Chapter 377: 377: What is called a Market-Saving Work! (Vote for Monthly Ticket)

“Firefly” reminded the world once again on its third opening weekend what miracles are, what it means to save the day, and what “magic Wang Yang” is all about. “Wang Yang’s blockbuster” was able to KO “Spielberg’s blockbuster” on its opening weekend without giving the competition any chance at all.

On Sunday, July 3, “Firefly” raked in $21.78 million, down 11.6%, averaging $5,344 per theater; “War of the Worlds” made $19.77 million, down 14.7%, averaging $5,060 per theater. “Firefly” won every metric and thus the third round. This little bit here and there added up to a weekend total of $69.5 million with an average of $17,055; the runner-up managing $64.87 million with an average of $16,601. By the end of the weekend, “Firefly” emerged victorious!

The previous third-weekend box office champion was “Spider-Man” with $45.03 million, which has now been dethroned.

“Firefly” with an insane 17-day gross of $457.1 million rose to the third position in North American box office history (not adjusted for inflation), trailing behind “Titanic” at $600 million by a few strides and “Star Wars” at $460 million by half a stride; after adjusting for inflation, it ranked 28th in North American cinematic history, above the 1959 “Sleeping Beauty” and below the 2004 “Shrek 2.”

This sci-fi blockbuster comfortably became the second film of the 21st century to break into the top 30 of box office records. Compared to “Shrek 2,” which ended its run exactly 100 days after release, “Firefly” has only just completed a 17-day journey.

Exhibitor Relations, Boxofficemojo, and other box office tracking agencies were surprised and impressed that the appearance of “War of the Worlds” seemed to have stimulated “Firefly” further, with a mere 31.72% drop on its third weekend, showing no signs of slowing down! This may be due to the added impact of IMAX screenings and the sustained high interest and praise by the media, further intensifying the “Firefly storm.”

Behind every blockbuster hit, there are countless lesser-known stories, and its achievements will always be a topic of delight among fans. Flops are uninteresting; it’s the blockbusters that are thrilling. No doubt, “Batman,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” were not quite up to par, while “War of the Worlds” made the perfect case study.

“‘War of the Worlds’ couldn’t beat ‘Firefly’ in its opening weekend,” reported Yahoo Entertainment, with the news article’s clickthrough rate climbing higher and higher. The article read, “Despite having several days left this week, ‘War of the Worlds’ doesn’t seem to stand a chance at a comeback. Stephen Spielberg’s loss of the summer opening weekend crown for the third consecutive time seems inevitable, particularly to Wang Yang, symbolizing a change of generations, a transformation of the era. Folks, it’s 2005 now.”

BOM headline: “Weekend Report: ‘Firefly’ and ‘War of the Worlds’ engage in fierce box office battle, Wang triumphs, Spielberg falls.” USA Today headline: “Ahead of Independence Day, ‘Firefly’ reigns as champion for the third consecutive weekend.” Rotten Tomatoes headline: “‘Firefly’ dominates ‘War of the Worlds’ in both box office and critical acclaim”…

Meanwhile, a staggering record was beautifully born. “Titanic” took 51 days, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” took 40 days, but it took just 16…

With an additional $127.9 million from international markets over the weekend (down 28.6%), “Firefly’s” global box office soared to an astonishing $1.0992 billion, entering the billion-dollar club. It became the third film in history to receive such an honor, only half a stride away from the second-placed “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” at $1.167 billion. Without a doubt, it will take second place!

From a weekend drop of -8.1% to -28.6%, “Firefly” astonished the market to an unprecedented extent, grossing nearly 1.1 billion in just 17 days—the first time in the history of human civilization on Earth! The global simultaneous release of “War of the Worlds” had a certain weakening impact, but just like in North America, it was heavily suppressed by “Firefly” everywhere else, only earning $61.25 million on its opening weekend, and astonishingly failing to secure the top spot anywhere, becoming an even more perfect footnote.

It happened to be America’s Independence Day, with all sorts of celebrations taking place across the nation. Although this meant busier cinemas, “Firefly” and other topics were inevitably overshadowed in the media and everyday life, and many movie fans were still unaware that it had broken through the billion-dollar box office mark.

