Chinese Animation Ne Zha 2 Closing In On Avatar’s Box Office Record – Will It Make History?

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Summary

  • Ne Zha 2 is breaking box office records with $2.15 billion globally.
  • The animation may struggle to surpass Avatar unless re-released.
  • The Chinese audience support could potentially push Ne Zha 2 past Avatar’s record.

The sequel to “Ne Zha” is almost finishing up its run at the box office, but a gradual approach often leads to victory in the box office arena. This classic Chinese film could potentially dethrone another big-name Hollywood production from the top spots on the worldwide charts.

The Chinese audience has long been captivated by the ancient tale of “Ne Zha,” a mischievous demon boy who battles dragons. The initial animation brought in an astounding $742 million solely from the Chinese market. However, its sequel, Ne Zha 2, astonished the global film community in the first quarter of the year by earning an unprecedented $2 billion-plus and setting numerous records. It now holds the title for the highest-grossing animated movie ever, surpassing the record set by Inside Out 2 in just three weeks. Additionally, it became the highest-grossing film in a single market (China), surpassing the $936 million domestic gross of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Moreover, Ne Zha 2 is the first and currently only non-Hollywood movie to earn over $1 billion or $2 billion at the box office.

Based on Variety’s report, Ne Zha 2 earned approximately $3.3 million in its eleventh weekend at Chinese cinemas, placing it third in earnings. The leading films didn’t significantly outperform Ne Zha 2. The local drama We Girls closed the weekend with around $4.6 million, while Warner Bros. and Legendary’s A Minecraft Movie trailed slightly behind with about $4.4 million. As of now, Ne Zha 2 has amassed a global total of $2.15 billion, making it the current box office leader for 2025. The next contender is A Minecraft Movie with earnings of around $550 million, and it’s only $73 million away from dethroning James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water as the third highest-grossing film of all time.

Ne Zha 2 Would Need Incredible Legs or A Re-release to Surpass Avatar: The Way of Water

It Just Needs An Additional $73 Million

At one point, Ne Zha 2 had an opportunity to surpass the box office records set by Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Avatar (2009). However, the film’s earnings have dipped significantly, currently making less than $6 million per week. The Chinese market’s weekly performance has also taken a nosedive from $52 million to $20 million. With the American audience unlikely to provide significant support due to limited screenings, the film is now barely making any progress. Despite being shown in only 660 U.S. theaters, it managed to gross $10 million over six days, a record for Chinese releases and the 18th highest for a non-English animated film in the market. Unfortunately, its momentum has slowed considerably and it seems that the race for box office dominance has passed it by.

Avatar: The Way of Water‘s $2.320 billion earnings might seem insurmountable for Ne Zha 2, but with enough miracles and a strategic re-release, it could potentially overtake the box office record set by its rival. For instance, films like Avengers: Endgame and the original Avatar have previously employed this tactic to outperform one another. The twist this time is that Ne Zha 2, with the support of China’s vast 1.3 billion audience, may be encouraged to re-release the film with additional deleted scenes, aiming to make history once more and surpass the earnings of Avatar: The Way of Water.

Sources: Variety, Luiz Fernando/X

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2025-04-14 17:44