Chapter 147 147 Refund

Chapter 147: Money Back

Lu Xu admitted that the gap between finishing *Reversal City* and taking on *Fearless Life* was a bit longer than usual.

Lu Xu typically reserved some downtime for himself.

But the filming pace of *Sanctuary* was insanely fast.

He remembered clearly—he only received the invitation from the *Sanctuary* crew after wrapping up *Reversal City*. Yet... *Sanctuary* ended up releasing around the same time as *Reversal City*.

To say this speed was "like a rocket" would be an understatement.

Moreover, from what Lu Xu knew, *Sanctuary* was a big-budget production with an A-list cast and top-tier special effects. He wondered—how could such a rushed schedule possibly deliver on these promises?

Anyone in the industry knows that a movie’s cost is directly tied to its scale. A crew of 100 is entirely different from one of 1,000 or even 10,000. Costs don’t just rise—they skyrocket.

*Sanctuary* had a high budget and a huge production, which logically should have meant a lengthy shoot. Coordinating thousands of extras in a single scene alone is a logistical nightmare.

"This is just too brazen," Xu Wen frowned. "Do they take the industry for fools, or the audience?"

A quick online search revealed that the *Sanctuary* crew was still churning out hype—calling it a fantasy epic rivaling *Avatar*, boasting an all-star cast.

But the more they hyped it, the more Lu Xu suspected it was all smoke and mirrors. It gave him a strong sense that they were just trying to make a quick buck, much like *The Swordsman* back in the day.

Yet, Zhang Zhizhen was singing its praises. Not only did he visit the set and write a raving 10K-word essay afterward, but he even served as a temporary shooting consultant for the crew.

According to Zhang Zhizhen, he did it all for free—solely for the shared "artistic dream" between him and the *Sanctuary* team.

Lu Xu: "Stacking buffs, are we?"

With Zhang Zhizhen involved and *The Swordsman* as a precedent, could this movie possibly turn out well?

Ever since Bei Hong got roasted by Lu Xu, the *Sanctuary* crew had cut back on tying him to their ads. However, once *Sanctuary* officially announced its release date—coincidentally close to *Reversal City*’s—discussions comparing the two heated up again.

After all, one was a new project from a major director, with *Reversal City* tied to rumors of Lu Xu and Zhao Yifan’s feud, as well as Qi Di’s split from Liu Rennong’s studio.

Meanwhile, *Sanctuary* was a rare big-budget fantasy flick in the industry. Even if Lu Xu suspected it would be a trainwreck, that didn’t stop the audience from holding high expectations.

A poorly made effects-heavy film is undeniably bad—but if done exceptionally well, it could prove that China’s film industry can compete with Hollywood’s big studios.

To some extent, film production is a reflection of hard power.

For example, a movie with a budget exceeding 100 million is commonplace domestically—some even surpass 1 billion and still find enough viewers to break even.

But in overseas markets, a box office of 4-5 billion means that even at 100 yuan per ticket, it would require 40-50 million audience members to sustain it.

Glancing at the world’s population map, only about 20-30 countries even have that many people—and not everyone goes to the cinema.

For most film markets worldwide, developing a robust film industry is nothing but a pipe dream.

It wasn’t just industry insiders like Lu Xu—many viewers also hoped for a domestic blockbuster like *Avatar* that could dominate globally. *Sanctuary*’s grand promises and the involvement of several big names made it easy for the audience to believe.

But... placing hope in *Sanctuary* would likely only lead to disappointment.

"You don’t have to be so pessimistic," Xu Wen advised Lu Xu. "What if *Sanctuary* actually delivers?"

Lu Xu: "Do you believe that?"

"I don’t," Xu Wen said. "But people can believe what they want."

The Star Awards Ceremony was held in mid-February. Lu Xu began filming *Fearless Life* in early May, while *Sanctuary* and *Reversal City* were both slated for release during the summer season.

The good news is that although both films belong to the summer blockbuster season, they didn’t premiere on the same day but were spaced two weeks apart.

Compared to the Spring Festival and National Day holiday periods, the summer season is relatively more spread out. Big films avoid clustering in the same window—partly to compete for screen share and partly to maintain the audience’s sense of novelty.

*Sanctuary* hit theaters on July 10, facing competition from a domestic comedy and a foreign blockbuster on the same day.

It’s worth noting that the foreign blockbuster was a last-minute addition to this slot. Before that, *Sanctuary* had long confirmed its release date. If not for the foreign film’s sudden scheduling, *Sanctuary* would have had no competitors that week.

Changing the release date was impossible, and a last-minute delay was out of the question. *Sanctuary* had already become the representative of domestic effects-driven blockbusters—only small productions or films facing overwhelmingly strong rivals would reschedule at the last minute.

