The Entertainment Industry in Turmoil: Young Actresses All Want to Rise to the Top

Click to begin your wondrous journey in "The Shura Field of Chinese Entertainment: All the Young Actresses Want to Rise to the Top".

The premiere venue was brightly lit.

Lu Han brought Huang Lei and Sun Honglei from the Go Fighting! team, while Sha Yi and Wang Baoqiang from the Running Man team also came to support them with Deng Chao. Yang Mi and Liu Shishi also appeared and sat down neatly in the third row.

A commotion broke out in the media and audience sections.

"Is that Lu Han?"

"Huang Lei and Sun Honglei are here too!"

"Sha Yi and Wang Baoqiang are from Mohen, right? I didn't expect Deng Chao to be here too."

"The Running Man cast and the Go Fighting! cast appeared in the same frame?"

"Why is Yang Mi here? Isn't she competing against us in 'Tiny Times 4'?"

"She and Li Yitong have been best friends for a long time. It's not like their films are released on the same day, so it's normal for her to appear briefly."

The flashes went off in a flurry as reporters frantically pressed their shutters, afraid of missing a single shot.

Immediately afterwards, one after another, artists from the Mohen group appeared and sat down in the second row.

Li Xian, Zhu Yilong, Zhang Ruoyun, Liu Haoran, and Wu Lei, several male actors with different styles, sat together, talking in hushed tones, occasionally laughing, which drew another burst of camera shutters from the media section next to them.

Bai Lu and Meng Ziyi also came out with Wang Churan and Liu Haocun.

Bai Lu had changed her expression, completely wiping away the little tantrum she had shown in the corridor. With a polite smile on her face, she turned around and greeted her Running Man brothers.

Meng Ziyi followed behind, her expression indifferent, but with a faint smile at the corner of her mouth.

Wang Churan wore a black short jacket, cargo pants, and Martin boots, looking both cool and stylish.

Liu Haocun wore a white sweater and light-colored jeans, which looked soft and delicate.

With so many celebrities present, the audience got excited. Fortunately, the movie wasn't a live-action film; the participants were drawn from people interested in animated films, and not many of them were fans of any particular artist, so there weren't any screaming scenes.

In the media section, a reporter murmured a sigh.

"I'm amazed that Inkhen's team has grown so big... and each member is a highly popular celebrity."

The colleague next to him nodded, his tone carrying a complex emotion.

"It's only been a few years... Shen Mo is truly amazing."

"And look at the cast, from middle-aged actors Sha Yi and Wang Baoqiang to young actors Bai Lu and Zhang Ruoyun, and then to child actors Wang Churan and Wu Lei, the Mohen system is perfect."

"But they seem to be getting along well, unlike the rumors that Mohen is also fighting."

"How many of the rumors circulating outside are true?"

The group exchanged glances, said nothing more, and continued pressing the shutter.

Just then, Tian Xiwei walked in with Zhang Ruonan and Zhou Ye, causing an even bigger commotion than before.

"Tian Xiwei?"

"Why is she here?"

"Didn't you terminate the contract?"

The reporters whispered among themselves, their camera shutters clicked haphazardly for a moment, then began to click even more frequently.

Tian Xiwei walked ahead, her back straight, her pace unhurried, and a faint smile on her face.

Zhang Ruonan and Zhou Ye followed behind, their expressions indifferent. The three of them sat down on the side of the first row.

In the media section, a reporter whispered a question to his colleague next to him.

Who are those two people next to Tian Xiwei?

"The one on the left is Zhang Ruonan, who played Qin Banruo in 'Nirvana in Fire' and is also the female lead in Mohen's upcoming drama 'The Lonely and Great God'."

"What about the one on the right?"

"...I don't recognize her. She seems to be a trainee from Mohen, what's her name again..."

"Zhou Ye," another reporter chimed in, "has had supporting roles in a few dramas before, but he's not very famous."

Zhou Ye had sharp ears, and not a single word of the whispers escaped her notice.

Her fingers tightened slightly, her hands twisting together, but she didn't turn around, frown, or show any displeasure.

She just raised her chin a little higher and her eyes a little brighter.

There's a fire burning inside me.

You don't know me now, that's okay. One day, I will make you all know me.

She took a deep breath, suppressed the fire in her heart, and turned her gaze back to the large screen in front of her.

Shen Mo, along with Li Yitong, Wang Changtian, Sun Zhonghuai, and the film's director Tian Xiaopeng, took their seats in the first row.

The lights went completely dark.

On the screen, the dragon emblem flashed, and the premiere officially began.

In the more than 1,000 seats, media reporters, film critics, industry colleagues, and ordinary viewers were all waiting to see if this domestically produced animation, which had been predicted to be doomed, would prove to be any good.

The opening scene features a red ribbon that stands out against a pale blue background, like a drop of blood falling into clear water and slowly spreading.

The camera zooms out, and a Great Sage unlike any previous portrayal of Sun Wukong appears in the frame.

