A pure fan-driven movie wouldn't have this kind of staying power on its second day. And fan movies aren't watched only by fans—if a film isn't good, a single casual viewer giving it a zero does more damage to its rating than ten fans giving it a perfect ten.
A 9.0 rating meant only one thing: this film was genuinely and widely recognized by movie audiences.
And more importantly—
That 9.0 was the highest score among all summer releases so far.
This time, Xia Nation's media outlets and film critics couldn't sit still anymore.
📰"Screenwriter Su Yan crosses into film—his debut delivers impressive results! 'The Garden of Words' surpasses 72 million in two days. A 100-million opening weekend is almost guaranteed!"
📰"Su Yan enters the film market—new movie 'The Garden of Words' earns universal acclaim! Does the world really have geniuses who never fail?"
📰"'The Garden of Words' silences all doubts. Among TV creators transitioning to film in the past five years, Su Yan's debut is the strongest by far! His momentum carries over seamlessly into cinema!"
📰"'The Garden of Words' becomes the highest-rated film of the summer season. Just like Su Yan's TV works—word of mouth is off the charts, crushing all competition!"
📰"Su Yan's works may underperform only due to niche appeal—but their reputations have never collapsed. That was true for his dramas, and it's true for 'The Garden of Words'."
📰"Dark horse emerges! 'The Garden of Words' surges in its first two days, showing clear signs of a box-office reversal."
📰"Major media outlets have significantly raised their pre-release box-office forecasts for 'The Garden of Words' from under 110 million to around 350 million. It's now certain that Su Yan's new film has not only escaped losses but will bring substantial profits to Dimensional Pictures!"
----
Tokyo, Sakura Island.
Inside a rented office building, Su Yan and Shen Liqian—who were filming emotional scenes between Kanji and Rika for 'Tokyo Love Story'—along with Gu Qingyuan, Shinozaki Ikumi, and director Shi Peihua, were all a bit distracted that morning.
During a break, they gathered together.
But they weren't discussing the morning's shoot for 'Tokyo Love Story', nor the afternoon scenes for 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
They were talking about 'The Garden of Words'—and its explosive performance in both Sakura Island and the mainland.
"On Sunday alone, it had 19% screen share," Shinozaki Ikumi said, her voice tinged with disbelief. "As of now, the total box office across Xia Nation today has exceeded 80 million, and 'The Garden of Words' alone contributed over 20 million of that."
To be honest, she had imagined a scenario like this before the film's release.
Something like: three-day opening over 100 million, total box office breaking 300 million.
For a film with a 40-million total investment, that would already count as a massive win.
Especially since, due to early marketing constraints, the company had injected a large additional sum into promotion. After negotiations with distributor Tianxing, Dimensional Pictures secured a very favorable split—
42% of total box office revenue.
For Su Yan, the theoretical break-even point was around 90 million.
But factoring in taxes, the real break-even line was closer to 100 million.
Before release, even the most optimistic media projections only expected the film to barely recoup its costs through box office alone. Any real profit would have to come from streaming rights, disc sales, and merchandise.
But Shinozaki Ikumi truly hadn't expected—
'The Garden of Words' to outperform even her best-case scenario.
Sure, earlier summer films like 'Gun Grave' and 'Firefly' had opening-day box offices of 80–90 million.
But look at their scale—huge investments, massive marketing, and over 50% screen share on release day. In some cases, the cinema chains themselves were investors, so theaters treated those films like gold.
'The Garden of Words'?
In a crowded release window full of mid- and small-budget films, it only reached 19% screen share on its third day, yet still pulled in over 40 million in a single day.
By any standard, that counted as a major breakout.
"If 'The Garden of Words' really ends up surpassing 350 million," Gu Qingyuan said, still dazed, "wouldn't its profits be almost on par with what we made from 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners'? Are movie profits really that high?"
As the female lead, she already knew one thing for certain—
Her endorsement fees were about to rise again.
Shen Liqian looked at Gu Qingyuan with a trace of envy.
In the Xia Nation, the idea that film actors outrank TV actors was still very much alive.
It didn't always mean more money—but the prestige difference was real.
Two years ago, Shen Liqian had tried repeatedly to break into film. But the film capital showed no interest in her and refused to invest.
And now, Gu Qingyuan had achieved—almost effortlessly—what she never could.
A film debut.
And a spectacular one at that.
Even though they'd become close friends over the past year, Shen Liqian couldn't help feeling a little sour.
