Never mind, Marvel—there’s a new leader at the box office, and it isn’t robed in a cape or slashing adamantium claws. Ne Zha 2, the Chinese animated mega-hit, has officially bulldozed its way into history, passing Inside Out 2 to become the highest-grossing animated film ever. But that’s not even the most surprising part: This film also just passed the $2 billion mark, becoming the first animated feature to do so.
Though the Western world may be surprised by Ne Zha 2‘s success, anyone familiar with its 2019 predecessor was expecting this. The first Ne Zha earned a remarkable $742 million, becoming the second-highest-grossing non-English-language film of all time. As for the sequel, its reported $80 million budget makes it safe to say that the animation industry in China just scored a win that was completely unrealizable by its Hollywood counterparts.
Jiaozi takes the helm for the second installment of the series, which continues the mythological journey of its titular boy god, Nezha, and the ally he made in the first movie, Ao Bing. Inspired by the classic 16th-century novel Investiture of the Gods, the film follows the two as they seek to restore their physical forms with the help of the immortal Taiyi Zhenren.
In only 33 days, Ne Zha 2 has raced past $2 billion in total gross, an almost unfathomable figure to achieve in the current climate of global box office. The lion’s share of its total comes from China, which is also the only market where the film has been released thus far; it has grossed nearly $2 billion there alone. It has been widely reported that the film is now the all-time highest-grossing film in a single market, besting the previous record holder (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) by more than a billion dollars.
To provide context, only six other movies have ever crossed the $2 billion mark: Avatar ($2.9 billion), Avengers: Endgame ($2.7 billion), Avatar: The Way of Water ($2.3 billion), Titanic ($2.2 billion), Infinity War ($2.05 billion), and The Force Awakens ($2.07 billion). Ne Zha 2 is about to change that lineup.
Ne Zha 2‘s success is a huge indicator of the growing power of China’s film industry. Hollywood’s grip on the global box office is slipping, with Chinese films increasingly outgrossing Western blockbusters. Case in point: Captain America: Brave New World has only managed to bring in $343 million, while Deadpool & Wolverine raked in $1.338 billion—still nowhere close to Ne Zha 2’s towering numbers.
Ne Zha 2 rising to the top isn’t just about making money; it’s about establishing a movement for animation in China. For a long time, the country’s animated features—once world-beaters thanks to the renowned Shanghai Animation Film Studio—were considered inferior to modern animated movies made in Hollywood. Advances in animation technology and changes in audience preference have changed all that. Ne Zha 2 has redefined what’s possible for Chinese animation on the global stage.
With the film still going strong, the question now is no longer whether it will keep breaking records but how many more it will shatter before its box office run is done. Will it surpass Titanic? Could it challenge Avengers: Endgame?
Also, check out our review of Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force, another film doing really well at the Chinese box office.
