August 13, Qixi Festival.
From the early morning, the streets and alleys were already lively.
Even though it was a Tuesday, the street vendors had all prepared their goods early.
Food, flowers, snacks, Qixi gifts…
Women and children are the driving force of consumption, no matter where in the world. Normally, guys rarely go to the movies, but today—
Before 4 p.m., most theaters barely had a handful of people. But after 4 p.m.
Practically every screening was sold out.
Thanks to the strong pre-sale performance of 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time', theaters across Great Zhou gave it 24% of all screenings — the highest among all Qixi Festival releases.
Think back to two or three years ago when 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' came out — it only got 5% or 6% of the screenings. No one took it seriously. Everyone thought Jing Yu was just a TV actor and screenwriter — what would his movie be worth?
Now? His film had the most pre-release buzz, was the most anticipated by audiences, and was the most favored by theaters. That alone shows how far Jing Yu's status in the industry has risen these past few years.
Of course, for most couples, daytime isn't when they choose to see a movie.
Daytime showings are more like the party hours for single folks — people who neither work nor go to school and want to avoid awkward evening screenings.
So during the day, all movies saw slow box office growth.
By 6 p.m., with pre-sales included, 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' had just broken 110 million in total box office.
In comparison, 'The Deep Blue Sea' — which ranked second — had just passed the 50 million mark.
But on major film forums, some viewers who had already binged all the Qixi releases during the day were anything but calm — especially those who had watched 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time'.
"Old Thief is seriously messed up! Why release something like this on Qixi?"
"I just sat there in the theater after it ended. Didn't want to move."
"That ending hit so hard. I was devastated."
"I already bought a 9 p.m. ticket for my second watch."
"Held it together the whole film, then broke down when the male lead said, 'I'll be waiting for you in the future.' Damn it, is Old Thief going to make a sequel?"
"And he had the nerve to say this one wasn't heartbreaking? My ass."
"To be fair, he only said no one dies. Technically, that's true."
"Yeah, nobody dies. They're just two people in love, separated by time, never able to meet. Honestly, that's worse than death."
"I should never have trusted Old Thief. He's a professional tear-jerker."
"Still, even though he lied to us, I shamelessly bought a second ticket. That's who I am."
Not everyone had time during the day to watch movies. Many office workers, logging into forums after work, were stunned by the reactions and started posting questions.
"Is it like 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' — that level of heartbreak?"
"Is it really that bad? I planned to watch it with my girlfriend…"
"Can someone just say if it's actually good? I haven't bought tickets yet."
"Sigh… Look, if you go, you'll regret those two hours. If you don't go, you'll regret it for a lifetime. It's that good — but you'll walk out feeling hollow."
"Perfect for Qixi in a way. It's not exactly a tragedy, but it leaves you with this deep, aching sense of loss."
"It's got a 9.6 average rating out of 10 — 1.1 points higher than 'The Deep Blue Sea'. Need I say more? If you just want to kill two hours with your girlfriend before heading to a hotel, go watch 'The Deep Blue Sea'. That film's got good-looking leads and zero acting. But if you want to see a truly great sci-fi romance, go alone — your girlfriend might just ruin the experience."
"Exactly. If your partner is the chatty type who can't sit still, don't take them to see 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time'. It'll ruin the immersion. But if they're quiet and thoughtful, then watching it together will be totally worth it."
"Personally, I think it holds up against 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' and 'Love Letter'. But in the end, it depends on taste. I definitely recommend it."
"Honestly, I was angry for half the day after watching it. I just can't understand… Old Thief could've given them a happy ending. He chose not to."
"That's the thing. The Great Zhou only has one Old Thief. He doesn't pander to audiences, which is why people remember his works. Those movies that change their scripts just because some viewers complain? You might laugh for an hour, but you'll forget the story right after."
Forum discussions around 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' reached a fever pitch. Many who had been on the fence finally made up their minds.
It might be painful.
But it was, without a doubt, a brilliant film.
So, of course, they had to watch it. If Jing Yu really went on to film other arcs of 'Rurouni Kenshin', even those fans who once cursed him over 'Trust & Betrayal' would be thrilled.
Thanks to glowing reviews across forums and communities — alongside unanimous criticism of Jing Yu's "lack of a heart" — ticket pre-sales for 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' suddenly spiked from 6:30 p.m. onward.
Premium seats in many theaters had already been reserved, and even the worst corner seats were soon snatched up. Some people opened the ticketing app only to find that every single seat — even the worst ones — was gone.
Fang Qing, a longtime fan of Jing Yu and a single woman, originally didn't plan to join the Qixi crowds. She figured she'd catch the movie over the weekend instead.
But after reading post after post about how much people loved the film and didn't regret watching it, she couldn't resist. She didn't even mind being alone. She quickly booked a ticket at a nearby theater after work. She just wanted a quiet, out-of-the-way seat so couples wouldn't distract her.
And in truth, only the worst corner seats were left — exactly what she was hoping for.
At 8:30 p.m., with her drink and popcorn in hand, Fang Qing lined up to enter the theater.
But judging from the line… There were people in cosplay — someone dressed as Fujiwara no Sai from 'Hikaru no Go', another as Takumi from 'Initial D', and even someone cosplaying Kenshin from 'Trust & Betrayal'.
Turns out there were quite a few solo moviegoers like her. In her screening at least, solo fans made up a third of the crowd, filling up all the corner seats around the hall.
After Fang Qing sat down, her eyes drifted up to the screen.