Although reviews and ratings varied across the Spring Festival releases, the box office numbers on the first day didn't show any wildly divergent outcomes.
As expected from pre-release buzz, the top three films were 'Castle in the Sky', 'The Fool', and 'Frontline'. These had the biggest marketing campaigns and drew the most attention.
Day-one box office:
'Castle in the Sky' — 290 million
'Frontline' — 316 million
'The Fool' — 270 million
These three films secured the top spots. Four other films also crossed the 100 million mark on opening day.
Altogether, the Spring Festival films brought in over 1.5 billion on day one.
Compared to last year, it was slightly lower.
This year's lineup was relatively balanced. While 'The Fool' and 'Frontline' had star-studded casts, neither stood out dramatically.
Jing Yu, though popular, still held certain disadvantages compared to veteran actors who had been in the industry for decades.
One clear weakness: Jing Yu's films primarily appealed to audiences under 40. Those in their 50s and 60s rarely went to his movies. They trusted familiar faces. This demographic mostly opted for Frontline.
Each film had its strengths, and not even Jing Yu could dominate the Spring Festival lineup on his name alone.
Truth be told, no actor or film in the world can easily take first place during the most competitive box office window of the year.
That had never happened in Jing Yu's previous world, and it was no different in Great Zhou.
Even someone like Hayao Miyazaki—Japan's premier animation director—didn't have a flawless record. His acclaimed masterpieces were the result of decades of work.
Although 'Castle in the Sky' was well known in Jing Yu's previous life, it was limited to the animated film sphere. Turning it into a live-action film and pitting it against domestic Great Zhou movies wasn't a guaranteed win.
Yes, Great Zhou's film industry was relatively weaker than Jing Yu's past life, but it wasn't child's play.
To make a film truly explode, you needed more than just quality: marketing, casting, promotion, and a bit of luck—all essential.
That said, Jing Yu did have one significant advantage over his competitors:
Every single one of his films had already been proven successful in his past life's market.
He knew exactly how the fanbase would react, what weaknesses existed, which scenes needed trimming, which lines rubbed audiences the wrong way, and which character arcs required reworking.
He understood:
Which roles annoyed viewers
Which moments made them emotional
What plot beats felt redundant
Where to make surgical edits without damaging the story flow
That deep insight was what allowed Jing Yu to dominate the Great Zhou's film scene for years.
It was also why he dared to bring 'Attack on Titan' to the big screen.
If Hajime Isayama had known how much backlash the ending of 'Attack on Titan' would receive, maybe he would've changed it.
If Masashi Kishimoto had known how much Sakura would get flamed and how much people loved Hinata, 'Naruto's early storylines might've been very different. He once wanted to make Kakashi a background character, like Ebisu. And even in Shippuden, he tried hard to pair Naruto with Sakura.
For creators, what they think is great content is often just personal fantasy. Investors always believe in the work—until it hits the market. In reality, fewer than one in ten projects actually make money.
That's where Jing Yu had the edge—especially in the execution of details. His opponents might match him in concept or production value, but not in precision.
Day two of release:
'Frontline' got flamed online.
The protagonists were invincible, shrugging off bullets.
The hero could mow down enemies with one magazine of a submachine gun.
A villain who had a perfect shot mid-movie mysteriously "hesitated."
Fans called it IQ-dropping plot armor.
Of course, that's not uncommon for military films. Audiences want larger-than-life heroes. But 'Frontline' had promised "realistic battlefield simulation," and a few military purists felt duped.
'The Fool', meanwhile, was criticized by some for having dubious morals and cringey forced humor.
There's no such thing as a perfect film. These minor flaws didn't stop 'Frontline' and 'The Fool' from being solid films—but at this particular moment, these weaknesses got amplified online.
Especially in comparison to 'Castle in the Sky', which was receiving almost zero negative reviews.
Sure, some tried to hate on it—but their reasons didn't resonate with the public.
The story was tight. The pacing is snappy. The visual effects were top-notch. The characters had depth.
It was a thrilling tale set in a steampunk-inspired world, following the adventure of a boy and a girl—and all of it lifted by the unforgettable theme song of 'Castle in the Sky'.
Of course, 'Castle in the Sky' wasn't flawless. In the original animation:
The pirates' shift from villains to allies felt abrupt.
Sheeta's character arc was a bit passive in the middle portion.
Muska easily manipulated her.
But Jing Yu had revised the script to smooth those issues out.
The result?
From day two onward,'Castle in the Sky' saw a surge in both word-of-mouth and box office.
Day-two box office:
'Castle in the Sky' — ¥317 million
'The Fool' and 'Frontline' — both dropped 10–15%
Jing Yu kept a close eye on the numbers.
