China Entertainment's Standout

Chapter 1106 International Reactions and Sensation
"I never thought I'd see a sci-fi movie like this in China in my lifetime. The Grand Commander is awesome!"

"The quality of this movie is absolutely on par with the top Hollywood sci-fi blockbusters! This is a truly big-budget production that puts money where it counts, and Governor Zhou has once again achieved legendary status!"

"After watching yesterday's promotional materials, the Grand Commander's ability to handle such epic productions is simply astounding!"

"One word: awesome!"

"Produced by Jiangdong, it's still a solid masterpiece. Although there are a few minor flaws, it's amazing overall. I'm planning to watch it a second time!"

"I didn't expect Lu Han's acting skills to have really improved. How come the selection of the four little actresses is over already? I still wanted to vote for Zhao Jinmai!"

"I have to admit, 'The Wandering Earth' is indeed of high quality, but Fan Fan's 'Shanghai Fortress' will be released during the Spring Festival, and it's sure to be a huge hit. I support it!"

"Heh, the stir-fried noodle master is here to freeload again, huh? Get lost!"

"..."

With the film's nationwide release, the first wave of online comments has already taken hold.

Zhou Yutang has always paid close attention to the genuine opinions of ordinary viewers, so he specially switched to a secondary account and browsed the comment sections of several mainstream forums and his own Weibo account.

Comparatively speaking, the vast majority of netizens who actually watched the movie gave it extremely high praise.

Even rivals wouldn't be foolish enough to hire online trolls to smear Governor Zhou's S+ level project in a desperate attempt to destroy everything.

The reason is simple: several key media channels and public opinion positions are firmly in their hands.

If things really break down...

The net may not necessarily break.

But the fish will surely die.

……

Shanghai Film Studio, Chairman's Office.

Ren Zhonglun ended his call with Zhou Yutang and excitedly paced back and forth in his office.

Listening to his secretary report the box office figures, he was overwhelmed with excitement and suddenly felt a surge of pride. He clenched his fist and exclaimed, "Hehe, we two are really strong!"

secretary:"."

The pragmatic young man lowered his head, pretending he hadn't seen anything.

"Little Li?"

"Chairman Ren, I'm here."

"Go and compile the overseas box office data and reviews, and put them on my desk."

"I'll make arrangements right away."

"."

The box office figures generated domestically have completely exceeded Ren Zhonglun's expectations.

Raking in a staggering 11.31 billion in just two days!
This number has already surpassed the opening performance of "Wolf Warrior 2" in the same period last year!

He originally thought that Zhou Yutang's statement at the premiere that he wanted to "create a new milestone in the box office of domestic films" was true.

It's just the youthful arrogance that's common among young people, and it's also a marketing slogan intentionally given to the media.

I didn't expect him to be serious!

Perhaps because there have been no other blockbuster films in recent months, the audience's movie-watching emotions have been suppressed for too long, and they exploded instantly with "The Wandering Earth," creating an unprecedentedly wonderful start.

Most importantly, driven by patriotic sentiment, 99% of the box office revenue for "Wolf Warrior 2" came from the domestic market, with negligible box office revenue from overseas regions.

"The Wandering Earth" is a blockbuster that Jiangdong Entertainment aimed for global distribution from the very beginning of its project!

After its official release in China on December 28, it was released almost simultaneously in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and other Southeast Asian countries.

At this moment, not only Ren Zhonglun, but the entire Chinese-language film and television industry is paying attention to the performance of this film abroad.

Jiangdong Grand Commander has long reigned supreme in the domestic entertainment industry, but this time, as a powerful dragon crossing the river and standing on the world stage, the uncertainty is too high.

No world-class director dares to guarantee that their film will be a global hit.

Even someone as strong as Spielberg stumbled with "The BFG" a couple of years ago.

For example, the Wachowski sisters, who made "The Matrix," still lost a fortune with "Jupiter Ascending."

Even with all the preparations made, Zhou Yutang wasn't entirely confident, so at the premiere, his expectations for the overseas box office were relatively conservative.

In North America, for example, the Christmas season was packed with strong contenders, and as Zhou Yutang had predicted, the number of films released in theaters was only average.

Everyone is waiting for the overseas box office results. Apart from Zhou Yutang, the other production companies are feeling both expectant and apprehensive.

The anticipation stems from Zhou Dudu's proven track record: his stunning performance in "Joker" last year raked in over 20 billion US dollars worldwide.

The quality of the finished film, "The Wandering Earth," is top-notch.

The anxiety also stems from the deep-rooted cultural barriers between East and West.

They worry that if expectations are set too high, and the performance falls short of expectations, there will be a huge disappointment.

“If the entire project overseas can reach 1.5 million US dollars, it is considered a success.”

