in the audience.

There were directors, actors, producers, and media reporters.

Xu Zhinian, sitting in a corner of the audience, was filming a video with his phone, his hands shaking like a leaf.

Chen Mo looked at the audience and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he spoke.

"Five years ago, I was criticized online for having a blank expression. Back then, I really did have a blank expression because I couldn't act."

The audience laughed.

"I've been studying for the past five years. I got into the Central Academy of Drama, acted in stage plays, and after graduation, I learned to drive a truck. I've learned a little bit. But it's not enough, I'm still learning."

Laughter turned into applause.

"Thank you Director Zhou Mu, thank you Teacher Chen Daomin, thank you my teacher Wang Zhiping, thank you to everyone who gave me this opportunity."

He paused for a moment.

"And thank you to those who criticized me five years ago. You were right."

The applause lasted for a long time.

The Best Actor award ultimately went to another actor with more experience.

Chen Mo did not receive it.

But nobody thought he lost.

Because everyone knows that it's only a matter of time.

After the awards ceremony, Chen Mo walked out of the venue.

The night breeze in Yanjing in September carried a hint of coolness.

He stood outside the venue, holding the trophy in one hand and taking out his phone with the other.