lovenovelstory Chapter 24 First Day Box Office
Chapter 24 First Day Box Office
There was no premiere; "The Blade" was released on Debao Cinemas at midnight on October 1st.
Some viewers who enjoy midnight screenings, fans of the creators of "The Blade" who are interested in the film, and film critics and columnists attracted by the hype of the second new martial arts film,
They flocked to cinemas under the D&B Cinemas chain as soon as possible.
Chen Zhiyue is a senior columnist for Film Biweekly.
He joined the magazine shortly after its launch and even participated in the preparations for the Hong Kong Film Awards.
Although Film Biweekly handed over the right to host the Hong Kong Film Awards to the Hong Kong Film Awards Organizing Committee,
But thanks to this contribution, it became the most authoritative and influential film magazine in Hong Kong.
Chen Zhiyue has become a well-known magazine columnist in the industry for his objective, sharp, and insightful film reviews.
He spoke highly of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," believing it breathed new life into the martial arts genre.
The concept of "new martial arts" was first proposed by him in "Film Biweekly" and was quickly cited by other media outlets.
After "Swordsman", he has been looking forward to a second new martial arts film.
Then "The Blade" appeared.
At first, Chen Zhiyue thought "The Blade," which was touted as the second new martial arts film, was just a cheap imitation made by some company to make easy money.
After learning about the film's creators, I found that the male lead, Tang Long, was relatively unknown, but I did see the name Cheng Xiaodong in the director's column.
Cheng Xiaodong is quite famous; he was the director of "Swordsman".
Later, even Tsui Hark publicly endorsed the film, finally making him realize that "The Blade" was no ordinary film.
Eager to see it for himself, he eagerly bought tickets for the midnight showing.
Upon entering the cinema, Chen Zhiyue was surprised to find that there were quite a few viewers, with an occupancy rate of at least 50%.
For a midnight showing, this attendance rate is quite impressive.
He found his seat and sat down; someone was already sitting next to him.
The other person watched him take a pen and notebook out of his bag and asked curiously:
Are you a film critic?
"I'm a reporter."
Which newspaper?
Have you heard of "Film Biweekly"?
"no."
Chen Zhiyue's expression froze instantly, and then the other party delivered another blow.
"Is 'Film Biweekly' very famous?"
Have you heard of the Hong Kong Film Awards?
"Of course I've heard of that."
"The Hong Kong Film Awards were originally organized by our magazine."
"Your magazine is so amazing, how come it's not famous?"
Chen Zhiyue suppressed the urge to sew his mouth shut and forced a smile as he explained:
"Perhaps our magazine is quite specialized, and our audience doesn't like reading it as much, so our brand awareness is relatively low."
"I don't like reading newspapers and magazines that are too professional. I prefer reading Oriental Daily News. Their gossip reports are more interesting."
Chen Zhiyue didn't want to discuss this topic with him anymore and asked:
"Did you come to see 'The Blade' so late because you were attracted by the hype of new martial arts films?"
"No, it's because of Commander Zuo."
"Left Commander?"
"Yes, it's Zuo Qianhu from 'A Chinese Ghost Story 2'. His Japanese swordsmanship is so cool."
When I saw him in the movie theater, I immediately fell in love with Zuo Qianhu—no, I mean, I fell in love with Tang Long.
Tang Long is the male lead and screenwriter of "The Blade." It's surprising that he not only fights well but can also write scripts.
Turns out he was a fan.
However, he didn't realize that Tang Long was the screenwriter of the movie "The Blade," as he focused all his attention on Cheng Xiaodong.
A short while later, the movie started playing.
The film opens with Xiang Ling, played by Liu Jialing, recounting her memories in a flashback format to introduce the story.
Lianfeng is a group of burly, muscular men who exude a powerful aura. The brothers get along very well, as if time is peaceful and serene.
But this wonderful feeling didn't last long.
Ding'an and Tie Tou witnessed a chivalrous monk being ambushed and beheaded by hunters at the market.
A bloody, violent, rugged, and chaotic panorama of the martial arts world slowly unfolds.
Chen Zhiyue took notes as he read:
A rough, cruel, bloody, yet realistic martial arts world, filmed with a handheld camera, shaky shots, and numerous character monologues.
Halfway through the movie, I have to admit that "The Blade" gave me a very strong sense of subversion.
Perhaps due to preconceived notions, he felt that the world of martial arts should be romantic, poetic, and filled with chivalrous tales of love and revenge.
The world depicted in "The Blade" is devoid of morality and ethics, only a brutal world of survival and trade based on the survival of the fittest, a cruel reality that no one can escape.
Thinking of this, Chen Zhiyue couldn't help but let out a long breath.
"The Blade" is different from traditional martial arts novels, and also different from the free-spirited style of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer".
It's very realistic, and this realism should be considered a kind of new martial arts fiction.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the person next to him, who had been quite talkative just moments before, was now unusually quiet, intently focused on the big screen.
What did you think of the movie?
"It's very beautiful."
Chen Zhiyue noticed that the other person's gaze remained fixed on the screen, indicating that they genuinely found it enjoyable.
Then he wrote in his notebook:
The classic "one-armed swordsman" revenge formula, the story is old-fashioned.
In the end, Ding'an uses his father's broken sword to kill Feilong, the man who killed his father, and then limps away into the yellow sand.
In the end, Xiang Ling guarded the Lianfeng Ship alone, her black hair turning white.
After watching "The Blade," Chen Zhiyue was deeply moved and remained unsettled for a long time.
This movie undoubtedly has both obvious strengths and weaknesses, and there's so much to write about it.
The next morning, Tang Long arrived at the Cheng family's camp. Tang Jia and Cheng Xiaodong had already arrived.
"Uncle, boss, have the box office figures for the midnight screenings of 'The Blade' come out yet?"
"It's out, HK$260,000, not a bad result," Tang Jia replied.
"It seems our publicity campaign was effective."
"Don't get too excited yet. The real test is yet to come. Midnight screening box office figures aren't very reliable."
"Boss, what are we going to do today?"
"The movie has already been released, so we don't need to do anything. We just need to wait for the opening day box office."
We'll start following up on the promotions tomorrow; we've already reached an agreement with TVB.
"Does it need to go to the cinema to meet with the audience and talk about the film's creative process?"
"Nobody's interested in listening to you talk about these things, and you're disturbing their movie viewing," Cheng Xiaodong said irritably.
Ok.
There are no roadshows for the release of movies in Hong Kong.
For Hong Kong audiences, celebrities are frequently seen and don't receive much of a filter.
After mainland audiences demystified celebrities, they also found promotional tours annoying, feeling that they were interfering with their movie-watching experience.
However, he simply couldn't sit still and wait.
Tang Long couldn't resist going to one of the cinemas under the Debao Cinema Line to see how well "The Blade" was performing.
After waiting until dawn, Tang Jia and Cheng Xiaodong both became serious.
Around 1:00 PM, an assistant rushed over, panting and excitedly saying:
"The opening day box office figures for 'The Blade' are in: 1.08 million!"