I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Chapter 51 The Crazy Box Office

The next day, after news broke that the score for "Qin King's Battle Song" had been collected by the National Museum, the whole country was thrilled and flocked to the cinemas.

For those who missed seeing the national treasure right away, you can listen to "Qin King's Battle Song" right away!

Box office revenue keeps rising.

I was excited, I went crazy.

The Chinese people's self-confidence was boosted immediately.

So when the box office figures for the second day were tallied, everyone was completely baffled.

Could the box office figures get any more outrageous?
Can you believe a single-day box office of 8000 million?
This is even crazier than The Big Ship, which was released in 97.

On the third day, box office revenue declined, probably because people from all over the country were flocking to the capital.

But even the decline surprised everyone.

Can you believe a box office of 6000 million?
Everyone knows that printing money is the most profitable thing, but no one expected that a movie could be more profitable than a money-printing machine.

People in the entertainment industry are almost driven to despair by this.

Do historical films make money?
In the past, they wouldn't have believed it at all. In the eyes of those in the industry, there are many types of movies that can make money, and comedy movies are one of the most prolific types of movies in the world, such as Stephen Chow's comedy movies.

Its box office revenue in Hong Kong proves the earning power of comedy films.

There are also action and adventure movies, which typically contain a lot of action scenes and suspense elements, attracting audiences' attention and generating high box office revenue.

Successful examples include the Fast & Furious series and Indiana Jones.

Action/adventure movies have a clear market positioning, attracting audiences with innovative action scenes and captivating stories. Despite their high production costs, their high returns make them one of the most profitable film genres.

The last type of low-budget, high-return film is the one that typically has a small budget but can generate amazing returns through excellent production and unique creativity.

But historical films are the worst. Before Cheng Sheng made "The Great Tang Dynasty - Origins", investors would lose almost everything for every historical film they invested in.

Cheng Sheng has now made historical films popular, and the high box office for three consecutive days has also aroused some people's interest in this type of film.

History provides lessons, and writing a script is a very quick process.

Since historical films are so profitable now, a trend of copycat films has emerged.

Following trends is the cheapest and most profitable thing to do. If a movie does well at the box office, many people will follow suit.

Therefore, within a day, many entertainment companies came up with scripts for historical dramas to initiate projects.

"Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin", "Empress Wu Zetian", "Cheng Yaojin", "The Rise and Fall of the Sui Dynasty", "Li Jing", "Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties", "Empress Zhangsun", "Princess Pingyang Zhao", etc.

Various films and television series about the Sui and Tang dynasties were approved, and then directors were found to start filming.

Suddenly, making historical films became the hottest topic.

Blindly following trends can kill a genre, which is what all true filmmakers worry about most.

Cheng Sheng probably knew this too, so instead of filming a sequel to The Great Tang Dynasty, he thought of making a Three Kingdoms movie.

Those who follow the trend are only looking to make quick money and have never thought about the future.

In fact, whether domestically or internationally, when a movie becomes a hit, copycat films immediately follow. This has become the norm and an unspoken rule in the entertainment industry. Market trends and commercial interests are among the main reasons for the emergence of copycat films.

Regardless of the era, countless films have followed suit. Especially with the development of the internet and the rapid growth of the film market, film producers have seen the potential for success in certain genres and have followed suit by making similar works to gain market share and commercial benefits.

Audience psychology and market demand are also important reasons for the emergence of copycat films.

Audience preferences for certain film genres can lead to increased market demand for those films, prompting more production companies to follow suit and make similar films.

For example, Hollywood movies have fallen into a vicious cycle of rehashing old material and making sequels. Although this model lacks innovation, it can still attract audiences because audiences have a certain loyalty to these known brands and characters.

In addition, cultural differences and competition in the global film market also influence the emergence of copycat films.

Cultural differences between countries and regions may lead to certain types of films being more popular in certain regions, while increased competition in the global film market will also prompt producers to follow market trends and make films that cater to the tastes of global audiences.

However, there are also clear-headed people, such as the CEOs of Huayi, who are more rational and do not blindly follow the trend.

Of course, Huayi also has its own unique characteristics, which make it disdainful of following trends.

Huayi Brothers primarily produces comedies, and due to its association with Feng Xiaogang, Huayi has always focused on creating comedies.

In addition, both Wang and Wang felt that investing in historical films was a bit risky, since they didn't think every director was Cheng Sheng.

The fact that "The Great Tang Dynasty - Origins" grossed 190 million yuan in three days truly astonished everyone.

Before this, the highest-grossing film in China was a foreign film, "Big Ship," which topped the list with 3.6 million yuan. For six years, no domestic film could surpass "Big Ship" at the box office.

This is a disgrace to filmmakers in China.

After all, it doesn't sound good to have a foreigner at the top of the box office in your own country.

If it weren't for Zhang Yimou's "Hero" in 02, the second-highest grossing film in China would probably be from another country.

Apart from "Hero", there isn't a single one that can compete.

The third is "The Choice" and the fourth is "True Lies," both of which are Hollywood films.

It's clear what the emergence of a Zhang Guoshi (a renowned Chinese film director) over the years means for Chinese cinema, which explains why he will hold such a high position in the future.

After all, it was Zhang Yimou who drove the development of Chinese cinema.

Of course, "Kung Fu" will be released this December. This movie will become the second domestic film to gross over 12 million yuan with 1.6 million yuan, and it will also become the third highest-grossing film in China's history.

In 04, for a historical film to gross this much in just three days was simply incredible!
Even in 2025, this box office figure would be terrifying.

In this day and age, among all domestic directors, apart from Zhang Yimou, probably no one dares to say that their box office performance can surpass that of Cheng Sheng's film.

Feng Xiaogang is amazing, isn't he!

Before "Hero" came out, all the high-grossing movies in China were made by Feng Xiaogang.

Although Feng Xiaogang's films may not win any awards, they certainly can't match his box office success.

This is why Feng Xiaogang doesn't even respect the big and small bosses at Huayi.

That's why Feng Dapao dares to criticize reporters and viewers online—because he has the confidence to do so.

(End of this chapter)