Chapter 113: The Birth of a Bizarre Box Office Champion

Time always flies, especially during the days at the end of the year, and in the blink of an eye, the year 2000 had passed. With the Chinese New Year movie season drawing to a close, one had to wonder: among the many "blockbusters" released this year, which one had the last laugh?

Last year, Andy Lau had *The Black Horse*, which embodied his spirit of "failing repeatedly but fighting repeatedly." This year’s New Year movie season had a theme that could be summarized in those very same two words: dark horse!

"The competition in this year’s New Year movie market was intense, with works by directors Zhang Yimou, Liu Xiaowen, and Liang Tian all released at the same time. Yet, in this crowded field, a low-budget film titled *Beautiful Home* emerged as a dark horse. In terms of box office revenue in the Beijing area alone, *Beautiful Home* grossed over 1.3 million, leaving moviegoers in disbelief! If the recently released film *Get on the Bus, Let's Go* achieved impressive results due to its twisty and engaging plot, then *Beautiful Home* succeeded by staying close to the lives of the masses..."

This was a film review segment on a movie channel. It was already mid-January, and the results of the New Year season competition were in.

The well-known film critic Jiang Xiaoyu—a man whose appearance was anything but small, with a large head and a pair of glasses—was speaking: "This year’s New Year season was quite interesting. The usual heavyweights didn't show up; Feng Xiaogang wasn't there, and neither was Wu Xiang. Yes, someone will surely say, 'Isn't *Get on the Bus, Let's Go* Wu Xiang's film?' I can tell you, it really isn't his work; he was only responsible for the promotion."

"You're that sure? *Giggle*..." the host naturally interjected.

"Well, although Wu Xiang has only made two films, you can see his personal signature. He is the type who loves using Hollywood-style techniques. Even if something is relatively simple or crude, he presents it with that kind of visual impact. If Wu Xiang had directed this film, those two young men from the mountain village might have ended up quite differently!" Jiang Xiaoyu was a master of bluster.

"Giggle..." The host was amused; whether it was praise or criticism was entirely up to the listener.

Jiang Xiaoyu was articulate—that was why the movie channel invited him—but he couldn't ramble on forever and had to get back to the point. "The most interesting thing about this New Year season is that everyone is focusing on the 'little people,' the ordinary folks in our social lives. Every single film is like that, without exception. There are migrant workers, soccer fans, students, wisecrackers, and a bunch of old men tricking a beautiful deaf-mute girl..."

"Hahaha..." The host was laughing uncontrollably, showing just how lighthearted and humorous the program was.

The competition had reached a point where not only had a dark horse emerged, but an unexpected outcome had occurred: the most highly anticipated film, director Zhang Yimou's new work *Happy Times*, had not only failed to take the top spot but hadn't even cracked the top three.

If one included the previously released *Get on the Bus, Let's Go*, the current top three were *Get on the Bus, Let's Go*, *Beautiful Home*, and *Defensive Counterattack*. That was the ranking. Director Zhang had truly lost a lot of face this time; some media even claimed he had become a "box office poison."

It must be said that the media has no integrity. Last year, when Zhang’s two films made a fortune, they praised him, but once this film underperformed, they immediately labeled him a failure.

However, looking at it from another angle, there were indeed issues with Zhang's film.

The film had put real effort into publicity, starting with a search for a "happy girl." As everyone now knows, Dong Jie became that girl, kicking off her very smooth path to stardom. Of course, Dong Jie had previously appeared on the CCTV Spring Festival Gala and played Nicholas Tse's bride. On top of that, big names like Zhao Benshan, Chef Fan, Li Xuejian, Fu Biao, Xiao Tao Hong, and Sun Honglei—all the great actors—were involved.

And that wasn't all. Do you know who the screenwriter was? It was none other than the renowned Mo Yan!

Even so, the film failed to achieve a strong box office.

This was truly shocking. The film was generally fine, but it suffered a box office Waterloo, perhaps because it wasn't "festive" enough and didn't qualify as a standard New Year film.

Also, one shouldn't forget the issue of piracy. Although *Happy Times* had a high number of screenings, it couldn't achieve a simultaneous multi-region release. There were too many films in this period, and the market was crowded, which left room for piracy. Moreover, as a film by a major director, it was a prime target.

The poor box office of *Happy Times* didn't frustrate director Zhang Yimou or the investors at New Pictures Company the most, as New Pictures' boss, Zhang Weiping, had said that making money wasn't the main point—as long as people were happy. His main business wasn't film; Zhang Weiping had ventures in many fields, all of them large, so he wasn't short on cash!

The most frustrated were the cinema chains, because they regretted not allocating more screenings to other films. What they regretted most was *Get on the Bus, Let's Go*, which had been squeezed out of the best time slots. Fortunately, *Beautiful Home* allowed them to schedule more screenings and mitigate some of their losses.

After rotating through major cities across the country, *Get on the Bus, Let's Go* took in 9.6 million at the box office in less than a month!

