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On the second day of its release, without a single extra yen spent on marketing and only a marginal increase in theater screen allocations, the box office for To the Moon had surged well beyond its opening day performance.
To put this in perspective, The Lame Detective, a blockbuster featuring Academy Award-winning leads, had only managed to scrape together 70 million yen on its second day, despite having double the screen count of To the Moon.
At that point, the titan's lead over the indie-style animated film had shrunk to a mere 20 million yen.
Anyone working in the film industry understood exactly what this signaled.
On the official entertainment boards, the casual observers were already having a field day.
"Hell yeah! We live for seeing low-budget masterpieces demolish so-called 'mega productions.' It's been over a year since we've had an underdog story this satisfying."
"I haven't seen To the Moon yet, but The Lame Detective is genuine trash. It only has those big names to distract people from the script, so I'm not surprised its numbers are dropping. Still, you'd think star power would beat a light novel adaptation. The growth on To the Moon is absolutely insane!"
"Go see the movie and you'll understand. The plot is the real deal. I've been a cinephile for years, but this is the first time I've been reduced to a blubbering mess in a theater. I even went in prepared because people told me it was a tear-jerker, and it still bypassed my defenses."
"Listen to this guy. To the Moon is easily the most underestimated film. I can't predict where the final total will land, but it's infinitely better than those generic 'blockbusters' they pump out every New Year."
"Is it really that good?"
"Just go see it. I saw it for the second time this morning and the third time at lunch. The story is a masterclass. Pro tip: you need a second viewing. You pick up on so many foreshadowed details that you completely miss the first time around. It's a totally different experience."
"The user rating has climbed to 9.7. This is legendary! Do you think The Lame Detective will actually lose the crown to an anime?"
As the public opinion shifted, more and more people began booking tickets for To the Moon by the time October 5th rolled around. Haruto's existing fanbase was also reaching a fever pitch.
Light novel-to-film adaptations are common, but most are mediocre at best. It's a different beast than the literary world; the film and television audiences are significantly larger than the reader base.
Relying solely on "original fans" only provides a temporary spark of hype. For a work to truly explode, it must resonate with the "normies", the general public who know nothing of the source material.
The soaring reputation of To the Moon and the reports of fans going back for repeat viewings were clear signs that the flame had jumped from the niche circle to the mainstream.
The major entertainment media outlets were quick to follow the scent.
[To the Moon: A Tale of Forgotten Promises. A true vow does not vanish when the memory fades; it is etched into the deepest strata of the soul.]
[The night Johnny met River: A childhood promise that sustained a lifetime of silence. While Johnny spent his years healing a hidden trauma, River spent hers waiting for a dream. To the Moon is the definitive dark horse of the October season.]
[Even if I forget everything, I will not forget my promise to meet you on the moon. A tragic fairy tale for the modern age. A must-watch romance of the year.]
[Rated 9.7: The highest-rated premiere for a domestic film in four years.]
Within twenty-four hours, articles praising To the Moon sprouted like mushrooms after a rainstorm. Meanwhile, the producers of the big-budget competitors were starting to sweat. Despite the scathing reviews from early audiences, they doubled down on their ad spends, desperately trying to trick as many people into seats as possible before the word-of-mouth killed them entirely.
Fortunately, the film industry is strictly regulated to prevent the kind of "box office theft" seen in some other markets.
The rise of To the Moon put immense pressure on the competition.
Usually, if three big movies are all bad, no one notices because they are all mediocre together. but when a masterpiece appears in the same window, the contrast is lethal.
Over the next few days, the box office trends took a peculiar turn. The Lame Detective plummeted from 94 million to 63 million on day three, then 50 million on day four, and a meager 44 million by day five.
To the Moon, despite its limited marketing resources and mid-tier distributor, held its ground through sheer reputation.
Day Three: 47 million yen.
Day Four: 49 million yen.
Day Five: 41 million yen.
Day Six: 40.2 million yen.
Total Box Office after Six Days: Over 220 million yen.
The production team at Sugar Man Pictures was in a state of collective shock. Haruto was equally stunned.
While it didn't take the "Daily Number One" spot until the sixth day, the context was everything.
For a project with a combined production and marketing budget of 400 million yen to rake in over 200 million in less than a week? That wasn't just a hit; it was a gold mine.
Once the reality of the numbers sank in, Haruto felt a sudden, sharp pang of regret.
"Dammit... I sold those rights way too cheap."
Back when he was a high school senior, he had sold the film rights to To the Moon for roughly 40 million yen.
At the time, Yukino's father had offered a fair market price, and Haruto had signed the contract without a second thought.
But now? He had his own animation studio. He could easily have handled a 400-million-yen investment himself.
He sat in silence for a moment before shaking the thought away. 'Wait, if I hadn't sold those rights, I wouldn't have had the capital to produce Madoka Magica in the first place.'
It was the classic "chicken and egg" paradox. The "loss" on the film rights was the fuel that created the Madoka inferno, which in turn had provided him with his current wealth. He decided to stop dwelling on it.
During these days, Haruto spent most of his time overseeing the development of 7 Years From Now and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Because To the Moon wasn't his direct production, he followed the numbers with interest but didn't let them consume his schedule. However, the experience taught him a valuable lesson: never sell your IP outright if you can help it. Watching someone else make a fortune off your brainchild was more painful than losing money on a bad investment.
As evening approached, Haruto was packing his bag to head home when Yukino timed her entrance perfectly. She stood in his doorway, watching him with a playful glint in her eyes.
Haruto paused, noticing her attire. Usually, Yukino was in her sharp business suits.
But tonight, she had traded the blazer for an elegant black evening dress. Her hair flowed freely over her shoulders, her makeup was light but expertly applied, and she was wearing a set of tasteful earrings and a matching bracelet.
"What's the occasion?" Haruto asked, his eyebrows rising. "A date? When did you find time to get a boyfriend?"
"A boyfriend?" Yukino's expression darkened slightly. "Why are you as annoying as my father? Is it a law that a girl can only dress up if she's seeing a guy?"
"Well, usually..."
"I could be going to see my dad, you know."
A boyfriend... or a 'Dad' in an evening dress?
Haruto's mind took a brief, inappropriate detour before he caught himself. "Right. So, you're heading to see your father?"
Yukino's father lived in a luxury villa area. It was a two-hour drive from the university town where Haru-Yuki was located, so Yukino usually only visited once every few months.
"Why are you going tonight—"
Yukino cut him off with a smile that reached her eyes. "It's not just me going. You're coming too."
"Me?"