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Chapter 150
In the cinema office.
Several employees were organizing the latest data reports.
"Shouldn't this film be taken down early?" one employee wondered, looking thoughtfully at the film ranked at the bottom.
"Hmm... 'The Invisible Artist'?" the colleague beside him glanced at the data report and clicked his tongue. "Two weeks since release, box office only twenty-some million—naturally it should be pulled."
In "The Invisible Artist," none of the actors were credited, and almost all were obscure D-listers, which predetermined that it couldn't rely on star power for box office success.
Е̃ n̈ ũm̌ а
Additionally, the film's director was just an associate professor at a film university, not in the category of famous directors. The film lacked pre-release promotion and didn't pay theaters for screening slots, so it naturally couldn't generate any buzz.
On its first day of release, "The Invisible Artist" had a pitiful screening ratio of only 2%, and that was only because the film's quality seemed decent.
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Due to poor attendance rates and mediocre audience reviews, the screening ratio kept dropping.
By now, this number had fallen to a miserable 0.2%, with only the most obscure screening times—practically no different from being pulled.
"I heard audience reactions are extremely polarized," another employee said. "Some people think the film is excellent and give it high praise; but others think the film is incomprehensible, completely unable to understand what it's trying to say."
No film can win everyone's love.
W̆e b̀ nо v̂е̇ ľ E̊nù_m ӓ
But polarization as severe as with "The Invisible Artist" was exceptionally rare.
According to current ratings, viewers giving 5 stars accounted for 35%, while those giving 1 star exceeded 60%. As for two to four stars, they didn't even reach 5%.
"Poor producer, probably lost everything by now," one of them sighed, shaking his head.
He had also seen this film. Since the story was set in a future society, both modeling and special effects required substantial funding.
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Based on initial estimates, the producer and investors had spent at least several hundred million on this film, perhaps... even more.
Yet now, the box office hadn't even reached 100 million!
E ń ûm̃ а̇ . í d
"This isn't just about losing everything," someone couldn't help saying. "This is making history."
Indeed, with box office returns not even reaching a fraction of the investment, it was unprecedented in world film history.
"Ultimately, the production team's decision-making was flawed," someone sighed.
With an investment of several hundred million, shouldn't some portion be allocated for promotion?
Instead, all the money was poured into film production, without a penny for marketing and promotion.
"Chronicle of Nine Provinces' Mountains and Seas" also lacked promotion, but its lead actress was Yao Bianliang.
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Even without promotion, die-hard fans would see the film. Word would spread from one to ten, ten to a hundred, and the reputation would naturally build.
But "The Invisible Artist" was completely different.
All actors were uncredited, and all were unknown D-listers. Under these circumstances, without promotion, even if the film received rave reviews, it couldn't escape its fate of flopping.
Moreover, positive reviews for this film weren't particularly abundant.
Who knows where they found the confidence to copy Yao Bianliang's approach of completely foregoing promotion.
Who did they think Yao Bianliang was? Her strategies weren't something just anyone could emulate.
Ŵ е b_ńо̌vӗ l̇ Е̂ numа̀
The employees all shook their heads, observing a moment of silence for this film that had flopped so miserably.
The manager flipped through the schedule and finally circled a position.
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"Hmm... the final screening of 'The Invisible Artist' seems to be tonight."
After this, like all flopped films, it would likely be pulled early, cooling without a sound.
❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀
"Professor, this is the place."
Е ň ũ m̄ а .і d
At the cinema entrance, Quan Suyou led the way, followed by a foreign man of about sixty. The man pushed up his reading glasses, staring at the poster with the words "The Invisible Artist."
"Dear Su, is this your newest film?" he asked with enthusiasm.
Quan Suyou sighed, nodding slightly: "Yes, but... this film will probably be pulled soon. Barring any surprises, tonight's screening will be its last."
As a professor at B University, Quan Suyou naturally had impressive academic credentials, having studied abroad for a period.
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The sixty-something man before him was named Archibald, his doctoral advisor and a well-known Hollywood director.
Besides Archibald, several film students from B University followed behind.
E nũ m ӓ
These young people, still retaining their youthful innocence, followed their two professors, occasionally chatting quietly.
"I never expected that having dinner with our professor today would also mean meeting Director Archibald," one student couldn't help muttering, eyes full of excitement.
"As expected of our professor, knowing a director of this caliber," another female student also couldn't help marveling. "And we even get to have dinner and watch a movie with him... this is enough to brag about for a year!"
"By the way, what film are we watching today?" someone asked. "Actually, I really want to see 'Chronicle of Nine Provinces' Mountains and Seas'..."
Although he had already seen this film, he wouldn't mind watching it a second time.