Fans were hyped for a showdown between *Sanctuary* and the foreign VFX spectacle. If *Sanctuary* won out, viewers would undoubtedly feel immense pride.

“*Sanctuary* going head-to-head with *The Leviathan’s Maw*—can’t wait!”

“*The Leviathan’s Maw* did decently overseas. Not elite effects, but decent reviews. In the entire summer lineup, only *Sanctuary* stands a chance against it.”

“Foreign blockbusters haven’t been as influential in recent years. Now’s our chance to surpass them.”

“+1. Plus, *Sanctuary* and *The Leviathan’s Maw* are different genres. Many domestic viewers aren’t into *Leviathan*’s horror and gore, but *Sanctuary* is different—it’s a homegrown mythic fantasy involving immortals and spirits. Audiences don’t need to research the lore, whereas *Leviathan* has religious elements.”

As a rare domestic VFX blockbuster with an all-star cast, theaters rolled out the red carpet, allocating *Sanctuary* a generous 35.9% of screenings. In contrast, *The Leviathan’s Maw*, despite surpassing $1 billion in global box office, only secured 25.6%.

For comparison, the final installment of a certain foreign franchise once commanded over 40% of screenings. From this angle, theaters showed *Sanctuary* considerable favor.

For fans eagerly awaiting *Sanctuary*, the wait was exhilarating.

The film’s promotional campaign was also massive, with its star-studded cast reposting the official blog, and celebrity friends booking whole theaters to show support.

Dong Miao was lured into theaters by *Sanctuary*’s all-star lineup.

Recently hooked on a game set in the underworld, where figures like *Yama*, *Meng Po*, and the Black and White Impermanence were key characters, she rushed to the theater alone after seeing the trailer.

She had planned to go with a friend, but a last-minute work emergency got in the way, leaving her to spill the details later.

“Missing this would be a huge loss—*Meng Po* is played by Fan Yin!”

Fan Yin was her friend’s idol, a widely recognized beauty in the industry—radiant yet fierce, even more breathtaking on the big screen. Her friend became a fan because of a few iconic looks.

Dong Miao swore she entered the theater with sky-high expectations for *Sanctuary*. She wasn’t a traditional cinephile, nor did she hold grand hopes for domestic filmmaking—she was just there to see pretty faces.

Even messy celeb flicks could entertain her. Her standards weren’t high; she loved playing ‘spot the star’.

Yet, not long after *Sanctuary* began, Dong Miao was stunned.

She never imagined Fan Yin could look so… unrecognizable!

Who was this woman on the big screen? The ratty hair, those choppy bangs—was this *Meng Po*? Was this really the gorgeous Fan Yin?

Dong Miao could only say she’d never seen a movie that made people look this bad.

Bad looks were just the start. The VFX… the so-called Hollywood-level effects might as well be a cheap streaming movie. Though the theater provided 3D glasses, Dong Miao felt the “effects” only made her dizzy, with little actual enhancement.

Somehow, the VFX lacked clarity. She could tell someone had the well-meaning but disastrous idea of giving the film a watercolor-inspired style—a noble intention, but paired with indescribably poor execution, all she saw was a smudgy, incoherent haze.

As for the plot...

It all began when Old Man Sun altered the Book of Life and Death, changing the fate of an entire family. A young man then slipped through a time rift and arrived in the underworld, only to discover that the people in hell were actually quite endearing.

He once contemplated seeking vengeance for his family, but after arriving in the underworld and facing these hellish overworked office workers, he found himself reluctant. Later, he gradually realized that everything was merely a conspiracy—a scheme by a shadowy figure to steal the Book of Life and Death and rewrite the mortal world.

A huge good-vs-evil battle was brewing, with celestial big shots showing up and engaging in a desperate struggle against the forces of darkness.

Dong Miao: "..."

The story itself sounds fairly normal, but the pacing was clearly poorly designed. The lengthy and tedious narration in the first half dragged on, and the subsequent parade of stars crammed together made it impossible to distinguish their faces, leaving the audience dizzy and overwhelmed.

Add to that the shoddy visuals and infuriatingly bad special effects... Dong Miao couldn’t sit still, just wanting this farce to end as soon as possible.

She wasn’t the only one with that thought. As Dong Miao contemplated making a quick exit, the couple in front of her had already taken action, and someone behind her had already bolted. Without hesitation, she followed them out of the screening room.

She could confirm that the moment she stepped out of the theater, more people were right behind her, leaving as well.

Dong Miao chickened out of cursing then and there, but she could tell the couple in front of her was ranting angrily. She accidentally caught a glimpse of the girl’s phone—the words "GIVE US OUR MONEY BACK!" were bold and unmistakable.

By the afternoon, the hashtag #Refund had shot up to the top of trending.