‘A record that may remain unbroken’: Ne Zha 2 continues scaling heights beyond commercial triumph

BEIJING – Chinese animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 has become the first non-Hollywood film to exceed US$2 billion (S$2.7 billion) in global earnings, including pre-sales, according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan.

The milestone, reached on March 3, comes just 33 days after its release on Jan 29 during the Chinese New Year period and 13 days after it surpassed Disney’s 2024 film Inside Out 2 to become

the highest-grossing animated movie of all time

.

This achievement adds to the film’s growing list of accolades, including being the first to gross US$1 billion in a single market and the first non-Hollywood title to enter the billion-dollar club.

Directed by Chinese film-maker Yang Yu, known as Jiaozi, the sequel to the 2019 animated hit Ne Zha – which grossed five billion yuan (S$924 million) and topped the Chinese box office that year – now ranks seventh on the all-time global box-office charts, just behind Marvel’s 2018 film Avengers: Infinity War.

It opens in Singapore cinemas on March 6

, and has won fans over since its theatrical releases in territories such as Australia and Fiji. Efforts are also under way to take it to the big screen in Pakistan.

The film’s unprecedented box-office success, with more than 98 per cent of the revenue generated on the Chinese mainland according to Maoyan data, has redefined the ceiling for single-film earnings in Chinese cinema.

“This success has showcased the resilience and immense growth potential of the Chinese market,” said Maoyan analyst Lai Li.

Ne Zha 2 continues the tale of the boy god from Chinese mythology, as Nezha and his ally Ao Bing struggle to rebuild their physical forms and secure their fate with the help of the immortal Taiyi Zhenren. The film’s rich storytelling, jaw-dropping visuals and universal themes of defiance, fate and self-confidence have captivated audiences worldwide.

Mr Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, praised the film for seamlessly blending traditional Chinese mythology with modern storytelling, creating a narrative that speaks to contemporary sensibilities.

Professor Chen Xuguang, director of the Institute of Film, Television and Theatre at Peking University, hailed Ne Zha 2 as “a miracle and a peak in Chinese cinema, a record that may remain unbroken for a long time”.

He said: “Ne Zha 2 has not only boosted the morale and confidence of Chinese film-makers, but also drawn new audiences back to theatres from other entertainment mediums.”

The film’s technical mastery is staggering, featuring nearly 2,000 special effects shots and contributions from 138 animation studios.

This collaborative effort exemplifies the strength of China’s creative ecosystem and heralds a new era of aesthetic and industrial standards for the country’s film industry, he added.

In North America, Ne Zha 2 has grossed an estimated US$18 million after three weekends, according to analytics firm Comscore.

Released by CMC Pictures in Mandarin with English subtitles across more than 600 theatres, the film has consistently ranked in the top five at the North American box office. It is the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in the region since 2006.

Professor Sheila Sofian, who is from the University of Southern California and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, praised the film’s production design, sound design and music, calling it “mind-blowing” and noting its universal appeal, in a video interview shared by China Media Group.

The film’s success has also injected much-needed optimism into China’s film industry, which suffered a 23 per cent decline in earnings in 2024 compared with 2023 and a 34 per cent drop from its pre-pandemic peak in 2019.

Driven by Ne Zha 2, the country’s box-office revenue hit a record high during the 2025 Spring Festival holiday and has since experienced robust growth.

Film critic Dong Wenxin said the movie’s success has been a boon for the industry. “Friends in the business have told me their theatres have hit 50 per cent of their annual box-office goals over the first two months of 2025,” she said.

Beyond its commercial triumph, Ne Zha 2 is poised to serve as a cultural bridge, offering global audiences a window into China’s rich mythology and traditions.

Just like Black Myth: Wukong, the country’s first 3A video game which took the world by storm in 2024, Ne Zha 2 has become another cherished domestic creation rooted in traditional Chinese culture. Both cultural phenomena have successfully turned fan enthusiasm for their intellectual properties into lasting profits. 

The animation is making waves in other areas of the consumer market.

Sales of its merchandise on Taobao, a leading e-commerce platform in China, surpassed 50 million yuan earlier in February. Themed miniature figurines of Ne Zha, Ao Bing and Taiyi have been rolling off the assembly line of production workshops at full speed.

Fans have also been racing against time to buy blind boxes featuring the titular main character, as stocks quickly deplete online and at retail locations.

“Ne Zha-themed products sell out as soon as they are put on the shelf. Recently, we’ve seen dozens of people signing up for pre-sales every day,” said a staff member at Pop Mart, China’s popular toymaker, in Beijing.

The film has also inspired renewed interest in Chinese museum artefacts among viewers. Through repeat viewings, zealous fans have uncovered its intricate Chinese cultural references, prompting them to visit museums nationwide in search of its sources of historical inspiration.

At Hebei Museum in Shijiazhuang, capital of north China’s Hebei province, crowds gather around a 2,000-year-old gilt-bronze incense burner, known as the Boshan Censer. It is believed to have inspired the design of the seven-coloured lotus, a multi-layered lotus root that reconstructs the bodies of Ne Zha and Ao Bing in the movie.

Since the recent Spring Festival in late January, the museum has recorded 340,000 visits – with up to 15,000 daily visits on weekends. “Many visitors asked about Ne Zha 2 connections during their tours,” said museum guide Yao Ying. She added that she uses these moments to unpack details of the Boshan Censer’s craftsmanship and artistic beauty.

Fans have also found similarities between some movie elements and museum collections, such as the dragon king Ao Guang’s blade and the sword of Ne Zha’s mother Lady Yin, which resemble a Shang Dynasty jade weapon at the Yinxu Museum in central China’s Henan province and the 2,500-year-old sword of the legendary king Goujian at the Hubei Provincial Museum in central China.

Director Jiaozi said movie creations are rooted in the soil from which they emerge, and while producing the film, the production team absorbed the essence of much traditional Chinese culture.

A typical example is the barrier beasts – comical figures serving as guardians. Their designs were inspired by artefacts unearthed at the ruins of Sanxingdui and Jinsha in south-west China’s Sichuan province, according to Ne Zha 2 producer Liu Wenzhang.

Sanxingdui Museum deputy curator Zhu Yarong said the ingenious design of the barrier beasts aligns well with Sanxingdui items such as the bronze gold-masked head, mask and eagle-shaped bell.

Through movies and TV plays, the historical significance, cultural essence and contemporary value of cultural relics become more accessible to the public, which helps further promote traditional Chinese culture, said Hebei Museum deputy curator Wang Ran.

In a video interview, Jiaozi – who is in his mid-40s – reflected on the personal journey the Ne Zha films have taken him on, from a passion project to a global phenomenon.

“The first step was creating something I loved, and domestic audiences loved it too,” he said. “Over time, I’ve worked to improve it, to refine my craft. I believe that one day, new ideas, deeper meanings and new soul will emerge from it, and the whole world will be able to appreciate it.” XINHUA