Chapter 21 Breaking a Billion – The Battle of the Billion-Yuan Directors
【Ben Shan’s protégé Qu Yiming’s self-written, self-directed, and self-starring debut film Lost on the Road was released nationwide on May 1st, grossing 13 million RMB on its opening day. Reportedly, many theaters allocated half of their screenings to the film.】
【Lost on the Road triumphs, raking in over 10 million RMB on its first day!】
【With the release of Lost on the Road, director Lu Chuan’s new film suffered a steep drop in daily box office sales, severely hindering his quest to become a “billion-yuan director.”】
【Hollywood blockbuster X-Men Origins: Wolverine is set to hit Chinese theaters on May 3rd, posing a huge challenge to domestic films.】
【Director Lu Chuan posted: “A low-quality sketch comedy like Lost on the Road pulling in tens of millions? This is a cultural tragedy.”】
【Lu Chuan deleted the post, claiming: “My account was hacked, that wasn’t me.”】
【Official platform: Lu Chuan’s account was not hacked.】
【Director Qu Yiming posted: “Wishing Lu Chuan and Qin Lan a loving union, lots of children, and lifelong happiness.”】
【Qu Yiming deleted his post too, claiming: “My account was hacked, that wasn’t me.”】
【Official platform: Qu Yiming’s account was not hacked.】
【Deep dive reveals: Lu Chuan and Qin Lan have been together for a while – Qu Yiming was telling the truth!】
【Photos prove it! Lovey-dovey pictures of Lu Chuan and Qin Lan emerge.】
【The reason for Qin Lan and Huang Xiaoming’s breakup? Lu Chuan came between them?!】
【Lu Chuan – a freeloader, male mistress, and scumbag.】
【Lu Chuan responds: “Mine is a commercial film, not a historical one.”】
【Lu Chuan’s previous work was plagued by plagiarism controversy.】
【Qu Yiming embarks on a 100-school public welfare tour with the film’s cast and crew to offer blessings.】
At the grand opening ceremony on May 2nd, Qu Yiming sang Chasing Dreams with a Childlike Heart. The performance, broadcast live by Liaoning TV and shared across the internet, went viral. As a result, Lost on the Road earned 16 million RMB on May 2nd.
On May 3rd, even with Wolverine competing in theaters, it still earned 12 million. During the three-day Labor Day holiday, Lost on the Road grossed a total of 41 million RMB. Wolverine also brought in over 10 million RMB on its opening day.
Together, the two blockbusters ate up the majority of Lu Chuan’s new film’s audience, blocking his path to becoming a billion-yuan director. Unable to bear it any longer, Lu Chuan didn’t dare to attack Wolverine, so he targeted Lost on the Road instead.
He made a post attacking the film, stirring up controversy, then quickly deleted it. Qu Yiming wasn’t having it either. In retaliation, he exposed Lu Chuan’s relationship with Qin Lan—then also quickly deleted the post. But deleting didn’t mean it didn’t happen. Instant deletion was not equal to never being posted!
After stirring the pot, both sides faced intense backlash and a sudden drop in public approval.
Lu Chuan’s new film saw its daily box office drop to just 2 million RMB.
For reference: since its April 22nd release, Lu Chuan’s film had made over 60 million in its first week, and in its second week, it was earning about 5 million daily—until the drama on May 3rd, when earnings were cut in half.
But Lu Chuan had a workaround. Thanks to its unique subject matter, schools and organizations arranged group viewings, and the film eventually crossed the 100 million RMB mark.
As for Lost on the Road, due to the controversy, although it made 41 million RMB in its first three days, the remaining four days of the first week only added another 19 million, barely pushing it to 60 million total for the week. The sharp decline wasn’t just due to the holiday ending or Wolverine’s release—Lu Chuan’s antics clearly played a big part.
Thankfully, Qu Yiming also found a solution—he launched a public welfare tour to high schools to cheer on students preparing for the college entrance exam.
In addition to his viral hit Chasing Dreams with a Childlike Heart, he also performed two original inspirational songs: Youth and My Sky.
【Director, singer, and dream chaser – Qu Xiaoming (Qu Yiming) kicks off a 100-school tour to inspire senior students】
【Ten schools a day! Interviewed students said: “After listening to Qu Xiaoming’s singing and speech, I felt more motivated and less confused—I’m focused on studying hard for the exams.”】
【One student shared: “Thanks to Qu Xiaoming’s campus event, I reconciled with my mother and will apply to the school I truly want. I’m buying a ticket to support his dream.”】
Thanks to a few days of touring and positive coverage from several major media outlets, the daily box office for Lost on the Road rebounded in its second week. On May 9th (Saturday), it once again surpassed 10 million RMB, and maintained that figure the following day.
During the weekdays that followed, there was a decline, but no more dramatic drops.
The reason? Many parents, moved by Qu Yiming’s public welfare efforts, bought tickets to show their support. Of course, during the tour, Qu Yiming never mentioned the film or encouraged students to take action—he genuinely focused on the cause.
On May 14th, the 14th day after its release, Lost on the Road officially broke the 100 million RMB mark.
Both Lu Chuan’s new film and Qu Yiming’s Lost on the Road reached the billion mark in 14 days. Once the media noticed this coincidence, they began promoting it as a rivalry once again.
【China’s youngest billion-yuan director Qu Yiming vs. rising billion-yuan director Lu Chuan – who will win the box office war?】
【Lu Chuan caught in scandal as “homewrecker” – Qin Lan denies he’s a third party, the couple goes public】
【Qu Yiming completes 100-school tour – 100,000 students defend him: “Lost on the Road is not a bad film!”】