novelraw Chapter 42 - Zhang Tian'ai: So Excited!
Chapter 42 - Zhang Tian'ai: So Excited!
Chapter 42 Zhang Tian’ai: So Excited!
Lost in Love 33 Days made over 40 million on its first day. Just in Beijing and Shanghai alone, nearly 20 million was contributed, with over 7 million coming from the northeast, and Jiangcheng, home to the highest number of universities and students, contributing 5 million. Other regions contributed the remaining box office revenue.
The movie ticket for Lost in Love 33 Days was priced around 35 yuan each. This means that on the premiere day alone, more than one million people attended the cinema to watch the film. And this was still far from the peak.
The second-day box office for Lost in Love 33 Days was released a day before Three Guns. To everyone’s surprise, the box office for the second day of Lost in Love 33 Days did not drop but instead increased, reaching over 50 million. With the first-day earnings added, the total box office had already surpassed 100 million.
Breaking 100 million at the box office seemed as easy as drinking water, a feat almost impossible to achieve by other films. The success of Lost in Love 33 Days can be attributed to a combination of timing, location, and public sentiment.
First, regarding timing, besides the already-released 2012, and the upcoming City in October, there weren’t any major contenders in the New Year’s holiday slot.
As for location, the number of cinemas nationwide had increased significantly, thanks to several films grossing over 100 million earlier in the year, providing more capacity for moviegoers.
As for public sentiment, the online and offline backlash against Three Guns was overwhelming. The constant criticism made even Zhang Yimou feel somewhat down.
The “breaking 100 million” poster for Lost in Love 33 Days was quickly released on its official Weibo account. This was the first time a film studio had released a celebratory poster online.
The poster featured a photo of Wang Xiaojian and Huang Xiaoxian. Huang Xiaoxian made a “2” with her fingers, followed by the word “days,” while Wang Xiaojian made a “1” with his fingers, followed by “hundred million,” signifying the film breaking 100 million in 2 days.
This may not have been the fastest record for reaching 100 million, but it was certainly impressive. On the day the film reached 100 million, Qu Yiming felt Zhang Tian’ai’s excitement. He was so hyped up, it seemed like he could vacuum the floor by just sitting there.
The box office for the third day hit another new high, reaching 60 million. By this time, Three Guns’ single-day box office had fallen to 7 million, and even Zhang Guoshi couldn’t rally the troops.
Although the main actors of Three Guns, Sun Honglei and Yan Ni, both had hit TV shows under their belt, their box office appeal was still less than Zhang Guoshi’s.
As for the other two leads, Ni Dahong and Cao Yunjin, their box office pull was practically nonexistent. Ni Dahong’s lack of box office appeal was expected.
Cao Yunjin had built up some popularity on Happy Comedian, but after quitting the show and joining the film, his fan base had mostly faded, leaving him only vaguely familiar to people, not enough to get anyone to spend money on his films.
On the fourth day of Lost in Love 33 Days’ release, the box office dropped to 40 million, but the total box office exceeded 200 million. A new celebratory poster was quickly released, and online media rushed to repost it.
Zhang Tian’ai had completely lost it, insisting that Qu Yiming watch the scene from Crossing the Northeast where Xian’er travels to the northeast.
On the fifth day, sixth day, seventh day…
By the end of the first week, the box office was fixed at 320 million, setting a new record for the highest single-week box office in mainland China.
Currently, the film holding the number one spot on the mainland box office chart was 2012, with a box office of 460 million. As Lost in Love 33 Days took over more cinema screenings, 2012 was pulled from theaters.
By the second week, the single-day box office for Three Guns had dropped below 5 million. Lost in Love 33 Days’s box office also started to decline. On the first day of the second week, it made only 30 million, and the next day it dropped to 20 million. With the release of City in October, which boasted a star-studded cast, the following days saw Lost in Love 33 Days’s box office hovering around 20 million.
The second-week box office totaled 150 million, bringing the total to over 470 million. Lost in Love 33 Days claimed the top spot on the mainland film box office chart, becoming the fourth film of the year to surpass 400 million at the box office.
Zhang Tian’ai, who had raked in an unknown number of billions, had also reached the peak.
With a dreamy look in her eyes, she softly hummed, “It feels like a dream.”
Qu Yiming replied, “This is just the beginning.”
In the third week of release, new films entered the holiday slot. Although they weren’t major competitors, they still took away a portion of the screenings.
Lost in Love 33 Days made 100 million in its third week, bringing the total to 570 million, leaving all other films far behind and leading the entire holiday film season.
Holding the title of the highest box office in mainland history, Zhang Tian’ai received numerous fashion magazine invitations and high-end brand endorsements, such as Mercedes-Benz, which sponsored Lost in Love 33 Days. It was time to reap the rewards.
Qu Yiming patted his pants and sent Zhang Tian’ai, this woman with a head full of shallow dreams, off to cash in. If she didn’t make at least a small target’s worth of endorsement fees during this time, Zhang Tian’ai would have wasted the title of mainland box office champion.
However, Qu Yiming, who also held that title, didn’t receive any high-end brand endorsements or fashion magazine invitations. The reason was his deeply ingrained comedic image, which had become too iconic. In a way, his success and failure were both shaped by his comedic persona.
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