The fantasy animation “Ne Zha 2” has set a new record in China by earning 7.7 billion yuan (US$1.05 billion) within its first 10 days of release.
According to Bloomberg, this figure was confirmed by Maoyan, a leading Chinese ticketing platform. Released on Jan. 29, “Ne Zha 2” has surpassed the previous record-holder, the 2021 war drama “The Battle At Lake Changjin,” and demoted the original “Ne Zha,” released in 2019, to fifth place on China’s all-time earnings list.
Variety reports that this surge has made “Ne Zha 2” the world’s highest-grossing film in a single market, previously held by “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which earned US$936.7 million in North America in 2015.
Another Bloomberg report highlighted that shares of Beijing Enlight Media, the film’s distributor, increased by up to the 20% daily limit on Wednesday, with total gains exceeding 140% since the market reopened after the Lunar New Year holiday, boosting the company’s market value by nearly 40 billion yuan.
Additionally, anticipation for the film increased pre-orders for an art book related to the franchise, and the social media platform Weibo was abuzz with posts celebrating the film’s success.
This landmark achievement also signifies a strong recovery for the Chinese box office, which saw a 23% decline in 2024, and demonstrates a competitive edge over Hollywood amidst regulatory and content challenges. In 2024, foreign films like Walt Disney Co.’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire,” along with Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s anime “The Boy And The Heron,” made it to the top 10 most popular films in China.
The “Ne Zha” franchise is inspired by the 16th-century Chinese novel “Investiture of the Gods,” and had a production budget of 600 million yuan, as reported by Chinese media outlet Sina.
