Before A Chinese Ghost Story, merchandise for domestic films was basically a minefield, including films from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Movie merchandise was a profit stream almost exclusively enjoyed by Hollywood films. For movies adapted from novels, comics, and games, the sales of merchandise could even surpass box office earnings, and the profits were truly enough to make anyone envious.
It wasn't that domestic filmmakers and investors hadn't tried; they also wanted a slice of the pie, but they usually ended up battered and bruised, turning away in complete discouragement.
Chapter 591