novellhall Chapter 155 Official Media Speaks Out
Chapter 155 Official Media Speaks Out
Chapter 155 Official Media Speaks Out
Domestic fans have been eagerly waiting for a week.
Every day, I see box office reports and memes circulating on foreign websites, and I feel so envious.
"It's almost here! The domestic release date has been set! Only one week later than North America!"
"This efficiency! Before, it would have taken at least a month!"
"It must be because of Xun Ge! Lionsgate now knows the Asian market is lucrative!"
"When does the pre-sale start? My wallet is ready!"
Finally, on Monday of its second week of release in North America, pre-sales for "The Hunger Games" began simultaneously in major Asian markets.
The same applies to China's major ticketing platforms.
The number of people who "want to watch" "The Hunger Games" on Douban Movie and various group-buying websites has long exceeded several million.
As soon as the pre-sale channel opened, the server couldn't handle the load.
It took half an hour for the page to refresh smoothly.
In just two hours, the pre-sale box office exceeded 50 million RMB, setting a record for the fastest pre-sale box office to reach 50 million RMB that year.
Within 24 hours, the total pre-sale amount exceeded 150 million RMB and is still rising rapidly.
Pre-sales in Japan and South Korea were equally booming, breaking numerous pre-sale records for imported films in their respective countries.
"This is insane!"
As soon as Chen Xun entered Robert's office, he found Robert pacing back and forth, unable to sit still.
He looked at the wall as soon as he entered; the Green Lantern poster had been replaced with a smaller one hanging on the side.
The center was occupied by a huge poster of his Pita.
Chen Xun was speechless.
Rob is a collector; he wants to collect every single character!
"How can you be so calm?"
Robert watched as Chen Xun continued to use his newly bought coffee machine to make coffee.
His calm demeanor didn't seem like that of the male lead in the movie; rather, it made him look like an unrelated staff member.
Chen Xun took a sip of freshly ground coffee.
Since he started making money, Rob has developed a good palate; the beans smell delicious.
Do you know how outrageous the pre-sale figures are in Asia?
Rob strode over to the sofa opposite Chen Xun and sat down, his massive body leaving a large dent in the sofa.
"The Lionsgate colleagues in charge of international distribution said they had never seen anything like this in their 20 years in the industry. The Chinese market's expectations for this film are frighteningly high."
"Fans have been holding back for too long!"
Chen Xun objectively analyzed: "The global hype was high in the early stages, and since I am the lead actor with a Chinese face, the domestic attention was naturally high. In addition, the simultaneous release of promotional materials was fast—it was a perfect combination of timing, location, and people."
"It's not just that!"
Rob countered, "Lionsgate's commissioned China team investigated and found that your fans spontaneously organized a massive publicity campaign."
Chen Xun took his coffee, walked to the computer, sat down, and opened Weibo, a Chinese social media platform.
Several related topics are trending on social media.
#Hunger Games Pre-sales Break Records#
#ChenXunPita#
#KatyNicePlus#
Clicking into my own super topic, I found it even more lively.
Fans have created incredibly detailed viewing guides.
From the original background and character relationships to the movie's highlights, target audience, and even a tutorial on "how to recommend this action-packed movie to your parents."
The presentation is rich in images and text, clearly organized, and comparable to professional promotional materials.
Tech-savvy fans even copied and pasted Lionsgate's "Discover Your Zone" interactive webpage—
Chinese localization!
Not only was the entire text translated, but it was also localized to suit the language habits of Chinese netizens.
While translating "Capitol" as "capital city," a humorous note was added: "rich area"!
Then it was set up on a server in China, making it convenient for fans inside the Great Firewall to access and test it.
This "localized section test" instantly went viral.
Test results are being shared everywhere – on Weibo, WeChat Moments, and Douban groups.
"Haha, I'm a tech geek from Zone 3! Anyone else from Zone 3 want to rent out a whole theater together for the movie?"
"Seventh District Forestry Department reporting for duty! Planning to wear a green outfit to the movies, maximizing the sense of occasion."
"This self-proclaimed city girl is ready to shine! I'm the fashion icon of the cinema!"
'
"People of District 12 are here! Charge! To find my brother and cousin!"
Moreover, many fans have begun to spontaneously organize offline private screenings by district.
Posts appeared on Weibo such as "The Hunger Games: District 12 BJ Private Screening Group", "District 3 Shanghai Tech Geek Movie Viewing Group", and "District 7 Guangzhou Forestry Brigade Movie Viewing Recruitment".
The organizers are responsible for counting the number of people, booking tickets, designing regional signs, and some even plan to organize small gatherings and discussions after the movie screening.
This method of organizing movie viewings, which carries a strong sense of identity and community cohesion, is even more influential and larger in scale than North American fans.
