Inside the theater, many eyes were fixed on the slow fade-in of the song 'Rain'.
At the very end, the audience finally saw the post-credits scene they'd been waiting for.
In the closing moments, the male lead, Takao Akizuki, finishes making the shoes for Yukino, and Yukino leaves the city. Two people with vastly different identities can no longer meet again in that rainy park gazebo.
But Takao's inner monologue makes it clear—one day, when he becomes the mature man he dreams of being, he will go and find Yukino.
It wasn't the "happily ever after" ending many had hoped for—but it wasn't a tragedy either.
Even so, a subtle emptiness rose in the hearts of the audience.
'The Garden of Words' didn't give a clear, definitive outcome for Takao and Yukino's future. It was, essentially, an open-ended conclusion.
Of course, in Su Yan's previous life, there was a glimpse of Yukino in the later Shinkai Makoto film 'Your Name'. After leaving the city, Yukino ends up teaching in a rural town—specifically, Itomori, the hometown of Mitsuha Miyamizu.
If not for the male lead's efforts in 'Your Name' to alter the course of time, Yukino would likely have died in the comet disaster.
Whether or not she and Takao ever reconnected was never confirmed in Su Yan's original world, let alone for audiences now in Xia Nation.
As the lights came on, the audience members walked out of the theater in silence—some feeling sorrow, some frustration, some melancholy, but also deeply moved.
In their minds, the final image of the two leads embracing, and Yukino's heartfelt words, continued to echo.
A truly good film isn't one that's nonstop excitement or emotional shock from start to finish.
What matters is whether, at any point, the story resonates with you—whether it makes you feel something real, even for just a moment.
If a film moves you enough to cheer or cry, even for a single second, then it has succeeded.
And clearly, the first batch of viewers leaving this screening felt exactly that.
The gentle, slow pace of the first half built steadily to an emotional peak at the end, closing out with a perfectly fitting theme song.
That night, the first viewers began posting online, commenting on the film across Xia Nation's major platforms.
In addition to streaming dramas, the four largest online platforms in Xia Nation also host discussion forums and post-theater releases of many films. On the surface, they look like video sites—but in truth, they're also the country's biggest spaces for film and TV conversation.
With the premiere over, a new battlefield began.
["'Cape' had me in tears. Best romance film this year."]
["'Sea Otter' was hilarious—if you haven't seen it, go now!"]
["Anyone see 'Blood Mirror' tonight? I can't even sleep now, that thing was wild."]
["You shills, stop hyping this stuff up. I saw 'Cape' tonight—absolute garbage. All I'll say is that the female lead gets pregnant with the second male lead's child and marries the first male lead. What even is that?!"]
["?"]
"[What era is this? Who still makes plots like this?]"
"[I feel sick.]"
["Same with 'Blood Mirror'. I figured out the villain 30 minutes in. I thought it was a red herring and we'd get a twist, but nope—boring till the end. My girlfriend fell asleep halfway."]
["'The Art Student.' was decent, but just decent. Watchable, but not amazing."]
["I liked 'Tree Riddle,' but it's definitely not for everyone. Hardcore science content—STEM majors will get it, but my liberal arts roommate was totally lost. I'd recommend it to science nerds, not kids or the elderly."]
["No idea how the other five films tonight were. I saw 'The Garden of Words', and all I can say is—if you've got time this weekend, go see it. Highly recommended."]
"[Finally someone mentions 'The Garden of Words'—I'm obsessed!]."
"[Haven't been this emotionally touched by a romance film in a long time.]"
"[Romance? What romance? It's just two people with mutual feelings, that's all.]"
"[My heart's still aching. This movie's emotional weight hits after.]"
"[Way better than Su Yan's past series. At least the ending gave us hope—maybe Takao really will go find Yukino someday.]"
"[Exactly. No one dies—that alone makes it a win. Don't even think about a happy-ever-after.]"
"[I was hoping for a proper reunion for Su Yan and Gu Qingyuan's first film couple, but I guess not this time.]"
"[Maybe in 'Tokyo Love Story' airing this October, we'll get that! Su Yan's urban romance stories just hit different—no one else captures this vibe!]"
"[Wait—who's Su Yan? Every time someone brings up 'The Garden of Words', this name comes up. Is the movie really that good?]"
"[Strongly recommended. It's amazing! I only watched 'The Garden of Words' tonight, so I can't say how it compares to the others. But compared to stuff like 'Gun Grave' or 'Firefly', it's way better.]"
"[No way! I mean, 'Gun Grave' is trash, sure, but 'Firefly' was great. This one's better?]"
"[I can vouch—it really is that good.]"
"[Yeah, I almost fell asleep in the first hour. But the final 2 minutes? The most emotionally powerful scene I've seen in a love film all year.]"
