Chapter 201: Full-Speed Ahead
Since Lu Xu and Li Yan were both clumsy yet thick-skinned, the moment their segment aired during the Spring Festival, even though it was just a short clip, it had the audience laughing out loud.
Lu Xu handled the eggs with flair, his skill so refined that he could rival a supermarket clerk. Meanwhile, Li Yan’s expression—hovering between wanting to speak and hesitating—became a major source of amusement.
[Lu Xu completely confused Li Yan. Wait… you two are here to promote the movie, right?]
[Li Yan’s pupils dilating slightly had me in stitches. He looked like he was thinking, ‘This isn’t how it was supposed to go, right?’]
What left fans speechless was that Li Yan actually got infected by Lu Xu’s energy. He strolled around, snacking and shopping along the way, presenting a stark contrast to the composed image he usually showed his movie fans.
But the response to this segment was overwhelmingly positive. Not only did it rack up a huge number of views, but it also provided a strong promotional boost for Observing the Stars at Night.
Lu Xu and Li Yan had serious box office appeal. Besides being great actors, they also had a natural charm—there were no signs of them being artificially hyped up.
Even though Lu Xu had the trending hashtag #10 Billion Movie King#, no one felt it was an exaggeration. His title was well-earned, without a trace of inflation.
[The little pup is really going all out to promote the movie.]
[But isn’t he just adorable? It’s a shame those sugar figurines and clay figurines were only available at the event. Otherwise, I’d have ordered them right now.]
[So dedicated! Observing the Stars at Night deserves it!]
The traditional elements in Observing the Stars at Night were analyzed frame by frame. Even the costumes worn by Wei Qingfang and Zhang Bannu were scrutinized by movie fans in an attempt to deduce the historical background of the story.
The more fans analyzed Observing the Stars at Night, the more they realized that it was an absolute hidden gem. The effort put into the script far exceeded what Lu Xu had initially imagined.
For instance, the dynasty from which the two main characters’ costumes originated happened to be the same era in historical records when certain monster legends first emerged. Moreover, the design and behavior of the creatures in the film bore striking similarities to the descriptions found in historical texts.
The movie even collaborated with a local museum—some of the excavated artifacts featured illustrations with descriptions like “a face resembling…” or “a form similar to…”, mirroring elements of the film.
On a narrative level, Observing the Stars at Night offered plenty of details worth exploring.
The production team never deliberately marketed the brotherly bond between Zhang Bannu and Wei Qingfang, yet that didn’t stop fans from passionately shipping them.
Every tiny detail from the trailers and official clips was meticulously edited into fan-made videos. It was safe to say that Observing the Stars at Night had ignited the creativity of its audience, leading to a surge in fan content.
Beyond that, what surprised the production team even more was how well the movie’s merchandise was selling—far exceeding expectations.
Replica fans identical to those used by Wei Qingfang and Zhang Bannu, chibi-style monster plushies, keychains, fridge magnets, and even the film’s limited-edition popcorn buckets were selling much better than cinemas had anticipated.
Initially, when the production team approached theaters for a merchandise collaboration, they were met with lukewarm responses. It was well known that merchandise from domestic IPs was generally harder to sell compared to overseas franchises. The latter had long-established business models, with their IP-derived products extending beyond movies into toys, entertainment, and various other industries.
Although Observing the Stars at Night’s merchandise revenue couldn’t compete with international IPs, it was performing remarkably well within the domestic market.
Some fans were even willing to pay extra just to get their hands on the limited-edition popcorn buckets featuring chibi versions of Wei Qingfang and Zhang Bannu.
For theaters, the profit margins on snacks like popcorn and soda were just as high as movie tickets. However, in recent years, moviegoers had become increasingly reluctant to spend on anything beyond their tickets.
Beyond the box office success, Observing the Stars at Night also brought a surge of popularity to its filming location.