"this----"
Chen Xun looked at the various private event booking posts and the lively discussions on the screen.
He was overwhelmed by his fans in China.
He simply logged into his main Weibo account.
The main account has already surpassed one million followers and is rapidly approaching two million.
Chen Xun posted a Weibo message: "Just saw the amazing pre-sale figures in China, and all the interesting things everyone has done spontaneously. I don't know what to say except thank you. I hope everyone enjoys the movie, finds their own zone, meets their comrades, and may good luck always be with you."
Not long after it was posted.
The comment section was flooded with messages like "Reporting to District 12", "See you at the movie theater, brother-in-law", and "May good luck be with you too".
The head of Lionsgate Asia was grinning from ear to ear.
They quickly adjusted their publicity strategy.
A large amount of high-quality content spontaneously generated by fans was adopted for secondary dissemination.
Furthermore, the official support included some large-scale fan-sponsored events, providing posters, postcards, and other merchandise as a token of appreciation.
Finally, the day arrived for its official release in Asia.
Cinemas in major cities are brightly lit, especially those theaters that have been booked out for private screenings.
You can see a group of young people wearing the same colored bracelets and stickers gathered together, excitedly whispering to each other and taking photos.
Fans in the 12th district held up cute banners that read "There will be bread."
The fans in the capital city were dressed in a particularly fashionable and beautiful way.
There were even fans who cosplayed as Katniss.
As the movie progressed, the audience in the theater gasped and wept at times.
When Katniss stood up for her sister, when Peeta said in an interview, "She's the love of my life," when the two cuddled in the cave—
Many viewers had tears in their eyes.
As the credits rolled, applause spontaneously erupted in multiple theaters.
It received an initial rating of 8.7 on Douban and 9.5 or higher on other platforms.
"Far exceeding expectations! The adaptation is fantastic!"
"Jennifer is Katniss Bens! Chen Xun's Peeta is both gentle and powerful, I'm crying my eyes out!"
"Special effects, pacing, and acting are all top-notch! Second viewing guaranteed!"
"My heart stopped when I saw the berries at the end!"
"I hereby declare myself a permanent resident of District 12!"
The box office figures for the first day are in.
In mainland China, it grossed 1.1 million RMB on its opening day, unsurprisingly taking the top spot at the box office and leaving other films released at the same time far behind.
The highest-grossing film on its opening day that year was "Painted Skin I," which only grossed 7000 million yuan!
The Hunger Games cost an extra 3000 million!
Good news also came from Japan, South Korea and other places, with box office results on the first day being excellent.
Especially in South Korea, although the mystery of Chen Xun's background was eventually clarified, it was still used as a meme by Chinese netizens.
However, Chen Xun's popularity in South Korea has remained consistently high.
Chen Xun's fans in South Korea also contributed significantly to the box office this time.
They especially love movies with a more explicit style!
The Hunger Games’ popularity in Asia has surprised even seasoned Hollywood professionals.
The Hollywood Reporter quickly published a commentary: "The Hunger Games' opening day box office in Asia exploded, demonstrating the amazing potential of the Chinese market. Chen Xun, as the lead actor, showed strong box office appeal and cultural affinity in the Asian market, especially in China, thanks to his Chinese heritage. Lionsgate's global strategy has been a huge success."
Rob called: "Lionsgate headquarters has already listed you as a core asset. They're already negotiating the filming schedule for the sequel, and they'll be more generous with the contract!"
The box office continues to be a hit in Asia.
Especially in China, "The Hunger Games" and Chen Xun ranked first and second on Weibo's trending topics.
Of the next eight items, four are related to "The Hunger Games".
It occupies half of the country!
On the third day of its release in China, something unexpected happened to Chen Xun.
"State media published an article discussing 'The Hunger Games': A cautionary tale for a society that prioritizes entertainment to the death!"
Chen Xun blinked, sat up, and clicked on the link.
The content did not discuss whether the movie was good or not, or whether the actors performed well or not.
The core of the article is a discussion of the country of Panem in the movie.
They packaged a brutal game of teenagers killing each other into a nationwide entertainment extravaganza, broadcasting it live to stir up emotions and numbing people by consuming the suffering of others.
The article points out that this film is like a mirror, reflecting certain "entertainment to death" tendencies in reality that excessively pursue traffic, create conflict, and undermine serious thinking.
Viewers, especially young viewers, should be reminded that while enjoying the audiovisual stimulation, they should also maintain independent thinking and a critical spirit, be wary of being blinded by superficial appearances, and be wary of the hidden manipulation by power and capital through entertainment.
The article is well-written and its theme is elevated.
"State media speaks out!"
Chen Xun muttered to himself, wide awake.
