August arrived, and the temperature grew increasingly scorching.
But along with the rising heat, the Xia Nation film market was heating up as well.
The box office trend of '5 Centimeters per Second' had gradually weakened as its release period lengthened.
At the beginning, the weekend box office had exceeded 100 million yuan.
Later, weekday earnings dropped from 30–40 million to the current 10–20 million range, while weekend numbers stabilized around 40–50 million.
Even so, no one in the Xia Nation film industry could find fault with this performance.
Although many things in the Xia Nation resembled the China of Su Yan's previous life, there were also many differences.
Inflation in the Xia Nation was well controlled, prices were low, and the purchasing power of the currency was strong.
Additionally, the stage of technological development was different.
The country had not fully entered the internet era, and television stations still dominated entertainment.
Because of these factors, the total box office of films in the Xia Nation was generally lower than what Su Yan remembered from his previous life.
In most years, the annual box office champion was usually around 2 billion yuan, occasionally surpassing 3 billion.
Under such circumstances, '5 Centimeters per Second', surpassing 1 billion yuan in three weeks, has already made it the fifth film this year to cross that milestone.
Among the other four, three were massive productions released during the Spring Festival season.
In the film industry, results speak louder than anything else.
Before '5 Centimeters per Second' premiered, most media outlets predicted its upper limit at 700 million yuan.
Some pessimistic media outlets even predicted it wouldn't exceed 200 million.
But 1 billion…
That was a number no one had expected.
And unlike most popcorn movies, almost everyone who watched '5 Centimeters per Second' gave it extremely high praise.
Some viewers felt the story was a bit fragmented and lacked a clear main plot.
This was also a common opinion among fans in Su Yan's previous life.
But the ending of the film left a deep and unforgettable impression on countless viewers.
By this time, those who had spent a long time emotionally recovering from the film began turning their attention to Su Yan's next movie—
'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet' is scheduled for release in late August.
Works like this often created a strange cycle.
When audiences first experienced them, they felt depressed, hollow, and emotionally overwhelmed, often wanting to complain about the director and writer.
But after eventually recovering from those emotions, they began to long for another similar story.
Su Yan was that kind of person.
Many of his fans in the Xia Nation were the same.
Even many viewers who had been drawn in by the box office success and reputation of '5 Centimeters per Second' found themselves feeling this way.
[That movie called 'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet'… is it the same type as '5 Centimeters per Second'?]
[Isn't it obvious? How long does a bouquet last? A week at most. But bouquets are beautiful. The title 'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet' probably hints at the theme—short but beautiful love.]
[I'm a bit numb. I want to watch it, but I'm afraid of getting emotionally destroyed again.]
[Don't panic. Just don't have expectations for the old sadist. His works are always good. I watch them, and if the story makes me uncomfortable, I just curse him afterward. If I enter the theater expecting a depressing movie, he won't be able to backstab me.]
[But if I'm going in expecting a tragedy… why would I willingly torture myself at the cinema?]
[You already watched '5 Centimeters per Second' and know the old sadist's style, yet you're still discussing him on the forum. Isn't the answer obvious? You like his works. Even though they hurt, we're all here because we like them.]
[It's like alcohol. It tastes terrible at first, yet people still like drinking it. Su Yan's works are the same—painful while watching, but whenever he announces something new, we can't help but pay attention.]
[We're probably all a bit sick.]
[Am I the only one who felt miserable for a whole week after watching '5 Centimeters per Second', but after recovering completely fell in love with Su Yan? Over the next two weeks, I stayed up late watching all his works on streaming platforms. He's incredible!]
[??? You're a legend. Watching that many Su Yan works in such a short time—weren't you emotionally destroyed?]
[I cried many times, but after crying, I pulled myself together and kept watching. Eventually, it actually became enjoyable.]
[Amazing. If it were me, I could only watch three Su Yan works at most before needing a break.]
