At 7 a.m., countless seasoned moviegoers across the Xia Nation were already wide awake.
Humans were strange like that.
On workdays, they could never get enough sleep—but during holidays, sleeping even ten extra minutes brought a sense of guilt.
Sleeping in on a workday felt like wasting life.
But spending a precious holiday sleeping? That also felt like wasting life.
Early in the morning, discussions had already begun across forums.
["Pre-sales before release: 'Breaking Formation' 180 million, 'Rurouni Kenshin' 170 million, 'Fake Detective' 150 million. Looks like all three might break 300 million on their first day!"]
["Screening share too—22%, 21%, 20%. A perfect arithmetic sequence. The competition is tight."]
["It all depends on first-day word-of-mouth. Whoever has the best reception and highest attendance basically secures the win."]
["Online ratings are meaningless. These films cost hundreds of millions—spending a bit more to buy fake scores is nothing. If you don't want to get scammed into watching trash, just check forums. Even if there are trolls, if 5 out of 10 people say it's good, it won't be bad."]
["Five out of ten? That's a low approval rate."]
["You don't understand internet haters. Some people nitpick everything—script, director, actors. No film is perfect. If even with those people included, half say it's good, that's already solid."]
["Watching 'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie' at 10 a.m., 'Breaking Formation' at 12, 'Fake Detective' at 3 p.m., and I'll post a full review at 8 tonight. If you're watching after the second day, follow me—completely objective, no traps."]
["Same here. I'm really interested in that sword-fighting movie. The trailers looked insanely cool."]
["Don't get fooled by trailers. Maybe those are the only good shots! Remember last year's 'Photon City'? Absolute garbage—wasted my 50 yuan."]
["Don't even mention 'Photon City'. That trash still made 1.8 billion. Honestly, Xia Nation films are getting worse every year. Whoever has the money to buy screenings and trends wins. A movie I liked last year only had one showing a day, at 12:30 a.m. Who's watching that?"]
["That's how it is. No money, don't enter the Spring Festival slot. Without promotion, cinemas won't give you screenings. Learn from Su Yan—the guy started from nothing and dared to enter the Spring Festival with just his fourth film, matching big studios in marketing. That's how he got 21% screenings."]
["You think everyone is Su Yan? The TV industry is basically his money-printing machine. Even if his movie flops, he can just grind out a couple of dramas and recover. Others are betting their life savings on one film—they can't take that risk."]
["There you go again, praising Su Yan. You fans are hilarious—thinking 'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie' will succeed? Spring Festival is a totally different market. Let's see you crying tonight when it flops."]
["Even if it flops, it already has 170 million pre-sales. Hope you don't delete your post later."]
["A spin-off movie from a low-budget TV drama, and you hype it like the peak of martial arts cinema? Haven't seen real films?"]
["If you know the drama only costs a million, then why not spend one yuan to unlock the first episode on SakuraNet? If you'd actually watched it, you'd understand why we're so hyped."]
["Ignore them. Probably paid trolls from competitors pretending to be fans. The more you argue, the more they earn."]
Early in the morning, the chaotic fan arguments entertained Qin Yishan greatly.
She was a longtime die-hard fan of Ying Rui, the male lead of 'Breaking Formation'.
However, the best IMAX screening for 'Breaking Formation' at her nearby cinema wasn't until noon. So, for the sake of optimal viewing, she decided to watch 'Rurouni Kenshin' first in the morning.
After all, fans of both films had been arguing nonstop online.
Although she supported 'Breaking Formation' because of Ying Rui, she didn't blindly criticize other works.
Her principle was simple—don't judge what you don't understand.
If she wanted to argue online that 'Breaking Formation' was better than 'Rurouni Kenshin', she needed to watch both first.
After washing up and having breakfast, she jogged to the nearby cinema. It was only 9:35 a.m.
But the theater was already packed.
In the center of the lobby stood large promotional displays for the three major films: 'Breaking Formation', 'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie', and 'Fake Detective'.
After picking up her ticket, Qin Yishan also received a special 'Rurouni Kenshin' souvenir distributed by the production team at partner cinemas.
This was exclusive to premiere screenings.
A character photo booklet.
Inside, each character was briefly introduced in one or two spoiler-free sentences.
With no seats available, she leaned against a wall and flipped through the booklet while waiting.
The first page showed a handsome man with long flowing hair, holding a reverse-blade sword, with a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek.
His calm gaze somehow made her feel uneasy.
Even though she hadn't watched the drama, her time online told her that Kenshin's story was… tragic.
"Not bad…"
Qin Yishan usually didn't watch dramas.
But many of her friends were fans of Su Yan. She used to dismiss it, but now—seeing his historical look—she had to admit he was good-looking.
She kept flipping.
Kamiya Kaoru, Yukishiro Tomoe, Sagara Sanosuke, Saito Hajime…
Each character's design appeared one by one.
"Just based on appearance, this actually fits my taste."
She was honest—she was a sucker for good looks. If the cast wasn't attractive, her interest would drop immediately.
Now somewhat intrigued, she even considered looking up the drama's plot on her phone.
But just then, an announcement rang out—the 10 a.m. screening of 'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie' was about to begin.
She dropped the idea.
If the movie was good, she'd check out the drama later.
"If it's bad…" she sneered.
As a small but somewhat known blogger, she'd definitely write a scathing review.
With mixed expectations, she entered the theater.
On the first day of the Spring Festival, attendance was insanely high.
Normally, a screening might have a few dozen people.
Today, every seat was filled.
And many attendees were dressed… strangely.
Some wore kimono-style outfits with swords, even drawing cross-shaped scars on their faces.
Qin Yishan instantly knew who they were cosplaying.
Some wore bright yellow outfits with wild hairstyles.
Some had dyed blue hair.
Others even wore embarrassingly pink dresses…
Even without watching Su Yan's dramas, she could tell—
These people were cosplaying characters from his past works.
["His fans really aren't shy at all…"]
Sitting in the middle of the theater, surrounded by cosplayers in all directions, Qin Yishan felt a bit awkward.
Among a group of "abnormal" people, the normal one became the odd one out.
But then—
The lights dimmed.
The screen lit up.
Qin Yishan let out a small breath of relief.
The movie had begun.