"The High-Cloud Quintet movie is coming to theaters!"
When these words appeared at the end of the PV, everyone gasped in shock.
"Theaters???"
At this moment, the group sitting in the coffee shop was even more bewildered.
"Uh, is there something wrong with releasing it as a web movie? Does it have to be in theaters?"
Welt Yang lowered his face, the reflection on his glasses making it impossible for Su Chen to discern his exact expression.
Meanwhile, everyone who needed to be there was already seated in the coffee shop.
"How do I put this?" Su Chen closed his eyes and pondered for a few seconds. Once he had organized his thoughts, he replied, "I remember watching a movie one day on an IMAX screen. The name of that movie still sticks with me to this day Interstellar. When the protagonist faced a crisis, about to cross the 'singularity' a massive black hole my heart was utterly shaken. No matter how many times I rewatched it afterward on my phone, TV, or even with a projector, I could never replicate that feeling.
So sometimes, the big screen really does deliver a unique experience."
"I understand the difference, but by doing this now, you're definitely inviting a lot of backlash," Dan Heng hesitated several times but finally spoke his mind.
Dan Heng shouldn't have questioned it—he wouldn't normally question any of Su Chen's decisions.
In his eyes, everything Su Chen did had deeper meaning.
But this time, he genuinely started worrying about the aftermath.
"Your concern isn't unfounded. Whether it's the 42-day free release for web series or the 6-yuan price for web movies, those were both very consumer-friendly moves.
But if miHoYo chooses to release this in theaters now, there's bound to be major backlash. After all, theater tickets aren't cheap."
Su Chen snapped his fingers. "The High-Cloud Quintet story features many grand battles—real, full-scale wars. Why not bring that to the big screen?"
Of course, this wasn't just Su Chen acting on impulse.
In the script provided by the system, High-Cloud Quintet, The Crown of the Mediocre and the Divine, Winter Dream Awakening, and Tales of the Fox Hermit were originally part of the game's expanded lore—more like side stories branching off from the main plot.
Or, in the case of High-Cloud Quintet, a story shattered and scattered across various in-game texts, PVs, dialogue, and companion quests, leaving players confused due to the fragmented information.
So, Su Chen decided to compile this story properly and release it in its complete form.
Only by understanding this story could players grasp the burdens carried by its characters.
Why choose theaters?
A web series wouldn't do it justice, and producing it as a video would be a waste of resources.
Web movies, meanwhile, felt more like character-focused side projects.
After much deliberation,
Su Chen concluded that it was better to carve out a new path entirely—aim for theaters.
Not only would it better showcase their technical prowess, but it would also serve as a test for a new market.
Exploring an additional avenue couldn't hurt.
"Releasing in theaters can become a new path for us. Of course, the road ahead will be thorny—after all, we've never walked it before.
But I believe this experiment won't hurt us much, and I'll give the audience a reason they can't refuse."
After hearing Su Chen's explanation, everyone nodded silently.
They trusted him wholeheartedly.
No matter how many difficulties arose, they would stand together and face them side by side.
——
When the theater release announcement dropped, the online backlash against miHoYo was unexpectedly fierce.
[Theaters? A theater release? Am I drunk, or has miHoYo lost its mind?]
[So we have to buy movie tickets now? What happened to miHoYo's conscience? Fed it to the dogs?]
[Hahaha, they couldn't hold back anymore, huh? Everything was just preparation for a theater release, wasn't it?]
[After all this buildup, they finally made their move. I knew it! There's no such thing as a 'consumer-friendly' company—it's all just a capitalist game.]
[A movie isn't necessarily bad, right? Demon Slayer released a movie too.]
[The key issue is that miHoYo could have released it as a web movie, but they chose theaters instead. Are those two things the same? Will the ticket prices be the same?]
[I won't spend a single extra cent on this movie.]
[What's wrong with the world? Can't miHoYo make a movie? I don't get it—a ticket is just a few dozen yuan. Isn't it worth it to experience it on the big screen?]
[I'm just worried the movie will be a cash grab! miHoYo's true colors are finally showing!]
As the controversy grew, miHoYo's official site soon posted a new announcement:
"The movie will be available for free viewing 42 days after the premiere of Honkai: Star Rail Season 3."
Though this did shut up most of the critics,
the internet still split into two factions, sparking a heated war of words.
——
Before long,
in Su Chen's rundown apartment,
he glanced at the flooded comment section and put away his phone.
Logically, there shouldn't be this much discourse right now.
It seemed someone was pulling strings behind the scenes, stirring up drama.
Fine!
The bigger the controversy, the bigger the traffic. Black publicity is still publicity, right?
In a way, this saved him marketing costs.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
He had anticipated this scenario.
Su Chen exhaled, hoisted his camera, and headed toward the Luofu set—it was time to reshoot Baiheng and Jingliu's scenes.
As he walked, he muttered to himself,
"Guess it's time to hire a couple of agile cinematographers,
a clever and quirky director,
and maybe two people with an encyclopedic knowledge of films as producers.
That way, I can take it easy—just handle script supervision and production oversight!"