Chapter 52: Returning to the Hometown

In 1997, *The Dream Factory* earned over 30 million at the box office, ranking ninth for the year. In 1998, *Lost Loves* earned over 40 million, ranking fifth. In 1999, *The Unfinished Story* earned over 30 million, ranking first. In 2000, *A Sigh of Relief* earned over 20 million, ranking second, and in 2001, *King of Comedy* ranked third with over 40 million.

This was the foundation of Feng Dapao's confidence to challenge anyone and anything.

Box office numbers in this era were nothing like 2025, where a single movie could easily hit a "small goal" of 100 million. Nowadays, if a movie passes 10 million, it's considered a decent result, and 20 million is enough to hype it up as a massive hit.

A so-called "hit" often actually loses money. After all, the production costs are fixed; if a big star is cast, such as Chen Long, his salary alone might exceed the entire box office revenue.

Moreover, out of 20 million in box office revenue, the producers might only see seven or eight million at best.

Why do people still invest in movies if they lose money?

Even if domestic box office returns can't cover the investment, as long as the quality isn't terrible, selling the film overseas can recoup the costs and even turn a small profit.

Take Cheng Sheng's film, for example. With an investment of 100 million, once the overseas distribution rights are sold, the investment is recovered instantly, along with a massive profit of another 100 million.

Of course, personal income tax still has to be paid, but even after taxes, Cheng Sheng still makes a fortune.

Unfortunately, no matter how good the domestic box office is, that money has nothing to do with Cheng Sheng.

Because when he signed contracts with the coal tycoons, he surrendered all domestic box office profits to them.

Cheng Sheng's primary source of income is the overseas distribution rights.

Therefore, Cheng Sheng doesn't pay much attention to the domestic box office.

The box office for *The Great Tang Dynasty: Origins* had been increasing for a consecutive week.

When the final box office figures were released, everyone was silenced!

580 million.

It stunned everyone.

People in the entertainment industry had likely never seen such insane box office numbers.

Of course, such astronomical figures were also because the movie was released during the National Day holiday period. Had it been released at a regular time, the numbers might not have been so unprecedented.

Once the National Day holiday passed, the box office would certainly drop sharply.

Last year was the early stage of domestic film industry reform; the number of screens nationwide was limited, the market had not yet fully recovered, and the national box office was only around 1 billion.

But this year, Cheng Sheng's single film had already surpassed half of last year's total box office, and it had only been out for seven days.

Although the numbers would decline later, even with a drop, there would still be at least 800 million!

Many experts had already predicted online that *The Great Tang Dynasty: Origins* would earn at least 800 million, with a chance to reach 1 billion.

When these numbers came out, it was like a nuclear bomb, leaving the entire nation stunned.

Historical films are profitable!

Everyone in the entertainment industry was ecstatic.

It's just historical films!

Shoot them.

Find scripts, find actors, find directors.

Everyone went mad.

Trend-following movies became even more reckless.

Since one genre makes money, following the trend is inevitable, but this time was different. Most entertainment companies had already officially announced film production plans online.

Every single one was a historical theme.

This time, they weren't limited to the Tang Dynasty; they covered all dynasties and eras.

Next year was bound to be a craze for historical films.

While everyone was preparing to dive into historical movies, Cheng Sheng finished his roadshow in Rao City. However, instead of returning to Beijing, he took his good brother Qiao Shan back to his hometown.

On the day Cheng Sheng returned to the village, the news had already spread.

The village elders and officials were already waiting at the village entrance.

As soon as they saw Cheng Sheng's car arrive, firecrackers began to crackle and pop.

Seeing how warmly the villagers welcomed him, Cheng Sheng quickly parked the car and began exchanging pleasantries with them.

Having grown up in the countryside, Cheng Sheng was a man who understood gratitude.

Since he had made money, he wanted to give back to the place where he grew up.

Cheng Sheng had bought many gifts. With his parents' help, he took them out of the car one by one and had his parents distribute them to every household in the village.

He even gave gifts to the village officials.

Of course, the gifts couldn't be too expensive; they were just a gesture. After all, they were officials, and accepting something too valuable could get them into trouble.

After the gifts were distributed, Cheng Sheng finally had a moment of peace at home.

After his parents saw off their friends and relatives, they closed the door.

"Come, come, have some tea," his mother said, handing a cup to Qiao Shan.

Qiao Shan quickly stood up to accept it: "Thank you, Auntie. You're too kind."

"Haha, Xiao Sheng is studying far away; we really have to thank friends like you for helping him," Cheng Sheng's father said.

"How could you say that! Brother Sheng is capable; I should be thanking him for giving me opportunities," Qiao Shan said with a smile.

"Xiao Sheng, how long do you plan to stay this time?" his mother asked.

"There's a lot to do in Beijing, and I have classes. I'll head back in three days," Cheng Sheng said after a moment's thought.

He didn't want to return to Beijing so soon, but he was truly busy—writing scripts, handling follow-up issues for the movie, and so on.

"Being busy is a good thing. To us rural folk, if a person isn't busy, how are they any different from a lazybones at home?"

Cheng Sheng's father was quite open-minded and understood that it was better for a person to have things to do.

"By the way, Dad, I've put ten million on this card. The password is your birthday. You and Mom should work less from now on. Buy whatever you like; your son has made money, after all."

Cheng Sheng took a bank card from his pocket and handed it to his father.

"You brat, so much money! Put it away yourself," his father refused repeatedly.

"I have more! Besides, this isn't all for you to spend. When I get back to Beijing, please help me donate three million to the township to fix all the roads. Have them paved with cement. The bumpy ride back here really messed up my backside," Cheng Sheng said.

He had long been dissatisfied with the small village roads.

But the village had no money, so they couldn't fix them.

Now that he had made money, it was necessary to improve the village roads as a way of giving back.

"Alright."

Hearing Cheng Sheng say this, his father agreed. After all, once the roads were fixed, it wouldn't just be convenient for the villagers; it would also make it easier for him to go to town for business in the future.

"Dad, I bought a house in Beijing. If you're ever free, you can go to Beijing to visit me, and you'll have a place to stay," Cheng Sheng added.

"Good, that's a good purchase!" his father said happily.

His father was much like most rural men; having a house and a car was the best.

After that, Cheng Sheng chatted with his parents for a long time. Seeing that it was getting late, his mother went to prepare dinner, while Cheng Sheng put away his luggage and took Qiao Shan out to see the countryside.

They wandered along, greeting the villagers they met, and Cheng Sheng introduced the local situation to Qiao Shan.

As dinner approached, the two returned home.

After eating, Cheng Sheng and Qiao Shan didn't go out again. Because he was exhausted, Qiao Shan went to rest in the cleaned room, while Cheng Sheng stayed with his parents, watching TV and chatting.

(End of Chapter)