Defying all expectations, the Chinese blockbuster Ne Zha 2 broke several new records in its second weekend of release. The animated sequel has only been released in its home country so far, but will soon be rolled out in international markets, including North America. Ne Zha 2 has already established itself as one of the highest-grossing animated movies in history, even before its launch in overseas territories. It recently passed the $1 billion mark, becoming only the 13th animated film in history, and the first-ever Chinese film, to do so.

As of Sunday, the film’s cumulative collections in China stand at $1.1 billion. Ne Zha 2 overtook The Battle of Lake Changjin to become the highest-grossing Chinese film of all time, after having overtaken the first Ne Zha‘s $742 million global haul. It’s also the first film in history to pass the $1 billion mark in a single country, having overtaken Star Wars: Episode VI – The Force Awakens‘ $936 million North American haul from around a decade ago. According to Deadline, the Chinese platform Maoyan has revised its projections following the film’s box office performance; Ne Zha 2 is now expected to hit the $1.6 billion mark in China alone.

The movie debuted during the lucrative Chinese New Year period, breaking records set by Moana 2. If it is actually able to live up to expectations, it’ll become the second-biggest animated film in history, behind only Inside Out 2, which concluded its global run with just under $1.7 billion last year. Including the revenue that it could potentially earn in overseas markets, the film has a good shot at beating Inside Out 2‘s all-time record. Produced on a reported budget of $80 million, Ne Zha 2 has already overtaken the likes of Moana 2 ($1.036 billion), Toy Story 3 ($1.068 billion), and Toy Story 4 ($1.071 billion) to become the seventh-biggest animated movie in history.

The China Box Office Has Turned Into a Monster

The Chinese market has exploded in the post-pandemic era, after building the groundwork through foreign titles in the last decade or so. The five highest-grossing films of 2025 are all Chinese. Until some years ago, several Hollywood titles would rely on the Middle Kingdom to salvage shaky franchises. For instance, the first Venom movie earned more in China than it did in America; even the otherwise disappointing Warcraft film earned significantly more in China than it did domestically. But the landscape has changed; China relies on homegrown properties. Ne Zha 2 is a success story of historical proportions. The movie will be released domestically on Friday.