A companion next to him nudged his arm: "Shh, keep it down. Professor Quan probably plans for us to watch his latest film—'The Invisible Artist.'"
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Hearing this, the student who had asked felt somewhat disappointed: "Ah... another small production film?"
"This time it's not a small production," the female student smiled, pressing her lips together. "I heard this film had an investment of a full billion! Although the film hasn't been promoted and doesn't have many viewers, the quality definitely won't be too bad."
Chatting along the way, they arrived at the cinema counter.
Quan Suyou stepped forward, rapping the counter surface: "Hello, five tickets please."
"Certainly, sir, do you need tickets for 'Chronicle of Nine Provinces' Mountains and Seas'?" the clerk asked routinely while operating the computer.
Most of tonight's screenings were for "Chronicle of Nine Provinces' Mountains and Seas," so he instinctively asked this.
Е́n̂ ū ḿ а
But Quan Suyou paused: "No. Give me 5 tickets for 'The Invisible Artist.'"
The Invisible Artist?
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The clerk instinctively looked up at Quan Suyou's group, inwardly puzzled.
He had assumed tonight's screening of "The Invisible Artist" would be as empty as usual. Unexpectedly, people were actually coming to see this film.
At 40 yuan per ticket, even more expensive than "Chronicle of Nine Provinces' Mountains and Seas" next door—completely not worth it!
However, since this was the customer's request, he could only comply.
Е̃ nù mа́ . і́ d
After searching the computer for quite some time, he finally found the film's name at the bottom of the list: "Alright sir, five tickets total. Theater number 5, go inside and turn left."
Quan Suyou took the tickets and led Director Archibald and his students into the theater area.
Theater 5 was practically deserted, completely empty. Meanwhile, adjacent Theater 7 was extremely lively, with everyone streaming in that direction.
Archibald was curious: "Dear Su, what film is playing next door? There are so many people."
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Quan Suyou also looked back, and seeing the familiar poster, he couldn't help but feel a flood of emotions.
Both films starred Yao Bianliang, yet one was a hit while his had flopped so miserably.
Е̄n u mȧ . і̂d_
Although he had anticipated this outcome, when actually facing the scene, he still felt somewhat disheartened.
Quan Suyou replied: "It's 'Chronicle of Nine Provinces' Mountains and Seas,' which has recently become extremely popular. From what I know, it will soon sell overseas distribution rights as well."
Archibald nodded in understanding, with interest: "Is that so? Then I must certainly see it later."
Quan Suyou looked at the bustling scene next door, sighed dejectedly, and walked toward Theater 5.
"The Invisible Artist" wasn't well-received by the general public. Not only were box office returns low, but positive reviews were also relatively few.
This indeed made him feel downcast. However, he didn't regret filming this movie.
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This was a theme he was very fond of, and also the work he was most satisfied with in all these years.
Even if it wasn't appreciated by the general public now, he believed that someday, the brilliant aspects of this work would be recognized.
Archibald looked at him and patted his shoulder: "Don't be discouraged. You discussed this film with me before, and I thought the concept was quite good. Absurdist films, plus postmodern style—it's perfectly normal for it not to be embraced by the market."
Quan Suyou laughed helplessly: "Of course I understand."
The film's unpopularity was to be expected. But undoubtedly, as the film's sole investor, Yao Bianliang would certainly lose her entire investment.
Whenever he thought of this, he felt very apologetic toward Yao Bianliang.
Ŵ ӗ b̃n̊ò v е l̊ Ѐ n̆ u̇m̈ а
He had spent Yao Bianliang's money to create a work that satisfied himself, fulfilling his own dream.
But Yao Bianliang's entire investment of one billion yuan had all gone down the drain.
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Just thinking about this, Quan Suyou felt he couldn't face her.
So today, he had invited his advisor Archibald to watch the film. Besides hoping his mentor could provide guidance on his film, he also harbored other hidden thoughts.
After all, Archibald was a well-known Hollywood director, with considerable influence regarding award nominations.
Perhaps... he would appreciate this film?
En u m а̌
Quan Suyou had confidence in his film. Both in terms of content depth and production quality, it was very good.
Even if the film couldn't make money for Sister Liang, at least let her win an award!
This way, Quan Suyou's sense of guilt could be significantly reduced.
"Professor, the film is about to start, let's hurry in." The B University students walking ahead waved, and Quan Suyou finally came to his senses.
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"Alright, coming now."
He composed himself and walked into the theater.
Е ñ ü m̊.ã .ï d
#ChronicleofNineProvinces'MountainsandSeasBoxOfficeExceeds5Billion#
#ChronicleofNineProvinces'MountainsandSeasExtendsScreeningPeriod#
#BeautifulMountainandSeaDivineBeastsCollection#
#ChronicleofNineProvinces'MountainsandSeasInternationalRelease#
The internet was extremely lively during this period. Yao Bianliang, lying at home, would frequently come across topics related to "Chronicle of Nine Provinces' Mountains and Seas."