The site was already a well-known tourist destination, and during the film’s production, occasional sightings of Lu Xu and Li Yan at the scenic area had made rounds online. At the time, netizens only knew the two actors were filming a movie there, but after the explosive success of Observing the Stars at Night during the Lunar New Year season, interest in the location skyrocketed.
The reason was simple—the visuals in the film were breathtakingly stunning.
Although the scenic area was already renowned for its natural beauty—with its dense forests, towering mountain peaks, migratory birds, and shifting clouds—the cinematography amplified its grandeur tenfold. Coupled with the interactions between Wei Qingfang and Zhang Bannu, audiences found it incredibly easy to immerse themselves in the film’s world.
In fact, on just the second day after the movie’s premiere, some fans were already cosplaying as Wei Qingfang and Zhang Bannu at the location.
Observing the Stars at Night was, at its core, just another movie. But the impact it had was far beyond anyone’s expectations.
…
On its fourth day in theaters, thanks to Lu Xu and Li Yan’s relentless promotion, Observing the Stars at Night raked in 360 million yuan in a single day—only 40 million less than the previous day. By this point, the film had officially crossed the 2-billion-yuan milestone, reaching a total of 2.1 billion.
And the Lunar New Year holiday was only halfway through.
The second-highest-grossing film of the season, Haha Wula, hadn’t even made half of Observing the Stars at Night’s total revenue.
In terms of attendance rate, audience reviews, and retention, Observing the Stars at Night was leagues ahead of the competition.
Astonishingly, as a fantasy blockbuster, Observing the Stars at Night managed to attract a significant number of viewers willing to watch it a second time in theaters—something usually reserved for critically acclaimed films that, despite their strong word-of-mouth, might struggle with screen allocation and box office performance.
Among these repeat viewers, some were simply devoted fans of Li Yan and Lu Xu. Others were there to meticulously analyze every interaction between Zhang Bannu and Wei Qingfang, determined to find hidden “sugar” (moments of closeness or chemistry). Many had already felt satisfied with the amount of “sugar” they got from their first viewing, but after discussing it online with like-minded fans and being recommended even more hidden details, they found themselves heading back to the theater, unwilling to miss out.
Then there were those who simply thought Observing the Stars at Night was worth watching again.
Another group consisted of the slow-to-act, review-conscious moviegoers.
These viewers had the habit of meticulously browsing through online film reviews, scouring major rating platforms to determine whether a movie was worth their ticket money. They weren’t the type to spend on a film impulsively.
Yet, even in the fiercely competitive Lunar New Year season—where rival studios were constantly trying to undermine each other—Observing the Stars at Night had already secured 2.1 billion yuan at the box office. More impressively, its rating remained above 9.3, even as the number of reviews increased and naturally brought the score down. At the same time, a dedicated group of passionate fans actively maintained the film’s high rating, ensuring that its reputation remained solid.
In short, these audiences had collectively reached a conclusion: Observing the Stars at Night was a movie worth watching.
While Observing the Stars at Night dominated most of the Lunar New Year buzz, the season was still full of cutthroat competition.
The lead actor of Haha Wula had even been dragged into minor scandals—nothing serious, just some harmless gossip—but in the end, the film’s box office numbers remained unaffected.
Rumors spread that the smear campaign had been orchestrated by the team behind The First Gun. However, Haha Wula remained unscathed, largely because Observing the Stars at Night was the only film in the holiday lineup that was truly holding its own at the box office. If another film were to flop, the overall numbers for the Lunar New Year season would look embarrassingly bad.
The Lunar New Year box office couldn’t rely on just one movie to hold the fort. This was a battleground where competition was essential—without rivalry, there would be no true value in the fight.
…
As the holiday drew to a close, Observing the Stars at Night continued its relentless surge at the box office.
Day 5: 330 million yuan, total box office surpassing 2.43 billion.
Day 6: 266 million yuan, total reaching 2.696 billion.
Day 7: The total box office fell just shy of the 3-billion mark by a few tens of millions.
