Chapter 787: Recorded in the Annals of Science Fiction History

Inside the Cinema, the end credits began to appear on the big screen.

However, as a major production, one could see Earth moving between the credits against the black-and-white backdrop of The Wandering Earth.

This film had no post-credits scene, yet for some reason, the audience was convinced: "There will definitely be a sequel!"

Clearly, this was a very grand story.

Even at the end of the film, after Earth had successfully escaped the Earth-Jupiter crisis and all the Planetary Engines were starting up one after another, Huo Yuan thought to himself:

"Actually, at this very moment, the restart of every single engine could be a story."

Indeed, the restart of every engine represented the hard work of a group of people!

Moreover, this wandering plan, which would span 100 generations and last 2,500 years, clearly still had plenty of material left to film.

Just as some audience members were preparing to get up and leave, a burst of music suddenly rang out amidst the end credits.

It was the end-credits song for the film The Wandering Earth.

An end-credits song performed by Luo Mo.

This song had not been released in advance; it was titled—"The Brightest Star in the Night Sky"!

When the first line of Luo Mo's singing echoed through the Cinema, several audience members who had already stood up actually sat back down.

Huo Yuan was also full of interest in this song, and several literary giants remained seated to listen.

Of course, there was another reason they were in no rush to leave.

It was inconvenient for Cao Tong to follow the flow of the crowd; it was easier to push the wheelchair once everyone else had left.

But it must be said, this well-known song, which was highly popular on Earth, was an extremely perfect fit for the father-son Drama in The Wandering Earth.

"【The brightest star in the night sky,

Can you hear clearly,

The loneliness and sighs,

In the heart of the one looking up.】"

In the film, there had been several close-up shots of Liu Qi wearing a protective suit and helmet, looking up at the sky.

At the same time, the audience was deeply impressed by the Promise between the father and son, Liu Peiqiang and Liu Qi, regarding the 【stars】, and the subsequent event where Liu Peiqiang truly turned into a star.

A child whose father left to carry out a mission when he was only four years old—paired with these opening lyrics, how could it not be a perfect fit?

Luo Mo's singing continued to flow through the cinema:

"【The brightest star in the night sky, can you remember,

The figure that once walked with me, disappearing into the wind.】"

The audience couldn't help but recall Liu Qi saying that he had already started to forget what Liu Peiqiang looked like.

To him, this father who should have walked with him and accompanied his growth had disappeared without a trace 17 years ago.

And when it came to the chorus of the song, there was one line Huo Yuan particularly liked.

"【Give me the courage to believe again, to cross the lies and Embrace you.】" He pondered this line in his heart and felt it was written exceptionally well.

Weren't Liu Peiqiang's words always a deception to Liu Qi?

He said that when he saw Jupiter, he would return.

He said that as long as one looked up, one could see the stars.

Cao Tong, on the other hand, liked the part following the climax of the chorus.

"【Whenever I cannot find the meaning of existence,

Whenever I am lost in the dark night,

The brightest star in the night sky,

Please guide me to draw near to you.】"

He felt that Liu Peiqiang finally turning into the brightest star in the night sky actually allowed Liu Qi to achieve growth in the end.

Ultimately, he became a Junior Pilot and also began to contribute his own share to the 【Wandering Earth Project】.

—After growing up, I began to understand you, draw near to you, and even slowly... become you.

And as the song reached the B-section, it became even more in sync with the film.

"【The brightest star in the night sky, do you care,

Whether we wait for the sun to rise, or for the accident to arrive first.】"

Look, it even mentioned the sun and accidents.

After listening to the song to the end, the group of literary giants had a nearly unified understanding in their hearts.

"This star, Liu Peiqiang, actually only existed in the universe for a fleeting moment."

"However, this brightest star in the night sky will continue to exist in Liu Qi's heart and guide the direction of his future."

It was not until the song finished playing that many audience members stood up to leave.

As they left, they were all chatting about the film's Drama and Luo Mo's song.

"Damn, that's the best domestic Science Fiction I've ever seen!"

"The special effects were so good! The background music was great too!"

"Liu Peiqiang said: 3, 2, 1, look up. I really want to cry."

"It was very moving; it felt different from the Science Fiction films I usually watch."

"This last song was great; Luo Mo is really an Ox at writing songs!"

"Yeah, I'll search for it later; I want to download it!"

"The Brightest Star in the Night Sky" was a song that was quite catchy upon the first listen.

Interestingly, the original artist of this song on Earth was called—【Escape Plan】.

It couldn't be a better match for The Wandering Earth; it could be considered a very wonderful kind of fate.

…….

…….

On the way to drive Cao Tong home, Huo Yuan and the others were still discussing the movie in the car.

Yao Yu remarked, "I feel the movie's story background is very grand; it could absolutely be written into a science fiction novel of several hundred thousand words."

"One can feel Luo Mo's sincerity and ambition," he concluded.

Cao Tong, as someone who doesn't like watching science fiction films, even stated, "It was filmed very well, completely different from Hollywood science fiction films."

