NABC Chapter 101: After the box office surpassed 1 million, the whole world changed.
Chapter 101: After the box office surpassed 1 million, the whole world changed.
After Chapter 100's box office surpassed 100 million, the whole world changed.
The editorial team of Science Fiction World went to the cinema to watch Reign of Assassins on the afternoon of the 28th.
This film did not use the method of preview screenings again because the film has a strong cast and a strong pre-release publicity campaign, so there is no need for preview screenings to build word-of-mouth.
"Reign of Assassins" began its theatrical run with its midnight screening on the 28th.
Thanks to the star power of Zhang Ziyi and Andy Lau, plus Zhang Jun's own appeal and popularity, the midnight screenings delivered a respectable result, grossing 593 million yuan.
As some viewers shared their thoughts online after watching the film, word-of-mouth spread, and the film experienced a surge in viewership on its opening day.
Thanks to the film's positive word-of-mouth and strong cast, plus midnight screenings, the film grossed 2185 million yuan on the 28th, breaking the opening day box office record held by "Kung Fu Hustle".
This box office performance once again shocked the industry and attracted continued media attention.
What shocked the industry was that Zhang Jun seemed to have no bottlenecks, and could handle any subject matter with ease.
The previous film, *Little Miss Sunshine*, was a rare road comedy in Chinese cinema, becoming a textbook example. *About Time* is a romantic fantasy comedy that also incorporates elements of family and kinship.
"Sherlock on the Plains" is a suspenseful comedy film that also incorporates many humanistic reflections, and it was a great success.
However, these three films have one thing in common: they are not big-budget films and they are all modern films.
This time, however, *Reign of Assassins* is a big-budget, high-production-value martial arts film. When Zhang Jun announced the start of filming...
When "Reign of Assassins" aired, many people in the industry privately said that he had become arrogant.
Movies made by overconfident people usually end in failure.
In fact, many people in the industry hoped that Zhang Jun would fail, partly because of his background.
He was not a director trained in the art school system, but he has achieved many things that directors trained in the art school system could not.
Doesn't this indirectly prove that the art school system is a failure? It's even inferior to a director who comes from an outside background.
Another reason was jealousy, because Zhang Jun was not only good at making movies, but also so young and handsome.
That's infuriating.
People in the film and television industry are generally petty, and this time, Zhang Jun became the target of jealousy from many people.
When he succeeds, these people might offer him insincere congratulations. But if he fails, they will instantly turn into ravenous wolves and drag him down from his pedestal.
However, in Zhang Jun's opinion, these people really shouldn't be in such a hurry.
Because in the future, anyone can become a director, he's just setting an example so everyone can get used to it.
Judging from the opening day box office performance, "Reign of Assassins" is likely to be a huge success. If one were truly envious, there's nothing more to say at this point.
Because June 28th is a Wednesday, and the film doesn't fall on Sunday until July 2nd of the following month, this means that "Reign of Assassins" can accumulate a fairly good opening week box office.
Now it remains to be seen whether the film can maintain its momentum and sustain a positive trajectory.
After the premiere, the creators of "Reign of Assassins" didn't rest. Starting from Beijing, they began a promotional tour to continue building momentum for the film.
The promotional roadshow model is now very mature, and it is especially common in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, which are also the main sources of moviegoers.
During the Shanghai roadshow, the cast of "Reign of Assassins" was complete, including Zhang Ziyi, Andy Lau, Fan Bingbing, Lu Yi, and others.
The Shanghai event turned into a fan meeting for Andy Lau, with many of his fans in attendance. However, the most interesting event was the fan who confessed his love to Zhang Jun.
When a female fan was called on to ask a question, she immediately shouted, "Director Zhang Jun, I love you!"
The audience burst into laughter, and Zhang Jun responded with a smile: "Thank you, but I hope you can love yourself more, and love your family and friends more."
As for me, I'm just happy that you love my work.
This statement drew frequent nods of agreement from most of the people present. Zhang Jun was different from those idol stars. He was a director, letting his work speak for itself.
Another male audience member asked an interesting question: "Director Zhang, I am one of your readers. I read your novel 'The Martian' in Science Fiction World magazine, and it was excellent."