“Dadadada—” Wang Yang hummed a tune as he wandered around the house, with no interest in participating in or watching the lively and joyful celebration parades on the streets—there were too many people, and lately, he felt like retreating from society, almost like… Wang Yang shook his head and recited sentimentally, “Picking chrysanthemums beneath the eastern fence, leisurely I see San Francisco…” Arriving in the living room and seeing Jessica dressed in loose and fresh clothes, sitting on the sofa eating an apple and watching TV, he continued to ponder aloud, “Then… One would have the universe’s merging intentions, holding up a pillar in Southern California. GODD!” He exclaimed in admiration, “The talent of the ancients is truly boundless…”

“HEY,” greeted Jessica, ignoring the idle man. Wang Yang walked straight over and sat down, getting into the mood to touch and kiss her. Jessica, not in the mood for affection, responded with laughs and pushes, eventually growing evidently impatient, she pushed him away, “Stop it, you’re blocking my view of the TV. Go away, here’s an apple for you.” Wang Yang quieted down and hugged her without moving, resting his head on her shoulder and complained, “It’s just not fair, why can’t men lactate?” Jessica took a bite of her apple and casually mentioned, “Some fat guys do.”

Wang Yang was stunned for half a second and then burst out laughing uncontrollably, almost rolling on the sofa. After finally managing to stop, he thought about it and started laughing even more wildly, “Hahaha— that’s so mean, haha—” Initially, Jessica didn’t find it funny since she felt one shouldn’t joke about lactation, but after seeing him laugh hysterically, she couldn’t help but be amused and slapped his thigh, asking with feigned confusion, “WHAT!?”

Wang Yang shook his head, still chuckling, “Nothing, just, just… yes! Harry looks bigger than you…” Jessica puffed up her cheeks and suddenly began hitting him fiercely, “I knew it! You’ve always minded it!”

“No! I apologize, mind the baby! It’s fine as long as the baby doesn’t mind… I really didn’t mind, I’m sorry!” Wang Yang laughed as he jumped off the sofa and fled, while Jessica couldn’t be bothered with him and continued watching TV. What a fun moment! Humming a tune, Wang Yang went over to the DVD collection and admired the rows of exquisite DVDs. Suddenly, he spotted something and shouted excitedly, “Sweetheart, I’ve thought of a couplet!” Jessica knew what a couplet was—a kind of Chinese wordplay—and she played along, “Let’s hear it?”

Wang Yang turned to her and said in Chinese, “Listen well, the first line is ‘Watching Independence Day at home on Independence Day,’ what’s your second line?” Jessica, never one for profound Chinese scholarly knowledge, pretended to think for a while, then shook her head and giggled, “I can’t think of it, what’s the second line?” Wang Yang immediately revealed the mysterious answer with a laugh, “Dang dang dang dang! Watching ‘Firefly’ in the wild, ‘Firefly’! Haha!” He didn’t know if it was a neat couplet; however, hearing the matching format, Jessica thought it certainly was neat, and she clapped in approval, “Impressive!”

Influenced by this second line, Jessica suddenly thought of other Flame Films with three-character Chinese titles and was struck by inspiration. She cried out, “Oh! I have one too! I have one too!” Watching her eager, cute mannerism as if she was anxiously raising her hand to answer a question, Wang Yang was highly amused, “Let’s hear it!” Jessica cleared her throat and slowly recited in Chinese, “Watching ‘Brokeback Mountain’ at home on Brokeback Mountain!” She looked at him expectantly, “Does it work?” Wang Yang frowned and repeated, “Watching ‘Brokeback Mountain’ at home on Brokeback Mountain? Brokeback Mountain is a mountain…uh, the format matches, so of course it works!”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“YEAH!” exclaimed Jessica, raising her fists in triumph, extremely delighted! Wang Yang gave her a thumbs up, and then she gently stroked her bulging belly, a sweet smile on her face, “Our baby will surely be an Ivy League student.” Wang Yang, flipping through DVDs, suddenly interjected, “USC would be alright too, or UCLA.” Jessica rolled her eyes, “I just said she’ll be smart, maybe even become a scientist or something.”

