Ten minutes later.
"Oh my God."
"That’s amazing."
"It’s no surprise it’s from a company under Tang Qing’s banner, that planet is so beautiful, and what about that asteroid ring, are those diamonds twinkling? Each shot could be a poster—I want to buy one, where can I find them?"
"I saw on Cot Film’s official website they are preselling posters and wallpapers among other peripherals, though they’re a bit pricey."
"Really? I want to go support them."
"..."
"The monster attacking the city is so shocking."
"I think that spaceship is way more imposing, like a giant bear lying down with multi-barrel guns on its back."
"..."
"Who’s the female lead, her acting isn’t bad."
"I heard her last na is Hu, I can’t really rember her full na, but it seems she played supporting roles in a few TV dramas before."
"Then she’s finally made it big this ti, a smooth path ahead from now on."
"Yeah."
"..."
The cinema was filled with continuous exclamations of admiration.
Just these few scenes alone were enough to start attracting buyers for movie rchandise; of course, Tang Qing wouldn’t miss out on operating the peripherals, and all sorts of related items had already been listed on the official website.
Earning so ’pocket money’ to ’help with household expenses’ this way.
The dostic market isn’t the main focus.
The focus is on the international market, where piracy is less rampant, and there’s a strong culture of purchasing peripherals of favorite film and TV works—unlike Huaxia, where this awareness and demand is only slowly erging.
But there’s still a considerable gap compared to the consumption ideology abroad.
The rights for overseas developnt were packaged and given to professional peripheral operation companies; they have mature models and channels, and although they charge a bit more, it’s worth the price, and it leads to a win-win cooperation.
If they thought before that Tang Qing making a science fiction movie was just so-so, now having seen it, their opinion is completely different; this pleasant surprise ca too unexpectedly. Could such a film really be produced by Huaxia?
And the film before them answered that question.
Yes.
Huaxia could produce good films too. As long as the special effects issues were resolved, Huaxia’s works were not inferior to Hollywood’s, but could stand toe-to-toe with it, it was just that previously Huaxia’s film companies lacked the technology.
Tang Qing knew.
It wasn’t just about the technology being inadequate.
It also had to do with the impetuous nature of the industry, the film industry’s prevailing practice of exploiting fans, and investors’ ntality of making a quick buck and then leaving. There really weren’t many companies that seriously settled down to make movies, and in an environnt where capital was everything.
Bad money drives out good, and actors had no choice; with limited good scripts, even superstars didn’t have so many great films to choose from. To make money, they had to accept this model and take on various bad projects—after all, investors were the ones in charge.
Gradually, the market beca like this.
Not to ntion special effects, just take makeup; Huaxia was far behind the international standard.
In Hollywood, it’s not a problem to use makeup to age a young person to look like any older age, the weathering of middle age, the aging of the elderly—all these could be achieved with makeup. However, in Huaxia, the only solution was to change actors.
Or they would make them into slick-skinned grandparents, just add a bit of white to their beards, hair, eyebrows, and pale their lips, and that was it.
Before his rebirth, Tang Qing had listened to a big industry director talk about this issue on an interview show, and it was indeed infuriating. He could accept that they were no match for the special effects, but the neglect in makeup really got to him.
"Tangtang, this is just too..."
Mother Tang, clearly dissatisfied, imdiately interrupted.
"Don’t talk, just watch the movie properly."
"Oh..."
One o’clock in the afternoon.
The movie ended.
"Tangtang, that was so good. If this movie doesn’t make money, then what movie in the world could?" Tang’s father, who had let go of his worries ten minutes into the movie, now had his suppressed excitent burst out, as urged by Mother Tang.
His face showed extraordinary excitent.
"Boss, congratulations, you’re going to make a big profit, and you might even make history! We must celebrate this success," Dou Jiao ca up, beaming with excitent.
At that mont.
The word ’astonishing.’
Was enough to describe her current feelings. She rembered Tang Qing’s goal: five hundred million dollars. Now it seed that was a conservative estimate; a phenonon like this could send the next day’s screening schedule soaring.
