An actor prepares: from China’s Rambo to Sci-fi blockbuster

[Wu Jing, left, introduces The Wandering Earth to Chinese audience | People's Daily Online]

Dubbed the “Rambo of China”, Wu Jing, an action movie star and director, has broken a new record in the country’s film industry, with his latest science-fiction blockbuster, The Wandering Earth, grossing $ 557 million during the Lunar New Year Holiday alone, ranking as the world’s highest grossing film of 2019 so far.

“[As an action star], people have questioned my ability to produce China’s first hard sci-fi movie. I am not afraid of failure; all I want is to sow the seeds for the future development of China’s movie industry, a goal which we’ve successfully achieved,” said Wu.

The movie, which depicts humanity's battle to survive when the sun explodes in the distant future, serves as an example of Wu’s box-office appeal, as it jumped into second place in the list of highest-grossing films in China – behind Wolf Warrior 2, an action film also directed by Wu in 2017. Such impressive box office takings have made Wu a representative of China’s attempt to enter the global film industry.

“The Wandering Earth is a significant milestone in [China’s movie industry], which has successfully combined Chinese culture with sci-fi,” Wu explained to People' Daily Online.