Sci-fi's onscreen surge

Passengers, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, has recently made waves on China's big screen. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Lawrence, one of the world's highest-paid actresses, is familiar to Chinese movie fans thanks to The Hunger Games franchise and the superhero action flick X-Men: First Class.

Pratt has accumulated fans since his sci-fi epic Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World, respectively, became smash hits in China in 2014 and 2015.

Both stars have Chinese nicknames popularized by local netizens.

During their recent visit to Beijing to promote the film, Lawrence said the screenplay attracted her for its depiction of a romance beyond social class.

"It's an interesting story about humans and how we relate with one another and how much we need each other," she says.

Meanwhile, the sets in the spaceship also fascinated the star.

With a budget of nearly $120 million, the film creates a visual spectacle: The giant ship Avalon is rather like a cruise liner in space, with around 5,000 passengers. All of them are scheduled to wake up three or four months before landing on the new planet. During the awake-from-hibernation months, they can enjoy the luxury facilities on the ship: a giant pool to swim in outer space, robot waiters serving in the restaurant, and fancy suites.