The opening was solid. Now the key would be long-term momentum.
"How much do you think this movie will gross in total?" Yu Youqing asked suddenly at home.
"It should do slightly better than 'Your Name'," Jing Yu replied after some thought.
"The Spring Festival window is definitely more advantageous than New Year's."
That was his personal estimate. A lot could still change.
"We've grown so fast, it's crazy," Yu Youqing sighed. "A year ago, we were a totally different company. And now, we're making movies like this."
"Of course. My goal is to make our company one of the absolute best in both film and TV.
A truly elite studio—by output, quality, and influence," Jing Yu said.
"We're not already?" she blinked.
"We're not there yet. The company looks flashy on the surface, but in truth, it's entirely propped up by my personal work. If I fell ill and had to rest for two or three years, we'd instantly drop to second-tier."
"A top-tier company shouldn't collapse without one person," he added with a bitter chuckle.
"You can't expect the team to match your level," Yu Youqing said flatly. "I doubt anyone in Great Zhou could."
"Exactly. But I don't plan to keep creating forever like a maniac.
I want the film industry in Great Zhou to develop to the point where someone else can stand toe-to-toe with me—not just be crushed by my shadow forever."
Their conversation ended at the perfect moment.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the company resumed full operations. All three of its main production teams began shooting again at the Modo City film base.
At the same time, the red-hot success of 'Castle in the Sky' meant all departments were ramping up marketing and promotional efforts around the film.
Everything was going according to Jing Yu's earlier predictions.
'Castle in the Sky' had the best reviews and now temporarily led the Spring Festival box office. After just three days, it had crossed the 800 million mark. If nothing unexpected happened, it would break even within a couple more days.
Meanwhile:
'The Fool's morally questionable moments caused a public backlash, and its day-three box office dropped to 110 million.
'Frontline' remained strong at around 200 million per day.
But 'Castle in the Sky' had never dipped below 300 million per day since day two.
Jing Yu's fans were going three or four times to support the film.
It now held a clear advantage in the Spring Festival box office race.
This left the rest of the film industry... stunned.
"We throw a party if one of our films makes 200 million. How is this guy doing this?"
"Isn't it common knowledge that TV people flounder when they switch to film? I wasn't expecting a flop, but come on—this strong?"
"It's only been six days, and 'Castle in the Sky' has already broken 1.5 billion... what the hell?"
"Every agency now predicts it'll surpass 3.5 billion. It's basically locked in as the Spring Festival's box office champion."
"I don't even know what to say anymore."
"If it does hit 3.5 billion... from 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' during Qixi, to 'Your Name' in New Year's, to 'Castle in the Sky' now—that's 700 million, 3 billion, and 3.5 billion. In half a year, this 31-year-old guy will have starred in and written films totaling over 7 billion."
"Add his earlier theatrical hits like 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' and 'Love Letter', that's another 2 billion+.
So are we talking about someone about to cross 10 billion total box office as both a screenwriter and actor?"
"Let me think. Only six screenwriters have ever done that.
Only eight actors have crossed that mark (counting leads and key supporting roles).
Directors? Just nine total.
But someone reaching 10 billion in two of those three categories? Never happened."
"If he does it, it's a new record."
"Forget it. He's already setting records."
"He's only 31. Most actors and writers are still struggling at that age."
"But to cross 10 billion, 'Castle in the Sky' needs to hit 3.7–3.8 billion, just to be safe."
"Hard to say. Spring Festival films tend to peak in the first week. After the holiday, once everyone returns to work, the box office depends entirely on word of mouth."
"True. A second wave will come when people go back to the cities. They'll only pick the film with the best reputation."
"So that means... 'Castle in the Sky'. It has the best reviews, the highest score, and the most consistent audience reception.
'Frontline' and 'The Fool' are good, but in terms of precision and polish, they fall short.
You know what's terrifying about this Jing Yu guy?"
"You can't find a weak spot in his work. Sure, minor flaws exist, but there's no big mistake.
It's like he preemptively eliminated every market risk. The scripts are airtight.
The only criticisms are based on personal taste or worldview—like whether sacrificing one life to save two is justified.
But you'll never see anything universally deemed 'bad'."
"That's business instinct. Market awareness. That's why none of his films flop.
Ugh. Comparing yourself to him is just depressing."
At this point, everyone in the industry was talking about Jing Yu and 'Castle in the Sky'.
Four years ago, when his first film debuted, people thought this "TV guy" would get humbled trying to enter movies.
Now?
He was dominating the Spring Festival box office.
Who could've seen that coming?
Nobody dared think too hard about it anymore. The more they did, the more disheartened they became.
All they could do was watch from the sidelines—
How far will 'Castle in the Sky' go before this Spring Festival ends?