Chapter 625: Commercial Flattery

Aside from the ongoing "Limit Foreign" controversy, box office competition in the market remains fierce.

The entire summer season will last nearly two months.

With late July approaching, "The Unusual" is about to premiere; this film, starring Chen Daoming, Zhang Songwen, and others, will directly compete with Huayi's "Destined" and "Tai Ping Lun: The Other Side."

This is another round of competition, but "Tai Ping Lun: The Other Side" is the sequel—its predecessor last year was savaged by critics and bombed at the box office.

This film also carries a massive budget, gathering actors from China, Japan, and South Korea including Guoji Zhang, Huang Jiaozhu, Jincheng Wu, and Song Hye-kyo; Jincheng Wu is Japanese.

With a production cost of around 400 million yuan, similar to "Monster Hunt," it originally aimed to replicate the success model of "Red Cliff" Parts I and II.

Unexpectedly, audiences across China, Japan, and South Korea rejected it, causing Wu Baige's reputation to collapse, and no one has since offered him a film project.

If this film's box office again fails to perform, Huayi's losses will be severe.

On July 24, the same day "Destined" premiered, "The Unusual" held its premiere at Chaoyangmen Shuijing Yingcheng, formerly Bona Cinema.

Yu Tu's films now have their own cinema for premieres, so they no longer need to beg others.

Many industry figures attended this day: Shen Teng, Ma Li—both have "Goodbye Mr. Loser" coming out in two months, so they showed up to gain visibility and support each other.

Also present were Chen Sicheng and his wife, Guo Fan, and others—all have films releasing this year, making it a breakout year for them.

Additionally, the two lead actors, Chen Daoming and Zhang Songwen, were both present; other cast members including Song Jia, Wang Yanhui, Zhou Yiwei, Ren Suxi, and others also arrived and exchanged greetings.

Media personnel, film critics, and some fans were also invited.

Inside the cinema, lighting was dim; everyone stared at the big screen, their expressions serious and focused.

This film uses nonlinear storytelling; it appears to be a conventional crime memoir but actually unfolds through layered reversals, with few gunfight scenes.

For instance, the original version's scene where one man wipes out an armed gang does not exist—it was too exaggerated.

This version tells the story of a counterfeit gang attempting to create a "perfect forgery," only to expose flaws due to their obsession with perfection.

It is a suspenseful crime drama centered on the question: Who is the "Painter"?

Especially at the climax, the shocking truth completely overturns the audience's understanding of character relationships and narrative logic—the revelation is unexpected yet entirely plausible.

When the film ended, the creative team walked to the front and lined up, but the audience remained stunned, unable to recover from the film's impact.

Only when each person was introduced did the audience erupt in loud, continuous applause, rising and falling in waves.

Chen Daoming, Zhang Songwen, and others exchanged glances, their eyes filled with satisfaction.

With so many people present, a round of commercial flattery was inevitable; Zhang Songwen took the microphone and said: "This film made me feel the soul of cinema—I'm deeply grateful to the director for letting me act in it, and equally grateful to the Principal for recommending me."

"Also, Teacher Chen has always been my idol; working with him feels incredible. I think this is the true charm of cinema—the power to dream is immense."

"You're my idol."

Chen Daoming smiled and added: "In over fifty years in the industry, this is the first time I've personally promoted a film—I've given my first time to this movie, to the director."

"Thank you!" Director Wang Ran bowed deeply.

The audience erupted in applause and laughter.

"The Unusual is truly an outstanding work. By the way, thank you, Principal, for recommending me for this role," Chen Daoming said casually, exuding the aura of a veteran.

Such people carry a calm confidence, honed over time.

Some audience members held up phones, others clapped; the noise level rose, no longer as quiet as before—all eyes turned to the stage.

Media crews with long lenses were filming, capturing news material.

Then Chen Sicheng stood up from the audience, took the microphone, and said: "Filming nonlinear narratives is extremely difficult—the structure is complex, but under Director Wang Ran's guidance, 'The Unusual' achieved a unique industrial texture, which is no small feat."

His wife also stood and said: "I felt a profound naturalism—I was stunned."

Next, Guo Fan stood and offered one line: "This film is beautiful—the cold-toned factories, the warm crimson flames, the color-shifting ink of reality and illusion—it embodies artisanal aesthetics."

Everyone spoke well, praising the film to the heavens—it was meant to be flattery, and the audience and fans watched curiously, intrigued by the stars' novelty.

Yet no chaotic scenes erupted.

At that moment, a graceful figure rose from the audience—wearing a baseball cap and black-rimmed glasses—Liu Tianxian, looking like a college student.

Her appearance drew glances from all around; the audience stirred, and a sudden "whoosh" of surprise rippled through the theater.

Media reporters immediately turned their cameras toward her!

No one expected Liu Tianxian to be here, sitting right among them—no one had noticed.

The girl beside Liu Tianxian was stunned, her mouth agape—she hadn't realized Liu Tianxian had been sitting next to her watching the film.

"Hey, Liu Tianxian was right beside you—why didn't you tell me?" her boyfriend said.

"I didn't know either! I think she just slipped in somewhere in the middle," the girl replied.

When the film started, the cinema was too dark to see anyone clearly.

Liu Tianxian wore a white crop top underneath a light blue plaid long-sleeved shirt, paired with loose denim shorts, her long, pale legs glaringly visible.

This casual outfit clearly meant she came simply to watch the film—not for the event.

