'The Wandering Earth' Becomes Second Highest-Grossing Film of All Time in China

According to box office data from ticketing platform Maoyan, the total box office takings for science fiction movie The Wandering Earth exceeded RMB 3.8 billion (USD 561 million) after 14 days in cinemas, overtaking Operation Red Sea (3.65 billion yuan) as the second highest-grossing film of all time in China. Wolf Warrior 2 remains the highest grossing film in China, with takings of 5.68 billion yuan. 

The Wandering Earth was released in Chinese theaters on Feb 5 along with seven other Chinese films such as Crazy Alien, The New King of Comedy, and Pegasus. Its takings started out slow but caught up quickly as positive word-of-mouth began to spread. Currently, the film has received almost one million reviews on Douban with an average score of 7.9/10. According to the film’s official Weibo account, it has made USD 3.82 million in North America after 11 days of release. Currently, the film’s IMDB score sits at 7.9.

Read more on caijing.
 

Wu Jing, Star of ‘Wolf Warrior 2’ and ‘The Wandering Earth,’ Reveals Next Film

China Yishu Bao (“中国艺术报”) recently reported that Chinese director and actor Wu Jing would play the leading role in upcoming film Qumolangma, which follows the first Chinese mountain climbers to climb Mount Everest in the 1960s. The film was written by Chinese novelist Alai and Hong Kong filmmaker Daniel Lee, and will be directed by Daniel Lee. It’s rumored that Jackie Chan and Zhang Ziyi will also join the cast. Since January, Wu Jing has been posting pictures of himself climbing mountains on social media, leading many to speculate that he was preparing for Wolf Warrior 3. In fact, it turns out he's reaching for new peaks.

Read more on Mtime.
 

British-German Animated Film ‘Happy Family’ May Get China Release

Despite a lukewarm performance and poor reception by critics in Western box offices, Happy Family (original title: Monster Family), a 2017 British-German animated film based upon the classic may get a theatrical release in China this year, according to sources. The film follows the family of Emma Wishbone as they fight an evil witch, who turns them into monsters during a Halloween costume party. Directed by Holger Tappe, the film features voice acting from Harry Potter star Emily Watson, Nick Frost, Catherine Tate, and Jason Isaacs.

Read more on Mtime.

READ: Disney Usurped as Hollywood's Best-Performing Studio in China

Photos: The Verge, Facebook, IMBD