Though the growth rate had begun to slow, Observing the Stars at Night still went on to break through 3 billion, then 3.5 billion… and finally, just before the end of the winter break, it soared past 4 billion.
At this point, the film had been in theaters for less than two weeks.
[…5 billion—is that possible?!]
[Full speed ahead!]
Before Observing the Stars at Night even reached 5 billion, it first overtook the legendary How Much Do You Know.
By this time, the film had quietly climbed into the top five on the all-time domestic box office charts.
The highest-ranking films on the list were all giants, each leaving a lasting legacy in past Lunar New Year, National Day, or summer blockbuster seasons. If Observing the Stars at Night could sustain its box office momentum for just another day or two, it would naturally move up the ranks. However, all the films ahead of it had already crossed the 5-billion threshold, making even the fourth-place position seem like an insurmountable challenge.
That being said, considering Observing the Stars at Night’s relatively short release period, securing the fifth spot was already an impressive feat.
The film in fourth place had been released five years ago, while the top three were from a period when the film market was still booming. Though those films were undeniably high-quality, they might not have received the same level of fervent audience support if released in the current era.
[Could Observing the Stars at Night really do it?]
[Yes, yes, yes!]
In reality, it didn’t even take a full two weeks—after approximately 11 and a half days, Observing the Stars at Night officially surpassed 5 billion at the box office.
Beyond that milestone, however, breaking into the next ranking spots seemed nearly impossible. Even though the gap between Observing the Stars at Night and the next film ahead was only 400 million, the movie’s daily box office growth was noticeably slowing.
Still, no one in the production team had any complaints.
For Yu Yuechen, this marked a new breakthrough in his directing career. The film shattered his previous box office record by a staggering 3 billion, elevating him from a “moderately well-known director” to one of the most sought-after names in the industry.
For Li Yan, he now had two films ranked in the top five of all-time box office hits.
For Lu Xu, this was officially the highest-grossing film of his career. He had no films in the 2-billion or 4-billion range—his highest-grossing film had leaped straight past 5 billion.
As some marketing accounts put it, “There’s not much room left for Lu Xu to go higher.”
Observing the Stars at Night eventually settled at a final box office total of 5.579 billion. Every additional billion beyond the 5-billion mark had been a slow and arduous climb, and in the end, the film landed in second place on the all-time domestic box office chart.
The gap between Observing the Stars at Night and the number-one film wasn’t particularly wide, but the movie had already reached the limits of its box office potential—there was no way to push it any further.
That said, Observing the Stars at Night had already been an enormous financial success.
Its massive popularity even sparked a wave of enthusiasm for producing fantasy films within the industry. However, this trend was quickly curbed—after all, investing in big-budget visual effects movies meant that even tens of millions could disappear like water down the drain.
Now, investors were throwing money around with enthusiasm, but in a few years, they would be crying and wailing, dragging the fantasy genre into an even deeper pit.
Just because Observing the Stars at Night made money didn’t mean other films could do the same.
Between Fearless Life and Observing the Stars at Night, nearly 10 billion in box office revenue had been swept up. Within the industry, people could only look at Lu Xu’s box office-carrying power with a mix of envy and disbelief—they didn’t even know what to say anymore.
Fearless Life was a classic biopic—a niche genre. If anyone else had starred in it, earning 400 million would’ve already been a decent outcome. And as for Observing the Stars at Night, how many people had doubted it back then? Some had even predicted that, based on the laughable outcome of Sanzu River, Observing the Stars at Night would be Lu Xu’s downfall.
In the end, not only did Lu Xu bounce back—he skyrocketed to second place in box office history.
5.5 billion!
The mockery directed at Lu Xu instantly turned into self-loathing within the industry.
Some even went so far as to leak information to reporters, claiming that Observing the Stars at Night had approached them during pre-production—but they simply hadn’t taken this “unremarkable” fantasy film seriously.
[Uh… this is awkward.]
[The problem probably wasn’t that Observing the Stars at Night seemed ‘unremarkable’—it’s that they originally thought it was destined to flop, right?]
