Since Ne Zha 2 was released into theaters on January 29, 2025, the movie has broken box office record after record. Originally released in China, the movie has since grossed over two billion dollars and become the highest-grossing non-English film of all time. It also surpassed Inside Out 2 to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
Produced by multiple Chinese companies, including Enlight, and directed by Yang Yu, the movie is a sequel to its predecessor, Ne Zha 1, which was released in 2019. Similar to its predecessor, Ne Zha 2 is loosely based on Chinese mythology from works such as the 16th century novel Investiture of the Gods.
Ne Zha 2 is the continuation of the friendship that had been developed between two characters with starkly contrasting personalities: the pugnacious demon-child Ne Zha and the patient dragon prince Ao Bing. Though the movie may have a simple plot, in which Ne Zha has to undergo a series of trials in order to obtain a potion that can help save Ao Bing and restore his body, what really sets the movie apart from other adventure films is its emphasis on human emotion. The value of family and friends has been a core aspect throughout the movie, revealing the links that bring people together in the face of adversity and injustice.
Furthermore, reactions to the movie have generally been positive, with many critics praising the animation in particular. “And while some subplots aren’t as consistently well-developed as you might wish them to be, the action scenes remain a great showcase for both the animation team and Yu, too, since they’re focused on both moment-to-moment and character-revealing details,” Simon Abrams wrote in an online review of the film. The vast majority of critics who have written about Ne Zha 2 on the Rotten Tomatoes website have also given positive responses to the film.
Despite the records that Ne Zha 2 has shattered, the majority of the movie’s $2 billion box office revenue has been generated in China. Much of the film’s success could be attributed to a combination of broad appeal to a population of 1.4 billion, a timely release in the midst of the popular Lunar New Year celebrations, and encouragement by local government authorities to watch the film. As a result, the film became a cultural phenomenon for the country, with Deadline stating that over 300 million tickets were sold. Overseas revenue pales in comparison to these numbers, explaining why the movie has been less popular in the West.
For many years, Western companies such as DreamWorks and Disney have dominated animation. However, the success of Ne Zha 2 has the potential to spark further efforts by Chinese companies to expand into the animation industry. Whatever happens next, Ne Zha 2’s impact has been monumental, as it has been watched and praised in movie theaters by many millions of people.