"Thank you!" Zhang Jun gestured for him to continue.
The male audience member said expectantly, "This is the first time I've come to the cinema to see a movie directed by you, and it's just as good."
My question is, if given the opportunity, would you use your imagination to create a science fiction film?
After a moment's thought, Zhang Jun replied, "That depends on how you define science fiction."
Andy Lau interjected, "Does that mean different definitions lead to different ideas?"
"Of course they're different."
Zhang Jun said, "If we want to make movies like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, or the Terminator series, I can only say that our conditions are not yet ripe."
However, if you're making a film like *The Butterfly Effect* or *Frequency*, there's not much technical difficulty; the only limitation for creators is their imagination.
These words made the eyes of all the audience members light up, especially those who were interested in science fiction.
But Zhang Jun then added, "However, I think the timing is still not right. Other films can make money overseas, but science fiction films cannot."
We need the film market to continue to grow.
The subtext is that the current mainland Chinese film market is too small to support a science fiction film.
Of course, Zhang Jun could also choose to test the waters with low-budget concept science fiction films.
However, Zhang Jun believes that if the science fiction genre is to be pioneered in Chinese-language films, the groundbreaking work must be a big-budget production that can attract attention.
Even if we don't go for Star Wars, we should at least make a Contact, or worse, a Source Code movie.
Zhang Jun is a director, but he considers issues not only from a creative perspective but also from the market. A director who doesn't consider the market is not a good director.
After the roadshow, some media outlets took things out of context, selectively ignoring Zhang Jun's earlier and later remarks.
"Director Zhang Jun frankly stated at the roadshow that what limits creators to making science fiction films is never technology, but imagination."
This statement is extremely provocative; someone unfamiliar with the situation might think Zhang Jun is mocking the lack of imagination among domestic film and television creators!
However, that's how the media always is, so not many people in the industry took it seriously. It was the uninformed sci-fi fans who started to have high hopes for it.
With the expansion of the film's screenings and the continued promotion, "Reign of Assassins" has consistently achieved excellent box office results.
Over the next four days, the film grossed a total of 6533 million yuan. Combined with the opening day's box office, the film's opening week box office reached 8718 million yuan.
This opening week box office also broke the opening week box office record held by "Kung Fu Hustle," marking another important milestone in Zhang Jun's directing career.
However, this is because "Reign of Assassins" had the advantage of more screening days.
With Andy Lau and Zhang Ziyi in supporting roles, along with Zhang Jun's star power and popularity, the film achieved such high box office numbers in its opening week.
In addition, the film's quality is very good and it has been widely praised by audiences, which is also a reason why the film has maintained a stable box office trend.
Of course, the film wasn't universally praised; after all, not everyone likes the same movie.
Some negative reviews mentioned that the film's pacing was a bit slow in the middle, while others said that the film lacked the chivalrous spirit and tenderness of traditional martial arts films, and that its style was too cold and austere.
These negative reviews are normal; it would be problematic if a movie received only positive reviews.
Entering its second week, "Reign of Assassins" continued its dominance in the film market. Finally, on July 4th, the film's box office surpassed 100 million yuan, reaching 1.06 million yuan.
This is Zhang Jun's fourth film as a director, and also the first film in his career to gross over 100 million yuan.
The moment the box office surpassed 100 million, the whole world changed.
At 9:00 AM on July 5th, when the data was tallied, cheers erupted in the marketing department office of Guanzhi Pictures.
"It's surpassed 100 million! 1.06 million!"
He Xuan strode out of her office, took the report, glanced at it quickly, and smiled.
She turned to the entire office and said, "Notify the media to release a press release. Also, order afternoon tea for everyone; it's on me."
O
The cheers grew even louder.
Jiang Tao stood next to He Xuan and said in a low voice, "It's two days faster than expected."
"The word-of-mouth has spread well."
He Xuan looked at the curve on the report: "The decline has been well controlled after the first week, and it can still maintain around eight million per day. I estimate that it can still collect another five million today."
"There's a new movie coming out next week, which will have an impact."
"normal."
