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Netflix just bought one of the biggest movies in the world
BGR ^ | 02/21/19 | Andy Meek

Posted on 02/21/2019 8:00:19 PM PST by Simon Green

One of the biggest movies in the world right now has already surpassed half a billion dollars at the box office in China without even having completed its second week of release yet. That puts the movie, Wandering Earth, on par with some of the biggest big screen titles to emerge from the US in recent years, like Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War.

The movie, a sci-fi epic that tells the story of people trying to save earth from being destroyed by the sun, is already the second-highest grossing film in China ever. Which should explain why Netflix just snatched it up, in a deal that will introduce the film to an even wider audience via the popular streaming giant.

The streamer didn’t share any other details about the arrangement, like how much it paid or when the film will start streaming. But it’s still a big announcement, for multiple reasons.

For one thing, this will help acclimate global audiences to Chinese-produced fare. It’s also a win-win for Netflix — which, while it doesn’t sell subscriptions inside China, is nevertheless making a push to appeal to global Chinese audiences. In addition to this film, Netflix is also developing its first Chinese-language original TV series.

As far as Wandering Earth goes, it’s definitely an understatement to say a ton of work went into this blockbuster. According to Netflix, the film was given a production scale rarely seen in Chinese films and included post-production and special effects work that took two years. That included more than 10,000 specifically-built props and the employment of some 2,000 special effects shots, in addition to a “substantial amount of computer graphics shots.”

“Audiences from over 190 countries will soon meet The Wandering Earth on Netflix,” the film’s director Frant Gwo said in a statement about the news, also raving about Netflix’s plan to translate it into 28 languages. “I am glad that our movie can reach to people from different parts of the world. This is a Chinese movie created for the world, and it has been positively received since its premiere. We are very excited about it.”

According to a plot summary from Netflix, the movie is set in the distant future and involves the sun expanding into a red giant that threatens to destroy earth. A team of heroes builds “ten thousand stellar engines” to propel earth out of the solar system in the hope of finding a new home in space, kick-starting a 2,500-year-long journey in which humanity fights for the survival of their “wandering earth.”


TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: china; climatechange; netflix
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To: KarlInOhio

Yes, yes!!! My favorite episode. Lois Nettleton still rocks my world every time I watch it. Wait... What were we talking about? ;-)


41 posted on 02/21/2019 10:54:40 PM PST by D_Idaho ("For we wrestle not against flesh and blood...")
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To: gogeo; raygunfan; Gamecock; Larry Lucido; KC_Lion; FredZarguna; PROCON

[No Godzirra?]

It’s worse than that!

No Bette Midler!

She was taken out by an Improv shrimp during a softball game!


42 posted on 02/21/2019 10:56:29 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: D_Idaho; KarlInOhio

Look, some liberal labeled it “climate change” - good grief - the Earth’s orbit changed taking it closer to the Sun.

Not “climate change” - lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X28v9JmyTlA


43 posted on 02/21/2019 11:07:14 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: Pontiac
You only need to move the Earth beyond the orbit of Mars to get it in to the new Goldilocks zone.

In the film, they eventually accelerate the Earth to a speed of 600 miles per second. To put things in perspective, the energy required for that is roughly equal to all the energy the sun emits in a year.

Totally doable, right?

44 posted on 02/21/2019 11:09:12 PM PST by Simon Green ("Arm your daughter, sir, and pay no attention to petty bureaucrats.”)
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To: Simon Green

[ a red giant. ]

Well, that should be easy enough to fix with a tax or something.


45 posted on 02/21/2019 11:11:46 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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>> people trying to save earth from being destroyed by the sun

Controlled atmospheric pollution shield?

46 posted on 02/21/2019 11:53:24 PM PST by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Simon Green
Totally doable, right?

Sure, why not.

The question is how long will it take to reach that speed?

If you are in a crisis situation and you only have a few months to do it.

You’re toast (given the movies premise).

The idea of the ‘stellar engines” intrigues me. The article mentions 10 thousand of them. How exactly do they work? How do they attach to the Earth? How do they manage to pull or push the Earth away from the Sun? How do they manage this without stopping the rotation of the Earth (which in of itself would be catastrophic)?