Wanda's Liu Xiaobing and Zeng Maojun, along with their professional team, reached this conclusion after conducting sufficient data analysis.

In their view, Governor Zhou has a strong box office appeal in Asia.

However, in Europe and America, as long as it's presentable enough and the marketing costs are recovered, that's sufficient.

[A media mogul directs a new film; the Southern Heavenly Gate Project will break through the universe!]

[Tickets sold out at AMC theaters in Los Angeles, prompting theaters to add extra screenings!]

[The Wandering Earth opens in Seoul, breaking the record for the most viewers for a Chinese-language film on its opening day!]

[An epic Eastern science fiction myth! 92% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, 98% Audience Score!]

【.】

Ren Zhonglun's secretary is very efficient.

He deliberately selected newly released foreign data and media reviews, presented them with his head held high and his voice rising and falling in cadence, and even added a touch of effusive praise:

"In North America, it grossed approximately $3.3 million in its opening night previews and $11.8 million on its full opening day. This puts it behind *Bumblebee* and *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse*, and ahead of this year's Hollywood awards season heavyweights *Mary Poppins Returns* and *Vice*."

"South Korea broke the record for the highest number of first-day viewership for a science fiction film."

"Congratulations, Mr. Ren, The Wandering Earth is a huge hit overseas."

"I've seen several videos on TikTok with over a million likes, and they're all foreigners marveling at the special effects. This time, it's really caused a huge stir around the world!"

Ren Zhonglun maintained a calm demeanor on the surface, but he was secretly pleased. His lips curled up, harder to suppress than AK's: "It's only just started, and the number of screenings is gradually increasing. Old Zeng and Old Liu are still too conservative. I think we can still have high hopes for its performance overseas."

$1.5 billion?
I'm sorry.

Judging from the current trend, it's basically comparable to Nolan's "Interstellar," though the start seems a bit weak.

But its reputation has already been established, and there is still room for imagination. It might not be impossible for it to double!

The secretary's face showed admiration: "Chairman Ren, your insight is brilliant." From Ren Zhonglun's perspective, the prospect of record-breaking domestic box office figures is certainly gratifying.

But what is more worthy of anticipation and can be considered a greater achievement for him is his reputation and box office success abroad!
This is not hard to understand if it happens within the system.

When everyone held their summary meeting at the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, Ren Zhonglun from Shanghai Film Studio was the focus of everyone's attention!
Ren Zhonglun can finally understand the joy he felt when he was Zuo Shandiao (a notorious bandit leader)...

……

On the third day, CCTV News gave it a full fifteen seconds of screen time that evening.

The Wandering Ball once again racked up 5.34 million on the same day.

In North America, coincidentally, the highly anticipated blockbuster comedy "Sherlock Holmes & Watson," based on a hugely popular foreign IP, flopped spectacularly, receiving terrible reviews and resulting in a diversion of its theatrical releases.

As word-of-mouth spread, "The Wandering Earth," though still lagging behind home-based films like "Bumblebee" and "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," has already grossed $4340 million at the box office.

It has been released in various countries, including Canada and Europe, and has become a hit in many countries.

Even Hollywood's bigwigs and stars couldn't sit still.

James Cameron, the notoriously high-profile "truck driver," publicly commented on social media:
“Zhou is a very young and creative director. I had never worked with Chinese science fiction films before, and I was delighted to learn about the power of Chinese science fiction through Zhou’s work. This film has an inspiring epic feel, and I’m very happy to see it do well at the global box office…”

Both being blockbuster science fiction films, "The Wandering Earth" has been compared to Nolan's "Interstellar" by many online users since its release.

Some people think that "The Wandering Earth" surpassed it and became a classic in one fell swoop; others believe that "Interstellar" is the classic that cannot be surpassed.

In short, each has its own reasons.

However, Christopher Nolan, the top Hollywood director known for his social anxiety, recently stated in an interview when asked about this:

"Zhou is an incredible guy. I went to see 'The Wandering Earth' in the theater and felt a long-lost sense of surprise."

"Based on the data available so far, this will be a milestone for Chinese science fiction films. Many people are comparing it to Interstellar, but I think that's completely unnecessary."

"The two films convey different themes and emotions, but excellent films always have the power to move people. Without a doubt, *The Wandering Earth* possesses all the necessary elements for success. Congratulations, Zhou…"

"It's rare to see Nolan, who's socially awkward, praising someone so earnestly."

"I remember last year when 'Joker' was released, there was a rumor that Nolan went to see it three times in theaters. That's probably what mutual respect between genius directors looks like!"
"That makes sense. Good movies always touch people's hearts. I really cried when I saw people all over the world standing together for survival."

"I became interested in Chinese culture through Li Ziqi. I recently saw the promotional video on TikTok and went to see the movie in theaters. It was absolutely fantastic."

