Ne Zha 2's unprecedented $1.6 billion box office success has been explained by IMAX China CEO Daniel Manwaring as the film is released in the US. The sequel to 2019's Ne Zha, the animated fantasy adventure film follows its titular character and his friend, Ao Bing, forced the share a body and restore the Sacred Lotus to get it back after the events of the previous movie. Having high critical praise, the movie also became 2025's highest-grossing film so far. It's earned $1.66 billion worldwide, with most comes from China, becoming their highest-grossing animated movie of all time.
Speaking with Scott Mendelson of Puck about the film's success, Manwaring explained how Ne Zha 2 got so popular during its Chinese release. He explained the movie is part of Investiture of the Gods, a Chinese story whose cultural roots have helped bolster the film's popularity. The IMAX China CEO also explained how the country's movie business took longer to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, with the animated sequel being the first big movie to really arrive in theaters since. Check out what Manwaring had to say below:
Scott Mendelson: What explains the success of Ne Zha 2? Is it essentially a Shrek 2 phenomenon—namely, a well-liked sequel to a beloved original—or is there more to it?
Daniel Manwaring: Ne Zha comes from a much larger universe called Investiture of the Gods. It’s a small piece of a story that runs thousands of years, and which children learn growing up. So you’ve got I.P. that has been instilled in people for so long. Then you combine it with the fact that it’s a good movie. It’s got laughter, amazing action sequences, and the best animation quality China has ever done. It hits every demographic. Moreover, we’ve seen a lot of Chinese films that are partially about teaching the audience something, often with a very on-the-nose message. Ne Zha 2 doesn’t have any of that.
[...]
Scott Mendelson: Covid arguably hit the Chinese movie business harder than Hollywood. In some ways, it’s still recovering.
Daniel Manwaring: China was essentially late to the post-Covid world. They basically delayed everything for a year. So in 2023, you had a pipeline of about three years of films that were on a shelf. The Film Bureau came in, they turned on the faucet, and everything flooded out in 2023. However, in 2024, you had many if not most of the films launching that year that were produced amid this post-Covid hangover. People didn’t know what the budget should be, or if audiences were going to go back to the movies. You had this transitional kind of year. There just really weren’t any big movies. But now Ne Zha 2 just passed $104 million in Chinese Imax auditoriums alone, past the previous milestone, Avengers: Endgame, which earned around $83 million in 2019.
[...]
As for us, specifically, as of this past Sunday, around 11.28 million admissions were recorded for Ne Zha 2 in Imax in China. That’s just a crazy number.
What Manwaring's Statement Says About Ne Zha 2's Success
A Good Sign For China's Recovering Film Industry
Ne Zha 2 was produced by Enlight Pictures as part of their shared Fengshen Universe, which also consists of 2019's Ne Zha and 2020's Jiang Ziya. The lengthy wait between installments adapting Investiture of the Gods echoes Manwaring's words about how China's film industry was impacted by the pandemic. Its subsequent success also emphasizes the current rebound, spelling good news for both the country's theatrical releases, and 2025's upcoming movies from around the world, which could find new footholds in the recovered market.
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Given just how massive a success Ne Zha 2 has become, the movie is already in the running for the highest-grossing film of the year. While other big releases like the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash could surpass its box office run, the animated feature has proven the Chinese film market is having a major recovery period that could trickle into more films throughout the year. This will no doubt include movies produced in the country, with half the current highest-grossing movies of 2025 coming from China as of writing.
Our Take On Ne Zha 2's Major Box Office Success
The Strength Of China's Film Industry Is Clear
With the movie proving itself incredibly popular in China, Ne Zha 2 symbolizes just how good the country's domestic box office performance can be as 2025 continues. It may also prove important for larger overseas releases as well, especially those whose box office performances often rely on large international markets to turn a profit. With the country's animated release showcasing the power of its theatrical releases, even more impressive numbers are likely to come as the year's releases continue.
| Highest-Grossing Movies Of 2025 | Country Of Origin | Global Box Office USD (As Of February 17, 2025) |
| Ne Zha 2 | China | $1.66 billion |
| Detective Chinatown 1900 | China | $443.1 million |
| Captain America: Brave New World | United States | $192.4 million |
| Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force | China | $160.2 million |
| Boonie Bears: Future Reborn | China | $101.5 million |
| Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants | China | $89.3 million |
| Dog Man | United States | $87.2 million |
| Den of Thieves 2: Pantera | United States | $53.8 million |
| Operation Hadal | China | $53.7 million |
| One of Them Days | United States | $39.4 million |
Source: Puck
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Ne Zha 2
PG
Animation Fantasy Adventure8/10
- Release Date
- January 29, 2025
- Runtime
- 144 minutes
- Director
- Yang Yu
- Writers
- Yang Yu
- Producers
- Liu Wenzhang
Cast
-
Lü Yanting
Young Nezha (voice)
-
Joseph
Youth Nezha/Jie Jie Shou Zuo (voice)
