In late June, films slated for the July summer season across Xia Nation began rolling out their promotional campaigns one after another.
Whether in Xia Nation or in Su Yan's previous life, the two biggest box office windows of the year were always the two-month-long summer season and the year-end Spring Festival season.
In most cases, the Spring Festival season crushed the summer season in total box office revenue, whether in terms of the champion film or overall earnings.
But compared to the fiercely competitive Spring Festival season—where just securing a slot required at least 100 million in promotional spending, and even then only two or three films truly profited—the summer season had a lower ceiling. Yet it was a period where many films could survive and make money.
As for August, some films were still undecided on release dates, so Su Yan didn't bother considering that far ahead.
In July, there were five major productions worth mentioning.
Among them was the war-action film 'Assault', produced with a 120 million budget, scheduled to premiere on the second Friday of July—July 9.
Four other films would be released the same day, but aside from 'Assault', they were all small-scale productions with budgets of ten to twenty million—essentially tagging along to skim some theater revenue, with real profits expected later from streaming platforms, video sites, and physical disc sales.
Then, in the second week after 'Assault' premiered—
On July 16, four major films would clash head-on.
The romance film '5 Centimeters per Second' has a total investment and marketing cost of 210 million.
The comedy 'A Sad Family', budgeted at 110 million.
The fantasy horror 'Black Mist' has a 230 million budget.
And the heaviest hitter of the summer season—a 290 million romantic comedy titled 'Windmill'.
Four big-budget films, same release day. A decisive battle on 7.16.
Among them, aside from '5 Centimeters per Second', the other three either starred or featured cameos from well-known Best Actor and Best Actress winners in Xia Nation. Their directors were veterans with over a decade—some even two decades—of proven commercial success.
Logically speaking, someone like Su Yan—a young screenwriter—paired with a director who could barely be considered top-tier in the industry…
Even though '5 Centimeters per Second' boasted a luxurious cast with award-winning actors in supporting roles—
The story itself spanned three life stages: middle school, high school, and post-graduation. There wasn't truly a single "banner-carrying" protagonist.
By all reasoning, these three competitors shouldn't have taken it too seriously.
Just a famous TV screenwriter crossing over into film. Over the years, how many TV writers have tried to break into cinema? How many actually succeeded?
But now—
In this summer season, no one dared underestimate Su Yan.
The box office results of 'The Garden of Words' last year were still fresh in everyone's memory.
Not to mention, this year, Su Yan's popularity had skyrocketed to terrifying levels thanks to 'Tokyo Love Story' and 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
Though it was true that only a portion of TV fans were willing to buy movie tickets for their favorite creators—
Could Su Yan really be judged by common sense?
What if his massive fanbase showed up in force for this romance film called '5 Centimeters per Second'?
For the first time, many in the Xia Nation's film industry felt a genuine threat from a young creator primarily known for television.
At the same time, all parties coordinated with Su Yan's late-June offline fan promotions.
The four major streaming platforms, along with Dimensional Pictures' official website account, poured money into traffic buys and promotional resources—
And released the official trailer for '5 Centimeters per Second'!
Less than ten minutes after its release—
Views surpassed 100,000.
In under half an hour, related topics shot to the top of trending searches.
Within an hour, a significant portion of Su Yan's hardcore fans had already learned through forums, fan groups, and social media that the trailer was online.
With excited anticipation, countless fans clicked on the PV.
The first image—
Cherry blossoms falling across the sky.
"On the afternoon we made that promise…"
"It was snowing the whole time."
The voices of a boy and a girl echoed.
The scene shifted to a high-speed train racing forward.
When selecting actors, Su Yan valued not only acting skills but also appearance.
For romance films in particular, visuals mattered even more than acting.
Fortunately, in the Xia Nation's intensely competitive film industry, there was no shortage of actors who possessed both.
Two young performers, both former child stars, appeared on screen with cheeks flushed red from the cold, portraying middle school–aged Takaki Toono and Akari Shinohara.
The moment their faces appeared, over 95% of Su Yan's fans had no objections to their looks at all. They immediately shifted their focus to acting.
A gloomy sky.
Snow is drifting down.
