lcionline Chapter 23: The Strongest Newcomer
Chapter 23: The Strongest Newcomer
After the box office results came out in the second week, the media went completely crazy.
They used to call it a dark horse, but now they've changed their tune to call it a phenomenon.
The headlines in the newspapers were more and more exaggerated than the last.
"Freshman Director Aims for 100 Million Yuan Cinema" "A New Hope for Chinese Cinema" "The Arrival of the Era of Romance Films"
As Liu Yu flipped through these newspapers in his dormitory, he felt as if he were watching someone else's life unfold.
Wang Chaowen cut out every newspaper article that mentioned Liu Yu, "to keep for my brother to use in his biography later."
The market demand exceeds supply.
Yu Dong added another hundred copies, bringing the total to five hundred and fifty.
This number isn't high for a blockbuster, but considering that "A Moment to Remember" is a newcomer's work without any big-name directors backing it up, it's already quite alarming.
Yu Dong told Liu Yu on the phone, "When I go out to eat now, people introduce me as someone who's the boss of Bona Film Group, but as someone who distributes 'Eraser'."
Liu Yu joked, "Then you have to pay me for advertising."
Yu Dong laughed: "I'll pay you double for your next film."
.....
The leaders and teachers at Beijing Film Academy were also laughing their heads off.
This is a teaching achievement! A freshman majoring in film production wrote the script, directed the film, raised investment, and handled the distribution himself. The film's box office is about to break 100 million.
Teaching achievements are like cultural relics; the older they are, the more valuable they become, and the more obscure their origin, the more authoritative they are.
The companies that had previously sponsored the company saw their sales skyrocket, and they all regretted not investing more initially.
When Manager Sun from 7-Eleven called, his tone was ten times more enthusiastic than when they first met: "Director Liu, congratulations! The box office is booming! Sales at our stores have increased by 11% recently. Many customers come in and ask, 'Do you have the kind of coffee that the female lead drinks?'"
Samsung's Manager Kim also called, his tone even more enthusiastic than Manager Sun's.
He said that sales of Samsung flip phones increased significantly after the movie's release. The marketing department conducted research and found that many consumers decided to buy the phone after seeing the scene in "A Moment to Remember" where the female lead used a flip phone.
The entire crew of "The Eraser" had a very exciting month in July.
The first thing Wang Chaowen does every morning when he opens his eyes is to send a message in a newly created QQ group: "What was the box office yesterday? Does anyone have the data?"
Then the group chat exploded. Some people posted screenshots, some posted links, and some posted numbers directly.
Liu Yu has been in Beijing for a year, and he hasn't received as many phone calls in the past few days as he has in the previous years combined.
The phone calls came one after another: the class teacher's phone, the instructor's phone, and the phone calls from comrades in the company.
When Zhao Tiejun called, Liu Yu was discussing the details of their next film with Sun Yang. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the words "Old Zhao" on the caller ID.
"Class monitor!" Liu Yu answered, his voice unconsciously rising a few decibels.
"Liu Yu, you're something else! You made a movie? And it even grossed over 100 million?" Zhao Tiejun's voice was still as loud as ever, and you could hear his energy even thousands of kilometers away.
"Class monitor, how did you know?"
"How did I know? Everyone in the company is talking about it! We've all read your novel 'The Bullet.' The instructor said this kid is destined for great things, I didn't expect it to happen so soon."
Zhao Tiejun paused, "Let me tell you, people from the regiment's political department came to me, saying they wanted to interview me, to talk about 'the deeds of an outstanding veteran.' I told them not to interview me, to interview Liu Yu instead. They said Liu Yu is in Beijing, and hard to find. I said, 'Isn't his phone number right here?'"
Liu Yu smiled and said, "Class monitor, don't flatter me too much, I'll feel embarrassed."
"You're still embarrassed? When you were writing novels in the company, I never noticed you were this thin-skinned!" Zhao Tiejun laughed heartily. "Alright, enough of this nonsense. Do your job well in Beijing, don't embarrass our company. Come back to Xinjiang sometime, I'll treat you to drinks."
......
There were also things that made Liu Yu both laugh and cry from the media.
A newspaper somehow found out about the time when China Film Group and Huayi Brothers refused to invest, and wrote a long report titled "Bona's discerning eye leads to a blockbuster film by a freshman at the Film Academy! It is reported that China Film Group, Huayi Brothers and other companies refused to meet with the college student."
When Liu Yu saw this report, he was eating pickled fish at a small restaurant near the North Gate.
He put down his chopsticks, picked up his phone, and called Yu Dong: "Mr. Yu, did you release that report about refusing to meet?"
Yu Dong was silent for two seconds on the other end of the phone. "Do you think I would do such a thing?"
Liu Yu thought about it and decided it was Yu Dong.
On July 28th, the box office results for the third week of "A Moment to Remember" were released, totaling 35.2 million.
After 17 days in theaters, the film has grossed 102 million yuan.
