Chapter 287: Three Body sweeps the world

The film "The Legend of the Heroic Soldiers" is touted as a "sci‑fi military" production, and naturally it contains many scenes of military equipment.

Such as formations of helicopters flying, armored vehicles advancing on highways, well‑set‑up field military camps, and individual firearms that look very advanced.

The helicopters cannot be filmed for real; they need to be fully simulated with special effects.

First, the most advanced helicopters domestically cannot be taken out for the crew to film; second, the film's timeline is set in a distant future, so present‑day helicopters also cannot meet the shooting requirements.

Armored vehicles are relatively easier to handle; the crew simply modifies some models according to the drawings Jiang Heng provided, and they are not actually used in real combat.

The individually advanced‑looking firearms and the black armor worn by the soldiers are all made by the props department, and they look convincing enough.

As for the aircraft carrier appearing in the film, it is a combination of special effects and props.

Moreover, with various special‑effects action fights involving many scene changes, shooting can be said to be quite troublesome.

Fortunately, the staff of the Hai Zheng Television Arts Center helped out a lot, alleviating much of Jiang Heng's pressure.

In the blink of an eye, November arrived, and it was the day when the first part of "Three Body" was about to be released.

In China, the film's promotion mainly relies on the reputation of Jiang Heng's directed special‑effects blockbusters, and it is quite influential.

After all, since Jiang Heng entered the industry, the series of films he has directed have all been works of quality.

Even the lowest‑rated "One Hundred Million Years BC" caused a sensation when it premiered.

Overseas, Jiang Heng's name still carries weight.

But the influence of the original novel is growing day by day.

Simply put, "Three Body" has become a hit in the Western world!

A fire of rave reviews!

The work's initial widespread recognition owed to hype such as "Director Jiang Heng's strong recommendation" and "the original novel of the Three Body film," but as the first batch of readers finished it and shared their impressions on social media, attracting more readers, the Three Body novel became ever more popular.

In its first month of publication, the novel entered the "2007 Top 100 Books in America" list; as of now, the English edition of Three Body has sold over 300,000 copies, while other Chinese novels in the U. S. hardly exceed ten thousand copies.

When the news returned to China, it shocked Liu Cixin and his domestic peers; this achievement is truly dazzling.

What's even more surprising is that many renowned European and American business tycoons have recommended the English edition of Three Body on their personal social media accounts, giving it considerable influence.

Many European and American media outlets also rarely give this novel a positive review.

For example, the magazine "Trajectory" believes: "Three Body" is the first hard‑science‑fiction novel of modern significance (Chinese).

Publishers Weekly believes: Fans of hard science fiction will revel in the imaginative technological utopia of Three Body.

An article titled "China's Arthur C. Clarke" published in The New Yorker goes further, likening Liu Cixin to China's Clarke and deeming his works "an allegory of human progress—filled with concrete details yet transcending abstraction."

And on websites that reflect the opinions of ordinary American readers, Three Body's overall rating exceeds 4 out of 5.

Many readers say they were initially drawn to the work because of that particular historical period, and upon deeper reading they became more attracted to the mathematical, physical, and other technical propositions it involves.

Some Western readers also give Liu Cixin extremely high praise, regarding him as a pioneer of cosmic sociology who has pondered the dialectical propositions of humanity and survival.

Thanks to the novel's explosive popularity, the Three Body film is highly anticipated in the North American market, with some media even believing it could compete for this year's North American box‑office champion.

Believing in Jiang Heng's consistent quality is one factor, and likewise because this year's already‑released Hollywood blockbusters have merely mediocre box‑office results.

Currently topping the yearly box office is Spider‑Man 3, released in May, with a North American total of only $3.3 billion—still under $4 billion.

Note that the box‑office champions of 2006 and 2004 both exceeded $400 million.

The 2005 champion, Star Wars Episode III, also had a box‑office of $380 million.

By comparison, a $330 million box‑office performance is somewhat lacking.

Of course, the media consider Spider‑Man 3 ineligible for the championship, likewise because too many big films are slated for November and December.

For example, the scheduled releases are Shrek 3 on November 13, Pirates of the Caribbean 3 on December 4, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on December 11, making the competition quite fierce.

Jiang Heng‑directed sci‑fi blockbuster Three Body is likewise regarded as a strong contender for the yearly box‑office crown.

Columbia Company has devised a series of promotional activities for this purpose, with two special requirements: first, Jiang Heng must come to North America to participate in the promotional events; second, Liu Cixin must come to North America to hold a signing event and also attend the film's publicity.

Fortunately, Jiang Heng had prepared early, having Liu Cixin obtain a passport and visa ahead of time; otherwise it would have been troublesome.

China Film Digital Base, the set of The Legend of the Heroic Soldiers, director's resting area.

Jiang Heng and Liu Cixin sat opposite each other; the latter was still a bit reserved, sipping tea and sighing, "I never imagined I'd be able to hold a signing event in the United States!"

In China, writing sci‑fi novels truly feels insignificant; if Jiang Heng hadn't bought the film and television adaptation rights to his novel, who knows when he would have become famous.

And as Jiang Heng began filming Three Body, after the original novel was published domestically, he also got to experience the feeling of a signing event.

Yet he never imagined he could also sign books in America; even now he feels a bit dazed.

Jiang Heng laughed, "What's the big deal? You write so well that one day the U. S. president might become a fan of your books!"

Liu Cixin blinked, then gave an embarrassed laugh, "How could that be?" in a tone that showed he didn't even dare to imagine it.

"There's nothing impossible about it; your dark forest law fits Western popular notions of civilization very well. Look at Western history: the rampant spread of the Black Death, and during the Age of Sail, colonists braved extreme risks to colonize and expand—all of which reflect the strong competitive mindset of Western civilization.

They wholeheartedly endorse the idea that the strong survive and the weak are eliminated—let alone colonizing the Americas, which fits perfectly!"

Liu Cixin smiled upon hearing this; having written the dark forest law, he had naturally considered these points, and Jiang Heng's comment gave him a slight sense of pride.

Still modest in speech, he said, "Well, that's true too; I just hope this book sells more over there, and that Director Jiang's film gets an even higher box office there!"

He then added, "Coming over this early, I'll be staying in Jingcheng for a while—really bothering Director Jiang!"

Jiang Heng laughed, "Hey, we can count as friends, so saying that is just polite talk!"

Upon hearing that, Liu Cixin felt warm inside; he had previously never dared to think of them as friends, given how vast the difference in their fortunes is!

(End of chapter)