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Movies China

'Ne Zha 2' Becomes First Non-Hollywood Film To Hit $1 Billion (globaltimes.cn) 37

Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 has broken multiple box office records, becoming China's highest-grossing film of all time and the first non-Hollywood movie to surpass $1 billion in a single market. From a report: Helmed by Yang Yu, known as Jiaozi, the film hit the big screen during the lucrative Chinese New Year frame on Jan. 29, surpassing 2017's "Wolf Warrior 2" to become China's most-watched film. Meanwhile, its total revenue (including presales) hit 8 billion yuan (about 1.12 billion U.S. dollars) by Sunday. In just eight days and five hours after its release, "Ne Zha 2" became China's highest-grossing film of all time on Thursday, exceeding the 5.77 billion yuan record set by "The Battle at Lake Changjin." A day later, it overtook "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" to become the highest-grossing film ever in a single market, reaching over 6.79 billion yuan (including presales) in China on Friday.

A follow-up to the animated sensation "Ne Zha," which grossed 5 billion yuan and topped the country's box office charts in 2019, the sequel has captivated audiences with its breathtaking visuals, rich storytelling and deep cultural resonance. The record-breaking run makes "Ne Zha 2" not just a box office titan but a cultural phenomenon, further underscoring China's ability to produce homegrown blockbusters that strike a chord with domestic audiences.
You can watch the international trailer on YouTube.

'Ne Zha 2' Becomes First Non-Hollywood Film To Hit $1 Billion

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  • by StevenMaurer ( 115071 ) on Tuesday February 11, 2025 @09:07PM (#65160663) Homepage

    It certainly wasn't conveyed in the trailer. It more looked like yet another paint by the numbers "Magic Kung Fu" movie, where the entire plot consists of seeing the chosen-one MC beating up an ever higher power scaled set of opponents in one-off battles using battle moves they have to yell out for them to take effect. The dramatic tension coming when he almost loses a battle against the big boss. Before winning. The end.

    At least he looks underaged, so I doubt there's the typical subplot of scantily clad girls all hanging around him in a virginal harem that he - like most Asian MCs - is somehow too clueless about romance to ever pursue.

    It's basically the equivalent of US superhero TV shows. Not the darker superhero movies made in the '90s, but the "SuperFriends" and "He Man" ones made in the 1970s and played on Saturday Morning, where everything has the depth of a soap dish and the audience is presumed to be about seven years old.

    Did SlashDot get a kickback to promote this?

    • So it was weird...a publication I have never heard of that took suspiciously long to load and seemed oddly fawing for a film I've never heard of...from Wikipedia [wikipedia.org]

      The Global Times (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Huánqiú Shíbào) is a daily tabloid newspaper under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party's flagship newspaper, the People's Daily, commenting on international issues from a Chinese nationalistic perspective.[1][2][3][4] The publication is sometimes called "China's Fox News" for its propaganda and the monetization of nationalism.[5][6][7][8]

      Established as a publication in 1993, its English version was launched in 2009. The editor-in-chief of Global Times was Hu Xijin until December 2021, who has been described as an early adopter of the "wolf warrior" communication strategy of loudly denouncing perceived criticism of the Chinese government and its policies.[9] The newspaper has been the source of various incidents, including fabrications, conspiracy theories, and disinformation.[note 1] It is part of a broader set of Chinese state media outlets that constitute the Chinese government's propaganda apparatus.[17][18]

      This is neutral enough of an article, but...when I read something, I always like to know the source and if they have a perspective beyond delivering facts.

      • by Moryath ( 553296 )
        Sounds like Tencent bought Slashdot now, huh?
      • by rta ( 559125 )

        And the comments on the YT trailer are that weird combo of low detail and over the top praise that sounds like advertising (or nationalist propaganda).

        As to the movie itself maybe it's fine, but from the trailer it looks "meh" at best. And since it's mainland approved i doubt it's particularly nuanced or wry (since it has to, you know... provide good moral guidance and not have any subversive thoughts etc)

        I've seen a couple of bilibili produced anime series and they were also "eh".

        idk, maybe it's that i d

    • by Moryath ( 553296 )

      It more looked like yet another paint by the numbers "Magic Kung Fu" movie, where the entire plot consists of seeing the chosen-one MC beating up an ever higher power scaled set of opponents in one-off battles using battle moves they have to yell out for them to take effect.

      That's precisely what it was. It made a ton of money "in China" because the CCP basically ordered the slaves to show up. It's just another boring ass rehash of the songoku myth, because Chinese "culture" hasn't created anything new fo

    • I thought it looked too serious for a kids movie. Like Kung Fu Panda if they were really trying to kill the bad guys.

    • Not the darker superhero movies made in the '90s,

      Ah like Batman and Robin? The 1990 Captain America? Judge Dredd (which is awesome by the way). Do TMNT qualify as superheros?

    • When you judge a movie by a short trailer everything looks like a equivalent of a US superhero show. It's also an incredibly stupid thing to do, trailers are worthless at giving you any information about how good a movie is at best, and will actively spoil critical plot points at worst.

      Didn't your mum ever teach you "don't judge a book by its cover" is a generalised saying and should not be taken literally to apply only books?

  • if the entire population is afraid to not go see the film?
  • It's a Dragonball style Chinese Kung-Fu comedy? I love Chinese Kung Fu comedies, now I just gotta figure out how to pirate this...
  • Make Hollywood Great Again!

    Now, trow the stones...

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
    It Scored high on Rotten Tomatos with both critics 88 and audience 98: https://www.rottentomatoes.com... [rottentomatoes.com]
    However it will be confusing or weird if you are not familiar with the myth: https://mythopedia.com/topics/... [mythopedia.com]
    Also interesting that the character Ne Zha is in tons of video games https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

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