Move aside Hollywood: China opens $7.9 billion movie hub

Photo courtesy: Wanda Group

For several decades, Hollywood in Los Angeles has been synonymous with some of the best movies ever made and many with staggering budgets. Now, there is competition.

China recently unveiled a movie hub in the port city of Qingdao at an estimated cost of $7.9 billion, according to The Washington Post. Called the Oriental Movie Metropolis, or Dong Fang Ying Du, the area is reportedly home to the largest movie studios in the world, a commercial complex and a reclaimed island which has a long list of glitzy hotels, theatres and a yacht club. The opening ceremony took place last Saturday in what many believe is yet another statement of intent from China.

After 1679 days and tens of billions of yuan worth of investment, the Wanda Oriental Movie Metropolis -- with one of the world's largest film and tv production complexes, Wanda Mall, a theme park, a grand theater, hotels, and more -- is finally opening! #WandaCulture pic.twitter.com/rnMUeVpOUD — DalianWanda (@DalianWanda) April 28, 2018

Developed by the Dalian Wanda Group, the hub promises to make China into a cultural hub. An official also said that the area will soon become a major hub of global film-making because of its sheer scale and facilities that can rival the best anywhere else - including Hollywood. Some of these, according to the Wanda Group website, are:

* 52 high-tech studios, including 30 completed in the first phase and 10 under construction in the second phase.

* World’s largest studio measuring 10,000 sq. m.

* World’s only integrated outdoor and indoor underwater studio.

* The Metropolis’s shooting zone covers 60 hectares of land and is home to a wide range of scenes such as Continental European streets and Old Shanghai scenes, which meet the shooting needs of different movie genres.

The entire complex covers around 929 acres of land and work was initiated in 2013. Since, many Hollywood A-listers have registered their presence here - including Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicole Kidman.