By Karl Quinn
A Chinese animated film based on a character from ancient Taoist scripture has become the highest-grossing non-English-language movie of all time, and racked up a host of other records, including top-grossing animated movie.
Ne Zha 2, the sequel to 2019’s Ne Zha, is on course to pass the $US1.9 billion mark globally in its second week. Remarkably, almost all of that comes from its home territory.
Ne Zha 2 has set a slew of box office records.Credit: Beijing Enlight Pictures
To put that in context, the highest-grossing film of all time (based only on cinema box office) is Avatar, at $US2.923 billion. Avengers: Endgame is next, with $US2.797 billion. Only six films have so far passed the $US2 billion mark.
Ne Zha 2, a digitally animated film about a boy god who battles dragons representing the forces of evil, is the first film ever to take more than $US1 billion in a single territory.
Last week it passed Inside Out 2’s $US1.699 billion to claim the title of most financially successful animated film worldwide.
In Australia, it has spent a second straight weekend as the third-highest-grossing feature in cinemas. Its haul of $1.5 million in its second weekend brings its Australian total to $5.22 million.
Its first weekend per-screen average of $25,000 is the best of any film this year, and is more than last year’s top film, Deadpool & Wolverine, managed in its opening weekend.
Non-English-language releases are increasingly important to the Australian cinema business, particularly in the mainland capitals, where foreign students make up a large proportion of customers.
However, Ne Zha 2 has been disproportionately successful locally.
In 2024, there were 38 movies made in China or with Chinese funding released in Australia. Apart from Kung Fu Panda 4, which grossed $24.81 million, and Ferrari (partially financed with Chinese money), which took $3.86 million, none of them topped the $1 million mark. In all, those other 26 Chinese-language films took about $5.6 million.
The year before, 38 films classified as Chinese were released in Australia. The top two – Meg 2: The Trench and Guy Ritchie’s Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre – were Hollywood productions with Chinese finance. The remaining 26 grossed about $8.9 million combined.
Indian cinema is a greater presence in Australia, with more than 250 titles released last year, for a total box office of about $40 million (the top 10 films accounted for almost half that haul).
Reports suggest the success of Ne Zha 2 in China has been spurred by patriotism. Audiences have been urged to see the film to help fend off the latest Marvel movie, Captain America: Brave New World, and criticism of it has been decried as “unpatriotic”.
Highest-grossing films worldwide ($US)
Avatar $2,923,706,026 (2009)
Avengers: Endgame $2,797,501,328 (2019)
Avatar: The Way of Water $2,320,250,281 (2022)
Titanic $2,257,844,554 (1997)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens $2,068,223,624 (2015)
Avengers: Infinity War $2,048,359,754 (2018)
Spider-Man: No Way Home $1,922,598,800 (2021)
Ne Zha 2 $1,889,620,155 (2025)
Inside Out 2 $1,698,863,816 (2024)
Jurassic World $1,671,537,444 (2015)