Chapter 389: The New Three Kingdoms: A Massive Hit, Yan Boss

After the plot of "The New Three Kingdoms" entered its middle phase, ratings no longer rose as rapidly as in the early stage, but remained steadily above an average of 2.

Coupled with four-network simulcast and promotion by platforms like Tudou, it dominated from January through February, and even after the finale aired in March, it still carried considerable residual momentum.

The most direct impact was that the Three Kingdoms became a hot topic of the moment.

During the peak of "The New Three Kingdoms," its Weibo topic tags easily surpassed 100 million views, accumulating 134 trending topics, with at least four related trending topics consistently appearing on the list daily, and promotional campaign votes exceeding one million.

Tudou’s single-platform viewership broke its own record, with daily search volumes surpassing two million and holding the top spot for six consecutive weeks among trending dramas.

This subsequently caused Tudou’s daily active users and traffic to surpass Youku again, after a gap of about half a year.

In addition, according to statistics from online and offline platforms such as Taobao, Dangdang, and Xinhua Bookstore, sales of books related to the Three Kingdoms increased noticeably.

On web novel sites like Qidian and Zongheng, new Three Kingdoms-themed novels became major hits.

Notably, because Yan Li’s portrayal of Lu Bu was exceptionally outstanding, Lu Bu became a new protagonist or major supporting character in Three Kingdoms web novels, with his popularity greatly enhanced.

Of course, other characters in "The New Three Kingdoms" with significant screen time and standout moments—such as Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Jia Xu, Cao Pi, and Sima Yi—also gained popularity to varying degrees.

"Baijia Jiangtan"’s analysis of the Three Kingdoms was rebroadcast and on-demand across multiple TV channels and video platforms.

Moreover, netizens unleashed their creativity: some critiqued "The New Three Kingdoms," pointing out continuity errors, costume or plot inaccuracies, and historical mistakes; others created derivative works—analyzing, editing, parodying, or meme-ing the main cast and plot.

Yi An did not stop them; in fact, it encouraged and supported netizens.

A drama’s ability to maintain long-term influence depends heavily on derivative creations.

According to future intelligence, "The New Three Kingdoms" becoming the most popular among the new Four Great Classical Novels would not have been possible without all the meme culture.

Thus, although some derivative works may have negative effects, they greatly aid the work’s dissemination and enhance its influence—overall, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

Moreover, the dominant platforms for such derivative works are Weibo and Tudou—both platforms hold the official online broadcasting rights and are officially authorized by the production team for promotion.

In other words, most of the traffic generated by "The New Three Kingdoms" derivatives flows within Yan Li’s own industry—left hand to right hand—and he welcomes it wholeheartedly.

The immense influence of "The New Three Kingdoms" also spurred numerous commercial marketing efforts.

The categories that benefited most were electric vehicles, automobiles, and alcohol, all of which rode the wave of popularity to varying degrees.

Yade was particularly successful: they invited Hu Jun as their spokesperson and gave him a red electric vehicle, subtly hinting at Guan Yu and Chi Tu.

In truth, brands most wanted to sign Yan Li as Lu Bu, but he was unattainable, so they settled for Guan Yu instead—and reportedly, the results were still quite good.

From these figures and real-world impacts, it is clear that "The New Three Kingdoms" can unquestionably be called a massive hit.

Whether it surpasses "The Hidden Hand" and "Chuang Guan Dong" from the past two years is uncertain, but in the first few months of 2010, it had no rivals.

Moreover, like other blockbuster dramas, "The New Three Kingdoms" launched a host of actors into stardom.

Many actors rose to fame because of "The New Three Kingdoms," but the undisputed biggest winner was Yu Hewei.

This actor, who before was barely considered second-tier, became a massive star overnight thanks to his role as Cao Cao.

Although his Cao Cao, like most characters in "The New Three Kingdoms," faced some criticism and controversy, overall, the reception was largely positive.

Audiences believed his portrayal of Cao Cao overturned the traditional image of the treacherous villain, instead crafting a new charismatic, cunning, and emotionally nuanced warlord: the Wei Wu Di.

Especially in key plotlines such as "Green Plums and Wine," "The Sash Edict," "Battle of Guandu," "Battle of Chibi," "Bronze Sparrow Terrace," and the succession struggle among Cao’s sons, he delivered exceptionally powerful performances.