"Only a nation with five thousand years of cultural heritage could produce an incredible genius like Zhou."

"I support 'The Wandering Earth,' and I plan to take my daughter to see it."

"."

Ms. Liu has been traumatized by the online back then and has rarely surfed the internet since.

But whenever Zhou Yutang's film or television works are released, she can't help but pay attention to them immediately.

This product has not only received rave reviews domestically, but has also garnered widespread praise online.

She scrolled through the praise and amazement from all over the world, nodding her head occasionally, then suddenly breaking into a smile, exuding charm.

……

"Continue to increase promotion efforts."

Zhou Yutang, who was on his way to a roadshow, was in a very good mood.

He had just finished looking at the box office data sent from North America and Southeast Asia, and it was better than expected.

It ranked third in North America during the same period, while in South Korea, Singapore, and Thailand, it broke the opening weekend box office record for Chinese-language films.

He can guarantee that, with just a few words, every active overseas user of TikTok and Bilibili's overseas version will be greeted with a stunning montage of "The Wandering Earth" when they open the app for the foreseeable future.
In addition, a host of Hollywood stars who made cameo appearances, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman, Anne Hathaway, and Joaquin Phoenix, also voiced their support on their social media accounts.

This combination of moves instantly raised the film's reach overseas to an even more significant level.

"Boss, Maoyan's forecast has been revised upwards to 63 billion..."

Chen Duling, who was also in charge of collecting various data related to domestic and foreign films, said incredulously, "Could it really break the record of 'Wolf Warrior 2'?"

After three days of release, the total box office has exceeded 16 billion yuan!
Having personally compiled the astonishing numbers, Chen Duling truly felt how incredible the current surge of fervent movie-watching enthusiasm was.

"It's man-made."

On the way to the next roadshow location, Zhou Yutang sat comfortably in the leather chair of the van, saying, "Let's wait and see."

After the success of "Wolf Warrior 2" last year, the expansion speed of domestic cinemas this year is astonishing.
.
Just last month, the Guangdong Provincial Administration of Radio, Film and Television announced the latest data, showing that the total number of movie screens nationwide has officially exceeded 60000!
This number has surpassed North America, firmly establishing it as the world's largest film market.

Compared to last year, the total number of screens has increased by approximately 10,000.

what does this mean?
This means that the depth of the box office market for Chinese films is now vastly different from what it used to be.

Given the right timing, location, and people, a work like "The Wandering Earth," which truly ignites national pride and local science fiction sentiment, is a perfect example.

The current glory is only just beginning!

……

Just as "The Wandering Earth" was enjoying a meteoric rise at the box office, a major industry event finally came to a close at the end of December.

The selection of the new generation of "Four Little Actresses," spearheaded by the Movie Channel and jointly chosen by dozens of film and television companies and authoritative media organizations, has finally come to a close after several rounds of voting and review.

Actually, before this, there was an online poll for the "Four Little Actresses Born After 95", which selected Shen Yue, Song Yu'er, Zhang Xueying, and Ouyang Nana.

However, it lacks credibility and is mostly for entertainment purposes.

This time, with the backing of the central government, it has united dozens of film and television companies, video platforms and authoritative media in the industry, and taken into account the reputation, box office performance and development potential of film and television works in the past two years, making it look quite impressive.

"Zhang Zifeng!"

"Wenqi!"

"Zhang Ruonan!"

"Yang Chaoyue!"

The announcement of the results of the "Four Little Actresses" selection, in no particular order, instantly ignited the entire internet:
"Zifeng truly deserves this! With 'Detective Chinatown' and 'Take My Brother Away,' she has proven herself in both acting and box office success!"

"Zhang Ruonan is still solid. Her collaboration with the Grand Commander in 'The Lonely and Great God' was a huge hit, and 'Cry Me a Sad River' is also very strong!"

"If you don't understand, just ask. Isn't Yang Chaoyue a bit of a stretch compared to the other three?"

"She debuted in 'Someday or One Day,' and in the past few years she has been honing her acting skills, playing daughters in various serious dramas, and her performances are acceptable."

"Go, Chaoyue! Her transformation from idol to actress is so inspiring!"

"Wen Qi's acting in 'The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful' was explosive and very convincing."

"I cried when I bet on Zhao Jinmai. Her movie 'The Wandering Earth' was a huge hit, so why didn't I win?"

"Holy crap, Guan Gege has fallen behind. She must be really upset, haha."

"."

As soon as the news broke, the comment sections of major online forums exploded.

Compared to the previous online voting version, this selection, with the support of the central government, is clearly more convincing.

It's worth mentioning that three of this year's four young actresses are actually "fish girls" (actresses who have worked with fish).
(End of this chapter)