Famous! Ch.174

Chapter 174: Box Office

“This is absolutely ridiculous… Do other movies not exist at all?”

Liu Rennong indeed had a solid reputation in the industry. Other directors, as well as the heads of film production companies, were more than willing to give him respect. On its first day, Uncertain Return secured the top screening slot, and its box office performance was at least somewhat proportional to its screenings.

However, halfway through the four-day Chinese New Year period, the actions of the Uncertain Return crew became increasingly absurd.

The team behind Soaring Ambition, which had long been critical of Uncertain Return, was, of course, outspoken. Even the director and screenwriter of Countdown 18 publicly mocked Uncertain Return, joking, “Thankfully, we have Fearless Life in this lineup.”

When asked about his favorite film in the Chinese New Year slot, aside from his own Countdown 18, the director expressed the most admiration for Fearless Life.

“Because it is a clean film that competes fairly. Despite all the external noise, Fearless Life still won the audience’s recognition purely through its own merit—just like its protagonist, Bai Qianshan.”

Even the team behind a children’s movie, which had essentially been pushed out of the Chinese New Year competition, voiced their opinion about Uncertain Return:

“Adults need movies, but so do children. Our series has been running for years, and yet this year’s screenings were the lowest. If a movie deserves to be shown, let it be shown. If it doesn’t, don’t force it. Do audiences even want to watch your movie? Why insist on squeezing it in?”

As some netizens summarized, the current situation of the Uncertain Return crew was: surpassed at the box office by Fearless Life, resented by every other film team in the same release window, and met with audience dissatisfaction over its persistently high screening allocation.

[In contrast, the Fearless Life crew is almost too dignified.]

[+1 +1.]

[I think so too, because… Fearless Life is genuinely a great film.]

In the controversies over “box office theft” and “screening monopolization,” the Fearless Life crew was clearly the victim. Audiences spoke up for Fearless Life not for any other reason but because, in this Chinese New Year release window, its quality stood head and shoulders above the rest.

It was also the only film of the season that sparked widespread discussions across various platforms.

Interest in Bai Qianshan’s documentaries and books continued to surge, with military experts, aerospace specialists, geographers, and other unexpected experts from different fields all weighing in on Fearless Life.

On video streaming platforms, highlight clips featuring Bai Qianshan garnered far more likes than those of other movie protagonists.

Lu Xu’s portrayal of the character was praised as the pinnacle of his acting career.

Scenes of Bai Qianshan’s fearless rescues, his resolute return to his homeland, and the countless days and nights spent at the experimental base… The vast desert was desolate and lonely, yet passion and sincerity could overcome everything.

Lu Xu had played many iconic roles, with several fan-favorite characters frequently appearing in video compilations.

But for Bai Qianshan, the most common feedback he received was: “He really is Bai Qianshan.”

For Lu Xu, that was enough.

In fact, just two days after Fearless Life was released, film forums had already begun predicting next year’s three major awards, with many betting that Lu Xu would secure three nominations once again.

[Just nominations? Personally, I think he has a real shot at sweeping all three.]

[Honestly, Bai Qianshan is the most moving character I’ve seen in theaters in years. I feel like Lu Xu didn’t just act like Bai Qianshan—he became him.]

On its fourth day in theaters, Fearless Life saw a slight drop in its ratings, declining from 9.7 to 9.5.

Even so, it remained the highest-rated film of the Chinese New Year season. Combined with its overwhelming lead at the box office, the film had practically achieved both critical and commercial success.

On the fourth day of release, as its screenings surpassed a quarter of the total daily showings for the first time, Fearless Life boldly claimed 47% of the day’s total box office revenue.

—It wasn’t that other films underperformed, but rather that the collapse of Uncertain Return had dampened audience enthusiasm for the entire market.

A film that only contributed 11% to the total box office somehow occupied 25% of the screening slots—how could any other movie have a chance to rise?

On the fifth and sixth days of the holiday season, Fearless Life continued to gross over 300 million yuan per day, maintaining an astonishing level of stability. Although the increased screenings led to a slight decline in occupancy rates, without anyone realizing it, Fearless Life had already surpassed 2 billion yuan in total box office revenue.

Lu Xu’s so-called “critical milestone” in his acting career had been shattered effortlessly—almost inexplicably.

It was well known that none of Lu Xu’s previous three films had crossed the 2-billion mark domestically, making it an elusive goal for him.

His fans had imagined that this milestone would arrive with grandeur, with fanfare, with a triumphant declaration to the world… But it turned out that wasn’t necessary—because Fearless Life hit 2 billion with remarkable ease.

Shortly after surpassing 2 billion, the film quickly climbed to 2.5 billion. It was no exaggeration to say that 3 billion was no longer a distant goal.

[Puppy is soaring!!]

[Ahhhhh Fearless Life is definitely breaking 3 billion!! Another record for our puppy’s career!]

[Hehehe, congratulations to Director Miao Zhi, congratulations to Lu Puppy—this is another victory for the Breaking Willow Alliance!]

As expected, Fearless Life broke past the 3-billion mark at the box office. With this milestone achieved, Lu Xu’s ranking on the “Total Box Office of Lead Actor’s Films” chart skyrocketed. Previously ranked outside the top ten, he had now climbed to seventh place.

Of course, the top two actors remained untouchable—their box office records were simply too astounding. In the entire film industry, few actors had the ability to consistently headline major films, and even fewer saw such impressive box office results.

