Chapter 700: Counterattack

With the support of immense popularity and amidst a chorus of questioning voices, "Counterattack" landed in the summer release window on July 15th!

And this time, it was released globally and simultaneously.

Dozens of countries in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and the mainland were all screening it on the same day.

On this day, Seeing Jin Li had some free time and specifically headed to a nearby cinema.

However, she did not buy a ticket; even if she wanted to, she couldn't.

Ever since the buzz for "Counterattack" picked up, movie tickets for almost the entire week had sold out, even the midnight screenings that were usually the hardest to sell.

Many media outlets dubbed this phenomenon the "Seeing Jin Li Phenomenon."

As long as it was Seeing Jin Li's name, netizens were willing to pay unconditionally.

Almost no other film star could achieve the drawing power that Seeing Jin Li had; in the past, only directors could reach such heights.

But Seeing Jin Li appeared very innocent about this, feeling that the credit did not belong to her.

Perhaps it was because the media and the film and television industry were envious of her "Koi Luck," so they always liked to heap praise on her in their marketing and promotion.

After all, of the three trailers released for "Counterattack," only the first one belonged entirely to her.

But the response after the first one was released wasn't actually that great; it was the second one that brought it into the public eye, and the third one reached the point of exploding across the entire internet.

If one had to call it a phenomenon, it should be the "Gu Cheng's Glance-Back Smile Phenomenon."

But because this film featured Seeing Jin Li as the absolute lead, and although Gu Cheng was the male lead, his screen time was too little, so the media preferred to use Seeing Jin Li for promotion.

Regardless, this film had great buzz even before it was released.

Once it was released, it was unclear whether the buzz would grow even larger or turn sour.

Seeing Jin Li's trip to the cinema this time was not to watch the movie, but to observe the people watching the movie.

She wanted to see what kind of users were paying for this film.

She also wanted to see what kind of expressions the audience had when they walked out of the cinema after the film finished, and whether they could feel a powerful, uplifting force from this movie.

Inside the cinema.

Almost everyone had come for "Counterattack"; some who couldn't book tickets online wanted to buy them on the spot.

But they were all told that since the tickets were released online, all seats had already been sold out.

As for the first and second rows, which no one ever bought in the past, they were all gone too.

Some people couldn't help but ask: "Aren't there some seats with poor viewing angles? The cinema doesn't usually release tickets for those spots, but I'm willing to take them, please sell them to me!"

The cinema staff said very regretfully: "Even those tickets have all been sold out."

The staff added: "Some people were waiting there before the cinema even opened; it's said they were queuing since five in the morning, and the tickets were all snatched up by those people!"

The person asking was a young man, who said somewhat desperately upon hearing this:

"Oh my god, if I can't snatch a ticket for 'Counterattack,' my girlfriend is going to break up with me!"

Others looked over one after another, their expressions full of surprise.

No way, just for watching a movie, is it necessary to go as far as breaking up?

Besides, even if "Counterattack" hadn't done any marketing at the start, relying on the base of Seeing Jin Li and Gu Cheng's fans, once it hit the ticket booking platforms, the tickets for the first and second days were basically snatched up instantly.

Now, it goes without saying that "Counterattack" had already become a hit.

They were all worried they wouldn't be able to snatch tickets even after a week!

Forcing one's boyfriend to snatch tickets for the first day, isn't that making things difficult for someone?

An auntie said: "Child, could it be that this girl has long wanted to break up with you and just found this as an excuse?"

The young man said somewhat dejectedly: "No, she and I were elementary school classmates; by a stroke of luck, we both got into the same university and then started dating.

We are sophomores, and after she saw the trailer for 'Counterattack,' she was deeply moved by the spirit of struggle and hard work within it, feeling that one should study for the rise of China.

She told me that we are still young, at the age to strive to absorb knowledge, so to live up to our youth, we should put romance aside for now and talk about it after graduating from university."

Others:...

The auntie who spoke first said in a low voice: "If your girlfriend is really making a scene with you because of the movie 'Counterattack' and not for other reasons.

I originally wanted to give you the movie ticket my niece managed to snatch with great difficulty; after all, it's a pity to break up over such a small matter."

"But," the auntie's tone shifted, and she muttered: "Why do I feel your girlfriend is quite right? Let's take this ticket back; study hard first."

