Chapter 195: Crazy Stone

Hot Recommendations:

February 11, 2005, the third day of the Lunar New Year.

"Crazy Stone" officially hits theaters.

This year's Spring Festival film market is a bit special:

The New Year films had barely been showing a few days when the sixth day coincided with Valentine's Day.

Two golden slots colliding together has many new films scrambling for this prime release window.

Among the films released during the Spring Festival period are New Year slot entries "Seoul Raiders," "Himalaya Singh," "The Incredibles," and others.

There are also films tailor-made for Valentine's Day: "Valentine's Day," "Beauty Remains," "Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies," "Net-Caught Love."

After the Spring Festival, most regions across the country have been hit by rain and snow, causing a sharp drop in the number of viewers heading out to the cinema.

It is estimated that the rain and snow blew away at least 20% or more of the Spring Festival box office.

However, because the films released during the Spring Festival period are superior to last year's in both quantity and quality,

the total box office still saw growth.

Xu Cainv's self-directed, self-starring "A Letter from an Unknown Woman" withdrew from the "battle" before it even began.

It shows how fierce this year's Spring Festival slot competition is. The good news is that big-budget films like the pre-New Year "A World Without Thieves" and "Kung Fu" have already worn out the market and even been pulled from theaters.

This has given films released after the Spring Festival a chance to catch their breath.

And in response to this year's extreme weather, people who don't want to go out to the movies—

every major distribution company is pulling out all the stops to lure audiences.

Riding the Valentine's Day wave, "Beauty Remains" gained a slight box office edge with its "free underwear with movie ticket" gimmick.

These quirky marketing strategies are actually very popular.

Last year, when "Baober in Love" was released, businesses launched a "free condoms with movie ticket" promotion.

Yes, that's the film directed by Li Shaohong, starring Young Master Zhou and Chen Kun.

And this Valentine's Day, nearly every film came with a small freebie.

The subtle ones, for instance, give away love knots ("Valentine's Day").

The ordinary ones give flowers, chocolates, and grab endless attention—"Beauty Remains" packages black thong underwear into candy shapes.

Both practical and fitting the occasion, it is quite popular among young viewers...

"I want to see 'Seoul Raiders'! I want to see Xiao Qige and Shu Qi!"

"Give me two tickets for 'Seoul Raiders'!"

"I want three tickets for 'Crazy Stone'."

"Cheng Chen's new movie—come on, let's go check it out!"

"Seoul Raiders" and "Crazy Stone" hit theaters on the same day.

The former is an action film starring Tony Leung, Xiao Qige, and Shu Qi.

Director Ma Chucheng carried over the action style from his previous film,

"Tokyo Raiders," released in 2000.

The setting, meanwhile, shifted from Tokyo to the cold, beauty-filled nation of Korea.

Judging from the trailers already released, the visuals are more polished than "Tokyo Raiders."

Action choreography and stunts have been amped up—very watchable.

And this film is also being called a dark horse among post-New Year releases.

After all, it has Best Actor Tony Leung and sexy beauty Shu Qi.

Not to mention the director's previous "Tokyo Raiders" had already accumulated quite a fan base.

They have high expectations for this "Seoul Raiders."

But although that film is strong, Cheng Chen couldn't withstand the intensive promotion he'd been doing on and off for nearly three months.

On top of that, Cheng Chen had just come off the Spring Festival Gala, already carrying strong buzz.

So when his film "Crazy Stone" hit theaters, it still drew plenty of eyes and triggered a viewing craze.

And this viewing craze reached its peak in Cheng Chen's old hometown of Yangcheng in northern Anhui.

"Returning home for the New Year, supporting a fellow townsman's film."

"Fellow townsmen meet fellow townsmen, tears well up in both eyes—'Crazy Stone' keeps you company through the New Year."

"For New Year movies, watch Heavenly King and fellow townsman Cheng Chen's 'Crazy Stone.'"

On the streets of Yang City, you can spot cinema ads on community gate barriers and billboard slots just about everywhere.

Have to say, these theater marketing folks are geniuses.

The cinemas in Yang City are packed, and the first thing people say is:

"I'm here for Cheng Chen's movie."

The ticket seller asks:

"'Crazy Stone'?"

"I dunno what it's called, but it's my fellow townsman's film—gotta support it!"

Cheng Chen's fame across all of Yang City is plain to see from the release of "Crazy Stone."

……

Jingcheng, Time Cinema.

