Chapter 171 171 Results

Chapter 171: Box Office Results

Lu Xu and his two companions walked out of the cinema, hearing the audience around them discussing the film's plot. Zheng Xiao noticed that many viewers, especially older ones who had come with family, had teary, red-rimmed eyes.

The theater was packed to capacity, and not a single audience member left midway—bathroom trips were few even.

As an audience member, he was more than willing to support *Fearless Life*, and he assumed others felt the same way.

“It was great,” Shao Yao murmured, lingering a step behind the other two.

Perhaps because of the cold weather, Shao Yao remained as reticent as ever. Zheng Xiao could confirm that from the start of *Fearless Life* until now, Shao Yao had only spoken these three words.

Zheng Xiao: "..."

Occasionally, he thought Shao Yao seemed robotic, but he could tell the other was genuinely trying to engage with them.

Like him, Shao Yao must have taken away many insights from *Fearless Life*—whether from its moving storyline or Lu Xu's masterful performance as Bai Qianshan.

Among the three, Lu Xu had always been the best actor. Zheng Xiao once believed that with enough effort, he might see Lu Xu’s ceiling. Yet, the truth proved that in acting, Lu Xu had no bounds.

Just when he thought Lu Xu couldn’t possibly improve further, Lu Xu would demonstrate with his performance that he could still reach greater heights.

...

The cold was too harsh, making even a casual stroll unappealing. They had initially planned to wander around, but the biting wind quickly sobered them up, so they headed straight home.

The moment Zheng Xiao logged onto Weibo, he couldn’t resist promoting *Fearless Life*: “Absolutely amazing! No lies here!”

“Bro, we know you went. The sneakiness was next-level. Downtown folks celebrating the New Year wouldn’t dare ask for photos or autographs—no need to flee so far.”

“LMAO, my friend caught them too, drinking the same milk tea as the Mountain Team.”

“The milk tea… wasn’t great, was it? Seems like the pup and Zheng Xiao hardly drank any.”

“Nah, it’s definitely because the movie was too gripping. My friend brought a cup in too—she was texting me at first, then completely ignored me once the film started. Didn’t even drink her tea.”

“+1, same cinema here. My only regret? Choosing the earlier screening—just missed them! Why didn’t I pick the next one?!”

“My rich friend already ordered Lu Xu’s exact down jacket. Honestly, G-brand’s new menswear was trashed this year, but after seeing Lu Xu in it, I weirdly started liking it. The hood’s a big nope!”

The topic briefly veered into fashion but eventually circled back to the film.

Spring Festival film ratings were delayed on most platforms—mainly to avoid negative reviews deterring potential viewers.

In other words, it was about luring in as many as possible. If scores dropped too early, audiences might skip the film, leaving studios with fewer ticket sales.

“*Fearless Life* was incredible. I sobbed uncontrollably in the theater, only to realize I wasn’t alone—so many others did too.”

“Amazing! So moving. If I had to describe this film in one word, it’d be ‘vitality.’ Their struggle in the Northwest, on the Gobi Desert, making trees grow in barren land—truly remarkable!”

“Haven’t seen the other films yet, but *Fearless Life* is worth every penny. Spring Festival tickets are pricier, but this one is worth it!”

Despite aggressive marketing for *Boundless Ambition* and *Return Undecided*—with marketers flooding platforms and even Weibo’s splash ads featuring them—under the hashtag #WhichSpringFestivalFilmIsWorthWatching, *Fearless Life* kept up, mentioned just as frequently as the other two.

In terms of screenings, *Fearless Life* lagged behind *Return Undecided* (29.6%) and *Boundless Ambition* (23.2%), which together took up over half the slots.

This year’s Spring Festival lineup wasn’t as competitive as *Deception*’s year, with seven new releases, including the obligatory kids’ movie. Though holiday traffic is massive, only a few hit it big—most just flop.

In recent years, there have been quite a few films that either chose to withdraw from their scheduled release or flopped hard.

*The Deception* was a rarity among rarities, so much so that even though it has been out for a while, the industry still marvels at its achievements.

*The Deception* killed it overseas, and notably, *Reversal City* has also been making waves at international film festivals, with distributors from several countries already expressing interest in purchasing it.

To some extent, the impression that "Lu Xu's films never lose money" has become set in stone.

The *Fearless Life* crew didn’t skip marketing either. After all, Miao Zhi has connections, and while Liu Rennong has deep roots in the film industry, he doesn’t run the show.

From the start of its promotion, *Fearless Life* put the spotlight on the character Bai Qianshan.

Though Lu Xu had just won the Contention Award and his star power was high, *Fearless Life* tells a story centered on Bai Qianshan, so the film’s focus was his alone.

Bai Qianshan as depicted in documentaries, Bai Qianshan as remembered by his teachers and classmates, Bai Qianshan as seen by his fellow soldiers… and the impact of Bai Qianshan’s achievements across various fields.

The Bai Qianshan portrayed in the film is remarkable, but the script is based on a real person—the real Bai Qianshan was even more legendary than the cinematic depiction.

The few BTS content pieces related to Lu Xu himself were videos of him visiting Bai Qianshan’s former colleagues, taking notes, and gradually immersing himself in the role.

