Chapter 283: Going Home, Whale Swallowing The Spring Festival Slot
In front of the camera lens.
Yi Mou Tong Ren described it vividly, because this wasn’t the joy of being recharged, but he was genuinely stimulated by the finished film’s quality of Influenza, feeling that other directors and main creator teams in Internal Entertainment Circle should see more of Influenza.
If Internal Entertainment Circle had more films like this, would audiences still be unwilling to enter cinemas?
“In short, personally recommend must-watch, but friendly reminder, children and those with weak hearts are still not advised to watch…some content is indeed not suitable for minors.”
“Finally, the recommendation index—four stars.”
“Above is UP master’s Spring Festival Slot movie review summary for this year. Families, while watching the video, don’t forget to one-click three links…”
He completed the final recording, reviewed the footage several times again, started editing, and that night, posted this video.
As a result, without any accident, his video rode on the current Spring Festival Slot’s popularity and quickly topped the Bilibili and Douyin hot search lists.
He had anticipated this point.
Because to capture this Spring Festival Slot’s popularity, he rushed ahead of many colleagues, starting from the moment past midnight, hurrying non-stop to various cinema chains, striving to watch all popular movies in the shortest time, then produce the video at the fastest speed.
—In the self-media era, it’s all about speed.
Whoever makes this summary video first becomes the first to eat the crab.
Plus he already has many fans across the internet with great influence, so once this video was released, going viral was only natural; the difference is only how viral it gets.
It went viral to a degree he hadn’t anticipated.
……
First Day of Lunar New Year, 10 PM.
Yi Mou Tong Ren’s movie review summary video had been out for less than two hours.
Chi Ye and Jin Xia were still preparing things to return to “hometown,” when the video exploded across the internet.
Many audiences, after a day of movie viewing, or forced to eat flops, or pleasantly surprised with bursting desire to share, began entering the fray one by one.
「As always, rational analysis!」
「Indeed, 749 Bureau is just a pile of crap.」
「+1 on 749 Bureau being a pile of crap, no exception for me. Seeing the main creators and director, since they could make Kunlun Mountains, what can’t Director Lu do?」
「+1, on the contrary Detective Chinatown 3 disappointed me a bit. Waited years for the Detective Chinatown series, and Chen Sicheng you serve up this thing?」
「Detective Chinatown 3’s quality has visibly declined, filled with the stench of money everywhere. Never mind the sketches, is this making a movie or a commercial film?」
「Flying Speed is better than before, Iron Fist is okay too, Influenza…not much to evaluate, already starting second viewing.」
「This Spring Festival Slot should be Influenza in a league of its own, of course…this genre will make many guardians hate it, so box office feels it still can’t beat comedy films.」
「Mentioning box office pisses me off, a pile of crap like Detective Chinatown 3 is still Spring Festival Slot first, no one can fight it? Kick it down!」
Spring Festival Slot is a grand event for the entire industry and outside the Industry Circle. Industry insiders rely on this schedule to rake in gold, while outsiders are ordinary bystander movie fans relaxing after a busy year, and various Internal Entertainment Circle fans and audiences’ “feuds.”
Among them, box office, the Internal Entertainment Circle’s “value” highest real achievement, is naturally a key part of the feuds.
And from the Spring Festival Slot start, Detective Chinatown 3 “lived up to expectations,” its box office was the first among all films to break 400 million, by premiere night, Detective Chinatown 3’s box office had shockingly broken 500 million, reaching a terrifying 540 million in Internal Entertainment Circle history.
Such terrifying increase and single-day box office sufficiently shows the Detective Chinatown series’ money-making and list-dominating ability in the domestic market.
One day 500 million…no, possibly breaking 550 million before midnight, what level is this?
In comparison, other Spring Festival Slot films seem like “grains of rice.”
Closest to Detective Chinatown 3, the biggest threat to Detective Chinatown 3 is Influenza, now at 470 million box office.
This box office, without Detective Chinatown 3, would absolutely be the highlight of Chi Ye’s career, but with Detective Chinatown 3 overhead, it seems not that much.
Further down is Shen Bin and Ma Li’s Iron Fist, 430 million.
Flying Speed 350 million.
749 Bureau, 290 million.
Boonie Bears 200 million…
Strict hierarchy, orderly ranking.
Among them, Influenza’s box office actually has a big boost, due to Cannes and global premiere, this score isn’t mainland total box office, but includes other regions; the hot search #Influenza 400 million# means that.
Purely mainland box office, Influenza’s “real” score currently ranks third, just surpassing Flying Speed, with some gap to Shen Ma Combination, because Influenza’s second scheduling to release was too rushed; after the initial pre-sale hype, later increase wasn’t big.
And genre reasons dictate that in family entertainment Spring Festival Slot, many families won’t choose it as viewing first choice on opening day.
“Our reputation is a bit poor now, but no matter, opening day broke 560 million, everyone, let’s raise a glass together to celebrate this success.”
Midnight.
Inside Detective Chinatown 3’s hotel.
Chen Sicheng looked at the glaring opening day box office data, glaring 560 million…a pleasure of being unable to close his mouth.
What rotten fish and shrimp is Internal Entertainment Circle?
I haven’t even gone all out, and you’re all down?
Honestly, this opening day 500 million stimulated him too much, even enough to temporarily ignore reputation issues—he’s made so many movies, only a few with good reputation, but box office higher each time, so what?
In current Internal Entertainment Circle, box office is king, and with single-day 560 million, he is the king!
“Too exaggerated, Director Chen, wouldn’t dare dream it, this is the most terrifying single-day box office in Chinese movie history.”
Liu Haoran was equally excited; he too is a young actor, movie young actor, but previously whether Chi Ye, Zhu Yao Lin, or Si Zi, they seemed to subconsciously ignore him…
People have self-esteem too, okay?