“You want our baby to become a scientist? Like Sheldon? That’s too scary…” At that moment, Wang Yang’s gaze drifted to the neatly arranged complete set of “Knight Rider” DVDs. He hummed a few notes of the iconic theme song, then with a deep voice, recited the unforgettable opening narration, “Knight Rider, a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist, Michael Knight, a young loner… Dadada dudu… Oh right.” Jessica looked at him puzzled, wondering why he stopped his enjoyable humming.

Recalling “Knight Rider,” Wang Yang scratched his forehead and walked over, wrapped his arms around her, and gazed into her eyes. “You know, I’m going to make a romance film next.” On hearing this, Jessica furrowed her brows and foolishly asked, “You mean a movie that’s mainly about love stories?”

To “maintain the mystery,” Wang Yang had not previously clarified to the inquiring Jessica, mentioning only the independent film, Natalie starring, and the shooting in San Francisco. Jessica only learned of this now. Seeing him nod, she suddenly widened her eyes and exclaimed, “What!” She hastily asked in panic, “Is it about our love? I don’t want Natalie to play me!” Wang Yang hastily explained, “No, no, it’s not about our love. That girl is not your type, and it’s not all a love story. Half of it is about what happens after a breakup when the male lead gets dumped by the female lead.”

“But…” Jessica felt annoyed. Why make things so complicated! Just tell her from the start! She was truly holding back a discomfort, saying, “But you didn’t tell me. Why are you telling me now!” She turned her head away in anger. “I don’t care about any Independence Day! I’m going to be angry!”

Wang Yang feared her getting angry, and he feared the baby would be upset, which led to this dragging on, and he sincerely apologized, “I talked too much. I originally wanted… to give you a surprise. I don’t know if it counts as a surprise.” Jessica became curious, “What surprise? If it’s not our story… Oh! Then whose love is it? Is it real?” Seeing that he did not immediately deny it but rather composed his words, it must mean that this love story certainly included his past, yet it was not theirs, which was why he was beating around the bush…

Jessica suddenly felt more choked up, her breathing a bit difficult, “What’s going on? Who is that girl? Didn’t you say it was a birth gift for the baby?”

“Jessica, I regret that you and I were not each other’s first love.” Wang Yang suddenly said calmly, and Jessica momentarily forgot her anger, also expressing regret with a lift of her brows, softly saying, “That’s God’s will.” Wang Yang then suddenly said, “But if we were each other’s first love, maybe we would have broken up a long time ago.” Jessica laughed, “How could that be!” Wang Yang continued, “Maybe we would still be like this, get married, have children, and plan to grow old together.” Jessica nodded firmly, “Of course!”

Wang Yang reminisced about the past fragments, smiling, “This may not be that romantic, but I now believe that love and marriage are not predestined. God doesn’t arrange that, he only arranges for every couple to meet and let them plan their own stories. The only thing that’s predetermined is the encounter.” Jessica was confused, “What’s the difference?” Wang Yang shrugged, “The difference is, I could meet someone else, and you could meet someone else. In this world, there’s more than one person who fits to grow old with me or with you.”

“Oh, my goodness!” Jessica cried out in disbelief. What did he mean, that he could be happy and content with another girl, and it didn’t have to be her? Jessica felt utterly disordered, gasping in bewilderment, “What are you talking about! I’m not an Ivy League student, I’m a little scared…”

“Oh no!” Wang Yang frowned, hitting his forehead in self-reproach, realizing the wrong way he communicated, since she was not one to engage in intellectual debates and she was pregnant! Seeing her nearly melancholic eyes, the baby must be upset too. He quickly turned back, “Jessica, actually I am a very passive person when it comes to emotions and slow-paced. Do you remember the day of the ‘High School Musical’ audition, at the beach, when I wanted to confess but then backed out? Your little turkey?”

Jessica forced a strained smile, but Wang Yang didn’t care, gently kissing and caressing her, while seriously saying, “Before we met again, Helen had dumped me… Maybe! For a while, I was really, really in a bad way. Then you appeared, like sunlight dispelling the clouds, like a dolphin returning to the sea, like coming back to a world of color from black and white, like… If I were Michael Knight, you would be KITT! Think about it, what would ‘Knight Rider’ be without the Knight Rider car? Do you know? That day when that jerk Joshua said he was your boyfriend, I felt the world abandoning me all over again…”

Listening to his endless declarations of love, Jessica gradually smiled, though he had said it many times before, each time it sounded so good, like a dolphin returning to the sea… But she was KITT?

