Cast members of the film "Shanghai Fortress" on the red carpet for the opening ceremony of the 2019 Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) in Shanghai, east China, June 15, 2019. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)
Adapted from a popular sci-fi novel, "Shanghai Fortress", the latest addition to the list of China's domestic sci-fi movies, is set to reinforce domestic productions' lead over their foreign counterparts in box offices.
BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Adapted from a popular sci-fi novel, Chinese futuristic romance "Shanghai Fortress" is set to open in Chinese theaters on Friday, according to the China Film Distribution and Exhibition Association.
Starring actress Shu Qi and singer-turned-actor Lu Han, the film tells of the city of Shanghai's battle to defend itself against an attack by an alien force that has laid siege to numerous cities around the globe in its quest to harvest a hidden energy only found on earth.
It is another high-profile movie to join the new club of China's domestic sci-fi movies, whose combined box offices are predicted to surpass those of foreign imports this year in an "unprecedented" development in China's movie history, according to an industry report released at Shanghai International Film Festival in June.
Earlier this year, "The Wandering Earth," with a box office of 4.6 billion yuan (about 670 million U.S. dollars), became China's second highest-grossing movie of all time, spurring heated discussions about the advent of a new era of China's sci-fi blockbusters.