He quickly switched apps and browsed several major domestic news platforms and social media.
"The official media has set the tone!"
"So the Hunger Games has this deeper meaning!"
"That's right. Some variety shows and live streams these days have no bottom line when it comes to getting views. How is that any different from the stuff in the movies about the capital?"
"I was so focused on watching my cousin and her husband's romance before, now I'll have to watch it again with more thought!"
"This article was just forwarded in our company group chat. The leader said we can organize everyone to take a look at it and use it as a negative example for warning and education."
The wind direction began to change.
Previously, enthusiastic fans spontaneously created memes and organized private screenings because of their love for the work and the characters.
The emergence of this authoritative article now gives the film educational value and points of discussion.
It transformed from a teen film into a social allegory text worthy of public discussion.
Rob called immediately afterward: "Xun! Did you see the news? Your official media outlets have spoken out! They published a lengthy commentary! This is an unimaginable, top-tier endorsement. Although the article mainly criticizes the phenomena in the film, it's tantamount to official recognition of the film's value for discussion and intellectual depth, which is almost impossible in North America!"
Chen Xun could understand Robert's excitement.
In Hollywood, it's already quite remarkable for a blockbuster to receive an in-depth review from The New Yorker; where would you find a national party newspaper of that caliber publishing an article specifically exploring its social significance?
This is exposure and recognition from a completely different dimension.
The next few days.
Domestically, organizations and schools have begun booking entire theaters and organizing movie screenings.
On Weibo, various quirky check-ins have started appearing: "The company's Youth League Committee organized a viewing of 'The Hunger Games' and required us to write a review. I'm currently contemplating the boundaries of 'entertainment to the death' [doge emoji]."
"The content of the ideological and political practice course for college students: watching 'The Hunger Games' and discussing the construction of a spectacle society in groups. Thank you, Brother Xun and Sister Da Biao, I really enjoyed this class."
"Our factory's union issued movie tickets, saying it was to enrich the cultural life of employees, cultivate their sentiments, and warn them against the sugar-coated bullets of capitalism—my colleague asked if pita bread counts as a sugar-coated bullet?"
Even some university English associations or cultural groups have taken the opportunity to organize screenings of the Hunger Games original soundtrack movie as part of their activities.
It is euphemistically called "improving English proficiency and appreciating the critical spirit of contemporary popular culture".
After an explosive opening weekend, weekday box office numbers typically drop significantly.
However, this time the decline curve was unusually gentle.
Monday and Tuesday — daily box office revenue remained strong, exceeding 100 million yuan.
The Hollywood Reporter’s China correspondent filed a special report titled: “The Hunger Games in China: From Teen Idol to Social Issue, a Phenomenal Box Office Miracle Backed by State Media.”
The article provides a detailed analysis of how the official media article skillfully guided public opinion, transforming a Hollywood commercial film into a cultural product with critical and reflective elements, thereby generating a huge collective demand for the film.
The report also mentioned that some American scholars pointed out that this reflects China's unique emphasis on the ideological and educational functions of cultural products.
The Hunger Games' inherent themes of class, media control, and the spirit of resistance provide just the space for such a discussion.
The international media's rush to report on it undoubtedly added fuel to the fire for "The Hunger Games".
The North American box office has already surpassed $4 million, and its momentum remains strong, with the weekly decline being controlled very well.
Industry insiders predict the final price will be around 5 million.
The UK, as the largest overseas vote bank, has already surpassed $5000 million and its momentum shows no signs of slowing down.
In other parts of the world, the average income is between $2000 million and $4000 million, and harvesting is still going strong.
To date, The Hunger Games has grossed $8.27 million worldwide.
Jennifer was called away by her agent, and Chen Xun sat in the living room drinking coffee by himself.
He turned on the TV and tuned to the entertainment news channel.
Several channels are discussing the box office miracle of "The Hunger Games".
"The Hunger Games has surpassed $800 million at the global box office, and is on track to reach $1 billion. Lionsgate's stock price has surged by 40% in a single month."
"China became the biggest surprise box office market, contributing more than three times the expected amount, and the Chinese-American lead actor Chen Xun deserves much credit for this."
"The ceiling for teen sci-fi adaptations has been completely shattered, and Hollywood may be about to usher in a new wave of adaptations —"
The analysis by the host and guests frequently mentioned the "China factor," the "cross-cultural appeal of the Chinese-American lead actors," "viral marketing on social media," and "the additional exposure brought by unexpected discussions in official media."
Chen Xun's calligraphy was mentioned repeatedly.
Together with Jennifer, they were known as the "golden duo that ignited the world's screens".
The coffee was ready, and he poured himself a cup. The rich aroma calmed him down a bit.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
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