Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 355, Part 353: Let Us Suffocate for Our Dreams (Part 1)
The year was July 1, 2001.

Directed and starring Stephen Chow, and co-produced by Shengying Media and Beijing Film Studio, "Kung Fu Soccer" has officially kicked off its promotional campaign in mainland China.

Under Wang Sheng's instruction and the planning of Shengying Media's professional team, the promotion of "Kung Fu Soccer" was not limited to traditional star roadshows and poster distribution. Instead, it ingeniously linked the film's core elements of "kung fu" and "soccer" with a major event that touches the hearts of hundreds of millions of Chinese people - the Chinese national men's football team's renewed attempt to reach the World Cup finals.

In 2001, the Chinese men's national football team, led by the "miracle coach" Bora Milutinovic, was competing in the Asian Top Ten Tournament.

Compared to the tragic and apprehensive atmosphere of previous attempts, this team seems to bring a different feel to the competition.

Milutinovic's "happy football" philosophy has put the team's players in excellent form, and in the group stage matches already played, the Chinese team has demonstrated remarkable stability and competitiveness.

The flame of hope has begun to quietly reignite in the hearts of countless fans.

But the pain of history remains fresh in our minds, and the curses of "three black minutes" and "a draw is enough to qualify" hang like the sword of Damocles.

Despite the promising outlook, public opinion presents an extremely complex sentiment: there is both an irrepressible expectation and a deep-seated skepticism.

Most people harbor a faint hope that "this time might be different," yet they dare not easily invest all their emotions, fearing that they will once again be met with the familiar disappointment.

In bars, in university dormitories, and on the streets, the debate about whether the Chinese national football team can truly "break out of Asia" has never stopped.

Optimists listed the lineups and schedules, while pessimists dug up old grievances and scoffed, "They're dreaming again!"

The publicity team for "Kung Fu Soccer" astutely grasped this nationwide expectation and anxiety.

In a carefully arranged interview conducted jointly by the Beijing Youth Daily and Sports Weekly, Stephen Chow abandoned his usual nonsensical comedic image and appeared unusually "serious".

When asked about his views on Chinese football, he followed the prepared script and spoke in a firm tone with a Hong Kong accent:

"I believe that Chinese football can definitely do it this time! We will definitely make it to the 2002 World Cup!"

These words caused a stir among the audience. A reporter instinctively pressed, "Mr. Stephen Chow, why are you so sure?"

Stephen Chow blinked, seemingly instantly returning to the comedic king he was known for, and chuckled with a sly grin, trying to shift the blame: "Anyway... that's what the PR team told me! I trust their judgment! Besides, in the movie, we also use kung fu to play football and create miracles. Football and dreams are the same; how do you know you can't succeed if you don't fight to the very end? Let's suffocate for our dreams!"

These remarks, which were half true and half false, and seemed to be both personal opinions and clearly a commercial scheme, immediately caused a huge uproar among the public after being reported by the media.

Has Stephen Chow ever played football?

"He says it can go in, and it can go in? Does he even know anything about football?"

"It's obviously a publicity stunt, but... it's quite inspiring!"

"Dream on! If the Chinese national football team makes it to the World Cup, I'll eat noodles while doing a handstand!"

"What if... what if they actually get in? Is Stephen Chow a prophet?"

Controversy, ridicule, support, anticipation...

Various voices have intertwined, tightly linking the two originally unrelated issues of "Kung Fu Soccer" and the Chinese national football team's bid for the World Cup, and putting them at the forefront of public opinion.

……

Faced with the overwhelming discussion, the publicity team of "Kung Fu Soccer" did not back down. Instead, they struck while the iron was hot and held a unique press conference in Beijing, dropping an even more explosive "deep-water bomb".

At the press conference, the publicity manager, a shrewd and capable deputy director from Shengying Media's public relations department, announced emphatically to the audience, facing a barrage of cameras and microphones:
“We have heard many voices, some supportive and some skeptical.”

The movie "Shaolin Soccer" tells the story of an ordinary person who creates miracles through faith and hard work.

We are willing to translate this belief into concrete actions to support Chinese football!

“Hereby, we solemnly promise,”

He paused, looked around the room to make sure every word was clearly recorded, and said, “As long as ‘Shaolin Soccer’ grosses over 10 million yuan in its first run in mainland China, we will donate 3% of the production company’s profits to domestic youth football training organizations to contribute our modest efforts to cultivating the future stars of Chinese football!” A round of applause broke out from the audience, but there were more whispers than applause.

Ten million in box office revenue was not a small amount in 2001, but for the golden brand of Stephen Chow + Wang Sheng + Sheng Ying, and the current popularity, it does not seem out of reach.

The donation threshold is set quite cleverly.

However, the real bombshell was yet to come.

"At the same time, to thank our fans and viewers for their support, we will be giving away 10000 tickets to the Chinese national men's football team's upcoming World Cup qualifiers to moviegoers! Let's go to the stadium and cheer for the national team!"

Free tickets!
This is a real benefit!

The reporters instantly became excited.

But it's not over yet.

The person in charge revealed a challenging smile and raised his voice eight octaves: "If... I mean if, the total box office of 'Shaolin Soccer' in mainland China can break 100 million!"

He paused deliberately, looked at the reporters below who were holding their breath for a moment, and then announced, word by word:

"Therefore, we will be giving away an extra 100 sets of tickets to all of China's matches in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, including round-trip airfare and accommodation, to lucky viewers! Let's travel to Korea and Japan together and cheer for the Chinese team on the World Cup field!"

"To participate in the lucky draw, you need to watch a movie at China Film Grand Cinema. We will draw winners based on the ticket stub number of the movie ticket purchased by the customer at China Film Grand Cinema..."

"boom--!"

The entire press conference erupted in chaos!

If the box office surpasses 100 million, we'll give away 100 World Cup viewing packages!

This is an enormous undertaking! It's insane!

In 2001, going abroad to watch the World Cup was still an extremely luxurious and complicated affair for ordinary Chinese people.

Such a package would conservatively cost tens of thousands of RMB.

One hundred sets, that's an investment of millions!

This is no longer just a movie promotion; it's more like a public, ambitious, and nationwide celebration of the Chinese national football team's prospects in the World Cup.

"They've gone mad! Have Sheng Ying and Wang Sheng gone mad?"

"Are they really that certain the Chinese national football team will qualify for the World Cup? And they're even willing to bet on the box office exceeding 100 million yuan?"

"My God! I have to watch this movie ten times just to watch the World Cup!"

"My rational mind tells me this is just empty promises, but emotionally I really want to have this pie in my mouth!"

"What if... what if the national football team doesn't qualify? Wouldn't this ticket be worthless?"

"So what if it's void? It just means they lost their bet. But I admire their courage!"

Public discussion reached its peak instantly.

Various forums and chat rooms (Qiuqiu, BBS) are filled with discussions about this matter.

Supporters see this as the most passionate support filmmakers have for Chinese football, while critics see it as a far-fetched hype, a "marketing campaign using an impossible mission."

Regardless, the name "Shaolin Soccer," along with the audacious promise of "giving away World Cup tickets if the box office exceeds 100 million," spread across the country at an unprecedented speed, completely breaking out of its niche.

(End of this chapter)