Simultaneously opening in China and eight countries like the US on Jan 22, The Wandering Earth II, the follow-up of China's highest-grossing sci-fi epic of all time, has been screened in 39 foreign countries, including South Africa and Japan, currently earning a total of 100 million yuan in box-office takings overseas.

With the Western markets dominated by Hollywood blockbusters, the feedback for The Wandering Earth II and its market return has exceeded expectations, says Fu Ruoqing, chairman of China Film Co and chief producer of the movie.

China's rapid rise in technology and science has established a realistic foundation for this grand-themed tale that explores the fate of humanity, making it one of the most resonant Chinese movies in recent years and also indicating that it is easier for commercially mature genres like sci-fi to help Chinese stories captivate foreign audience, adds Fu.

"When we were producing the movie, we had planned to make it a globally released project," he reveals. Instead of cooperating with distribution companies operated by overseas Chinese, a conventional approach in the past, China Film Co shifted to local professionals, gaining more access and promotional opportunities.

Lu Chuan, a renowned director known for the nature documentary Born in China, advises domestic filmmakers to "borrow a ship and set sail into the sea", a metaphorical reference that Chinese companies should strive to seek cooperation with major overseas distributors to gain a larger share in the global market.

Yu Dong, chairman of Bona Film Group, says China has already built a huge domestic movie market, having once produced 1,082 feature-length movies in a single year, the highest number ever recorded.