Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 267, Part 265: Everyone's First Love

In November, the cold wind in Beijing was already biting, but the film market was ignited by a seemingly "small" youth film, burning brightly.

Monday, November 8th.

As the weekend ended and a new work week began, the preliminary statistics compiled by the Special Fund Office caused an uproar in the industry, like a drop of boiling oil being thrown into a pot.

The culture and entertainment sections of several authoritative media outlets, including *China Film News* and *China Youth Daily*, all reported the same news with prominent headlines:
"Produced by Shengying Media and co-produced by Beijing Film Studio, the youth romance film 'A Little Thing Called First Love,' directed and co-written by Wang Sheng, and starring Gao Yuanyuan and Huang Xiaoming, was released in theaters nationwide on November 5th (Friday). According to incomplete statistics, its opening day box office was approximately 11 million RMB!"

"307 million!"

This figure itself was already quite impressive in the film market at the end of 1999.

But what's even more chilling is the meaning behind it.

Based on the average ticket price of around ten yuan at that time, this means that "A Little Thing Called First Love" attracted more than 370,000 viewers on its first day of release!
This figure not only easily broke the opening day box office record for domestic youth-themed films, but also surpassed the opening day performance of several commercially successful works previously directed by Wang Sheng, including "30 Days", "The Pursuit of Happyness", and "Flying Colors"!

The report analyzed this phenomenon in detail:

"With its precise targeting of the 'nationwide unrequited love' sentiment and the visual miracle of the 'ugly duckling's transformation, 'A Little Thing Called First Love' successfully captured the core young audience during its pre-release promotion. On its opening day, the film achieved an occupancy rate of over 60% in major box office cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, with tickets for prime-time evening slots being extremely difficult to obtain."

In contrast, the Hollywood blockbuster "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace," which was released on the same day, was well-known, but its high requirements for projection equipment made it incompatible with the current state of most cinemas in China, resulting in a significantly diminished viewing experience and failing to achieve the expected overwhelming success.

It is reported that some cinema managers, after careful consideration, have begun adjusting screening schedules, reserving some prime-time slots originally allocated to *Star Wars: Episode I* for the more popular and well-received *First Love*.

Beyond the reports.

There was another minor incident that prevented Star Wars from replicating the impact of Hollywood films – a boycott from the general public.

The market's choices are simple yet brutal.

Meanwhile, Shengying Media's office in the Jingxin Building also began to receive some unexpected "gifts".

The front desk began receiving letters from local viewers in Beijing.

The letter paper came in all shapes and sizes, some even carrying a faint fragrance, and the handwriting was mostly childish yet sincere.

"Thank you for making this movie. It reminded me of my senior, Ah Liang..."

"Xiao Shui is me, and I am Xiao Shui. I cried for a long time after watching the movie, but I also decided to work hard to become better like her!"

"Gao Yuanyuan acted so well! She is our first love goddess!"

"Director Wang Sheng is amazing! He's made another masterpiece!"

Li Tingting sorted out several representative letters and delivered them to Wang Sheng's office.

Wang Sheng put down the review report for the completed film "Happy Family" that he was reviewing, picked up a letter with neat handwriting, glanced at it a few times, and without showing any expression on his face, simply instructed Li Tingting in a calm tone: "The audience's letter is a token of their appreciation, but also a spur to action. Have the publicity team categorize and organize it; anything valuable can be used as material for subsequent publicity. But be careful not to over-exploit the audience's emotions."

"Understood, Mr. Wang." Li Tingting nodded in agreement.

……

The storm is still brewing.

Thursday, November 11th.

After more precise statistics and calculations, the official box office results for the opening weekend (November 5-7, Friday to Sunday) of "First Love" have been released!
"1457 million!" This number was like a thunderclap, rolling across the sky of the Chinese film industry.

It raked in nearly 15 million at the box office over its opening weekend!

This not only far surpassed "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" released at the same time, but its box office speed was also second only to the epic blockbuster "The Birth of a Warrior" released last month, which ultimately grossed over 130 million yuan thanks to favorable timing, location, and people!
A leading film magazine wrote in its review: "The success of 'First Love' is no accident. It signifies that the domestic commercial film production system, represented by Wang Sheng and Shengying Media, has been able to accurately grasp the market pulse of specific film genres and, in direct competition with Hollywood blockbusters, has secured a place for itself with more down-to-earth emotional resonance and a publicity and distribution strategy that is more in line with the national conditions."

What's even more unbelievable to industry insiders is that, at the same time the box office figures for the opening weekend were published, pirated VCDs of "First Love" had already sprung up like mushrooms after rain. The picture quality was rough, but the copies were widely circulated.

However, this wave of piracy does not seem to have had the expected impact on the film's box office.

The manager of a cinema in Beijing revealed part of the truth in an interview with reporters: "Many of the people who come to see this movie are young couples or young people who are looking for a sense of ritual."

When boys take girls to the movies, they care about the atmosphere and saving face; going to the cinema is a "classy" consumption behavior.

A pirated DVD costing just a few dollars to watch at home can't compare to the romance of holding hands and sharing a bucket of popcorn in a movie theater. That's why our attendance, especially for evening screenings, remains very strong.

The screening data also confirms this.

As word-of-mouth continued to spread and audiences voted with their feet, the screening share of "A Little Thing Called First Love" increased in the second week, with many cinemas continuing to reserve precious prime-time slots for this "little thing".

The media frenzy reached its peak as a result.

"Gao Yuanyuan, the nation's first love!"

"Overnight, Gao Yuanyuan became the blurry yet clear white moonlight in the youthful memories of all boys (quoted from the promotional material for 'A Little Thing Called First Love')!"

"From 'The Bottom-Tier Girl' to 'Nation's First Love,' Wang Sheng Creates Another Top-Tier Female Star!"

Praise poured in like snowflakes to Gao Yuanyuan.

Her giant posters occupied the front pages of many entertainment newspapers. Her pure, sweet image, with a hint of confidence after transformation, deeply impressed people through "A Little Thing Called First Love". The momentum was so great that it even surpassed that of Fan Xiaopang when "Flying Colors" was a hit.

……

Beijing Film Academy, acting classroom.

The afternoon sun streamed through the tall windows, casting dappled shadows on the gleaming wooden floor.

A faint smell of dust filled the air.

During a break between classes, several students huddled together, excitedly discussing something.

"Yuanyuan, you acted so well! Our dorm was talking about 'First Love' all night!" A round-faced girl held Gao Yuanyuan's hand, her voice full of envy.

"Yeah, Xiao Shui's character was so heartbreaking. I cried buckets because she didn't end up with Senior A Liang!" another short-haired girl chimed in.

"Everyone outside is saying you're 'the nation's first love'! That's amazing!"

Surrounded by her classmates, Gao Yuanyuan's face showed a mixture of shyness and barely concealed joy. She brushed a stray hair behind her ear and said softly, "It's mainly because the script was good and Director Wang gave excellent guidance. I just did my best to act."

Her gaze inadvertently swept across the corner of the classroom.

Fan Xiaopang sat there alone, holding a water glass, staring blankly out the window.

(End of this chapter)