Social media users on Twitter compared the smoke-covered skies over New York City to scenes in popular sci-fi movies like “Blade Runner 2049” and “Dune” after wildfires in Canada turned the skyscape reddish-orange color.
Officials on Wednesday labeled the city’s air quality “code red,” warning residents to stay inside. Images then surfaced on social media of well-known landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center, and others surrounded by an orange-red haze due to the hundreds of wildfires raging in Nova Scotia and Quebec.
STUNNING TRANSFORMATION: Time-lapse video shows NYC skies getting increasingly toxic due to Canada wildfire smoke. pic.twitter.com/cOSnh76coj
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 8, 2023
“How did we manage to look more polluted than Blade Runner 2049?” one Twitter account posted. ”
How did we manage to look more polluted than Blade Runner 2049?#smoke #wildfires #nyc pic.twitter.com/6yqQ7fGHde
— rge (@rgecl) June 7, 2023
Another user wrote, “This isn’t a Wes Anderson movie… code red alert.”
This isn’t a Wes Anderson movie… code red alert. #CanadaFires #nyc pic.twitter.com/nmoE7NvuaB
— M. Nicole Siobal ???????????????????????? (@MNSiobal) June 7, 2023
While another compared the images to a shot from “Dune” (2021), writing, “This Dune viral marketing campaign has gone too far.”
This Dune viral marketing campaign has gone too far pic.twitter.com/gFawKK2HI9
— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) June 7, 2023
One social media user included images of the city filling up with smoke, comparing them to various sci-fi movie scenes.
“10:02am: ‘Quantum of Solace,'” the person tweeted. “11:56 am: ‘Children of Men.’ 12:53 pm: ‘Dune.’ 1:53 pm: ‘Blade Runner 2049.'”
10:02am: Quantum of Solace 11:56 am: Children of Men
12:53 pm: Dune. 1:53 pm: Blade Runner 2049 pic.twitter.com/6WlFCOD1BW
— Michael Green (@andmichaelgreen) June 7, 2023
Others noted just how similar the frightening skylines looked to these dystopian futuristic movies.
“NYC looks like Blade Runner 2049 today,” an account tweeted, showing a side-by-side comparison of a shot of NYC with a shot from the 2017 film.
NYC looks like Blade Runner 2049 today pic.twitter.com/8gEyaR3tGC
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) June 7, 2023
Another wrote, “the world of Dune: Part Two.”
the world of DUNE: PART TWO https://t.co/qmTCWgcr9l pic.twitter.com/kXtyiP3W1k
— chris (@ATR3lDES) June 7, 2023
While another went further, tweeting that the smoke-filled skies were “literally worse than Blade Runner,” comparing an image of the New York City skyline on Wednesday to a shot from the movie.
It’s literally worse than Blade Runner https://t.co/NATBjadAJD pic.twitter.com/37lmsHZCAB
— Lauren McKenzie (@TheMcKenziest) June 8, 2023
One account tweeted a fake image of a movie poster titled “Blade Runner 2023.”
the new bladerunner looks crazy pic.twitter.com/Ihy77SipHt
— Ashley (@AshleyDCan) June 7, 2023
“The new Blade Runner looks crazy,” the caption read.
While most tweets focused on NYC, the smoke-filled haze has also hit other major cities across a large portion of the country, including Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Charlotte, North Carolina.
LIVE: Haze from Canadian wildfire clouds Washington, D.C. https://t.co/qnxNlzUg0Y
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 8, 2023
SMOKE / poor air quality intercept by Dominator Airlines over Charlotte, NC! @accuweather pic.twitter.com/hgFGy4KMRh
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerAccu) June 7, 2023
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As the air quality remains hazardous, government officials have advised residents in the affected areas to stay indoors and wear masks if they must go outside, especially anyone with medical conditions that affect breathing, such as asthma.
Related: Broadway Actress Walks Off Stage Amid Smoky Conditions In NYC: ‘I Can’t Breathe In This Air’