Sales of merchandise for Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" boom nationwide

China

Sales of merchandise for Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" boom nationwide

2025-02-11 12:52 Last Updated At：02-12 00:47

The intellectual property (IP) merchandise for Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" has become a smash hit in recent days, with fans of the film scrambling to get their Ne Zha-themed souvenirs across China.

At a movie theater in Shanghai, Na Zha-related goods were almost sold out, with only a few items like figurines, blind box cards, and popcorn buckets remaining.

"Many of the most popular items were already sold out during the Spring Festival holiday [from January 28 to February 4]. This is our third restock already," said a staff member at the movie theater.

Formally known as "Ne Zha: Demon Child Conquers the Sea", the film is the sequel to the 2019 animated blockbuster "Ne Zha", drawing inspiration from the tale of a mythological figure of the same name from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) novel "Fengshen Yanyi", or "The Investiture of the Gods".

The enthusiasm toward "Ne Zha 2" has extended beyond movie theaters. At an anime merchandise store, acrylic-made ticket stubs and stress-relief toys featuring "Ne Zha" have been completely sold out as well.

The booming sales have prompted toy manufacturers to accelerate production. In Xiangtan, a city in central China's Hunan Province, Hunan Sunny and Sandy Toys Manufacturer, a company licensed to produce 3D toys of Ne Zha 2, brought over 500 workers back to the production line on Feb 2, the sixth day of the eight-day Chinese New Year holiday to meet the surging demand from consumers.

"About of 60 production lines in five factories have all been running at full capacity to produce merchandise for the blockbuster of Chinese animation Ne Zha. Our monthly production capacity for blind boxes alone is now between 6 million and 8 million units," said Yang Jie, board chairman of the company.

Yang also said that the company previously relied on well-known international IP to produce and export toys, but the rising popularity of Chinese animation has enabled the company to shift focus to the domestic market. So far, the company's Ne Zha figurines and related toys have achieved accumulative sales of over 200 million yuan (about 27.3 million U.S. dollars) on online platforms.

Voting for 2nd phase of Myanmar's general election concludes

Voting for the second phase of Myanmar's multi-party democratic general election concluded on Sunday afternoon.

Voting began at 06:00 local time on Sunday. At 16:00, an election official at a polling station in Yangon's Latha township announced the closure of the polling station.

Following the closure, election staff at the polling station, in the presence of domestic and international media, candidates, and observers, counted the votes, including advance votes, for seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House), Amyotha Hluttaw (Upper House), and State and Region Hluttaws (State and Region Parliaments).

The second phase of the election was held in 100 townships across 12 of the 14 regions and states. In the Yangon region, it was held in 16 townships, including the townships of Latha, Bahan, Kyimyindaing and Kawhmu.

"We welcome the election, which is expected to bring new changes to the country," said a Yangon resident.

"I hope the parties can lead us and make it a better country, which is why I support the election," said another voter.

Myanmar's multi-party democratic general election is being held in three phases, with the first phase held in 102 townships on Dec 28 last year, and the third phase scheduled for Jan 25 this year in 63 townships.

"The parliament is scheduled to convene in March. Following the conclusion of the session, the new government will officially take office in April. We hope that more foreign investment will flow into Myanmar, enabling the public to enjoy the opportunities generated by the country's economic development more fully," said Zaw Min Tun, leader of the Information Team of Myanmar's National Defense and Security Council.

The Union Election Commission (UEC) said that about 5,000 candidates from 57 political parties are competing in the three phases of the election, adding that it plans to set up over 21,000 polling stations across the country for all three phases of the general election.

The election will produce the elected members of the Union Parliament (Pyithu Hluttaw and Amyotha Hluttaw) and State and Region Parliaments; the new Union Parliament will then elect a new president, who will form a new Union Government.