The young man was almost about to cry.

"Don't, auntie, my mom is dying for me to get married after I graduate from university; I don't want to break up with my girlfriend!"

In the end, this man did not get the movie ticket.

The onlookers felt that university romances were too much like child's play and often hard to sustain.

Whether it was the young man or the girlfriend he spoke of, there was a feeling of playing house.

But if both people studied hard, then there would be a chance to stay together after graduation.

The girl was right.

Youth is the time to strive!

Seeing Jin Li watched the whole thing from the sidelines, never expecting that just three trailers could influence people to such a degree.

A flash of thoughtfulness crossed her eyes; perhaps this film could achieve very good results.

When many people identify with this drama in their thinking, then the results of this drama would be hard to be poor.

The first round of screenings for "Counterattack" started in the afternoon; a small half of the people lingering left, while the majority remained at the front desk.

Seeing Jin Li sat alone, her head lowered, listening to several older people nearby chatting about this drama.

After arriving at the cinema, she discovered another unexpected surprise.

That was that the audience for "Counterattack" was far broader than she had imagined.

Although it was a youth campus movie, by using the slogans of "inspirational struggle" and "underachievers' counterattack," it instead attracted a group of older parents.

It was currently summer vacation, and the children of this group of parents were in elementary school, middle school, or high school.

Many children were either in cram schools or interest classes, so they couldn't spare the time to watch the movie.

Besides, these tickets were truly hard to snatch.

Even if they wanted to come over, they had to wait until tickets were more plentiful.

"My child has been pestering me to watch this drama, and even said her idols are Seeing Jin Li and Gu Cheng, so we must support it.

These two both got into Qingbei last year; I had heard their names last year, but I thought it was fake, just celebrities hyping themselves up.

This year, when my daughter said so, I went online to check 'Counterattack' and looked at the profiles of the two leads, only to find out it was all true!"

Another parent said: "Hey, what's there to doubt? Both of them posted their admission letters.

If it were fake, who would dare to post their admission letters? Qingbei would be the first to debunk it, and netizens wouldn't let them off either!"

Other parents also joined in, continuously praising Seeing Jin Li and Gu Cheng.

"How are these two so amazing? Being celebrities so well, and also being able to get into Qingbei in the college entrance exam; if only my child could be this amazing."

"I came here this time specifically to see how the movie was filmed.

I heard this movie has a romance arc; my child just started high school, and I don't want her to be influenced by the movie and run off to date.

I'll watch it first, and if I feel there's no problem, then I'll let her watch it."

"I'm different; I came specifically to see if the movie teaches any study methods, like Seeing Jin Li's exclusive secret.

If there really is one, I'll drag my whole family to watch it!"

Seeing Jin Li was left between laughter and tears listening from the side.

If it weren't for the fact that she had covered herself up tightly and couldn't reveal her identity.

Otherwise, she really wanted to say: "Auntie, you are really overthinking it!"

At the same moment, over in Hong Kong.

"Counterattack" was fully released in major cinemas today, and the people of Hong Kong also responded to this drama with enthusiasm; tickets for the first three days were all sold out!

The Hong Kong film circle had been declining more and more over these years; back and forth, only police and gangster films could carry the box office market.

And this type of film could also have a guaranteed result in the mainland.

This led to many Hong Kong film crews filming police and gangster movies, but because the frequency of production was too high, the audience was gradually saturated, and after watching too many, they lost interest.

So even very impressive police and gangster films began to become sluggish.

The Hong Kong film industry was also actively looking for a way out.

The introduction of Seeing Jin Li's "Counterattack" this time was partly due to the Chen family's matchmaking; the Chen family still had some connections in the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

Another reason was that this type of film was rare in the Hong Kong market.

The film industry introduced it also wanting to see if this film could take off in Hong Kong.

If the box office results were good, perhaps they could also try to support this type of drama.

Youth campus, they might not necessarily be able to film it well.

But inspirational struggle, that was absolutely no problem!

Hong Kong TV dramas had many workplace dramas that completely nailed "inspirational struggle."

But Director Xu's three trailers...

To be honest, when they were first released, the impact in Hong Kong wasn't very big.

The mainland had hot searches flying everywhere, while Hong Kong residents were busy making money and had no time to browse the internet.

But on the day "Counterattack" was released, this film still achieved unprecedented popularity.

