Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" finishes top five at N. American box office on opening weekend

by Xinhua writer Gao Shan

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" rounded out the top five at the North American box office on its opening weekend, making it the biggest opening weekend for any Chinese production in recent years.

Data from measurement firm Comscore showed on Sunday that the highly-anticipated film has generated an estimated three-day cume of 7.2 million U.S. dollars in North America through Sunday.

The animated epic fantasy film's North American pre-sale box office alone has exceeded the opening weekend box office record in North America for any Chinese-language film in the past 20 years.

Marvel's "Captain America: Brave New World" debuted atop the North American box office this weekend with an estimated 88.5 million dollars in 4,105 theaters.

"Ne Zha 2" is being released by CMC Pictures in Mandarin with English subtitles in about 750 selected theaters in North American cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, New York, Boston, Atlanta, Toronto, Vancouver and a few other cities with a large overseas Chinese population, according to the company.

Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, noted that "Ne Zha 2" is a "global box office juggernaut."

"The widely reported global box office success and amazing reviews of this incredible and beautifully presented animated film has put it high on the must-see list for movie fans in the North American market and that was reflected in the solid numbers this weekend," he told Xinhua.

A lady, who gave her name as Emily Li, told Xinhua that she brought her two children to watch the movie.

"Kids love the story. They even watched the original Ne Zha film online in advance for the plot," she added.

"Ne Zha 2" is a sequel to the 2019 animated blockbuster "Ne Zha." Both films were inspired by China's 16th-century classic novel "The Investiture of the Gods."

The animated film has captivated Chinese audiences with its exquisite animation production, grand visual imagination and rich cultural expression. After opening on Jan. 29, the film swiftly smashed box office records, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time in China.

As the film continues its record-breaking run, it has grossed an astounding 11.9 billion yuan (about 1.64 billion U.S. dollars) through Sunday. It has become the first non-Hollywood production to break into the top 20 highest-grossing films ever worldwide.

Industry insiders believe the Chinese movie is on track to becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time globally. So far, the highest-grossing animated film of all time is Disney's 2024 film "Inside Out 2," which earned 1.699 billion dollars worldwide.

The success of "Ne Zha 2" has attracted widespread attention from the international media.

CNN reported that "An unruly Chinese boy who battles dragons and defies destiny has made his way to Western cinema screens after smashing box office records in China."

"For decades, China's movie market had been dominated by Hollywood blockbusters. But in recent years, homegrown titles -- in genres from action and sci-fi to romance and animation -- have increasingly outpaced Western films, a pivot fueled by rising cultural pride, more sophisticated storytelling and rapid technological progress," the news outlet said. ■