"Not exactly," Shinozaki Ikumi said. "TV dramas have many revenue channels—we just haven't expanded ours yet. The three major TV networks can air their own productions on their streaming platforms, earn from broadcast ads, product placement, overseas licensing, physical media, and even international streaming deals. But to get others to buy our rights, we need long-term partnerships."
"These things take time to build. 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' earned us around 180 million. In the hands of the three major networks, it would've made more than three times that."
Su Yan nodded slightly.
There was no helping it—no matter what, a private production company couldn't match the revenue channels of the three major TV networks.
They were massive brands unto themselves.
Film production, however, was different.
As long as the movie was made, handed off to a distributor, and released in theaters, the profit split per yuan of box office was largely the same—whether you were Su Yan or a major studio.
That was why 'The Garden of Words' seemed, at a glance, to be catching up to 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' in profitability.
"But this is temporary," Shinozaki Ikumi said, looking around—especially at Su Yan. "We've been expanding aggressively. New departments, new staff. With Su Yan's current standing in Xia Nation's industry, we're now qualified to negotiate directly with overseas TV stations and streaming platforms."
"By the time 'Tokyo Love Story' airs, our revenue channels will be far more diverse than they were during 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners'. Profit margins will rise accordingly."
As Shinozaki Ikumi kept saying "our company," Shen Liqian felt a subtle discomfort.
Everyone here belonged to Dimensional Pictures.
Everyone except her.
Was Gu Qingyuan favored so heavily—including being cast as the female lead in Su Yan's first film—because she was a signed actress under Dimensional Pictures?
The thought made Shen Liqian's chest feel tight.
She was grateful to her current agent—but she harbored resentment toward her agency.
When Akasaka Yoshitoki had suppressed her before, her agency had been powerless. It was only after she and her agent turned to Su Yan that things finally changed.
Su Yan treated her well. So did Shinozaki Ikumi. Even though she didn't belong to Dimensional Pictures, they never treated her like an outsider.
But legally—
She wasn't part of the company.
And she didn't know how long this unspoken closeness would last.
If I could join Dimensional Pictures…
Would I get to be the female lead in Su Yan's next film?
Her heart began to race.
On Sunday, with a major increase in screen share, 'The Garden of Words' saw another surge.
58 million in a single day.
21% box-office share.
Once again—daily box-office champion.
Three days in a row, its box-office share exceeded its screen share.
Attendance rates topped all competitors.
Its rating climbed again—to 9.1.
Now, Xia Nation's moviegoers were paying serious attention.
For a mid-budget film to open with 130 million in its first week, while holding the highest rating of the summer season—
The media followed with wall-to-wall praise, forming a positive feedback loop.
Forums are flooded with posts praising its emotional power and unforgettable ending.
Curiosity among casual viewers skyrocketed.
Even on Monday—a workday—when total daily box office dropped to 72 million, 'The Garden of Words' still contributed 20.5 million, pushing its single-day share to 28%.
At this point, the situation was crystal clear.
From August 2 to August 15, there were no major new releases. Only after that would two films with investments of over 100 million arrive.
These two weeks were—without question—' The Garden of Words's golden window.
No competing film posed any real threat.
Even Su Yan and Xia Nation's film institutions found it difficult to predict the final total.
A massive explosion seemed unlikely.
The pacing was slow. Many impatient viewers wouldn't sit through it.
It was a film that chose its audience.
But the 350-million forecast from media outlets?
That now felt… low.
With word of mouth this strong, even weekdays pulled over 20 million. While daily numbers would taper off, weekends would rebound. Over time, it would accumulate a formidable total.
In the Xia Nation's film industry, a movie under 500 million usually didn't cause major waves.
But for Su Yan personally, and for Dimensional Pictures—
Having a film like this on record meant everything.
It meant that for Su Yan's second film:
Better distributors
Better screen-share treatment
Greater market trust
Higher audience expectations
A screenwriter and actor with proven box-office results and elite word of mouth was treated very differently in the film market.
Far away in Hudu, Akasaka Yoshitoki was in a foul mood.
Su Yan's film had nothing to do with him—but the better Su Yan did, the worse he felt.
He stared at the new drama proposal on his desk.
A 60-million, high-quality A-tier series.
Akasaka took a deep breath.
Under pressure from network executives, with Su Yan making major moves in October and an S-tier drama scheduled for next year, Akasaka had no choice.
He had to respond in kind.
He had to win.
Otherwise—
He'd be out of his director's chair.