Even with the commotion, everyone remained seated, maintaining order.

All eyes in the room fixed on her, filled with hot, reverent admiration—like fans gazing at an idol.

Previously, Liu Tianxian's "Gravity" grossed over 7 billion yuan and landed her on major global magazines; she later won the Temple of Heaven Award, inspiring widespread admiration.

But afterward, Liu Tianxian vanished—except for her marriage, she had not appeared publicly for nearly half a year.

That's why even the slightest rumor about her could trend online.

Yaya bit her lip in silence—her gap with Liu Tianxian was not slight. When she spoke earlier, the fans' reaction was ordinary.

But the moment Liu Tianxian appeared, the fans burned with passion.

Other stars and directors smiled at her warmly—they knew she was the Principal's Wife, no longer an ordinary person.

"Yesterday Fang Hong came back and said 'The Unusual' was great, told me to come watch. I said, 'Don't lie to me—if you do, I'll beat you up.' But when I came to watch..."

Liu Tianxian paused, then laughed: "It really is great. What do I do now? I can't beat him up."

"Hahaha!" The audience burst into laughter.

She had praised the film through humor.

"After you go back, you don't have to tell him the movie is good—first beat him up, then tell him." Chen Daoming gave her advice.

"How could I do that? I thought it was good, so I must keep my word," Liu Tianxian said.

"Hahahahahaha!" The theater erupted again in laughter, accompanied by "clap-clap" applause.

Liu Tianxian was simply too straightforward.

The creatives standing at the front desk all smiled but said nothing.

"The plot and setting of Monster Hunt have created extraordinary dramatic tension and character diversity; it not only deeply analyzes its characters both horizontally and vertically, but also redefines the height of Chinese-language suspense crime films in terms of entertainment value."

Liu Tianxian spoke seriously about her understanding of the film, and those present calmed down and listened attentively.

"In my view, profound works are always like this—they make characters more three-dimensional and rich, with numerous metaphors in details and color."

After speaking, she turned to Chen Daoming: "Teacher Chen's performance overturned your image, yet you were utterly unrecognizable—your acting is worthy of study by our juniors."

"I can't accept that," Chen Daoming replied humbly, stepping away from the group and walking toward the audience seats, climbing several steps to shake Liu Tianxian's hand.

Chen Daoming said: "I've also watched your performances—exceeded my expectations, I'm delighted by your acting, and if there's an opportunity, I hope we can collaborate on a film."

"Same here, I look forward to it," Liu Tianxian said.

The two shook hands and praised each other; all the media reporters captured it—this moment delivered maximum program effect.

After this premiere ended, headlines across major entertainment and film media became:

"Chen Daoming Makes His First Theater Run for Monster Hunt!"

"Chen Daoming and Liu Tianxian: A Century-Spanning On-Screen Moment!"

"Liu Tianxian Praises Chen Daoming's Acting as Worth Learning by Juniors."

"Chen Daoming Says Liu Tianxian's Performance Exceeded Expectations."

Suddenly, videos and articles about Monster Hunt flooded every major internet platform; Liu Tianxian's popularity was no joke, pushing the film's heat to another level, rapidly reaching tens of millions of views.

Now, with just a smartphone, you can access information—no need for a computer—so the spread was still very fast.

On July 24, Huayi Pictures' Destiny's Child opened with 17.98 million yuan in box office.

The next day, it was overtaken by Monster Hunt, dropping to only 12.55 million—nearly 5 million less.

Monster Hunt earned 54.81 million on its first day and surged to 88.48 million on its second; in contrast, Destiny's Child fell to just 6.08 million, declining day by day.

Other films like Monster Hunt were also squeezing their share!

Monster Hunt's box office climbed to over 90 million in the following days, dominating completely.

In three days, it completely shattered Destiny's Child's box office—and also severed Huayi's rising market value.

Its peak market value of 79 billion yuan plummeted to 58.1 billion yuan, evaporating roughly 20 billion yuan.

It was normal—investors also had no confidence in Huayi's next film, The Tai Ping Lun: Beyond; Huayi couldn't win against Principal.

Whenever they faced Principal, they lost all confidence.

Besides, the previous film had already been tested by the market—it was a total flop.

Xiao Wang, the General Manager, couldn't swallow his anger and told the media: "Principal uses underhanded tactics—manipulating screenings through capital means and restricting distribution to squeeze competitors, harming market fairness."

He meant that Yutu used ticket subsidies to boost screenings and leveraged distribution resources to crush them.

For years, they couldn't beat him, so they cursed him; after cursing, they still had to fight; they still lost, and even after losing, they still resented it.

After this, they probably won't even be able to curse anymore—this was just Fang Hong's appetizer; more consecutive strikes awaited Huayi.

Such a large company can't be brought down by one or two blows; besides, they have capital backing—first make the capital lose confidence in them.

In the following days, Monster Hunt not only shattered Destiny's Child's box office, but also shattered The Tai Ping Lun: Beyond's box office.

This film opened with only 4.01 million yuan on its first day—despite being directed by a famed director and starring several well-known stars; it collapsed utterly.

In his past life, this film had opened with 6 to 7 million; in this life, it was a total disaster.

Rumors spread that The Tai Ping Lun: Beyond had a 400 million yuan budget; after this news broke, investors lost confidence in Huayi again, and its market value gradually fell to 42.3 billion yuan.

From its peak of 79 billion yuan, its value had dropped nearly half in just about a week.

(End of Chapter)