A 40-year-old tutor from Henan, with two decades in the education sector, poured over 3 million yuan into writing and producing his own theatrical film, only to see it flop at the box office.

The movie, It Seems We Have Met Before, hit cinemas nationwide on September 11. Over its first eight days, cumulative earnings reached just 24,000 yuan, prompting the man, surnamed Cui, to announce his exit from the film industry on social media.

Cui opened up about his journey in an interview on the evening of September 19, calling the experience both a bold move and a lesson in blind risk-taking. His undergraduate degree was in microbial technology, with no link to filmmaking, but a lifelong passion for movies drove him to chase the ambition of creating his own theatrical release.

He launched the project last year without his family’s backing. Although cinemas initially scheduled over 900 screenings, opening day revenue was a mere 8,000 yuan, and weak attendance quickly slashed subsequent showtimes, leaving many cities with no screenings at all. By day eight, total receipts stood at 24,000 yuan, with the worst single day bringing in just 793 yuan.

Of the 3 million-plus yuan invested, one to two million came from his own savings and the rest from loans. Now, with savings wiped out and debt piling up, he has decided to step away from filmmaking. "I’m shifting focus back to my work, earning money quickly to repay loans and support my family," he said.