In a year that’s proven a bit soft at the box office, the biggest story is the monstrous power of “Ne Zha 2,” a Chinese CGI animated feature that, during its theatrical release in January, utterly annihilated the likes of “Fantastic Four,” “Superman,” and even “A Minecraft Movie” to become the highest global earning film this year. The competition isn’t tight, either: with $2.2 billion grossed so far, it has an absurd $1.2 billion lead over “Lilo & Stitch” and is the fifth highest-earning movie ever, no qualifications needed.
“Ne Zha 2” isn’t the first Chinese film to challenge Hollywood productions in terms of success, with the country having established itself as a highly important market for global productions. But its sheer impact still heavily outpaces any other Chinese film ever made. By comparison, the second-highest-grossing Chinese film of all-time is 2021’s “The Battle at Lake Changjin,” which “only” grossed a lowly $913 million.