Chapter 411 - 406: 1.7 Billion Box Office, Cat and Mouse Reaches the Top

Chapter 411: Chapter 406: 1.7 Billion Box Office, Cat and Mouse Reaches the Top

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, *Cat and Mouse* grossed 73 million at the box office, leaving all other Spring Festival releases in the dust to claim the top spot.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, propelled by various positive factors, the box office for *Cat and Mouse* showed no signs of decline and continued to soar. By its second day of release, the total gross had surpassed 150 million.

It also became the fastest domestic film to break the 100 million mark at the box office since 2010.

By the third day of the Lunar New Year, perhaps because most families had finished their relative visits, netizens from all over were reporting that local theater screenings for *Cat and Mouse* were still packed. Within three days, the box office had powerfully surged past the 200 million mark, setting another milestone for domestic cinema.

Although many people had predicted that *Cat and Mouse* would be the dark horse of this year’s Spring Festival season before its release, no one expected its momentum to be this explosive.

It had taken off like a rocket, and there was simply no stopping it.

On its seventh day of release, the box office officially surpassed 500 million, making it the most successful domestic animated film in history.

Countless directors and industry professionals sent their congratulations. Even more celebrities came out in support, posting reviews praising the film’s excellence.

Meanwhile, Qitian Animation officially released a themed *Cat and Mouse* poster to celebrate the 500 million box office milestone.

More and more people were curious to see just how far this film—hailed as the "Light of Domestic Animation"—could go. They wondered if, by the end of its theatrical run, it could surpass director Cameron’s sci-fi epic and become the first domestic film in history to break one billion at the box office.

To achieve this goal, Jiang Xia led the production team on a daily tour of promotions and events. As the Lantern Festival approached, the film’s cumulative box office drew ever closer to the one billion mark. Its daily screen share remained above 40%, and the attendance rate was astonishingly high, averaging over 50 people per screening.

It was a sight that left countless people utterly dumbfounded.

’Could this movie really be so magical? Could it actually convince the people of this country to willingly fork over their money to see an animated film in a theater?’

As unbelievable as it was, it was the truth.

More and more people online began chanting the slogan, "Go, *Cat and Mouse*, go!" Finally, on the 17th day of its release, the film’s box office broke the one billion mark.

In the timeline of his past life, however, this achievement belonged to *Zootopia*, a 2016 film produced by Disney Studios.

Qitian Animation’s *Cat and Mouse* feature film had managed to do it a full five years earlier, and as a purely domestic production, no less. Many people felt an immense sense of pride.

Who said domestic productions couldn’t have outstanding animation companies? Qitian Animation was living proof!

*Cat and Mouse* was truly worthy of the title, "Light of Domestic Animation."

However, some people felt that this was a sign that domestic cinema was doomed. The hope of a domestic film finally breaking the box office dominance held by foreign movies rested on the shoulders of... an animated film.

For a time, *Cat and Mouse* had unexpectedly become everyone’s last hope.

Yet, ever since breaking the one billion mark, the daily box office curve had gradually flattened. Daily earnings were now just over 20 million, and in a few more days, they would likely drop to just over 10 million.

The gap with *Avatar*’s record was still over 300 million. At the current rate, it would take at least another twenty days to a month to even have a chance of catching up.

And that was assuming the daily gross didn’t drop further. Truth be told, in the current domestic film market, a one-billion-yuan box office was more or less the ceiling. Anything beyond that would come down to pure luck.

By then, the children—the film’s core audience—would be back in school. The daily box office would likely dwindle until the movie was pulled from theaters.

Just as Jiang Xia was feeling helpless, the box office experienced a brief resurgence over the next three days, holding steady at the 30 million mark. Seizing this opportunity, *Cat and Mouse* pushed its total box office past 1.2 billion.

After doing some research, Jiang Xia discovered the reason: with the school year about to begin, many parents were taking their kids for a second or even third viewing, creating another surge in attendance.

Seizing the momentum, Jiang Xia struck while the iron was hot. Qitian Animation released a new poster depicting Tom and Jerry scaling Mount Everest. Positioned just below the summit, representing the current box office record, was none other than Cameron’s *Avatar*.

Anyone with eyes could see Qitian Animation’s ambition: they wanted *Cat and Mouse* to surpass *Avatar* and claim the top spot in domestic box office history.

And it had to be said, the tactic worked. It stirred many people’s patriotism; the film to hold the number one spot at the domestic box office should, after all, be a domestic film.

An increasing number of people began returning to theaters for repeat viewings. Some wealthy fans, viewing Qitian Animation as a company with integrity, even started buying up tickets simply to boost the "Light of Domestic Animation" up the rankings.

As its theatrical run neared its end, the total box office for *Cat and Mouse* continued to climb steadily.

Now, the gap was less than 100 million.

The more time ran out, the more fervent the public’s response became. Everyone turned into a volunteer promoter, wishing they could drag every last one of their aunts and uncles to the theater to see it.

At this critical juncture, major state media outlets also threw their weight behind the film. News reports declared *Cat and Mouse: Lucky Rabbit Year* the pride of domestic animation, expressing a sincere hope that children would have a happy childhood with *Cat and Mouse* by their side.

For a moment, the race for the number one spot in domestic box office history became a flashpoint in a cultural showdown between domestic and foreign media.

No one wanted to see a foreign film perpetually dominating the domestic movie market.

Jiang Xia had done everything he possibly could. Whether or not they could break *Avatar*’s historical record now came down to luck.

Fortunately, the support from netizens was even more fervent than Jiang Xia had imagined. The box office was increasing by a steady ten million per day.

It was getting closer and closer to the final record of 1.34 billion.

However, the one-month theatrical run had to come to an end. *Cat and Mouse* finished with a total box office of 1.32 billion. It was, without a doubt, the top domestic film of the year, but it was still overshadowed by the sci-fi spectacle that was *Avatar*.

Jiang Xia was unwilling to accept it, but he was helpless.

But just then, Li Weiya arrived with good news: because *Cat and Mouse*’s performance had been so exceptional, the major theater chains had agreed to extend its run for another month.

Upon hearing the news, Jiang Xia broke into a happy smile.

’It’s like I’m following the script for *Nezha*,’ he thought. ’Back in the day, *Nezha* also had its run extended twice due to its outstanding box office performance, lasting a full three months and ultimately grossing nearly 5 billion.’

In this era, *Cat and Mouse* was the only domestic film to have grossed over one billion. It was on the verge of surpassing *Avatar* to claim the crown, so of course the theater chains were happy to extend its run and make some extra money.

At the end of March, *Cat and Mouse*’s two-month theatrical run concluded. It ultimately grossed 1.77 billion, becoming number one in domestic box office history!