When the first screening of "Crazy Stone" ended and the audience was about to leave their seats,

Cheng Chen walked up to the front of the hall low-key with director Ning Hao and lead actor Huang Bo.

"It's Cheng Chen!"

"It's really Cheng Chen!"

"Aaaah, isn't that Hei Pi standing next to him? Hahaha, I just can't help laughing when I see him!"

"Big boss, aaaaaah!"

Under the crowd control of the staff, Cheng Chen took the microphone and said:

"This is our first theater roadshow—do you think the movie is good?"

"It's great!"

The audience shouted loudly.

"Good to hear! Thank you for supporting 'Crazy Stone,' and thank you for supporting us.

This is the director of 'Crazy Stone,' Ning Hao!"

"Director, you're so talented!"

"Director, I love you! The plot was amazing—I laughed until I cried!"

"I haven't seen a movie in years that made me laugh until tears came out!"

Hearing the audience's cheers, Ning Hao's face flushed red, and he suddenly became confident.

Cheng Chen took the microphone and said:

"Just now backstage, Director Ning was actually very nervous—I'll be honest, I was nervous too.

But when we heard you laughing heartily, we suddenly felt much more relaxed.

This is a comedy film. We were pure and simple—we just wanted you to laugh heartily during the Spring Festival.

We wanted you to end last year's hard work and enjoy yourselves in the cinema with friends and family.

'Crazy Stone' is our Spring Festival gift, our New Year's present to you."

"Well said!"

"The movie is great, and the director is awesome!"

"I'm in love with this film—I'm planning to watch it again!"

Looking at the audience's smiling faces, Cheng Chen continued:

"This is Huang Bo. I'm sure you've already seen his performance in the movie.

He's a humble yet incredibly talented actor. Please like him, and please like our movie.

If you like 'Crazy Stone,' I hope you'll recommend it to your friends. Thank you…"

…

Cheng Chen went on roadshows at major theaters in Jingcheng, and the things he said were posted online.

As 'Crazy Stone' was released, many people on Weibo posted photos of their movie tickets and Cheng Chen's roadshow appearances.

"Honestly, this is what a comedy should be—I kept laughing like an idiot!"

"No dull moments at all—I never expected the director to be this talented!"

"Did you notice? In the screenwriter credits for 'Crazy Stone,' it says Cheng Chen and Ning Hao."

"The only regret is that Cheng Chen isn't the lead—but his portrayal of the international thief was hilarious, totally awesome, hahaha~"

"Cheng Chen is truly amazing—he has an eye for talent!"

"Before, when Director Ning Hao went to Tokyo to receive an award, he didn't have enough money for travel and almost gave up the trip."

"But when Cheng Chen found out, he funded their Tokyo trip just so a great film wouldn't be buried."

"Honestly, when I heard Director Ning say that, I was deeply moved."

"People like Cheng Chen, who truly cherish talent, are rare! Ning Hao didn't let Cheng Chen down."

"Although 'Crazy Stone' had a small budget, its plot and comedic timing are truly excellent!"

Discussions about Cheng Chen and 'Crazy Stone' continued online, and even the film's behind-the-scenes story was dug up.

This topic was pushed by netizens to the top of the trending list.

Meanwhile, Cheng Chen's friends were also actively promoting him on Weibo.

When audiences saw the glowing reviews from those who had already watched the movie,

and saw celebrities actively promoting it, they went to the cinema out of curiosity.

On its first day of screening, 'Crazy Stone' earned 3.2 million yuan, becoming the second-highest-grossing film of that period.

The top film was 'Seoul Raiders,' starring Liang Chaowei, with 3.8 million yuan.

On its opening day, 'Seoul Raiders' sparked huge crowds in Modu, Jingcheng, Guangzhou, and other cities.

Reports of success poured in from all over—in one Guangzhou theater, it broke 40,000 yuan in box office revenue in a single day.

The theater was sold out for every screening that day, and audiences gave the film overwhelmingly high praise.

Many believed this film could rival 'A World Without Thieves,'

and after seeing its set designs and action sequences, they felt it was even more thrilling than the original 'Tokyo Raiders.'

Yeah, the number one spot was well-deserved—after all, it had the Best Actor on board.

It's no surprise that 'Seoul Raiders' achieved this result—it's a veteran director plus a big-name star.

And with its release timed for the crucial Spring Festival and Valentine's Day, such success was only natural.

But what shocked everyone was that Cheng Chen's 'Crazy Stone' had taken second place in box office earnings.