"[The marketing is so average. Such a good film, but almost no buzz. The posters in my local theater are shoved into a corner.]"
"[What can you do—marketing needs money. Su Yan's studio looks profitable, but cash flow takes time, and he's juggling multiple productions. Not much left over for 'The Garden of Words'.]"
"[We have to boost this film. It deserves recognition!]"
"[I gave it a full 10 on the rating site as soon as I left the theater.]"
"[I've never seen a love story quite like this before. Refreshing.]"
"[You can tell Su Yan's moving away from tragedy-core stories. I feel safe watching 'Tokyo Love Story' now.]"
"[By the way, what's the name of that ending song? I tried looking it up, but can't find it.]"
"[That's 'Rain', written and composed by Su Yan himself, performed by well-known Sakura island singer Yamamoto Yuto. It'll probably be up on music platforms in a week or two. Just wait!]"
"[Seriously? He wrote and composed it too?! Respect!]"
"[Who even is Su Yan?!]"
"[Why are so many people talking about Su Yan and 'The Garden of Words' tonight? I'm getting curious now.]"
"[I'll go watch it tomorrow. Doesn't seem like shill comments—maybe there's actually a hidden gem among these six releases?]"
"[People saying it's better than 'Firefly'? I'll check tomorrow's ratings. So far, 'Firefly' holds the summer record with an 8.5 rating and nearly 700 million yuan after 3 weeks. If 'The Garden of Words' scores higher tomorrow, I'm taking my girlfriend straight to the cinema.]"
On the night 'The Garden of Words' premiered, its first wave of viewers immediately gave it very high ratings.
But word of mouth takes time to spread.
That day, the total national box office across Xia Nation was 250 million yuan. The top film in screen allocation, 'Cape', held 16% of screenings and earned 14% of box office revenue, reaching 35 million on its first day, taking Friday's crown.
Before release, the media unanimously predicted that the second-highest box office film would be 'Sea Otter', backed by 59 million in investment and a major studio, with 13% of screenings.
However, 'Sea Otter' only earned 28 million—just 11% of the day's box office—falling short of expectations.
Instead, the runner-up was 'The Garden of Words', which the media hadn't been optimistic about at all.
With only 9% of screening slots, it brought in 12% of total earnings—30.1 million on its first day.
And among all six new releases, it had the highest seat occupancy rate.
So who cares the most about these numbers?
Cinemas.
Cinema chains can only partially influence local theater owners.
These theater owners invest millions to open cinemas—rent, maintenance, staff, utilities—it all costs money.
They won't allocate more shows to unprofitable films or lower slots for moneymakers.
All those pre-release negotiations and "under-the-table deals" only work before a film hits theaters.
Once it's out, the number of showings depends entirely on how much money it brings in.
And clearly, 'The Garden of Words' had the strongest first-day performance of all six.
Still, many theater owners were cautious.
Could this be just a surge from Su Yan's TV drama fanbase on day one?
Typically, that kind of support only lasts a day or two.
So on Saturday, theater owners made slight adjustments—'Cape' dropped from 16% to 14%, and 'The Garden of Words' rose from 9% to 12%.
A wait-and-see approach.
These changes were implemented overnight.
The next morning, fan ratings were released for Friday's new films:
'Blood Mirror' was lowest with 6.1
'Cape' received 7.8, placing third.
'Tree Riddle,' despite poor box office (only 19 million), scored a solid 8.2
And the highest?
The most talked-about film on all four major platforms last night: 'The Garden of Words'
8.9 rating.
This got the entire Xia Nation film industry's attention.
Even though July's end isn't a prime summer slot, six mid-budget films dropped at once.
Among them, 'The Garden of Words' had the highest audience attendance and outperformed its screening ratio.
And now it also has the highest rating.
Clearly, it was both a critical and commercial success.
The other five films featured A-list actors, seasoned directors, and acclaimed screenwriters.
All of them had massive fanbases and decades of industry presence.
Su Yan, on the other hand, was a TV screenwriter turned film screenwriter. He was crossing industries. How far could his fans really carry him?
And yet, his film was the one that excelled.
Many industry insiders noticed something was off. That Saturday, they immediately bought tickets to see for themselves.
And seeing this, more fans and moviegoers who had been on the fence stopped hesitating.
By Saturday afternoon, 'The Garden of Words' was growing even faster than it had on Friday.
By midnight, the numbers were in:
Saturday's national box office total: 290 million yuan
'The Garden of Words', with 12% screen share, brought in 14% of the day's box office—41 million, taking the #1 spot
'Cape' came in second with 38 million, from 15% screenings.
The other films stayed in their previous positions.
And 'The Garden of Words' rating rose again—from 8.9 to 9.0.
At last, the Xia Nation film industry saw it clearly:
This wasn't just a fan-driven film.