It's not the agility of Liu Xiaoling Tong, nor the tragedy of Stephen Chow, nor the Super Saiyan from Japanese animation.

This monkey was thin, sharp, and had rough fur, but its eyes shone with a high fighting spirit and a desire to fight.

Background music begins.

The sounds of gongs and drums, clanging and clattering, and the suona piercing the air, are high-pitched, loud, and carry a wild, untamed energy.

Many viewers familiar with Journey to the West immediately recognized it as "The General's Order".

The 1964 version of "Havoc in Heaven" also rose to the top amidst the sound of suona horns, instantly making people envious.

In the third row, a film critic with gray hair leaned slightly forward.

He is 58 years old this year. When he was a child, he watched the film version of "Havoc in Heaven" in an open-air courtyard.

He was just a child then. A bunch of kids squeezed onto a long bench, craning their necks. Following the clanging of gongs and drums, they saw the curtain open and a monkey jump out. They gaped in disbelief and clapped their little hands until they were red.

Half a century has passed, and now, sitting in this screening room, just like he once was, accompanied by rousing music, he unconsciously broke into a carefree smile, his eyes a little hot.

On the screen, Sun Wukong tumbles and leaps.

When he attacked the Giant Spirit God, the Giant Spirit God's axe came down, but he deflected it with his club, sparks flying everywhere.

Fighting Nezha, his Wind Fire Wheels drew two fiery streaks in the air, and his golden cudgel spun faster than the wind.

When fighting Erlang Shen, his third eye opened and closed, and he underwent seventy-two transformations, turning into an eagle, a fish, and a temple.

Ten thousand thunderbolts, ten thousand heavenly soldiers, golden spears and bronze drums, a hundred-foot-long red scarf.

The colors in the picture are so intense they're almost arrogant. They're not cheap, digitally saturated colors, but rather a kind of weighty feel that inherits the traditional aesthetic of meticulous brushwork and heavy colors.

Sun Wukong's cloak is vermilion red, the clouds in the Heavenly Court are lapis lazuli blue, and the armor of the Giant Spirit God is copper green. Each color seems to have been extracted from the Dunhuang murals, and has not faded after thousands of years.

At the same time, the visual language of modern cinema is cleverly integrated into it.

The camera's zoom in and out, the switching between fast and slow motion, and the contrast between light and shadow directly evoke the audience's emotions through the emotional implications of color.

When the fighting is intense, the screen is a vibrant, almost burning red; when the scene is tender and affectionate, the screen is a clear, bright blue.

In the fifth row, a young female reporter stopped typing.

She originally came to write an article titled "Chinese Animation Fails Once Again," and had already come up with a title before the presentation: "Monkey King: Hero Is Back - An Expensive Self-Indulgence."

Her fingers hovered above the keyboard, hesitant to fall.

Next to her, a seasoned film critic subconsciously took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and then put them back on.

"This is probably the best opening I've ever seen."

His voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself, or as if he were saying to his colleague next to him, "This is also the best opening for Sun Wukong."

The reporter next to him nodded, his eyes remaining fixed on the screen.

"Havoc in Heaven, this is the quality."

He paused, as if searching for the right word, "Hollywood can't do it, not because of technical problems, but because of cultural problems."

In the fourth row, a middle-aged man suddenly sat up straight.

He was a producer at a film company. Before coming here, he made a bet with his colleagues that "this film will not gross more than 300 million." But at this moment, his fingers were tightly gripping the armrest of the seat, and his lips were slightly open, as if he had forgotten to close them.

He wasn't impressed by the special effects; he'd seen Hollywood special effects that were far more dazzling.

What struck him was that kind of spirit, a spirit that was domestically produced, wild, and full of high morale.

The scene shifts to the foot of Five Elements Mountain, and the story begins with Jiang Liuer.

When the little monk was still an infant, he was attacked by a mountain demon on a mountain road. His parents died, and his mother put him in a wooden basin before she died and let him float down the river.

Then an old hand scooped the wooden basin out of the water.

The old monk Faming held the baby in the basin, looked down at it, and saw that the child's eyes were bright and clear, and it was neither crying nor making a fuss, just looking at him.

This picture book-like opening is like a comic book from the 80s, leaping off the page.

He was rescued from the river and named "Jiang Liuer" (River Flower).

Faming raised this lively and agile child with just a bowl of soup and a meal.

The following scene unfolds like a slowly unfurling ink painting scroll.

Faming, leaning on his cane, travels alone, visiting mountains and rivers all over the world. The child in the basket on his back opens his bright black eyes and receives the novelty of the world and all living beings.

They walked through the market, and the child saw an old man kneading dough figurines; they walked through the fields, and the child saw the furrows behind the oxen; they walked past the temple, and the child saw wisps of incense smoke rising in front of the Buddha statue.

As the child grew older and began to toddle, Faming would walk slowly ahead, letting him follow shakily behind, allowing him to stumble and grope his way through the world.

