The Premiere and the First Week's Box Office
The China Film Group was in charge of organizing the premiere, which was held at one of its cinemas.
At 6:30 p.m. on December 2, Wei Jin arrived at the cinema in Dongcheng District, dressed in a well-tailored suit, to attend the premiere.
After wrapping up filming on World's Finest some time ago, Zeng Li had begun working on the script for The Infiltrator. She said she wanted to experience life in the countryside and do her best not to make Wei Jin lose face, so she did not attend the premiere.
The China Film Group's team was in charge of receiving the guests. They were already well versed in this kind of work, so Wei Jin had nothing to worry about.
Upon entering the cinema, Wei Jin noticed that many reporters had already arrived, along with a small number of local Beijing moviegoers. Most were fans of the book and the song, eager to be among the first to see how the film adaptation had turned out.
Wei Jin soon found himself busy as well. The entertainment industry was also a social circle, and as a Silver Bear-winning director, a rising talent in Chinese cinema, and a company boss, his status meant that plenty of people in the industry were bound to flock around him.
Quite a few industry figures had come today. Li Xiaowan of Rongxinda had brought her artists Zhou Xun and Yang Mi.
Huayi, which loved joining in the fun, had also turned out in force. The Wang Brothers, Feng Dapao, and Wang Jinhua were all there, accompanied by Fan Bingbing, who had auditioned for Wei Jin's film, and Huang Xiaoming, the entertainment industry's famously nice guy.
"Director Wei, this is our first meeting, but I've felt a connection with you for a long time. Congratulations in advance on a box-office hit. I hope we'll have a chance to work together."
The elder Mr. Wang of Huayi greeted Wei Jin with a broad smile.
"You're too kind, Mr. Wang. Huayi is the big brother among private enterprises, so if we have a chance to work together, nothing could be better. There are many guests today, so please forgive me if the hospitality falls short."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries and a chat with Feng Dapao, Wei Jin turned to Fan Bingbing, who was standing nearby, and spoke politely.
"It's been a while, Miss Fan. You've grown even more beautiful."
"What good is being prettier if Director Wei still won't cast me in his films?"
Her voice carried a hint of grievance. True to her reputation as a vixen, the twenty-four-year-old Fan Bingbing already showed signs of the charm that could bewitch the world.
"You're joking, Miss Fan. We'll certainly work together if the opportunity arises. You must be Sister Hua?"
Wei Jin laughed it off and changed the subject.
"Hello, Manager Wei. I'm Wang Jinhua. Whatever kind of actor you need in the future, just give me a call. I guarantee you'll be satisfied. And congratulations in advance on a box-office hit."
Wang Jinhua handed him her business card as she spoke. As a well-known investor in the industry, Wei Jin had a hand in quite a few projects, so Wang Jinhua, as an agent, naturally kept her manner suitably humble.
"You're too kind, Sister Hua. Whenever there's a suitable project, I'll be sure to trouble you."
Wei Jin Studio had no signed actors for the time being, so working with a well-known agent was only natural.
"Hello, Director Wei. I'm Huang Xiaoming. I hope you'll give me your guidance."
Huang Xiaoming also handed over his business card with a respectful expression.
Huang Xiaoming was still rather green at this point. He had appeared in several television dramas and had already made a name for himself in the industry, but he was still a long way from the world of capital. Today, he had specifically taken leave from the set of The Return of the Condor Heroes and hurried over.
"Hello, Brother Xiaoming. We went to the same school. When I first enrolled, I heard plenty of stories about you. I hope we get a chance to work together."
Wei Jin was fairly relaxed with his fellow alumnus. After exchanging business cards, he chatted with Huang Xiaoming a little longer. Seeing Li Xiaowan approaching from a distance with her artists, he excused himself to the people from Huayi.
"Hello, Manager Wei. I'm Li Xiaowan from Rongxinda."
Li Xiaowan had started out as an actress and climbed her way up to become the founder of a well-known production company. She was adept at seizing opportunities. She had come today both to show the China Film Group respect and because she saw promise in Wei Jin and wanted to establish a good relationship.
"Hello, Ms. Li. Please forgive me if the hospitality has fallen short."
Wei Jin did not have much to discuss with Li Xiaowan. They both ran production companies and could be considered competitors, and he was not interested in the resources Rongxinda possessed.
"Manager Wei, these are our company's artists, Zhou Xun and Yang Mi."
Li Xiaowan went on to introduce them.
"Hello. I know Miss Zhou. Her acting is superb."
Wei Jin looked at the petite Zhou Xun, wondering how she had come to have such a colorful romantic history.
"You flatter me, Director Wei. I hope I'll have a chance to appear in one of your films."
Zhou Xun's voice was already a little raspy by this point.
"Hello, Director Wei. I'm a newcomer, Yang Mi. Please look after me."
