The sheer potential of theglobal theatrical marketis perhaps too humongous to comprehend, as is being proven in China alone this week. The Middle Kingdom witnessed something of an explosion during the Chinese New Year period, with a string ofmajor new films grossing a combined total of over $1.3 billion during the past weekend. The biggest of the lot is the animated sequelNe Zha 2, which broke several box office records in the first week of its release. The movie also overtookMoana 2to deliver the biggest-ever debut haul for an animated title.
Ne Zha 2grossed more than $430 million in its five-day debut, exceeding the $386 million global debut ofMoana 2from last November.Moana 2recently passed the $1 billion mark worldwide, and has grossed $1.037 billion so far. Of this total, only $15 million came from China, whileNorth America contributed more than $450 million.Ne Zha 2, on the other hand, has been on an earth-shattering run. Themovie has already passed the $700 million markin China alone, and could hit the $750 million mark as early as Wednesday. This puts it ahead of the firstNe Zha, which concluded its global run with $742 million in 2019.
Ne Zha 2will soon overtakeThe Battle at Lake Changjinto become the highest-grossing Chinese film of all time. If it passes the $936 million mark, it’ll overtakeStar Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakensto deliver the biggest single-territory gross of all time.Ne Zha 2also has a shot at becoming the first film in history to pass the $1 billion mark in one country. Chinese platform Maoyan is predicting a lifetime haul of $1.2 billion in China, according toDeadline. The Middle Kingdom, over the course of a decade or so, has cultivated a robust local film industry of its own. China relied on foreign films to sustain its marketplace for several years, before certain limitations were imposed on the number of foreign titles that could be released there.
‘Ne Zha 2’ Will Be Released in North America on February 14
Ne Zha 2is alreadyamong the 30 highest-grossing animated movies of all time, and will soon overtake the likes ofShrek Forever After,Coco, and the firstInside Out. If it actually ends up hitting the $1.2 billion mark, it will become one of the five highest-grossing animated movies ever. The top five list currently includesIncredibles 2($1.2 billion),Frozen($1.2 billion),The SupeMario Bros. Movie($1.3 billion),Frozen II($1.4 billion), andInside Out 2($1.6 billion). Produced ona reported budget of $80 million,Ne Zha 2is directed byJiaozi, and is currentlythe highest-grossing film of 2025. The movie will be released domestically on February 14. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
