Chinese animated mythology movie ne zha2 This weekend, it made history by surpassing over $1 billion in box office sales, the first non-American film and the first film to surpass one billion in one national market, China.
Nationally run Global Times Propaganda Outlet explained ne zha2 As “the most watched film in China,” it has attracted 160 million viewers since its debut on the Chinese New Year on January 29th. The New Year of the Moon is the biggest holiday in most Asia. In China, families traditionally took a break to go to the theatre, making it the week of the month's New Year's week in a year at the box office in China. ne zha2 During the New Year's “Golden Week” of China's month, he was responsible for about half of all box office revenue.
ne zha2a sequel to an animated film based on medieval Chinese lore that debuted in selected American theatres this weekend, and is expected to take away nearly $1 billion. If China's predictions are true, the film will become the most profitable animation feature in global box office history. observation on monday.
ne zha2The success comes at a troubling time for the American box office, where even Hollywood's top gross films struggle to maintain high sales in US theatres. Super Bowl weekends have traditionally been one of America's slowest theatre weekends, but the decline in theater attendance in 2025 appears to precede that expected event.
“Just eight days after release ne zha2 On Thursday, it became China's best-selling film of all time, surpassing the 5.77 billion yuan record Battle at Lake Changjin,' Global Times observation. “A day later, it overtaked Star Wars: The Force Awakens It reached 67.9 billion yuan (including pre-sale) in China on Friday to become the highest-selling film ever in a single market. ”
Neza is a legendary boy who has been described in several religious denominations common in China, including Buddhism and Taoism. Neza is reportedly born as a grown child after her mother endured a three-and-a-half year pregnancy and engaged in legendary battles with various traditional monsters. Ne zhathe film begins a new journey with the sequel, where the boy sacrifices his body to fight the villain, but retains his soul and draws a conclusion.
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ne zha2 It presents a new kind of success in “patriotic” Chinese communist propaganda films. Foregoing Battle at Lake Changjin And his predecessor as a Chinese film, Wolf Warrior 2explicitly an anti-American communist propaganda film. Changjin Lake He told the story of a Chinese communist fighting in the Korean War, defeating a cartoon-esque American military commander at an honorary event. Wolf Warrior 2 It tells the story of a Chinese special forces that save Africans from fictional, injustice American guerrillas. for Changjin LakeThe government is amazing Recommended Movie fans eating frozen potatoes in theaters will make the experience of fighting in the Korean War more realistic. These films are highly favored at the box office, as China uses a “social credit system” to control individual behavior by lowering its “social credit” score if it is eager to propaganda. I did.
Immediately after the success of Wolf Warrior 2The Chinese Communist Party has announced that the “promotion division” will be in charge of controlling all filmmaking in the country, ensuring that filmmakers will produce only government-approved propaganda. China became the world's largest theatre market in 2020. This is primarily a result of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic closing theaters around the world. Changjin Lake For a while it became the dominant artistic force that defined subsequent Chinese cinema. The result was a barrage of war films like this: Changjin Lake And despite its less successful sequel and its social credibility system, the war film slowed the attention of the Chinese people.
Following the wave of protests in 2022, and the big failure to promote “patriotic” films that copy Americans Top Gun The franchise known as Born to fly -Chinese theatres began offering more personal drama, comedy and science fiction in 2023. Fail Born to fly Multiple reports have shown that it was particularly embarrassing for the Chinese government as the film was delayed from its debut from the Communist Party Day holiday in October and the New Year of the Month.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0i3brqmna4
Ne zha 2 It offers an explicit Chinese story based on folklore that is not a “patriotic” angle commonly known outside of China. As an animated feature, it is also attractive for families and suitable for children. Wolf Warrior 2 and Changjin Lake.
“This robust performance was a major victory for China's film industry, facing a tough year in 2024, down 23% from 2023 and 34% from its pre-pandemic peak in 2019.” Global Times I gloved on monday.
Next frontier ne zha2 It's America. Unlike the Chinese box office revenues, where the government closely regulates Hollywood movies, American theatres welcome international features that show economic commitments. ne zha2 debut On Saturday, there was a Chinese government-sponsored event in Los Angeles, captivating hundreds of spectators. “Pre-sale tickets [are] “It jumps out of the American shelves, the Chinese government's CGTN network.” It has been reported on monday.
“With the occupancy rate exceeding 90%, pre-sale tickets in the US are currently in very high demand and making them extremely difficult, a film distributor CMC photo told China Media Group ” added CGTN.
In contrast, early 2025, American films sometimes have slower ticket sales in the US. The top US box office films are now also animated films. Dog manearning $13.7 million at the box office this weekend.
“It wasn't a banner weekend The dog man The Associated Press observed. “It fell suddenly, dropping 62% in the second weekend. However, the production budget was $40 million. Dog man It has already tallied $54.1 million domestically in two weeks. ”
With the Super Bowl no longer presenting a challenge and two major blockbusters expected to debut, Hollywood is hoping for an increase in ticket sales next week. Captain America: A brave new world and Paddington, Peru.