Yang Mi was still a young girl at this point. Her authentic Beijing accent made her seem carefree and forthright. She had just wrapped up filming on The Return of the Condor Heroes, though of course she had not had many scenes to begin with.
Looking at the somewhat youthful Yang Mi, Wei Jin could not imagine how she would change so much in the future. He could not help sighing that it was all technology and hard work.
He was just about to chat a little longer when a staff member came over to signal that the premiere ceremony was about to begin.
Meanwhile, in the crew's waiting area, the principal cast and crew had all arrived. Liu Yifei was there too. Amusingly enough, with both of his leads taking leave, Zhang Dahuzi had been so angry that he had simply given everyone the day off.
It was the first film premiere for several of them. Seeing that the people present were all film and television company bosses and producers, they could not help feeling nervous. Only when Wei Jin arrived did they feel as though they had someone to lean on.
By now, the screening room was almost full. The host soon began warming up the crowd, and after Li Jian sang Those Years, Wei Jin and the principal cast and crew went onstage. After thanking the guests, they took questions from the reporters, answered a few briefly, and then took their seats.
The lights went out, and the screening room was plunged into darkness.
The familiar sound echoed in their ears, followed by the appearance of the dragon seal. The film had officially begun.
A little over an hour later, the film drew to a close and applause broke out. The moviegoers fortunate enough to attend the premiere cheered at the top of their lungs. Wei Jin knew the film had made it.
Meanwhile, the Huayi Brothers and Feng Dapao were whispering among themselves in the audience.
"Xiaogang, what did you think?"
"That's probably what a youth campus film is like. The story was told well. Maybe their generation is a little different from ours, so I couldn't really put myself in their shoes, but judging by the audience's reaction, it was pretty good."
Feng Dapao explained it from his own perspective.
"Since you think the story was all right too, Xiaogang, how much do you think it can make at the box office?"
Wang Zhongjun was more concerned about the box office.
"It's hard to say. The film doesn't have any big stars, but its promotion has been very well organized. It's difficult to judge exactly how much it'll make, but I'd put it at roughly forty million."
Feng Dapao could not quite take its pulse either, so he offered an estimate. Even that was out of consideration for Wei Jin's first film.
If Wei Jin had heard their conversation, he would have told them, You don't understand how terrifying a fan movie can be.
When the premiere ended, the media and film critics hurried off to write their pieces. Naturally, they all took red envelopes with them. Wei Jin had never been willing to offend those who wielded the pen.
Sure enough, paying generous travel and hospitality fees had its effect. Reports appeared online that very night, and the media was full of praise, declaring that the film had pioneered the right way to make a Chinese youth film. Before long, large numbers of fans of the book and song were full of anticipation.
The China Film Group had also put considerable effort into the release. Three hundred prints of the film had been made. Two years earlier, even Hero had been released with only a little over three hundred prints, and those three hundred prints alone cost three million in cash.
With the film officially released, Wei Jin and the principal cast and crew began visiting cinemas around the country for a promotional tour. Wei Jin had added this to the publicity and distribution plan when it was being finalized.
In those days, film roadshows had yet to become popular. Usually, a crew would visit a few cinemas in the premiere city and call it a day.
For the sake of the film's box office, Wei Jin spared no effort, embarking on a promotional tour of the country's major box-office cities.
He knew that fan movies were most likely to deliver results early on. In six days, A World Without Thieves would be released and take a large share of the screenings. He had only one golden week, and he needed to rake in as much box office as possible and build word of mouth during that time.
On the morning of December 4, just as the principal cast and crew were preparing to start another day of the tour, Wei Jin received a call from Han Sanping of the China Film Group.
"Wei Jin, 9.16 million! The first-day box office was 9.16 million! The film is a success, and the word of mouth has been overwhelmingly positive too."
Hearing Han Sanping's excited voice, Wei Jin could finally put his anxious heart at ease. After hanging up, he looked at the principal cast and crew, who were watching him expectantly, and repeated the news.
"The first-day box office was 9.16 million..."
Seeing the blank looks on their faces, Wei Jin immediately explained:
"Even Hero only made a little over nine million on its first day."
"Yeah! Long live the director!"
"That's amazing!"
They broke into cheers, full of anticipation for the rest of the tour. With such a spectacular first-day box office, they had to keep it up.
A new day of the tour began...
Over the next two days, Wei Jin took everyone to Magic City to continue the tour. During that time, he also received congratulatory calls from all sides, including one from Zeng Li.
Sister Li showered Wei Jin with praise over the phone, leaving him embarrassed.
The China Film Group also continued to send box-office updates.
On Saturday, December 4, the box office rose against the trend, closing at 15.21 million.
On Sunday, December 5, the box office was 13.85 million.
As of December 6, the three-day opening weekend had accumulated 38.22 million, a full five million and more above the first-week box office of House of Flying Daggers, which currently topped the annual box-office chart.
Once again, Wei Jin became the center of attention...