Huayu started as a substitute director

Chapter 757 Breaking the Record
The overseas box office met expectations, after all, it's an all-Chinese film, and the two Hollywood actors only had cameo roles with very little screen time.

The film grossed nearly $100 million in its international opening weekend and has the potential to reach $500 million at the box office, making it arguably the best overseas performance for Liu Yifei, Andy Lau, and Zhao Liying.

Even though the domestic release date wasn't ideal, there weren't many competitors, and it topped the charts on its first day with 2.1 million yuan.

The following two days, which were also the weekend, broke box office records with 3.1 million and 3.6 million respectively, bringing the total box office for the three days to 8.8 million.

The Martian grossed more in a single market than all other countries combined, and its total box office exceeded $2 million. In just three days, The Martian surpassed $14 billion worldwide.

The domestic version of this film differs from the international version. The international version embodies an international spirit, while the domestic version incorporates elements of the mainstream ideology.

The main issue is that the authorities have positioned this movie as part of the "mainstream ideology," and Liu Yifei has also been positioned as part of the "mainstream ideology." Not watching it is considered unpatriotic.

The People's Daily also published seven commentaries that characterized the films as "Heavy Industry Films: A New Calling Card for Made in China!"

"China needs cultural confidence!"

"From The Martian to: Discourse Innovation in National Narrative!"

"Using craftsmanship to create a Chinese brand!"

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These seven reviews ignited people's patriotic fervor, prompting many to go to the cinema to watch them two or three times.

Furthermore, it received support from the space agency. A spokesperson stated, "The Martian reflects the brave and optimistic spirit of China's space program, which deserves respect!"

Amid this atmosphere, three days later, in the second week, the film's box office did not drop much, with daily box office revenue exceeding 2 million yuan, and breaking through 4 million and 4.2 million yuan on the weekend.

It was even more impressive than in its first week of release, with a box office of 22 billion yuan in the second week. Combined with the previous 8.8 million yuan, it exceeded 30 billion yuan in just two weeks.

This movie has generated tremendous buzz and attracted a lot of attention. At this rate, it could potentially gross 50 billion yuan at the domestic box office.

With international box office revenue included, the global box office could potentially exceed 10 billion, which excites many people.

This has naturally raised many questions. In an interview at the film festival, Jia Zhangke said, "We need to be wary of nationalist sentiment being exploited by capital as a box office secret."

Chen Daren also stated, "Films need more diverse expressions."

Some film critics and scholars have also said that the film incites nationalism and should be viewed with caution.

There were both opposition and strong support from the younger generation. Guo Fan posted: "The Martian has given all filmmakers a shot in the arm. Chinese people can also make good science fiction films!"

Later, Jiaozi also posted, "They proved that Chinese audiences will pay for sincerity and technology, which is an industrial upgrade."

However, his words are having no effect now.

With the huge success of "The Martian," many rumors have also emerged, one of which is...

It's said that Andy Lau got the role in this movie by asking the principal, and Andy Lau responded, "I did ask someone for help to get the role."

As for who he asked for help, he didn't say, and netizens can only speculate. He didn't say whether he asked for help or not, which makes netizens eager to dig deeper.

If the person involved doesn't speak up, how could it possibly be dug up?

That's how most celebrities are; they don't say everything they say, they only say half of it and leave the other half unsaid.

There's nothing else to it, my partner is a bit embarrassing.

The film's huge success made its main actors famous, including Zhao Xiaodao. In an interview, she told the media, "This role made me realize that actors should rely on their work, not press releases."

Of course, Liu Yifei is even more popular, but she is already very famous, so becoming even more famous would not mean much to her.

With official help in promotion, she doesn't need to exert much effort; nothing is more powerful than official support.

Internationally, the film grossed $7814 million in its second week, a 21.7% decrease from the previous week. This drop is within an acceptable range and is far below the average for science fiction films released during the same period.

It's impossible for things to be as crazy overseas as they are in China.

The key to this film's steady decline is that its Rotten Tomatoes score remained at 92% and its audience rating was A.

In several European countries, the film's second week of release surpassed its opening week, with Germany seeing a 12% increase.

The film grossed $1.77 million internationally in its first two weeks, though it didn't surpass the global box office of "Logan".

"The Martian's overseas share price dropped only 21% in its second week, validating the global appeal of hard science fiction and its strong European market presence." -- The Hollywood Reporter

"Liu's potato-grossing films outperform superhero movies: Crushing Kong: Skull Island in its second week, proving British audiences' preference for science fiction narratives." -- The Guardian.

Jing Tian had a minor role in this movie.

Some media outlets have also reported on the explosive domestic box office, warning of the rise of populism; the New York Times reported on this as well.

The situation in China is so alarming that it has led some people to be wary and predict its downfall.

It's normal for there to be both praise and criticism. Populism is also being discussed domestically, and we should be wary of this phenomenon.