He Xuan remained calm: "As long as we can hold on, the final box office—let's aim for 1.5 million?"
"Possibly."
Jiang Tao nodded: "If the trend remains strong, it could be 1.8 million or even 2 million."
In an era where even breaking 100 million yuan at the box office is difficult, a film breaking 200 million yuan is practically a myth. If Zhang Jun can achieve this, he will instantly become one of the top directors in China.
Even though the hope is slim, we should still have the dreams we need.
The news that "Reign of Assassins" had grossed over 100 million yuan was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, with ripples spreading rapidly.
Sohu Entertainment: "Breaking News: 'Reign of Assassins' surpasses 100 million yuan at the box office in 8 days, making Zhang Jun the youngest director to reach 100 million yuan."
"Our reporter reports that this morning, Guanzhi Pictures officially confirmed that the period martial arts film "Reign of Assassins," directed by Zhang Jun and starring Andy Lau, Zhang Ziyi, Fan Bingbing, Wang Xueqi, Lu Yi, Li Shuangbing, and Fu Dalong, has surpassed 100 million RMB in cumulative box office revenue on its eighth day of release (July 4).
This is the second Chinese-language film to gross over 100 million yuan this year, and also director Zhang Jun's first film to achieve this milestone. Zhang Jun was born in 1982 and is 24 years old this year.
With this achievement, he became the youngest director in the history of Chinese-language films to gross over 100 million yuan. Previously, this record was held by Feng Xiaogang (who was 46 years old when "A World Without Thieves" broke 100 million yuan).
"Reign of Assassins" was released on June 28, and its box office revenue was 2185 million yuan on its opening day and 8718 million yuan in its opening week, both of which broke the record for Chinese-language films.
The film currently maintains a screening rate of over 35% and an occupancy rate of over 40%, showing strong staying power.
This news article was on the Sohu homepage for less than half an hour, and it received over 100,000 clicks.
The comments section exploded.
"24 years old? I'm 24 and still looking for a job —"
"At 24, he's already made over 100 million at the box office, while I'm 24 and my salary isn't even 10,000."
"Wake up, upstairs. You're already considered to have a high salary if you earn over 3,000."
"Director Zhang is amazing! Four films, all successful. His success rate is unmatched."
"I watched 'Reign of Assassins,' and it was really good; it was worth the ticket price."
"Andy Lau made a killing on this investment."
"Zhang Ziyi's salary was exchanged for profit sharing; she made a killing this time."
"Am I the only one paying attention to the number 24? What kind of magic is that?!"
The discussion on Tianya Film and Television Forum was even more heated.
Title: [Rational Discussion] Zhang Jun's four films were all successful, does that make him a god?
Main post: The data speaks for itself: "Little Miss Sunshine" cost 300 million to make and grossed 4250 million at the box office.
"About Time" cost 1200 million and grossed 9510 million; "Sherlock on the Plains" cost 300 million and grossed 4938 million.
"Reign of Assassins" had a budget of 7000 million yuan, and its current price is 1.06 million yuan and still rising. All four films have performed well at the box office and have received positive reviews.
Twenty-four years old, not from a professional background, graduated from the Department of Astronomy at Tsinghua University.
This resume is probably unique in the Chinese film industry, isn't it?
Floor 1: The data is accurate, but the "deification" is exaggerated. Zhang Jun is indeed talented, but his output is still limited, and time is needed to prove his abilities.
2nd floor: I agree with the comment above. However, the fact that four films in four different genres were all successful truly proves his directing ability. Many people only excel at one genre their entire lives.
3rd Floor: What I admire most about him is that he improves with every film. "Little Miss Sunshine" was a bit raw, "About Time" was much more mature, and "Reign of Assassins" already showed the potential of a great director.
4th floor: And he also writes science fiction. "The Martian" was serialized in "Science Fiction World," and it's of very high quality. Is this guy a multi-talented individual?
5th floor: Tsinghua University Department of Astronomy — This academic background is a game-changer in the directing world.
6th floor: A devastating blow +1. Are those directors from art schools feeling ashamed now? This amateur almost took their jobs.