"We’ll talk about celebrating after the global total box office results co out, it’s too early now, but if it reaches my expectations, treating everyone is definitely on the cards," Tang Qing promised readily.
Dou Jiao was also happy for Tang Qing.
"It’s a promise."
"Of course," Tang Qing said with a smile.
Then.
The others also ca over to offer their congratulations.
One could imagine that the first quarter financial report of Cot Film Company was going to look incredibly good, maybe even better than Sheng Tang Group’s. At this rate, Cot Film Company might well beco the most profitable company under Tang Qing’s belt.
In the crowd, Yang Kai felt the pressure, but it instantly turned into motivation. Let’s see who could outdo the other.
Watching Tang Qing surrounded by the crowd.
Wang Yan did not approach to offer congratulations but simply watched him quietly, excitent and tenderness flashing in her eyes. Watching Tang Qing grow more and more impressive, so much that she had to look up to him, Wang Yan could only silently wish him greater success in his career.
...
Just as Tang Qing and his family hurried back ho for lunch.
The entertainnt dia outside was boiling over.
Ever since the premiere two days ago, the next day’s entertainnt headlines had been monopolized by the movie, lavishing it with praise and nearly exalting "Civilization: Soul of the Stars" to the heavens.
However, the ’usual style’ of entertainnt dia really made people sigh; any quality of movie could be connected with being number one, premier, a visual feast, and the like, but not many people believed it.
This left quite a few entertainnt reporters in a helpless state. Why doesn’t anyone believe the truth?
But there was nothing they could do.
After all, there had been too many black marks in the past.
They could only let the facts prove everything.
Since the midnight release last night.
An ’unrealistic’ wave of reviews appeared online, with so netizens posting comnts that were even more flowery than those of the entertainnt editors, full of praise, leading many to believe they were shills hired by Cot Film Company.
Until the morning when the first batch of audience mbers finished watching the movie.
Around eleven o’clock.
The internet went crazy.
"If you don’t watch ’Civilization: Soul of the Stars’ in the movie theater, you’ll miss the rise of an era in Huaxia cinema. I can’t talk anymore, off to see it for the second ti. Thank heavens, I can’t believe I could still get a ticket. You guys are seriously humble, thanks."
"A milestone in Huaxia science fiction cinema, not to witness it would be a great loss in one’s life."
"This is a 3D movie, those of you who watched it in 2D, I suggest you go to a 3D cinema and see it. That’s the real visual feast."
"There’s 3D?"
"The power of this movie lies in 3D, that kind of shock goes beyond the screen, it’s like being there. Fortunately, there’s a 3D cinema near my house. I’m so lucky, I’m going to watch it again."
"..."
Dostic public opinion quickly shifted from whether the movie was good to the difference between 2D and 3D.
When the audience that had seen it in 2D heard this,
There’s 3D, too?
This can’t be happening.
The version I’ve seen was ’inferior’? I can’t accept that. They turned around wanting to find a 3D cinema, but unfortunately, most of them realized that there were no 3D cinemas in their cities. At this point, they were frustrated. Even if they hurried to Province City, they might not be able to snatch a ticket.
The dostic wave of public opinion was just beginning to rise.
anwhile, in the United States, the fervor had been brewing for a long ti.
Although the release ti in the United States was the sa as in Huaxia, Huaxia was in the evening, while the United States was in the morning. The audience there had already been conquered by the movie. Since the first batch of moviegoers stepped out of the cinema, many began their second viewings.
There were no empty seats in the movie theaters.
Today was the weekend in the United States.
Going to the movies with friends had beco a habit.
Seeing the online reviews and the movie theater patrons fervently recomnding it, those who entered the cinema out of curiosity then... the film’s word-of-mouth started spreading like a virus.
It was unstoppable.
Finally.
The following morning at dawn.
After global ticket sales data were tallied.
The first day’s box office results were out.
Seventeen million five hundred fifty-six thousand dollars.
This was the worldwide opening day box office haul for "Civilization: Soul of the Stars" in the main markets. When Tang Qing received the firsthand data, he smiled faintly, knowing that he had succeeded.
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