Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 362 360: Box Office Explosion

In September, the capital city is gradually becoming more and more autumnal.

The summer heat finally subsided, and the sky appeared exceptionally high and clear.

In the conference room of Shengying Media at Jingxin Building.

The core creative meetings for "Night at the Museum" have been going on for a full week.

On the huge oval conference table were spread out scene atmosphere drawings created by the art team, museum layout drawings detailed to the centimeter, special effects breakdown scripts marked with the movements of various fantasy creatures and historical figures, and a thick stack of storyboards that Wang Sheng personally reviewed and revised.

Wang Sheng sat in the main seat, a drawing pencil between his fingers, occasionally sketching and modifying the script.

Opposite him were the visual effects supervisor, who had just returned from coordinating the visual effects team's schedule in the United States, and a visual preview expert who had been specially invited from Hollywood.

Jackie Chan sat next to Wang Sheng, listening intently to the technical explanations, occasionally asking questions about the combination of action design and fantasy elements.

"Here, the scene of the dinosaur skeleton chasing each other,"

Wang Sheng pointed to a page of the script with a pencil, "We need a fast-paced back-and-forth shot from Jackie Chan's perspective to emphasize the sense of urgency and the oppressive feeling of the behemoth."

The dynamic preview must accurately simulate the vibrations of the joints as the skeleton runs and the echo effects of the exhibition space.

“No problem, Director Wang.” The visual preview expert nodded. “We are already using the latest software to build a precise digital model of the museum, which can simulate the movement and interaction effects of ‘animated’ exhibits of different weights and sizes on different ground materials.”

Jackie Chan interjected, "I think we could add a detail here: when I'm dodging, I could use the 'resurrected' terracotta warrior shields next to me to do a slide tackle. This would not only show off my skills but also add a comedic element and an Eastern touch."

"good idea!"

Wang Sheng immediately agreed and quickly jotted down notes on the script: "In terms of action design, Jackie Chan's stunt team needs to work seamlessly with the special effects team. What we want is not just simple fighting, but 'spectacular' action scenes full of imagination and interaction with historical artifacts."

The meeting focused on the script, scenes, special effects, action, lighting, and even the material details of the props.

Ideas from all sides clashed and debated from time to time, but under Wang Sheng's leadership and Jackie Chan's active cooperation, the discussion always came down to how to better serve the core positioning of "fantasy comedy" and how to maximize the visual miracle of "Chinese civilization coming back to life".

The initial shooting schedule was gradually refined through repeated revisions, and the shooting tasks for each day, the special effects support needed, and the coordination of actors' schedules were initially defined.

……

time flies.

September 13, 2001 arrived in the blink of an eye.

That day, an even more explosive piece of news overshadowed the global news's popularity in China.

On September 12, after two months of successful screenings in mainland China (including a key extension), "Shaolin Soccer" officially ended its nationwide run.

This domestically produced special effects comedy blockbuster, which went head-to-head with Hollywood blockbusters like *The Mummy Returns* and *Pearl Harbor*, has finally released its final results. On September 13th, major newspapers, especially authoritative media outlets such as *China Film News* and *Wenhui Daily*, published major news on their front pages, announcing the final data verified by professional organizations:
"As of August 31, 2001 (the deadline for statistics), the box office miracle of 'Shaolin Soccer' came to an end, setting an unprecedented record!"

Their specific results are as follows:
Mainland China: Approximately 2.03 million RMB! Unsurprisingly, it became the first domestic film in Chinese film history to break the 200 million RMB mark at the box office, raising the ceiling for domestic films to a whole new level.

Hong Kong Island, China: Approximately HK$6100 million (approximately RMB6600 million)! This also broke the box office record for local films in Hong Kong Island, becoming the first Chinese-language film in Hong Kong film history to surpass HK$6000 million at the box office.

Macau, China: Due to the limited market size, the cumulative box office was approximately 380 million Macau patacas (approximately 400 million RMB). Although the absolute figure is not high, it is still a phenomenal performance in its local market.

The total box office revenue in Greater China alone (Mainland China, Hong Kong Island, and Macau Island) reached approximately 2.73 million RMB!
Regarding overseas markets:

Japan: Thanks to Stephen Chow's unique comedic style and effective distribution, "Shaolin Soccer" achieved an outstanding box office of approximately 28 billion yen (about 2 million yuan) in Japan, far exceeding the performance of typical Chinese-language films in Japan.

Singapore: Earned approximately S$450 million (approximately RMB 2100 million).

Malaysia: Box office revenue of approximately RM1800 million (approximately RMB3800 million).

As of now, "Shaolin Soccer" has grossed over 5.32 million RMB worldwide!
Of these, the Chinese mainland market contributed nearly 50%, fully demonstrating the astonishing capacity and consumption potential of the mainland film market after several years of cultivation and initial reforms to its cinema chains.

The media lavished praise on the film, hailing "Shaolin Soccer" as "a huge success of the first truly domestic special effects commercial blockbuster," "a perfect combination of market-oriented reform and genre exploration," and "a golden combination of Stephen Chow's comedic charm and Wang Sheng's commercial operations."

The report further analyzes: "The success of 'Shaolin Soccer' is certainly due to Stephen Chow's irreplaceable comedic charm, Wang Sheng's precise genre production and subversive marketing strategy ('lottery ticket' activity greatly stimulated movie consumption and repeat viewing).

However, its bold attempt in the application of special effects—organically combining computer special effects with kung fu comedy, creating refreshing visual spectacles such as 'kung fu soccer shooting' and 'ghostly grappling goalkeeper'—is widely regarded in the industry as one of the keys to breaking box office records and attracting a wider audience.

The media hailed it as "the first truly commercially successful domestically produced special effects blockbuster," a title it rightfully deserves.

The report specifically pointed out that "the 'win World Cup tickets by watching a movie' campaign was like a shot in the arm for the market. Cinemas across the country were packed with people throughout the summer season, and it was common to see tickets in high demand. This was directly reflected in the astonishing box office figures of 'Shaolin Soccer'."

However, amidst the chorus of praise hailing Stephen Chow as the "new box office king," the "god of comedy," and someone who has "surpassed Wang Sheng in the commercial film field," some more professional financial and industry media outlets, such as the Economic Observer and 21st Century Business Herald, have seen through the phenomenon to the essence.

After in-depth analysis, they pointed out: "The biggest winner of the amazing success of 'Shaolin Soccer' is not just Stephen Chow in front of the camera."

According to reliable sources, the entire production and major distribution investment of the film was jointly undertaken by Shengying Media, controlled by Wang Sheng, and Beijing Film Studio, a subsidiary of China Film Group.

This means that after deducting necessary distribution agency fees, theater revenue sharing, taxes, and Stephen Chow's salary and bonuses, the largest share of the profits from this record-breaking film will be divided between Sheng Ying Media and Beijing Film Studio, the two "behind-the-scenes forces".

Wang Sheng, with his accurate investment acumen and strong resource integration capabilities, has once again proven who the true mastermind behind this commercial feast is.

The huge success of "Shaolin Soccer" acted like a powerful adrenaline shot, injecting immense confidence into "Night at the Museum," which was in the midst of intense preparation.

Domestically produced special effects films also have a market, and the potential is huge!

(End of this chapter)