In December of the same year, the movie "Dog Journey" was released. On its opening day, it grossed over 40 million yuan, exceeding the investors' expectations. At this rate of box office growth, the movie could break even within a week. Considering overseas distribution and Blu-ray sales, it would be difficult for the movie to lose money.
The film itself is based on word-of-mouth, which is entirely beneficial for the long run. As the box office gradually increases, the number of screenings in cinemas is also gradually increasing. The box office trend is nothing like that of a relatively niche crime drama dark comedy film.
On the day of the premiere, curious people snapped up tickets for the midnight premiere.
After all, Cen Yu is a big gimmick. Although he hasn't been very active since regaining his Weibo account, and only retweeted the group's disbandment concert and appeared in the audience without performing, the more mysterious he is, the more curious the public becomes about him.
Of course, there are criticisms as well. Some people don't believe that a newcomer like Cen Yu can portray any good roles, and feel that the current reputation is entirely a product of capital manipulation.
Regardless of whether they were eager to be among the first to see the premiere or were looking forward to it, everyone was momentarily stunned when they saw Cen Yu's face appear on the big screen.
The Cen Yu in the movie looks completely different from the one he remembers.
He sat in the card room, touching the cards, his mind calculating the fat sheep that had recently come to Chuncheng... As the plot progressed, the character Qian Aige revealed his cunning, cold-blooded, and ruthless side, until his emotions completely exploded on the pig-slaughtering side.
The entire movie is less than 2 hours long, with almost no dull moments. The plot builds up layer by layer until the final car crash, at which point the film abruptly ends, leaving an open ending.
The theme song composed by Mu Fengyin appeared along with the subtitles, leaving the audience still in a daze—
"That's it?"
No Easter egg??
Perhaps unwilling to give up, the audience remained seated in the theater. Finally, at the moment the theme song finished playing, the hospital scene reappeared on screen, with medical staff hurrying by, followed by sounds like "Awake."
That concludes the entire movie.
The audience was even more excited after watching the premiere. Some people wrote reviews on rating websites as soon as they left the theater. They especially praised Cen Yu's acting skills, Ji Hengyun's veteran actor performance was stable, Mu Fengyin's cameo was surprisingly convincing, and Zhuang Zemin, who usually plays heroic and righteous roles, gave a refreshing feeling as Zhuang Ge in the movie. Of course, there was also Lin Meili, who played the role, whose popularity has been growing due to the recent hit TV series she starred in.
In short, no character had any weaknesses, and everyone delivered a very impressive performance.
...
He Ci had already seen the finished film when Cen Yu went to the film festival. He was extremely confident in the film, but considering that it was Cen Yu's first film, he was still a little uneasy in the office before the reviews came out.
He Ci finally breathed a sigh of relief after the first batch of screenings ended and the reviews came out.
Cen Yu's former teammates, Jiang Jueming, Li Yanxiao, and Zhan Kongqing, even booked out an entire venue for promotion.
The moment the reviews and box office figures came out, He Ci's phone was flooded with messages, including congratulatory messages from Yunxing's top executives.
...
The film's creators gathered at Gu Hanyin's studio.
Even a veteran actor like Ji Hengyun couldn't help but feel delighted after seeing the reviews.
"Old Gu, it seems this investment was a success," Ji Hengyun said.
Gu Hanyin remained calm, while Cen Yu continued browsing online reviews... Mu Fengyin watched for a while and couldn't help but ask, "Why is he here?"
He looked at Xie Jinshen, who had appeared in the villa, with some incomprehension.
Xie Jinshen pretended to be a wooden doll and remained silent.
“He said he wanted to atone for his mistakes and would work like a slave for me,” Cen Yu said. He had just reached for a bottle of mineral water when Xie Jinshen immediately offered it to him with both hands.
The actress who played Lin Meili was curious.
Of course she knew about the online controversy surrounding the film since its completion...
To be honest, when she learned Xie Jinshen's identity, not only were the onlookers shocked, but she herself was also quite surprised.
After all, everyone on set knew how competent Xie Jinshen was as a personal assistant.
Looking at Xie Jinshen's meek and obedient manner as he served tea and water, Lin Meili sighed inwardly—
As expected, the whole commotion before was because my sister-in-law wanted a formal title!
...
"Dog Journey" ultimately raked in 900 million yuan at the box office.
Although it doesn't compare to the staggering figures of billions in today's inflated box office market, this box office number has far exceeded everyone's expectations, given that it was a low-budget drama film!
During awards season, it leads the entire awards season with 7 nominations.
Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Newcomer...
Before attending the red carpet event, many luxury brands proactively extended olive branches to Cen Yu, expressing their willingness to provide sponsorships such as clothing and watches.
After much deliberation, He Ci finally chose the clothes.
On the day of the awards ceremony.
The crew of "Dog Journey" made a grand entrance as the finale, attracting a barrage of cameras and video recorders.
The last time Cen Yu walked the red carpet was at a fashion gala, when Mu Fengyin happened to appear right in front of them.
While waiting backstage, Cen Yu chatted with Mu Fengyin about this matter... Mu Fengyin thought for a moment and said, "Then I should thank my manager at the time."
"How so?"
"Otherwise, you wouldn't even notice me."
Cen Yu immediately shuddered, "Si Daopu, Teacher Mu, we're not recording a variety show, don't be so dedicated."
Mu Fengyin just smiled and didn't say anything.
Ji Hengyun leaned closer, intrigued. "What are you talking about? You seem so happy?"
Cen Yu made a sarcastic comment about Mu Fengyin's "dedication," and even at this moment, he didn't forget to create a little topic of conversation.
Upon hearing this, Ji Hengyun glanced at Mu Fengyin beside her and said, "Perhaps Teacher Mu is telling the truth."
Lin Meili and Zhuang Zemin were not exactly walking the red carpet for the first time, but they inexplicably became nervous. However, the interruption made them forget their nervousness.
Gu Hanyin stood aside watching them talk... and then the host's voice rang out.
The entire cast and crew of "Dog Journey" also made an appearance.
When they arrived at the awards ceremony, everyone took their seats, and Cen Yu was muttering something to himself.
"What are you talking about?" Mu Fengyin asked Cen Yu, who was talking to himself.
“He Ci made me memorize the acceptance speech,” Cen Yu said immediately.
Perhaps to prevent Cen Yu from making unfounded statements, He Ci specially prepared an award-winning scenario, just in case.
After all, Yunxing didn't really expect Cen Yu to win the Best Newcomer award.
This year is a banner year for films, with a plethora of top-tier movies and actors making the cut.
The hosts on stage were all familiar faces, and the awards ceremony proceeded in an orderly manner. At the beginning, there were some minor awards, and soon the best newcomer segment arrived.
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