People attend the US premiere of Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 in Los Angeles at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood on February 8, 2025 local time. The blockbuster made history as the first film to gross more than $1 billion in a single market. It is also the first non-Hollywood film to join the global $1 billion box office club. Photo: cnsphoto
From actors and producers to the crew behind-the-scenes, Hollywood filmmakers are impressed by Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 after watching its premiere in the US on February 8, as reported by CCTV Movie Channel on Wednesday.
“As the director of the Asian World Film Festival, I’ve followed anything that comes out of Asia, and especially China,” said Georges Chamchoum, executive director of the Asian World Film Festival. “I heard that the movie has been breaking records, which is fantastic, I’m always elated when I hear that Chinese movies are doing well.”
“I feel inspired, I feel like the story is relatable as far as being an outcast and finding out one’s identity,” a Hollywood actor echoed.
Ne Zha 2 recently hit the industry with a total box office of $1.266 billion (including pre-sale), ranking it among the top 24 global box office charts as of Wednesday. The film is set to officially release in countries and regions globally including North America on February 14 and Australia on February 13 local time. Currently, many screenings are sold out.
C.L. Chadwick, an Australian student who watched Ne Zha 2 at the preview screenings in Adelaide, told the Global Times that he initially thought it was a typical family friendly kid’s movie, like Kung Fu Panda but later discovered a far higher caliber of artistic endeavor and the themes of familial connection and the struggle to accept oneself as an individual when faced with hostile stereotypes.
“Some aspects of the film feel unique to the Chinese experience, such as the portrayal of a world immersed in Taoist legends. Other aspects are universal to the human experience, family, and our place in society as an individual, are questions that anyone can relate to and identify with,” he added.
He also noted that the film reminded him of popular DreamWorks Animation hits, but none fully capture the visual masterpiece of Ne Zha 2. He felt that every aspect of the appearance of the movie, from its color scheme to its vibrant character design, feels essentially perfect.
Some foreign media outlets hailed the success of the film with the BBC, saying, “To Chinese viewers, Ne Zha 2 shows how locally-made films are becoming competitive globally,” while the New York Times remarked, “The runaway success of Ne Zha 2 is another sign that Chinese audiences are choosing domestic movies over Hollywood blockbusters.”
It is worth noting that Ne Zha 2 will soon face a strong challenger: Captain America: Brave New World, which is set to release simultaneously in the US and Chinese mainland on February 14. Interestingly, Ne Zha 2 has already surpassed the box office of the US movie’s predecessor, Captain America: Civil War, on the global movie rankings.
