What's the stake?

“The bet…” Gu Wenhua glanced down at his bowl of porridge, “If I win, you’ll treat me to porridge for a month. If you win, I’ll have no further objections and will go back to make this—this ‘Rules General Store’ with you.”

This bet was practically free, and Shang Yechu felt increasingly strange, but she smiled and said, "Looks like you're quite confident. Sure. I'll treat you to porridge for a year."

Gu Wenhua smiled slightly: "Speak."

Shang Yechu started selecting films in her mind. Films with too much fame were definitely out of the question, but those with too little fame were sure to be box office flops by Gu Wenhua, not even worth a try.

"The Strange Tales of No. 95 Tianjing." Shang Yechu ultimately chose this series of domestically produced flops. This film wasn't as famous as the first one, and its box office performance was also much worse, so it would be somewhat challenging.

Gu Wenhua touched his temple: "Is this that movie about a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law fighting ghosts? You've really stumped me..."

The clock ticked once. Shang Yechu opened Mint Movies and began searching for the names of two movies.

Upon seeing the result, Shang Yechu's pupils contracted slightly.

At the same time, Gu Wenhua said, "Let's call it 'No. 95 Tianjing'."

Shang Yechu looked up in shock.

Gu Wenhua observed Shang Yechu's expression: "Did I guess wrong?"

No, you guessed right.

That's why Shang Yechu couldn't understand it.

"The Grain Eater" grossed 1.38 billion yen worldwide, which, converted to RMB at the exchange rate at the time, was just over 90 million yuan. This was a full 20 million yuan less than "The Strange Case of No. 95 in the Courtyard". More importantly, "The Grain Eater" was released globally, including in mainland China, while "The Strange Case of No. 95 in the Courtyard" only included box office revenue from the single market of mainland China.

However—clearly, the horror and plot logic of "The Grafting" would easily surpass not only "The Strange Case of No. 95 Courtyard" but also "The Strange Case of No. 95000 Courtyard"!

“This round doesn’t count.” Shang Yechu immediately realized, “Japan and China have different box office sizes! We should choose a movie from the same country.”

Gu Wenhua glanced away: "But you've already seen the top 100 box office charts worldwide. Is it fair to me to play this game again?"

"Fine." Shang Yechu was only trying to ease the tension, a man of his word. "I'll treat you to a month's worth of porridge. But you have to tell me why you said those things earlier."

From the box office comparison between "The Grain Eater" and "The Strange Case of No. 95 Tianjing", Shang Yechu had already vaguely sensed something, but he was just unwilling to admit it.

"Among horror film directors, the most famous right now is Sa Guangqing." Gu Wenhua turned his gaze to Shang Yechu. "Most horror film enthusiasts have seen his film 'Puppet.' However, his highest-grossing film is actually the less well-known 'Wolf Valley Mountain' series. Have you seen the 'Wolf Valley Mountain' series?"

Shang Yechu had indeed skimmed through the "Wolf Valley Mountain" series, and his impression was that it was very clichéd. It was a traditional jump scare horror film, and apart from that, all three films had happy endings.

"Hmm." Shang Yechu had already guessed what Gu Wenhua was going to say, and couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. It seemed that it was absolutely impossible to get Gu Wenhua to make this film. "The 'Wolf Valley Mountain' series is also on this list."

"That's what I wanted to say, Ye Chu." Gu Wenhua sat up straight, his expression somewhat serious:

"The film market is geared towards 'ordinary audiences,' not 'die-hard horror movie fans.'"

How many haunted houses and escape room arcades are there in the whole country? Are there more than movie theaters or amusement parks?

"Hardcore horror movie enthusiasts who are truly drawn to the 'horror' aspect only make up a small portion of the audience. Their voices may be the loudest, but they are by no means the decisive force behind box office success!"

Gu Wenhua had initially sat quite a distance from Shang Yechu, but as he spoke, he became increasingly engrossed, leaning forward and staring intently at Shang Yechu's face, saying:

"Because movies may be art for us, but they are just entertainment for the audience. Most people go for the thrill. Even with horror movies, people go for the adrenaline rush, not for the psychological depression, mental breakdown, or lingering terror."

"Horror films don't necessarily make more money the scarier they are; rather, they make more money the more commercialized they are. Therefore, to make a successful horror film, it either needs to be based on a big IP and have a large production with a natural fan base, or it needs to have a plot, a climax, and exciting moments. It needs to have at least one of these elements: IP, technology, or plot."

"If you want to make a commercial horror film, then the commercial aspect must come before the horror."

Following Gu Wenhua's words, Shang Yechu recalled the box office rankings again, becoming more and more alarmed the more she recalled them.

Among the top 100 highest-grossing horror films worldwide, *The Exorcist* is the pioneer, and its involvement with religious themes makes it a special case. Films like *The Great Shark*, *The Whale*, and *It* are either big-budget productions or based on established IPs with a loyal fanbase. Aside from these, the vast majority of films Shang Yechu recalls adhere to the commercial principles Gu Wenhua mentioned!

Shang Yechu, skeptical, recalled the mainland horror film box office charts and was astonished to find that the logic was once again confirmed: all the horror films on the charts, especially the imported ones, were high-tech gadgets piled up with large-scale scenes, while the "Tianjing" series, although the plot was outrageously bad, was not boring at all. On the contrary, it was full of melodrama and tension.

Gu Wenhua sighed and concluded, "Movies and novels are different. Ye Chu, some first-rate novels can only be adapted into third-rate movies."