As Great Zhou's film industry continued to flourish year after year, the number of movie screens across the country also steadily increased. Naturally, the trend had been rising annual box office totals—especially when you factored in currency depreciation and inflation.
Which meant that, more often than not, recent films looked even more impressive in terms of box office numbers.
That said, Huang Zhiyu and Wang Ander had long been a golden duo in the romance film scene of Great Zhou.
Ahead of the Qixi Festival, the two made a public statement: they were confident that their new film, 'Summer Dream', would surpass the record they previously set with 'Sea Serenade'.
But in recent days, the two had started to feel uneasy.
Because this time, there was another movie in the lineup—one that, according to buzz and online polling, seemed poised to go toe-to-toe with 'Summer Dream'.
Now, if the competitor had been 'I Don't Love You' (budget: 86 million) or 'Tonight!' (budget: 65 million), They wouldn't be worried at all.
Everyone in the industry knew that all films had to be submitted for review before release. Sure, they couldn't get their hands on an actual screener of a competitor's film, but with their network, they could get informal word from friends in the approval department about the general quality.
According to their sources, 'I Don't Love You' and 'Tonight!' were... forgettable. Cash grabs. Not a threat.
But when it came to 'Love Letter'...
A friend at the review board had said:
"I watched 'Summer Dream'—it was touching. But I saw 'Love Letter' three times, and it made me cry every time. I'm planning to go see it again in theaters."
Of course, the friend added a disclaimer: maybe that was just personal taste—no one could predict how the general market would respond.
And besides, film quality doesn't always equal box office success. If 'Love Letter' had weak promotion, it might still flop.
Still, Huang Zhiyu and Wang Ander weren't reassured. They had already mentally labeled 'Love Letter' as their primary competitor for the Qixi Festival.
After all, on Yindou Net, the most popular film voting site, 'Love Letter' was ranked second among Qixi releases, with over 1.2 million votes. It trailed 'Summer Dream' by only 30,000 votes.
Clearly, Yuzhou—the distributor of 'Love Letter'—wasn't being passive this time. They were actively promoting the film by tying it to 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' and its two lead actors, Jing Yu and Xia Yining.
The teaser trailer was filled with shots of the two, and they practically spelled it out in the tagline:
"What if Kenshin and Tomoe were reborn in modern times? What would their love story look like?"
That alone pulled in countless fans of 'Trust & Betrayal'.
"This freak—where the hell did he come from?" Wang Ander muttered, glaring at a newspaper headline about Jing Yu.
"He already made a killing with 'Trust & Betrayal' during the summer season, and now he's coming for Qixi too? Greedy much?"
"It's just market competition," Huang Zhiyu frowned.
"But yes, we still have the advantage. Our name recognition in Great Zhou's film industry is strong. Before release, 'Summer Dream' still holds more attention than 'Love Letter'. Plus, we've got investment from two major theater chains. They've already promised favorable screening slots for 'Summer Dream'—and they've made it clear they won't give 'Love Letter' priority."
Still, even that didn't fully ease Wang Ander's anxiety.
Great Zhou had dozens of theater chains. None of them held a monopoly on the market. So even with support, the impact on 'Love Letter's screen time would be limited.
In the end, it would come down to quality.
August arrived, bringing intense heat.
Jing Yu, together with distributor Yuzhou, began the promo tour for 'Love Letter' alongside Cheng Lie, Xia Yining, Yu Youqing, director Xu Jinshui, and several supporting cast members. They toured all the major cities of Great Zhou.
During this time, Yuzhou and rival distributors—'Summer Dream's Dark Night Films, along with the teams behind 'I Don't Love You' and 'Tonight!'—all ramped up their efforts. Promotion turned into subtle mudslinging, competing press releases, and even strategic tabloid smears.
Jing Yu had seen this kind of thing in his past life, too—nothing new.
Luckily, neither Yu Youqing nor Xia Yining had any major scandals. Otherwise, as an independent filmmaker without backing from a major industry power, Jing Yu would've been in serious trouble.
When industry sharks go after an outsider, they don't hold back. Even something as minor as "smoking in public" would be exaggerated into "setting a bad example for the nation's youth." And if you had real dirt? Game over. Career destroyed.
As promotion for Qixi releases hit a fever pitch, audiences across Great Zhou were hyped.
Film forums, fan groups, and social media were buzzing.
"I have to see 'Summer Dream'. Three years ago, my girlfriend and I saw 'Sea Serenade' on our first date. Now she's my wife!"
"Come on, quality's what really matters. 'Sea Serenade' was great, but 'Summer Dream''s trailer didn't impress me at all."
"I don't care—'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' was my everything. I saw it five times in theaters. I'm dying to see Kenshin and Tomoe in a modern setting, finally happy together with a wholesome ending!"
"As a longtime fan of Jing Yu, I already know how it ends. Whenever Yu Youqing and Xia Yining are in the same project, Yu Youqing's character always wins."
"Dude, wrong fandom. Didn't you watch the trailer? Yu Youqing and Xia Yining play the same character—one plays young Cheng Shu, the other adult Cheng Shu."
"Huh?! Why use two actresses for one role?"
"Who cares? As long as the story's good, I'm in."
"No one's talking about 'Tonight!' or 'I Don't Love You'? Why is it all 'Love Letter' and 'Summer Dream'?"
"There's some buzz. My friend went to a premiere and said both were just okay. I'll watch them too if the word of mouth ends up solid."
"Jealous of all you couples. Watching a romance on Qixi feels way less awkward when you're not solo. I really want to see 'Love Letter', but I don't want to be stuck between two couples like a third wheel sandwich. Anyone wanna go as a group?"
"Me! Me!"
"Same here. I want to see it, but I'd rather not sit alone and feel like the only single person in the room."
"Pfft—what's so awkward about it? I already bought my solo ticket. Qixi night, 8 PM showtime, dead center in the theater. I'm gonna be the most fabulous singleton in the whole damn cinema!"