In the first month of the year 2025, there could be a movie that could break the record of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. However, it will only be in cinemas in one country in the world.
Which movie is it? Ne Zha 2 is an animated film that will be released in Chinese cinemas on January 29, 2025, just in time for the Chinese New Year. The prequel was released in 2019. Fans had to wait 6 years to see the sequel to Ne Zha.
- Ne Zha is a boy born from the essence of the demon sphere, which was destined for destruction. Everyone fears he will bring great calamity to the land. Ao Bing, on the other hand, grows up with the counterpart, the spirit pearl.
- Ne Zha and Ao Bing are enemies from birth, but they become friends during the course of the first part.
- In the first part, protagonist Ne Zha and Ao Bing died because they absorbed too much energy into their mortal bodies through the chaos pearl. However, with the help of Taiyi, they were able to become spirits that are worshiped.
- In the second part, the focus is on restoring their bodies. Taiyi plans to use the seven-colored lotus for this purpose.
Ne Zha and Ao Bing must face dangerous sea creatures to regain their bodies. The film offers a mix of drama, fantasy, and animation. It is particularly well received by audiences: on the Chinese ratings platform Taopiaopiao, Ne Zha 2 has a rating of 9.8/10.
Chinese film could break Star Wars record
What record is that? Ne Zha 2 grossed an impressive 419 million euros in the first 5 days after its theatrical release. This means the film has surpassed many other movies, including a Marvel blockbuster: Avengers: Endgame grossed “only” 412 million euros in theaters in America during the same period.
Additionally, other records were broken:
- Ne Zha 2 generated the highest sum in a single day in Chinese cinemas
- The film is currently the highest-grossing film of 2025, although this could still be surpassed throughout the year
- It is the highest-grossing non-English language film to date
Even though Ne Zha 2 will only be released in China, it could break another record set by Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Star Wars managed to gross 902 million euros in just one country, namely the USA, in 2015. In contrast, Ne Zha 2 could earn even more in China, thereby becoming the highest-grossing film in its own country.
The worldwide total of nearly 2 billion euros from Star Wars is something that Ne Zha 2 will likely not surpass (via Box Office Mojo). The team has set a goal of surpassing the 1 billion dollar mark, which is 964 million euros. However, experts estimate that Ne Zha 2 could earn around 675 million euros.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens set a record in the USA, but it is not the best part of the Star Wars saga. In our MeinMMO ranking, you will find all the films of the Star Wars universe and in the order of how good they are: All 15 Star Wars films ranked