47 posted on 02/22/2019 12:13:45 AM PST by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit)
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To: Drew68
If the Chinese are smart--and so far there's been very little evidence coming from their filmmakers that they are--they'll make straight actioners and other kinds of film that have no underlying social messages; Hollywood will be forced to make decent pictures again, or be destroyed. Most audiences are sick of "scifi" films with gay love stories and multiply gendered or politically correct heroines.

The Star Wars franchise has been completely wrecked by political correctness. The Chinese have a huge opening if they can figure out their audiences.

48 posted on 02/22/2019 12:13:51 AM PST by FredZarguna ("And what Rough Beast, its hour come round at last, slouches toward Fifth Avenue to be born.")
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To: KarlInOhio

Been a long time since I saw it. So the Earth was moving away from the Sun.

Cool.

I suppose, literally.


49 posted on 02/22/2019 12:26:20 AM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: FredZarguna
The Chinese have a huge opening if they can figure out their audiences.

I don’t know, most Americans are too lazy to watch a movie with subtitles.

Most dubbed Chinese movies I have seen are almost unwatchable. Even the movies that were described as classics.

50 posted on 02/22/2019 12:27:37 AM PST by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit)
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To: Simon Green

“As someone has already noted, “Space: 1999” was just as silly.”

Never watched that.


51 posted on 02/22/2019 12:33:17 AM PST by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: Larry Lucido
China wants the focus on the destruction of the planet, doesn't matter if heat or cold, sun or moos as long as it's audience is ‘afraid’.....as it still will play into “Extreme Weather” which is now the new buss word for ‘climate change’ ie: Global Warming.

Reading sub-titles is a pain though.....the few Chinese ones I've attempted isn't worth the aggravation so I never get thru them.

52 posted on 02/22/2019 12:36:46 AM PST by caww
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To: Simon Green
In the film, they eventually accelerate the Earth to a speed of 600 miles per second.

The only way I can think of to make this work is to somehow attach the “Stellar Engines” to the Moon and use it as a Gravity Tractor. This would require starting and stopping the engines at precise times in the moon’s orbit. I can only guess that this might change the moon’s orbital with who knows what detrimental effects.

The only thing is that I can only guess that this would take hundreds or thousands of years to accomplish.

There is also of course the hazard that you could rip the Moon out of Earth orbit (another catastrophe).

53 posted on 02/22/2019 12:40:01 AM PST by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

Out in China, they are allowed real science, not this political garbage.


54 posted on 02/22/2019 12:57:34 AM PST by JudgemAll (Democrats Fed. job-security in hate:hypocrites must be gay like us or be tested/crucified)
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To: Simon Green

This reminds me of the famous sci fi novelist, Edward E ‘Doc’ Smith, who wrote the classic space opera series Skylark of Mars and The Lensmen.

Its a shame Hollywood couldn’t have done this, nope their long term agenda is something else.

And in all honesty i am interested in this film and would look forward to getting an English dubbed Bluray or 4K version.


55 posted on 02/22/2019 12:58:03 AM PST by Daniel Ramsey (Thank YOU President Trump, finally we can do what America does best, to be the best)
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To: Simon Green

Dubbing is awful

Subtitles much better


56 posted on 02/22/2019 1:28:09 AM PST by wardaddy (Progressive winter is coming.)
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To: Larry Lucido; SaveFerris

57 posted on 02/22/2019 1:54:47 AM PST by Gamecock (In church today, we so often find we meet only the same old world, not Christ and His Kingdom. AS)
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To: Simon Green
A team of heroes builds “ten thousand stellar engines” to propel earth out of the solar system in the hope of finding a new home in space

Good news! The Earth isn't going to burn. The bad news: It is going to turn into a solid ball of ice. And hey, it's not a ripoff of 1999 okay.

58 posted on 02/22/2019 4:20:57 AM PST by Sirius Lee (In God We Trust, In Trump We MAGA)
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To: Simon Green

A win-win for Netflix?

Not if it’s still shedding subscribers like my cats do their fur...


59 posted on 02/22/2019 4:23:08 AM PST by mewzilla (Break out the mustard seeds.)
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To: Simon Green

I’ll pass.


60 posted on 02/22/2019 5:11:10 AM PST by bgill (CDC site, "We don't know how people are infected with Ebola.S)
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