novellhall Chapter 23 The Ambition of 1
Chapter 23 The Ambition of 1
July 27th arrived in the blink of an eye.
Over the past few days, the entire South Korean film industry has been captivated by "Haeundae".
Since its release on the 22nd, the film has demonstrated amazing explosive power in the box office market, thanks to the positive word-of-mouth it had built up in the early stages.
The event attracted nearly 200,000 viewers on the first day, 270,000 on the second day, and over 300,000 on the third day.
Once the weekend arrived, the box office potential of this disaster blockbuster was fully unleashed.
The film attracted 610,000 viewers on Saturday, and on Sunday, it achieved an even greater success due to positive word-of-mouth, with the number of viewers not only not decreasing but increasing to 620,000.
In just five days, the cumulative number of viewers for "Haeundae" officially surpassed two million!
This astonishingly rapid rise not only matched the Hollywood blockbuster "Transformers 2" and the Korean film classic "Taegukgi" of the same year, but also set a new record for the fastest release of a Korean domestic film in 2009.
It left "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," which was released at the same time, far behind.
Even the phenomenal success of films like "Silmido" and "The King and the Clown," which once generated millions of viewers, was slightly less impactful in their initial releases.
……
That evening, Li Zhixing dragged his tired body back to his home in Fangbeidong.
During the day, I worked non-stop with the director and several main creators, running around the stage all day greeting people.
This kind of promotional work, which directly faces the audience, is even more tiring than being a wire stunt double on a film set.
Besides the numerous stage greetings, this stunning newcomer also became the focus of media attention.
These past few days, I've had to deal with various interviews every day, repeatedly responding to the "first kiss that was NG'd over 30 times" with official platitudes, and carefully avoiding the reporters' trap of rumors about him and Kang Ye-won "taking their on-screen romance off-screen."
While it's certainly gratifying to see box office numbers climb steadily, these repetitive questions are truly exhausting.
Li Zhixing sighed and had just slumped into the rocking chair to rest for a while when his phone vibrated in his pocket.
"Hey, Brother Jijun."
After listening to just a couple of sentences, Li Zhixing's expression turned somewhat strange: "Wait, why are you having a celebration banquet for only two million?"
The person on the other end smiled and said something else, seemingly with a very firm attitude.
Li Zhixing sighed helplessly, "Alright, alright, I'll be right there."
Grandma came out of her room when she heard the noise. Seeing him about to leave again, she said with some concern, "Zhixing, drink less alcohol."
"Okay, Grandma."
……
Fangbeidong is an old street not far from the upscale villa area where Xue Jing proposed.
Li Zhixing lifted the plastic curtain of a cloth-covered carriage.
The large electric fan was blowing loudly, but the air was still filled with the sultry heat of a summer night, mixed with the smells of snacks and liquor.
In the far corner, two middle-aged men were already drinking.
Yin Jijun smiled and waved, "Come and sit down."
Li Zhixing paused, then looked at Xue Jingqiu with a grin and asked, "Brother, are you kneeling this time?"
Xue Jingqiu glared at him irritably and pointed to the empty seat next to him: "Stop talking nonsense."
Li Zhixing then smiled, pulled out a plastic round stool, and sat down next to the low table.
He looked around and joked, "Seriously, Brother Jijun? The victory celebration is being held inside a tented carriage? Is it just the three of us tonight?"
"It's just the three of us. Your brother Jingqiu is going to continue filming 'Unforgiven' tomorrow, so let's meet up near his house tonight."
As Yin Jijun spoke, he picked up the wine bottle and was about to pour wine for Li Zhixing.
Li Zhixing was startled and quickly raised his wine glass with both hands to greet him, saying, "Brother Jijun, how could I let you pour me wine?"
Yin Jijun insisted on filling his glass to the brim, then said earnestly, "I really have to toast you properly with this glass of wine. If you hadn't seen through the situation and reminded me to change our marketing strategy in time, the movie wouldn't be doing so well now."
Li Zhixing turned to the side, finished his drink, and said with a smile, "I was just an outsider with a clearer perspective and casually offered a suggestion. If we're talking about who's really good, it's CJ's PR team that has strong execution capabilities. They were able to roll out the new plan in just one night."
Seeing that Li Zhixing did not take credit, Xue Jingqiu curled the corners of his mouth and nodded secretly.
Yin Jijun laughed and scolded, "Alright, stop being modest with me. Do you think I don't know what's going on? If you hadn't reminded me to review the marketing case of 'Speed Scandal,' how could I have made up my mind so quickly?"
Yin Jijun paused, then added, "Once we're done with this busy period, I'll take you to meet Li Xiangwu, the marketing team leader at CJ. He's very curious about you."
