China’s highest-grossing film of all time, “Ne Zha 2,” has achieved another remarkable milestone in its historic box office run. This past Sunday, it surpassed the global total of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” securing its place among the top five highest-grossing films ever, unadjusted for inflation.
In contrast to the Hollywood productions that dominate the list, such as “Avatar,” nearly all of the film’s impressive $2.08 billion global total has been generated from domestic audiences in China, with only $31 million coming from international markets. More than 300 million tickets for “Ne Zha 2” have been sold to Chinese moviegoers, a figure that closely aligns with the 340 million estimated population of the entire United States.
Due to the extraordinary popularity of “Ne Zha 2” in China since its launch during the Lunar New Year, the film has surpassed the unadjusted $2.06 billion grossed by “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” during the winter of 2015-16. Previously, it overtook “Inside Out 2” to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time within just three weeks of theatrical release.
The original “Ne Zha” was the inaugural project from the franchise’s studio, Chengdu Coco Cartoon, and it grossed $742 million at the box office. Similar to successful Hollywood animated sequels like “Moana 2” and “Inside Out 2,” years of streaming availability contributed to building anticipation for “Ne Zha 2” by the time it premiered during the lucrative Lunar New Year box office season.
As China’s local film industry continues to expand rapidly, “Ne Zha” has proven to be a significant landmark. TheWrap reported last month that the film offers Chinese audiences something unprecedented: a locally produced animated feature crafted with the production quality of a Disney or DreamWorks film, yet deeply rooted in traditional Chinese mythology and culture.
This unique combination has propelled “Ne Zha 2” to become the first animated film to gross over $2 billion, joining an elite list of all-time box office successes that includes the two “Avatar” films, “Titanic,” and “Avengers: Endgame.”
The post ‘Ne Zha 2’ Passes ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ to Join Top 5 Highest Grossing Films Ever With $2.08 Billion appeared first on TheWrap.
