The Wandering Earth: Netflix buys streaming rights to world's highest-grossing film of 2019 so far
Netflix has acquired the rights to the global highest-grossing film of 2019 so far.
The film is Chinese sci-fi blockbuster The Wandering Earth, which was released in China on February 5.
Since then, it's grossed over $600m (£459m) at the box office, making it the second biggest domestic hit in Chinese movie history. It is on course to overtake the current record-holder, Wolf Warrior 2.
With a budget estimated at around $50m, The Wandering Earth is seen by many as a milestone for the country’s film industry. The production values and special effects have been favourably compared to that of a mid-budget Hollywood blockbuster.
Netflix plans to translate the film into 28 languages for its international release.
Adapted from a short story by Liu Cixin, The Wandering Earth is set in a future where humanity must band together to save the earth from the sun’s imminent explosion.
It was directed by Frant Gwo and features Chinese action megastar Wu Jing in the lead role.
No release date has yet been confirmed.
