A writer has arrived in the Chinese entertainment industry.

This year's Spring Festival film season, "The Monkey King: Havoc in Heaven" not only boasts a star-studded cast but is also a 3D fantasy blockbuster. After months of anticipation, it has already garnered significant attention. Furthermore, with China Film Group and Wanda Group as distributors, its screen time is even more secure.

Another film, "Where Are We Going, Dad? The Movie," was a huge hit, and its popularity soared. Even though it was just going to the cinema to watch one episode of a variety show, a large number of people were willing to spend the money.

According to data from Shanghai Film Group and Enlight Media, these two films together account for nearly 70% of the market.

In the words of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang: This is truly an enemy we cannot contend with.

Another film, "From Vegas to Macau," also played on the nostalgia factor of Wong Kar-wai's comedy and the God of Gamblers. However, at this time, the series' reputation was not completely ruined. It got 15% of the screenings on its first day, and later even recovered a few points due to positive word-of-mouth.

As for "Ex-Files," its screening rate has been completely squeezed out by "Knives Out."

"Knives Out" achieved a 60% occupancy rate in pre-sales. In other release periods, this occupancy rate would be enough to attract the attention of cinemas and prompt them to increase screenings. However, due to the intense competition from other films during this year's Spring Festival season, cinemas have become much more cautious.

Thanks to the strong promotion by Shanghai Film Group, East China secured 18% of the screenings on the first day, while other regions only got 10%.

Su Liu's first stop on his roadshow was the Capital Cinema in Joy City Xidan, Beijing. He arrived there on the evening of the first day of the Lunar New Year to meet up with Mao Xiaotong and others.

Because their hotel rooms were all on the same floor, Su Liu felt a sense of unease, like being in the dark, when he sneaked into Mao Xiaotong's room at night.

The story of "Knives Out" is not hard to guess. When the movie begins, Ma Chun Chun, played by Mao Xiaotong, is horrified to find that she has taken the wrong medicine and injected 100 grams of morphine into the old writer's body, everyone can immediately think that the medicine in the medical kit must have been switched by the murderer.

The culprit isn't hard to guess. When Lu Zerui, played by Li Xian, appears, he acts as if it's none of his business, but experienced people can immediately guess that he's the mastermind.

The plot twist in this film is that Ma Chun Chun didn't give the wrong medicine at all.

Although Lu Zerui switched the liquid in the medicine bottle, Ma Chun Chun, through years of contact, could intuitively distinguish the subtle differences between the different injection solutions.

She thought she was being injected with morphine, but the morphine vial actually contained regular painkillers.

Therefore, when Professor Shen Zhongping, played by Yu Hewei, revealed the mystery, gasps of surprise still rang out in the theater.

"So the female lead didn't give the wrong medicine!" someone whispered to their companion. "Then the old writer is..."

"It was suicide." Professor Shen in the movie happens to say this line.

The most exciting part of the film begins from this moment.

If the writer committed suicide, then there would be no murderer at all. But the writer's will left all his property to Ma Chun Chun.

What's the only way for Lu Zerui to fight for the inheritance? It's to make Ma Chun Chun a murderer, thus disqualifying her from inheriting the estate.

However, the police directly ruled the writer's death as a suicide. This was unacceptable to the mastermind behind it all.

So he sent an anonymous letter to Shen Zhongping, a professor at the Public Security University and a friend of the veteran writer. He also obtained the forensic laboratory's test report in advance through personal means, originally thinking that once the report was released, Ma Chun Chun's guilt would be sealed.

However, the report clearly stated that the cause of death was massive bleeding due to a slit throat, and made no mention of morphine.

Now, this report not only fails to convict Ma Chun Chun, but also completely clears her of suspicion.

So, without further ado, he set fire to the forensic laboratory, destroying all the data. At that moment, the plan completely slipped out of his control.

Knives Out is not a mind-bending mystery film in essence, especially the setting that the female lead vomits whenever she lies, which is completely anti-mystery.

This film aims to tell you that kindness can truly save a person in crucial moments, while the sharp blades of greed and evil, even when unsheathed, become as awkward and laughable as props in the face of kindness.

Although the whole film has an Agatha Christie vibe, it is actually very unlike Agatha Christie.

The script isn't entirely without flaws. For example, when the older writer learns that Ma Chun Chun accidentally injected the wrong lethal dose of morphine, he fantasizes about protecting her by committing suicide.

As a "master of detective fiction," didn't he know that once an autopsy was performed, all the illusions would fall apart?

Of course, such a minor bug that doesn't cause any real harm will naturally be defended by Su Liu's fans.

Even after limited screenings, word-of-mouth for "Knives Out" had already begun to spread slowly online.

Some passersby who saw the preview screenings highly recommended it online: "Everyone, go see 'Knives Out'! The plot is absolutely brilliant, with a fast-paced and unpredictable twist and turn! It's definitely the best suspense film of the year!"

At this moment, it was Su Liu's readers who were the calmest. They felt as if their favorite hidden gem of an author had finally been discovered, carrying a strange sense of superiority.

He seemed to be saying, "I've been following this series since the very first novel in the 'perverted' genre. This movie is just so-so, nowhere near as good as his previous works."

On its release day, the first day of the Lunar New Year, the film relied on a strong fan base supported by book lovers and those who praised its reputation. Despite having only 12% of the national average number of screenings, prime-time screenings were completely sold out, and the average occupancy rate throughout the day was over 65%.

Many passersby were drawn into the cinema by the positive reviews, and afterwards they posted their comments online.

"Two hours straight with not a single dull moment! Extremely clean and efficient!"

"Most importantly, the portrayal of human nature is incredibly insightful. At first, everyone said Ma Chun Chun was family, but after they found out the author left his entire inheritance to her, they started calling her a scumbag who cheated out of the inheritance!"

A comment below read: "Really? Who wants to watch this kind of movie during Chinese New Year?"

"Why is there another idiot like you? You should just go watch that terrible movie, 'Havoc in Heaven'."

"Hey upstairs, I actually went to see 'Havoc in Heaven'! After watching it, I felt like the IQ of the whole street was lowered. I suggest that people over five years old shouldn't go see it."

"Doesn't anyone else think that policewoman is so pretty? Didn't you guys notice?"

"You're not alone! I think so too."

"Your name is Reba, right? You're a newcomer."

"Doesn't anyone think the female lead is pretty too?"

"Mao Xiaotong's previous TV drama looks were all rather questionable. But her look in this movie is a pleasant surprise."

......

That same evening, while Su Liu and Mao Xiaotong were making out, the distributor obtained the real-time data.

On the first day of its release, Chinese New Year, "Knives Out" grossed around 3100 million yuan, with a margin of error of 5%-15%.

East China accounted for 55% of the box office revenue.

When Li Fei called, she was completely energized. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this movie saved her career.

"The cinemas will be adjusting their film schedules tomorrow," she said.

Panting, Su Liu replied, "That's great, Sister Li."