The child fell down, but didn't cry. He got up and kept walking. Faming didn't look back, but slowed his pace even more.

Clear streams and filth, nobility and poverty, joy and sorrow.

The child may not yet understand, but his body has already grasped the world before his consciousness.

In the sixth row, a young girl wearing glasses sniffed.

Her friend next to her handed her a tissue, but she didn't take it. She just shook her head, her eyes still fixed on the screen.

She couldn't explain why she wanted to cry. It was just an animated film, showing an old man and a child walking slowly on a mountain path, but she just couldn't control herself.

Perhaps it was because the scene was so clean, so clean that it reminded her of her childhood, of the stone path her grandfather had led her along.

The scene shifts to a mountain demon attacking the city, where a young monk rescues a silly girl amidst the encirclement.

On their escape, Jiang Liuer sneaked into a cave in a mountain and happened to release Sun Wukong, who had been locked inside a block of ice.

Actually, this mountain is Wuzhi Mountain.

Sun Wukong went on a rampage, beating the mountain demons to pieces. His movements were no longer as fluid as when he wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, but rather stiff and awkward after being sealed for five hundred years. Every punch seemed to be the force squeezed out from between his bones.

His hands still bore the Buddha's mudra, preventing him from using his magical powers.

For Sun Wukong, he had escaped, but new troubles had arisen: this little boy named Jiang Liuer seemed determined to follow him.

He waved the Monkey King puppet he had received from his biological parents, carried a basket containing his little girl on his back, and followed Sun Wukong around foolishly with the bright, admiring look in his eyes.

He kept asking questions, which annoyed Sun Wukong.

In the second row, Bai Lu's lips curled up, and Meng Ziyi next to her also smiled, her shoulders trembling slightly.

On the screen, Sun Wukong and Jiang Liuer walk on a mountain path. The two figures are big and small. One is a useless hero who has lost his magic power, and the other is a chattering little rascal.

"Great Sage, do you think Buddha can hear me when I chant scriptures?"

"I can hear it; that old man is a real busybody."

Jiang Liuer asked again, "Great Sage, does Erlang Shen really have three eyes?"

Enraged, Sun Wukong covered his head and ran around wildly, punching a tree that snapped in mid-air, the sound echoing through the valley.

Jiang Liuer was stunned for a moment, then clapped his hands: "Amazing!"

The young monk followed up with more questions, speaking faster and faster, like a machine gun.

"Great Sage, is the Giant Spirit God incredibly strong?"

"Very big." Sun Wukong's tone was starting to swell.

Are the Four Heavenly Kings brothers?

"They are sisters," Sun Wukong said casually.

"Does Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, actually have a pagoda?"

"have."

Is anyone inside the tower?

"no."

"What's inside that tower?"

"Oh well, no means no!"

Sun Wukong finally broke down, clutching his head with both hands and letting out a wail.

Laughter rippled through the audience.

It turns out that the monkey wasn't the aloof and supreme Monkey King; he was just an ordinary person who could be pestered by children and was stubborn but soft-hearted.

In the ninth row, a couple sat together, the girl leaning on the boy's shoulder, "This Jiang Liuer is so cute."

The boy smiled. "Jiang Liuer is the future Tang Sanzang."

The girl turned around, looking surprised. "The talkative guy from 'A Chinese Odyssey'?"

A person from the entertainment industry next to him had his eyes glued to the screen, his attention completely focused on Sun Wukong's face.

The monkey's face was so expressive, so incredibly expressive, that he couldn't believe it was animated. The impatience concealed a gentle tenderness, the disdain masked a soft heart—every micro-expression was perfectly captured.

On the screen, as they were about to leave the territory of Wuzhi Mountain, the mountain god transformed into a giant stone statue and smashed a heavy punch at Sun Wukong.

The mountain god roared, "Sun Wukong! Your magic seals are still intact; you're nothing more than an ordinary, stinking monkey now!"

Just as Sun Wukong was about to unleash his power, he suddenly clutched the iron band on his hand, writhing in unbearable pain.

Dharma seals! Damn Dharma seals!

His body arched like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his facial muscles contorted, and his teeth clenched so tightly they clicked.

Jiang Liuer stood to the side, looking at him helplessly, then his gaze fell on the talisman behind the mountain god—the talisman fluttered in the wind, like a withered leaf that could be blown away at any moment.

Amidst the struggle between Sun Wukong and the Mountain God, Jiang Liuer managed to tear off the talisman with great effort.

The mountain god disintegrated, the giant rock statue collapsed, and fragments fell from the sky, raising clouds of dust.

Sun Wukong emerged from the dust carrying Jiang Liuer. The two of them crashed to the ground. Sun Wukong lay on his back, panting heavily, while Jiang Liuer lay beside him, his face covered in dust, but his eyes shining like stars.

"Great Sage, I did it!" His voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Sun Wukong didn't speak, but turned his head and glanced at him. He was a person who had been trapped for five hundred years, and finally saw a glimmer of light.

In the third row, Sun Honglei and Huang Lei gradually stopped their quiet conversation and became immersed in this unique animation.

Later, Jiang Liuer followed the monkey and met a flying pig and a white dragon, but the little girl was kidnapped by the villain.

Jiang Liuer cried and begged him to save the little girl, "Great Sage, please, save her!"

Unable to unleash his full power, Sun Wukong was beaten so badly by the villains that he couldn't lift his head and could only stand there, roaring helplessly.

Unable to unleash his full power, Sun Wukong was beaten so badly by the villains that he couldn't lift his head and could only stand there, roaring helplessly.

"I can't control it! I can't control it! I can't control it! I can't control it!!"

The monkeys on the screen jumped and shouted, their voices trembling with a sigh-like quality that pierced the heart.

Something was flashing in his eyes—the helplessness of finally seeing a glimmer of hope after being suppressed for five hundred years, only to find that that hope was simply not enough.

In the second row, Meng Ziyi's eyes reddened. Bai Lu, who was next to her, sensed her emotions and reached out to hold her hand. Neither of them spoke, but their fingers were tightly clenched.

Jiang Liuer ran away crying.

The monkey was disheartened. He sat in the ruins, head down, looking at the magic mark on his wrist. The iron band gleamed coldly in the moonlight, like a chain he could never break free from.

Only then did the audience realize that the monkey was alive, with flesh and blood.

Because in the original story, when the pressure is too great, Sun Wukong will also break down. He will cry, make a fuss, and jump around like a real monkey.

In this scene of the movie, the audience doesn't see the Monkey King, but just an ordinary, smelly monkey.

Meanwhile, Jiang Liuer ran all the way to the villain's lair and sneaked in to rescue the little girl.

The villains soared through the air, chanting, "I seek young boys and girls to refine the elixir of immortality—"

The villain, with a pale face, is the ancient monster Chaos, dressed in flowing Hanfu, yet singing a tune from the Chu region.

The monkey was still worried about Jiang Liuer, so he came too, only to be met with ridicule from the monster Chaos.

"What Great Sage Equal to Heaven? He's just a useless monkey." The contemptuous voice pierced Sun Wukong's ears like a knife.

The humanoid Chaos was a piece of trash and was taken away by the monkey in one fell swoop, but then it transformed into its original form. Its huge body covered the sky and sun and beat the monkey into a crevice in the rock.

Faced with a terrifying monster that seemed almost invincible, Jiang Liuer still ran to help him: "Great Sage, what can I do for you?"

Sun Wukong grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up, and roared at his face, "Who let you come back! What are you doing here?! Get out of here! Get out!!"

"But you promised we'd go together!" the little monk shouted to the monkey.

Jiang Liuer then lured away the monster Chaos, and a boulder fell and buried him inside.

Sun Wukong cried. He frantically dug through the rocks and saw a hand protruding from the rubble. It fell to the ground, and Jiang Liuer picked up the Monkey King doll that he always carried with him and stuffed it into that hand.

At this moment, almost all the audience members had tears welling up in their eyes, and many girls even shed tears.

They never expected that watching just an animated film would have such a profound impact on them.

Sun Wukong stood up, the magic seal was shattering, and every crack was glowing. The moment the iron hoop exploded, Sun Wukong roared to the sky.

The sound penetrated the screen, the screening room, and the hearts of every viewer.

His body was reshaped in the flames, his tattered red robe was reborn in the golden light, and the golden cudgel that Jiang Liuer had been curious about for a long time was pulled out from his ear.

At this moment, he was no longer the good-for-nothing who had been imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years, nor the stinky monkey bound by the Dharma Seal.

He is Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

With a single blow, the light of the stick ripped through the sky and tore apart the earth, shattering the chaotic body like pieces of paper.

He stood atop the mountain, the red ribbon around his neck fluttering in the wind, with the sunset glowing behind him.

"Great Sage".

At that moment, Jiang Liuer's voice came from off-screen.

The Monkey King turned around in shock.

The screen went dark, and the movie ended.

Whether Jiang Liuer is still alive or not, the director left it open-ended.

The theater was quiet for a few seconds, then scattered applause began, which grew louder and louder, spreading like dominoes.

Bai Lu and Meng Ziyi stood up at the same time, their eyes red and their hands red from clapping.

Then the fourth row, the fifth row, the sixth row...

More than a thousand people stood up in unison before the movie had even ended.

The producer in the fourth row stood still, his hands still clapping, but his mind was already racing.

He remembered the bet he made before he came: "This film won't gross more than 300 million."

He now feels like a joke.

It wasn't because he misjudged the situation, but because he never truly believed that domestic films could produce such animation.

He was wrong, terribly wrong.

He stared intently at the last line of text on the screen.

"Thank you to everyone who believes in the Great Sage."

He himself didn't believe in the Great Sage.

The gray-haired film critic took off his glasses, wiped the lenses with the corner of his shirt, put them back on, took them off again, and wiped them once more.

His glasses were clean; he just needed this gesture to hide the fact that his eyes were red.

He mentally reorganized his thoughts, overturning all the negative comments he had prepared beforehand.

His colleague patted him on the shoulder, and the two looked at each other, both seeing the same thing in each other's eyes—admiration.

"Should the manuscript be written the same as before?" a colleague asked.

He put on his glasses, shook his head, and said, "The original one?"

He chuckled, a laugh tinged with self-mockery, "It was just a pile of waste paper."

He took out his phone, opened the notes app, hovered his finger above the screen, thought for a long time, and typed four words: "The Rise of Chinese Animation".

In the media section, the young female reporter sat in her seat, reopening a blank document and rapidly typing on the keyboard.

Title: Domestic Animation Can Really Do It

I admit, I was wrong.

This was her first sentence.

Before stepping into this screening room, I was prepared with all the questions—Why does Inkhen make animation? Why does it claim to be suitable for all ages? Why does it compare itself to Hollywood?

Now, I realize I was wrong!

It's not because this film is flawless. It has flaws, minor pacing issues. But these flaws don't matter. What matters is that it's a film with bones, blood, flesh, and soul.

Sun Wukong is not the Sun Wukong you know; he is just a monkey. A monkey who has been imprisoned for five hundred years, lost all his magic powers, covered in wounds, stubborn yet soft-hearted. He gets annoyed, angry, and desperate. When he can't stand being pestered by little monks, he punches down a tree. He also stares blankly at the magic seal on his wrist in the dead of night.

Jiang Liuer is not the Tang Monk you know. He is not that nagging, powerless imperial brother. He is just a child. A child who lost his parents in infancy, was taken in and raised by an old monk, innocent to the point of foolishness, brave to the point of madness. He would chase after Sun Wukong asking a hundred thousand "whys," he would protect a little girl he didn't know in front of a mountain demon, and even when the Great Sage Equaling Heaven gave up, he still believed that the monkey could save everyone.

This is not a story about a pilgrimage to the West; it is a story about trust. It is the story of a child who had nothing, using a rag doll, a pair of bright, shining eyes, and the words, "Great Sage, I believe in you," to pull a monkey trapped in an abyss out of the water.

What moved me in the movie wasn't the grand battle scenes, but the moments when Sun Wukong was touched by Jiang Liuer. It was the little monk murmuring in his sleep, "I must chant scriptures for Buddha to release the monkey from his magical seal." It was the little monk clutching the Monkey King doll tightly while being chased by mountain demons. It was the little monk standing before the invincible monster, saying, "Great Sage, what can I do for you?"

It was these small things, so small they were insignificant, that allowed an abandoned monkey to stand up again.

The film ends with the line: "Thank you to everyone who believes in the Monkey King."

When the movie ended, I sat in my seat, motionless for a long time. I wondered, how long has it been since we've believed in anything? How long has it been since we've felt passionate about anything? How long has it been since we cried for a monkey?

Thank you "Monkey King: Hero Is Back", thank you Mohen, and thank you to everyone who spent years creating this animated film frame by frame.

You've made me believe one thing—Chinese animation can really do it!

She sent out the manuscript.

Then he leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.

A colleague next to her peeked at her screen and paused, stunned.

"You're being too..."

"Too much?"

"It's so genuine and heartfelt."

She smiled without explaining; some things don't need explanation.

The end credits have finished.

The moment the lights came on, someone shouted first.

"The Great Sage is awesome!"

Then came the second tone, the third tone, the tenth tone, the hundredth tone...

The sound came from every corner of the screening room, rising and falling like waves, each word carrying a burning warmth and passion.

"The Great Sage is awesome!"

"Chinese animation is awesome!"

"Inkmark is awesome!"

……

For the first hour after the movie ended, Weibo remained calm.

It's not that no one is discussing it; it's that everyone is still processing it. Those marketing accounts that usually eagerly post reviews as soon as a movie starts are unusually silent this time.

It's not that I have nothing to say, it's that I have too much to say, so much that I don't know where to begin.

It was an ordinary viewer who ignited the trending topic #MonkeyKingReturn#.

After the premiere, he sat in his seat, staring blankly at the screen for five minutes. His friend next to him called him to leave, but he said, "Wait a minute," and then took out his phone, opened Weibo, and posted a message.

I just finished watching "Monkey King: Hero Is Back". I'm sitting in the movie theater now, the lights are on, and the cleaning lady has already started cleaning, but I don't want to leave yet.

I don't know how to describe this feeling, it's just... there's a fire burning inside me, making me restless.

I remember watching "Havoc in Heaven" when I was a kid. Back then, it was still on VCD. The disc was scrambled and got stuck halfway through. I was so anxious that I kept hitting the TV. Later, when I grew up and watched Hollywood animation, I thought they were really amazing. When will we be able to make something like that?

I know now, right now.

I'm not a professional film critic; I don't understand things like storyboarding, pacing, or color language.

I just felt that this monkey was very real. His anger was real, his despair was real, his resentment was real, and when he finally stood up, my tears were real.

Thank you, thank you to everyone who brought this monkey back to life.

I'm going to watch it a second time, no, I'm going to watch it a third time.

I'm also taking my dad. He took me to see "Havoc in Heaven" back then, and now I'm taking him to see "Monkey King: Hero Is Back."

When he posted this, he only had a little over a hundred followers on Weibo.

Forty minutes later, the Weibo post was forwarded 30,000 times.

In the comments section, some people asked, "Is it really good?", while others said, "I also want to try the salty flavor."

Many people didn't say anything, they just forwarded it and added a period, an exclamation mark, or a monkey emoji.

On the other hand, there is a Weibo account known for its sharp tongue, and its film reviews are always known for their harshness.

Before going to the premiere, he posted a message on Weibo: "Going to see 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back', I'll write a guide to avoid pitfalls when I get back."

After the movie ended, he deleted the Weibo post and then posted a new one.

【I was wrong.】

Just three words, and the comment section exploded instantly.

[So you've finally met your match?]

Has the sun risen in the west?

[Tell me quickly, what was the movie like?]

He didn't reply to any comments, but forty minutes later he posted a long review.

The title is "Kneeling before the Great Sage".

Today, I knelt down before a monkey.

I'm not kidding, when the movie ended, I really wanted to kneel down.

This movie isn't perfect, but I saw the essence of Chinese animation in it.

Over the years, I've criticized far too many domestically produced animations. I've criticized them for being childish, for plagiarism, for being money-grubbing, and for lacking ambition.

I spoke with conviction because everything I said was true.

But today, I realized something: all these years of cursing have been nothing but cursing.

And some people, after being criticized for so many years, still made this film despite the risk of being criticized again.

I don't know who Tian Xiaopeng is, but I want to say sorry to him.

I'm sorry, I never believed you guys could make anything good.

I'm sorry, when I saw the trailer, I thought to myself that it was just another money-grabbing scheme.

I'm sorry, but when I walked into this screening room, I was already prepared to write a bad review.

I'm sitting here now, and my face is burning with pain.

It's not because I was proven wrong, but because I realized that I owe domestic animation a chance, an unbiased and serious chance.

"Monkey King: Hero Is Back" is not perfect. But it is alive; it has bones, blood, and flesh.

He was a real monkey—wild, rough, untamed, and unruly—but he lived a life far more exciting than those refined, smooth, soulless industrial products.

I don't care anymore, I'm giving this movie five stars.

It's not because it's made in China, not because it's made with ink stains, not because it's so difficult to make.

It's so good, so good that I want to kneel down.

In the comments section, someone screenshotted the "avoidance guide" previously posted by that film critic and commented below: "A major face-slapping moment, I suggest you save this forever."

The film critic himself replied to this comment: "Save this. I deserve to be slapped for this."

At the same time, a short video of only fifteen seconds completely ignited public opinion.

The picture was shaky and the sound was mixed, but you could clearly hear that at the moment the movie ended, someone shouted "Monkey King is awesome!" and then the whole theater exploded, with cheers, applause and whistles surging up like waves.

In the last second of the video, the camera swayed slightly, panning across the front row of the audience, where almost everyone stood up, and cheers and applause resounded through the sky.

When this video was posted, the caption was only one sentence:

I was there, and I cried like a fool.

Within two hours, the video had been viewed over five million times.

In the comments section, someone asked, "Really? Is it that exaggerated?"

Someone replied below: "It's true. I was there too. The guy next to me, who was in his forties, had tears in his eyes the whole time, and he just cried at the end."

Someone else said, "My friend was in the second row, and she said Bai Lu and Meng Ziyi were both crying, and their makeup was ruined."

Some even said, "I don't believe it unless I see it for myself."

Under this comment, someone replied: "Go watch it, and remember to bring tissues."

That evening, #MonkeyKingReturn# became the number one trending topic.

The comment section under the trending topic turned into a huge "it's actually pretty good" scene.

[I haven't seen it, but my friend has, and she says she's going to watch it again. I don't believe her unless I see it myself.]

I also saw a preview screening, although not at the premiere in Beijing, but I'll definitely see it again; it's really worth it.

My mom asked me why I was kneeling while looking at my phone.

[Inkmark, you are my god! Mom, I believe in Chinese animation again!]

[The Great Sage is awesome!]

I sat in the movie theater for ten minutes, waiting for the post-credits scene, but even without it, I didn't want to leave because I hadn't recovered from the shock.

This comment was pushed to the top.

Someone replied below: [Me too. The light came on, the cleaning lady came, but I was still sitting there. My friend asked me what I was doing, and I said I wanted to let Da Sheng go first.]

This reply was forwarded 80,000 times.

Late that night, a long review appeared on Douban, titled "A Letter to That Monkey".

The Great Sage:

I don't know if you'll ever see this letter, but I wanted to write it.

