China Blockbusting Through Hollywood

Elizabeth Denton

Staff Writer

China is currently facing difficulties recovering from the fallout of a real estate crisis and dealing with low consumer confidence, deflationary pressures, and trade tensions with the United States. The Chinese government has set an optimistic economic growth target of 5 percent for the year, but economic uncertainty has hit younger generations especially hard. The urban unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds is around 16 percent, according to Global Times, and youth feel uncertain about future careers and financial opportunities, leading to lessening popularity of paying to see movies in theaters.  All of this makes the recent success of “Ne Zha 2” all the more surprising.

“Ne Zha 2,” The Guardian reports, is a recent blockbuster inspired by Chinese mythology, evoking nationalism.  Previous movies to dominate Chinese cinema for the past few years have been mainly patriotic stories, such as “The Battle at Lake Changjin,” now in second place, which tells the story of Chinese soldiers fighting Americans during the Korean War. This film was sponsored by theCommunist Party. The movie currently in third is “Wolf Warrior 2,” which follows a Chinese soldier protecting aid workers in Africa. Many are taking “Ne Zha 2’s” success as a move away from these patriotic battle-heavy epics in cinemas.

The film is also reinforcing the idea that Chinese culture is best narrated by China, reports The New York Times. Chinese news alludes that Disney’s Mulan fails at appropriately displaying Chinese culture.  Fans are accepting “Ne Zha 2” as  a symbol of the country’s growing cultural significance. Traditional Chinese culture also inspired the video game Black Myth: Wukong, which was an instant hit upon its release in 2024.

“Ne Zha 2” broke several box office records since its release over the Lunar New Year holiday. It is now China’s highest-grossing film, the highest-grossing film in a single market, and the 17th highest-grossing film ever. The prequel movie titled “Ne Zha,” released in 2019, made nearly five billion yuan in mainland China box office. According to The Diplomat, filmgoers have likened the movie to Hollywood blockbusters such as “Inside Out” and “Toy Story,” in terms of animation quality and special effects.

BBC reports a box office earning of around $1.7 billion for “Ne Zha 2,” triggering a swell of national pride across the country. On social media, fans rave over the movie and closely watch critics, even accusing them of being paid to spread negative reviews. Around the same time as the premiere of the Chinese film, Marvel Studios released “Captain America: Brave New World.” The two films are now  box office rivals.. In China, many are abstaining from watching the American movie to not detract from “Ne Zha 2’s” success. Of the $92 million “Captain America: Brave New World” has made outside the U.S., China only contributes about $10.6 million.

The Marvel movie made only $12 million during its opening week in China, compared to the $88 million it earned in its opening weekend ticket sales in the U.S. “Ne Zha 2,” on the other hand, has made $1.74 billion in total sales since its opening on January 29. Reuters reports that many prefer the Chinese film’s contemporary values and multi-character emotional resonance to Marvel’s action-packed new release. In addition to breaking box office records in China, “Ne Zha 2” has become the highest-grossing animated film of all time, dethroning Disney’s “Inside Out 2.” The film’s success has sparked many debates on social media as well as anti-Hollywood rhetoric, mainly concerning the alleged lack of screenings of the movie in North America. One cinema in southwest China has reported it will support “Ne Zha 2” by refraining from screening “Captain America: Brave New World.”

The total in sales for “Ne Zha 2” through the week is about $2.05 billion, reports Deadline.  Adding the grosses from markets outside China, the global total rises to over $2.09 billion, placing the animated film above “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” on the all-time global earnings chart with the previous fifth place spot earning $2.07 billion. The film’s international rollout continues in Indonesia on March 21, with several European and Japanese releases ahead.

Image courtesy of Getty Images.