Since its release during the Spring Festival on January 29, the Chinese animated film ‘Ne Zha 2’ has been setting box office records one after another. The film became the first Chinese film to gross $1 billion in the Chinese market alone. As of February 12, its revenue had exceeded 9.3 billion Yuan ($1.27 billion). According to the South China Morning Post, tickets worth $2 billion had been sold as of last Monday. The film’s worldwide gross as of early March has reached nearly $2.015 billion, according to ticket sales platform Mayon. It is the first time, a domestic Chinese animated film has grossed so much in the Chinese market, overtaking the influence of Western films, including Hollywood. The earnings of “Ne Zha 2” have created waves in the Chinese box office. However, some Chinese filmmakers and studio executives have said that it would be premature to immediately comment on whether “Ne Zha 2″‘s unprecedented earnings will change the shape and potential of the Chinese film market.

This year marks the 120th anniversary of Chinese cinema and the 130th anniversary of world cinema. The strong performance of ‘Ne Zha 2’ has boosted confidence within the global film industry, re-affirmed the enduring vitality of film as an art form, and provided valuable insights into Chinese filmmaking. When “Kung Fu Panda” made its mark at the box office in 2008, it shocked China. Nationalists were outraged by what they saw as an American attack on Chinese culture, and there were calls for a government ban. The success of the film by Hollywood studio DreamWorks also created waves in the Chinese film industry. ‘Ne Zha 2’ reveals the depth and richness of Chinese cultural heritage. The film depicts China’s Bronze Age, taking the audience back to ancient Chinese history. The success of ‘Ne Zha 2’ also signals the arrival of a new generation of filmmakers in China. The film is a sequel to the 2019 hit ‘Ne Zha’. It is the third series under Enlight Pictures’ Fengshen Universe, following ‘Ne Zha’ and ‘Jiang Jia’ (2020). Written and directed by Xiaoji (Yu Yang), the film is inspired by Chinese mythology and the 16th-century novel Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi).