"Ne Zha 2:" The Billion Dollar Film You've Never Heard Of

Despite not even being halfway into 2025, there are already a few films that have made monumental strides at the box office. As of May 1st, the highest grossing films of 2025 are Captain America: Brave New World with $414 million worldwide, A Minecraft Movie with $816 million. But despite selling nearly $1 billion worth of tickets in less than a month, A Minecraft Movie remains in second place for the highest grossing film of the year. Most surprising of all is that it's not a close second, the current box office champion has grossed over $1.9 billion worldwide. This film is not only the official highest grossing animated film of all time, but could likely take the all-time record before the year is over. But the craziest part of all is that it's from a franchise you've likely never heard of...It's called Ne Zha 2.

Ne Zha is a 2019 animated film from China by director, Jiaozi. It follows the titular character, a young boy who is hated and feared by his village on account of being a reincarnated demon. Throughout the film he is challenged to overcome his fate, disprove his reputation, and become an unlikely hero. It is based on "Investiture of the Gods," a 16th century novel by author, Xu Zhonglin, an important text in terms of Chinese spiritualism.

Despite grossing over $742.7 million, it remained largely unknown outside of China as it did not receive a worldwide theatrical release, unlike the sequel. Ne Zha 2 was not only released in theaters outside of China, it also has captured the attention of die-hard cinephiles who want to remain up to date on the world of film. After all, it's hard not to notice a film that has grossed two billion dollars. Normally, Ne Zha 2 would be just another case of a Chinese film that makes a lot of money domestically but remains largely obscure outside of the country. However, this movie has managed to shatter that barrier and gain the attention of the West, including Europe and North America.

January releases tend to be the least successful films throughout the year, not only in terms of critical reception but also box office performance, Ne Zha 2 however, seems to have remarkably broken that curse. The project was released on January 29th in China, the first day of Lunar New Year, and soon after made its way throughout the globe. The film has grossed over $50 million outside of China, which would normally be a number to scoff at, but that is a major triumph for a movie like this. Normally Chinese films struggle making over $5 million in foreign countries. The real big-bucks are coming from theaters in Mainland China. Make no mistake, Chinese audiences absolutely adore this film. The Chinese public has bought ¥13,654,280,477 worth of tickets, the equivalent of $1,877,740,867 USD. This makes Ne Zha 2 the 5th highest-grossing film of all time and it's still in theaters!

Last year a record was made when Pixar's Inside Out 2 became the highest grossing animated film of all time, making $1.699 billion worldwide. But that monumental title was short lived and Pixar was overthrown just over six months later.

But not only is Ne Zha 2 financially successful, it has also been a hit with audiences and critics. Viewers have gushed about its blend of slapstick humor that pairs remarkably well with its serious, emotional moments. Thematically and aesthetically, the movie is reminiscent of Dreamworks' Kung Fu Panda. It's a classic tale of good vs evil with a grand sense of scale and a mind-melting art style that will leave you speechless. Ne Zha stands as not only an achievement for animation but also for China as a country. Let's hope we see more milestones like this get passed before the decade is over!