The Chinese animated film ‘Ne Zha 2’ concluded its five-month theatrical run across China today, establishing itself as the fifth highest-grossing film globally, as reported by the news portal Yicai.
The film grossed over 15.9 billion yuan (1.883 billion euros), trailing behind only ‘Avatar’ (2.460 billion euros), ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2.375 billion euros), ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ (1.950 billion euros), and ‘Titanic’ (slightly under 1.950 billion euros).
Debuting on January 29, marking the first day of the Chinese New Year—the country’s main festive period and peak season for box office revenue—’Ne Zha 2′ offered a refreshing boost to the industry, which saw a 22.5% revenue decline in 2024.
The movie became the first production to surpass 1 billion dollars (850 million euros) within a single market, achieving the greatest success for an animation, surpassing ‘Inside Out 2’, and becoming the most-watched film in China with 324 million tickets sold.
The success was so substantial that, despite Chinese cinema screenings typically lasting a month, ‘Ne Zha 2’ had its run extended four times. Both this film and its predecessor, ‘Ne Zha’ (2019), draw inspiration from a 16th-century Chinese classic novel, ‘Investiture of the Gods’.
The narrative follows Ne Zha, a child born with superhuman abilities who returns—after being presumed dead in the first film—to confront a mythological demon, following the gods reconstructing his soul with lotus leaves. Producer Enlight Media has already promised a third installment “with even higher standards” and is negotiating with various Chinese cities to develop theme parks inspired by the ‘Ne Zha’ universe.
According to the specialized portal The Numbers, 99% of ‘Ne Zha 2’s box office revenue originated from the Chinese market, with additional earnings from countries including Malaysia, Australia, and Singapore.
