Tokyo: The evil god doesn't want to be the top star

Xia Fan wanted to persuade him a few more times, but the other party had already disappeared into the stairwell.

"Is it really okay to just let her go like this?"

Xia Fan looked at Detective Higurashi.

"It shouldn't be a big problem. According to statistics, after a failed first suicide attempt, the chance of a second suicide attempt in the short term will not exceed 5%."

"Although suicide is not under the jurisdiction of Section 9, we will keep an eye on her and can also recommend a psychological counseling agency for her in accordance with the Basic Law on Suicide Countermeasures..."

Higurashi spread his hands helplessly.

……

The next day, the Cursed Blade Production Committee.

"Director, from the premiere last night to now, the real-time box office in 14 hours has exceeded 6 million yen!"

"In less than a day, 6 million yen, this figure has exceeded our predicted box office data by 300%!"

Before noon, the assistant director rushed into Tsuchiya Haruo's office dancing and gesticulating.

"It's so embarrassing to rush like this. Most of the first-day box office revenue came from fans of the original novel, who contributed for the nostalgia and IP. The most important thing is whether we can maintain the reputation and ensure that the subsequent box office popularity does not decline."

"Has the score from Yinghua been released? How much did they give us?"

Haruo Tsuchiya looked calm and composed, but his trembling thumb as he swiped his phone revealed his excitement.

Although it’s been less than 24 hours, the box office progress has far exceeded expectations, which is a very good sign.

"Let me see... the scores are out, the subjective score is 9.7!"

"This is the highest subjective score for an animated film in the past five years!"

After refreshing the website, the assistant director exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh? Yinghua, which is known as the 'movie review website', is willing to give such a high score?"

Although he was fully confident about his review of "Cursed Blade", Haruo Tsuchiya was still a little surprised.

"Yinghua" is the largest professional film review website in District 11, which is divided into two types: subjective scores from official film critics and audience scores.

Because it is mainly aimed at local users, the website content is highly localized and closed. The official film reviews of "Yinghua" will greatly affect the subsequent box office of the film, so the website has always been very restrained in film reviews and rarely gives high scores.

Tsuchiya Haruo clicked on the "Movie" website and saw a film review titled "Cursed Blade: The Red Lotus Fire from Purgatory Will Burn Everything" hanging on the homepage of the website...

"This is a commercial theatrical version that is above standard. It faithfully restores the original content, has a wonderful plot, distinct characters, outstanding visual effects, delicate emotions, and deep touches. The above elements, plus the emotions accumulated over ten years of serialization, are already worthy of an 8-point rating."

"Extra points are given to the top-notch theme song 'Gurenge'."

"Although the film itself is very well written and produced, it condenses a plot that lasts for ten years into one hour. The high density of battles, sacrifices, and setbacks will inevitably leave the audience emotionally scarred. By the climax, the audience is already exhausted and cannot concentrate as much as at the beginning."

"The appearance of this song is like a ball of hellfire, which ignites all the fatigue accumulated before, igniting emotions with burning feelings and unyielding will. The gorgeous flowers of hell bloom. The final decisive battle is more like the MV of this song than the climax of the movie."

"In an era when the economic bubble burst and society stagnated, people lived in a 'low desire' life with no future. They only remembered the 'demand' of reality and forgot the 'demand' of the spirit. They became numb and had long forgotten why and for whom they were fighting."

"The movie "Cursed Blade" seems to take us back to the time when we first saw this manga ten years ago. And the flame of "Gurenge" burns people's pain, and recalls the fantasies, difficulties, enemies, protection, persistence and passion of their youth..."

"The boys' story ends in the theater. But the 'boys' who walk out of the theater still have tomorrow to face."

"There is only one promise, and that is to live well no matter what."

After reading this film review, Haruo Tsuchiya quietly closed the website.

“Although the film reviews of Yinghua are a bit harsh, they are still conscientious.”

"What about Attack of the Dwarves? How many points did it get?"

He rubbed his slightly wet eyes and looked at the assistant director.

Chapter 67 Fastest Box Office Record

2024-07-13

"I just checked, the subjective score of Attack of the Dwarfs is only 8.2 points, which is much lower than ours. Yinghua believes that the painting, action, sound effects, and script of that movie are all excellent, and the rhythm is well controlled, but it is too commercial and fails to fully interpret the strong and miserable core of the dwarfs' resistance to the invasion of giants."

The assistant director had obviously done his homework on Tsuchiya Haruo's problem and looked pleased.

"8.2 points?... It seems that if I hadn't encountered this song "Red Lotus Flower", the outcome would still be unknown."

"Within today, I will edit the movie and animation clips, make a separate MV for this song, and release it online together with the song."

"Also, please ask voice actor Kurokawa Tsubasa to help start the production of the movie soundtrack in advance."

Tsuchiya Haruo sighed and arranged new work.

“Is it unconventional to make a separate MV for the theme song now…?”

The assistant director originally wanted to show off his achievements, but suddenly a lot of work was added to his work, and his face instantly turned bitter.

Not to mention, the production team has been working overtime for more than a month in preparation for the release of the movie, and producing a MV for the theme song in advance during the movie's release seems to be putting the cart before the horse.

"Just do as I say. I believe that the limits of "Gurunge" are far beyond this."

But Tsuchiya Haruo's tone was firm, and he obviously had no intention of giving the other party any room for negotiation.

……

B Club Building, 10th floor, Music Department.

"Hum, hum, hum, hum..."

In the office, Hiroshi Yamazaki hummed a little tune and poured boiling water into the teacup.