['5 Centimeters per Second' is already approaching 1.1 billion yuan and is currently the summer box office champion. Everyone should curse the old thief a bit less and encourage more people around you to watch it. If it secures the summer champion, maybe he'll create even more works in the future.]
[Don't worry too much. In a sense, we're helping the old sadist promote the movie.]
[Brothers, see you at the cinema on August 20. It's my first time watching Su Yan's works, but I'm already a huge fan. I hope 'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet' surpasses '5 Centimeters per Second'!]
Su Yan put down his phone, looking slightly surprised.
At this point, the online opinions about him were actually softening.
Even viewers who had criticized the ending of '5 Centimeters per Second' were now beginning to appreciate its brilliance.
"I didn't expect my fans to adapt so quickly."
"Adapt to what?" Shinozaki Ikumi leaned over curiously.
Although Su Yan quickly lowered his phone, she still caught a glimpse of several comments praising '5 Centimeters per Second'.
A knowing smile appeared on her face.
"I thought you didn't care about online opinions, Su Yan. Turns out you secretly read fan comments too."
"Ahem…"
Su Yan coughed lightly.
"As a creator, reading fan feedback to determine the direction of future works is perfectly normal."
"Not normal. Completely abnormal." Shinozaki Ikumi brushed back her hair, her voice crisp.
"Everyone in the Xia Nation knows your works are tragedies. The only two with less controversy are 'Your Lie in April' and the IF ending of 'Tokyo Love Story'."
"You need to determine your creative direction? You already have only one direction—continue the depression to the end."
"Then you're wrong. The Spring Festival release of 'Rurouni Kenshin' isn't a tragedy. You've read the entire script."
"Heh." Shinozaki Ikumi laughed coldly.
"The movie version of 'Rurouni Kenshin' may not be a tragedy."
"But Kenshin Himura himself is a tragic character."
"After experiencing the death of Tomoe Yukishiro, even if the movie doesn't give him a worse ending, that doesn't mean his life suddenly becomes happy."
"Still, the ending you set for 'Rurouni Kenshin' is smart. If you released something like '5 Centimeters per Second' during the Spring Festival season, audiences across the country would curse you to death."
Su Yan didn't argue.
In his previous life, tragic films released during the Spring Festival season rarely performed well at the box office, even those with excellent reviews.
"After '5 Centimeters per Second', all your fans now understand your style," Shinozaki Ikumi said with a smile.
"If one day you suddenly stopped making depressing stories, that might actually surprise them."
Su Yan paused.
Many of his earlier works had been tragic because of the system's random draws.
Later, he chose tragic stories himself because he personally liked them.
But in truth, among the works he remembered from his previous life, some weren't tragic.
Right now, Su Yan had practically become the "Warrior of Love" of the Xia Nation.
But that image wasn't impossible to change.
"We'll see," Su Yan said with a smile.
"If the opportunity comes, maybe I'll release some pure romance stories."
"Pure romance?" Shinozaki Ikumi widened her eyes before bursting into laughter.
"I was joking. What are you thinking?"
"There's no such thing as pure romance in that brain of yours."
"Hearing that phrase come from you is hilarious. Too bad I didn't record what you just said. If I posted it online, your fans traumatized by '5 Centimeters per Second' would laugh all day."
"…"
Su Yan said nothing.
Even though they were close, her merciless teasing still made him a little unwilling to concede.
Laugh all you want.
Just keep laughing.
That afternoon, Su Yan went to the 'Fate/Zero' set to participate in filming scenes for Gilgamesh.
Near evening, he and Shinozaki Ikumi met with the special effects company working on the series to discuss future visual effects production plans.
At night, after finishing work, the two of them went to a small bar in Tokyo for dinner and drinks before heading home separately.
Meanwhile, employees at the Shanghai headquarters followed the promotional plan Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi had prepared.
They officially released the promotional trailer for 'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet' online and on the company's website.