People in Shenyang, Northeast China, participated in cultural activities related to the movie Ne Zha 2 on February 12, 2025, taking photos in front of movie posters.



On Sunday, the Chinese animated picture Ne Zha 2 became the sixth highest-grossing movie worldwide with a total box office receipt of 14.882 billion yuan ($2.052 billion), surpassing the earnings of Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War (2018).

Zhang Peng, a film researcher and associate professor at Nanjing Normal University, told the journal Global Times that the achievement represents a major step forward for China's animation sector, moving it from a stage of "catching up" to "leading" on the international scene.
"Ne Zha 2's climb to the sixth spot in global box-office history represents both a cultural and technological breakthrough for China's film industry," Zhang said.

"It has not only reshaped global perceptions of Chinese intellectual property but also underscored the rise of China's soft cultural power."


At No. 5 with 15.019 billion yuan, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) is currently within striking distance of the movie.

The movie is becoming more and more popular worldwide. The Twin Towers in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, hosted its launch on Saturday. According to the Xinhua News Agency, the event attracted close to 1,000 people, including local fans, media representatives, and cultural leaders from China and Malaysia.

As guests picked up their tickets, long lines gathered at the entry. For photo ops, many fans donned headbands that were modeled after the movie's main character.

Chin Pui Ling, an attendee, told that a themed photo area at the movie theater's entrance attracted large crowds with professional cosplayers emulating Nezha's and other characters' distinctive appearances. 


A Malaysian college student who took part in the event, Amberlin Chin, told the Global Times that the movie theater was packed on the day of the premiere and that she also saw some famous influencers endorsing the event.  
Adorable hairbands in the form of Nezha's famous double buns were fashioned by the organizer.

"I could see the organizers' attention to detail," she continued.


"The audience gave it their all. It simply wasn't sufficient. I heard a lot of people talking about the plot even after the screening," she thought.

Malaysian Chinese guest Sabrina Gan Xin Li told how excited she was about the occasion.

"The theater's ambiance was excellent! She said that the movie was shown with Chinese, English, and Malay subtitles to accommodate the wide range of viewers. "Everyone really got the jokes; and during emotional moments, you could hear people sniffling," she said.





On March 12, the movie will make its Southeast debut in the Philippines, and on March 13, it will make its debut in Thailand. Thai subtitles will be included in localized versions to better engage viewers. To increase the film's accessibility for local audiences, the distributor in Thailand created Thai-language posters and annotated the international trailer in Thai. On Thursday, the movie was released in Singapore.
 

"A natural audience base is provided by the sizable ethnic Chinese community in Southeast Asia. Family values and traditional cultural symbols are universal, Zhang stated. "Moreover, the film employs precise localization strategies, such as subtitles in Malay and Thai, which help bridge cultural gaps."

Beyond localization, Zhang said that the film's excellent production and creative narrative had generated social media buzz, showcasing its universal appeal through a blend of contemporary ideals and oriental aesthetics.