Before "The New Three Kingdoms," Yu Hewei’s fee was a few thousand yuan per episode, slightly higher if he had fewer roles.

During the filming of "The New Three Kingdoms," the production team offered a lump-sum payment: Yu Hewei received one million yuan, averaging less than 20,000 yuan per episode.

After "The New Three Kingdoms," Yu Hewei’s fee skyrocketed; his current minimum rate is 100,000 yuan per episode.

Given his current high demand, unless it’s a blockbuster drama, it’s unlikely he’ll accept a role for less than 150,000 yuan per episode.

In the entertainment industry, one moment of fame brings universal recognition and dual rewards of fame and fortune—this is exactly how it works.

Similar to Yu Hewei is Xin Baiqing, who portrayed Liu Bei; his Liu Bei also received widespread praise. Though not as dazzling as Yu’s, he too became a star, reportedly receiving constant offers and a soaring salary.

Other actors, especially those who were not previously well-known, all benefited to some extent, and for some, it directly transformed their careers and entire lives.

For example, Yue Qi, who portrayed Zhang Fei, was originally a Peking opera performer, earning a fixed salary with only occasional performance subsidies—his income was extremely limited.

After "The New Three Kingdoms" became a hit, he became a sought-after actor for roles of fierce, brute-type characters, rose to a leading role within his troupe, and saw his treatment and income soar dramatically.

Also notable is Zhang Songwen, who portrayed Sima Yi.

As Yan Li’s old classmate and a well-known supporting actor at Yi An, he had played many roles and held some fame, but few had broken out beyond niche circles.

In this production, his portrayal of Sima Yi was repressed, sinister, and calculating.

From a transparent figure in Cao Wei, to Cao Pi’s right-hand man, and finally the ultimate victor of the Three Kingdoms, he became the drama’s most prominent villain and successfully reaped a wave of popularity, greatly boosting his fame.

Beyond these actors, Yi An reaped enormous profits.

Before this, the initial rights-based earnings of "The New Three Kingdoms" had already exceeded 100 million yuan; after its explosive popularity, the profits surged wildly.

As of now, the projected earnings for "The New Three Kingdoms" have reached 350 million yuan; after deducting costs under 140 million yuan, the profit exceeds 200 million yuan.

Moreover, this figure continues to rise, and it remains highly likely the entire project will reach a total revenue of 400 million yuan and a pre-tax profit of 250 million yuan.

This return is, without doubt, the most profitable television drama in Yi An’s history—and the most profitable single film or television project ever undertaken by the company.

Whether "The Message," "Crazy Stone," or "October 1," none of these projects’ direct earnings come close to "The New Three Kingdoms."

After all, for a 300-million-yuan box office, the producer typically receives only about one-third, and even with other revenue streams, it’s hard to double that—after subtracting substantial costs, the actual profit often falls short of that of some television dramas.

"The New Three Kingdoms" is poised to achieve a 250-million-yuan profit; even after distributing dividends to some co-producers, what remains will leave Yi An thoroughly satisfied.

Not only for Yi An, but across the entire Chinese-language film and television market, the income and profit of "The New Three Kingdoms" rank among the highest—in the television sector, it is utterly unmatched.

At the critical juncture before Yi An’s IPO, "The New Three Kingdoms" has provided a solid, powerful boost.

Yan Li personally hosted the "The New Three Kingdoms" victory celebration at the Grand Hyatt in Beijing, also serving as the final internal rallying event for Yi An’s IPO.

The date for Yi An’s IPO has been firmly set: April 20, 2010.

…

Beijing, Grand Hyatt Hotel

Considering the imminent IPO, Yan Li preferred discretion and wished to avoid unnecessary turbulence; thus, this celebration included only key personnel from "The New Three Kingdoms" and was primarily limited to Yi An’s internal staff, with no media invited.

Yet while Yi An intended to remain low-key, too many eyes were watching.

Yi An was at the peak of its fame; everyone wanted to network or bask in its financial radiance—people brought friends, who brought others, and many “uninvited guests” slipped in.

“Miss Wang.”

Bai Bing waved to Wang Ou, who was speaking with a senior Yi An executive; upon seeing him, she walked over.

“What are you doing here?”