The fantasy animation "Ne Zha 2" has set a new record in China by earning 7.7 billion yuan (1.05 billion dollars) in just 10 days of its release.
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A still shot from the 2019 film "Ne Zha." Image from Ne Zha movie's Weibo account. |
This figure was confirmed by Maoyan, a leading Chinese ticketing platform. Released on January 29, "Ne Zha 2" has surpassed the previous record holder, the 2021 war drama "The Battle At Lake Changjin," and relegated the original "Ne Zha," released in 2019, to fifth place on China's all-time earnings list.
Reports indicate that the surge in "Ne Zha 2" has made it the highest-grossing film in a single market, previously held by "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which earned $936.7 million in North America in 2015.
A report showed that shares of Beijing Enlight Media, the film's distributor, rose by up to the 20% daily limit on Wednesday, with total gains of over 140% since the market reopened after the Lunar New Year holiday, increasing the company's market value by nearly 40 billion yuan.
In addition, the film's popularity led to an increase in pre-orders for a related art book, and the Weibo social media platform was filled with posts congratulating the film on its success.
This milestone also indicates a significant rebound for the Chinese box office, which experienced a 23% decline in 2024, and highlights the industry's competitive advantage over Hollywood despite regulatory and content challenges. In 2024, foreign films such as Walt Disney Co.'s "Deadpool & Wolverine" and "Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire," as well as Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki's anime "The Boy And The Heron," made it to the top 10 most popular films in China.
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