A scene from the sci-fi film The Wandering Earth 2 is shot at the Oriental Movie Metropolis, a high-profile film studio complex in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

As the sci-fi film, The Wandering Earth 2, became a Chinese New Year hit on the big screen, and the Oriental Movie Metropolis, a high-profile film studio complex in Qingdao, Shandong province, where the film was shot, was also spotlighted.

The film's director, Guo Fan, said that more than 90 percent of the scenes were completed in the Oriental Movie Metropolis, with a few shot overseas.

"The studio complex is home to 40 state-of-the-art sound stages, which can meet needs for shooting such a big-size film," Guo said.

The facility boasts the world's largest sound stage, which covers an area of about 10,000 square meters, and the world's only underwater sound stage.

The first movie, The Wandering Earth, has also been a huge success. It was filmed at the Oriental Movie Metropolis in 2017.

When the second film began production in October 2021, the director said, "The facilities there had been greatly improved, which has led to the advancement of the industry."

A scene from the sci-fi film The Wandering Earth 2 is shot at the Oriental Movie Metropolis, a high-profile film studio complex in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Four months before the start of the filming of the sequel, the crew used a new virtual platform in the studio complex to digitize the entire filming process, which helped the team make necessary adjustments and changes later.

"The Oriental Movie Metropolis represents unparalleled strength and service in the domestic film industry," Guo said.

According to the production team, the crew used 17 sound stages, with a set area of 58,000 square meters. It also used the open space at the foot of the mountain in the film studio complex, with a set area of more than 50,000 square meters.

The Oriental Movie Metropolis, said to be the largest movie studio complex in the world, began operations in April 2018 and is located in Qingdao's West Coast New Area.

To date, the studio complex has attracted more than 800 enterprises settling businesses there, ranging from investment to production facilities, publicity and distribution. It has received more than 300 crews, with the box office of films shot there garnering more than 20 billion yuan ($2.94 billion).