China is a revenue-rich country for cinema, regularly producing hits that many have not even heard of or that only land on streamers. Since January 29, 2025, a fantasy animated film has been running in China, which has even surpassed the movie about Super Mario and Barbie, even though it has not yet been released worldwide.
Which film is it? Ne Zha 2 is the sequel to a Chinese animated film from 2019. The films are loosely based on Chinese mythology and Investiture of the Gods. It is about the friends Ne Zha and Ao Bing, who grow up as mystical counterparts.
The film is such a huge success in China that it can compete with international hits in terms of numbers. It even broke the record for the highest earnings in a single country. According to koimoi.com, the film has already grossed over 1.55 billion US dollars after 18 days, making it one of the highest-grossing films of all time, even though it has only had a limited release in other countries besides China.
You can find a trailer for Ne Zha 2 here:
Ne Zha 2 would have been the highest-grossing film of 2023, continuing to rise
How successful is over 1.55 billion US dollars? For comparison, one can look at the year 2023, during which hits like Barbie, The Super Mario Bros Movie, or Oppenheimer were released. Barbie was the highest-grossing film of 2023, with over 1.4 billion US dollars.
With these numbers, Ne Zha 2 is currently the third-highest-grossing animated film of all time, surpassed only by The Lion King (2019) and Inside Out 2. The latter currently tops the list with nearly 1.7 billion US dollars (via Box Office Mojo).
The run of Ne Zha 2 is not over yet. It’s quite likely that the film will also surpass Inside Out 2. The film has only had a limited release in the USA so far, and other countries are likely to follow. Sites like Collider or KoiMoi even see a chance that the film will break the legendary 2 billion mark. Only 6 films have achieved that so far:
- Avatar (2.9 billion US dollars)
- Avatar: The Way of Water (2.3 billion US dollars)
- Titanic (2.2 billion US dollars)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2 billion US dollars)
- Avengers: Endgame (2.7 billion US dollars)
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2 billion US dollars)
How likely is that? As CNN reports, Ne Zha 2 is currently a big phenomenon in China. Due to the current situation, fewer films from other countries are coming to China, and Ne Zha 2 benefits from that. The release timing around the Chinese New Year holiday was also a good start for the film.
Internationally, the film, especially if it remains a limited release, is unlikely to be as successful, yet the film could still increase its earnings significantly. Especially in China, the film seems to be performing well. Nevertheless, it will likely be challenging to break the 2 billion mark.
Even if Na Zha 2 does not reach the next milestone, the film shows what a strong and important market China is for the film industry. China invests heavily and regularly releases big films. Among them was the sci-fi hit The Wandering Earth: On Netflix, you can watch a massive sci-fi film about humanity fleeing from the sun