"Yes, in many places there is a very obvious anti-individual heroism," Huo Yuan nodded.

On Earth, most of the audience watched The Wandering Earth, which was the theatrical version in cinemas.

Luo Mo, on the basis of the Leap Special Edition which added a portion of the drama, also carried out a certain degree of modification, changing some of the small details that audiences found most repulsive and awkward.

There was more foreshadowing, and it also gave many characters more flesh and blood.

In the eyes of several literary giants, this movie was at least worthy of the label "Chinese Sci-Fi Blockbuster."

As a work that opened the door to Huaxia science fiction, as an opening work, it was absolutely qualified!

After the several literary giants returned home, they all tacitly sat in their studies, wanting to write a few words for The Wandering Earth.

This scene was very much like how they looked after finishing Let the Bullets Fly back then.

It is imaginable what a great sensation it would cause when they write down their reviews together!

Nowadays, as long as you open the major online platforms, you can always see news related to The Wandering Earth.

One reason is that the large-scale promotion of the film is still ongoing.

As mentioned before, many high-investment blockbusters will still invest high promotion fees and maintenance fees after release; some movies even spend over 100 million in this regard.

Another reason is Luo Mo's personal influence and box office appeal.

Of course, the turmoil caused by Doomsday Apostle also played a certain role in this.

Many viewers who have infinite trust in Luo Mo do not care at all what type of film he is making.

"So what if Huaxia didn't have excellent science fiction blockbusters before?"

"There weren't such explosive realistic-themed works before, nor were there such explosive animation films!"

"Just because there wasn't before doesn't mean Luo Mo can't film it!"

"Just watch it, that's all!"

The famous director effect can still play a role at this time.

It's just that, in fact, many people came with the mindset of watching special effects at the beginning.

Everyone's expectation was to see how great the special effects would be for a domestic science fiction film with a production cost as high as 700 million!

Previously, Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child, directed by Luo Mo, as a big animation film, had special effects done very impressively!

And don't forget, this is Luo Mo's first time serving as the male lead!

As for the final result, it is that many viewers who came purely for the special effects felt it was worth more than the price!

"Very shocking, extremely shocking!"

"This kind of Huaxia-style science fiction is the first time I've seen it."

"Honestly, it definitely has its own merits and definitely has obvious shortcomings, but one can tell that Luo Mo is insisting on making science fiction unique to our Huaxia."

The Weibo Hot Search list was directly occupied by The Wandering Earth.

On Doule, everyone could also frequently swipe to see videos related to it.

The pre-sale box office for this movie broke 100 million, which is an unimaginable number for other people's movies, but for Luo Mo's new film, it is just a routine operation.

Everyone now wants to know what the final first-day box office of The Wandering Earth will be!

In fact, those most concerned about The Wandering Earth are not the ordinary audience, but the insiders of the entertainment industry.

Stars are paying close attention, and the capital giants in the circle are also paying close attention.

There is no way around it; Luo Mo is now the industry leader, the pathfinder, and the trendsetter.

Every time he has a big move, there will be a large group of people watching from the sidelines.

If he flops, we applaud.

If he becomes a hit, we—blindly follow the trend!

It's fine, it's fine; we don't mind Luo Mo's leftovers, hurry and let me have a sip of the soup!

Some companies in the circle, if they happen to have a sum of capital and don't know what to prepare to film, can completely choose—to see what Luo Mo is doing recently.

Some who are more adventurous won't even wait for Luo Mo's new film to be released.

As soon as he announces the start of filming, we will go and follow the trend to film the same type of work, striving to drink the first mouthful of hot soup!

Such people's trust in Luo Mo might be even more fanatical than the fans.

After all, they are staking their own net worth to follow the trend. This is all real money spent.

But this time, it is slightly different.

The reason is simple: of all the types Luo Mo could pick, he just had to pick science fiction!

"Huaxia has no science fiction"—this is not what everyone is most worried about.

Are there few miracles created by Luo Mo?

What everyone is most troubled by is that science fiction films are often relatively expensive, with costs that are too high.

Once the amount is large, people tend to hesitate.

Many people who would have swarmed in now have to consider it carefully.

Therefore, many insiders are truly concerned about the box office of The Wandering Earth.

Luo Mo himself might check the data every hour or two, while they are holding their phones and constantly refreshing, refreshing!

Of course, besides these domestic insiders, many foreign insiders are also very concerned about the box office data of The Wandering Earth.

Quite a few foreign media outlets are also very curious.

There's no helping it; when Luo Mo comes abroad to hold concerts, those few songs are all too explosive.

Like "Natural" and "We Will Rock You," they are still hanging at the top of the charts even now.

With such a big stir, the attention received is naturally high.

Many people want to see, in terms of box office, which one is higher and which one is lower between "Doomsday Apostle 2" and "The Wandering Earth."

Of course, we won't bully anyone.

We will take the North American box office of "Doomsday Apostle 2" and compare it with the Huaxia box office of your "The Wandering Earth."

