Chapter 42: A Song Revives a Film
“They’ve made the list!”
Jiang City, Xinghai Media.
A middle-aged man, impeccably dressed and with meticulously styled hair, lit a cigarette as he spoke. He was Jing Xiuwen, the general manager of Xinghai Media, sitting firmly in his executive chair.
Across the desk, a few people were seated on the sofas in the reception area. Among them, an elder who appeared to be in his sixties sipped his tea lightly and remarked,
“It’s not surprising. Their song definitely had the potential to make the charts.”
“The lyrics and melody are well crafted, and the singer’s performance is solid.”
“Plus, with the traffic boost from the film ‘Strange Tales,’ everything came together—the right timing, the right place, and the right people. Making the charts was only natural.”
This elder was Li Xun, Xinghai Media’s music director, responsible for overseeing music production. As a veteran of the company, he was known for his directness in both words and actions. He seemed oblivious to the gloomy expressions of those present.
Jing Xiuwen flicked his cigarette ash and then gently rubbed his forehead, thumb pressing against his temple, saying nothing. He knew Li Xun’s temperament well; further discussion was pointless, and what he said was true.
“White Fox,” the song that had defeated Xinghai Media’s bid, had been downloaded and studied as soon as it was released. Their research concluded much the same as Li Xun’s assessment.
Noticing the downcast expression of a young man on the sofa, Jing Xiuwen spoke warmly, “Lao Jie, don’t take it to heart. ‘Dust of Fate’ is not inferior to ‘White Fox.’ We simply lost out on luck this time.”
“I’ve already arranged for the song to be released as a single. Good work won’t go to waste.”
Lao Jie nodded, his face clouded.
In truth, Jing Xiuwen was frustrated as well. How could he claim “not inferior”? The gap was more than slight. But as the company’s general manager, and the one who had personally recruited Lao Jie from Xingcheng Entertainment at great expense, he couldn’t be as blunt as Li Xun.
As for “Dust of Fate”—before hearing “White Fox,” he thought it was decent. But after listening to “White Fox,” “Dust of Fate” seemed lackluster in every aspect, unworthy of Lao Jie’s reputation as a gold-label composer.
They had spent so much effort poaching a star composer from Xingcheng Entertainment, only to lose to someone from Xingcheng Entertainment. The irony stung.
Recalling the unfamiliar name that appeared in the song’s credits, he asked, “Lao Jie, when you were at Xingcheng, did you know this Tang Guo?”
Lao Jie tensed, but still replied, “No. There were over thirty people in the composing department at Xingcheng, and I knew them all. There was no Tang Guo.”
Jing Xiuwen’s disappointment was evident.
“Perhaps a newcomer, or maybe Xingcheng concocted a fictitious composer to bolster their bid?”
Jing Xiuwen didn’t pursue the matter further, but his words left Lao Jie uneasy.
Maybe to prove himself, Lao Jie declared, “A single song doesn’t mean much! Didn’t they announce a new artist debut in August? I’ll step in then!”
Jing Xiuwen’s eyes brightened briefly, then he replied, “No rush. Let’s see what cards they play first. If their level is too low, you won’t even need to appear. You’re a gold-label composer. Don’t risk your reputation.”
…
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On July 22, “Strange Tales” had a single-day box office of 18 million. Compared to the opening day’s 250 million, it had plummeted by over 90%. A complete flop!
Negative reviews flooded the internet. To date, the total box office barely exceeded 600 million. After deducting channel and cinema shares, the producers only received 250 million. With production costs already over 350 million, they were still losing over 100 million!
The box office performance was abysmal, and prospects for breaking even looked bleak.
Cinema chains were pragmatic and didn’t care about big-name directors. At the start, “Strange Tales” might have had more showings, but once occupancy rates fell below expectations or word-of-mouth collapsed, showings were immediately reduced.
Now, the largest chain—Wannuo Cinemas—allocated only 11.25% of its screenings to “Strange Tales,” and the overall average was just 8.19%. Even with 100% occupancy daily, box office revenues would only be in the tens of millions—not enough to turn the tide.
“This was a failed experiment.”
“Some of the plot arrangements may have been overly obscure.”
“New filming techniques need time for the market to accept.”
“Perhaps years, or even decades from now, people will finally understand this film.”
…
Director Li Chengnian addressed the media thus.
Whether his words were true, no one could say.
Just when everyone thought “Strange Tales” would utterly crash, an unexpected turn occurred.
On July 23, “Strange Tales” achieved a 70% occupancy rate, with a box office of 25 million—an upward trend against all odds. This was extremely rare for films in release.
Typically, a new movie’s fate is decided in its first week—if it doesn’t take off, cinema chains adjust their showings accordingly, essentially killing any hope of revival.
Yet “Strange Tales” managed a strong comeback under these circumstances, startling many.
After some investigation, it was discovered that this surge in traffic came from “White Fox.”
“The song is beautiful—why do so many say the movie is bad?”
“Has anyone seen it? Is it really as bad as they say?”
“Just listening to the song feels incomplete; I want to see what the movie’s content is like.”
“Brothers, I’ll be the guinea pig and report back.”
“I’ll try it too…”
…
On July 24, “Strange Tales” earned 28 million at the box office, with a cumulative total of 650 million.
On July 25, it reached 33 million, cumulative 683 million. In some regions, occupancy hit 100%, prompting cinema chains to adjust their showings.
A hopeless situation was revived—all thanks to “White Fox.”
By July 29, “Strange Tales” had surpassed 800 million in total box office. According to professional evaluations, the producers had broken even and achieved profit.
Though the internet was full of complaints, people were still watching.
As one netizen put it: I want to see just how bad the movie paired with such a great song really is! I watch it to find more points to ridicule!
As “Strange Tales” box office rebounded, “White Fox” itself entered its moment of glory.
By July 31, “White Fox” had reached 9.98 million downloads, ranking ninth on the trending charts.
After a long period of stagnation, Xingcheng Entertainment finally staged a remarkable comeback.
And Su Chen, too, had delivered his debut performance in this world.
For both, the outcome was nothing short of a delightful surprise.