"Three, two, one!"
As the clock struck midnight, the opening day box office for "Happy Street" settled at 87.53 million yuan.
"How many?"
Shang Yechu pressed the paper bag to his mouth and nose, took a deep breath, and his powerful lung capacity flattened the paper bag into a flat sheet, then inflated it like an external alveolus.
During the pre-sale, he didn't feel anything special, but when the film was officially released, Shang Yechu felt an unprecedented tension and excitement.
Watching the box office numbers increase every second; watching the number representing "tens of millions" jump from two to three, and then almost instantly from three to four; watching the new comments refresh in real time on the ticketing app, watching the constant stream of reviews on various websites—my heart pounded with excitement and anxiety, my mind racing with impatience and restlessness!
The clock ticks, tick-tock. Coins clatter, clatter. Social media notifications ring, ring.
This ladder to heaven, this boundless sea of gold! Every number is a stepping stone to the summit. Every second is a chasm between soaring to the heavens and eternal damnation.
Watching the box office closely, Shang Yechu felt the tension and anxiety so intensely for the first time. "The Mute Woman" wasn't made to make money, and as for the films from her previous life, she wasn't the main character; she was rather naive and rarely concerned herself with them.
Starting in the early hours of the morning, Shang Yechu was tossing and turning in bed at her hotel. While touring for the promotional event, she managed to maintain her composure and avoid any major mishaps. But after work, Shang Yechu realized something was wrong—
She can't eat anymore!
Seeing food makes me think of box office numbers; seeing dishes makes me think of film reviews; even seeing desserts makes me wonder how much money I should spend to make marketing accounts sweeten their mouths.
Shang Yechu's heart pounded like a drum; she was mesmerized, staring intently at the box office data on FODI. FODI was a box office statistics platform used internally by film producers, displaying completely unfiltered data. Sometimes, Shang Yechu would become so engrossed that she wouldn't even blink until halos of light appeared before her eyes.
They've all gone mad.
The atmosphere at Qingping Entertainment was tense today. Employees didn't dare to breathe loudly when speaking to Boss Ji. Key members of Ye Chu's team and Boss Ji's confidants were constantly coming and going, and were even brought in to work overtime on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Weibo's trending topics were already in full swing, released at the precise second. Every year at this time, Weibo's marketing and promotion costs are terrifyingly high; money is poured in, but there's barely a ripple. — The water is swallowed up by the water!
Marketing efforts on other major platforms were also well underway. Douyin and Pi Station were key battlegrounds for Ye Chu, and emerging platforms like Hongshu were not to be overlooked. Even Green Petal, which always loved to criticize Ye Chu, had its online army deployed by Qingping Entertainment.
Ye Ya went everywhere shouting and advertising, promoting the CP (couple) pairings with all her might. She even temporarily put aside her hatred for CP fans, with countless solo fans posing as her own to go and shout in the territories of Dili CP, Shanye CP, and Yifen Shuye. Although all these CP fans combined were no match for Ye Ya, who had been beaten down for years, in this critical moment, even a small fry was still a fry.
This is a war without gunfire.
However, that's all anyone can do.
Ultimately, the choice remains with the audience.
Shang Yechu, Gu Wenhua, countless staff members, and the neighbors of the pedestrian street worked together to deliver this result to the market. And the audience, as they wished, approved the opening day's box office of 87.53 million yuan.
In just one day, it grossed nearly 90 million at the box office!
It was almost on par with the total box office of "The Mute Woman".
No matter how much the art world or other circles criticize, condemn, or even despise them, commercial films are undeniably profitable. They make far, far more money than art films. No amount of fanfare can compare to the wealth they generate!
There may be actors in this world who see money as dirt, are immersed in the pursuit of art, and don't care about box office returns, but Shang Yechu is definitely not one of them. She wants to win, she wants both fame and fortune, she wants awards, she wants box office success, she wants the envious, jealous, and awe-inspiring gazes of others. If she could, she would want it all!
Even Yang Huanyi couldn't quell this frenzied desire and restlessness. Yang Huanyi knew that Shang Yechu's movie must be nervous on its first day of release, and he sent Shang Yechu countless messages and made several video calls throughout the day. But during each call, Shang Yechu was completely distracted, frequently switching to other screens to check the box office figures for "Happy Street."
As midnight approached and the first day's box office figures were about to be finalized, Shang Yechu was so nervous she could barely breathe. She felt dizzy, her hands and feet were numb. She had to grab a few paper bags, inhaling the carbon dioxide inside to relieve her tension while counting the box office numbers.
With nearly 90 million yuan in box office revenue on its opening day, it's a respectable figure for a normal release period—a respectable performance for a class. However, it falls short during the Spring Festival season.
Nevertheless, this is still an astonishing achievement for an actress. In just one day, "Happiness Street, Please Come In!" propelled Shang Yechu from being virtually unknown to jumping directly into the top fifty of the box office rankings for leading actresses in films.
Is it sorrow? Or joy?
Shang Yechu couldn't see any of that. All she knew was that the film next door, "Don't Touch My Dad," grossed a whopping 200 million yuan on its opening day, and "Floating Flower Palace" grossed 170 million yuan on its opening day. Even "The Story of the Lanterns" grossed 130 million yuan.
On its opening day, "Happy Street" ranked fourth in box office revenue during the Spring Festival season, far behind the top three.
Her heartbeat still hadn't slowed down. The words "fourth place" lingered in her mind. Shang Yechu tossed the paper bag aside, leaned back in her chair, and stared at the ceiling.
Ji Juntao sat with her on the other end of the computer. She had large dark circles under her eyes and had gained weight, all due to excessive stress and overeating.
Mr. Ji sacrificed his precious rest time, staying up until the early hours of the morning with the lead actress to wait for the final box office figures for the first day. However, when that moment arrived, the two remained silent, unable to utter a single word.
What will the future hold for Happiness Street? Nobody knows.
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