That 9.6 million might not sound like much—indeed, the champions of the last few years had all surpassed 10 million—but this result was the highest for the entire New Year season. It was all about comparison: *Get on the Bus, Let's Go* earned 9.6 million, while *Happy Times* only managed 5 million.

That’s why the cinema chains were losing out; they had missed a golden opportunity. The scheduling for *Get on the Bus, Let's Go* hadn't been high, it hadn't been during the best time slots, and it hadn't been released simultaneously across multiple regions, which kept the box office from being higher.

There was no way to remedy this because many other films were slated for release afterward, and the schedule was packed. There were too many New Year films this year, and there were big stars coming from Hong Kong, such as Jackie Chan’s film *The Accidental Spy*. Thus, even though *Get on the Bus, Let's Go* had potential, it was taken off the screens on schedule.

Slapping their thighs in regret and wishing for a magic pill to turn back time—these were the two things the cinema chains were most desperate for. The former was self-inflicted, and the latter was impossible to obtain.

To be honest, the fact that *Get on the Bus, Let's Go* became the champion was quite bizarre, as the box office itself wasn't high. It wasn't something most people would have expected, but Jiang Xiaoyu’s analysis was spot on.

"This film captured the attention of two groups of moviegoers. One, needless to say, was the migrant workers. The other was the college students. We don't need to explain the reason for the migrant workers; the film is about their lives, right? But what about the college students? This group, in fact, are also 'migrants' themselves."

"Right! There are many out-of-town students," the host chimed in.

"Exactly. They are outsiders too, so they were attracted to the film's theme. Most people wouldn't think of this, but their psychological state actually shares some commonality, even resonance, with the so-called migrant workers. Furthermore, they will inevitably face these social issues after graduation. However, if someone else had produced this film, it wouldn't have had this kind of box office success."

"Why is that?" Hosting a show is sometimes like performing a crosstalk routine; the host has to know how to set the guest up.

"It's simple! This guy is a master of hype! Look at those entertainment headlines before—him and Zhang Ziyi, right? I can't say too much, or they’ll sue me." Jiang Xiaoyu was back to his wisecracking.

"Giggle..." The host was easily amused.

But you have to admit, Jiang Xiaoyu had a point. After the film was released, there was quite a stir online. On one hand, there was the gossip, and on the other, the friction between big-city locals and people from other regions.

This was a massive, complex, and fragmented issue, yet it shared a common language. Later, this issue gradually evolved into a sensitive topic online: "regional discrimination." Of course, that’s a story for another time.

It was a headache-inducing and shameful problem. Most people in the discussion were actually coming from a place of kindness, because if the city lost its migrant workers, it would become a terrifying, empty place unable to function.

In reality, Jiang Xiaoyu missed one more group: the people already living in the metropolis!

With social development, many people in big cities were once outsiders themselves. They all had, to varying degrees, experiences of being ostracized, which created a certain psychological resonance. It’s just that they had completed the transformation into "locals," and some had even started to discriminate against others.

...The reason Wu Xiang valued this film was precisely because of these issues. Who were those people who excluded or pushed others around? In this film, they represented the "evil" elements of society. That was what Wu Xiang wanted to tell everyone. He wanted to appeal for a more inclusive heart—that is what makes for a harmonious society, and that is the role a film should play...

It must be said that while this film didn't make a massive fortune, it unexpectedly took the championship, and Wu Xiang was quite satisfied. After all, it was a low-budget film and not particularly festive. Still, Wu Xiang achieved his goal: to spark this topic, call for social attention, and encourage people to be more inclusive. This was evident from the heated online discussions; after all, there are still many good people, and positive discourse remained in the majority.

To achieve this box office in the fiercely competitive 2000 New Year season was already a blessing—what more could one ask for?

The box office split remained at 36%, but Wu Xiang held a 50% stake in the investment. Additionally, he had promised Guan Hu a 10% share of the box office. Therefore, in the end, Wu Xiang would receive around 1.6 million.

With a principal of 1 million, a 60% profit wasn't as thrilling as *First Intimate Contact*, but the return rate was quite decent. And remember, this was just the domestic box office; there were still other copyrights and the development of overseas markets.

Of course, Wu Xiang didn't want to deal with those things now. He left it all to Yu Dong: "Do whatever you want with it; it doesn't matter much. Just don't forget to give me my share."

Wu Xiang was now fully immersed in the editing of *Emperor Wu of Han*. He didn't want to be disturbed by anything else. Even for such a big deal as making money, he only made a few phone calls. But with the New Year approaching, no matter what, Teacher Zhou deserved a few days off, didn't he?

Was the editing work going to be interrupted?

(The author admits that the updates have been a bit slow lately. It’s mainly because my writing speed has really dropped. The sudden arrival of the hot weather makes me feel as if there's a fire in my heart; it’s really hard to type. But I am working hard, and there will be a burst of updates soon. I hope everyone understands. Finally, I ask for recommendations and bookmarks. Thank you all!)