Before they arrived, Yoon Je-jun and Seol Kyung-gu had probably already had a few drinks, as their cheeks were now flushed.
In addition, the box office results of the past few days have really excited him, and he is now in an extremely excited state.
Li Zhixing chuckled and casually asked, "Was it the achievement of two million in five days that spurred you on?"
Yin Jijun waved his hand with a smile: "More than that."
He then leaned forward and asked in a low voice, "Zhixing, how much do you think this movie will ultimately gross?"
Li Zhixing thought for a moment and analyzed seriously: "Although everyone says that the first week's box office is crucial, the most crucial thing is actually the box office on Monday of the second week."
"Judging from how happy Brother Jijun is, his results today must be pretty good, right? If he can match last Friday's results, he should have no problem getting seven or eight million."
Yin Jijun's eyes lit up, and he turned to look at Xue Jingqiu: "What do you think, hyung?"
Xue Jingqiu stroked his chin: "Pretty much, after all, it's the summer movie season now, and there aren't many competitive films at the same time."
"However, the movie 'National Team,' starring Ha Jung-woo, which will be released in a few days, may be a strong competitor. I heard that the test screenings have received very good reviews."
However, Yin Jijun shook his head and said something surprising.
"Today's box office revenue isn't just over 300,000, it's more than 390,000, approaching 400,000!"
He stared intently at the two men, his eyes burning: "We predict that this film will likely break all previous records for CJ's films, and may even surpass ten million!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the table fell silent.
Xue Jingqiu's hand, holding the wine glass, froze in mid-air as he stared blankly at the table.
Li Zhixing took a deep breath, and after a long while, he exclaimed incredulously, "Ten million..."
With a total population of less than 50 million, a box office of 10 million means that one in five people has seen this movie.
Moreover, it has been a full three years since the last domestic film to break the 10 million mark, namely "The Host" in 2006.
Although Sol Kyung-gu has already become a leading man with a box office of 10 million with "Silmido", it does not mean that he does not want to add another representative work with a box office of 10 million to his resume.
He stared intently at Yin Jijun: "Is this prediction reliable?"
After dropping this bombshell, Yin Jijun became somewhat reserved.
He picked up his glass and took a sip: "Predictions are never accurate. There are always variables. Who can say for sure what will happen in the future? Haha."
Li Zhixing was speechless: "Brother Jijun, you're a bit mischievous, you've stirred up all our hearts."
Xue Jingqiu smiled and shook his head: "Whether it can break ten million is another matter. But for now, this film is a complete success."
He looked at Li Zhixing, his tone tinged with emotion: "Speaking of which, this kid really hit the jackpot this time."
Yin Jijun nodded with a smile: "Indeed, Zhixing is probably the person who has benefited the most from our film."
Xue Jingqiu sighed with deep empathy: "These past two days, I've been reading comments online, and many people are criticizing my comedic performances as being less natural than Im Chang-jung's, saying that I'm deliberately acting crazy..."
Yin Jijun laughed after hearing this: "Brother, you're lucky. Senior Chongxun was really in a bad situation. It was his first time playing a supporting role, and he not only didn't get good reviews, but the audience also questioned his stiff pronunciation and said that he didn't have the professionalism of a geology PhD at all."
At this point, Yin Jijun raised his glass and clinked it with Li Zhixing's: "On the contrary, Zhixing, your character is likable and your acting skills are solid. Right now, everyone on the internet is praising you."
"Your popularity as a newcomer has really taken off this time."
Li Zhixing raised his glass with both hands, took a sip, and said modestly, "It's all thanks to Jijun's excellent script; the character of Cui Hengzhi is just too charismatic."
"Anyone who played the role would have been likable; I just benefited from the character's persona."
After putting down his wine glass, Li Zhixing picked up the wine bottle and poured more wine for Yin Jijun.
He remarked casually, "But to be honest, the scene where Renquan hid from the shipping containers on the Guang'an Bridge was truly outstanding. I've seen many viewers online say it's the best scene in the whole film, both hilarious and well-acted."
Xue Jingqiu immediately picked up the conversation, took a bite of his snack and sighed, "Yeah, Ren Quan has really had a tough time. His acting is impeccable, and this time he's finally landed a standout role. It's just that he lacks exposure."
Having been in the industry for so long, Yin Jijun could easily see through the unspoken message between the two.
He chuckled irritably and pointed at the two of them: "Alright, stop beating around the bush with me. Starting tomorrow, have Renquan go on stage with you to greet people and build up his popularity."
Li Zhixing and Xue Jingqiu exchanged a glance, raised their glasses in unison, and burst into laughter.
......