96: Chapter 96: A sudden shift in momentum leads to a surge in box office revenue!

One month later, The Wandering Earth was officially released.

Cinemas across Dragon Kingdom simultaneously scheduled screenings for 'The Wandering Earth'.

However...

Because 'The Wandering Earth' had no extra marketing budget, major cinemas did not give 'The Wandering Earth' many showtimes.

In fact, compared to other movies with star-studded casts released during the same period, the number of screenings for 'The Wandering Earth' was pitifully small.

Today, the official account also promoted the film on Weibo again, telling fans that 'The Wandering Earth' was now available in theaters.

Nowadays, the film market is extremely competitive, and movie teams spend massive amounts of money on promotion.

This led to the box office figures of other films released on the same day rising steadily at a visible rate.

In contrast...

'The Wandering Earth' only posted promotional content on Weibo; they didn't hire film critics, marketing accounts, or place advertisements on major cinema platforms.

Consequently, the box office data for 'The Wandering Earth' grew very slowly.

Not many people went to see it on the first day of release.

Some of those who went to the cinema were motivated by curiosity, wanting to see how this sci-fi film turned out.

Others were fans of Actor Wu Jing who, hearing it was his new starring role, went to support him of their own accord.

Due to various reasons, the first-day box office data for 'The Wandering Earth' was far from ideal.

It was only 190 million.

Looking at these dismal figures, the entire production crew was disheartened, their faces clouded with worry.

Disappointment was written all over every crew member's face.

They knew the box office for 'The Wandering Earth' might not be great, but they never expected it to be this bad.

Only 190 million on the first day.

Compared to the massive investment and the time and energy spent, it was completely disproportionate.

Director Guo Fan looked at the expressions on everyone's faces and forced a smile to comfort them.

"It's fine, isn't it just the first day? Who knows, maybe it'll become a hit later!"

After saying this, Director Guo Fan sighed softly, his heart filled with complex emotions.

If the first-day box office is poor, it's very difficult to bounce back later.

But as the director of 'The Wandering Earth', he couldn't lose his composure or pass his negative emotions onto the crew.

"Everyone should head back for today," Director Guo Fan said.

He then spoke to the staff of the publicity team.

"Regardless of how good or bad the results are, or what the first-day box office is, post it on Weibo anyway."

Hearing this, the colleagues in the publicity team nodded.

They returned to their workstations, created a temporary poster, and posted today's box office data for 'The Wandering Earth' on Weibo.

And so, everyone left work with heavy hearts to go home and rest.

The high spirits they had a few days ago were gone.

Seeing such results, only disappointment remained.

Online.

Everyone was also extremely concerned about the box office situation.

When Maomao Cinema released the box office data for all movies released that day.

Many netizens following 'The Wandering Earth' immediately noticed its dismal data.

In response, some netizens who were already pessimistic about 'The Wandering Earth' gloated and mocked it relentlessly online.

"A flop is a flop; the box office is the best proof."

"This is the so-called sci-fi masterpiece? It's just a pile of crap!"

"..."

Comments like these could be seen on every platform.

However...

Different voices gradually began to appear on platforms like Tieba, Hupu, and Douban.

These posts were genuine reviews from audiences who had actually finished watching 'The Wandering Earth'.

"Although the internet is pessimistic about the sci-fi movie 'The Wandering Earth', it's truly worth watching. Whether it's the plot, visuals, special effects, or props, everything is very detailed. You can see the effort and care of the crew; I suggest everyone go see it."

"'The Wandering Earth' is definitely an underrated movie. The grand space scenes, the concept of a global community, and that unique Dragon Kingdom romance are truly shocking and incredibly moving. Really, everyone should go see it, you won't be disappointed!"

"..."

At first, there were very few such posts.

There were even 'trolls' leaving comments below, saying these people were paid shills.

But as time passed and it reached the middle of the night, these posts became more numerous.

Many were from audience members who had just left the cinema. After watching, the shock in their hearts couldn't subside for a long time, so they went to social media platforms to share their viewing experience.

This situation was happening across the entire internet.

Weibo, Douyin, Kuaiyin, Hupu, Tieba, Little Red Book, and so on.

Many such heartfelt review posts appeared.

When the first rays of morning sunlight spread across the land of Dragon Kingdom.

A member of the The Wandering Earth publicity team immediately opened Weibo.

At first, nothing seemed unusual.

But...

When she saw the topic at the top of the trending searches, she was instantly stunned!

Weibo, Trending Search Number One: *The Wandering Earth!

Then, she hurriedly clicked on it.

She had expected endless verbal abuse from netizens.

But as she scrolled down, all she saw were positive reviews and various heartfelt comments spanning hundreds or even thousands of words.

The publicity team member covered her mouth, her eyes—still a bit blurry with sleepiness—turning slightly red.

She opened WeChat, clicked on the The Wandering Earth production crew's chat group, and sent a message:

"The Wandering Earth is a hit!"

When Director Guo Fan woke up and saw the message from the publicity team colleague.

He was first dazed, thinking it was just words of self-comfort.

However...

In a short while, all the pop-up notifications on his phone were about The Wandering Earth.

Only then did he realize something was up.

He opened Weibo, and the first thing he saw was a post about The Wandering Earth:

"The Wandering Earth, a severely underrated sci-fi masterpiece!"

Director Guo Fan was shocked!

Yesterday was full of all kinds of abuse; how did they start praising it today?

He initially thought it was just a coincidence, that he just happened to encounter a blogger praising The Wandering Earth.

But when he saw the number one entry on the trending search list, he froze instantly.

He murmured to himself, "Is The Wandering Earth really going to be a hit?"

The online discussion about The Wandering Earth showed no signs of stopping.

That evening, the box office statistics from Maomao Cinema were released.

With less than eighteen percent of showtimes, The Wandering Earth took 260 million in box office that day, a counter-trend surge of 38%.

It jumped from the fourth-place box office ranking on the first day to become that day's box office runner-up.

Furthermore...

The upward momentum showed no signs of stopping.

Netizens were all discussing The Wandering Earth, with countless posts of praise.

"So shocking!"

"The visuals are awesome! The plot is awesome! The props are awesome! The special effects are awesome!"

"The community with a shared future for mankind is perfectly interpreted in The Wandering Earth!"

"I strongly suggest everyone go to the cinema to watch it; believe me, you definitely won't be disappointed!"

On the third day.

With 24% of showtimes, The Wandering Earth took 340 million in box office, seizing the single-day box office championship!

With its popularity undiminished, The Wandering Earth is still charging forward!!