7th floor: Don't start a fight upstairs. Art schools have produced many excellent directors, but Zhang Jun is an exception.
8th floor: Exceptions are what make a difference. Why can't art schools produce someone like Zhang Jun?
9th floor: Because art schools don't teach astronomy and physics? (smiley face)
10th Floor: Seriously speaking, Zhang Jun's success proves one thing: in the directing industry, talent and ability are more important than formal training.
The post quickly garnered over a hundred replies, including rational analyses, fan praise, argumentative debates, and simply casual observations.
Regardless of their stance, everyone acknowledges one fact: Zhang Jun, this 24-year-old, has already joined the first tier of the Chinese film industry.
Media reporters began bombarding Guanzhi Film Studio with calls.
"Mr. He, how is Director Zhang feeling right now? Is there anything he'd like to say to the audience?"
"Mr. He, when will we hold the celebration banquet for breaking 100 million?"
"Mr. He, does Director Zhang have any plans for his next film?"
He Xuan answered the phone and processed emails with ease: "Director Zhang is preparing for a new project and is not available for interviews at the moment — breaking 100 million views is an affirmation from the audience, and we are very grateful — a celebration will be held, and we will let everyone know when the time is confirmed —"
She hung up the phone and said to Jiang Tao, "Inform Zhang Jun to have a short meeting at 3 PM this afternoon to discuss the celebration banquet."
O
Is he home?
"He should be here. He came back from the roadshow last night, so let him sleep in today."
He Xuan guessed wrong. Zhang Jun was neither sleeping at home nor at Guanzhi Film Studio. He drove to Tsinghua University.
I'm not going to show off, I'm going to return the book.
When he was writing "The Martian", he borrowed a few books and didn't return them. If he didn't return them soon, he would be blacklisted.
As he walked on the campus of Tsinghua University, several students recognized him.
"Zhang—Senior Zhang?" a bespectacled boy asked tentatively.
Zhang Jun turned his head and smiled: "It's me."
"It really is you!"
The boy exclaimed excitedly, "I just saw the news online, 'Reign of Assassins' has surpassed 100 million views! Congratulations, senior!"
Several other students gathered around, chattering, "Senior, you're awesome!"
"I watched 'Reign of Assassins,' it was really good!"
"Senior, will you go back to school to give lectures?"
Zhang Jun responded to each request, signed autographs, and took photos with everyone, taking about ten minutes before finally managing to leave.
When he went to the library to return books, the librarian recognized him: "Little Zhang is back? I heard your movie was pretty good."
"Auntie, you found out too?"
"My daughter talks about you every day, saying you're her idol."
The auntie smiled and said, "The books are overdue, so you have to pay a fine."
"I'll pay, I'll pay, I should." Zhang Jun took out his wallet.
After paying the fine, he walked out of the library and stood on the steps at the entrance. The July sun was intense, turning the lawn white.
In the distance, students were riding bicycles along the tree-lined path, their bicycle bells jingling.
He suddenly remembered that it was also a summer like this when he graduated, and he decided not to pursue graduate studies but to make movies instead.
Did I, standing here back then, ever imagine what today would be like?
You should have thought of that, after all, he's a time traveler.
But actually standing here, feeling the warmth of the sun, and listening to the sounds of the campus, the feeling is different.
Because he is experiencing this real moment.
My phone vibrated.
He took it out and saw a text message from Andy Lau: "Junzi, I saw the news. Congratulations! We made the right choice."
Zhang Jun replied, "Same to you, your share of the profits will be just as good."
Soon another message came in, this time from Zhang Ziyi: "It's surpassed 100 million! Remember to contact me again if you have any projects, the fee is negotiable."
Fan Bingbing and Gao Yuanyuan sent him text messages almost simultaneously, both congratulating him on his film's box office surpassing 100 million yuan.
On his way back to the company, he turned on the car radio and tuned it to the music channel, where Jay Chou's "Seven Mile Fragrance" was playing.
After the song ended, the DJ said, "Next up is an entertainment news item: young director Zhang Jun's new film 'Reign of Assassins' has grossed over 100 million yuan in just eight days, becoming the second Chinese-language film to break the 100 million yuan mark this year."