I'm thirty-two years old this year. The last time I cried for a monkey was twenty years ago when I watched "Havoc in Heaven." Back then, I was just a child, and I didn't understand anything. I only knew that Sun Wukong was so powerful and majestic, and invincible.

Later, when I grew up, I learned the story of Sun Wukong. I knew that he was imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years, that he was bound by the golden headband, that he traveled 108,000 li with Tang Sanzang, and that he was called "mischievous monkey," "monkey," and "弼马温" (a lowly official in charge of keeping horses).

I thought he was no longer the Great Sage.

But today, you tell me he still is.

Five hundred years of sealing could not break him. The bindings of the magic seal could not imprison him. The chaotic boulder could not crush him. As long as there is one person who believes in him, he can rise again.

The little monk said: Great Sage, I believe in you.

Then you really stood up.

Thank you, Great Sage.

Thank you for not giving up on yourself when everyone else did.

Thank you for telling me that some things cannot be crushed.

Thank you for making me believe that Chinese animation can really do it.

Yours sincerely.

A thirty-year-old audience member, crying like a madman.

The letter was sent at 2 a.m.

Within three minutes, the number of comments exceeded one thousand.

I was crying when you wrote this letter.

I didn't cry while watching the movie, but your comment made me cry.

The Monkey King said: "Stop crying, it's embarrassing."

Jiang Liuer asked, "Great Sage, why are they crying?" The Great Sage replied, "Because they are all fools." Jiang Liuer asked, "Then why are you crying too?" The Great Sage said, "I'm not crying. The sand and dust are blinding me."

Below this reply, someone typed: "Is there sandstorm in the movie theaters? Yes. There was sandstorm in all the movie theaters showing 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back' today."

The next morning, the headlines of all the major media outlets were all about "Monkey King: Hero Is Back".

Renmin.com's headline is quite restrained: "A New Breakthrough in Domestic Animated Films - 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back' Receives Positive Reviews at its Premiere."

However, netizens in the comments section were not restrained.

[Renmin.com, you've changed. You never used to praise domestic animation.]

That's because it wasn't something worth praising before.

Xinhua.net's headline is even more direct: "Monkey King: Hero Is Back: The Bones of Chinese Animation".

The headline in the Guangming Daily was: "An animated film, and a nation's waiting."

The most ingenious one was from CCTV's movie channel, whose title consisted of only four characters: "The Monkey King, Returns!"

That evening, Shen Mo's WeChat was buzzing incessantly.

Lei Jun: [President Shen, I've seen the movie, and I'm totally sold. My little Mimi is going to book dozens of screenings to support you, not for you, but for my childhood idol.]

Zhang Yiming: [Congratulations, every step Inkmark takes is making history.]

Wang Xin: [I'm impressed, truly impressed. I told the team, everyone should go see it, the company will reimburse the expenses.]

Cheng Wei: [The Monkey King is awesome! I went to see it too, and I cried like a baby.]

……

The pre-sale box office for "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" was only 2000 million yuan.

This figure is almost dismal compared to Mohen's past projects; 2000 million is less than a fraction of what they did before.

No one in the industry was surprised.

"It's an animated film, that's all there is to it." A box office analyst said in a flat tone during an interview before the film's release.

"Audiences haven't yet developed the habit of paying to watch domestic animation, so 2000 million in pre-sales is already quite good."

The word "not bad" can be translated as "that's about it."

Its screening rate was even more meager, with only 13% of screenings on the first day, squeezed between "The Martian," "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 3," and several domestic New Year's films, like a small animal that has strayed into a pack of wolves.

Most theater managers shared a surprisingly consistent opinion: one early morning and one afternoon showing would suffice; prime-time screenings? Those were the domain of Hollywood blockbusters.

One cinema manager privately remarked, "Mohen is probably going to fail this time. An animated film will only gross around 200 million yuan at most; scheduling so many screenings is a waste."

But there are some things that data cannot predict.

On the opening day, at 8:30 a.m., the IMAX theater in a cinema in Beijing was 70% full.

This number is already unusual for an early morning show, and what's even more unusual is that some people were crying when the show ended.

A man in his thirties, dressed in a suit and tie, holding a briefcase, stood at the entrance of the theater, head down, shoulders trembling.

The cleaning lady next to him hesitated for a long time before handing him a tissue. "Are you alright?"

The man took the tissue, wiped his eyes, and smiled—a rather awkward smile. "It's nothing, just a sandstorm."

Is there sand and dust in the movie theater? The aunt didn't ask, and turned to sweep the next showing.

At noon, the first batch of data came out.

Box office analysts stared at the screen, thinking they were seeing things.

4700 million.

In just half a day, it grossed 4700 million, exceeding the total daily box office of most animated films.

At 2 PM, the second batch of data came out: 72 million.

At 4 PM, 91 million.

The movie theater managers' group chat exploded.

"How's the Monkey King movie going over there?"

"It exploded. It completely exploded."

"The afternoon sessions were completely sold out, and even after adding an extra session, they were still full."