To embody the character, Lu Xu went all out. By the later stages of filming *Fearless Life*, his portrayal of Bai Qianshan had reached method acting territory.

"Just saw it… Lu Xu in the video looks so incredibly unassuming."

"While watching the film, I was moved by Lu Xu’s performance multiple times. Now that I see how the 'Bai Qianshan' in *Fearless Life* was brought to life, I’m not surprised at all."

"+1. Been a fan of Lu Xu for years—he’s always been serious about his roles."

"No wonder I felt Lu Xu was different after finishing *Fearless Life*, like he’d leveled up. As an audience member, watching *Fearless Life* left me gut-punched, with emotions bubbling up inside me. So for Lu Xu, who directly confronted Bai Qianshan’s life, the impact must have been even more profound."

"Lu Xu himself has said he refuses to let down any character written by the screenwriter, even if they’re fictional and built by the actor. How much more so for Bai Qianshan, a real person? Bai Qianshan was such an extraordinary figure—how could Lu Xu allow his own shortcomings to cast a shadow over the role?"

The BTS content released by the *Fearless Life* team, combined with the rave feedback from audiences who’d seen the film, quietly boosted its reputation under the radar.

On the first day of the Spring Festival box office showdown, amid fierce competition, each film finally revealed its initial performance.

Topping the first-day box office rankings was *Return Undecided*, with a staggering 469 million yuan.

*Boundless Ambition* came in second with 377 million yuan on its opening day.

This outcome was somewhat unexpected—*Return Undecided* performed better than anticipated, while *Boundless Ambition* underperformed. Given the latter’s genre, it should have been more popular during the Spring Festival season than the former.

But the biggest surprise was *Fearless Life*, which ranked third on the first-day box office chart with 295 million yuan.

This was a mind-blowing number.

*Fearless Life* had only half the screenings of *Return Undecided*—in fact, slightly less than half—yet its box office reached 63% of *Return Undecided*’s total.

The Spring Festival box office is a wild card. While *Fearless Life* currently seems to lag behind *Return Undecided* and *Boundless Ambition*, its seat occupancy rate and opening-day performance suggest anything is possible.

After all, the gap between *Boundless Ambition* and *Return Undecided* was less than 100 million yuan, and the difference between *Fearless Life* and *Boundless Ambition* was also under 100 million. In the volatile Spring Festival market, where even minor factors can sway box office trends, such margins are practically negligible.

"So strong—*Fearless Life*’s seat occupancy rate is through the roof."

"And let’s not overlook another point—*Fearless Life*’s screening share might appear to be over 10%, but in terms of actual showtimes, it’s far behind *Return Undecided*. Just look at the graveyard shifts *Fearless Life* got."

With *Fearless Life*’s opening-day earnings nearing 300 million yuan, the industry suddenly realized this was Lu Xu’s highest-grossing debut film to date.

Before this, whether it was "Deception," "Feather of Youth," or "Reversal City," their opening day box office only managed around 100 million, yet their final totals all neared 2 billion.

"Following this pattern... is it possible?"

"Wow... if that really happens, could it mean Lu Xu's last weak spot is finally covered?"

"??? Do people actually think Lu Xu's box office performance is his weakness?"

"That’s not important. Right now, I want to bet that 'Fearless Life' will surpass 3 billion at the box office. Anyone dare to join me?"

"...Before the Spring Festival season, so many marketers made countless predictions, including platforms, which also had expectations for each film’s final box office. Since 'Fearless Life' was ranked fourth in screenings, platforms also placed its box office prediction in fourth place—even lower than 'Reversal City.' Pretty ridiculous."

"Well, screenings work differently, after all."

"A freshly minted Contention Award winner is just seen as cannon fodder in the eyes of cinemas—having to beg for screenings. Priceless. Now, all platforms are rushing to update their predictions for 'Fearless Life.' With an opening day nearing 300 million, a 1.5 billion forecast is way off now."

While the audience speculates about the box office trajectory of "Fearless Life," the industry sees it differently.

Through the result of "Fearless Life" achieving 295 million on its opening day with only 14.7% screenings, many in the industry suddenly sense a premonition—Lu Xu’s made it big.

Even if his box office doesn’t skyrocket overnight, it will undoubtedly stabilize at a level impossible to ignore.

Several currently box-office draws, like Li Yan, exemplify this—once they break out, they stay on top. As long as they star in a film, audiences are willing to pay for tickets.

In terms of box office strength, Li Yan slightly edges out Lu Xu. In recent years, his films have consistently hit a floor of 2 billion.

That "Fearless Life" achieved such an opening day box office is tied to Lu Xu’s star power.

Real money is involved—if the lead lacks charm, audiences simply won’t pay.

After accumulating experience through three films, cementing his rep with outstanding performances in series after series, and now with a heavyweight Contention Award win under his belt, Lu Xu has truly taken off.

"Now, it’s just a matter of seeing how high 'Fearless Life' soars."

In fact, "Fearless Life" is soaring far faster than predicted—because the two giants standing in its way, "Return Undecided" and "Boundless Ambition," are both getting slammed by bad buzz.