Early the next morning, Su Yan woke up to a flood of messages from various partners.
'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie' would be screening for over a month, and promotion would continue throughout. However, Su Yan needed to return to handle the film adaptation of 'Your Name' and the production of 'Kimi ni Todoke', so he would only stay in Hudu for the first seven days of the New Year.
After that, once the company and crew resumed work, he would have to head back to Tokyo to take charge.
Not long after dealing with work matters, the food delivery he had scheduled arrived. After the staff placed the dishes in the dining room, Su Yan called the others upstairs to wake up.
Shen Liqian, Gu Qingyuan, Shi Peihua, and Shinozaki Ikumi had all been staying at his house during the New Year.
After all, no hotel could compare to a villa worth nearly a hundred million, and as celebrities, staying in crowded public places would easily attract fans.
"First-day box office: 309 million… second place."
As soon as Shinozaki Ikumi sat down, she absentmindedly picked at her food, her expression unwilling.
"Second place…"
"It's only the first day," Gu Qingyuan said softly.
"Our word-of-mouth is the best."
"Besides, 'Breaking Formation' gathered top-tier talent and capital from the Xia Nation film industry. Even though we spent a lot, their connections are still stronger. In some aspects, we're at a disadvantage," Shen Liqian added.
"I think we still have a good chance to overtake them today."
For Shen Liqian, this result was already beyond expectations.
Her first lead film, 'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet', had been a hit.
And now, her second lead film was already a breakout success in the Spring Festival slot.
Not winning first place on opening day didn't mean failure.
A film that earned over 300 million on its first day could never be called a failure—
At most, it just hadn't reached its peak success yet.
"Since we've come this far, second place isn't our goal," Su Yan said, looking at everyone.
The opening-day results had already reassured him.
He knew very well that the film version's story couldn't match the god-tier narrative of 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'.
But in exchange, the movie's action scenes far surpassed the drama's more restrained sequences.
Each had its strengths.
The drama required viewers to think and feel deeply.
The movie?
Its action could be enjoyed by anyone, young or old.
And clearly—
His performance had conquered the Spring Festival audience.
In that case—
They should aim even higher.
"I've already instructed the finance team to work overtime during the holiday and increase the promotional budget," Su Yan said.
Of course, he knew that 'Fake Detective' and 'Breaking Formation' would do the same.
But if all sides matched each other in promotion—
Then the outcome would depend on quality.
And judging by the ratings from both fans and general audiences—
The answer was already becoming clear.
Su Yan had also watched the other two films.
They were excellent.
But for Xia Nation audiences,
'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie' delivered a stronger sense of shock.
That same day also marked the release of episode 6 of 'Fate/Zero'.
Despite the fierce competition in the Spring Festival box office, its popularity remained unaffected.
Because this episode featured one of the most iconic scenes—
the "Three Kings' Banquet."
Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes.
Alexander, the King of Conquerors.
Artoria, the King of Knights.
Each held their own ideals.
Gilgamesh and Alexander believed in conquest, dominance, and absolute rule.
But Artoria—
wished to use the Holy Grail to save her fallen homeland.
How could a king regret the past?
The rejection of her wish by the other two kings,
and Alexander's Reality Marble—summoning his vast army—
became the most iconic moment since the show began.
After this episode aired, Alexander's popularity skyrocketed to the top.
As for Gilgamesh, played by Su Yan—
His arrogant demeanor drew heavy criticism from fans.
Su Yan's fans didn't care who played the role—
If the character was annoying, they would say so.
So that night, a strange phenomenon appeared:
fans criticized Gilgamesh, praised Alexander, sympathized with Artoria—
then immediately jumped back into the Spring Festival film debates to support 'Rurouni Kenshin'.
At midnight—
The second day's box office numbers were released.
'Breaking Formation': 336 million
'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie': 331 million
'Fake Detective': 221 million
This result made industry insiders realize something—
although 'Breaking Formation' still held first place,
'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie' was catching up fast.
Even more telling—
The ratings were shifting.
'Breaking Formation' dropped from 9.0 to 8.9.
But 'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie'—
rose from 9.6 to 9.7.
Now, the entire industry was buzzing.
["Something's off—'Rurouni Kenshin' has insane momentum."]
["At this rate, 'Breaking Formation' is in danger."]
["Its slight lead is purely from screening advantage. On day three, both films will have 24%."]
["If 'Breaking Formation' loses tomorrow, the screening share will flip completely."]
["This kind of rating means strong long-term performance."]
["Could it break 3 billion?"]
["Possible. Both films might surpass 3 billion. As for 'Fake Detective'… 2 billion would already be impressive."]
["Last year's top film made 2.84 billion. Are we about to see two films break that record this year?"]
After just two days,
The Spring Festival competition had reached a boiling point.
Both Su Yan and the investors behind 'Breaking Formation' began escalating their promotional efforts.
Su Yan might lack deep connections in the film industry—
But in terms of raw capital, few could match him.
He wasn't trying to start a spending war—
But he refused to let 'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie' fall behind due to promotion.
If he lost because of quality, he would accept it.
But if the opponent tried to win through sheer spending and media manipulation—
They had chosen the wrong rival.
Su Yan didn't mind if the first film made no profit—
He could recover through TV dramas or future sequels.
But for his opponents—
Everything came down to return on investment and risk.
Once they realized that no amount of aggressive promotion could intimidate Su Yan—
and that he would match them step for step—
They stopped escalating.
It simply wasn't worth it.
On the third day of the Spring Festival—
'Breaking Formation' earned 313 million, ranking second.
'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie' earned 332 million—
taking first place.
And on day four—
'Rurouni Kenshin: Movie' reached 25% screening share,
ranking first for the first time.
At that moment—
cinemas and media across the Xia Nation
began to shift their stance toward the film.