If you thought Barbie and Oppenheimer were the only box office juggernauts to have released this year with eyes on scooping some major prizes outside of the technical categories at next year’s Academy Awards, then think again, because The Wandering Earth 2 has entered the conversation.
Co-writer and director Frant Gwo’s prequel is one of the biggest earners of 2023 so far having accrued a mighty $604 million since releasing in January of this year, and while it ended up lagging behind the $704 million hauled in by it predecessor – which made it the fifth highest-grossing non-English movie that’s ever been made – any franchise that nets over $1.3 billion across two chapters is a force to be reckoned with.
As a brand, The Wandering Earth isn’t quite what you’d call a global sensation considering that almost every single penny of its earnings have come from local shores, but the opening installment did find itself a significant global audience once Netflix swooped in to secure the international distribution rights following the end of its theatrical run back in 2019.
Seeking to fight fire with fire, The Wandering Earth 2 has been officially submitted as China’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars, but it’s a million miles away from being guaranteed a spot on the shortlist. For comparison, since 1979 only two Chinese features have secured a nomination, and both of them were directed by Zhang Yimou, while neither of them won.
That being said, it does at the very least mean the Barbenheimer phenomenon isn’t solely responsible for the trend of box office behemoths gunning for a Best Picture statue.