The dormitory was quiet for about two seconds.
Then came Wang Chaowen's scream. He jumped down from the top bunk, stepping on Liu Xiao's slippers. Liu Xiao lost his balance and bumped into Xin Hao's chair. Xin Hao sat there as steady as a mountain, but the smile on his face was more like a grimace.
"Brother! You've surpassed 100 million!" Wang Chaowen grabbed Liu Yu's arm and shook him so hard that his phone almost flew out of his hand.
"I know, you should let go first."
"Do you know what breaking 100 million means?" Wang Chaowen wouldn't let go. "It means you're the first director after Zhang Yimou to have a film gross over 100 million!"
"Zhang Yimou's film that broke 100 million was 'Hero,' which grossed over 200 million, more than double mine." Liu Yu pulled his hand away and sat up straight. "And he wasn't the first; there were others before him..."
"Who cares about the past!" Wang Chaowen waved his hand. "You're the first freshman to break 100 million!"
Liu Xiao added from the side, "And the last one. There will never be another freshman breaking the 100 million mark again, because you've broken that ceiling."
Liu Yu thought about it and felt that Liu Xiao's words made sense.
It's not because I'm particularly great, but because times have changed.
2003 was a special year. SARS had suppressed the emotions for too long, there were no new films to compete in the market, theater managers had no choice in scheduling films, and audiences, who had been holding back for months, were in dire need of emotional release.
"A Moment to Remember" appeared at just this time, telling a story about loss and companionship, and touching the softest spot in the hearts of audiences of that era.
The right time and place are indispensable.
On Friday, a Hong Kong film, "Love on Your Bed," was released.
The distributors originally thought this film would divert some of the screenings and box office revenue from "A Moment to Remember," but after three days of release, the box office was dismal, not even reaching the tail end of "A Moment to Remember."
After the news of their sales exceeding 100 million yuan spread, Liu Ye and Yan Danchen became even more popular.
Announcements, endorsements, interviews, magazine covers—the schedule is packed full.
Liu Ye told Liu Yu that Liu Ye now sleeps less than five hours a day. She records a program in Beijing in the morning, flies to Shanghai to film GG in the afternoon, and flies back to Beijing in the evening to catch up on her schedule.
Yan Danchen's situation was similar. She sent Liu Yu a list of notices, which was densely packed, from seven in the morning to eleven at night.
......
A teacher from the Beijing Film Academy came to Liu Yu, saying that there was a seminar that he needed to attend.
The teacher introduced the visitors to Liu Yu—a long list of titles from the Television Association, the Film Association, and the Ministry of Culture—but Liu Yu couldn't remember any of them.
All he knew was that these people were leaders, and he would listen to whatever the leaders said.
"Is it appropriate for me to attend the symposium?" Liu Yu asked.
The teacher said there was nothing inappropriate about it. You are the director of the highest-grossing movie this year. If you don't go, who will?
Sure enough, once you produce results, you're bound to be pulled in to make up the numbers.
Just over two years after China's accession to the WTO, the cultural industry has been hit hardest.
The above needs some successful cases to prove that "WTO accession has not impacted China's cultural market," and the film industry needs some new faces to demonstrate that "the industry is developing healthily."
Liu Yu, as a freshman in college, a veteran, a new director, and someone whose films have grossed over 100 million yuan, is practically the perfect subject of discussion.
Young, positive, with a story, and successful through their own hard work; every keyword fits the needs of the mainstream narrative.
During one segment of the meeting, the host suddenly announced, "Next, please welcome Liu Yu, the representative of young directors and director of the film 'A Moment to Remember', to speak."
Liu Yu was taken aback. He hadn't prepared a speech, and the teacher hadn't told him he was supposed to speak when he arrived.
His experience from two lifetimes taught him that in this situation, he couldn't say the wrong thing, nor could he remain silent.
He stood up, calmly walked to the front row, took the microphone, and turned to face the audience.
Hundreds of eyes were on him, some curious, some scrutinizing, some envious, and some indifferent.
"Distinguished leaders and teachers, good afternoon. I am Liu Yu, a freshman in the Department of Management at Beijing Film Academy, and the director and producer of 'A Moment to Remember'." He paused for a moment, "To be honest, I feel a little apprehensive sitting here today. Many of you here are seniors I've seen on TV since I was a child. It is a great honor for me to be able to sit with you all in this meeting."
Some people in the audience laughed.
"I don't really have much to say about the movie 'A Moment to Remember.' What I want to say is that the future of this industry is not in the hands of us filmmakers, nor in the hands of the companies that invest in films, but in the hands of the audience. We should make what the audience wants to see. This is not pandering, it's respect. Those who respect the audience will be respected by the audience in return."
After he finished speaking, he bowed, handed the microphone back to the host, and walked back to his seat in the last row.
After the symposium, some people came to exchange business cards with him, some wanted to take photos with him, and some invited him to dinner. Liu Yu responded to each of them with a polite smile, but his mind was already elsewhere.