U.S. online entertainment service Netflix said on Thursday that it has bought the rights to Chinese sci-fi blockbuster The Wandering Earth, according to a press release issued by the company.
The film has generated over 4 billion yuan (595 million U.S. dollars) at the Chinese box office since its debut earlier this month, making it the second highest grossing homemade Chinese movie of all time.
It has also been well received in the United States after being released at a number of theaters in cities such as New York and Chicago. According to Shanghai-based China Media Capital, which was responsible for the film's distribution in the North American market, the film broke Chinese productions' five-year box office record in the region earlier this week.
Netflix gave no date for releasing the film, which it said will be translated into 28 languages for global audiences on its streaming service.
"Netflix is committed to providing entertainment lovers with access to a wide variety of global content," said Jerry Zhang, manager of content acquisition at Netflix. "With its high-quality production and story-telling, we believe that The Wandering Earth will be loved by sci-fi fans around the world."
Guo Fan, director of the film, was quoted as saying in the press release that he is glad that the movie can reach people from different parts of the world and hopes they will like it.
Adapted from a novella by Chinese Hugo Award winner Liu Cixin, The Wandering Earth tells about an audacious plan of mankind to propel the planet Earth out the solar system which is to be ruined by a rapidly expanding sun. Its special effects are widely deemed as on par with some Hollywood sci-fi blockbusters, a rare achievement of a Chinese movie.