But this couldn't stop the film's phenomenal success. In its third week, it continued to hover between 1.5 million and 2.4 million yuan, bringing its total box office to 13.9 billion yuan. Combined with the first two weeks' total box office of 44.7 billion yuan, it surpassed "The Mermaid" and broke a new record for Chinese-language films, becoming the highest-grossing film in recent decades.

And it hasn't stopped; in the fourth week alone, there were still tens of millions, and it's very likely to break 5 billion.

This scared many people. Has the film market ushered in another boom? The principal's previous statement that the credibility of the film market was about to collapse was completely alarmist.

There was a hint of collapse, yet it was incredibly prosperous.

Even Liu Yifei was a little taken aback. She exclaimed, "Wow! This box office is too high!"

"Actually, it's not that high; it just possessed someone else's luck." Fang Hong figured it out.

"You possessed someone else's luck?" Liu Tianxian didn't quite understand.

“Yes, this achievement should have belonged to another movie, but you stole it from me, understand?” Fang Hong explained.

"I don't quite understand," Liu Tianxian shook her head.

“The film industry’s credibility collapsed before, and audiences were very disappointed and disgusted by bad movies. Now, when they see a good movie, it’s just revenge consumption and revenge viewing. Do you understand? If another movie is well-made and it’s a patriotic film, it can achieve the same results,” Fang Hong told her.

"Oh, I see. The audience is very disappointed with the film and television industry, so they vented that emotion on 'The Martian'," Liu Tianxian tried to understand.

"Yes, you're very smart, I'm very pleased." Fang Hong patted her head.

"Get lost, go and coax your son." Liu Tianxian slapped her hand away, as if she were coaxing a child.

In reality, it was the success of "Wolf Warrior 2" that was taken over. If it weren't for "The Martian," all that box office revenue would have been directed at "Wolf Warrior 2."

The success and high box office of "Wolf Warrior 2" was a product of the combination of favorable timing and location, riding the wave of the times.

If any other patriotic film of the same genre were to appear before it, even if only a month earlier, it would steal the spotlight from this film.

Because audiences have been thoroughly exhausted, a movie that's actually watchable feels like a rare find.

Even before the summer release of "Wolf Warrior 2" in my previous life, the film industry was still flooded with all sorts of bad movies.

Such as "The Legend of Wukong", "Peerless Master", "Father and Son Warriors", etc.

After the fourth week, about a month later, "The Martian" had grossed over 5 billion yuan in the country.

Phoenix TV, CCTV, local TV stations, and other media outlets reported the good news, and mainstream newspapers and social media platforms also celebrated the occasion.

"1.4 million viewers! 'The Martian' takes the top spot globally!"

"The Martian has entered the top 100 highest-grossing films worldwide! Its global box office has surpassed $10 billion."

"The Martian has grossed over 50 billion yuan in China and over 3.54 million dollars overseas. Why is this movie so popular? Liu Yifei gives an exclusive interview."

Huayi's CEO, Mr. Wang, praised, "That's what she deserves; she should have received 5 billion long ago."

Even Fatty Yu praised it, saying that nowadays very few people disagree; those who do disagree are people who can support themselves and make movies without outside help.

"The Martian" has successfully entered the global box office rankings, rising from over 80th to 60th, and now to 30th, with its ranking still climbing.

And it's far from being taken off the screens yet, with its domestic screening rate still exceeding 25%.

The happiest people are the cinemas. They didn't expect such a blockbuster to happen during such a slow season. Of course, this is the result of everyone's hard work. Liu Yifei's Oscar win caused a huge uproar.

It was only through the unwavering support of state media that this effect was achieved; without state media, such an effect would not have been possible.

Everyone is now watching to see how much this movie will ultimately gross worldwide, including the Film Bureau.

If it can surpass 10 billion, this film can enter the top ten, and then there will be a Chinese film to support the list of the world's top 100 films.

Even Liu Yifei checks the box office numbers and the fluctuating figures every now and then.

After all, it's a movie I acted in, so I have to pay special attention to it.

The global internet continues to promote the news tirelessly, with exclamation marks frequently announcing record-breaking achievements and box office successes, constantly drawing attention.

As time passed day by day, and with the arrival of May Day, the box office of "The Martian," which had been in theaters for almost two months, came to an end.

The final domestic box office was 56.94 billion yuan; the international box office was 6.3 million US dollars, or 44.1 billion yuan, for a total box office of 101 billion yuan.

That's $14.42 billion, ranking 7th on the global box office chart.

The preceding movies are Avatar, Titanic, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Jurassic World, The Avengers, and Furious 7.

As for whether it will be surpassed in the future, that's a matter for the future.

The CCTV Evening News broadcast a special report on this event: "At 6 p.m. yesterday, the global box office of 'The Martian,' independently produced in my country, exceeded 10 billion yuan, setting a new global box office record. Liu Tianxian, the lead actress of 'The Martian 2,' accepted an exclusive interview with our reporter."

Liu Yifei appeared on the evening news: "I am very happy, and I will continue to work hard to act in movies in the future."

(End of this chapter)