The Daily Box Office Champion

The movie ended, but some audience members stayed in their seats for a long time.

They silently wiped away their tears.

For some reason, though, the tears just wouldn't stop.

Some went home and couldn't wait to give their families a warm hug.

Their mothers, busy cooking, were caught completely off guard.

Others lived far from home. As soon as they left the theater, they video-called their families.

After watching the movie, many people felt heavyhearted, as if something were stuck in their chests. They couldn't quite put the feeling into words.

Would you call the movie a tragedy?

The male lead was an orphan. Before he met the four ghosts, he'd spent every day in a daze, either trying to kill himself or on his way to trying again.

His miserable luck could be pretty funny sometimes.

In the first half, his interactions with the four ghosts were genuinely amusing!

What he didn't know was that the family he treasured so dearly had been by his side all along.

Would you call the movie a comedy?

Not exactly. There were plenty of hilarious moments, and the male lead did achieve his goal.

This group of ghosts was about to leave him.

But this was just after the male lead had learned that these four guys were his closest, most beloved family.

Perverted Grandpa had actually been a kind old man who doted on his grandson.

The scruffy, chain-smoking uncle had actually been the male lead's father. Before leaving, he even solemnly warned him not to smoke.

Even though the male lead had never smoked before meeting him.

Crying Aunt cried because seeing her beloved son in such a pitiful state was more than she could bear.

Many people didn't understand until they saw the ending.

Why the aunt was so pretty and looked younger than thirty.

When she linked arms with the male lead, who was around her age, and went grocery shopping, the scene was unexpectedly heartwarming.

As for the gluttonous little ghost, before parting with the male lead, he put on the airs of an older brother.

He gave his beloved toy soldiers to his little brother.

Then, looking very smug, he said they were too childish.

Laughter mixed with emotion, and tears mingled with joy.

That was how most people truly felt after watching the movie.

One film had given people all across the country a new perspective on life.

Some said that the mark of a good movie was leaving people with a sense of loss after they watched it.

And Happy Family had undoubtedly met that standard.

For many people, it was a movie worth going back to the theater to watch again.

Even if they'd just seen it.

In Jianghai City, quite a few audience members instinctively headed to a nearby hot pot restaurant after the movie.

They instinctively felt that the lively restaurant would comfort them and dispel the sadness in their hearts.

Even as they ate, many were still affected by the story of Happy Family.

"What a great movie. It made me miss home~"

"Say, if we have a kid someday and we die in a car accident, leaving the kid all alone, do you think we'd become ghosts and watch over them as they grow up?"

"Knock on wood! Don't say things like that!"

"That director's damn incredible, holy crap. This young guy's something else!"

"I'll watch every movie he makes from now on!"

"From Spoon Killer Demon to Balloon and now Happy Family, Lin Chuan's proved his talent every step of the way!"

Some college students even video-called their families while eating hot pot.

"Hey, Mom, I'm eating hot pot with friends. Oh, not my girlfriend!"

"How are you feeling?"

"Good! Then take it easy with the farmwork from now on. I'll come home to visit next weekend."

"Nothing's wrong. Don't worry about me. I just miss you."

"Really, I'm fine. Don't send me money. I'm all grown up now!"

At the hot pot restaurant.

Lin Chuan listened with interest to these strangers sharing their genuine reactions to the movie.

As he listened, Lin Chuan happily picked up a bite of beef brain.

After the movie, Lin Chuan had taken Ren Hang and Xiao Hei to get a foot massage.

Afterward, they'd come to this hot pot restaurant.

He hadn't expected to find such a pleasant surprise.

Eating hot pot while listening to the audience praise the movie in person made Lin Chuan feel that the trip had been well worth it.

He opened Weibo too.

Sure enough, a hashtag related to Happy Family had shot up the Weibo trending list.

Lin Chuan clicked on it to take a look.

He found plenty of netizens sharing their thoughts after watching Happy Family.

"Ha ha, after watching Balloon, I went to the theater fully prepared.

"I wore sunglasses and noise-canceling earplugs, and even brought adult diapers, but I forgot to bring tissues~"

"The slogan on the bridge totally wrecked me."

"[How have you been lately?] [Are you tired?] [Is something bothering you?]"

"Before I watched it, I didn't think much of it. Afterward, I felt like I didn't want to live anymore!"

"That suicide bridge really lives up to its name, haha."

"Way to give the rescue workers more work!"

"No spoilers. Before the finale, I would've given this movie an eight out of ten. After watching the ending, it deserves a perfect score!"

"Totally agree with the person above!"

"The acting was outstanding across the board. Every one of them was a seasoned actor. Nobody let the team down!"

"Even the landlord, who appeared for less than a minute, was great. Was he an actual landlord they brought in for a cameo?"

"The lead was the MVP. That bit where the four ghosts took turns possessing him was incredible!"

"Perverted Grandpa's lecherous expression had me dying!"

"Didn't you notice the aunt looked a little bashful when he teased her?"

"The final conversation between the male lead and his mom made even a grown man like me cry!"

After reading the comments, Lin Chuan grinned. The beef brain in his mouth tasted even better.

He was happy!

Today was the first day Happy Family had been in theaters.

The opening-day box office numbers weren't out yet.

The real-time online box office stood at 27.83 million.

And the number was still climbing.

The opening-day total looked set to break thirty million.

It was holding firm as the daily box office champion amid all the big movies eyeing the National Day holiday market.

Naturally, plenty of netizens and film critics had posted their thoughts on Weibo.

Lin Chuan noticed that the hashtag #HappyFamilyGiveMeBackMyTears ranked second on the trending list.

The top spot, of all things, belonged to director Ye Weiming's horror movie, The House That Never Dies.

#The House That Never Dies Audience Reactions: Ye Weiming, Fuck You!#

Lin Chuan grinned when he saw the trending topic.

He remembered something funny that had happened earlier.

Lin Chuan had watched a movie today too: The House That Never Dies.

Halfway through, a hot-tempered guy stood up and yelled:

"Ye Weiming, fuck you!"

Then he hurled the bucket of popcorn in his hand at the big screen.

The bucket traced an arc through the air and landed right on Ren Hang's head.

Well, it landed upside down and covered Ren Hang's head completely.

After leaving the theater, Ren Hang had cursed the whole way.

That was why Lin Chuan had taken Ren Hang and Xiao Hei for a foot massage.

Lin Chuan clicked on the trending topic, and sure enough, the video was the first thing on the page!