“Ever since I’ve been with you, I find it hard to describe everything—happiness, bliss!” Seeing her sweet smile, Wang Yang took a deep breath and smiled, “I just wanted to tell you about some things from my past, like many others, I met a girl, fell in love, had heartbreak, wallowed, and then I found you.” Jessica nodded silently, lost in thought, as Wang Yang smiled and said, “It’s also our story, a prequel.” He said earnestly, “I regret not being your first love, which is why I want to tell you and the baby, even though Dad has been in love a few times, he only loves Mom.”

Really? So that’s how it is… Jessica’s mouth curled into a smile, which then blossomed into a radiant laugh, her eyes sparkling with life as she tried to grasp his meaning: “Hey! Are you saying, like when you go to a clothing store with only 100 dollars, you try on a dress, a pair of jeans, but you don’t like them or they don’t fit, and then! A piece of clothing appears, beautiful and exactly to your taste, for 100 dollars, you buy it and wear that piece for the rest of your life…”

“Yes,” Wang Yang nodded, even though he felt her analogy wasn’t quite appropriate. Jessica babbled on: “So it’s like, when I walked into the store, I went straight for you and bought you. No washing or exchanging necessary, no need for new clothes…” She confused herself with her own words, and Wang Yang didn’t dare interrupt her train of thought. Jessica suddenly let out a frustrated “Ah,” still uncertain: “But if you found that piece of clothing, isn’t it meant to be?”

Wang Yang tried to clarify, “It’s not every time that you’ll buy something, sometimes you just browse, and there’s randomness to it… That randomness can affect our feelings.”

“Stop!” Jessica didn’t want to think too much, stubbornly declaring, “This is fate! Helen left you, then I came along, we both found our KITTs! This is meant to be! It’s God’s plan! Otherwise, why would we have this encounter? You didn’t go to Stanford, you didn’t go to New York University, not to UCLA, but you went to University of Southern California!…” She suddenly paused to take a deep breath, looked at him, and asked, “Do you love me?” Wang Yang, already accustomed to her way of thinking, smiled, “Of course, I love you.”

With a clap! Jessica slapped her hands together forcefully and then kissed him quickly: “That settles it! Don’t talk about that ghostly nonsense anymore. You focus on making the movie, and tell your words to the baby, OK?”

“OK,” Wang Yang nodded with a smile, knowing she was just that kind of straightforward girl who would not dwell once she had convinced herself. If that’s how she understood happiness, then why try to convince her otherwise? Perhaps she was right and he wrong? They would talk about it after the movie came out! Wang Yang changed the subject with a smile: “How about we go out to watch the fireworks tonight to celebrate? Boom boom, boom boom—” Jessica rolled her eyes at him, but muttered a few words: “KITT, clothes, all sound pretty weird…” Dolphins and the ocean are best!”

On July 4th, Independence Day, “War of the Worlds” collected 12.18 million dollars at the box office, a drop of 38.4%, while “Firefly” decreased 32.6% to take in 16.6 million, winning the fourth round and widening the gap even further! It declared an early victory over Spielberg+Tom Cruise, holding onto the North American box office crown for the third week.

So, “War of the Worlds,” the so-called stopgap savior, didn’t take the opening week’s top spot, but could it win the second week? Media and fans didn’t think so, because in addition to the third week’s undefeated, invincible “real market savior,” “Firefly,” the comic book adaptation “Fantastic Four” with a 100 million dollar production budget was joining the North American battle from July 8-14. Now fans were wondering if “Firefly” could retain the top spot for the fourth week, especially with its main rival starring Rachel McAdams, “the person Wang Yang wanted to teach a lesson”?

That week, as the world cheered for “Firefly” breaking the billion-dollar box office mark, exciting news broke out! Or rather, an old rumor was confirmed—Wang Yang posted a new blog entry celebrating “Firefly’s” success and revealed his new project plans: “Next, I will shoot a romance film, and I am honored to invite Natalie Portman to play the female lead for the third time!…”

The media and fans were in a frenzy, as the amazing Yang seemed determined to give no one a chance to catch their breath! (