A sorrowful BGM rises slowly.
In the original animation, those breathtakingly beautiful shots were stunning—but translating that level of beauty into live-action film was incredibly difficult.
Cherry blossoms in animation looked exquisite.
But in reality, if someone witnessed petals falling from the sky like that, would it feel as astonishing as in an animation?
The answer was yes.
But only under specific conditions.
It required extremely high standards in cinematography, composition, and lighting.
In the end, though—
All of that could be solved with money.
With sufficient budget, Xia Nation had more than enough professionals capable of recreating Su Yan's vision.
So now—
The trailer's first impression for fans was:
The characters were beautiful.
But somehow, the background art and scenery seemed even more beautiful.
And the music…
When viewers saw the credits slowly fade in—
Screenwriter: Su Yan
Music Director: Su Yan
And even composer credits bearing Su Yan's name—
They were numb at this point.
They wanted to complain.
But then they remembered—it was Su Yan.
Wasn't this just standard operating procedure for him?
Amid the gentle BGM, the inner monologues of Akari and Takaki played.
"I'm sorry."
"What stands between us is an overwhelmingly vast life… and endless time."
"I know where his heart is. I've always known."
A blossoming tree amid wind and snow.
A tear fell as the boy clenched his fists inside the train.
A girl standing atop ocean waves on a surfboard under fierce winds.
A rocket launches, its exhaust splitting heaven and earth, smoke dividing the world in two.
On a bright day, a man and a woman are approaching each other from opposite sides of a railway crossing—
Passing by.
At last—
The bold title appeared:
'5 Centimeters per Second'
Many fans were left somewhat confused.
Trailers rarely revealed too much of the main plot.
But sharp-eyed viewers began piecing together clues from the details.
["Long-distance relationship?"]
["Feels like it spans from middle school to high school and then after college graduation."]
["So the title refers to the speed at which cherry blossoms fall—five centimeters per second. That's poetic. But is there a deeper meaning?"]
["I bet Su Yan's title definitely has layers."]
["Doesn't feel like a tragedy though! That last shot—didn't they meet again in the crowd?"]
["Same formula, familiar flavor. Just like 'The Garden of Words'. Same style of trailer. I'm going on July 16—with my girlfriend. What about you guys?"]
["Aren't you scared it'll be depressing? You dare bring your girlfriend?"]
["What's there to fear? From 'Tokyo Love Story' to 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica', Su Yan's been giving us happy endings. You think he'd offend his fans now? I'm going all in!"]
["Su Yan's compromised with the market a bit lately. He used to go full angst. Now he knows when to pull back. I'm guessing sweet beginning, angsty middle, sugary ending."]
["Really? I didn't feel that pattern at all when watching 'The Garden of Words'. Forget the recent dramas—his films still lean toward emotional devastation."]
["If you don't even dare take your girlfriend to a Su Yan premiere, can you even say you love her? Take the gamble. If it's sweet, great. If it's tragic—can one movie really shake your relationship? That'd be too fragile."]
["That… actually makes sense."]
["Last year, my girlfriend and I watched 'The Garden of Words' premiere together. This year we're watching '5 Centimeters per Second'."]
["Last graduation season, I worked up the courage to invite my university advisor to watch 'The Garden of Words'. We've been dating for over half a year now. This year we're watching '5 Centimeters per Second' together."]
["?"]
["Aren't Su Yan's fans all single dogs? Where are all these couples coming from?"]
["Wait, now I'm nervous. What if everyone at the theater is in pairs and I'm the only one alone?"]
["Bro, think about it another way. If this movie's tragic, the couples will be the awkward ones. You, as a single dog, can walk out proudly. Without a relationship, how can a romance movie hurt you? From a certain perspective, you're immune to romance tragedies!"]
["…That actually makes sense."]
Less than two hours after release, the trailer topped trending charts across all four major streaming platforms. Tens of thousands of comments flooded in.
The momentum of '5 Centimeters per Second'—
Had the entire summer season shaken.
Everyone was spending money on promotion.
Everyone was releasing trailers.
So why was the marketing effect for '5 Centimeters per Second' this explosive?