Remember, 'Seoul Raiders' spent over 15 million yuan on production alone, while 'Crazy Stone'? Only five or six million!

With such a 10-million-yuan gap in budget, why was the opening-day box office difference only 500,000 yuan?

Just from this point, 'Seoul Raiders' had already lost.

Some film critics even pointed out that 'Crazy Stone' had siphoned off part of 'Seoul Raiders' box office.

Without competition from 'Crazy Stone,' 'Seoul Raiders' would have earned even more.

Too bad there's no "what if."

The opening-day performance of "Crazy Stone" was impressive; it nearly recouped its costs on the very first day of release.

Ning Hao's suspended heart finally settled, and Huang Bo had already called his family in ecstatic delight to share the news.

The media ran rampant with coverage, and as reports multiplied, more and more people flooded into theaters.

They wanted to see if "Crazy Stone" was really as amazing as the media claimed.

Meanwhile, Cheng Chen began taking Ning Hao and Huang Bo on a nationwide promotional tour…

Yangcheng, downtown cinema.

The old saying goes: if you achieve glory but don't return home, it's like wearing brocade in the dark.

Cheng Chen's purpose in returning this time was both to promote the film and to express his gratitude.

"Thank you to everyone back home for your support—I'm Cheng Chen, from Nan County. Thank you, fellow townspeople, for backing me."

Onstage, Cheng Chen wore a down jacket and greeted the theater audience in the Yang City dialect.

The dialect of northern Anhui wasn't as hard to understand as southern Anhui's; his speech leaned closer to Yu Sheng and Mandarin, sounding rustic.

Yet this speech greatly increased the Yang City residents' fondness for Cheng Chen.

"Everyone knows 'Crazy Stone' earned second place nationally on its opening day—that was beyond anything I imagined.

But when I returned to Yang City, I suddenly understood: our strong opening-day results wouldn't have been possible without hometown support.

Especially those billboards and gate barriers in residential areas—though blunt, they truly moved me.

As far as I know, this very cinema alone earned fifty thousand yuan on its first day!"

Cheng Chen said this emotionally, standing before the big screen.

Yang City is a major labor-exporting city, with vast numbers of workers leaving annually to find employment.

In 2005, earning fifty thousand yuan in box office revenue for a single film in one cinema was no small feat for Yang City.

Cheng Chen was born and raised here, so he naturally understood his hometown's hardships.

Thus, when he saw the numbers, he was deeply moved.

"Of course we support you—you're our Yang City superstar, hahaha."

"Cheng Chen, after this, I'm treating you to gelatiao!"

"You're our Yang City's pride!"

Hearing Cheng Chen's words, the audience below erupted in excited shouts.

Cheng Chen smiled and said:

"I love gelatiao too—I haven't had authentic gelatiao since I came to Jingcheng."

"Hahaha, come to my place—I've got plenty! I run a gelatiao business!"

The promotional event lasted over an hour; after it ended, Cheng Chen took Ning Hao and Huang Bo straight back to his hometown, Nan County.

Meanwhile, online discussions erupted about Cheng Chen's hometown promotional tour.

"My god, my idol—when Cheng Chen opened his mouth in his native dialect, his idol filter shattered everywhere!"

"Cheng Chen's got looks—if only he didn't talk, hahaha!"

"Hey, didn't anyone notice the guy mentioned gelatiao? What the heck is gelatiao? Is it sold in Modu?"

"Up there, gelatiao is a specialty food of Yang City—extremely popular locally.

You can find it on every street corner; in Yang City, 'stir' is dialectically called 'ge la.'

Since you mix all the ingredients and seasonings evenly when eating it, it's called gelatiao."

"Come on, you just described Beijing's zhajiangmian—zhajiangmian is definitely the best noodle dish!"

"Bullshit, zhajiangmian means nothing—Shaanxi Province is the true king of noodles!"

"Wait, aren't you guys off-topic? We were supposed to be discussing… discussing what again?"

Cheng Chen wasn't interested in the netizens' debates—everyone has their own preferences anyway.

But noteworthy is that Cheng Chen later learned that several days after his Yang City tour, gelatiao surged in popularity again.

All because of his line: "I also love gelatiao…"

Back in Nan County, Cheng Chen bought a pile of gifts, determined to avoid returning home on his father's tricycle like last time.

He bought a sedan in Yang City—not a BBA, though.

After all, this car was only meant as local transportation; when he left, he'd leave it for his family to use.

…