Guo says in a Netflix news release that he is glad that his movie will reach people in different parts of the world. Netflix plans to translate the film into 28 languages, enabling more viewers to enjoy it regardless of their geographical or linguistic differences.

Netflix content acquisition manager Jerry Zhang says the company aims to provide movie lovers with access to a wide variety of global content.

"With its high-quality production and storytelling, we believe The Wandering Earth will be loved by sci-fi fans around the world," he says.

Britain's Daily Telegraph says the Netflix deal shows that it is keen to pursue new markets, and also to make Chinese drama more accessible to Western viewers.

Netflix is yet to set a date for the film's release, but on the day it bought the international rights to The Wandering Earth, Youku announced it had secured streaming rights for the film in China.

The first round of screenings in China were initially scheduled to end on March 5 but it was announced on Friday that its run will be extended to May 5 for both 3D-Imax and standard formats, at the same time a reduction in ticket prices were also announced, having started on Monday.

The film broke box-office records for Imax theaters in China by taking in more than 300 million yuan to become the best-seller in the genre ahead of Hollywood superhero movie Avengers: Infinity War.

According to Yin Hao, curator of the China Science and Technology Museum in Beijing, The Wandering Earth was the first-ever movie to be added to the museum's collection in January.

"The idea of a science and technology museum is to interpret these fields and inspire young people to develop an interest in them. I think the producers of sci-fi films and The Wandering Earth have that in common with our museum, since we all aim to plant the seeds of science and technology in youngsters' minds," Yin says at a recent seminar in Beijing.

"I think The Wandering Earth is a work that sits at an important position in the development of Chinese sci-fi, as it signals that the genre has moved away from the age of magazines and books into the era of films and television," Yin adds.

Contact the writer at liyingxue@chinadaily.com.cn