"All prime-time screenings have been changed to 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back,' and other films will be postponed."

A cinema manager in a third-tier city sent a voice message in a group chat, his voice trembling.

"In our tiny, third-tier city, the 10 PM show was sold out. A 10 PM show! Who the hell brings their kid to watch cartoons at 10 PM in the dead of winter? It was all young people! And they all came on their own!"

Someone asked, "How many screenings did you allocate?"

"15%. 25% tomorrow."

"I'll give you 30%."

"I'm going straight for 35%. I don't care about any other movies, this is it."

The final data was released that evening.

1.2 million.

The record for the highest single-day box office for a domestically produced animated film is not only a new record, but it also triples the previous record.

Prior to this, no domestically produced animated film had ever grossed more than 4000 million yuan in a single day.

"Monkey King: Hero Is Back" pushed that number to 1.2 million in just one day.

The entire industry is asking the same question: Where did these people come from?

The answer is simple: they've been waiting, waiting for a domestically produced animation worth paying for, and they've been waiting for far too long.

The next day, the screening share jumped from 13% to 28%, not like other movies that gradually increase day by day, but jumped directly.

Countless cinemas adjusted their screening schedules overnight, cutting other shows and filling them with "Monkey King: Hero Is Back".

The second day was a weekday, but the box office was a staggering 1.1 million.

On the third day, the box office revenue actually increased, reaching 1.3 million.

In just three days, it grossed 3.6 million yuan, directly surpassing the total box office of "Boonie Bears," which was released at the beginning of the year, at 2.95 million yuan.

Someone posted a status on their WeChat Moments: "In just three days, the Monkey King defeated the Big Bear and the Little Bear. It wasn't that the Big Bear and the Little Bear were weak; it's just that the Monkey King was too powerful."

The accompanying image is a meme featuring Sun Wukong and Bald Qiang, with Sun Wukong riding on his somersault cloud and Bald Qiang looking up at him from below.

On the fifth day, the box office exceeded 5 million.

On the seventh day, it surpassed 5.8 million.

The industry has begun to discuss a question that was never even considered before: how long will it take for it to surpass "Kung Fu Panda 2"?

Kung Fu Panda 2, released in 2011, grossed 6.17 million yuan at the domestic box office.

This number stands like a monument for four years, weighing heavily on the heads of all domestically produced animated films.

No one thinks it can be surpassed in a short time. That's Hollywood, that's DreamWorks, that's Po. What makes domestic animation compare to them?

On the tenth day, the answer came out.

6.2 million.

The moment the box office surpassed 6.2 million yuan, someone on Weibo posted a screenshot of the real-time box office page from Maoyan Professional Edition.

The screenshot shows that the box office figures for "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" are currently at 620,013,527.

The line of smaller print below reads: Box office champion among domestic animated films.

The screenshot was forwarded 100,000 times.

In the comments section, some people were crying, and some were laughing.

[Sorry, Po, but this time I'm on Sun Wukong's side.]

Po is great too, but the Great Sage belongs to us.

[For four years, this position has been held by Hollywood animated films. Today, a domestic animated film has finally taken it!]

This sentence was pushed to the very top.

However, many others disagree.

[It was just that Inkmark got lucky.]

[They've only built their reputation on word-of-mouth hype; do they really think they're the pride of Chinese animation?]

[Anyone who makes a film about monkeys will make money. This IP isn't even Mohen's original creation; I could do it too.]

Shen Mo is good at creating hype; the film itself is just so-so, nothing special.

[This only fools casual viewers who don't understand animation; everyone in the industry knows that.]

[Wait until the next episode reveals their true colors, then let's see if you're still bragging.]

However, on the thirteenth day, the box office of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" continued to rise, directly breaking 7 million yuan.

On the seventeenth day, it surpassed 8 million.

The idea that "ink marks bring good luck" completely disappears in the face of these numbers.

Those who said "Shen Mo was just lucky" are now collectively silent.

It's not that I don't want to say it, it's that I can't bring myself to say it.

One movie can be a matter of luck, two movies can be a matter of luck, but Mohen has been almost always successful, from "Love is Not Blind" to "Lost in Thailand", "Brotherhood of Blades", "Take My Brother Away" and "Monkey King: Hero Is Back".

This is not luck; it is a systemic, replicable, and despair-inducing ability.

[Don't be stubborn, haters. This isn't luck; it was premeditated.]

Shen Mo probably knew this day would come about three years ago.

On the contrary, I think that when Shen Mo invested in this film, he probably didn't know it would make so much money. He just believed that as long as the product was good enough, the audience would definitely come.

I think it's not the audience who's come, it's the Monkey King who's come.

-----------------

Vote for monthly tickets and enter a lucky draw! At the end of the month, we'll be giving away three copies of GLASS magazine featuring Tong Jie on the cover. If you're interested, feel free to vote for more monthly tickets to participate!

In principle, it depends on my mood: I'll read this book!