‘Ne Zha 2’: A 3-Year-Old Demon Just Crushed Every Movie in China
Update: As of Saturday, “Ne Zha 2” has grossed over 6.8 billion yuan ($940 million), becoming China’s highest-grossing film and setting the biggest single-market box office record in history.
Ne Zha was born an outcast, feared as a demon, and fated to die in three years. Instead, he’s conquered China’s box office.
Released on Jan. 29, the first day of Chinese New Year, “Ne Zha 2,” the sequel to the 2019 animated hit, needed less than 10 days to smash records. It grossed over 6.8 billion yuan ($940 million), becoming China’s highest-grossing film and surpassing “Avengers: Endgame” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” to claim the biggest single-market box office total in history.
The sequel dominated this year’s Spring Festival box office, accounting for over 50% of holiday earnings — the first film in a decade to reach that milestone. Fueled by its success, takings during the weeklong holiday soared to 9.51 billion yuan, with 187 million admissions, setting all-time records for both revenue and ticket sales.
Other major releases, including “Creation of the Gods II” and “Detective Chinatown 1900,” performed well, but none came close to “Ne Zha 2.”
The film’s runaway success has jolted China’s cinema industry back to life. After a sluggish 2024, when total box office earnings plunged by over 10 billion yuan, theaters are scrambling to add more screenings of “Ne Zha 2” to meet demand.
Beyond ticket sales, experts see “Ne Zha 2” as proof that strong films still draw crowds. “The success of ‘Ne Zha 2’ shows that people still want to go to theaters for quality films,” Chen Dan, an expert at the Yangtze River Delta Film Market Research Center, told domestic media. “As long as the movie delivers, the Spring Festival season holds limitless potential.”
“Ne Zha 2” draws from the 16th-century novel “Investiture of the Gods” but twists the legend into something bolder. The film follows Ne Zha, a boy born as the devil incarnate and with strength so immense that a single kick can send enemies crashing through walls.
The 2019 “Ne Zha” first reimagined the character with a punk-styled edge, turning the outcast demon into an antihero embraced by audiences. The film grossed over 5 billion yuan, making it China’s fifth-highest-grossing film of all time and proving that Chinese animation could break convention.
In the first film, Ne Zha is feared as a devil and doomed to live only three years. But instead of succumbing to fate, he defies it — saving the very village that once rejected him. At his side is Ao Bing, a dragon prince who embodies the yin to his yang, their bond reshaping both their destinies.
The sequel picks up after their souls are saved by their master, Taiyi Zhenren, and their bodies are reconstructed from lotus root starch. But Ne Zha is no longer just fighting for survival. This time, he fully embraces his identity as a devil and takes on a bigger battle — challenging the rules that govern gods and demons themselves.
“Gods and demons are nothing but shackles that imprison the fate of different beings,” Ne Zha declares in the film.
Ne Zha’s unconventional appearance in the film — once mocked as “the ugliest Ne Zha in history” — was no accident. Director Yang Yu designed him to defy expectations, forcing audiences to confront their own biases and rethink their judgments by the time the credits rolled.
The gamble paid off. “Ne Zha 2” holds an 8.5 rating on the ratings platform Douban, edging out its predecessor. Viewers praised Ne Zha’s rebellious spirit, though some criticized the film’s portrayal of a crucial sacrifice during the climax as cliché.
“‘Ne Zha 2’ exceeded my expectations. The film shatters preconceived notions of Ne Zha’s myth and reimagines the story with a modern core. The first installment focused on defying fate, while the second challenges the rules, showing that good and evil transcend race,” read a top-rated comment on Douban.
Beyond its themes, the sequel’s animation has been a major draw, surpassing its predecessor in both scale and effects. “Ne Zha 2” features over 1,900 visual effects shots and more than 2,400 total shots — a leap from the first film’s 1,800.
“In terms of special effects, this is likely the pinnacle of domestic animated films right now,” Fang Chenkang, a moviegoer told Sixth Tone. “The textures — skin, fabric, even water — are beautifully executed.”
Production took over five years and enlisted more than 4,000 people. This time, director Yang Yu pushed for even more ambitious visuals. “Audiences had high expectations for ‘Ne Zha 2,’” he said in an interview with state broadcaster CCTV. “We couldn’t waste this opportunity — we had to give everything to make it the best it could be.”
Just as his protagonist fights fate, director Yang Yu has spent over 20 years pushing against the limits of China’s animation industry, determined to carve his own path.
Born to parents in the medical field, Yang was on track for a stable career in pharmacy at Sichuan University in southwestern China. But in his junior year, he pivoted to animation. With no formal training, he spent over three years creating an award-winning short film, “See Through,” on his own, proving that Chinese animation could be something more.
Yang set out to dismantle the idea that Chinese animation was simplistic — the Ne Zha franchise was his answer.
That ambition culminates in the climactic finale of “Ne Zha 2,” where Ne Zha’s team clashes with celestial forces in a visually stunning aerial battle. Dark and golden figures crash together like flocks of birds mid-flight, while thousands of individually animated warriors move through a meticulously crafted three-dimensional space. As the forces collide, streaks of red cut across the battlefield, heightening the intensity.
It was the most difficult scene to create. Yang wanted something that didn’t just impress but shocked and fully immersed the audience — because otherwise, it wasn’t worth making.
VFX director Liu Xin revealed that the battle scene involved 200 million individually animated characters, each moving on its own — a feat rarely attempted in animation. “Some shots had to be rendered repeatedly,” Liu said. “We spent nearly a year and a half to truly capture the scale and intensity of a colossal army in action.”
To bridge cultural differences, Yang relied on domestic teams to create and refine most of the film’s key scenes, all while pushing the limits of Chinese animation. “We realized that the giants we once admired rose through relentless effort. Every challenge is man-made, and we have the potential to push forward,” he said.
From “Monkey King: Hero Is Back” to “Big Fish & Begonia,” and now “Ne Zha 2,” homegrown animated films have steadily reshaped China’s animation industry, proving that local storytelling can compete on the global stage.
“Bringing Chinese culture to the world starts with the work itself. I create what I love, and domestic audiences love it too. As I refine my craft, I believe one day, new ideas, meanings, and soul will emerge — ones the world will appreciate,” said Yang.
Now, “Ne Zha 2” is set for its biggest test yet. The film premieres in North America on Feb. 14, a market where its predecessor earned just $3.7 million. But this time, it arrives with momentum, an industry behind it, and a point to prove.
Editor: Apurva.
(Header image: A promotional poster for “Ne Zha 2.” From @电影哪吒之魔童闹海 on Weibo)
