888 A Shocking Box Office Success

Exactly!

The audience nodded their heads in unison as a reporter asked the last question of the day.

"As an international star, you must have read a lot of outstanding scripts, both domestically and overseas. Can we know what your expectations for the film are?"

"Nowadays, everyone is trying to shoot a commercial film in the right way. That's what the situation is like. In my opinion, this film will be a successful commercial film. It has all the elements of a good commercial film, and the plot is exciting enough."

"It's an educational indie film, as well as a feast for the eyes. It has outstanding martial arts scenes, bright colors and a profound connotation. It's perfect for this era."

"Your film 'Crazy Stone' earned a lot of money despite its limited budget. What are your expectations for a great investment like this?"

"Hey! No more questions!"

"This is the last one!"

At first, Qin Guan didn't want to answer, but the audience urged him, so he had to say something.

"There are different ways to shoot films with different budgets. You can focus on the plot or hire superstars and build splendid props. A hundred flowers in bloom mean that spring is here. Only a variety of films can satisfy the Chinese audience."

Everyone was satisfied. Suddenly, pots of artificial flowers were carried onto the stage. All the distinguished guests were surrounded by chrysanthemums.

"Let's take a group photo with the most important props of the film."

"In memory of the premiere!"

"The audience members can draw lots on our website with their stubs. Ten lucky fans will get a copy of the group photo with all the actors' signatures."

Everyone was wild with joy.

The actors on the stage stood around Director Zhang and smiled happily amid a cluster of golden flowers. The picture symbolized the film's success. 

Not long afterwards, the film started. Most of the audience was impressed by the splendid scenes and the grand fight, which had required thousands of extras to film. After watching "The Promise" earlier, people were more tolerant than they had been before. At least this grand spectacle could satisfy them after a day of hard work.

When the film came to an end, the curtain was lifted again and the lights were turned on. All the actors were applauded by the audience. This was the proper etiquette for a premiere after all. The hard-working director and actors deserved their respect.

The film's small flaws were ignored by the good-tempered audience. Some of the fans hadn't focused on the film itself though. They had only paid attention to Qin Guan's character.

"He is so handsome..."

"If I was a maid, Jiang Wan would never get in bed alone."

"Yes. His smile was so beautiful!"

"I think I could have his baby just by looking at his smile."

"Wow! Gong Li didn't even kiss him."

"What a pity!"

Everyone was too distracted to notice Chow's terrible acting skills, which was great.

After the crew had travelled around half the country, the box office results finally came out, stunning everyone.

Opening Day: 15 million yuan

First Week: 103 million yuan (in China); 4.5 million dollars (in North America); 55.8 million dollars (globally)

The film had exceeded the entire country's expectations.

The audience in North America had been tired of martial arts, but thanks to Qin Guan's participation, the box office had started increasing gradually, until it eventually broke the 10-million line after the first week.

An award-winning actor would never star in a box office flop after all.

Ms. Chen broke all her tableware in anger when she heard about Zhang Yimou's success.

The film's huge profits increased the ambitions of Chinese directors, who became confident again after their failures in commercial films. The operation had worked!