Netflix Acquires Chinese Sci-Fi Blockbuster The Wandering Earth

Netflix has acquired hit Chinese sci-fi film The Wandering Earth, which has grossed over $600 million (about Rs. 4,272.9 crores) worldwide since its release on February 5, with a majority from China, making it the second highest-grossing film of all-time in the Asian country, in just over two weeks. Based on the novella of the same name by Liu Cixin, the first Asian writer to win the Hugo Award for Science Fiction, The Wandering Earth has been written and directed by Frant Gwo, and stars Qu Chuxiao (Bloody Romance), Li Guangjie (Hanson and the Beast), Ng Man-tat (Shaolin Soccer), Zhao Jinmai (A Love For Separation), and Wu Jing (Wolf Warrior).

“Audiences from over 190 countries will soon meet The Wandering Earth on Netflix,” Gwo said in a prepared statement. “I am glad that our movie can reach to people from different parts of the world. This is a movie created for the Chinese audience around the world, and it has been positively received since its premiere, we are very excited about it. To my surprise, this movie also resonate outside Mainland China. Netflix will translate it into 28 languages, enabling more viewers to enjoy it regardless of geographical and linguistic differences. I hope they will like it.”

“Netflix is committed to providing entertainment lovers with access to a wide variety of global content,” Netflix's manager of content acquisition, Jerry Zhang, said. “With its high-quality production and story-telling, we believe that The Wandering Earth will be loved by sci-fi fans around the world.”

Produced at a cost of $50 million (about Rs. 356 crores), The Wandering Earth spent two years in post-production, thanks to “3,000 conceptual designs, over 10,000 specifically-built props, more than 2,000 special effects shots and a substantial amount of computer graphics shots”. Netflix claims that the film was made on a “massive production scale rarely seen in Mandarin films”.

Here's the official synopsis for The Wandering Earth, from Netflix:

“The Wandering Earth tells the story of a close future in which the Sun is about to expand into a red giant and devour the Earth, prompting mankind to make an audacious attempt to save the planet. The multi-generational heroes build ten-thousand stellar engines in an effort to propel Planet Earth out the solar system, in the hope of finding a new celestial home. During the 2,500 year-long journey, a group of daring heroes emerge to defend human civilization from unexpected dangers and new enemies, and to ensure the survival of humanity in this age of the wandering Earth.”