A 40-year-old former education trainer from Henan province has seen his life savings vanish after investing 3 million yuan into a self-produced film that bombed spectacularly at the box office. Cui, who spent two decades working in the tutoring industry, wrote and produced the theatrical release We Seem to Have Met Before, which hit cinemas nationwide on September 11. The movie managed to pull in just 24,000 yuan in total ticket sales over its first eight days of release, prompting the devastated filmmaker to announce his departure from the movie industry on social media.
On the evening of September 19, Cui sat down for an exclusive interview to reflect on his ill-fated pursuit of cinematic dreams, candidly admitting the experience was both an act of courage and a costly case of blind trial and error. The aspiring director explained that his university background was in microbial technology, a field with zero connection to the entertainment business. Despite having no formal training, his lifelong passion for watching movies fueled a burning desire to create a film of his own that could grace the big screen.
When Cui officially launched the project last year, he did so without the support of his family, who evidently sensed the looming disaster. Regrettably for him, their instincts proved painfully accurate. Upon its theatrical debut, the film was allocated over 900 screening slots across the country's cinemas, yet opening day ticket sales amounted to a meager 8,000 yuan. The dismal attendance figures triggered a catastrophic collapse in subsequent screenings, with many cities eventually offering no showings at all. By the end of its first week, the movie had accumulated just 24,000 yuan in total revenue, with one particularly grim day generating a mere 793 yuan in ticket sales.
The financial blow has been devastating. Cui poured more than 3 million yuan into the production, drawing down roughly 1 to 2 million yuan from his personal savings and borrowing the remaining amount from friends and family. Today, his savings are completely exhausted and he now shoulders a heavy burden of debt. Reflecting on his shattered dream, he stated, "I have no intention of pursuing filmmaking any longer. I've shifted my focus back to my day job. I need to earn money urgently to repay my debts and support my family."
The story serves as a stark cautionary tale about the perils of venturing into unfamiliar industries without proper preparation, highlighting how even the most passionate dreams can turn into financial nightmares when market realities are ignored. For Cui, what began as a labor of love has ended in a costly lesson that will take years to overcome.