Chinese movie “The Wandering Earth” is entering new territory as the country’s first sci-fi blockbuster makes over 2 billion yuan ($294m) in just 6 days.

Released on February 5, “The Wandering Earth” is going into the Chinese New Year with record attendance and may become the highest grossing film of all time in China. It is the first sci-fi blockbuster production produced at home that could set a trend to take on Hollywood’s dominant position.

For a number of years, China has been steadily increasing productions and budgets are getting bigger with more ambition to take on Hollywood and release films globally. China’s rapid growth has led to a surge in consumer purchasing power, and the construction of thousands of new theaters.

With China’s increasing strength at the box office, this could be the start of a new era in blockbusters that are made in China and exported internationally. America has been the traditional global player in box office blockbusters, but in recent years, Hollywood producers are finding more demand in international markets, China being one of them. And with China now producing more of its own hits, Hollywood may find more competition in the market in the years ahead.

“The Wandering Earth” takes place in the future where the sun is on the verge of turning into a red giant, forcing a United Earth Government to take world power and initiate a mission to move the Earth away from the solar system.

Described as a mix between “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Interstellar,” the film is directed by Frant Gwo and stars Qu Chu Xiao, Li Guangjie, Ng Man-tat and Zhao Jinmai.

Wandering Earth Trailer

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