If calculated by average earnings per film, Lu Xu’s ranking could rise even further—thanks to Fearless Life, his average lead film box office had now reached nearly 2.2 billion yuan.

Even the actor ranked first in total lead film box office couldn’t surpass that.

And when it came to profitability, Lu Xu was in a league of his own.

Among this year’s Chinese New Year releases, Fearless Life ranked fourth in production costs, yet it was undoubtedly first in profit margin. With 3 billion yuan in box office revenue, the film had already secured 2 billion in profits.

…

In stark contrast, the situation for Uncertain Return was looking grim.

The production team hadn’t necessarily wanted to maintain such a high screening allocation, but the contract they had signed with theaters left them little choice—without high screenings, their audience numbers would plummet, making it nearly impossible to recoup their investment.

At present, Uncertain Return had grossed over 1 billion yuan—not a terrible result. However, the brutal reality was that all the revenue so far had gone directly to the theaters. Only when the film’s total box office reached a certain threshold would the production team begin receiving their share of the earnings.

Originally, the Uncertain Return team had been aiming for a 3-billion box office total, and the contract they signed had been structured around that expectation.

However, the film’s final box office not only failed to reach 3 billion—it barely made it to 1.5 billion.

The losses were devastating.

In some ways, it was even worse than Sanzu River. At least Sanzu River had intentionally made a mess of things, whereas the director of Uncertain Return had truly believed in his work.

That said, the director had never initially expected Uncertain Return to hit 3 billion. It was only after listening to Liu Rennong’s advice and receiving his approval that he signed the contract with the theaters.

Now that Uncertain Return had fallen far short of expectations and suffered immense financial losses, the director couldn’t help but express some frustration toward Liu Rennong in his conversations.

He had been Liu Rennong’s student and had always seen him as warm, approachable, and unpretentious. Liu Rennong had also been deeply invested in his students’ careers, and there was no denying that his support had played a role in the director’s smooth rise in the film industry.

But what the director hadn’t expected was that, while Liu Rennong’s tone remained gentle, his words were strikingly indifferent:

“Did I force you to sign the contract?”

“For several days, your film enjoyed 25% of all screenings. When the theater chains raised concerns, I was the one who pushed back for you.”

The director of Uncertain Return: “…”

Now that he thought about it, the reality was clear—once the contract was signed, the theaters were guaranteed to profit, no matter how much the production team lost.

In their effort to secure more screenings during the holiday season, the Uncertain Return team had even given up portions of their revenue from streaming platform releases and DVD sales.

As the middleman, Liu Rennong had profited from the deal. Beyond that, his personal ties with the theater chains had only grown stronger.

The only ones who suffered were the Uncertain Return crew.

“If we hadn’t signed the contract, considering our production costs, even though the marketing expenses were high, we still would have made a profit.”

Both the screenwriter and a cinematographer who was on good terms with the director had voiced this opinion to him.

Uncertain Return was not a commercial blockbuster, and its production costs weren’t particularly high. Under normal circumstances—following the standard process of filming and release—it should have easily recouped its costs, even with the skyrocketing marketing expenses during the Chinese New Year season.

But the director had been fixated on securing more screenings, lured in by the grand promises the theater chains had dangled before him. He hadn’t realized that the production team had been trapped in a losing game from the start.

And because the screening ratio remained disproportionately high, Uncertain Return’s reputation among audiences had plummeted. The film had started with ratings of 9.0 and 8.9, but they had now dropped to 7.5.

Even if Uncertain Return wasn’t as spectacular as its marketing claimed, its quality alone shouldn’t have warranted such a low rating. Clearly, the production team had thoroughly alienated the audience.

High screenings led to low audience approval, and naturally, the fewer people wanted to watch Uncertain Return, the worse its performance became—a vicious cycle.

The director was so anxious that his hair had started turning gray. Reflecting on his own greed, he could only drown his sorrows in alcohol.

Initially, when he had complained to Liu Rennong about the box office, he had hoped for some assistance—perhaps some extra promotion for Uncertain Return, or even some help negotiating with the theater chains to revise the contract and make it less punishing.

After all, from pre-production to casting, filming, and release, the production team had gone through so much. Was it really fair for all the profits to be swept away by the theaters while the team was left with nothing?

But Liu Rennong had simply told him that he had signed the contract willingly.

And nowhere in that contract did the name Liu Rennong appear.

At that moment, the director felt his heart turn cold.

What chilled him even more was that, while Uncertain Return was destined for disappointment during the Chinese New Year season, Liu Rennong had accepted an exclusive interview with a major film platform, offering his insights on the seven movies released during the holiday period.

Liu Rennong presented himself as fair and impartial, lavishing praise on Fearless Life and naming it the best film of the season.

As for Uncertain Return, directed by his own student, Liu Rennong provided what he called an objective review, pointing out both its strengths and weaknesses.

“I thought you’d be more partial to your student’s work,” the host remarked with a smile. “Director Liu, your impartiality is truly admirable. It’s something we younger filmmakers should strive to learn from.”

Liu Rennong simply waved his hand modestly. “Not at all. In fact, I’d like to clarify something—”

“Many people believe that I invested in Uncertain Return or that I was the one who secured its screening slots. That is a rumor. I urge everyone not to believe or spread false information. Everything was entirely the work of Director Shen Wenjie.”

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