Zhang Jun is 24 years old this year, which makes him the youngest director in the history of Chinese-language films to have grossed over 100 million yuan.
He arrived at the company at exactly 2 PM. The receptionist's eyes lit up when she saw him: "Director Zhang, congratulations on breaking 100 million!"
"Thanks."
Zhang Jun asked, "Is President He here?"
"I'll be waiting for you in the conference room."
Upon entering the conference room, He Xuan, Jiang Tao, and several heads of the publicity department were already there, with coffee and snacks on the table.
"They're here."
He Xuan gestured for him to sit down: "Let's get down to business first. The celebration banquet is scheduled for Saturday night at the Beijing Hotel."
Here is the list of media invited; please take a look.
Zhang Jun took the list and glanced at it; it was all mainstream media.
"OK."
He Xuan continued, "There were more than a dozen interview requests. I screened them and kept two."
One is *China Film Report*, an official media outlet, which we have to respect. The other is *Southern Metropolis Daily*, which wants to conduct an in-depth interview with you.
Zhang Jun nodded: "You can arrange the time."
"at last,"
He Xuan looked at him and said, "For your next movie, we have a few scripts coming in, and some investors want to meet with you."
But I guess you already have an idea.
The meeting room fell silent, and everyone looked at Zhang Jun.
As everyone knows, Zhang Jun has the ability to write scripts on his own; he can come up with ideas on his own without having to collaborate with screenwriters.
Zhang Jun picked up his coffee, took a sip, and put the cup down. "I do have an idea. But let's not rush into a decision. We'll wait until 'Reign of Assassins' finishes its run and the final box office figures are released before making a decision."
"And roughly in the direction?"
The head of the publicity department asked, "Should we continue with period dramas, return to modern themes, or—try a new genre?"
Zhang Jun smiled and said, "Anything is possible."
That's as good as saying nothing at all.
But no one pressed for details; everyone knew Zhang Jun's personality. He would speak when he wanted to, and asking when he didn't was pointless.
After the meeting, Zhang Jun specially recorded a thank-you video to celebrate reaching 100 million views. It was a very simple message: thank you to the audience, thank you to the team, and thank you to everyone who supported them.
After finishing the recording and returning to his office, he closed the door, sat down in a chair, and turned on his computer. There was a folder on the desktop named "Future Projects".
Open it, and you'll find more than a dozen subfolders, each containing a movie idea or a rough draft of a script.
Some are movies I watched in a past life, and some are my own original ideas.
The mouse hovered over a folder called "Science Fiction" for a few seconds, but ultimately didn't open it.
He closed the folder and opened his email.
I have over 99 unread emails, including congratulatory messages, collaboration proposals, media interview requests, and scripts from unknown screenwriters.
He slowly scrolled down and saw an email titled "Overseas Copyright Inquiry for 'The Martian'", sent by a publisher in Singapore.
He opened the email, which essentially said that they wanted to publish an English standalone book of "The Martian" and were inquiring about copyright matters.
Zhang Jun replied: "Please contact the Science Fiction World magazine; they are the copyright agent."
Then he leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling.
It's surpassed 100 million.
In 2006, this was a very significant number. It meant influence, it meant a voice, it meant that more people would be willing to invest in whatever he wanted to film next.
But it also means more expectations, more pressure, and more attention.
His phone vibrated again. He picked it up and saw that it was a message from Yang Mi.
"I saw the news. Congratulations! You're getting more and more amazing."
Zhang Jun replied: "Pay attention in class, don't just watch the news."
"Okay!"
Yang Mi replied quickly: "The celebration party is on Saturday, can I go?"
"Come whenever you want."
"Then I'll dress up nicely."
Zhang Jun smiled and replied, "Okay, I like the red outfit you're wearing."
"Then I'll wear red," Yang Mi said with a grin.
Shortly after, Liu Yifei sent a congratulatory text message: "Congratulations on your new movie breaking 100 million at the box office."
Zhang Jun replied, "Thank you. We're having a celebration banquet. Would you like to come?"
There seemed to be a moment's hesitation before the reply came: "Okay, I'll definitely be there on time."
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