The Wandering Earth | Feb 8 2019 (US) | Directed by Frant Gwo | China's first major science fiction movie

[MrGlass2]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/chinese-sci-fi-movie-wandering-earth-get-us-release-1181473

 

China's First Big-Budget Sci-Fi Movie 'The Wandering Earth' to Get U.S. Release (Exclusive)

Quote

Anticipation is building in the world's most populous nation for the first big-screen vision of future Chinese adventures in outer space.

The Wandering Earth, considered China's first major science fiction movie, is set to open across the Middle Kingdom on Feb. 5.

Made for more than $50 million, the movie is directed by Frant Gwo and stars Chinese action hero Wu Jing, the writer, director, and star of Wolf Warrior 2, the military action flick that earned a historic $850 million in China in 2017.

 

Perhaps most notable for international sci-fi fans, the movie is an adaptation of a short story by author Liu Cixin, whose novel The Three-Body Problem won the Hugo Award in 2015 — China's first win of science fiction's highest honor.

 

Banking on at least a modicum of curiosity factor in the West, Beijing-based distributor CMC Pictures has secured the international rights and is planning a sizable North American release on Feb. 8. The company will open the film in 22 cities in the U.S. and three in Canada, as well as throughout Australia.

 

 

[JB33]

Looking forward to seeing how big this will be in China! How's it tracking @Gavin Feng?

[Plain Old Tele]

That's....uh...... a lot of skybeams.

[Klingo]

I feel like there is a novel based on this for some reason.

[SLAM!]

I think this'll do well in China for sure.

[MrGlass2]

7 minutes ago, Klingo said:

I feel like there is a novel based on this for some reason.

 

55 minutes ago, MrGlass2 said:

 

Perhaps most notable for international sci-fi fans, the movie is an adaptation of a short story by author Liu Cixin, whose novel The Three-Body Problem won the Hugo Award in 2015 — China's first win of science fiction's highest honor. 

 

[Klingo]

1 hour ago, MrGlass2 said:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Frozen-Earth-Rogue-Star-Book/dp/B07K34YQ9Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548984871&sr=1-1&keywords=frozen+earth+science+fiction

[KP1025]

1 hour ago, JB33 said:

Looking forward to seeing how big this will be in China! How's it tracking @Gavin Feng?

Currently 4th place out of the CNY openers, but WOM will be much more important than presales. Operation Red Sea won the year despite opening much lower than the more hyped CNY films like Monster Hunt 2.

 

 

[NCsoft]

Hope this brings in a new era in Chinese blockbuster film making. China won't nail Sci-fi on its first try, so it's probably not a masterpiece.  It could be a promising start, the floodgate is opening and it can only mean good things to come from now on. 

[Gavin Feng]

A 6.5/10 level range film IMO. Of course, there is room for improvement, but at least Chinese audience finally have a qualified sci-fi film. I think many many people in China can be proud of this. In time, these young audience who become parents in future will tell their children, "you mom/dad are the first batch of audience who saw Wandering Earth." Just like western audience have that feeling after they saw Star Wars in 1977. Film site Douban may give it 8.0-plus(like 8.0 on IMDb). Audience score from Maoyan may be 9.4-plus(almost like A+ on CinemaScore).

 

$15M opening day number should happen according to current pre-sale. It's hard to predict how high it will reach. Bad thing is 8 big local films will open on Chinese New Year. But good thing is taste of Chinese audience keeps changing after they have so many local comedy & HLW VFX films. A low expectation of $300M lifetime gross is reasonable, but there is chance for it to become another Operation Red Sea with $550-plus lifetime gross after $20M opening day in 2018.

[terrestrial]

Its the fim I am stanning for the most since it got introduced in the China sub-forum. Fingers crossed it will do good numbers in the US ... too as that might mean a release here too and more future projects. I am aware about the 6.5 expected nouveau, its about a maybe new ... version, new little differences, and so on. And being really really curious to see what the Chinese studios are able to do with such a low (in comparison to the US) budget.