"Oh, the tea stems are standing up! It looks like something good is going to happen soon."

The slightly green tea leaves blend into the boiling hot water, standing tall and gracefully in the white steam.

"Section Chief, it exploded, it exploded!"

A music producer named "Shi Jiurang" rushed in from outside.

"What exploded? Was it a fire, an earthquake, a volcanic eruption, a tsunami, a tornado, or did terrorists get into the building?"

The people of District 11's disaster prevention bloodline was awakened, and Yamazaki Hiroshi subconsciously wanted to hide under the table.

"No, it's the box office that's booming... The box office of 'Cursed Blade' is booming!"

"On the first day of release, the cumulative box office exceeded 1 billion yen!"

Shi Jiurang wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes shining.

"What? A late-night animated film theater version grossed over 1 billion on the first day... that should have set a new record, right?"

Although Hiroshi Yamazaki is not a film practitioner, as an insider in the entertainment industry, he also knows that this is unprecedented data.

Although "Cursed Blade" has been serialized for ten years and has accumulated a large number of fans, the TV animation is only broadcast on unpopular late-night channels, and there is still a big gap compared to the first-tier "national animations".

The fact that the box office data of the theatrical version of a movie can be so outrageous can only be attributed to its strong production capabilities.

"Not only is the film itself well-made, but online film critics generally believe that the theme song "Red Lotus" elevates the film's climax to a new level."

"Even the film production committee edited a complete MV specifically for the theme song, which was released together with the song an hour ago."

Shi Jiurang reported incessantly.

He submitted the theme song for "Cursed Blade" three times but it was rejected. He knew how picky the producers were.

Although his work was not selected, "Gurenge" can be considered a product of Bethesda's music department, and he feels honored to receive such high praise.

"Oh? Go check it out..."

Yamazaki Hiroshi didn't even bother to drink the tea he had just brewed, and opened a music website on his computer.

"Are you kidding me? It's only been online for an hour and the number of paid downloads has exceeded 5000?"

"Let me see the market's response..."

Looking at the download data of "Gurenge", Hiroshi Yamazaki smacked his lips and opened the comment section with familiarity.

As a pragmatic head of the music department, he has always attached great importance to the evaluation of paying users.

"I didn't hear it enough in the cinema, and it's finally online!"

"I came out of the cinema yesterday and was so excited that I couldn't sleep all night. I was just waiting for this moment!"

"The official website was really thoughtful and actually produced a special MV for it, and they didn't charge any extra."

"Red lotus, bloom and illuminate your destiny!!!"

"My whole body is on fire, listen to "Gurenge" attentively!"

"After repeating this for an hour, I decided to quit my job as a social worker and pick up my dream from my youth... to become an action movie actor."

"The above, where can I find such a good job? Please give me a way... The contact information is attached..."

The song review section, which is usually a mixed bag and full of harsh and mean comments, is now filled with nothing but positive reviews.

"Action movie actor? That's a great dream..."

"Ahem, Section Chief..."

"Ah, bah, I mean, the download volume and online reputation of "Gurenhua" are both quite good!"

"You were talking about an action movie just now..."

"Look at Xia Fan, he's only been here for two months and he's already released two hit songs! Look at you guys, you've been here for two years, can you achieve such results?"

"This year has just begun. If he can release two more songs of this quality, I'm afraid the company will have to give him a 'Master Contract' and arrange a separate studio for him!"

Ignoring Ishi Jiurang's complicated look, Yamazaki Hiroshi began to preach seriously.

"No, I almost forgot. It seems that Xia Fan is still on a 'part-time contract'?"

Having said this, he slapped his head.

According to the terms of Xia Fan's current contract, he can unilaterally abandon cooperation with Company B at any time and switch to other companies without having to bear any responsibility.

"No, I have to go to the director of communication and ask him to sign a new contract with Xia Fan. The music department finally has a genius, and we can't let our competitors poach him..."

Like an ant on a hot pan, Hiroshi Yamazaki paced back and forth in front of his desk and then ran out of the office.

……

Three days later.

"Attack of Dwarf" Production Committee.

In the dim conference room, seven men and women sat around the table.

"..."

They rested their chins on their hands, lowered their heads, and hid their expressions in the shadows.

"I think everyone knows why I have invited all the representatives of the production committee to hold an emergency meeting today."

Sitting at the very top, the director of "Attack on Dwarf", Masada Hizuka, spoke first.

"Please Dongbao Cinemas, please report the current real-time box office data first."

Seeing no one responded, Masada Hizuka continued speaking.

"As of now, the 72-hour box office of Attack of Dwarf has accumulated approximately 9 million yen."

"This figure is about 10% higher than our predicted box office figures before the release."

"This is thanks to the fact that our cinema chain, as an investor, has increased the screening rate of Attack of Dwarf to 56% in its own cinema chain."

A representative from Toho Cinemas reported in a deep voice.

"Hmph, 10% higher than expected? Then why don't you talk about the box office data compared with Cursed Blade?"

Hizuka Masada snorted softly.

Chapter 68 Theme Song Difference

2024-07-13

"Within 72 hours of its release, the cumulative box office of Cursed Blade has reached 46.2 billion yen! This figure has broken the 'fastest box office record' created by Spirited Away ten years ago!"

"46.2 billion! It's nearly five times ours! Five times! What the hell is this publicity for?!"

Without waiting for the theater representative to answer, Masada Hizuka had already given the comparative data, knocked on the table in grief, and looked at a man across the conference table.

"Director Masada, did you make a mistake? We are strictly following the publicity plan."