Guo doesn't care

[Photo provided to China Daily]

Guo conceived the Tiny Times novel back in 2005, published the first volume in 2008 and turned it into a giant screen title in 2013.

He tells China Daily that the biggest change for him in the past 10 years has been the way he has handled criticism.

"The Internet era makes it more common for audiences to speak out in their reviews. Previously, media dominated the right to speak. Now you can hear diverse voices from every walk of life," he says.

"There are some films, which are fiercely criticized by media, that may create fond memories for common theatergoers. For us, all the opinions deserve respect and we'll study the lessons from these."

Humble, diligent and candid－the major impressions of Guo in media－are traits that have failed to rescue him from the controversy over his success, long interweaved with some plagiarism scandals.

Growing up in a small city in Sichuan province, and going to college in Shanghai, the 32-year-old Guo shot to fame after winning a national composition contest at age 18. He became a best-selling novelist in 2003, and was accused of plagiarism and lost a court case three years later.

When Guo refused to apologize to Zhuang Yu, the author who had sued him, and only agreed to pay the compensation, Guo's fans stuck with him. Netizens even used some unusual reasons to fight back, such as: "Can you plagiarize someone as good as him?"

Most critics believe the youth icon has been a negative influence on his followers, but many of his fans insist that Guo' s struggle to fame and fortune is at least "inspiring".

Guo has initiated a new model to make money in the fast-expanding movie market, which has become the world's second-largest since 2012.

Zhang Zhao, CEO of Le Vision Pictures, a leading entertainment company and distributor of the Tiny Times films, defines it as a "fan economy"－a market driven by enthusiastic fans who eagerly want to see their idols or favorite novels on the big screen, but care less about the product quality.

"The franchise has accumulated nearly 20 million fans for us. The die-hard fans will follow more titles directed by Guo," he says.

Shooting is already underway for his next film, Legend of Ravaging Dynasties, adapted from Guo's namesake fantasy novel. Guo reveals on his micro blog that he will not only direct his fifth film, but also star in it.