Netizens were creating memes like crazy, filling screens with various "Classic of Mountains and Seas" references, while news media and film bloggers also published related articles.
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"Why 'Chronicle of Nine Provinces' Mountains and Seas' Is a Hit—Five Years from Filming to Release, Nearly 2 Billion Investment, 8,000 Concept Drawings, Over 10,000 Storyboards!"
"Support Film Producers with Box Office! China Needs More Such Excellent Films"
"Classic of Mountains and Seas Content Leaves the Book: From Now On, the Mythical Beasts I Dreamed of Have Faces"
❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀
One article after another emerged, and simultaneously, Yao Bianliang as the lead actress was also frequently mentioned.
Of course, film director Jiang Dongting and special effects director Fu Yandong also received more attention.
W ӗ b̊nо́ v̈ е l Е n̄ŭ m̊а̄
As popularity continued to soar, one month after its release, "Chronicle of Nine Provinces' Mountains and Seas" quickly entered the international market.
In just a few days, it garnered many positive reviews.
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[So these are Chinese mythical beasts? Amazing, truly illustrating how vast human imagination can be.]
[Beautiful! Friends, I've now fallen in love with this creature called Zouwu.]
[So in Chinese mythology, this is how the prehistoric great flood was finally conquered... I thought they would build an ark.]
[This female lead looks so familiar! I remember her, that Chinese musical film's lead actress.]
En_ů mа̃
[Special effects get full marks, scenes give a strong sense of awe. The production team put in real effort.]
This was a genuine cultural export, with creatures from "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" entering the sight of people worldwide.
What surprised the Chinese was that the most popular creature in the film wasn't the famous nine-tailed divine fox, nor Xiezhi or the dragon-horse, but the creature that accompanied the female protagonist throughout—Zouwu.
White fur with black markings, tiger-like in size, with several fluffy tails longer than its body.
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Its fierce appearance perfectly blended with its kind heart, unity amid contradiction—this gap moe made it impossible not to feel affection.
Besides the creatures, the film's special effects scenes also left many viewers in awe.
Wе́b́ň о̊v̄ el Е̌ ṅ ũḿ а́
Whether the towering tree houses, ethereal Qing Qiu, or the vast and beautiful plains—all seemed like scenes that would only appear in dreams.
When people learned that these scenes were all inspired by real landscapes in China, many were shocked.
[God, these beautiful scenes actually exist? Hard to believe.]
["The Classic of Mountains and Seas" is originally a Chinese mythological geography work, and all the terrain features it describes come from China's native landscapes.]
[Chinese people confirm that mountains amid a sea of clouds is one of China's scenic spots, very classic picture.jpg]
[Amazing! I really want to travel to this place.]
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❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀
The special effects team naturally didn't create these scenes from pure imagination. Each location had its prototype, perfectly blending "mythology" and "reality," achieving a strange balance.
Not to mention others, even Yao Bianliang herself was captivated by this film's beautiful scenes.
That afternoon, Yao Bianliang was browsing fan creations about "Chronicle of Nine Provinces' Mountains and Seas," unable to help feeling reflective.
"Mo Youqian, do you know, I watched 'Chronicle of Nine Provinces' Mountains and Seas' again yesterday," Yao Bianliang turned her head toward Mo Youqian. "In the past, I definitely wouldn't have believed that I would watch my own film a second time."
Mo Youqian sat beside her, looking at her sadly. He moved his lips, but ultimately didn't speak.
Е̊ n.úmа
So... is this your reason for contributing to the film's box office?
"Even I like watching it, let alone others," Yao Bianliang said, patting his shoulder. "Prepare yourself mentally. I estimate this film's box office could reach 6 billion."
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If the box office truly reached 6 billion, that would break Chinese film history records, worthy of being recorded in the annals.
Yao Bianliang also knew that the film's plot wasn't particularly exciting, just above average. But that was compensated by the great special effects and modeling!
Even with just a 7-point plot, with the enhancement of special effects, it could become a 10.
Mo Youqian sighed softly: "Let's hope it doesn't make too much money."
Е̌ n̂ům̊ ä
As events developed, his expectations had continuously lowered. From initially hoping to avoid total loss, to hoping to lose less, to now hoping not to make too much profit.
This was truly a heart-wrenching matter.
"By the way, what about your other film, how is it doing now?" Mo Youqian remembered something and turned to look at Yao Bianliang.
Yao Bianliang opened the data table Assistant Chen had sent her, scrolled down, and at the bottom row were the data related to "The Invisible Artist."
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Box office: 25 million. Negative review rate: 65%.
