Early in the morning, long queues had formed outside cinemas in major cities across Hua Guo. The international film festival had released four or five major science fiction blockbusters simultaneously, causing many sci-fi fans to exclaim that it felt like a festival.
However, this film festival was different from the usual. All the major cinemas, as if by prior arrangement, had placed a "The Wandering Earth" display at the most prominent location at their entrances. The display featured a poster of "The Wandering Earth" without any actor photos, only a sapphire planet trailing a wake in space. The title "The Wandering Earth" was written in artistic font, along with information about the screenwriter and director. The poster was simple yet created a powerful atmosphere, conveying the loneliness of wandering in space.
"The cinemas are really pushing Jiang Nan's 'The Wandering Earth'..."
"Of course, after all, Jiang Nan is representing the domestic entertainment film industry on the world stage."
"Even so, I still want to watch America's 'Planetfall,' because sci-fi is all about special effects, and American blockbuster effects are very satisfying!"
"Compared to the shoddy five-cent special effects in our domestic films, American blockbusters are indeed more enjoyable."
"I heard that Jiang Nan's 'The Wandering Earth' also has amazing special effects, and there was no budget limit, so maybe there will be a surprise?"
"Let's wait and see. Movie tickets are dozens of dollars each, so I'll stick with 'Planetfall.' At least American blockbusters guarantee value for money."
Movies are different from songs. Movie tickets generally cost forty to fifty dollars each, and many people are reluctant to spend dozens of dollars on a bad film, as they would be very disappointed if the movie wasn't good. Although "The Wandering Earth" was written by Jiang Nan, who had an excellent reputation, it was his first foray into the science fiction genre, and many netizens were still taking a wait-and-see approach.
This is the importance of industry reputation. In America, science fiction films have formed their own culture, and under these circumstances, audiences develop a habitual mindset, believing that spending money on American blockbusters will at least be worth the ticket price. Therefore, even though Jiang Nan has a very good reputation in the domestic martial arts genre, his first attempt at science fiction made many netizens hesitate. Of course, these were just casual viewers; most of Jiang Nan's fans would still choose to support him.
The cinemas for the films at the international film festival were almost full. Unlike in the past, when most domestic films were watched by young women or girls accompanied by their boyfriends, this time the audience was predominantly male. After all, sci-fi and mechas are considered the romance of men, and many girls do not enjoy this genre.
Inside the screening room for "The Wandering Earth," everyone was seated, waiting for the movie to begin. Cao Weiming, as the most popular film critic, would naturally not miss such a top-tier international film festival. He planned to watch several films to write more objective reviews, but to show his support for Jiang Nan, he first bought a ticket for "The Wandering Earth."
"What's so good about sci-fi movies? Didn't I ask you to buy tickets for 'Love Has Arrived'?" A young couple was sitting next to him, and the girl seemed somewhat displeased.
"Honey, this is a movie written by Jiang Nan. Don't you love his martial arts dramas? Maybe sci-fi will be good too," the boy said softly, comforting her while holding popcorn.
"How can sci-fi and martial arts be the same? They're not even the same genre. I don't like the styling in sci-fi, there are no handsome guys or beautiful girls, and there's no romance!"
"Maybe there is..."
"Hmph, you're just saying that to placate me. You've changed! You weren't like this before!"
"Honey, I was wrong. Let's finish watching 'The Wandering Earth,' and then we can go watch 'Love Has Arrived,' okay..."
Seeing that the girl was about to get upset, the boy quickly pleaded for forgiveness. The girl finally stopped talking but remained sulking.
"Heh heh... With such audiences, it's no wonder the domestic film and television market only produces romance dramas..." Cao Weiming sighed with a hint of helplessness.
The main consumers of the market have always been these girls, especially in a consumption model like movies, where many people accompany girls to watch films, naturally preferring things that girls like. As long as it's a romance drama with a few top stars, it's guaranteed not to lose money, and if lucky, it can even make a significant profit. In this model, domestic film and television naturally become unhealthy. If everyone focuses on filming these dramas, who will seriously produce other types of shows?
...
When the movie started, there was an initial segment setting up the concept of "digital life." Then, the narration began. "In the beginning, no one cared about this disaster, it was just a wildfire, a drought, the extinction of a species, the disappearance of a city, until this disaster was related to everyone..." The narration was full of atmosphere, unfolding the story from the perspective of a camera.
The protagonist of "The Wandering Earth," Liu Peiqiang, was again played by the Wu Ying-level actor Wu Xingyang. It had to be said that he was one of the most popular veteran actors in Jiang Nan's team, apart from Zhang Yang and Shen Qingfeng. Furthermore, Zhang Peng, who played Liu Peiqiang's master, was also a veteran actor from Jiang Nan's team, Chen Jinzhou. Chen Jinzhou, who was almost blacklisted for offending popular idols, experienced a second career spring after starring in "Pegasus," and then proved his acting prowess by playing the protagonist Cheng Yong in "Dying to Survive."
"Holy crap, it's these two teaming up!" Even Cao Weiming hadn't expected that the leads of this film would be these two. After all, in the ingrained mindset of domestic entertainment, the protagonist is usually a young man, preferably a handsome one.
"It's not Zhang Yang starring? Then what's the point of watching?" The girl next to him began to complain again. Before she could finish, a series of grand aerial shots appeared. Following the perspectives of Liu Peiqiang and Zhang Peng, the story was introduced on a plane. The boy next to her was captivated by the incredibly realistic visuals and watched with great interest. Seeing that her boyfriend was ignoring her, the girl pouted and could only continue watching.
"The sun is aging rapidly, expanding continuously. In a hundred years, the sun will expand to engulf the entire Blue Star. In three hundred years, the solar system will cease to exist..."
"To ensure more people survive, the Moving Mountain Project was ultimately chosen, planning to build ten thousand planetary engines to propel the Blue Star out of the solar system. Simultaneously, three satellite engines will be built to exile the moon, ensuring the Blue Star breaks free from the moon's gravitational pull and sets off smoothly..."
The narration continued, and with the unfolding of the film's visuals, the main storyline was clearly conveyed. However, upon hearing this idea, many viewers showed a hint of surprise on their faces. Propelling the Blue Star out of the solar system with engines? This idea was too bold and unexpected! After all, typical disaster films usually concluded with the main characters leaving the Blue Star; there had never been a situation where the entire Blue Star was moved to escape.