[terrestrial]

10 hours ago, Klingo said:

https://www.amazon.com/Frozen-Earth-Rogue-Star-Book/dp/B07K34YQ9Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548984871&sr=1-1&keywords=frozen+earth+science+fiction

I am confused:

that is not the Hugo Award winning short the movie is based on or did I miss something?

[Ithil]

That's a nifty match cut from a fellow shooting himself in the head to a ship launching from a planet.

[SchumacherFTW]

The guy from wolf warrior is in this? Sold

[justvision]

On 2/1/2019 at 9:36 AM, Klingo said:

https://www.amazon.com/Frozen-Earth-Rogue-Star-Book/dp/B07K34YQ9Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548984871&sr=1-1&keywords=frozen+earth+science+fiction

Are you sure you gave the correct link? This movie is based on a short story of the same title ('The Wandering Earth' 流浪地球) published in July 2000 by this highly acclaimed sci-fi author Liu Cixin. This should be the correct link for the English translation: https://www.amazon.com/Wandering-Earth-Classic-Science-Collection-ebook/dp/B00CXUKNA2

 

Some paragraphs from an Amazon review:

Quote

Cixin Liu is a "big idea" science fiction writer at a level precious few can aspire to. His strength is not the effortless grace of raw prose, unexpected machinations of plot, nor the alluring draw of living characters. He writes speculative fiction from the most fundamental premise: what would it be like if X were to happen?

What would happen if human civilization still dwelt on the Earth when our Sun finally transitions to a red giant, fundamentally altering the geography and ecology of the Solar System? What would happen to human societies if pure capitalism was allowed to evolve freely, in its most ideologically pure state? What would happen if space travel became so routine that skilled laborers might find themselves in orbit, bereft of the mighty educations and intellects of the first astronauts?

Each question opens up new and interesting possibilities, and Cixin Liu explores them perfectly. While his novels are indeed formidable works in their own right, he is an author whose last, best destiny is the short story. Liu joins his powerful imagination with a keen understanding of human nature, history and science to present us with plausible scenarios that are at every time both immediately familiar and utterly bizarre. He is as Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke were: a titan of the genre, who eclipses almost everyone else.

 

Edited February 2, 2019 by justvision

[Mr Impossible]

For $50 million this looks pretty damn good. The director clearly is making great use of his budget... 

 

I love Sci-Fi so I'll see it. 

[Gavin Feng]

Recent 100 ratings on Douban film site for The Wandering Earth after many press & preview screenings in many cities.

 

★★★★★ - 48 votes
★★★★☆ - 33 votes
★★★☆☆ - 9 votes
★★☆☆☆ - 2 votes
★☆☆☆☆ - 0 votes
unrating - 8 

 

 

Average score of these 92 ratings:

 

Spoiler

8.8/10

 

[MrGlass2]

https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/31/18047346/the-wandering-earth-trailer-cixin-liu-chinese-science-fiction

 

 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Wandering Earth is China’s “first full-scale interstellar” film. Chinese science fiction author and screenwriter Anna Wu says science fiction “is a new challenge for the Chinese film industry.” While there have been numerous fantasy films, she told The Verge that studios and investors have hesitated when it comes to the genre because of the perception that they need both a high level of special effects and to rake in lots of money in order to be successful.

 

Chinese filmmakers have made some high-profile attempts at the genre, but they’ve stumbled along the way. An adaptation of Cixin Liu’s The Three-Body trilogy was filmed in 2015, only to sit on a shelf because of post-production structure and budgeting problems. And while there have been persistent reports that Amazon wants to adapt the series (for a mind-boggling $1 billion), Chinese studio YooZoo says it’s the only rights holder for any potential TV or film production.

 

Still, Wu notes that within China, “there is a growing acceptance of science fiction,” and that as the economy has grown, people are “getting busier, wealthier and more stressed,” which creates a perfect environment for new escapist genre film and television. The Wandering Earth, she says, is highly anticipated. “Everyone is looking forward to it.” However, she says, “I am also very concerned about the box office earnings, which will affect the investment situation of [future] Chinese science fiction films.”

 

[Plain Old Tele]

...interstellar, THR?

[MrGlass2]

2 minutes ago, Telemachos said:

...interstellar, THR?

Spoiler

Literally.