Think I can’t compete with you?
After this, see who dares mention those three names in front of me!
“Not yet not yet, there are still higher…” Chen Sicheng modestly waved hearing this, but expression management was gradually losing control: “Hahaha…really happy today, must drink one, everyone drink together!”
“…Chen Zong, the black marketing for other films, release tonight?”
“Release, though our opening day is good now, competition this year is fierce, those opponents to strike, still need to strike.”
Chen Sicheng gave the order: “First target Iron Fist and Influenza behind us.”
“What about Flying Speed and 749 Bureau?”
“Flying Speed not urgent, 749 Bureau…what garbage is this? Need us to handle? It’s already dead itself.”
Everyone was stunned, then tacitly laughed.
……
The next day, as more self-media and UP masters finished viewing, more movie reviews of Spring Festival Slot films gradually spread.
For example, the most criticized Iron Fist, clearly a small budget comedy production, yet due to Shen Ma Combination and Mahua Pictures hype, actually got 400 million+ opening day box office.
This is simply an insult to the film industry!
And Influenza, a film obviously on the edge of banned, “16+” movie, actually released in mainland; those bloody scary zombie shots, doesn’t the country care?
Moms, report it!
And Flying Speed Detective Chinatown 3…
In short, Spring Festival Slot second day, after opening day’s initial battle and first stage win-loss ended, everyone probed each other’s depth and rank, entering the delightful big melee phase.
And this day, Detective Chinatown 3’s box office dipped slightly but still held first place, box office up to 480 million.
Second place Iron Fist also had 400 million box office.
Further back Flying Speed and Influenza, Flying Speed among films except Influenza has the best reputation, now initially exploding, box office at 390 million.
Influenza without pre-sale also 390 million, neck and neck, but at midnight snapshot differed by a few million, ranking fourth.
749 Bureau 70 million box office…basically “exited” this year’s Spring Festival Slot battlefield.
—Though all sides from Spring Festival Slot midnight started big melee, without exception, everyone’s stance was unusually unified—we may each have shortcomings, but 749 Bureau is indeed a pile of crap.
So, under everyone’s efforts, Director Lu and Lao Peng didn’t even see second day’s light before speed-dying on Spring Festival Slot.
The picture was once very bloody and cruel.
Beijing Circle big shots who invested in 749 Bureau, even higher-ups who saw 749 Bureau as reviving Chinese Sci-Fi Film, all went dark-eyed.
“No, what are Beijing Circle and Lu Chuan doing? First Magic City Fortress, then Kunlun Mountains, now 749 Bureau…are they foreign spies?!”
A big shot who previously admired Beijing Circle had bulging veins: “This level, still making movies? Putting eyedrops on us?”
“…Could they be sabotaging?!”
Someone beside guessed: “Otherwise how every time they make this level of flop.”
“…Don’t talk nonsense, whether sabotaging or not, you don’t know?”
“That’s why I’m puzzled, why someone can do this every time, and full of confidence each time…”
After discussing a few sentences, someone close to Ke Ying said: “The only psychological comfort now is Influenza’s impact isn’t as big as imagined; this near-restricted genre, in domestic Spring Festival, many won’t buy it.”
Someone nodded: “Indeed, I saw analysis report this morning on Influenza; most are single men and women, or specific niche circles, truly families going out, few bring old man and child to see zombies.”
—Influenza’s previous momentum was really too scary; honestly, anyone who’s seen that scene, be it 156 country or this that, would think once this movie releases in mainland, probably no other films matter.
After Influenza second scheduling, pre-sale soared continuously in short time, leading to opening day over 400 million box office, even more making everyone feel “doomsday” arrived.
But…
On second day, and now Influenza’s tomorrow pre-sale, obviously due to genre limits, Influenza’s box office in mainland seems less popular than family entertainment and comedy.
This is very normal logic, easy to understand.
Just previously industry and outside were truly scared bad by Influenza, causing a series of “deification.”
“But even if box office less than imagined, this is still Chi Ye’s most explosive movie ever…predicted box office probably nearly 4 billion…the money to earn, he earned.”
“Not popular overseas? Weren’t they hyping 156 country premiere before? His this…”
Before words finished, a youth hurriedly entered holding report: “Influenza overseas box office out…global opening day cumulative 80 million USD.”
Everyone stunned.
“80 million USD?!”
The first speaker reacted, incredulous: “This much? So popular in United States?”
“…Mainly Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong; their film markets these days basically dominated by Influenza, all its scheduling…and this time Influenza released in too many regions, added up indeed looks a lot.”
80 million USD, at current exchange, about 560 million RMB.
In other words, in short two days, Influenza overseas…note, excluding mainland market, purely overseas box office achievement, as high as 560 million, average nearly 300 million per day…
This is overseas!
Historically, seems no mainland commercial film ever so popular overseas.
And on Influenza release opening day, opening day box office clearly less than second day; definitely overseas distribution exerted effort that day, plus officially facing public with reputation explosion, Influenza welcomed its overseas big hit.
Plus domestic now two days cumulative 860 million box office…global premiere two days, Influenza actually raked in 1.42 billion box office!
Detective Chinatown 3 so fierce, only just over 1 billion.
More importantly…leader suddenly thought, once this news spreads back domestic, will thoroughly explode Influenza’s reputation; this unprecedented record-breaking overseas big hit mainland movie…
He seemed to already see Influenza whale swallowing Spring Festival Slot.
……
February 15.
Third Day of Lunar New Year, Spring Festival Slot third day.
Chi Ye and Jin Xia finally returned to Shanghai; he first came to the place where Empress Dowager grew up.
This day, Influenza whale swallowed Spring Festival Slot.