As of now, "The Wandering Earth" has only been released in Huaxia and has not been released simultaneously in any other country abroad.

If we compare the global box office with your Huaxia box office, if that isn't bullying, then what is?

In reality, all day today, the director of "Doomsday Apostle 2," Jeffrey, appeared calm and composed while conducting routine promotion for the film, but behind the scenes, he was desperately trying to find out information about "The Wandering Earth."

He might have been in front of the camera promoting his own film just minutes ago, and a few minutes after the event ended, he would run to the restroom alone to start checking the real-time box office of "The Wandering Earth."

Jeffrey checked the box office of "The Wandering Earth" a full 7 times more today than he checked the box office of "Doomsday Apostle 2."

As for Luo Mo himself, he is actually quite confident in the box office.

Honestly, this thing called movie box office is not just linked to the number of viewers, but also to ticket prices.

As mentioned before, Luo Mo would never forcibly turn a movie into 3D just to make money.

Many movies that didn't need to be 3D in the first place, in order to have higher ticket prices, hide behind the guise of 3D when they actually have basically no 3D effects, yet they sell at higher ticket prices.

Luo Mo disdains such petty tricks.

Looking back at the series of films he directed himself, like "Dying to Survive," "Sheep Without a Shepherd," and "Let the Bullets Fly," there was indeed no need for it.

If one had to do it for these three films, only "Let the Bullets Fly" could have been done.

But "The Wandering Earth" is different.

This movie definitely has to be 3D!

And Luo Mo put a lot of effort into this aspect.

Otherwise, this movie wouldn't have been finished so early yet released so late, with several new films overtaking it and being released before it!

At the same time, the Blue Star version of "The Wandering Earth" is a tiny bit longer than the "Leap Special Edition" on Earth.

The total duration exceeds two hours and twenty minutes.

Movie duration is also one of the standards for setting ticket prices.

In summary, the tickets for this movie will be the highest-priced among all the live-action films directed by Luo Mo.

Of course, Luo Mo is still the same as always, pricing everything reasonably.

He won't be like some film distributors who raise ticket prices by 5-10 yuan during the Shuji Dang and Spring Festival periods.

However, even so, based on the increase in ticket prices, this means that even if the number of viewers is the same, the total box office of "The Wandering Earth" will still be higher than Luo Mo's other films.

"Even if many people are still on the fence because it's a Science Fiction film, the opening day box office definitely won't be low," Luo Mo thought to himself.

As of midnight, the data is starting to be tallied.

The opening day box office for "The Wandering Earth" is—278 million!

The Shuji Dang is different from the explosive Spring Festival period, so this number is already very terrifying.

And if this is the box office data for a Science Fiction film, then it is even more terrifying!

Huaxia audiences have immense distrust toward domestic Science Fiction films; from this, one can see how terrifying Luo Mo's Box Office Appeal is.

You have to know, on Earth, "The Wandering Earth" was released during the Spring Festival, and the main promotional figure was still Wu Jing; the final opening day box office was 191 million, which was not particularly eye-catching among the films of the same period during the Spring Festival.

It was only later, as word-of-mouth fermented, that many viewers who were unwilling to go to the cinema to watch domestic Science Fiction films flocked to the theaters, and the box office began to skyrocket.

The 278 million opening day box office of "The Wandering Earth" is definitely something that can be recorded in the history of Huaxia Science Fiction films.

Didn't the director of "Doomsday Apostle 2" say to the media: "Huaxia's Science Fiction is particularly poor; the door to Science Fiction in this country weighs at least 1000 kilograms."

Luo Mo: You say this door weighs a thousand kilograms?

—Laozi will kick it open!

Conversely, for "Doomsday Apostle 2," the global opening day box office data is just over 47 million USD, which is a little over 300 million in Huaxia currency.

However, the North American box office accounts for 53%, which means that when converted, the North American box office is no more than 160 million in Huaxia currency.

That's a full 100 million higher than yours!

And Luo Mo's goal has never been the North American box office of "Doomsday Apostle 2," never!

"I want to keep my eyes on its global box office."

Yes, my opening day box office data is indeed lower than your global opening day data right now, but, hasn't this just begun?

Luo Mo is not in a hurry.

On Jeffrey's side, he is waiting for "Doomsday Apostle 2" to be released in some countries where it hasn't been released simultaneously.

On Luo Mo's side, he is waiting for the viewers who are still on the fence to enter the cinema because of word-of-mouth.

You, released globally except for Huaxia.

I, currently only released in Huaxia.

But, so what?

If we're going to play, let's play big!

—I will fight the world with one country!

(PS: Asking for monthly votes at the end of the month.

Just saw the news, Qian'er was sentenced to 13 years; the entertainment industry in reality is indeed fiercer than in novels. As an entertainment author, I feel a bit ashamed; with my creative ability, I couldn't even imagine such a plot to write about before. I even feel that he single-handedly pioneered a brand-new trope for future entertainment-themed novels.)

(End of chapter)