Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 160, 158: Brilliant!
The second week of December 1997 slowly passed amidst the viewing frenzy and industry upheaval sparked by "30 Days".

The film's astonishing box office figure of 550 million yuan in its opening weekend was like a boulder thrown into the calm lake of domestic films, and the ripples it created quickly spread throughout the country.

Despite it being a weekday, thanks to the positive word-of-mouth built up in the early stages and the continuous media buzz, the occupancy rate in cinemas in the nine major cities where "30 Days" is showing remains at a fairly considerable level.

Seeing that audience enthusiasm remained high, and with the subtle pressure from city-level companies and even the Beijing Film Studio alliance, cinema managers dared not be too blatant in their box office statistics. The daily reported box office revenue remained at just over one million yuan, and the data was so stable that no one could find any major faults.

Friday, December 12th.

A day destined to be recorded in the history of China's film market reform.

After rigorous (at least superficially) statistical analysis, the official box office figures for "30 Days" during its first week (December 5th to 11th, a total of seven days) have been released:

1001 yuan!

The threshold of "breaking 1,000" was a milestone in the Chinese film market at the end of the 1990s.

This is almost an unimaginable number, especially for a domestic comedy film that relies entirely on a market revenue-sharing model and is only shown in nine cities.

"The first revenue-sharing commercial film in China to gross over 10 million yuan in its opening week!"

"30 Days" has ushered in a new era for the Chinese film market!

"Wang Sheng's model is showing its power, with box office success in 9 cities igniting nationwide anticipation!"

Similar headlines quickly dominated major media outlets across the country, especially the headlines of the culture and entertainment sections of newspapers in the cities where "30 Days" was released.

Even the People's Daily published a short commentary in its culture section, affirming the positive significance of "30 Days" in exploring the path of film marketization and emphasizing that "works that are popular with the people should receive a rich return from the market."

This wave of praise, like a war drum, resonated in the hearts of everyone who was paying attention to this matter.

The Beijing Film Studio alliance was jubilant. Han Sanping looked at the report and, unusually, laughed heartily at Wang Sheng, Zhang Heping, and others in the office: "Great! Ten million! This is an auspicious sign! A great start! Let's see who dares to say that our path is not viable!"

However, praise is inevitably accompanied by doubt and backlash.

The day after the news broke that the box office had surpassed 10 million yuan in its first week, on December 13, a coalition of southern media outlets, led by several influential newspapers, metropolitan newspapers, and evening newspapers in Shanghai, quickly launched a counterattack in the media.

The Shanghai Culture Daily published a commentary titled "A Sober Reflection on the 'Miracle' Box Office: Can Local Protectionism and Public Opinion Maneuvering Support a Real Market?"

The article acknowledges that "30 Days" is a well-made commercial film, but then sharply points out the "inflated" box office results: "Looking at the nine cities where it was released, all of them are regions with close ties to the Beijing Film Studio alliance or with special interests."

How valuable are the results of this "box office fortress" built on non-market factors? Does this artificially created "hot topic" promote or hinder the establishment of a unified, open, competitive, and orderly national film market?

Southern Metropolis Review was even more blunt, directly questioning the authenticity of the data: "Where did the 10 million yuan box office come from? -- Analyzing the gray areas of the box office statistics of '30 Days'".

The article cites an analysis from an "anonymous industry insider," detailing potential "manipulation" in box office statistics by local cinemas and city-level companies. From "locking out screenings" and "tickets based on connections" to "inconsistent statistical methods," it suggests that the tens of millions in box office revenue may be a product of "publicity needs." The article then questions: "If there is truly such high market demand, why not expand nationwide and accept the real test of the national market? Instead, why create a 'nine-city exclusive' to fabricate a scarcity?"

Some commentators have also targeted the "revenue-sharing system" itself, arguing that this "Western-style" distribution model is too aggressive, squeezing the profit margins of exhibitors and hindering the healthy development of the film industry chain. They have even labeled it as "disrupting market order" and "undermining industry unity."

These critical voices from the south were logically sound, well-researched, and focused on two key issues: "local protectionism" (implying that the seven cities in Jiangsu Province bypassed the provincial company) and "questionable data," attempting to fundamentally dismantle the legitimacy of "30 Days'" box office success. However, the circulation and influence of these newspapers were naturally limited in the nine cities where "30 Days" was currently showing.

Local media outlets are enjoying the publicity and advertising revenue generated by the film, so they naturally won't reprint these dissenting articles extensively.

Therefore, although this backlash from the south came on strong, it failed to form an effective public opinion offensive in the areas where the film was shown. It was more like a shout from afar. The long lines of audiences at the cinemas and the continued popularity were the most direct rebuttal to the doubts.

……

Time quickly came to Tuesday, December 16th.

经过第二个周末的发酵，《30天》上映第二周（12月12日至18日）的票房数据也新鲜出炉：600万元！

Compared to the 550 million in the first three days, this figure still shows a steady increase despite the addition of four working days!
This indicates that the film's positive word-of-mouth and audience base are solidifying, and it has great potential for continued success.

With this, "30 Days" has grossed approximately 1600 million yuan in total box office revenue after two weeks of release, and the number of viewers has exceeded 80!
Another piece of encouraging news for the production company is that, thanks to the strict monitoring and "life and fortune" guarantees from all parties involved in the release, no pirated videotapes or VCD copies of "30 Days" have appeared on the market so far.

In an environment rife with piracy at the time, this was almost a small miracle, and it also proved that the municipal company spared no effort in implementing anti-piracy measures for its own benefit.

Faced with such an impeccable report card, the criticism, led by Shanghai, seemed to fall silent for a moment, but then found a new angle to attack.

Some newspapers began to comment sourly: "How long can the 'piracy-free' environment maintained by administrative means and high-pressure control last? Is this a victory for market forces, or just a fluke of unconventional methods?"

……

Beijing Film Studio, Shengying Media Office.

Wang Sheng sat behind his desk, listening to the report from the vice president of Suzhou Film Company in charge of publicity and distribution, who was slightly excited but also somewhat dissatisfied.

“Mr. Wang, look! They’re still barking endlessly in Shanghai! They’re saying we’re falsifying data and that we’re protecting our local interests! Damn it, they’re clinging to their old ways and refusing to open up the market, yet they can’t stand seeing others do well! It’s outrageous!” Vice President Su Pu’s voice came through the receiver, his emotions running high.

"Mr. Qian, calm down."

Wang Sheng said calmly, "Let them say what they want. But since they care so much about our box office and are so 'concerned about the country and its people'... shouldn't we respond and show our appreciation?"

The vice president paused for a moment on the other end of the phone, then keenly sensed something: "Mr. Wang, what do you mean?"

"Interested in making money from Shanghai residents?" Wang Sheng directly threw out the bait.

The vice president responded almost instantly, his voice rising eight octaves: "Yes! Absolutely yes! President Wang, what brilliant plan do you have? Just give the order! We in Suzhou will fully cooperate!"

Wang Sheng smiled and slowly explained his thoughts: "..."

The vice president's eyes lit up on the other end of the phone, and his breathing quickened: "Brilliant! President Wang! That's a brilliant move!"

(End of this chapter)