Ne Zha 2: The blockbuster en route to becoming first animated movie to cross $2 billion

Ne Zha 2 recently became the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, overtaking 2024’s Inside Out 2. Now, the film has surpassed Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home at the global box office, earning a staggering $1.93 billion and becoming the seventh highest-grossing film of all time.

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Ne Zha 2 reportedly had a budget of $80 million. The majority of its earnings come from China ($1.6 billion) across more than 80,000 screens, with $180 million generated from IMAX screenings. While the movie has only had a limited international release, it has still managed to gross over $300 million outside China.

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What Is Ne Zha 2 About?

The story follows the legendary hero Nezha as he battles the formidable Dragon Kings to defend the fortress of Chentangguan. Released in cinemas on 29 January 2025, the film has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics.

Directed by Jiaozi, Ne Zha 2, is the sequel to 2019's Ne Zha, it is based on the classic novel Investiture of the Gods. The film was a massive undertaking, with more than 4,000 people across 138 animation studios contributing to its production.

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Ne Zha 2’s box office success

The success of Ne Zha 2, along with other major Chinese releases such as Detective Chinatown 1900 ($443 million), Boonie Bears: Future Reborn ($101.9 million), Creation of the Gods ($153.2 million), and Operation Hadal ($48 million), has pushed the total Chinese box office well past the $2 billion mark.

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