At the end of December, Bluestar Media & Film Company released the final promotional trailer for 'Your Name'.
Although Jing Yu no longer acted in most of his works—citing lack of time and the fact that filming took too much away from his writing schedule (he could write two or three scripts in the time it took to shoot one)—' Your Name' was too meaningful to him. He decided to appear in the film himself, hoping that his presence would draw fans to theaters and push the box office high enough to make Bluestar's name truly resonate in the film industry.
Back in his previous life, on the animation-loving island nation of Japan, the domestic box office charts had long been dominated by Hayao Miyazaki.
'Spirited Away' held the domestic box office crown for over a decade, unshakable.
Not only did no other Japanese film surpass it, but even the biggest Hollywood blockbusters couldn't close the gap when released in that market.
But that changed in 2016 in Jing Yu's past life. After the release of 'Your Name', it broke multiple box office records and dominated Japan's weekly box office rankings for nearly half a year. Eventually, it even edged out 'Spirited Away' to claim the top spot in total domestic box office.
Of course, Spirited Away wasn't about to let that stand. Despite being nearly 20 years old, it was re-released globally to stir up nostalgia—and it worked.
In China, the re-release of Spirited Away alone raked in over 100 million yuan at the box office, even though nearly every old-school anime fan had already seen it online through various means.
Really, how many people went to see it in theaters for the first time? Almost none. They paid for the tickets because they respected the quality and were driven by childhood memories. It was like buying a figurine—technically just plastic, but the emotional value makes it worth thousands.
From that perspective, Spirited Away holding the top spot in Japan's box office for so long was well deserved. You might not like the theme, but its quality couldn't be denied.
By contrast, 'Your Name''s commercial success had actually surprised Jing Yu back then.
Not because the film wasn't good—it was—but compared to 'Spirited Away', it still felt like it fell a little short in some areas.
Jing Yu always believed 'Your Name''s massive success had a lot to do with timing—the right place, the right cultural moment.
Another example of box office luck due to timing was the film 'Hi, Mom', which became one of the top-grossing movies in China. It wasn't a bad film, but many fans of it still couldn't explain how it managed to make that much money.
So when it came to how well 'Your Name' would perform in Great Zhou, Jing Yu had no solid expectations.
Timing and cultural momentum were impossible to control.
But in terms of people and buzz, Jing Yu was confident.
Looking at both the TV and film industries, his name was a guaranteed gold label.
He stood at the absolute peak of the television world. And in film, his three prior releases had all done exceptionally well. Compared to how weak the marketing had been before 'Your Name' debuted in Japan, Jing Yu's current marketing push was ten to twenty times more powerful.
By December 25, promotion for the New Year's Day releases had reached a fever pitch.
Most of the big holiday movies coming out that weekend were lighthearted and easy to watch.
Romance, workplace comedy, youth dramas—nothing emotionally heavy. After all, who wants to cry during a holiday?
Except, of course, Jing Yu's veteran fans.
As the day drew near, people started to worry about one thing:
"You don't think Old Thief Jing's about to drop a tearjerker on New Year's Day, do you?"
"Honestly? I think it's a 99% chance."
"Old Thief loves subverting expectations. What if we all think it's going to be sad, and it actually ends with a happy ending?"
"Nope. Not happening."
"Anyone watching the movie alone on New Year's?"
"Me, me, me! I'm going solo."
"Any girls in Modo want to see 'Your Name' together? I'm a girl too—so it won't be awkward!"
"You're a girl? I'm a magical girl, then. Get lost, stinky liar, stop tricking innocent girls in the chat!"
"Ugh, this winter's been so boring. Honestly, Great Zhou's TV and film quality has improved over the years, but nothing has that Old Thief flavor."
"Next season's lineup looks boring, too. Hope his next drama airs before the fall season."
"I'm not asking for much—just make it as good as 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time'."
As the premiere approached, Jing Yu's fans were getting more and more restless.
And so were his competitors.
There's a saying: "Don't make the same mistake three times." But Jing Yu's first three theatrical releases had already made waves:
'Love Letter'
'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'
'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time'
In the first case, competitors underestimated Jing Yu, thinking a newcomer couldn't possibly perform well.
In the second case, even though they took him more seriously, they assumed the previous success was a fluke—and got blindsided.
By the time 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' aired, they were ready... but the production companies behind the competition didn't give their projects enough support. Their marketing got outplayed, and the quality didn't measure up.
But this time, it was different.
Every production house backing a New Year's Day release saw 'Your Name' as the main rival.
In pre-release predictions by leading critics in Great Zhou, over 63% believed 'Your Name' would surpass 1.3 billion yuan at the box office, easily becoming the holiday season champion.
With the stakes high, every production company went all-in on promotion.
The romance film 'Yesterday's Summer Dream' (270 Million investment) had its writer, Qi Dan, go on record in an interview:
"Jing Yu is without a doubt the strongest competitor this season, but I'm confident. He's taken the box office crown three times already—but this time, I'll break that streak."
The workplace drama 'Glacier'—the highest-budget film of the season—had its investors posting online:
"The film industry isn't that simple. The New Year's window isn't like the Qixi Festival—no small studio can just waltz in and take the crown."
Technically speaking, Bluestar Media & Film was no longer a "small" studio. With over a dozen hit dramas, it's standing in the TV world rivaled or even surpassed past-life giants like Tangren or Huanrui.
But in the film world, the company still lacked depth. With only three films under its belt, plus the web-exclusive '5 Centimeters per Second', insiders didn't quite see Bluestar as a true heavyweight in cinema yet.
And openly airing that opinion—while also using phrases like "Qixi Festival" to clearly jab at Jing Yu's two holiday box office wins over the past four years—made their intent very obvious.
Of course, other producers also casually referenced 'Your Name' and Jing Yu in interviews, but no one seriously believed those were contenders.
Those films had lesser-known actors, smaller budgets, and way less marketing than 'Your Name', 'Glacier', or 'Yesterday's Summer Dream'.
Between those three films, each had production and marketing budgets nearing 300 million yuan. Compared to everything else, the gap was massive.
As the days passed, Jing Yu traveled back and forth between major cities across Great Zhou—Modo, the capital, and coastal megacities.
Everywhere he went, the crowds were overwhelming. His popularity and that of Yu Youqing, his co-star, were so insane that even employees at Bluestar found it hard to believe.
The company shelled out generously on paid articles, hired reviewers, and ran massive campaigns to promote 'Your Name'.
Yes, the saying goes: Good wine doesn't fear a deep alley — but why not open your store in the city center if you can?
In the past, Jing Yu simply didn't have the budget for this level of promotion.
Now? He didn't just copy the playbook — he went all-in.
'Your Name' had lower production costs than 'Glacier' or 'Yesterday's Summer Dream' because he kept actor salaries low. But in terms of marketing? Jing Yu spared no expense.
By the end of December, the entire film market was on fire.
"Man, I'm so exhausted. But thankfully, nothing ugly happened."
Yu Youqing, with her long hair draped over Jing Yu's arm, gazed at the starlit sky outside the hotel window and let out a long sigh.
Both of them were lying on the hotel bed.
The promotional tour was finally over. Even the PR teams of competing films were starting to clash.
But that's how commercial warfare works. Fight for a slice of the pie, and friction is inevitable.
Overall, Jing Yu was very satisfied with how the campaign had gone. The competition hadn't pulled any dirty tricks—like bribing theater managers to reduce his screenings, then unleashing review bombs on social media to make 'Your Name' look like a flop on opening day.
Those kinds of tactics were clumsy, sure—and usually easy to expose—but they often robbed smaller films of critical opening weekend revenue.
"The main difference is… we're not a small studio anymore," Jing Yu said with a chuckle.
"Shills only care about money, not people. And they know we could play the same game right back. If this were three years ago, with Bluestar's weaker industry standing, forget PR sabotage — even my old school mischief would've been plastered across film forums."
"Like how I knocked out a kid's teeth in third grade, or got caught smoking in middle school, or got dumped in high school and studied hard to get into college."
Those were all memories inherited from the original body.
"Wait, you chased after a girl, got rejected, and studied hard because of it?" Yu Youqing immediately sat up, her curves half-covered under the sheets, eyes wide with curiosity.
"What kind of goddess-level girl was that?" she blinked.
Given Jing Yu's looks, artistic talent, and calm demeanor, she couldn't imagine any girl back then having the willpower to resist him.
"That's ancient history. Has nothing to do with me now." Jing Yu instantly realized he'd said too much and wanted to slap himself.
"Come on, I'm not petty. Tell me, I promise I won't get mad." Yu Youqing smiled sweetly.
Jing Yu didn't buy that for a second.
So he pulled the blanket over her and tucked her in.
"We're flying back to Modo at dawn. 'Your Name' premieres at 10 a.m. tomorrow. We've booked tickets to attend the first screening, and the media will be there for interviews. Let's drop the gossip and get some rest."
Yu Youqing wanted to say more, but Jing Yu didn't give her the chance.
January 1st.
While it followed the Western calendar, the Great Zhou had long since adopted global norms. New Year's Day had become widely celebrated.
A full seven-day national holiday—not as long as the traditional Lunar New Year's ten days, but still the second-longest break of the year.
And since the two holidays were only a month apart, they marked the two biggest box office seasons of the year.
Otherwise, Jing Yu wouldn't have released 'Your Name' and 'Castle in the Sky' during those timeframes. With a combined investment exceeding 500 million, releasing in any weaker season would've made recouping the budget nearly impossible.
Cinemas were fully decorated with cardboard cutouts and posters. On this first day of the year, the streets were packed—couples holding hands everywhere.
At the movie theaters, lines formed early in the morning.
'Glacier' and 'Yesterday's Summer Dream' had top-tier directors, producers, and A-list actors. By comparison, the production team for 'Your Name' looked slightly less flashy.
But when the day arrived, the three films received almost equal screen share—14.3%, 13.5%, and 13.7% respectively. Between them, they occupied half of the day's total screenings. The other eleven films had to share the remaining 50%.
And just by eyeballing the queues at theaters, it was obvious — 'Your Name' had slightly longer lines.
With similar levels of promotion, Jing Yu's personal fanbase gave him the edge.
Most people don't go to the movies alone on New Year's.
Among those who did, nearly 40-50% came just to see Jing Yu's work.
And as the clock ticked closer to 10 a.m.…
The very first screening of 'Your Name' in all of Great Zhou began at a theater in Modo.