Chapter 40: "The White Fox" Goes Live
Jiang Yan accepted Su Chen’s goodwill and responded politely.
“All right, things are okay for now. If I really can’t manage in the end, I’ll ask for your help!”
As she typed, she silently added to herself:
How could you help? With your formulaic, run-of-the-mill songs?
Yet these words remained in her heart; she would never say them out loud. In the past, she might have blurted it without a second thought. But now that Su Chen had just done her a favor, she felt she should be more tactful.
Su Chen saw Jiang Yan’s message and shrugged.
If she didn’t need his help, so be it.
His intention was simply to support each other, as Wen Yan had suggested.
If he could help, he would. He knew from the group chat that Jiang Yan was preparing a new album. If she happened to need songs, and he happened to have some, then a good song paired with a rising pop star would be mutually beneficial.
Besides, with Jiang Yan competing against Xi Siyuan, he thought it would be interesting to lend a hand.
But seeing Jiang Yan uninterested, he had no reason to insist she listen to his songs first.
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On July 15, the blockbuster film “Strange Tales” finally premiered.
Director Li Chengnian personally called to greet him.
“Teacher Tang, it’s such a pity you can’t make it to the premiere!”
“I was hoping to meet you in person, but it seems we’ll have to wait for another chance!”
“You’re in River City, right? When I film there in the future, we’ll have drinks together!”
“And if you ever come to the capital, you must let me know!”
“I may not be able to help with big matters, but this old man’s face still carries some weight—ordinary things won’t be a problem.”
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the call ended.
Throughout, Director Li Chengnian was exceedingly polite.
By rights, Su Chen’s status would never have brought him into contact with such a prominent director.
But it was said that after hearing “White Fox,” Li Chengnian had been so moved he slammed his desk in excitement.
He claimed the song had perfectly captured what he wanted to express, and insisted on meeting the lyricist and composer.
After the demo was sent, General Manager Wang Yan mentioned that Li Chengnian wanted to invite him to the premiere.
He thought it was just polite talk.
Yet, to his surprise, a week ago he received a real invitation. At the time, feeling the capital was too far, he made an excuse and declined.
Even up to the movie’s official release, Li Chengnian again invited him to participate in special screening events—where the film’s creators would meet audiences at randomly selected theaters and interact in person.
He declined again, only to receive a personal phone call from Li Chengnian, which left him feeling somewhat apologetic.
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A great director truly lives up to his reputation.
Even before “Strange Tales” was officially released, the premiere had already garnered rave reviews!
With the director’s fame and the promotional push from major media outlets, the presale box office on opening day soared to 200 million.
“The production quality is excellent, and the filmmakers’ earnest attitude shines through. Though there are some less plausible moments, the highlights outweigh the flaws. Compared to recent movies, this is already top-tier.”
“The 3D effects are outstanding. When the water droplets flew toward the screen, I was genuinely startled. However, the lines are a bit stiff, and the plot doesn’t always flow smoothly. Still, I recommend it—other films these days are just terrible.”
“The character designs are a bit over-the-top, which can be distracting, but if you settle in and really absorb the stories, you might find yourself in tears. For anyone nursing a broken heart, this is pure tearjerker material.”
“…”
But once the first day’s reviews came out, opinions were sharply divided.
If the premiere’s reception could be attributed to the company’s marketing resources, the official release was the true test of the film’s quality.
At this stage, audience reviews were the most genuine word-of-mouth. Hired PR could no longer sway the overall perception.
By the end of the first day, the official box office reached 250 million, and its score on a certain review site was 8.5—an impressive rating.
The film topped the box office and its score was high for that platform.
On the second day, with no more presale numbers to boost it, the official box office was 140 million, and the rating dropped to 7.5.
A sharp decline in critical acclaim.
On the third day, the numbers plummeted: box office fell below 100 million, with just over 80 million that day, and the review score dipped below 6, sitting at 5.8.
Online, audience dissatisfaction surged after several days of screenings.
“This movie insults both the audience’s intelligence and emotional quotient. I hadn’t intended to leave a review, but I just couldn’t hold it in…”
“An absolute masterpiece in the worst way—it constantly assaulted my nerves. I almost knelt in surrender. I only finished it to see how many issues I could spot…”
“This movie fills the gap in Chinese cinema for absurdly styled romance films. The outlandish character designs are laughable. When a character with bright green hair appeared, I almost spat out my dinner…”
“…”
Summing up the reviews:
It’s a good story, but poorly told.
The 3D visuals are strong, but the character designs are ludicrous, and many plot points defy logic.
If viewers watched the film without knowing the director, they would never believe this was the work of a renowned domestic filmmaker.
Reading these reviews, Su Chen nearly choked with laughter.
He hadn’t seen the film yet, but from the reviews, he could already guess its quality.
He found it odd—a director of such stature producing something like this?
He had expected the film’s reputation to soar, just as the media had hyped at the premiere.
He had even hoped to ride the wave of the film’s success.
But now, that hope was fading.
Starting at midnight on July 15, “White Fox” was released simultaneously on the Tian Tian Music platform.
On the first day, it had over 500,000 streams.
On the second day, 120,000.
On the third day, 200,000.
The initial spike was thanks to early promotional efforts and Qin Pei’s fan support, just barely crossing the pass mark.
The second and third days dropped below that line.
Still, there was one small consolation: the third day’s numbers rose compared to the second.
Overall, the three-day trend was within the normal range, though not the explosive success he’d imagined.
It was too soon to tell the overall trajectory; more time was needed.
But compared to the film “Strange Tales,” things were already much better.
Though Su Chen was confident, he couldn’t help but feel anxious.
Would the audience in this world even appreciate this kind of music?
Soon, he would have his answer.