This was because the Chen family used their connections to have some celebrities come to stand in support and watch!

So in Hong Kong, the reason the buzz for "Counterattack" could be hyped up was entirely driven by veteran celebrities.

The media reported on this one after another, which Match Match Match Match Match Made many Hong Kong citizens think this drama was very popular and had good word-of-mouth, so they walked into cinemas to watch it.

And after watching it, although this drama was somewhat different from what many imagined, everyone appreciated it from the bottom of their hearts, believing it to be an excellent work.

"Counterattack" vividly depicts the youth of these young boys and girls.

Their youth consists not only of books, but also of many friends and companions, reflections on self-growth, and the guidance of parents...

These small details, instead, allow this drama to break away from formulaic struggles and become truly radiant.

At the same moment.

In cinemas across dozens of countries in Southeast Asia.

At this time, the crowds are surging, all having come for this drama starring Seeing Jin Li.

Some people who didn't manage to grab a ticket would rather sneak in, stand in the aisles of the screening hall, and crowd together just to watch it.

It is estimated that even Seeing Jin Li and Chenxi Entertainment did not expect that Seeing Jin Li's influence abroad is actually enormous.

This is a foundation laid during her previous Pink Girls period.

Because she has become popular again, it has awakened some people's past memories, and through word of mouth, many in the younger generation have also come to know this star.

Added to the foundation laid by the global release of "Dawn" previously, the international praise and optimism for this drama have already given Seeing Jin Li the momentum to become a global superstar.

At the very least, in these Southeast Asian countries, Seeing Jin Li is highly recognized.

Since Seeing Jin Li can be recognized internationally, they feel that Seeing Jin Li is a big star.

In the cinema, sounds of conversation can be heard from time to time.

But the music is loud enough, so it doesn't matter if there is a lot of discussion.

"So that's what their classrooms are like; the things they use are all very clean, and Seeing Jin Li even gets to drink milk every day!"

"Do they have to read so many books every day? I'm so envious that the place is so spacious and bright!"

"If I could have such a good environment just by reading every day, I would definitely read myself to death! Is this actually heaven?"

"Who is this? I have a bit of an impression; he looks quite handsome."

On the first day of the global release of "Counterattack," every netizen who watched it gave it positive reviews online.

【Actually, I came for their romantic subplot, but after finishing it, I only feel that the director is very good at filming.

Clearly, the romantic line between the two is not obvious, but the director managed to capture that tiny bit of care between the young boy and girl; it is a very subtle sentiment.

The two don't have a mature romantic subplot, yet it was filmed with a very youthful feeling.

I think Gu Gu Zimo's willingness to help Jin Jin Xiaoli stems from their years of friendship as neighbors.

Even if his feelings for Jin Jin Xiaoli are average, if Jin Jin Xiaoli were willing to strive for success, Gu Gu Zimo would likewise offer help.】

【I also came for the romantic subplot; although it wasn't what I thought it would be after watching, it fits my fantasies about youth.】

【I came for the friendship subplot from the perspective of a passerby; when I watched the trailer, I felt the editing of this part was very funny.

Now that I've finished it, it's true. Director Xu is quite good at filming characters; under his lens, everyone has their own Most Most Shining points, without highlighting the concept of an "absolute protagonist," and he didn't let all the good things converge on the male and female leads.】

【When watching this movie, the theater next door was playing a tragedy. The two groups of audience members entered almost at the same time, with the two movies starting only 5 minutes apart.

So this led to the two groups of audience members leaving almost at the same time. Guess what happened?

After the movies ended, the audience from next door came out, every one of them crying with red eyes; some were even still sobbing, holding tissues in their hands.

But after the audience for "Counterattack" came out, everyone was laughing loudly, in high spirits, and even making appointments with friends for a second or third viewing.

Comparing the two scenes, I still find it very funny when I think about it now. That group of people who were stunned by crying looked at our group of laughing people, and they ended up crying even more sadly~】

Seeing Jin Li scrolled to this comment and couldn't help but be amused, feeling sorry for the audience watching the tragedy.

It is quite sad; it seems like the whole world is crying except for them, while everyone else is laughing~

The reviews after the first day of release were overwhelmingly positive!

"Counterattack" has handed in a satisfactory answer sheet to all the audience members who were looking forward to it!