The year 2023 has seen a much-needed return to form for Hollywood. Many big films that were released this year have performed well at the box office. After the COVID-19 pandemic, theatres are seeing audiences return to cinemas in huge numbers. Unexpected films such as Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie have earned the big billion and films such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse have also earned big numbers.

However, The Wandering Earth 2, the sci-fi film from China is among the highest-grossing films of the year, beating out blockbuster films such as the Keanu Reeves starrer John Wick: Chapter 4 and Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I.

The Wandering Earth 2 Is The Eighth Highest Grossing Film In 2023

Still from The Wandering Earth 2 (Credit: China Film Group Corporation)

While Hollywood biggies have been competing for the top spot for the past few months, a relatively unknown Chinese film seems to have beaten many top contenders at the global box office. The Wandering Earth 2 was released on January 22, 2023, and was lauded upon release. It was a huge box office success, earning over $500 million in just sixteen days. Its global earnings till now have been over $604 million.

The sci-fi film is a prequel to 2019’s The Wandering Earth which also became one of the highest-grossing non-English films. The original earned over $700 million at the global box office and was streamed outside China on Netflix. The films are based on a series of novels by popular sci-fi writer Liu Cixin. He also served as the producer for The Wandering Earth 2.

The sci-fi epic film ranks atop Hollywood blockbusters such as Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part I and Keanu Reeves’ John Wick: Chapter 4. The Wandering Earth 2 has even made waves at the UK box office, making it the highest-earning Chinese film in the UK in the last fifteen years. With a complete wide release still pending, the film may also move up a few spots and dethrone Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse from its sixth position.

How Did The Wandering Earth 2 Beat Tom Cruise’s Film?

Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning (Credit: Paramount Pictures)

The Wandering Earth 2’s box office success has been a tight slap in the face for Hollywood, who have been trying to revive the theatre business ever since the global pandemic. The business is only now recovering from the hit after cinematic events such as the ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon and the Spider-Men crossover in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Last year, it was Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick that brought the audiences back to the cinemas with its old-school charm and 80s nostalgia. The film was a huge success and was lauded to have brought back the communal experience of the theatre. Cruise was labeled as the ‘savior of cinema’ by director Steven Spielberg. However, the savior did not seem to have the same luck this year around.

Still from The Wandering Earth 2 (Credit: China Film Group Corporation)

Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I was the seventh installment of Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible franchise. While all promotional material for the film pointed towards it being another cinematic experience, the film suffered from bad timing as it was released only a week before Barbie and Oppenheimer. It grossed a disappointing $168 million at the domestic box office, earning over $552 million globally.

It now stands at the tenth position in the highest-grossing films of the year, coming below The Little Mermaid and The Wandering Earth 2. The latter seems to have also beaten Keanu Reeves’ supposed finale to his beloved franchise, John Wick: Chapter 4.

Critics have been praising the Chinese film’s epic production values and global approach to storytelling. The film has been doing well in the international markets as well due to the huge number of Chinese immigrant population watching the film. Being a sequel/prequel to an existing franchise as well as releasing on the first day of the Chinese New Year holidays has helped the film become the eighth highest-grossing film of the year.

Source: Global Times